What's that? Carpe doesn't live in Kansas anymore? Bah. His family doesn't live that far away from me...
I'm not saying anything. Just... stating facts.
Anyway.
There are a lot of RPGs out there that sport "new and edgy" mechanics. These books are filled with self-important prose, proclaiming how different these games are from, well, Dungeons and Dragons really. There are so many of these bloody games it makes my head spin, so I usually avoid the majority of them, and stick with a few "trustworthy" RPGs: Dungeons and Dragons, World of Darkness, Mutants and Masterminds, Star Wars Saga, and Serenity. Each of these games gives something new and different to my gaming experience. Dungeons and Dragons is Dungeons and Dragons, World of Darkness gives me my horror kick, Mutants and Masterminds my superheroes shot, Star Wars is Star Wars, and Serenity for a more story-based game, and well, DUH, it's Serenity!
Burning Wheel has joined the rotation. Officially.
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| Good God this book is sexy |
What does it do? It's the character RPG of the group. No, really. This is the only RPG I've ever seen to go this far in making sure that character comes first. "XP", also known as Artha, is given for playing the character according to the Beliefs and Instincts outlined by the player. Your skills increase, sure, but without the Artha it would be a very gritty dungeon crawl. Unfortunately I haven't played the game yet, so this is just a read-through review (and probably a rather shoddy one at that), but Artha really is what makes the game so different. It's given for holding to Beliefs, for making everyone stop dead with laughter. The group is also much more important to gameplay than in any other RPG, since the group can give traits to players and penalize munchkins as a collective, as well as award Artha for roleplaying (unanimous vote, people!). I'm always one for increased player participation, so this stuff's AWESOME in my eyes. It also scratches the fantasy itch that was implanted right along with that pesty little Alien egg when I was kid.
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| I should probably have a doctor look at it. |
I will say this, though: if you want a game system that is focused on character, with a sense of darkness and light that you only get in fantasy, a game that asks questions that no other RPG will even think to ask, if you want a story, get this book. It's only 25 bucks for 600 pages, people! That's a wonderful steal in today's economy, especially considering that this is really all a player will ever need. Seriously, it's all in here. Are there more options? Probably, but the way this game's set up the options that are here will last a players for decades, in a way that makes other RPGs almost shallow in comparison. I know that, once I'm done with my current Dungeons and Dragons game, Burning Wheel will become my main RPG.
I will be getting the Monster Burner (basically the GM's book) today. I'll get you a basic review sometime this weekend, provided I don't lock myself out of the frickin' house again. Carpe, I will get revenge for your foul play!
MWAHAHAHAHA.
ReplyDelete(And yes, that book is "sexy, sexy, sexy", as Alan Tudyk would put it.)
Oh, and I hardly think you'd be surprised that the crazy idea popped into my head that this book could, once you did some extensive hacking, serve as a fabulous basis for an even better Firefly RPG. Seriously, start watching the series with the aim of pinpointing Beliefs, Instincts, and Traits...it's a ridiculous fit.
Also, the idea of artha as XP is a really cool one, considering that you spend artha to eventually shade-shift a skill, which really is a massive sort of level-up.
You'll have to let me know how the Monster Burner is. I get the feeling that with lifepath creation guidelines and trait creation guidelines, you'd have enough material to extensively hack the game for any setting you so desired.
I would highly recommend getting the Adventure Burner. The Monster Burner is great, but the Adventure Burner is Luke Crane's commentary on Burning Wheel. Of course, I'd buy every RPG made by Luke Crane.
ReplyDeleteIf you are interested in some BW session reports, I post them on my blog (TakeOnRules). I'm running the AD&D H-Series "Bloodstone Pass" in Burning Wheel and someone else is running a homebrew titled "The Butcher, the Baker, and the Candlestick Maker".
The burning empires game may for the bill for s futuristic burning wheel game. The are both based off of same rules.
ReplyDelete"Commentary on Burning Wheel". Care to elaborate? It sounds interesting, I'd just like a few more details. And I'll definitely take a look at your session reports! Those sound interesting!
