Okay, Idk when to bring this up but I'm thinking our Legion is not just a Legion. Perhaps our Legion was the core of an expedition to help out a far ally. Said expedition consisted of our Legion (loyal sons of Rome) local auxiliaries (conquered subjects drafted into service, Foederati type soldiers (barbarians who pledge loyalty to Rome), and our local allies (who have long since betrayed or abandoned us).
Between the three remaining branches of our expedition, there's dissent with in all for various reasons. Just and idea, thought it might make things interesting if right off the bat we have to deal with that kind of politics.
Sertor Silius Dio- Tribune of the Lost Legion An Infamous Duelist of a Prestigious Family Age: Late 20s-Early 30s Description: Sertor is a man of noble birth who gained notoriety through numerous victories in duels. Many of which came into being through his extended family's reckless actions. The result of said conflicts ended up with the family being safe from any official justice but not ire. After having performed admirably several times over, his father was able to arrange a position for him in the Legion. A skilled one-on-one combatant, Sertor works best while in command of smaller units. He is polite to his fellow countrymen, but seems to keep himself at a distance. All too aware of how close death is.
Like most officers, Sertor was born into an aristocratic family. Albeit one with its fair share of problems. His cousins were notorious for their ability to gain the enmity of other noble families, which often had a way of reconciling itself in the worst way possible. Ser. Silius was one of the less important members of his family but one of the more physically gifted. Making him an ideal “champion” when the inevitable duel arose. The most notorious of which left two of his cousins dead and a rival family heirless. Sertor being one of the core destroyer of said heirs. As the surviving cousin was severely injured early on in the conflict. Many had surmised that the rival family would be victorious, and Sertor’s performance ended up with him being lauded as being an arbiter of justice, chosen of the gods or some other nonsense. An angle more ambitious members of his family would push.
However this drew more attention to the family and not all positive. As most viewed Sertor’s extended family in the wrong. Leading in part to his father arranging for him to be part of the Legion. Partially to secure a future career an in-part, a misguided, view of keeping him safe.
Locations: The Praetentura - where "special forces" are located and officers stationed. The "Perimeter"- deemed unsafe for most. a path scouts have traversed used to survey their surroundings.
Fear: The death of the few honorable men in the Legion. While Sertor tries to keep himself at a distance, he can’t help but feel for some of the men and the fact their fates are somewhat beyond his control is troubling to him. He cares less for the legion and more for the few “good” individuals within.
Issue: Sertor has been a tool of conflict for others for most of his adult life. He now finds himself a position where physical prowess isn’t enough to get him through. He may die as he lived up to this point – which he finds very disheartening.
You can do whatever you want on both counts there.
In terms of roles, the only restriction is that all 4 of us can't be the same role. Any combination that isn't 4 Power, 4 Touchstone or 4 Perspectives is fine. For Power, if there is only 1 person with this role, they basically get an unchallenged say on what happens when we need to conclude a Crossroad. More than one power means this has to go to a vote between them.
Locations - sure. As long as it is plausible (so like, not on the moon).
@Egos , I'm going to keep our bond simple. Sillius Dio and Marcus Livius are "Drinking Companions". Throughout their tenure in the legion, when it comes to drinking and taking meals, these two are always at the same table.
nah you just establish a bond with the person below you, so that would be you+ Brayster's character.
@The Brayster would power or perspective be more interesting to double up on? Since I'm the dude in that position (i have to double up on someone O_O )
I assume "either way", but I haven't played before.
@JusticeforPluto Not everyone, you just need to dictate a bond to the person below you on the list (in your case, me). That way everyone should have two bonds, one they have dictated, one that is dictated to them.
@Egos Depends on how you want to play really. A group with one Power player means that player will be making the choices on behalf of the kingdom, damn what everyone else thinks (though ignore the Touchstone at your peril). A group with two or more Power players means this falls to a vote (or mutual consensus in the case of 2), so no single player is making sole decisions for the kingdom.
Likewise, a lone Perspective player will be dishing out consequences for the Power players choices however they see fit, but there will be fewer of them. A pair of Perspectives will provide more potential consequences for either side but will act to balance each other out.
And, to round off the explanation, a sole Touchstone player will decide how the people at large think, feel and behave. A Pair of Touchstones would either have to reach a consensus, or else they would demonstrate a split camp of opinions among the common people. They could also spiral the kingdom into a crisis extremely quickly if they wanted to.
Bonds pretty much exist to serve as a context for two characters to interact with each other. They can be broken/re-forged as it seems appropriate.
It is also wise to keep them simple 'we are drinking companions' 'X saved my life and I seek to repay this debt' 'X and I have family ties via my sisters marriage' 'X lent me gold to help sustain me through difficult times'.
