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Old 10-24-2004, 11:16 PM   #1
DongShenYin
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: NYC
Default Here's the pitch (Newbie GM)

So how's this sound? Would it make you want to play or run away?

The game will take place in a medieval kingdom currently at war with goblin raiders from the west. The adventures will center on a newly knighted squire who is made steward of a small domain and his companions. The domain belongs to the steward’s famous knight father and will provide food and supplies to him and his men if successfully run. Players are encouraged to create the steward and the characters who grew up with him at court. PCs should be newly knighted/ordained/promoted members of the gentry who are familiar with and involved in politics. (GM will help with linking PCs and noble families.) They don't have to be friends but they know each other and their families/religious order/patrons are all loyal to the king (at least outwardly so) and they should be willing to work with each other at the king's orders. Players should be prepared to face challenges that include a betrothal between the steward and the heir of the domain’s former lord; dealing with the witch who controls the forest surrounding the domain; the mayor in the town downriver who is pursuing the heir in marriage; raids on the domain by bandits who steal crops, cattle and women; restoring and increasing the domain’s productivity; and the king’s approval as to whether they are keeping the domain or not. The game will be run using GURPS 4th Edition, using characters with a point range of 85-125, with disadvantages of 45-65, subject to GM approval. As this is a feudal setting, the characters will automatically have Duty to Patrons, although the nature of the patron is varied according to what the characters are. (i.e. squire’s Duty to a knight, Knight’s Duty to a lord, priest’s Duty to a church, wizard’s Duty to his family) Further details will be discussed during the first session where characters will be made and the background developed.
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Old 10-24-2004, 11:35 PM   #2
Mister Unfortunate
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Mary Esther, FL
Default Re: Here's the pitch (Newbie GM)

I'd certainly play - sounds like a lot of fun.
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Old 10-25-2004, 12:10 AM   #3
foxxtrot
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Default Re: Here's the pitch (Newbie GM)

Just to clarify, the newly Knighted Squire is not a PC is he? Because in my experience making one player more important that the others is a big risk that tends to backfire.

On the same token, you don't want an Adventuring NPC to be too core either, as that also makes things less fun.
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Old 10-25-2004, 12:19 AM   #4
DongShenYin
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: NYC
Default Re: Here's the pitch (Newbie GM)

Whether or not the steward is a PC is one of the things I'm debating. One, it's a fantastic role to play if the player is up to it. Two, I'd like to do the betrothal storyline; that not only makes for great RPing but also makes sense--otherwise, why would the domain have been without someone to run it? (Unless they meet the previous steward and do an exchange of keys) Three, the other PCs don't have to owe Duty to him necessarily, but to THEIR lords if they're not knights (priest to his church, bard to his guild, etc). The steward can have a squire, but other knights would have a Duty to his father and would probably be more experienced than he is. On the other hand, I can see where a bad player can take advantage of this role and try to boss everyone around. Also, it's usually considered bad if the entire campaign centers around one person. Its even worse if that person dies. If he does end up an NPC, I'd emphasize his courtly skills more and make him sorta incompetent in the field, leaving the bulk of the work to the PCs. Hmm... Any ideas?
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Old 10-26-2004, 08:38 PM   #5
DongShenYin
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: NYC
Default Re: Here's the pitch (Newbie GM)

Okay, final draft:

You are living in the land of Bresnal, a place covered with rolling hills, thick woods, and abundant lakes. Until the last five hundred years, the human culture have depended on a more nomadic hunting and gathering existence. Only recently have the various tribes of humans settled down to form a more agricultural life, but the hunting heritage is still strongly reflected in their deities.

The tribes became kingdoms, dividing Bresnal into established, politically delineated fragments. You were born within King Einar the Elder's land, a rich kingdom interlaced with rivers. Because of the extensive river system, travel on boats is more common than on roads. Horses are reserved for King Einar and his warriors, used in border squirmishes against the other kings and queens.

