Please keep discussion of campaign events to a minimum (rather you have discussions in character than out is what I mean), but otherwise feel free to chat here :) Please also post here if you're going to be absent or otherwise unable to post for longer than a day.
Beliefs/Goals and Instincts
Here are the description of these concepts from the original Burning Wheel books. I will be allowing 1-2 Beliefs, and the same number of Instincts for the purpose of this campaign. If you have any questions no the below then please ask.
Each character has between one, and three (barring special circumstances) beliefs. I suggest filling all three slots whenever possible. I’m just going to largely just copy this section from the book (if you haven’t picked up on it by now, anything in quotations has been taken directly from the book).
“A Belief is three things: it is a characterization, a goal, and an indication of how you want to be rewarded for playing your character.”
“When writing Beliefs for your character, make sure that at least one of them is an active goal—something your character can accomplish.
“I will topply my brother the duke no matter the cost.”
“Note the action: topple. And the condition: no matter the cost. This Belief could have been written as “I don’t like my brother, the duke,” but that’s a terrible Belief. Great, you don’t like him. Is that going to make a good game? What are you going to do about it? How would we create an interesting story around your dislike? It’s weak, but toppling a duke, now that just drips with Good fantasy roleplaying possibilities.”
“Types of Starting Beliefs”
“If you have a secret about your character, make a Belief about it. It seems counter intuitive, but in order to make a secret work in this game, you have to tell everyone about it!”
“If you have an object or artifact that is very important to your character, write a Belief about it.”
“If there is an NPC who is important to you, write a Belief about him or her.”
“If you are interested in or care about another player character, write a Belief about him or her.”
“If there is something your character wants to learn of gain, write a Belief about it.”
“If you have a philosophy for your character, write a Belief about it.”
“Beliefs and the Setting and Situation”
Summarizing, this paragraph encourages you to make beliefs about the setting and plot, so for us this would be why your character is on this mission, what they hope to accomplish while on the mission, etc.“Little Goals”
“When writing goals, try not to make them too big. Try to create goals for yourself that you can at least try to accomplish this session. Don’t write goals for things you’ll get to in the future. If you have a big goal, break it down into steps and write a Belief about the step you can take a shot at right now.”
Relating this back to our campaign your ultimate goal might be to bring about the downfall of the witches, but the more achievable goal would be to discover the location of the (ally) or whatever it is you’re going after. A belief to reflect this might be: The witches must be stopped before they destroy my people completely; discover the location of the dwarves so we might recruit them as allies.“Broad Statements Are Bad”
“Broad, vague statements make bad Beliefs. “The world is doomed” is a crap Beliefe. It’s a broad statement, and it doesn’t involve the character in the action. A simple change, “This world is doomed if I should fail to save the princess,” makes a world of difference. Now we all know that you are going to try to save the princess. We also know how you can be rewarded—if you work toward saving the princess, if you turn aside from the perfidious princess or if you save the princess.”“Be Colorful”
“It’s easy to write simple direct Beliefs: “I will save the princess.” Unfortunately such simple direct statements often lead to simple or flat play. The more colorful—the more in character—you can write your Belief, the more fun you’re going to have in game.”“Work Together”
“During a session, not all players are going to get all of their Beliefs into play at the same time. That’s okay. Tie in one or two Beliefs at a time—from different characters—and use the other Beliefs as hooks for additional sessions.”“Beyond that, not all of the player’s priorities are going to be appropriate to one game. That’s cool, too. Negotiate with the GM and the other players about what is important and relevant to the story/game/situation at hand. Incorporate Beliefs based on those criteria. Save the rest for another character in another game.”
“A player may choose one to three Instincts”--again I suggest going for all three--“for his character. Almost the opposite of Beliefs, Instincts are game-mechanical priorities that a player describes for his character. When a player sets an Instinct, he’s telling the GM, the players and even the system, “This is how I want my guy to act in this situation.””
“An Instinct should be a declaration of action, ideally an if/then statement. Describe exactly what the character is doing and when: “If I sense trouble, I draw my sword.” Simple enough.”