Things like that. They will be embellished as we play, you don't need a whole backstory
Titus like Gaius and thinks he's a really competent tactitian. If Gaius will show a leadership attitude too, he will be the perfect commander for the legion in this sitruation in Titus eyes.
Obviously, as Primus Pilus, he would never show this support or be friendly with an officier, it's not his place to get into matter between officiers, unless those become public or he's take is required.
I was thinking a "mutual respect" angle as well Preda.
Breyster, despite my recent arrival at camp we have become friends, meeting via your uncle. When we can, we are in the same social circle playing games.
"Witnesses to the Fall" or "Ideological Rivals" (whatever title you prefer, Brayster). Sertor and Titus share somewhat different views on Rome and the Legion causing a bit of a schism between the two. However both were first hand witnesses to the demise of the first Legate and both were there to maintain the order. Despite any ideological differences, Sertor realizes that Titus is powerful tool in the Legion. For better or worse. Potentially one's whose influence is to be feared. Potentially one of the few who can keep the men from turning into savages.
I'll go with Power, also. Considering the power schism thing .Will likely shift over time.
JusticeforPluto/The Brayster - Mutual Friendship via previous Tribune
When I get a bit more time, I'll set up the 'cards', along with the first crossroad.
In the meantime, I'd encourage all of you to read the information contained in the first two posts of this thread. If you have any questions before we start, fire away.
Disaster! We are the VIII Legio Cisalpina, a veteran legion of the Roman Empire whose history can be traced to nearly every major event of our great Empires history. For the last 50 years, Roman leaders have taken great interest in expanding into the unknown, expanding the corners of the known world. In particular, they have been looking east, to the wealth that lies beyond the domains of Persia. Many scouts and explorers were sent out to find this 'Silk Road' and what lies at the end, many did not return, those who did shared stories of wealth and peril in equal measure.
Our legion, along with the XI Legio Fidelis, was sent to gain the support of the peoples labelled by Rome as the Heirii, a confederation of tribes who control trade along the Silk Road through central Asia. They had agreed to work closer with Rome in exchange for aid on two fronts - The extermination of the Vergiit Khanate and defense against the 'Great Empire of the East'. Legio XI Fidelis was therefore sent North to find and engage these 'Khans' whilst our Legion was sent East, amidst talks of 'Emperors' and 'Mandates'.
A few weeks of marching passed when our Legion came across a great horde of barbarians. A pitched battle ensued, with our Legion taking a defensive position for over a week of clashes. The sight of Heirii warriors approaching over the horizon initially provided some glimmer of hope for our men, but they were not here to aid us. At a critical moment of the last battle, the Heirii charged into our flank, crippling whatever little defensive capability we had left.
Our Legate, Antonius Livius, took personal command of the 800 remaining Equites and charged to aid the increasingly desperate flank, ordering his officers to command a fighting retreat should he fail in his attempt. At first, the charge seemed promising. The first wave of Heirii broke, fleeing towards the forest. The over-eager Equites gave pursuit, but were halted by a combination of spiked pit traps and a hail of arrows from beyond the treeline. Only 150 or the original 800 returned. The Legate was not among them.
The retreat was ordered. The Vergiit and Heirii gave pursuit for a time, but fell back once the Legion escaped beyond the valley. This was a week ago.
We do not know where Legio XI Fidelis is, if they even survive.
Our guides are gone. We are lost.
The men have low morale. All hope seems lost.
Will we make it back to Rome?
Our scouts report that we are still being pursued by the Heirii, but no mention of the Vergiit. If so, we are being pursued by a relatively small force. Small, but still a problem. So we reach our first Crossroad:
(When I get more time, I'll set up the first scene. I figured I should at least get this out there for now).
I forgot to mention. For the purposes of using your role in scenes, please highlight it in your role colour. You can do this over your narration or you can put it in spoilers at the end of the post it appears in.
Time for the first scene. I'm going to just invite @JusticeforPluto into this one, as I'd like it to be quite short.
It is early evening, the sun just disappearing behind the mountains in the distance. The Legion is once again setting up a hastily assembled camp to get what precious sleep they can before another day of forced march
Marcus Livius was preparing to wind down for the night when he receives a report from the scouts - the enemy is barely a couple of days behind the legion.
Livius wastes no time in hurrying for the Legates tent, outside of which two dreary eyed sentries stand guard.
"Hail soldiers. I need to speak to the Legate immediately"
The sentries look at each other then back at Livius.
Livius maintains his posture, striding swiftly into the tent and giving a formal salute.
"Sir. We have... reports"
A slight level of unease becomes apparent in the Prefects voice, yet his composure is maintained.
"I just received word from our scouts. We are not as far ahead of the Heirii as we thought. At our current pace... they'll be upon us in a couple of days"
Marcus Livius keeps his hands clasped behind his back, his eyes aimed at the floor.