ReplyDeleteI saw they have a sci fi, I think I'll look into that sooner than later.
@SpydersWebbing and @Justin Burning Empires has rules based on Burning Wheel, but it is a different, albeit fantastic game that I have never played. It breaks down what campaigns and sessions mean, is very well structured, because it is GM vs. Players. That said, if you have disposable income, I would highly recommend it (there won't be any future print runs of this game).
ReplyDeleteMy quasi-review is at B is for Burning Empires.
@SpydersWebbing Adventure Burner was written for Burning Wheel Revised and clearly informs the relatively minor changes of Burning Wheel Gold.
As far as Commentary goes, it comments on each of the sub-systems and concepts (i.e. Resources, Task & Intent, Fight, Circles, Injury, Advancement, Beliefs, etc.). It's as though you have access to all of Luke's brain while you read Burning Wheel. In addition, there are three mostly ready to run adventures - The Sword, Thelon's Rift, and Trouble in Hochen (written up for BWR, but there are stats for BWG, and honestly the diff between BWR and BWG is very small). Be warned, these adventures aren't exactly like others you've probably read.
The Sword is Luke's go to adventure for demoing BW; The players are adventurers with conflicting beliefs that have just found the sword they are after.
Thelon's Rift is a more mechanical affair, with advice for testing the physical components of the game. The map is a work of art and very thought provoking.
Trouble in Hochen is part 1 of three parts (the other 2 are available on the burning wheel wiki). It is has a "mystery" element, with cultists and other out of place behavior.
(I'd also recommend Mouse Guard as well)
Do you do any of these games long-distance/internetally? If so, would it be possible for you two to show me the ropes someday? I feel like I ought to round out my geek cred by actually playing a few old-fashioned RPGs. Sure, I've got a thousand other things eating my time and attention alive (not to mention no longer being a college student with a decent amount of free time in between classes), but it's not like I couldn't, say, take a break from the Dwarf Fortress in which a stupid goblin is running around inside terrorizing my unmilitarized dwarves. (Heck, I took a break this weekend to try to find a replacement for Java in regards to some personal programming projects I haven't been at for a while. But I'm rambling now.)
ReplyDelete~Scott
I'd say get ahold of Carpe. He, Maria, a friend from Benedictine, and I do an online game every week (World of Darkness), which Carpe runs.
ReplyDeleteAnd Dwarf Fortress? Wow. I know THREE people who play that game now :P
This is a superlative suplement for a superlative game.
ReplyDeleteNote: There is a japanese Burning Wheel game: The Blossoms Are Falling. Saddly it's out of print now, but it's an awesome 212-page book. There are a lot of beautiful ideas in that book: The Clan Burner (to build the core of your campaigns), new lifepaths and settings, 100 new traits and more than 30 new skills, new emotional attributes (Honor and Shame, Authority and Arahitogami, the divine nature of the emperor) and 6 new monsters and even new mechanics, like the Duel of Verse.
Burning Empires (a full game and not a suplement) is also awesome, but very demanding. It's not for everyone, but it's an amazing sci-fi role-playing game.
- Alejandro
I want to pick up Burning Empires. Really, I do. But, at the moment, I can't bring myself to buy another RPG that I'm not using. I need to run a lot of games in quite a few systems first, Burning Wheel included.
ReplyDeleteHhhhmm... I should probably write a blog post on that.
... and I need to go eat some crow. BURNING EMPIRES IS MINE!!! MUAHAHAHAHAAHA!!!
ReplyDeleteThe Adventure Burner is, in my opinion, one of the best, if not the best, sourcebook ever written, if only because it isn't about rules but a detailed explanation, rule by rule, behind the philosophy of Burning Wheel, how to use each rule, how they were made that way, clarifications, etc. It is a really excellent insight into what makes Burning Wheel tick, including great suggestions about how to build Beliefs, burn the setting and the characters. The Wises section alone is worth the price. It shows unexpected ways to use this skill and how to give the players greater narrative control. I keep reading the damn thing and never tire of it.
ReplyDelete