“Simple is key. Instincts, in general, should be actions that can be accomplished in one glance, one sweep of the hand.”
“If there’s a cave-in, then I push the youngest to safety.”
“If confronted, I take Aggressive Stance.”“You can use always, never, and when statements:”
“Always cast spells carefully and patiently.”
“In the deep tunnels, always Assess (listen) at every junction.”
“When surprised, I draw my knife.”
“Never work quickly.”
“Taste food before serving or eating.”
“Always have enough ingredients for noodle soup.”“Instincts must be tight and narrowly focused. This makes it possible for players to actually use Instincts in play, and it makes it easier for the GM to introduce conflicts where those Instincts generate complications.”
The book goes on for another page and a half… Instincts should be specific (not “I protect my friends from harm”, something like “Always stand at the front of the group” could work and fulfill a similar purpose.), and will usually tell the rest of the group about your character. With the “If there’s a cave-in…” instinct above, that shows your character values youth highly, that he is aware of the dangers underground, and that his first instinct is to protect others above himself. Instincts will also tell me as the GM what is important to you guys, and some things I can introduce into the story for you guys.
These concepts can be a bit hard to wrap your head around, but what it comes down to is that Beliefs should be your character's current goals, what is important to your character right now, and what is he going to do about it. They need to have a specific, attainable goal. It's all well and good to say that your character wants to retire rich and comfortably, but that isn't something that's going to be resolved in the game. An appropriate belief for that would be something like the below
- Live to a ripe old age in luxury; taking out Hairy Jim and collecting the bounty is a good start.
- Defeat the Hsieh Chia Jen Triad and take over Shan Fan; maybe I can use one of the other triads to my advantage, stir up trouble between the Shan Fan and Kwan Triads.
The first one is fairly straight forward, kill Hairy Jim and collect the bounty. The second one could be accomplished a few different ways. Stage some conflicts between the two (dress up like members of one and fight the other), or could be done through more subtle manipulations.
Instincts meanwhile, are a mechanical cheat. "When startled, draw my sword". "Always have a clean knife". "Always keep a round in the chamber". They allow you as players to say "even though I haven't told you my character has done this, he will".
Checking in. Added in my free knowledge skills. I put 1d6 into Law, from his upbringing, and a 1d4 into demolitions, from the odd time explosives were required to help open a particularly troublesome safe in his job as a locksmith.
I'll add in the Beliefs and Instincts as soon as I've had a chance to think it over.
d4 in Language (French)
d6 in Knowledge (Games of Chance)
d4 in Knowledge (French Louisiana)
d4 in Knowledge (Men's Fashion)
Will update profile and then try to tackle belief/instincts
Beliefs:
- Learn the truth about my father; the only place to start is by ascertaining more knowledge of his ring.
- Bring prestige to the Beauchamp name; I could start a fighting career out west and try to stay out of the gambling scene, as I don't know a trade.
Alrighty, thanks for getting the knowledge skills up Abram and Raveneau.
Well, one way to get an easy, combat related Instinct, ask yourself the following question. Out of nowhere, someone pulls a gun on your character, what is the first thing he does?
Instincts:
- I will never drink alcohol (not anymore).
- If a fight breaks out, I always position myself between the tussle and the closest female.
Checking in will have instincts in the morning.
Instincts
- If a challenge that might threaten his own life arises Michael will always take it.
- Michael will never turn in a bounty or gain a benefit from it.
- If William or Ana is threatened (or anyone he considers to be equal to them) Michael will always defend them even at his own detriment.
- Michael never stops smiling.
Beliefs:
1). Doing what's right is more important than money, more important than what's left of his life, and more important than law. Abram will always do what he thinks is the right thing to do, even if dangerous, impractical, or illegal. He hopes that when he dies, it will come as the result of doing the right thing.
2.) Just as his wife is an innocent soul who deserves the best, the happiness and security of the innocent is paramount. He'll always do what he can to protect the naive and the innocent, and hopes to help them preserve that innocence. He'll always choose their benefit even at cost to himself, or to his own happiness.