Livius carefully studies the map laid out on the table.
Cartography has not been the greatest priority of the legion going forth, as such a lot of the features remain sketchy at best, but one thing is certain, the Legion was retreating into the mountains, which can only mean high ground.
"The Legion is at your command, Sir. It is worth noting, however, that we have been climbing uphill, and will still be climbing uphill for some time yet"
Livius traces his finger along the terrain.
"If we are going to turn and fight, we will at least have an advantage in terrain"
I'm willing to call scene here, unless you have something else to add. Privately breaking the news was always going to be short and sweet
Well, decisions don't actually occur until all the checkboxes for the crossroad are filled. Until then, we are just filling up on consequences, attitudes and orders to make the choice more difficult.
Remember, Power Players, you can still use your role to issue Orders during these scenes, you're not just limited to concluding the crossroad. Consult the second post if you're unsure what this means
In the meantime, everyone posts their characters reactions to how the scene unfolded (even if you weren't there, imagine how your character felt the moment they heard about the events of the scene). One or two sentences will do, but bear in mind that the combined reaction to the scene can influence whether the scene host advances the Crossroad, brings the Legion closer to a crisis, or simply allows time to pass. You are allowed to use your Role influence in your reaction if you did not get a chance to do so in the scene.
In the case of Marcus Livius:
This news has disturbed Livius greatly. He had figured until this point the Legion was relatively secure in its retreat. Now the future is uncertain in his eyes.
In the case of Silius Dio: That the Heirii were on them still was of little surprise, they had quickly decimated the main forces -only natural they would attempt to finish the job. Given that combat is inevitable, seems best to fight while the enemy forces are separated and the men still have thirst for revenge. Might be an opportunity to gain information, assuming what remains of the Legion survives the encounter.
Our scouts report that we are still being pursued by the Heirii, but no mention of the Vergiit. If so, we are being pursued by a relatively small force.
Well in that we aren't fighting on two fronts.
edit: From the narration, I gathered they were working in conjunction with one another but I may have misread/interpreted it.
This might be a huge risk, but also a blessing. This time we know they are coming, and we could show them what a Roman legion means when it's not surprised by an attack in the flank by her "allies"...
Also, now that the legionaires will know that the enemy is coming, runnig away again could destroy their already low morale, while a victory here will make everything a lot easyer.
Well, I'd say that brings us closer to resolving the crossroad than anything else, so I'm gonna check that box.
State of the Legion:
Crossroad:
When a player checks the final box in this track, play is halterd to resolve the crossroad, following these steps in order:
First, Power decides which route to take, based on what has been established so far.
Second, Perspective decides whether the predictions they have made still hold true.
Third, the Perspective player describes the opinion of the common people on how the crossroad is being resolved.
Finally, the player who checked the final box takes all the above into account and describes exactly how this crossroad is resolved. Any players who wish to switch roles, 'Flee the Kingdom' or Die can establish how this occurs and change their role/character accordingly.
Crisis:
When a player checks the final box on this track, play is halted temporarily as this players describes what the crisis is and how it is resolved/how it resolves itself. This is the ideal time for a change of role/character.
Time Passes:
When the final box on this track is checked, the player who does so explains how much time has passed, describing anything of note that occurs between (possibly with an explanation as to why the Crossroad is still relevant (because it very much is)).
My apologies folks, I thought I had this in the OP but apparently I don't. Apologies for the oversight:
Making/Playing a Scene:
During Scenes we role-play together to find out what the characters think and do about the Crossroad and what is happening in the Kingdom. Players take turns making scenes. Your scene should always focus on what your character thinks or does about the Crossroad. Even if you decide to make a scene about your personal life instead of the affairs of the Kingdom, the Crossroad is looming in the background, casting shadows on everything that happens.
Sometimes you will create a scene with an idea of what you want to do (“This is the scene where I arrest the council and take Power!”). Other times you’ll just set up a situation and role-play to see what happens. Either way works.
To make a scene, follow these steps:
1) Read Crossroad Aloud & State Your Role: Remind everyone what we are exploring and your place in the Kingdom.
2) What’s Happening? Describe the situation. What’s going on here and now? Are the characters here for a reason? Did something just happen or are they expecting something to happen? A clear situation makes it much easier for everyone to role-play the scene. Senator Muldoon has called a press conference to announce his resignation. Vicar Ixor is confronting the Duchess about the incriminating letter he found.
3) Who’s There? Your character must be in the scene, but you can add any other characters you want, including other players’ main characters or supporting characters someone volunteers to play temporarily. Other players can ask to participate, but you have final say over who is in your scene.
4) Where Does It Take Place? Describe where the scene is taking place. If you need an idea, look at your locations or the locations of other characters in the scene. You may do these steps in different order. That’s okay. As long as you describe what, who and where, you have got enough information to start playing your scene.
