Interest Check: Burning Wheel - IN SOMEPLACE COOL!

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Aug 5, 2021 4:29 pm
Hey Gamers Planers!

Who wants to play some Burning Wheel???

Ok... what if I sweeten the pot with the game being set in Tolkien's Middle Earth?

Noobs to the system and veterans are both welcome alike. Though the group's experience level as a whole will likely shape what the plot looks like (the more inexperienced players, the more simple the plot will likely be).

The most important part might very well be that you're a Tolkien enthusiast!

Big Picture:
The game will be set in the Gondor port city, Pelargir, in the Third Age year 2950. This is 9 years after Bilbo found the One Ring, and Laketown and Smaug were both destroyed (Laketown was subsequently rebuilt). Sauron has returned to Mordor, but hides there in secret, gathering strength. It's still 18 years before Frodo is even born, and more than 60 years before the Fellowship will be formed.

Middle-earth has generally been experiencing an extended period of peace and prosperity, but a Shadow is beginning to grow over the land, and dark forces are gathering to the South and East, and WITHIN Middle-earth!

Starting Situation:
Your character will be a member of a loose society of individuals, calling themselves "the Archivists", who basically as a "hobby" or even full-time pursuit seek out and document information on relics and artefacts from previous Ages, and great battles, and things - and even try to obtain such objects themselves when the opportunity presents itself.

We will "burn up" (create) the specific Situation that will begin the game, as a group, as a part of character creation. But broadly, my vision is that the Archivists are hot on the trail of the Osgiliath palantir stone...

I have a relatively short story arc in mind, so that the game can have a satisfying beginning, middle, and end. But Burning Wheel is a system that is designed to play out over in-game years and years if that is what is called for, so, where the game actually goes is really up to who we have as players.

The plan will be to rely on "the Hub"/core mechanics (which are pretty simple) for the vast majority of play. Delving into "the Spokes" for things like "Steel" (fear), possibly Sorcery, possibly "Emotional Attributes", and important combats/weapons/armor/wounds (Bloody Versus, or other hacks), and generally avoiding like the plague the more advanced systems - Duel of Wits/Range and Cover/Fight! (which I've never seen achieve anything other than ending a BW game in the PbP format).

So yea, does that sound interesting to anyone?

Lemme know, below!

https://i.imgur.com/6jQmBWC.jpg
Last edited August 6, 2021 10:48 pm
Aug 6, 2021 1:29 pm
In case ppl don't know there are a couple things out there to make the barrier of entry pretty low.

Like an excellent character creator app:

https://charred-black.herokuapp.com/#/

And the basic rules are available for free here.

https://www.burningwheel.com/burning-wheel-gold-revised-hub-and-spokes/

Also, bump ...
Aug 6, 2021 1:38 pm
I absolutely would love to play this if my bandwidth weren't maxed. I've heard good things about Burning Wheel in the past, and I really enjoy the Middle Earth feel, especially exploring a side of it not often touched on.

Good luck in the game, I'm sure it'll be great!
Aug 6, 2021 7:12 pm
I think it is actually a pretty ideal system for PbP, so long as you don't use the more "advanced" mechanics (as I will not).

But unfortunately it's not a widely played system basically anywhere.

I had seen some interest around here in the recent past (a Burning Wheel Star Wars game, and a new user who called it out specifically in their Intro post) but perhaps didn't strike while the iron was hot enough, so to speak.
Last edited August 6, 2021 7:12 pm
Aug 6, 2021 7:47 pm
This system looks so very intriguing, and I'm really tempted. :0 Plus, somehow I still don't have a single dwarf character on this site despite them being my favorite, so it would be an ideal time to create one... Think I can join you? I might be a bit slow to post though, rates like 1 post per day really aren't working out for me.

And admittedly, I'm also not that well-versed in Middle Earth? My knowledge of it consists of the 2001-2003 movie trilogy (plus surface knowledge of the newer one, The Hobbit one), a music album about Feanor (and Valar disapproving), a music album about Bilbo (...that exists too, pretty fun) and a musical about Finrod (the part with Beren/Luthien). I'm not sure if it's sufficient since I didn't read the books, but there are always wikis! ...Oh, and I played the "Shadow of" videogame series, so some Celebrimbor knowledge too, albeit questionable!
Aug 6, 2021 10:28 pm
You would be very welcome to join me!

We would need at least two other people though...

And no one needs to have knowledge of Middle Earth, just that Tolkien-o-philes might appreciate some of the plot and Easter eggs more than non. We could axe the Tolkien setting if it's turning ppl off. This system is just made for that kind of grittier, low fantasy world.

But there's other gritty, low fantasy spaces we could inhabit.

Something more Witcher-like

The world of the "Gentleman Bastards" series

Real life settings like a Pirates thing.

Or a pseudo-magical Dark Ages thing.
Last edited August 6, 2021 10:44 pm
Aug 6, 2021 11:07 pm
I'd be down for most settings that aren't LotR lol.
Aug 7, 2021 12:18 am
I would like Middle Earth, just wanted to warn that I don't know the finer details of its history. :D

But I will be up for other settings too, if it's needed! ...except Witcher, and generally darker fantasy sources, as well as any real world settings; I'm not very good at them, and would prefer something a bit happier. (Also not familiar with the series you mentioned, so can't say for sure there!)