3.) Money is unimportant, but any chance at a cure is probably worth it, even though it is probably just another scam. He will find a cure for his cancer.
Instincts:
1.) Never hesitates to place himself between another and danger, particularly an innocent or a child.
2.) Draws at the first sign of danger. A drawn gun may cause offense, may make other's think you're twitchy, but a skinned leg iron in you hand is far better than one in the leather when you're taken by surprise.
3.) Always takes the time to meet every medicine man and herbalist he encounters.
Step 1: Write 5 background and concept elements that you feel are important to your image of the character. These can be a concept overview, a list of important life events, a physical description, a personality profile...whatever you need to get an image in your mind. 5 is just a minimum...more elements are encouraged!
1) A skilled medicus confident in his knowledge and his ability to help.
2) A fish out of water. An easterner and an enlightenment thinker in the ghost ridden west.
3) A short-barrel scattergun being drawn from a Gladstone bag, just another tool in the doctor’s bag.
4) Sitting in a sweat lodge thinking of Galen and the future of medicine
5) A pair of glasses, spattered with blood, reflecting the desert.
Step 2: List at least two goals for the character. At least one of these goals should be one that the character has, while another should be one that you, as a player, want to see developed over the course of the game.
1) Dr. I wishes to make a name for himself, discovering new medicines, new diseases, in some way pushing back the frontiers of understanding. Making a sack-full of coin would also be nice.
2) The Doctor is naïve and an idealist. Seeing him tested by the West will be interesting. I wonder how he will break.
Step 3: List at least two secrets about your character. One is a secret the character knows, one is a secret that involves him but that he is not actually aware of yet. This will help me in creating plots that center on your character. I will also be creating a third secret which you as a player will not be aware of, so expect some surprises!
1) Dr. I, his family and several faculty members were/are involved in the efforts to push the British out of Detroit. Dr.I left school in part due to his activities on behalf of this resistance.
2) Dr. Robert T. Edes, Professor of Materia Medica (aka medicines and drugs) Dr.I’s mentor and prime mover behind his heading West, is a magician/cultist and has sent Dr.I out as an unwitting pawn.
3) ????
Step 4: Describe at least three people that are tied to the character. Two of them are friendly to the character, one is hostile. If you like, you can include an enemy of yours here as well, so I have an instant NPC nemesis to throw at you.
1) Nathan Hibbard, friend from collage. Washed out in his first year he is currently a sub-editor for a New York magazine. Dr I has promised to send him stories of the west.
2) Dr. Robert T. Edes, appears friendly but is actually quite hostile. Mentor, cultist, and Harvard Professor. Involved in the Detroit resistance, secretly urges/promotes anti-British violence. Close correspondent to our hero.
3) Captain Grorge Gavin Freeborn, friend, former fellow student and housemate, now union officer, last known to be in Kansas but could be anywhere. Fond of Dr. I’s sister Ruth.
Step 5: Describe three memories, mannerisms, or quirks that your character has. They don't have to be elaborate, but they should provide some context and flavor.
1) Puts on or cleans his glasses to think.
2) Keeps a journal in a bastard mix of Latin and French
3) Is constantly taking up and dropping the smoking habit.
Useful documents: Harvard Med school catalogue/course guide for 1879-80: http://archive.org/details/annualcatalogueo7980harv
Suddenly, a gun!
His first move would be to surrender/keep still. Might be cowardice, might be calculation. Depends on how it plays out.
I suppose that translates as:
Instinct: Go to ground when in danger.
~ Keeps his doctors bag handy
~ To be determined.
Beliefs
~First do no harm. Will not use his knowledge for evil. Believed there is a special place in hell for snake-oil salesmen and others who sell hope.
~There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy and they are living in Shan Fan and the Souix territories. Deeply interested in other ways of thinking. Will seek to experience/witness new ways firsthand.
~ work in progress
Beliefs
- Life is a game! Michael believes his is boring so he will find everything he can to make it more interesting.
