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[ASoIaF RPG] Now my Watch Begins (Recruitment and set-up thread)
The Brayster
UKRegistered User regular
UKRegistered User regular
Night gathers, and now my watch begins.
It shall not end until my death.
I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children.
I shall wear no crowns and win no glory.
I shall live and die at my post.
I am the sword in the darkness.
I am the watcher on the walls.
I am the fire that burns against the cold,
The light that brings the dawn,
The horn that wakes the sleepers,
The shield that guards the realms of men.
I pledge my life and honor to the Night's Watch, for this night and all the nights to come
It shall not end until my death.
I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children.
I shall wear no crowns and win no glory.
I shall live and die at my post.
I am the sword in the darkness.
I am the watcher on the walls.
I am the fire that burns against the cold,
The light that brings the dawn,
The horn that wakes the sleepers,
The shield that guards the realms of men.
I pledge my life and honor to the Night's Watch, for this night and all the nights to come
Founded 8,000 years ago, at the end of The Long Night, The Order of the Nights Watch is one of the oldest active orders in Westeros. At its peak, the Nights Watch garrisoned 17 castles along the wall at operating condition, with ten thousand men-at-arms spread between them. Serving as a Black Brother was once considered a tremendous honor, to give ones own life to defend the wall against the horrors that lie in the uncharted North.
The Nights Watch is a hollow shell of its former self. Only a handful of Castles remain manned along the wall, with Castle Black being the most populated with barely a few hundred men. Wanderlust regarding the order is mostly lost, with the Wall acting as a dumping ground for the criminals of the Seven Kingdoms. While a few Knights and young Nobles head North seeking the glory they heard in tales, the reality they come across could not be more different.
The Seven Kingdoms care not for the state of their Northern Protectors, busying themselves instead with civil strife and political intrigue in their warm, green south. Yet they remain ignorant of great evil and danger lurking just beyond the realms of men...
What is this?
I am looking to run a Nights Watch module game of the A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying Game, with players taking the role of new recruits Taking the Black, taking on the mantle of either a Ranger, Builder or Steward for the Order, and braving the dangers North of the Wall.
How is this different from the core game?
The core game sees players form a noble House, complete with holdings, political intrigue and various bonds and ranks. For this module, all players join the game on the same level, as new recruits of the Nights Watch, be they a common criminal or a young noble expecting to relive some old stories he hears, all men stand equal with their brothers. They will have no initial ranks, no nobility beyond character flavor, no marriage ties. The only bonds are those with your brothers on the wall, everything else was left behind or taken from you.
Instead of managing a holding for their House, players will be assigned to one of the castles along the Wall and will act in both maintaining and protecting it.
The Men of the Night Watch are, well... Men. To say the Wall would be a dangerous place for a Woman would be a hideous understatement. The problems for female characters joining the Order are extremely obvious and don't really bear mentioning. A player wanting to play a female character would have the option of being from The Gift or Beyond the Wall, true, but the campaign will be focused on the Nights Watch and their operations, so such a character would have to have a really good reason for riding along with the rest of them, being privy to the same conversations, objectives and opportunities.
When will this campaign be set?
The Story will open in the days following the Red Wedding, with characters currently on the road to the wall before they take their vows. If you haven't read beyond A Storm of Swords, or watched HBO's Game of Thrones beyond Season 3, I would not recommend reading this thread, let alone taking part. While the actions will be somewhat set apart from those of characters in the books/show, the occasional mention or cross-over is not impossible.
This sounds neat, can I play?
Sure! I am looking for 4-5 players to take part, so feel free to SIGN UP! In the event of more people signing up than there are spaces, I'll dice-roll to determine who gets a place.
You do not need to have played this before to take part. I will walk everyone through everything from character creation to how to roll to holding management. This game will also be Play by Post on these boards.
Steam: TheBrayster
PSN: TheBrayster_92
PSN: TheBrayster_92
The Brayster on
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Here is a question for you, at this point in the books magic is slowly awakening. Would you allow a red priest?
