Why I like Yrth/Banestorm

[Blue Ghost]

When I wrote my Trek-Yrth crossover, I found it liberating in that I had a set world in which traditional fantasy existed, but I didn't have to rely on tropes of other settings and novels; i.e. Tolkien, D&D, T&T and so forth. It was pretty much a "write what you know" effort. Having watched a lot of classic 1960s Trek, and read lots of Tolkien and other fantasy novels, I found the 3rd edition of GURPS Fantasy quite helpful, and the Banestorm book that much more.

I don't really game any more other than online gaming, and where I don't indulge in any fantasy RPGs (I've always been more partial to sci-fi), I did find that the GURPS Fantasy books are extremely readable. There's a fountain of information in those books.

Like the other guy said on the "I don't Like..." thread, fantasy, to me, has always been about people in a predominantly medieval setting (post Roman Empire to High Middle Ages), where you typical medieval types who are used to farming, maybe doing a little fighting for the local lord, but otherwise eeking out an existence off the land, are thrust into extraordinary circumstances via a visit to an underground complex, an abandoned castle, or some other mysterious place that has some kind of reputation. But that in doing so, the characters find adventure and rewards if they prove skillful enough, brave enough, strong enough, and smart enough to survive the encounters to wind up victorious.

The Banestorm book helps fill in the details without giving a set adventure (as per all GURPS books). And it, as well as the GURPS Fantasy Folk book, addresses the differences between the various medieval fantasy races and creatures without being too didactic about what race must always have Thing-X or Attribute-Y. There's a lot of malleability to cater to any adventure style in terms of a Fantasy Role Playing venue. The added advantage is that if you want to throw in something weird ... like a 50' mech with a Vulcan Gatling arm and missile racks on its shoulders, you can reference GURPS Mecha and have at it ... not that your players will thank you for it, mind you, but there it is.

If I had a complaint about the Banestorm book, it's that it's hard cover, and the art is almost too refined, and doesn't fall into the more abstract sketches that characterize the previous editions of GURPS publications.

[Verjigorm]

Originally Posted by Gold & Appel Inc

Yrth fanfic, ha! :]

It's late, around midnight, and we're staking out a joint called the Jolly Djinni; an Arab-themed Christian bar on the North Side. Word on the street is that a big shipment of black market mind-control potions came through here recently, and we're here to find out where it came from before we take 'em down.

Sister Alice is in the coach with her ears on, as usual. The Thomasites trained her well in the healing magics, but it's her expertise in clairvoyance that we most often need to gather evidence. When things go right, we don't get injured.

Adnan, our "Mullah," whose underworld contacts got us this address in the first place, slipped one of the sous chefs something and took his place at the last minute after demonstrating his mastery of his grandma's shwarma. He's got the back exit.

Grim's got the front, by the coach in case we need him to get us out of here fast. The big man is never easy on the North Side; he has a history here that he doesn't share.

Yivirryelil, or "Middle Finger" as we call him, is on the roof with his crossbow ready. Green runt may have an itchy trigger finger, but he can hit a rat at a hundred paces on a moonless night like this one.

And me? I'm calling the shots on this stake-out. I've been working the mean streets of Tredroy for a long time now, and I've seen a lot of things that make me appreciate a good bottle of Sterling Silver at night, but I still hold a tiny seed of hope in...

The Hand...

Oh man, that sounds fun. I've NEVER been able to convince a GM to play a thief's guild game. Tried to do it back in our D&D days, and when me and a few others came up with the idea of a band of rogues(well, mixed class. I was going to be an Orc Fighter/Barbarian/Thief(the plan was to go more barb/thief, with a bit of fighter spalshed in for combat feats), we had a Fighter/Rogue and a Pure Rogue planned out too), the perspective GMs all shook their heads and said "nah".

Is that so ignoble? We didn't want grand adventures and epic, world deciding stories. We just wanted to rob the world.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Verjigorm

Is that so ignoble?

Yes, which doesn't mean it couldn't be a fun game (though it's perfectly understandable for a GM to not want to run it). Actually, a caper game isn't that different from a dungeon crawl, both of them are about breaking into a heavily guarded location in search of loot...

