Category: Fantasy

Legends of the Realm RPG

Legends of the Realm

This land of wonder and beauty, of wild beasts and treasures to behold, is also the same land where your Ruler has built a Hold. All of you have pledged as knights to help them to defend this Hold and to help this Ruler to do what is best for the people, for generations to come. The Hold and to a larger extent the Realm is also your (new) home. And the Realm is now your life. For the power and glory of this land, this Realm brings humanity, the magical, the nobility, and the warrior to one place here and now so long may you all work towards the vision of what the Realm should be … a guiding inspiration of a better world for all to honor and fight for till the end of days.

An Order of Knights, stronger than friends or family — they know you or believe so. There are things that are secret or shameful and things that are worn openly with pride as armor to your soul. What you have and haven’t done and what you strive for are the lifeblood to your calling as a Knight of the Realm. What do you have to prove to them and to yourself by your reputation in deeds? Or reforged in a new image?

Legends of the Realm is a collaborative story game for 3-5 players who take on the roles of knights in service to their ruler, caught up in rivalries, political schemes, mysterious quests, and desires for love, all while trying to earn a name for themselves as a legend of the realm. This game is based on Bethany Havey’s brilliant game, Unincorporated, which may be found https://bethanyharvey.itch.io/unincorporated. Please consider supporting their game.

Pool time with Vigilance

Tonight I had the good fortune to run through some core dice pool tests with a fellow designer for my alternate fall of the Bronze Age game, Vigilance, and it was amazing.

> Vigilance RPG

I feel as though the game mechanics are taking a while to mature due to the lack of consistent critical testing and after tonight’s run through I am more confident about trying a face-to-face and an online playtest group.

Tonight we ran through the 7th of 12 chapters and the 7th is the Debate between Laws. As it was a playtest focused mostly on the mechanics, I quickly filled in details about the province (formerly called precinct in earlier versions) and the story circumstances of the conflict filled themselves in as the combat developed. This was the first use of chapter 7 and we cut right to the battle between the PC Law and the NPC Law. This game only has the players roll the dice, but there are a few escalation features as well–most notably Chaos. The more Chaos the more d10s and things get worse.

Since we had two versions of the dice pool to test we opted to run through the same fight with the A/B pool use. Things started out more or less the same and then it happened when the second option seemed to really make the player be more engaged and as a result I was more invested with each choice the player made. The Chaos definitely escalated more in the second case and the complication stacked resulting in bitter victory for the PC Law, winning the Debate and losing the respect of his province in the process for doing what he was made to do.
 

Photo: Detail of the Laws of Conflict sheet for the Vigilance RPG.
Vigilance RPG

Vigilance

Part mortal. Part myth. All justice.

As a Living Law, you were created to right the wrongs and restore that which the Wildstorm took from your people before it strikes again. Vigilance is a Late Bronze Age mythic fantasy tabletop roleplaying game that explores legends of loss, humanity, and justice both in a home community and in the wider fallen world ripe with Chaos.

System: Dice pools.

Blood & Violence

Blood & Violence

A tabletop roleplaying game of magical realism travel tales with Vagrants who collect and share stories, influencing the World.

Story – What Is Blood & Violence the Roleplaying Game?

They say the World is vast and uncertain, modern and ancient from dusk to dawn. The World is connected by travelers, like you moving in and out of distant Civilizations: strange hollow lands that speak to you and remind you of where you came from—why you’re with them, fellow Vagrants, you companions of the Road, and in this World. Each day brings new Hopes, Needs, and Fears—some you share, some you steal, perhaps one day you’ll know when it’s time to leave the Road behind you for Blood & Violence.

A rare kind of people, called Vagrants, move between Civilizations along the Road searching for new Stories to learn and share throughout the World, with Hopes, Needs, and Fears as their companions. Eventually, Vagrants settle down as a Civilian, become a Legend, or wander forever as a Reaver along the Road.

Vagrants come from all walks of life and any Civilization. They are people who, for whatever reason, have decided to leave their old life behind to travel along the Road. Many take on alter egos. Few use or share their real identities. Some ply old or pick up new trades. All Vagrants share Stories with those they meet for good or ill results, changing lives and reshaping the world.

Magical Realism Travel Tales

Magical Realism

In magical realism stories, the world is still grounded in the real world as we might know it, but fantastical elements are considered normal in this world with the lines between fantasy and reality blurred. This includes talking objects, dead or spirit characters, telepathy, robotic caretakers, moving landscapes, and so much more as normal aspects. As a result, the magic of the stories are left unexplained.

Also, stories in this style do not necessarily follow a typical arc of beginning, middle and end, and some magical realism stories are used to critique society, especially in parts of the world that were colonized or oppressed and exploited by outsiders.

Travel Tales

This refers to the journey stories of Vagrants’ experiences along the Road and visiting with different civilizations. Part of the game involves mapping the World on notecards and using this map to help define the goals and way that they’ll proceed.

Long-Term Play

Blood & Violence is meant to be played in an episodic format with Vagrants entering and exiting as the story or players need. The Vagrants are travelers in search of stories to learn and to share with others, and along the way the Vagrants influence the lives of those they meet. Some Vagrants decide to settle down in a community giving up their traveler ways, or become a Reaver and roam the Road forever, or possibly become Legends of the World.