- The world is a stage, presentation is everything. Whatever you do, do it with style.
- Take every defeat with a smile on your face as everything bad that you feel happen to you is only further proof that you are still alive.
Apologies for the delay, but will be another few days at least before I can kick this off. I appear to have come down with the flu, and the asses at work are making me come in anyway. You should each only have 2 beliefs and instincts, it's three in the source material but decided to cut that back since you have fate chips and adventure cards and the like. Further review of your characters will have to wait until I'm feeling better.
Checking in - I'll be considering the instincts and beliefs for Jean-Luc and post when I think of something :)
Beliefs:
Purse is a bit empty... best I fill it with someone elses gold - Raveneau lacks in spending money, and he's a desire to fill his pockets with someone elses.
Style... my shooters don't match my threads - something nice... silver inlay on ebony would look fierce... Raveneau is on the lookout for stylish guns.
Instincts:
Always know if there's a back door - Raveneau has had to make quick escapes more than once and takes pains to check when he'd be hemmed in.
Talk first before the gun - When ire rises Raveneau tends to try and dismiss tension with words before he reaches for his shooters.
Alrighty, sorry for the delay, being sick is a pain. Reviewing Beliefs and Instincts now, I’m a bit pedantic about getting these right, but I’ll try to restrain myself :)
“A Belief is three things: it is a characterization, a goal, and an indication of how you want to be rewarded for playing your character.”
“When writing Beliefs for your character, make sure that at least one of them is an active goal—something your character can accomplish.
They've certainly got the characterization down, but the other two are a bit lacking. Each belief has to have some achievable goal, something that your character can accomplish in a reasonable period of a few dedicated sessions, and get the reward for doing so. Your third belief could work as a goal, but if so he should probably be looking for someone/something specifically to achieve said cure; a chinese medicine man he's heard of, or a special plant that only grows in the wates of the maze perhaps; feel free to make up a name for either of these options if you go through with that.
It's also only two Beliefs and Instincts per character, that one's my fault, I should have changed what I quoted to reflect the reduced number. My suggestion would be to drop your third instinct, as that's not really something that needs the benefit of having it as an instinct.
The Beliefs are a bit more shaky, second one I can work with, he wants to travel to Shan Fan and experience some piece of Chinese culture for himself. The first is a bit rougher, how do you see him accomplishing that belief? It's full of characterization, but light on the goal side of things. Does he want to string up a snake-oil salesman? Is he looking for a specific silver tongued rogue perhaps? Someone who hurt a friend of his? Otherwise I'd say go back to the drawing board with that one, perhaps some sort of belief surrounding whatever task his mentor has given him in California?
Now, the ten minute background itself:
Number 4 and 5... not sure those fit in concept elements. Number 5 is interesting, but unless he was attacked in a desert I'm not really sure what that's about. Number 4, who's Galen and why is he(?) important to the character.
Number 2 in goals is a bit of an odd one, but this section is slightly superfluous with the Beliefs anyway, so it should be fine.
As to the rest... well there's a heavy focus on Detroit, which is not likely to have a huge impact on this campaign since it is most likely not going to leave California. It’s fine, as long as you’re aware of that.
Final Notes: You still need to finish your character sheet by listing your gear purchases.
“A Belief is three things: it is a characterization, a goal, and an indication of how you want to be rewarded for playing your character.”
“When writing Beliefs for your character, make sure that at least one of them is an active goal—something your character can accomplish.
There’s no actual defined goal in any of your beliefs that I can see, the characterization is there, the substance is not :p Do you know why Michael is on a train to California? That would certainly be a good place to start with a belief: Are you on a mission for the Agency? Are you after information on Jonah? Does Ana want a chunk of ghost rock to play with?
As to the Instincts, well you’ve got too many to start with. Too many Beliefs too. I take responsibility for that, should have changed the quote to account for the lowered amount, but you’re only meant to have two of each.