From the Desk of Darth Vertroue Diplomat to the USA.
If we get one or two more we can start making characters. Gaps in the roster can be filled slightly later.
PSN: TheBrayster_92
From the Desk of Darth Vertroue Diplomat to the USA.
Whatever floats your grimdark Nights Watch boat.
PSN: TheBrayster_92
From the Desk of Darth Vertroue Diplomat to the USA.
From the Desk of Darth Vertroue Diplomat to the USA.
My own noggin and a slight inspiration from the series for turns this adventure can take plot wise.
@PACherrn , by the Awesome on the OP, would I be wrong to assume you might be interested in joining in?
PSN: TheBrayster_92
From the Desk of Darth Vertroue Diplomat to the USA.
All I'd need to do is adjust encounter difficulty and maybe up the involvement of Major NPCs.
PSN: TheBrayster_92
I would love to play, but alas, I do not have the books
EDIT: a solution has been found!
If you three are down, I guess I'll start walking you through character creation. Once you guys have done the crunch, I'll make and send you each your own character sheet for ease of reference.
Creating a character for a Nights Watch Campaign consists of 7 stages. Anyone who has read the core book will see a lot of similarities, but a Night Watch character will come out with more focus and a lot of elements pre-determined. The stages are as follows:
Step 1: Character concept.
- Determine Age (16+). The Age bands are:
Young Adult:16-18 (180)
Adult: 19-30 (210)
Middle Age: 31-50 (240)
Old: 51-60 (270)
Very Old: 61-80 (330)
Venerable: 81+ (360)
The numbers in brackets represent your base starting exeprience depending on what age bracket you fall into. Being older naturally mean more experience, but also means more compulsory drawbacks for your character.
- Determine Role (Schemer, Fighter, Leader, Rogue etc). This sets a general idea of what kind of person your character is going to be. It's very general and doesn't have any serious mechanical consequence, it simply acts as a guideline for yourself when making a character, and others for their expectations of you.
- Determine Background. This can be anything a player likes, being kind to the setting of course. This should include Social Background (Highborn, Lowborn, or Criminal), the reason why you need/want to take the black, and one key quality/event that would make your character contemplate desertion above all else. If you can't think of anything you like, or enjoy the challenge of RNG, you can roll 2d6 for Social Background, Background Events (Lowborn or Criminal), Reasons for Taking the Black (Lowborn or Highborn), or Desertion (All or any combination of the three). I'll let you know what you end up with. (Note: Criminals don't have a table for Taking the Black. Their reason is they were picked out of the gallows by recruiters/opted for it vs a severe physical penalty).
Step 2: Assign Abilities
Step 3: Assign Specialties
Step 4: Destiny Points and Benefits
Step 5: Drawbacks
Step 6: Equipment
Step 7: Derived Stats
We'll address each of these steps in turn, but for the moment I'd like each of you to go through Step 1, to get a basic understanding of who/what your character is, and share your ideas with the group. This will also allow me to focus in on content you'd be interested in for later steps. If content in later steps makes you want to change earlier content, that is fine, I just don't want to overload anyone with tonnes of info at once, so we'll do it step-by-step.
PSN: TheBrayster_92
From the Desk of Darth Vertroue Diplomat to the USA.
Age: 35 (240)
Name: Rhaevon (Raven) Ostaris
Appearances: 6’5”, very tan skin, black hair, black eyes.
Tattoos of fire running up his arms. Across his back has a Dragon stark relief between shoulders.
Role: Schemer
Background: Traveler, Priest
Social Background: Criminal- Arsonist has killed several people, total unknown as they could not put bodies back together.
Reason for Desertion: Refusal to bow to anyone save his god R’hllor God of Fire and Light.
From the Desk of Darth Vertroue Diplomat to the USA.
Desertion isn't a sure fire thing to happen, what I'm looking for is the one thing that would most likely make your character desert (see Jon Snow and the Ill fortunes of the Starks).
