HomePage RecentChanges About New Calendar

World Burning

We got some inspiration from Luke’s thread Setting up a Burning Wheel campaign world.

Big Picture: There’s a war between two city states in a world inspired by ancient Greece. The two characters are part of an expedition from [[Malas?]] on the main land to Krythos, a small island allied with the enemy, the island state of Skyros.

The plan for the current campaign arc: Our ship is part of a much larger expedition. Since our king’s brother Gylippos has married the daughter of the local ruler, we have been tasked with his extraction before hostilities begin. His loyalty will be divided, so care has to be used. At the same time, the temple of Poseidon holds a powerful artifact that we are to reclaim the priestess gets to use it against our fleet.

We’re using only humans for this game.

Resource Cycle

The game will focus on the two weeks before the war is started. Our first resource test will be done in two weeks time and will determine the economic effects of the siege on both the besieger and the besieged. From then on, there will be a monthly resource cycle. Our hope is that this will result in a very mobile game.

Equipment

Superior quality equipment is very rare – kings may have a superior item, if at all. Plated, reinforced leather armor is the best you can get.

Most soldiers fight using swords (xiphos) and shields (aspis providing 4D of protection) when in melee. Fighting in phalanx formation using a one-handed long spear (doru) is governed by very different rules and is not really part of this game. Fighting with the spear outside the phalanx requires dropping the shield and using both hands to wield it properly.

Bows, javelins, slings and daggers are the only ranged weapons available.

Magic

Magic is Faith based. There is no sorcery, there are no demons, there is no summoning.

Idiom: Magical effects look like natural effects. The most powerful magic takes the form of natural disasters such as earthquakes, storms, floods.

That’s why Faith affects believers and unbelievers alike.

Cultural Traits

Prophesied (Dt): When they reach 14 years of age, all young men and women go through the Prophesy Ritual, which the High Priest foretells their destiny in this world and their ultimate destination in the afterlife. This fate is usually kept private between the Priest and the young man.

The effect of this trait is a combination of Oathsworn and Doom Sayer/Rune Casting. All people in this culture add a fourth belief, in the form of a prophesied doom. If the character fulfills this doom, he/she automatically earns a Deeds point. If the character is killed in the fulfillment of this pronounced fate, the Deeds point is carried over to the player’s next character.

See Prophecies.

Starting Artha

Aiming for a more heroic game, we’ll start the game with two fate and a persona point.

Define external redirect: Malas