Beyond that, I’d suggest keeping the bottom (never stop smiling), and the one about placing William and Ana’s safety above his own (I’d remove the bit in brackets, and whenever someone attains that level of respect/value for Michael, adding them to the list). The other two instincts are facts about your character certainly, but not something that needs to be an instinct.
We will be using the Adventure Deck to keep things interesting and provide a bit of extra variety and control to the players. Each player gets one card per rank (Novice 1, Seasoned 2, etc), players can swap cards with each other on a 1 to 1 basis, and each player can only play one card unless a card says otherwise. Cards refresh after every 'session', I'm not quite sure what I'll class as a session, but that will be when fate chips refresh and the like as well.
Please see below for your fate chip and Adventure Deck draws.
Card: Seize the Day
The character acts as if he had drawn a Joker this combat round.
Card: Enemy
Play at the beginning of the game session. A villain of the GM's choice becomes your character's sworn enemy. You may not soak wounds caused directly by him. Starting now, draw an extra Adventure Card each game session until the enemy is "retired."
Card: Arcane Inspiration
Immediately recover all spent Power Points.
Cards: Deadly Blow
Play after damage is rolled to double the total of a successful melee attack.
Ace
Play instead of rolling to make a trait test with a single automatic raise.
Card: Parley
All characters cease fighting and listen to the hero speak for at least 30 seconds. Others may only take defensive actions during this time. This has no effect on beasts and other creatures that cannot understand the speaker.
Card: Reinforcements
Play during combat. Reinforcements arrive for the bad guys. The exact number and type is up to the GM. Every player character may immediately draw an Adventure Card.
Beliefs:
1). Money is unimportant, but any chance at a cure is probably worth it, even though it is probably just another scam. He's heard that there is a Chinese medicine man who lives in the maze, who is able to use the plants that grow there to accomplish incredible things. Abram doesn't know his name, or even if he really exists. However, if he does, he will found out the name, found out where he can be found, and find him. He will find someone or some way to cure his cancer.
2.) If he dies before finding a cure, he will die saving someone innocent, making the world a better place, or as a consequence of doing the same.
Instincts:
1.) Never hesitates to place himself between another and danger, particularly an innocent or a child. Doing what's right is more important than money, more important than what's left of his life, and more important than law. Abram will always do what he thinks is the right thing to do, even if dangerous, impractical, or illegal. He hopes that when he dies, it will come as the result of doing the right thing.
2.) Draws at the first sign of danger. A drawn gun may cause offense, may make other's think you're twitchy, but a skinned leg iron in you hand is far better than one in the leather when you're taken by surprise.
Boiled down version:
Beliefs:
1. Find a legendary herbalist who might be able to cure his cancer.
2. Die doing something worthwhile.
Instincts:
1. Get between danger and the innocent.
2. Draw first. Figure out why after.
Apologies, I thought I had already posted these.
Beliefs/Goals
1. Taoism and the Yin and Yang of it all - compassion, humility and moderation. Life is a balancing act, and everything you do affects all those around you.
2. Locate his sister to find out details on what happened to his father.
3. Continue learning so that he can feel able to begin a monastery/school of his own.
Instincts
1. Violence is a last resort - although a skilled fighter, he tries everything he can to avoid a fight.
2. If violence is called for, end it quickly - removing one opponent from a battle is better than injuring more than one. Also, by removing a group's leader, the underlings may lose a taste for the battle.
3. Life is precious - those that would harm the innocent deserve no mercy
Those work? :)
That being said you've had the same issue as a few of the others. See the quote below again.
“A Belief is three things: it is a characterization, a goal, and an indication of how you want to be rewarded for playing your character.”
“When writing Beliefs for your character, make sure that at least one of them is an active goal—something your character can accomplish.
You've got plenty of characterization, but some of them are a bit light on the goal part. That being said, the second and third beliefs could work, the second one is fine as is, but the third is a little open ended, perhaps Jean-Luc needs to find a new master/teacher in this new land? That would make the third one good.
Instincts look okay, I'd drop the last one since there's no real mechanical effect to it. Again I'll quote to show my point.