In this campaign you (probably) won't desert, it just gives me more to work with
PSN: TheBrayster_92
From the Desk of Darth Vertroue Diplomat to the USA.
Edit: To clarify. To play this game, would I need to have and understand the entire book prior to jumping in? Or is it simple enough to jump into it with no experience and just kind of learn it as I go (maybe using the internet to bring me up to speed on bits and pieces as time permits)? I'm not sure I have the time right now to dig in deep and learn a brand new game quickly, but I would have time to jump in and just kind of figure it out as I go. (Which may not be what you are looking for. I just wanted to make sure expectations were properly understood. =P)
Age: 53 (Old)
Role: Expert/Rogue
Background: Lowborn - Olyvar, as his father and grandfather had before him, served the House Marbrand as Master of the Hunt. The Nettles had held their post for generations, steadfast in their loyalty to the house they served. Olyvar was well respected in his position, for years tending to the horse, hawk, and hound of Ashemark as well as leading Lord Damon and his sons on the hunt in better times. With the War of the Five Kings in full swing, Ser Olyvar was present when the invading northern army stormed the castle of Ashemark. Even as the garrison was overcome and surrendered to the Young Wolf's forces, Ser Olyvar refused to lay down arms or bend the knee to the pretender king, Robb Stark. He was captured at Ashemark, and offered the choice of execution or the Wall. He chose the latter, with the hopes he might return to Ashemark if the House Marbrand were freed or the war ended quickly enough.
Potential for Desertion: Ser Olyvar would consider deserting the Watch if he were to receive orders from the Lord Marbrand, or if Olyvar were to catch word that one of his sons (3, each serving highborn houses throughout the Westerlands) were in danger or in need of aid.
Jumping in and figuring it out as you go is pretty par for the course in Critical Failures, and everyone has a first time to each new RPG system, so you are more than welcome. I am more than happy to answer questions as any point.
PSN: TheBrayster_92
Name: Johnce "Ox" Hill
Appearances: A massive 6'9'' man who is as wide as he is tall, with a barrel-like chest and tree-trunk arms.
Role: Fighter
Background: Johnce was a bastard from Sarsfield, who worked as a butcher prior to a series of gruesome murders around the castletown. Evidence, which was circumstantial at best, pointed to Johnce, and he was given the choice of the gallows or the wall. He chose the wall.
Social Background: Lowborn-criminal.
Reason for Desertion: Any dire news of his dear mother Ellen and his sister Elsie Hill.
When I next get the chance to sit down for any length of time, I'll write up instructions for the next 2 steps.
PSN: TheBrayster_92
PSN: TheBrayster_92
The Nights Watch accept all able-bodied men. I'll balance the encounters to match the party, not the other way around.
PSN: TheBrayster_92
that would be Mister Raven....yep....most likely gonna make him a stewardish type if that helps you decide?
From the Desk of Darth Vertroue Diplomat to the USA.
PSN: TheBrayster_92
This game is composed entirely of D6 dice. There are two elements that affect the composition of your dice pool, your abilities and your specialties. On any given skill check, you will roll a number of d6 dice equal to your ability level. Specialties give you bonus dice, equal to their level, which can be used as substitutes for ability dice.
For example, I want to shoot something with my longbow. My character has Rank 5 of Marksmanship, and 2 bonus die provided by Specialty in long range. I would roll 7 dice (5 ability, 2 specialty), look at the natural 5 to determine whether the challenge has been passed or not, then adjust up to two of the weaker dice with my bonus dice.
Step 2: Assign Abilities
List of Abilities:
Animal Handling
Athletics
Awareness
Cunning
Deception
Endurance
Fighting
Healing
Language
Knowledge
Marksmanship
Persuasion
Status
Stealth
Survival
Thievery
Warfare
Will
Each of these abilities starts at Rank 2. To increase an ability to rank 3, spend 10 experience. Beyond this, spend 30xp for each level (40xp total for rank 4, 70xp for rank 5 etc).