Pirates in particular sound good, as long as there are dwarves and the story is less about going around murdering folk, and more along the lines of cursed treasures and fighting sea monsters sent by some malicious entities... In fact, it does give me a fun idea for a dwarven marine turncoat. XD

But really, as long as it's not too dark (like Song of Ice and Fire dark), not a real world, there are dwarves and we aren't playing outright villains, it works for me!
Aug 7, 2021 1:22 am
Heh, Westeros/Song of Ice and Fire is another established IP it does quite well.

But, yea, no, I wasn't angling for a villains/evil campaign. It just does those types of "sub-D&D" levels of fantasy worlds best, which I think tend to be a bit grimmer or darker.

The first game I GMed on Gamers Plane was actually a Greyhawk Burning Wheel game...

We could go there, or hack up something custom?

You like the sound of pirates, but not real life? We could do some air-ships (or sand-ships, etc.) thing?
Aug 7, 2021 1:46 am
Not familiar with Greyhawk, so no opinion here, sorry! I am up for trying though. :) But I do love custom worlds...
And I don't mind a bit of darkness, as long as it isn't "everything's bad, everyone will betray you, you are going to die if you play a pacifist" case. XD And maybe more evil fighting than human fighting? If we are to fight things that are purely evil, then I'm in for it being darker! I just don't wanna fight a lot of sentient characters. But horrifying sea monsters that want a pirate snack? Absolutely!

I don't like real life in terms of historical or pseudo-historical/mythological settings. You know, like Arthurian legends, or actual wars of the past, or Industrial Revolution, etc.? It can be sea pirates, just not sailing the Pacific Ocean, plundering the ships of English traders or gathering at Tortuga... Though sand-ships sound great too! :0
Aug 7, 2021 2:15 am
Greyhawk is just maybe kind of a more Arthurian D&D...?

And Burning Wheel generally isn't best used on high combat games.

It's a system that is ALL about testing a character's beliefs and leaning into intense RP and choices.
Aug 7, 2021 5:00 am
As long as this Arthurian canon is not in real world, sure! I can do pretty much anything of this kind if you don't need me to know the background lore in fine detail. :D

I probably worded that badly about fighting, sorry. I'm mostly indifferent to the amount of combat, though I do love it - but no action at all is fine too! I meant more that I'm hesitant about a lot of deaths. Like if characters were bandits (or even mercs with less than stellar morals, or some "good" fanatical paladins) and just ended everyone in their way/not significant enough as collateral damage? I meant that. Like if it happens, then it's gotta be at least significant?

Hard choices, morally questionable decisions and physical/mental stress are all alright with me! Just less death, if it makes sense? Or if death, then with a way to avoid it (...trolley problem?). Does it make sense? I'm sorry, it's probably a weird request for a game. XD The original LotR premise didn't sound too violent though, so maybe it's okay anyway. Just figured I'd inquire in advance.
Last edited August 7, 2021 5:01 am
Aug 9, 2021 2:23 pm
Figure I'll bump this one more time. Catch the Monday-crowd.

We need one more player!

Come help us forge a custom setting and plot, using the Burning Wheel system!

One of the progenitors of modern "story gaming", the Burning Wheel revolves on your character's Beliefs. It features fail forward mechanics, and "use it or lose it" advancement mechanics. We need just a little bit more grist for the mill!

Had to meme it...

https://i.imgur.com/KsxKLva.jpg
Last edited August 9, 2021 2:52 pm
Aug 9, 2021 3:02 pm
Would I need to buy any books? What posting frequency are you aiming for?
Aug 9, 2021 3:41 pm
I have no idea about the game system to be used ( So I'm looking up rules on how to play it) But I do have knowledge of Sir Tolkien's works (as if my username didn't make it obvious enough ^^) and would like to join this game or any game for that matter that revolves around Middle Earth ^^
Last edited August 9, 2021 3:43 pm
Aug 9, 2021 3:42 pm
You don't have to, no.

There is an excellent, free, community-made character creator app:
https://charred-black.herokuapp.com/#/

And the basic rules are available for free here:
https://www.burningwheel.com/burning-wheel-gold-revised-hub-and-spokes/

Only caveat to that is, if you're just using those resources, you'll be limited to a "more basic" character concept/options (non-magic user, human only, etc.) as those more advanced options include some more advanced rules that are not in the free basic ruleset document. Which, don't get me wrong, there are still tons of character options through the basic rules.
Aug 9, 2021 3:47 pm
That's okay...I just wanted to have a feel of the game...rolling a Dunedain Ranger would be nice unless that's not included in the basic rules...so
Aug 9, 2021 3:54 pm
mormegil says:
I have no idea about the game system to be used ( So I'm looking up rules on how to play it) But I do have knowledge of Sir Tolkien's works (as if my username didn't make it obvious enough ^^) and would like to join this game or any game for that matter that revolves around Middle Earth ^^
We decided to move away from the Tolkien setting, as it didn't seem to be doing much for ppl.

This will likely mean we just move to a different, bog-standard fantasy world (Greyhawk?).

Or, alternatively, we can create a custom setting of our own. Tho frankly in the PbP format, that process requires too much back-and-forth to really be productive/successful in my experience.
Aug 9, 2021 3:54 pm
mormegil says:
That's okay...I just wanted to have a feel of the game...rolling a Dunedain Ranger would be nice unless that's not included in the basic rules...so
A ranger concept is 100% achievable through the basic rules.
Aug 9, 2021 3:58 pm
Or if everyone except nezzer is down for Tolkien, we could go BACK to that.

Which it would suck to lose nezzer, they're experienced with the system and a good and reliable poster, but it might be the option that has the best chance of success given that everyone else will be new, and to me that means we need to be heading in a single, pretty strong direction from the start.
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