“An Instinct should be a declaration of action, ideally an if/then statement. Describe exactly what the character is doing and when: “If I sense trouble, I draw my sword.” Simple enough.”
“Simple is key. Instincts, in general, should be actions that can be accomplished in one glance, one sweep of the hand.”
The first instinct is fine, the second is a bit complex. An alternative could be something like... "When given the choice, always take down the big guy."
Let's try this again then
Instincts
- If William or Ana is threatened Michael will always defend them even at his own detriment.
- Michael never stops smiling.
Beliefs
- Life is a game! Michael believes his is boring so he will find everything he can to make it more interesting.
- Ana is hurt, she is hunted, it is up to Michael to find out how to stop it the Agency and save her!
The goals in your beliefs are still a bit vague, but alright to start with. I hope you'll refine them a bit more once we get into the campaign itself.
When do you see us starting?
As soon as I get off my butt and type up the intro post :p Sorry. Been a bit lazy about that.
Dr. Dione, and Michael I don't believe I have your Worst Nightmares yet, of course it's 4am, so I may just be having trouble finding them, so point me in the right direction if you've posted them already.
If everyone can make sure their profiles are up to date as well, I'm noticing some haven't been updated after discussions above.
Well at least one of the beliefs need to be a goal, the bottom one being: Michael beliefs Ana is hurt despite evidence to the contrary. He believes the Agency has something to do with due to past run ins. He plans to do something about that possibly by stopping the agency or getting revenge.
The agency might not have done anything at all but that's what he believes. I really don't know how much more clear I can make a goal like that? Name specific people he's after or something?
Ideally, yeah a specific target would be good :p These goals are meant to be something you can reasonably accomplish in a short arc, and taking down the Agency will not be that easy :p Like I said you can wait to refine it until you get some more information, but keep it in mind.
Working on the opening post now, your patience will be rewarded soon :p
Hmm, I guess I should have announced that I posted the opening post about 9 hours ago. So get to it!
http://paizo.com/campaigns/SavageWorldsTheFlood/gameplay&page=last
Beliefs: More than just Shan Fran, Dr.I is looking for any new medicine. Ghost rock elixirs, Chi body control, Shamanistic medicine. The west to Dr. I represents a new frontier in knowledge.
This also explains his distaste for snake oil. There are actual real wonders and these clowns are peddling ink and piss. There could easily be a specific peddler, likely someone that Dr.I was fooled by as a youth. This may even be the reason he went into medicine. Would you like me to create such a person? I have specifically left the mentor's task open in case you needed a hook to get me involved. Feel free to use it or ignore it as needed.
Concept elements: 4 and 5 started as simple evocative images but on reflection they can be seen as 2 possible futures for Dr I. In 4 we see the Dr. unifying western and native medicine. Galen's ideas shaped western medicine for over 1300 years. He was deeply wrong on many many counts and blind adherence to his errors doomed countless people. Dr. I sees current medical thought as possibly committing the same error by ignoring new ideas.
Number 5 is a death scene. The west is real, it is harsh, and Dr. I is not ready. The glasses represent Eastern/enlightenment thinking which fails in the face of the vast reality of the desert.
No prob re Detroit. Just background for why he went West rather than staying east/going home.
Gear in progress. Wish they had prices for medical equipment.
What are your thoughts, Mr. GM, on T.J. altering his second belief. I'm wondering if something faith-based rather than prestige based might have more direct goals, as well as greater opportunities for roleplay.
But I know that you're already establishing things, and don't want to alter something that's already been put into motion.
That's fine T.J. plans are still fairly rudimentary at this stage. I'm kind of bad about actually planning ahead and usually end up winging it a lot :p Beliefs are meant to be fairly fluid anyway, so go ahead, just let me know if/when you change them in the future so I can react accordingly.
As to creating a snake-oil salesman villain, if that's something you'd like to do then that would be great. Otherwise I suggest checking the opening post for Dr. Ede's task, and crafting your second belief around that. The belief just has to have some sort of goal that can actually be accomplished in a reasonable period, so feel free to come up with something else if you'd like.