Making stuff up
When you create a scene, you are allowed to make stuff happen and invent new situations or events. You can describe things happening in the Kingdom, but don’t describe the Kingdom making big decisions: that’s what Crossroads are for. And don’t say what other main characters do. Making a scene is a decision you’re making as a player, not as your character. You may even introduce things that are bad for your own character if you think it creates interesting situations to play.
My character is the Chief of Medicine, but I frame a scene with protesters rioting and throwing rocks through my character’s window. My character obviously doesn’t want that to happen, but I think it’s good material that highlights what’s at stake in the Crossroad.
Playing a scene When you are playing your main character in a scene:
Tell us what your character does, says and thinks about the Crossroad. Find out what other characters think or do about the Crossroad. Use your role to affect the Crossroad and the Kingdom. Most of the time that is all you need.
But situations may arise where you want to do more:
Want your character to have a different voice in the Kingdom? Change your role.
Want to stop a specific thing someone else did? Have your character Challenge it.
Don’t like what another character is doing to the Kingdom with their Role? Want to prove them wrong? Overthrow them and take their Role for yourself.
If you are not playing a character in the scene, sit back and watch. But pay close attention: what’s happening now will almost certainly shape how you play later on and you may want to React after the scene. End the scene when the action has played out. Cut earlier rather than later. If you are about to change locations or start a new conversation, it is a pretty good sign that it is time to end the scene.
so just double checking and this may help with others. or else it's just something I'm wondering:
should our scene take place in close proximity to the previous crossroad? I would imagine "yes". But just making sure.
Well, under normal circumstances it could be nearly any amount of time, provided the Crossroad is still relevant.
With a crossroad like - Should the Kingdom revolt against the foreign occupation, the scenes could be right after each other or years apart, as the build up of a resistance could take time.
In this particular case, I've set up a fairly 'High Stakes' Crossroad to start us off. There is only a very limited amount of time we can be debating this before the decision is made for us.
So to answer your question - generally, scenes can be any amount of time before/after each other provided the Crossroad is still relevant. In this particular case, it would be better to keep the time between short.
will invite @Preda along for this first part at least.
Dio had been surveying the perimeter with a number of Exploratores. He looked on into the horizon as the scouts made what they could of their surroundings. The Tribune had invited the Primus Pilius to his location in hopes of discussing tactics.
"I'm a tad curious if we can use the Heirii's tactics against them"
Dio mused
"I suspect they would anticipate any potential traps, but they could be..arrogant." Dio looks up "....they did wipe out 650 of us.." he says with some remorse "..at least"
"They may not think highly enough of us and think us easy prey. And anticipate that we'll merely run."Dio points to the main road"We could make the traps obvious, make it seem like we're unsophisticated ...so-to-speak"
"Steer them into the woods that surround it. Ambush them. Much the same way they did us." Dio rolls his tongue in his mouth. He motions to the woods around them "We could set up traps along perimeter. That may turn rather messy though..."
"We may be able to get a prisoner...if placed correctly.He said as an afterthought
Dio turns to Titus
"I'm not sure it's entirely honorable...assuming that matters anymore"
sorry for the delay, I wasn't really sure how to handle this and am still a bit uncertain. It kinda seemed like we decided how to handle things (i.e. to fight)....and I have to create a scene before the battle...and I didn't want to change the narrative and introduce something completely new....so yeah wasn't sure how to handle this
While your scene is perfectly fine, I thought I should clear this up.
From the first scene, we had everyone pretty much indicate they want to fight. However, these are only the opinions of the characters/aspirations of the player at the time
The Crossroad tracker has five checkboxes on it. It is only when all five are ticked that the decision to fight/run is made, and even then it is only the Power players who decide.
The point of these scenes is to explore how our characters feel about either possible choice, and to explore some potential consequences (consequences coming from Perspective and Touchstone) of either choice.
As of right now, we know barely anything of the choice and its consequences. There are another 4 scenes minimum before the choice is made in which nearly anything can happen to change our minds.
If there's one piece of advice I can give above anything else while playing Kingdom, it is for everyone to ensure that the Crossroad should not be a straightforward choice when it comes to the Power players deciding what happens.
My intention here was to set up a 'High Stakes' crossroad, a situation that would need to be resolved fairly quickly.
The point of having this as the first Crossroad is so that scenes can be kept short and Role abilities can be used often. It acts as a quick learning experience so that further Crossroads can be better handled and expanded.
How the crossroad has gone thus far:
The issue itself is whether to turn and fight or keep fleeing. That much is obvious.
In my first scene, I established that the enemy is probably only a few days behind us, and used my Role ability to establish that we will have a terrain advantage, Preda also used this as a chance to state that, as of the time of the first scene, the Legion as a whole was raring to regain some lost honor.