The rank limit in any one Ability for Adults is 7, Middle Age is 6, All Other Ages is 5. Your Status will remain at 2 unless story consequences dictate otherwise. You must spend all of your experience, none of it is saved (You will receive a separate pool of XP for Specialties, don't worry).
PSN: TheBrayster_92
4 Agility (1b Quickness)
4 Animal Handling (1b Charm / 1b Train)
3 Athletics
3 Awareness (2b Notice)
2 Cunning
2 Deception
3 Endurance
3 Fighting (1b Short Blades / 1b Spears)
3 Healing (1b Treat Injury)
2 Knowledge
3 Language
5 Marksmanship (2b Bows)
3 Persuasion (1b Intimidate)
2 Status
3 Stealth (2b Sneak)
4 Survival (2b Hunt / 1b Track)
2 Thievery
2 Warfare
2 Will
edit: made a few tweaks
Status: 1
Role: Leader
Social Background: Criminal
Background Events:
Young Adult: You were wrongly accused of a crime.
Adult: A highborn noble hired you to attack his or her rival.
Reason for Taking the Black: (see above)
Reason for Desertion: Your character refuses to tolerate callous cruelty.
Name: Riler Holt
Occupation: Former mercenary
Riler was a mercenary working for House Trant, and doing well for himself, until the hiring Lord decided that other debts were more important than Riler's stipend. Ser Meryn divested Riler of his arms and armor - not to mention remaining gold - and sent him on his way, offering as a parting gift that he was lucky to keep his head. Riler found that banditry was not so different from mercenary work, and quickly rose to become a minor legend in the Stormlands.
That legend came to an end with his capture by Ser Robert Brax during a chance encounter after a raid. Ser Robert saw an opportunity before him, and hired Riler to pose as a legitimate mercenary, get close to his brother Lord Tytos, and murder him. Reluctantly, Riler agreed.
Riler was able to position himself to be hired in a mercenary sweep by Lord Tytos, but could not bring himself to murder the Lord. When Ser Robert was killed at the Battle of the Fords, Riler attempted to slip away in the night. He was caught, the truth of his identity discovered, and was sent North to live out the rest of his days on the Wall.
Abilities:
Agility 3 - Dodge 1B
Animal Handling 3 - Ride 1B
Athletics 3
Awareness 3
Cunning 3 - Logic 1B
Endurance 3 - Stamina 1B
Fighting 5 - Long Blades 2B
Marksmanship 4 - Bows 1B
Persuasion 3
Survival 3
Warfare 4 - Command 1B, Strategy 1B, Tactics 1B
Will 3
Destiny:
Brother of the NIght's Watch
Inspiring
Leader of Men
Long Blade Fighter I
Flaws & Drawbacks:
Flaw: Athletics (Age)
Drawback: Ignoble
Derived Statistics:
Intrigue: 7
Composure: 9
Combat Defense: 11 (9 if attacking with shield)
Health: 9
Armor Rating: 0
Damage:
Bastard Sword: 4
Bow, Hunting: 3
rolled 2d6 for Starting Status, got 10.
Minion, roll 2d6 for Background Event
Minion, roll 2d6 for Goals
Minion, roll 2d6 for Motivations
Minion, roll 2d6 for Virtues
Minion, roll 2d6 for Vices
Minion, roll 2d6 for Background Events
Minion, roll 2d6 for Reason for Taking the Black
Minion, roll 2d6 for Reasons for Desertion
As for spoilers, I've never let them bother me. If I am going to read/watch something, I am going to regardless of whether or not I know the ending. After all, it's about the journey, not the destination, right?
Agility: 3
Athletics: 5 - Strength 2b
Awareness: 3
Endurance: 6 - Stamina 2b, Resilience 1b
Fighting: 3 - Bludgeons 1b
Persuasion: 3 - Intimidate 1b
Status: 1
Survival: 3
Will: 4 - Courage 1b
All others: 2