Mmm, well I guess it depends what sort of equipment you want. Surgical equipment is usually quite expensive, I'd probably say somewhere in the vicinity of $40-50 which would include a quality set of scalpels, clamps, spreaders etc. as well as a supply of medicinal alchohol, swabs, needle and thread, gauze, and bandages enough for 4-6 operations before needing to be resupplied (costing about $10). A more general doctors bag would be a bit cheaper, in the vicinity of $30-40 containing a variety of tinctures, ointments, salves, herbal concoctions, bandages, drugs, and antiseptics as well as tools like scalpels, needles, syringes, stethoscope and probably plenty of other things I'm forgetting. Such a bag would last a bit longer, but be more expensive to replace since it contains a lot more perishables/consumables, somewhere in the vicinity of $20-25.
Of course, I'm pulling those number out of nowhere, so if you can find some actual historical prices for such things then that'd be better :p
GMI like the given task and it fits well. Altering beliefs.
The second option sounds best for the doc's bag though a pit overpriced. The 1897 Sears and Roebucks catalog had their most expensive ice-box running at 15-16 with an early electric bicycle coming in a $20. Pity they did not sell surgical equipment. Even the vet gear was lacking anything comparable. I suspect one needed specialist providers. The medicine was very cheap though enough arsenic, belladonna, atropine, or laudanum to keep the most dedicated poisoner happy could be had for less than a dollar. But this is an alternate history and your guidelines look great.
So long as both bags include probes and bullet-pulling clamps.
Note: googling civil war era medicine is not conducive to a healthy appetite. Paying more to avoid realism is a compromise I am happy to make.
T.J. Have you read The Detective Wore Silk Drawers by Peter Lovesey? It is set in england but the time period is correct and it deals extensively with bare knuckle boxing. Quite a good mystery as well.
I haven't, but it sounds intriguing! That would be worth checking out. Thanks for the recommendation!
(New) Beliefs:
- Learn the truth about my father; the only place to start is by ascertaining more knowledge of his ring. (unchanged)
- Build a lifestyle of faith and penitance; first steps would be acquiring a bible and talking with a pastor/priest. (New belief)
GMI like the given task and it fits well. Altering beliefs.
The second option sounds best for the doc's bag though a pit overpriced. The 1897 Sears and Roebucks catalog had their most expensive ice-box running at 15-16 with an early electric bicycle coming in a $20. Pity they did not sell surgical equipment. Even the vet gear was lacking anything comparable. I suspect one needed specialist providers. The medicine was very cheap though enough arsenic, belladonna, atropine, or laudanum to keep the most dedicated poisoner happy could be had for less than a dollar. But this is an alternate history and your guidelines look great.
So long as both bags include probes and bullet-pulling clamps.Note: googling civil war era medicine is not conducive to a healthy appetite. Paying more to avoid realism is a compromise I am happy to make.
Really? I would have thought medical equipment and supplies would have been more expensive, hence my numbers. Can lower the prices if necessary if they seem too much.
I should think not as far as the medicine of the period goes :p Yes both would have the necessary supplies for treating gunshots as that is a fairly common injury in the west :p
@T.J. Beliefs sound fine. Will get back to you on your new one later.
GMI like the given task and it fits well. Altering beliefs.
The second option sounds best for the doc's bag though a pit overpriced. The 1897 Sears and Roebucks catalog had their most expensive ice-box running at 15-16 with an early electric bicycle coming in a $20. Pity they did not sell surgical equipment. Even the vet gear was lacking anything comparable. I suspect one needed specialist providers. The medicine was very cheap though enough arsenic, belladonna, atropine, or laudanum to keep the most dedicated poisoner happy could be had for less than a dollar. But this is an alternate history and your guidelines look great.
So long as both bags include probes and bullet-pulling clamps.Note: googling civil war era medicine is not conducive to a healthy appetite. Paying more to avoid realism is a compromise I am happy to make.
Really? I would have thought medical equipment and supplies would have been more expensive, hence my numbers. Can lower the prices if necessary if they seem too much.