So where does that leave us?
Well, that scene was at night and would barely have been 10 minutes. Further scenes can be anywhere between that conversation taking place and the Crossroad choice being made. In my vision, that could be anywhere in the space of a few days to a week, the topic of such scenes could be as mundane as a conversation while pitching a tent to a fullblown argument in the officers tent. You are welcome to introduce new elements to the narrative as your please, just don't contradict the narrative as you do so.
The overall Crossroad could go either way. Everyone at the moment seems keen to fight, but we have not yet established any reasons to NOT fight, so that could change significantly.
Posts
Between the three remaining branches of our expedition, there's dissent with in all for various reasons. Just and idea, thought it might make things interesting if right off the bat we have to deal with that kind of politics.
An Infamous Duelist of a Prestigious Family
Age: Late 20s-Early 30s
Description: Sertor is a man of noble birth who gained notoriety through numerous victories in duels. Many of which came into being through his extended family's reckless actions. The result of said conflicts ended up with the family being safe from any official justice but not ire. After having performed admirably several times over, his father was able to arrange a position for him in the Legion. A skilled one-on-one combatant, Sertor works best while in command of smaller units. He is polite to his fellow countrymen, but seems to keep himself at a distance. All too aware of how close death is.
Like most officers, Sertor was born into an aristocratic family. Albeit one with its fair share of problems. His cousins were notorious for their ability to gain the enmity of other noble families, which often had a way of reconciling itself in the worst way possible. Ser. Silius was one of the less important members of his family but one of the more physically gifted. Making him an ideal “champion” when the inevitable duel arose. The most notorious of which left two of his cousins dead and a rival family heirless. Sertor being one of the core destroyer of said heirs. As the surviving cousin was severely injured early on in the conflict. Many had surmised that the rival family would be victorious, and Sertor’s performance ended up with him being lauded as being an arbiter of justice, chosen of the gods or some other nonsense. An angle more ambitious members of his family would push.
However this drew more attention to the family and not all positive. As most viewed Sertor’s extended family in the wrong. Leading in part to his father arranging for him to be part of the Legion. Partially to secure a future career an in-part, a misguided, view of keeping him safe.
Locations:
The Praetentura - where "special forces" are located and officers stationed.
The "Perimeter"- deemed unsafe for most. a path scouts have traversed used to survey their surroundings.
Fear: The death of the few honorable men in the Legion. While Sertor tries to keep himself at a distance, he can’t help but feel for some of the men and the fact their fates are somewhat beyond his control is troubling to him. He cares less for the legion and more for the few “good” individuals within.
Issue: Sertor has been a tool of conflict for others for most of his adult life. He now finds himself a position where physical prowess isn’t enough to get him through. He may die as he lived up to this point – which he finds very disheartening.
I'll try and clean it up when I'm more awake. Assuming JfP is going Power. I guess I'll have to double up on Perspective.
And wait, could we make our own locations? Cause I might change mine.
In terms of roles, the only restriction is that all 4 of us can't be the same role. Any combination that isn't 4 Power, 4 Touchstone or 4 Perspectives is fine. For Power, if there is only 1 person with this role, they basically get an unchallenged say on what happens when we need to conclude a Crossroad. More than one power means this has to go to a vote between them.
Locations - sure. As long as it is plausible (so like, not on the moon).
@Egos , I'm going to keep our bond simple. Sillius Dio and Marcus Livius are "Drinking Companions". Throughout their tenure in the legion, when it comes to drinking and taking meals, these two are always at the same table.
PSN: TheBrayster_92
The Brayster - PERSPECTIVE
Egos - ???
Preda - TOUCHSTONE .
JusticeforPluto - ???
Current Bonds:
The Brayster/Egos - Drinking Companions
Egos/Preda - ???
Preda/JusticeforPluto - ???
JusticeforPluto/The Brayster - ???
Get those Roles and Bonds in folks. That way we can get the boring bit out of the way and get to the fun of playing!
PSN: TheBrayster_92
I want to be Power.
Hmmm, bonds. Do I need a bond with everyone?
@The Brayster would power or perspective be more interesting to double up on? Since I'm the dude in that position (i have to double up on someone O_O )
I assume "either way", but I haven't played before.
@Egos Depends on how you want to play really. A group with one Power player means that player will be making the choices on behalf of the kingdom, damn what everyone else thinks (though ignore the Touchstone at your peril). A group with two or more Power players means this falls to a vote (or mutual consensus in the case of 2), so no single player is making sole decisions for the kingdom.
Likewise, a lone Perspective player will be dishing out consequences for the Power players choices however they see fit, but there will be fewer of them. A pair of Perspectives will provide more potential consequences for either side but will act to balance each other out.