[Gold & Appel Inc]

Originally Posted by Verjigorm

Oh man, that sounds fun. I've NEVER been able to convince a GM to play a thief's guild game.

I was trying to write them as a Cardien Hand of Michael, like a stake-out oriented police procedural in the vein of The Wire, sorry if that wasn't clear. :]

[Pragmatic]

Originally Posted by combatmedic

Dark elves are a sect/faction

Also, this.

In pre-human Forgotten Realms, there were about a half-dozen elven kingdoms. The kingdoms mixed often two or more of the subraces (sun elves, moon elves, dusk elves (pre-drow)).

Then the Crown Wars started. And though it's often forgotten, the ones that started the wars of conquest was a gold elven kingdom. And a dusk elf kingdom got the worst of it, which started its slide down to degeneracy, demonic worship, and eventually banishment from the surface world (i.e., they were turned into the drow).

I'm reminded of Raymond Feist's Midkemia series, where the evil elves are about an attitude, not a skin color. The "dark" elves are just "light" elves, who have embraced xenophobia. There's a scene where a "dark" elf rejoins the "light" side, and his acceptance by the community changes his attitude, not his appearance (other than how he's perceived).

[Gold & Appel Inc]

[An excerpt from the journal of Gwydo of Sho'joor]:

7/16/14.

Djeklii dead. Djeklii dead. Gwydo mourn Djeklii. Djeklii good boss. Pay Gwydo good. Teach Gwydo read. Nobody know Gwydo read. Nobody know Gwydo write. Nobody think Hob do that. Nobody know Gwydo read Djeklii's paper things. Leave paper things by Djeklii, like Gwydo stupid. Gwydo not stupid. Gwydo have feelings. Gwydo feel hate, and sad, and hate, and kill, and happy because Gwydo know where they live. They live at 15th and Spruce in East Tredroy, by the docks. Ocean smell like freedom blowing over fish guts. Gwydo see in dark real good. No need for moon to write this. Gwydo know when meeting is. Won't be long, now.

Gwydo write hraknoom about this, if Gwydo live. Gwydo use "K" theme. Or maybe "B" theme. Gwydo will see. Footsteps come.

Bozdaag of Gwydo's father Gwydo make Gwydo strong! Uunkuy of Djeklii forgive Gwydo.

[Prince Charon]

Gwydo is an interesting character. Probably smarter than his grammar would imply, as well.

[Gold & Appel Inc]

Originally Posted by Prince Charon

Gwydo is an interesting character. Probably smarter than his grammar would imply, as well.

Thanks!

~~~~~

12:15PM: TREDROY HAND HQ:

YIVIRRYELIL: Oh good, you're back. We've got a problem, Sir.

CAPTAIN CROSS: What seems to be the trouble?

YIVIRRYELIL: We've got a Hobgoblin suspect in custody downstairs for the multiple homicide at 15th and Spruce last night. One of Adnan's black market healers ratted him out. Says he came in around 4am with real silver and a stab wound in his gut.

CAPTAIN CROSS: So what's the problem? You and Grim take point on this. Give him the old Good Finger / Bad Finger routine and he ought to spill in no time.

YIVIRRYELIL: One step ahead of you on that, Sir. Won't say a thing without his lawyer.

CAPTAIN CROSS: He has a lawyer? What kind of- That was the problem?

YIVIRRYELIL: It's worse. He says he's represented by Sashklivi'i, Shekekki, and Bozaatz.

CAPTAIN CROSS: Expensive. We've handled them before, though. That was the problem?

YIVIRRYELIL: Worse. He asked for Shekky by name. Says he's on retainer.

CAPTAIN CROSS: ...so you can't work this case. Hell's bells.

YIVIRRYELIL: Yes, Sir. Sorry, Sir.

CAPTAIN CROSS: No, no, this is how we've got to play it, or SSB will hold our feet to the fire. You're benched until further notice, Mid. See if you can put a dent in the paperwork from the love potion bust, and leave your brother-in-law to me...