I should think not as far as the medicine of the period goes :p Yes both would have the necessary supplies for treating gunshots as that is a fairly common injury in the west :p
@T.J. Beliefs sound fine. Will get back to you on your new one later.
This is the best free, online, catalog I could find for the period. The interface leaves a bit to be desired but the other choice is paying for the Sears cat online. Admittedly only $8 ish on Amazon. Drugs and medicine start on page 150
Also useful the New England Journal of Medicine for the 1890's is semi-complete and available online.
And a catalog of surgical instruments circa 1890. Looks like their best good field surgery kit (the No. 9 set pg 41-2 runs around 7 pounds sterling. In 1897 USD that is around $35-40 allowing for postage. The "army standard" kit is 5 pounds/$25 add in patent meds and expendables and it looks like you where dead on. Good call.
Off to post!
This is the best free, online, catalog I could find for the period. The interface leaves a bit to be desired but the other choice is paying for the Sears cat online. Admittedly only $8 ish on Amazon. Drugs and medicine start on page 150
Also useful the New England Journal of Medicine for the 1890's is semi-complete and available online.
And a catalog of surgical instruments circa 1890. Looks like their best good field surgery kit (the No. 9 set pg 41-2 runs around 7 pounds sterling. In 1897 USD that is around $35-40 allowing for postage. The "army standard" kit is 5 pounds/$25 add in patent meds and expendables and it looks like you where dead on. Good call.
Well, good to know :)
Just a note for my preference (deciphering Abram's rolls took a while :p), if you could try and roll your dice in a format similar to mine, which is:
(dice=)1d;1d6(/dice)
(dice=ExplosionAce)+1d(/dice)
(dice=Damage)d(/dice)
I hope the above makes sense, please see my latest post in gameplay for examples of multiple exploding dice, and including the previous total of the roll in the roller. Any questions please ask.
With regards to William. I know he gets to make a Vigor roll later and probably won't die but is it alright if I can spend my fate chips on him? I don't have the ability yet but can I do it just for him for now? Eventually picking the edge up later to use my chips on everyone else.
uhh, yeah I suppose I'll allow it. I always thought it was a bit weird you have to spend an edge to give away your bennies. I understand it, it just seems a bit odd :p
Sorry for the belated reply.
I'll have to pull out of the game. :( I hate it, but my spirit just isn't in it.....
Yeah I figured as much. Well good luck to you then, and feel free to stick around and watch :)
Dang, sorry to see you go Jean-Luc. That eastern mindset seems like it would really bloom in this context. We'll miss ya.
This is definitely the campaign for that sort of exploration. You don't have to be eastern to explore that though :)
GM: How wide is the tunnel that the characters are in? Does it seem wide enough for them (and their horses) to flatten against a wall and pray the nothing's sticking off the side of the train? Or are they stuck looking for a hole or crevice to squeeze into?
The tunnel is relatively roomy, it's circular and was dug to accommodate the full height of a train after all.
Advanced warning that your friendly neighborhood Gambit analogue will be on vacation starting 27th June all the way through to 17th July. We will be taking our first big ol' vacation in six years and swanning off to Hawaii (both Kauai and Oahu). Our first trip to the US, and despite needing about 16 hours in a plane to get there - we are still super excited :)
However since we'll be travelling with only an i-pad for computer support both my predeliction for sesquipedalian loquaciousness and the relative alacrity and frequency of posts shall suffer most terribly during that time. So in essence Raveneau will be relatively inactive while I'm off sinking deep into Kalua pig, malasadas and loco moco. Fear not for I shall return fully recharged and reinforced for the onward push towards ghost-rock fueled shenanigans.
If in the case that DMPC or PCPC will be required, Raveneau's responses will tend to follow the following logic:
1) Gamble for money.
2) Words then gunpowder.
3) Runaway if neither of 2) worked.
How do you do a common knowledge check? Simply with smarts?
Yea same question here, I don't think anyone has knowledge (common) if it's a specific type.