And, to round off the explanation, a sole Touchstone player will decide how the people at large think, feel and behave. A Pair of Touchstones would either have to reach a consensus, or else they would demonstrate a split camp of opinions among the common people. They could also spiral the kingdom into a crisis extremely quickly if they wanted to.
PSN: TheBrayster_92
Bonds pretty much exist to serve as a context for two characters to interact with each other. They can be broken/re-forged as it seems appropriate.
It is also wise to keep them simple 'we are drinking companions' 'X saved my life and I seek to repay this debt' 'X and I have family ties via my sisters marriage' 'X lent me gold to help sustain me through difficult times'.
Things like that. They will be embellished as we play, you don't need a whole backstory
PSN: TheBrayster_92
Obviously, as Primus Pilus, he would never show this support or be friendly with an officier, it's not his place to get into matter between officiers, unless those become public or he's take is required.
Breyster, despite my recent arrival at camp we have become friends, meeting via your uncle. When we can, we are in the same social circle playing games.
"Witnesses to the Fall" or "Ideological Rivals" (whatever title you prefer, Brayster). Sertor and Titus share somewhat different views on Rome and the Legion causing a bit of a schism between the two. However both were first hand witnesses to the demise of the first Legate and both were there to maintain the order. Despite any ideological differences, Sertor realizes that Titus is powerful tool in the Legion. For better or worse. Potentially one's whose influence is to be feared. Potentially one of the few who can keep the men from turning into savages.
I'll go with Power, also. Considering the power schism thing .Will likely shift over time.
The Brayster - PERSPECTIVE
Egos - POWER
Preda - TOUCHSTONE .
JusticeforPluto - POWER
Current Bonds:
The Brayster/Egos - Drinking Companions
Egos/Preda - Ideological Rivals
Preda/JusticeforPluto - Mutual Respect
JusticeforPluto/The Brayster - Mutual Friendship via previous Tribune
When I get a bit more time, I'll set up the 'cards', along with the first crossroad.
In the meantime, I'd encourage all of you to read the information contained in the first two posts of this thread. If you have any questions before we start, fire away.
PSN: TheBrayster_92
The Brayster:
@Egos :
@Preda :
@JusticeforPluto :
PSN: TheBrayster_92
Disaster! We are the VIII Legio Cisalpina, a veteran legion of the Roman Empire whose history can be traced to nearly every major event of our great Empires history. For the last 50 years, Roman leaders have taken great interest in expanding into the unknown, expanding the corners of the known world. In particular, they have been looking east, to the wealth that lies beyond the domains of Persia. Many scouts and explorers were sent out to find this 'Silk Road' and what lies at the end, many did not return, those who did shared stories of wealth and peril in equal measure.
Our legion, along with the XI Legio Fidelis, was sent to gain the support of the peoples labelled by Rome as the Heirii, a confederation of tribes who control trade along the Silk Road through central Asia. They had agreed to work closer with Rome in exchange for aid on two fronts - The extermination of the Vergiit Khanate and defense against the 'Great Empire of the East'. Legio XI Fidelis was therefore sent North to find and engage these 'Khans' whilst our Legion was sent East, amidst talks of 'Emperors' and 'Mandates'.
A few weeks of marching passed when our Legion came across a great horde of barbarians. A pitched battle ensued, with our Legion taking a defensive position for over a week of clashes. The sight of Heirii warriors approaching over the horizon initially provided some glimmer of hope for our men, but they were not here to aid us. At a critical moment of the last battle, the Heirii charged into our flank, crippling whatever little defensive capability we had left.
Our Legate, Antonius Livius, took personal command of the 800 remaining Equites and charged to aid the increasingly desperate flank, ordering his officers to command a fighting retreat should he fail in his attempt. At first, the charge seemed promising. The first wave of Heirii broke, fleeing towards the forest. The over-eager Equites gave pursuit, but were halted by a combination of spiked pit traps and a hail of arrows from beyond the treeline. Only 150 or the original 800 returned. The Legate was not among them.
The retreat was ordered. The Vergiit and Heirii gave pursuit for a time, but fell back once the Legion escaped beyond the valley. This was a week ago.
We do not know where Legio XI Fidelis is, if they even survive.
Our guides are gone. We are lost.
The men have low morale. All hope seems lost.
Will we make it back to Rome?
Our scouts report that we are still being pursued by the Heirii, but no mention of the Vergiit. If so, we are being pursued by a relatively small force. Small, but still a problem. So we reach our first Crossroad:
(When I get more time, I'll set up the first scene. I figured I should at least get this out there for now).
PSN: TheBrayster_92
Time for the first scene. I'm going to just invite @JusticeforPluto into this one, as I'd like it to be quite short.
It is early evening, the sun just disappearing behind the mountains in the distance. The Legion is once again setting up a hastily assembled camp to get what precious sleep they can before another day of forced march
Marcus Livius was preparing to wind down for the night when he receives a report from the scouts - the enemy is barely a couple of days behind the legion.
