[Burning THAC0] B2: The Keep on the Borderlands (ooc/setup)

[engrishonly]

​

Welcome back to the old school.

With the Keep on the Borderlands, there's a lot that isn't in the lines of the rules & the old sandbox module. You have to be able to see between the lines to get your US$0.02 out of it. The entire style of B2 is totally different than the more heavily scripted modules of today, which is not necessarily any better nor worse. That old style setup of B2 provides a different sort of player/GM authorship that is fun to revisit.

We're not going red box for this, though. We will be using the Burning Wheel because I like the system & I want to try it in the THAC0 mode. (Old school sensibilities don't necessarily need old systems, as players of many modern games know full well.)

System: Burning Wheel
Character "Level": 3 lifepath "Burning THAC0" characters (think lvl 1 DnD characters)
Setting: Mystara, the Grand Duchy of Karameikos (circa red/blue box DnD, the Expert set)

No knowledge of the BW rules is required. This is as much of an introduction as B2 was intended to be. We will use abbreviated intro-type rules to make it simple (like those in "The Sword" scenario for BW), and I will do my best to explain as we go. (Maybe with a BW vet or two, this will be easier than I think it will be.)

BW is character-driven, and meant as an anti-railroad game (in the "GM's plot dictates the direction" sense of railroad). Translating this into DnD modules: adapting a whole Pathfinder AP for the Buring Wheel is a bigger challenge than doing it with an older sandbox-style game, but not impossible.

In a follow-on post, I will provide links for those who want to click around/research about the Burning Wheel before asking for more info.

...

Now, what do I want?

Looking for 4 player characters. 3 will do fine, but no more than 4... Otherwise, tracking it all & engaging all the Beliefs becomes a hassle. Four plus one (me, the Dungeon Master) is the ideal I'm after, with at least one player with no experience with the Burning Wheel.

Info-wise, stuff I'd like to see in expressions of interest...

• How much experience you have with Burning Wheel, Burning Empires, and/or Mouse Guard.
• Generally, what's your prior experience with the Keep on the Borderlands (for Basic D&D) &/or the Return to the Keep on the Borderlands (for AD&D 2e)... And would you be annoyed at "changes" to the Keep/Caves of Chaos?
• If you've been to the Keep on the Borderlands before, what's your fondest memory of the adventure? What was the weakest part of the experience?
• Ditto to the general setting of Karameikos, as well as Mystara.
• What class/race (racial class, for red box DnD) you'd play if this was a DnD game. And what DnD alignment.
• What other PbP games you're a part of, and what amount of PbP experience you have.
• Why you're interested in this game & what you're hoping to get out of the experience.

 

[engrishonly]

Linkages...

The introductory chapter of the Burning Wheel system (free to download), which includes basic task resolution concepts, and a simple description by the author.

The Burning THAC0 compilation. This is a collection of message board posts, personal notes & ideas for running BW in the style of red box D&D (Moldvay, Mentzer, not today's red box). For those who are new to BW, take it all with a grain of salt. You aren't really the audience for the document... but in making characters, you may want to see the lifepath suggestions on page 3 of the Burning THAC0 pdf. (For Elves & Dwarves & Halflings of the red box, I can give you some other suggestions.)

Also, the "What is Burning Wheel" sticky post on the Burning Wheel forum, which may also be helpful to skim through...

 

[HandofMystra]

reading the materials

 

[InVinoVeritas]

Interested! On an old school kick lately...

I've never played or experienced (and only barely heard of) Burning Wheel before. However, I'm a 25 year veteran of RPGs, starting with the Red Box that I trained myself on.

You'd think that this would mean that I've played in Keep. I haven't, strangely enough. I started with Bargle, went to the Isle of Dread, and started writing my own adventures from there. So do whatever you want with the Keep, I won't notice the difference.

As for character, that's a tough choice... Since we're talking Red Box, I'll take a Cleric.

 

[engrishonly]

Faith & sorcery have interesting mechanics in Burning Wheel... they aren't the DnD system, anyway. Priests are measured by their Faith, which looks at that character's relationship with their deity/power... and in turn, that relationship informs the sort of thing that happens when the Priest attempts to bring the power of faith into play. (Sorcery is a whole 'nother beast)

In choosing a Cleric (the game doesn't require one of anything, although martial-type characters are probably required for the old school), you would be moving the dial towards questions of faith, disputes between religious orders, and so on. That's the way the Burning Wheel rolls. Character choice informs the shape of the world, the direction of play within the sandbox.