Churches as established institutions are relatively new. Worship had always been a personal experience, led by tribal chiefs and heads of households. Since the humans settled down, priests and ritualized worship have become more common. The pantheon consists of:

High King Chander The Stag : hunting, death, home
High Queen Ammure The Shieldmaiden : war, the sun, storms
High Prince Durrow The Balanced : hospitality, justice, duty
High Princess Eldhei The Greedy : love, wealth, rivers
High Prince Ushwin The Beautiful : mysteries, magic, destiny
High Prince Loughlin The Poet : livestock, stories, oaths
High Princess Miaell The Wise : crops, fertility, the moon

Along with the gods, there are fey spirits tied to the land, the rivers, the forests and animals. Neither friendly nor hostile to humans, they are as likely to steal food as to bless crops. Humans tend to placate these spirits with small offerings as well as have festivals and holidays dedicated to them. On the other hand, there are giants who share Bresnal with the humans. Ten feet tall and robust, the giants are friends to humans, rarely engaging in war with them. The giants are known for their songs, ballads, stories, plays and cheerful outlook on things.

Magic is in the possession of a vast family that knows no political boundaries. Those who are wizards are born into the family, married into it, or adopted. Often, a child who shows promise in such skills are given to the family, severing all ties with his former kin. There are many rumors about this family, including the most persistent one—that the founder is an ancient wyrm that lives to this day and takes new brides to strengthen his line.

Only until recently have battles taken place sporadically with the other kingdoms, because the humans do as much trading as they do arguing. However, a new threat has appeared in the form of goblin legions invading from the western seas. King Einar, twenty years old, has earned the title “the Elder” because he has aged since the wars against the goblins have begun. No one knows much of these invaders as they apparently have been building their numbers in secret for decades, preparing for conquest.

With all the seasoned warriors, priests and wizards at the front lines of the battle, it is up to you as newly promoted warriors, wizard apprentices and novice priests to care for your homeland. King Einar, needing a steady flow of supplies as well as wanting to reward good service, has given a fief to one of his best warriors. With the battle still raging, the warrior has placed his son as steward of the fief, which will provide food and supplies to him and his men if successfully run.

Players are encouraged to create the steward and the characters who grew up with him in King Einar’s Great Hall. PCs should be members of the gentry who are familiar with and involved in politics, either as relatives of major warrior families, talented wizards, or newly ordained priests. (GM will help with linking PCs and noble families.) They don't have to be friends but they know each other and their families/religious order/patrons are all loyal to the king (at least outwardly so) and they should be willing to work with each other at the king's orders.

Players should be prepared to face challenges that include a betrothal between the steward and the heir of the fief’s former lord; dealing with the witch who controls the forest surrounding the fief; the mayor in the town downriver who is pursuing the heir in marriage; raids on the domain by bandits who steal crops, cattle and women; restoring and increasing the fief’s productivity; and the king’s approval as to whether they are keeping the fief or not.

The game will be run using GURPS 4th Edition, using characters with a point range of 85-125, with disadvantages of 45-65, subject to GM approval. As this is a feudal setting, the characters will automatically have Duty to Patrons, although the nature of the patron is varied according to what the characters are. (i.e. squire’s Duty to a warrior, warrior’s Duty to a lord, priest’s Duty to a church, wizard’s Duty to his family) Further details will be discussed during the first session where characters will be made and the background developed.
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Old 10-26-2004, 09:53 PM   #6
Ian Wright
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Default Re: Here's the pitch (Newbie GM)

That's a good start. The giants are a really nice touch. It all looks interesting, and there's enough out of sight that you can expand on the world if you think of anything you want to add later. Always leave room for nasty surprises, I say. It keeps the players on their toes.
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Old 10-26-2004, 11:49 PM   #7
DongShenYin
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: NYC
Default Re: Here's the pitch (Newbie GM)

Nasty, yesssssssssssss. *rolls GM dice of evil*
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Old 10-29-2004, 02:38 PM   #8
DongShenYin
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: NYC
Default Re: Here's the pitch (Newbie GM)

People have been pointing out to me that 500 years is too short a time for my people to go from nomadic to settled... that's happened in the real world, but only after a nomadic people conquered and got absorbed by settled people... I was thinking that my nomads came from the east, found elven settlements, conquered them, and became settled themselves... elves could be the slave class and the bandit raiders could be the half elven survivors... Any suggestions? It's just an idea I had in the middle of the night.
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