Livius wastes no time in hurrying for the Legates tent, outside of which two dreary eyed sentries stand guard.
"Hail soldiers. I need to speak to the Legate immediately"
The sentries look at each other then back at Livius.
"The Legate is asleep, sir"
Livius scowls.
"Then wake him"
PSN: TheBrayster_92
*Livius steps past the sentry into the Legate's tent"
*rising from bed* "tell me friend, what news you have that you must make a such a commotion outside my tent at such untimely hours"
*The Legate cracks a smile at his old friend*
"Sir. We have... reports"
A slight level of unease becomes apparent in the Prefects voice, yet his composure is maintained.
"I just received word from our scouts. We are not as far ahead of the Heirii as we thought. At our current pace... they'll be upon us in a couple of days"
Marcus Livius keeps his hands clasped behind his back, his eyes aimed at the floor.
PSN: TheBrayster_92
Sighs
"This is a mess. I doubt we can outrun these nomads, and even if we could we cannot leave our fellow Romans behind."
Looks over lastest reports
"But to stand and fight...."
Studies maps
"We must find defensive ground"
Shakes his head.
"At any rate, the rest of command needs to be updated on our situation."
Cartography has not been the greatest priority of the legion going forth, as such a lot of the features remain sketchy at best, but one thing is certain, the Legion was retreating into the mountains, which can only mean high ground.
"The Legion is at your command, Sir. It is worth noting, however, that we have been climbing uphill, and will still be climbing uphill for some time yet"
Livius traces his finger along the terrain.
"If we are going to turn and fight, we will at least have an advantage in terrain"
PSN: TheBrayster_92
Remember, Power Players, you can still use your role to issue Orders during these scenes, you're not just limited to concluding the crossroad. Consult the second post if you're unsure what this means
In the meantime, everyone posts their characters reactions to how the scene unfolded (even if you weren't there, imagine how your character felt the moment they heard about the events of the scene). One or two sentences will do, but bear in mind that the combined reaction to the scene can influence whether the scene host advances the Crossroad, brings the Legion closer to a crisis, or simply allows time to pass. You are allowed to use your Role influence in your reaction if you did not get a chance to do so in the scene.
In the case of Marcus Livius:
This news has disturbed Livius greatly. He had figured until this point the Legion was relatively secure in its retreat. Now the future is uncertain in his eyes.
PSN: TheBrayster_92
That the Heirii were on them still was of little surprise, they had quickly decimated the main forces -only natural they would attempt to finish the job. Given that combat is inevitable, seems best to fight while the enemy forces are separated and the men still have thirst for revenge. Might be an opportunity to gain information, assuming what remains of the Legion survives the encounter.
Well in that we aren't fighting on two fronts.
edit: From the narration, I gathered they were working in conjunction with one another but I may have misread/interpreted it.
Also, now that the legionaires will know that the enemy is coming, runnig away again could destroy their already low morale, while a victory here will make everything a lot easyer.
State of the Legion:
Crossroad:
First, Power decides which route to take, based on what has been established so far.
Second, Perspective decides whether the predictions they have made still hold true.
Third, the Perspective player describes the opinion of the common people on how the crossroad is being resolved.
Finally, the player who checked the final box takes all the above into account and describes exactly how this crossroad is resolved. Any players who wish to switch roles, 'Flee the Kingdom' or Die can establish how this occurs and change their role/character accordingly.
Crisis:
Time Passes:
@Egos Your turn to make a scene
PSN: TheBrayster_92
Making/Playing a Scene:
Sometimes you will create a scene with an idea of what you want to do (“This is the scene where I arrest the council and take Power!”). Other times you’ll just set up a situation and role-play to see what happens. Either way works.
To make a scene, follow these steps:
1) Read Crossroad Aloud & State Your Role: Remind everyone what we are exploring and your place in the Kingdom.
2) What’s Happening? Describe the situation. What’s going on here and now? Are the characters here for a reason? Did something just happen or are they expecting something to happen? A clear situation makes it much easier for everyone to role-play the scene. Senator Muldoon has called a press conference to announce his resignation. Vicar Ixor is confronting the Duchess about the incriminating letter he found.
3) Who’s There? Your character must be in the scene, but you can add any other characters you want, including other players’ main characters or supporting characters someone volunteers to play temporarily. Other players can ask to participate, but you have final say over who is in your scene.
4) Where Does It Take Place? Describe where the scene is taking place. If you need an idea, look at your locations or the locations of other characters in the scene. You may do these steps in different order. That’s okay. As long as you describe what, who and where, you have got enough information to start playing your scene.