Anyway, I ramble on. Let's see who else might have any degree of interest in this.

 

[HandofMystra]

Burning Wheel sounds interesting.

• How much experience you have with Burning Wheel, Burning Empires, and/or Mouse Guard. I read Mouse Guard; have not played any
• Generally, what's your prior experience with the Keep on the Borderlands (for Basic D&D) &/or the Return to the Keep on the Borderlands (for AD&D 2e)... And would you be annoyed at "changes" to the Keep/Caves of Chaos? Never played - I really started in 3.5
• If you've been to the Keep on the Borderlands before, what's your fondest memory of the adventure? What was the weakest part of the experience?
• Ditto to the general setting of Karameikos, as well as Mystara. Nada
• I'll leave the next three until after I finish the BW intro
  
• What class/race (racial class, for red box DnD) you'd play if this was a DnD game. And what DnD alignment.
• What other PbP games you're a part of, and what amount of PbP experience you have.
• Why you're interested in this game & what you're hoping to get out of the experience.

 

[HandofMystra]

I did a bit of reading (thank you Wikipedia). I am pulled to be a Traladaran paladin: Village Born, Temple Acolyte, Bannerman. I do not know these lifepath categories. He is pulled (is this a Belief?) to search for the heritage and ancient dignity of his people in the ruins around Karameiko. His is protective of those of his village and would be more likely to follow a Traladaran (are there such) than the current law. He is of a ancient noble family, but has had a pretty gritty existence in the village.
How is that for a start?
Maybe he has heard that this an artifact out in the ruins that details the culture of ancients, which would interest him.

 

[engrishonly]

Some understanding of Mouse Guard is helpful since the MG is a modified version of the Burning Wheel. You should be familiar with concepts like the fact that the River is Rising, and the concept of Scripting for Fights & Duels of Wits & Chases.

................

For everyone, one more thing about characters. DnD Class is important to help pin down ideas, but not the only thing. BW is a game where we need to share stories & ideas, and not just in the stupid "art of roleplaying" crap. The mechanics are built around your ability to play/realize your character.

BW runs better for you when you can achieve "arthas", basically converting characterful play into in-game "currency" (think drama points or fate points) that you can use to supercharge your actions.

To get the artha wheel rolling, you need a character grounded by a strong Concept. If you've got one or two punchy sentences about your character (no more than that), share them.

Just some examples from movies & stories...
"A young man, raised by his Aunt and Uncle, who dreams of going off on an adventure. His father is actually the Dark Lord of the evil Empire."

"A ranger from the North, born into a disgraced noble house. Does he have the strength of character to lead other men, or is he heir to all the flaws of his house?"

"An academic who is also a hard-nosed adventurer. His love of riches and fame often gets him in trouble."

 

[Scott DeWar]

so sahly, no speeky engrish, but good luck on your game! I am a player in an old school 1st ed game already. do you know about the OSRIC?

 

[engrishonly]

I did a bit of reading (thank you Wikipedia). I am pulled to be a Traladaran paladin: Village Born, Temple Acolyte, Bannerman. I do not know these lifepath categories. He is pulled (is this a Belief?) to search for the heritage and ancient dignity of his people in the ruins around Karameiko. His is protective of those of his village and would be more likely to follow a Traladaran (are there such) than the current law. He is of a ancient noble family, but has had a pretty gritty existence in the village.
How is that for a start?
Maybe he has heard that this an artifact out in the ruins that details the culture of ancients, which would interest him.

Yes, that seems like a solid start. I like the concept & the direction, and it provides a lot to work with.

He doesn't start with the Noble trait, "Mark of Privilege", but achieving his place & restoring his ancient family name might allow him to gain that trait through play. It would be a fun goal, I think.

The Lifepaths... Village Born is obvious. It leads to the Religious setting, as an Acolyte. This unlocks the Faith attribute, and covers all the holy aspects of Paladin. He then joins the militant ranks (the Soldier setting) as a Bannerman (a soldier/cavalryman entrusted to hold the banner of his Lord/commander when going into battle).