Making stuff up
When you create a scene, you are allowed to make stuff happen and invent new situations or events. You can describe things happening in the Kingdom, but don’t describe the Kingdom making big decisions: that’s what Crossroads are for. And don’t say what other main characters do. Making a scene is a decision you’re making as a player, not as your character. You may even introduce things that are bad for your own character if you think it creates interesting situations to play.
My character is the Chief of Medicine, but I frame a scene with protesters rioting and throwing rocks through my character’s window. My character obviously doesn’t want that to happen, but I think it’s good material that highlights what’s at stake in the Crossroad.
Playing a scene When you are playing your main character in a scene:
Tell us what your character does, says and thinks about the Crossroad. Find out what other characters think or do about the Crossroad. Use your role to affect the Crossroad and the Kingdom. Most of the time that is all you need.
But situations may arise where you want to do more:
Want your character to have a different voice in the Kingdom? Change your role.
Want to stop a specific thing someone else did? Have your character Challenge it.
Don’t like what another character is doing to the Kingdom with their Role? Want to prove them wrong? Overthrow them and take their Role for yourself.
If you are not playing a character in the scene, sit back and watch. But pay close attention: what’s happening now will almost certainly shape how you play later on and you may want to React after the scene. End the scene when the action has played out. Cut earlier rather than later. If you are about to change locations or start a new conversation, it is a pretty good sign that it is time to end the scene.
PSN: TheBrayster_92
should our scene take place in close proximity to the previous crossroad? I would imagine "yes". But just making sure.
With a crossroad like - Should the Kingdom revolt against the foreign occupation, the scenes could be right after each other or years apart, as the build up of a resistance could take time.
In this particular case, I've set up a fairly 'High Stakes' Crossroad to start us off. There is only a very limited amount of time we can be debating this before the decision is made for us.
So to answer your question - generally, scenes can be any amount of time before/after each other provided the Crossroad is still relevant. In this particular case, it would be better to keep the time between short.
PSN: TheBrayster_92
edit: sorry looks like a bit longer
will invite @Preda along for this first part at least.
Dio had been surveying the perimeter with a number of Exploratores. He looked on into the horizon as the scouts made what they could of their surroundings. The Tribune had invited the Primus Pilius to his location in hopes of discussing tactics.
"I'm a tad curious if we can use the Heirii's tactics against them"
Dio mused
"I suspect they would anticipate any potential traps, but they could be..arrogant." Dio looks up "....they did wipe out 650 of us.." he says with some remorse "..at least"
"They may not think highly enough of us and think us easy prey. And anticipate that we'll merely run." Dio points to the main road "We could make the traps obvious, make it seem like we're unsophisticated ...so-to-speak"
"Steer them into the woods that surround it. Ambush them. Much the same way they did us." Dio rolls his tongue in his mouth. He motions to the woods around them "We could set up traps along perimeter. That may turn rather messy though..."
"We may be able to get a prisoner...if placed correctly. He said as an afterthought
Dio turns to Titus
"I'm not sure it's entirely honorable...assuming that matters anymore"
From the first scene, we had everyone pretty much indicate they want to fight. However, these are only the opinions of the characters/aspirations of the player at the time
The Crossroad tracker has five checkboxes on it. It is only when all five are ticked that the decision to fight/run is made, and even then it is only the Power players who decide.
The point of these scenes is to explore how our characters feel about either possible choice, and to explore some potential consequences (consequences coming from Perspective and Touchstone) of either choice.
As of right now, we know barely anything of the choice and its consequences. There are another 4 scenes minimum before the choice is made in which nearly anything can happen to change our minds.
If there's one piece of advice I can give above anything else while playing Kingdom, it is for everyone to ensure that the Crossroad should not be a straightforward choice when it comes to the Power players deciding what happens.
PSN: TheBrayster_92
The point of having this as the first Crossroad is so that scenes can be kept short and Role abilities can be used often. It acts as a quick learning experience so that further Crossroads can be better handled and expanded.
How the crossroad has gone thus far:
The issue itself is whether to turn and fight or keep fleeing. That much is obvious.
In my first scene, I established that the enemy is probably only a few days behind us, and used my Role ability to establish that we will have a terrain advantage, Preda also used this as a chance to state that, as of the time of the first scene, the Legion as a whole was raring to regain some lost honor.
So where does that leave us?
Well, that scene was at night and would barely have been 10 minutes. Further scenes can be anywhere between that conversation taking place and the Crossroad choice being made. In my vision, that could be anywhere in the space of a few days to a week, the topic of such scenes could be as mundane as a conversation while pitching a tent to a fullblown argument in the officers tent. You are welcome to introduce new elements to the narrative as your please, just don't contradict the narrative as you do so.
The overall Crossroad could go either way. Everyone at the moment seems keen to fight, but we have not yet established any reasons to NOT fight, so that could change significantly.
PSN: TheBrayster_92