Notes on the Burning Wheel
Some of you may know that I recently picked up a new roleplaying system recently. The Burning Wheel is an independently published system; there isn't a company like WotC or SJ Games behind it, but there does seem to be a somewhat active community, between the forums and wiki, and the creator is definitely involved in both.
I can't really decide what system the character creation reminds me of. Instead of picking a class like in D&D, or buying advantages and disadvantages like in GURPS, you choose lifepaths for your character. The lifepaths you choose open up skills, traits, and resources for your character, as well as determining how old your character is, so that part's a bit more structured than GURPS, plus your character comes with a built-in sketchy history.
Speaking of history, your character also gains resource points that can be spent not only on the typical gear and such but also on reputations (anything from being infamous as a cold-blooded murderer to being known as the fastest blacksmith in town or a trustworthy sergent), affiliations (want to have pull with the local assassin's guild, or with the consortium of merchants?) to relationships (resented by a half-brother, friendly with a former mentor, being hunted down by a rival or former master, carrying on an affair with his lord's wife?) And for all those more minor relationships that might come up in play, there's a special mechanic called "Circles" which allows you to determine whom your character might know and be able to find (from a grumpy swordsman to your great-aunt the abbess).
One of the things I think is especially neat is the system of beliefs and instincts, of which you may have three of each (unless you're a dwarf, but we'll get into racial stocks later). These could probably be borrowed and used alongside other systems too, or even in creative writing.
Beliefs are basically some of the core ideas in your character's head that relate to the game, and should also highlight what aspects of the world you as a player are interested in exploring with this character. The best beliefs also have a goal attached to them; what the character wants to accomplish next.
Some random examples of beliefs (not meant to all be from the same character):
- Knowledge is the best way to attack any problem. I will obtain a book that has information about the dragon we're hunting at any cost.
- One should discuss one's problems rationally. I will act as a go-between to help the miners and the kobolds discover some common ground.
- Kobolds are vicious little beasties and deserve to be destroyed. I will use my skill with the sword to help the miners eliminate this kobold menace.
- The best way to serve Pelor is to follow the orders of the Patriarch. I will seek out my brother as per the Patriarch's orders.
Instincts can be revealing of character and interests of the player as well ("If the ship is sinking, make sure all the women and children are safely aboard first." "If the ship is sinking, get onto a lifeboat by any means possible, and don't worry about anyone else.") They can also be used to record things that the player doesn't necessarily want to have to reiterate every time because he or she feels it should be second nature to the character ("When in a dungeon, always travel at the front of the party and look for traps" "When in a closely confined forest or canyon, always expect an ambush"). The second sort of instincts particularly need to be specific, in order to avoid cheating by statements that are too broad (and to keep things more interesting).
I suppose I should touch on racial stock. At the moment, I only have the two basic books, though the Monster Burner is on its way to me, which should bring more options. In the basic books, there are four options: dwarves, elves, humans, and orcs.
Dwarves are, of course, the excellent craftsfolk and miners we have grown to know and love. In addition, they are torn between rigid cultural tradition and Greed, which is its own attribute that can influence dwarvish characters.
Elves are, on the one hand, passionately interested in the world around them and its affairs. But they are also long-lived, and see much more of the larger picture than Men and Dwarves. This leads to the elvish emotional attribute, Grief, which can eventually drive them overseas to the West or into wasting away from it.
Men are, of course, the default race. Their emotional attribute, Faith, is optional, but can allow them to perform miracles. They are also the only ones with the option of being Gifted with sorcery.
Orcs lead harsh and brutal lives, which drives them to Hatred. Actually, there's a PDF with the information about Orcs available as a free sample PDF from the Burning Wheel website, if anyone is interested in finding out more about the Orcs, or seeing a sample of what the Lifepaths look like.
The basic conflict resolution system uses six-sided dice, where the attribute or skill tells you how many dice you roll, and the obstacle set tells you how many successes you need to be, well, successful. If you happen to be in conflict with another character, then it becomes about who gets more successes on the relevant skill. And then there's the more complex conflicts... in what other roleplaying system is there anything resembling a Duel of Wits, where you use approximately the same moves as in a melee or other fight, and yet have such great moves as "Obfuscate" (for those interested in mimicking politics?) and Feint, where the only weapon is words? I haven't had a chance to see how the mechanics actually play out, having just been being by myself reading the books, but it could be a fun concept to explore at some point.
I can't really decide what system the character creation reminds me of. Instead of picking a class like in D&D, or buying advantages and disadvantages like in GURPS, you choose lifepaths for your character. The lifepaths you choose open up skills, traits, and resources for your character, as well as determining how old your character is, so that part's a bit more structured than GURPS, plus your character comes with a built-in sketchy history.
Speaking of history, your character also gains resource points that can be spent not only on the typical gear and such but also on reputations (anything from being infamous as a cold-blooded murderer to being known as the fastest blacksmith in town or a trustworthy sergent), affiliations (want to have pull with the local assassin's guild, or with the consortium of merchants?) to relationships (resented by a half-brother, friendly with a former mentor, being hunted down by a rival or former master, carrying on an affair with his lord's wife?) And for all those more minor relationships that might come up in play, there's a special mechanic called "Circles" which allows you to determine whom your character might know and be able to find (from a grumpy swordsman to your great-aunt the abbess).
One of the things I think is especially neat is the system of beliefs and instincts, of which you may have three of each (unless you're a dwarf, but we'll get into racial stocks later). These could probably be borrowed and used alongside other systems too, or even in creative writing.
Beliefs are basically some of the core ideas in your character's head that relate to the game, and should also highlight what aspects of the world you as a player are interested in exploring with this character. The best beliefs also have a goal attached to them; what the character wants to accomplish next.
Some random examples of beliefs (not meant to all be from the same character):
- Knowledge is the best way to attack any problem. I will obtain a book that has information about the dragon we're hunting at any cost.
- One should discuss one's problems rationally. I will act as a go-between to help the miners and the kobolds discover some common ground.
- Kobolds are vicious little beasties and deserve to be destroyed. I will use my skill with the sword to help the miners eliminate this kobold menace.
- The best way to serve Pelor is to follow the orders of the Patriarch. I will seek out my brother as per the Patriarch's orders.
Instincts can be revealing of character and interests of the player as well ("If the ship is sinking, make sure all the women and children are safely aboard first." "If the ship is sinking, get onto a lifeboat by any means possible, and don't worry about anyone else.") They can also be used to record things that the player doesn't necessarily want to have to reiterate every time because he or she feels it should be second nature to the character ("When in a dungeon, always travel at the front of the party and look for traps" "When in a closely confined forest or canyon, always expect an ambush"). The second sort of instincts particularly need to be specific, in order to avoid cheating by statements that are too broad (and to keep things more interesting).
I suppose I should touch on racial stock. At the moment, I only have the two basic books, though the Monster Burner is on its way to me, which should bring more options. In the basic books, there are four options: dwarves, elves, humans, and orcs.
Dwarves are, of course, the excellent craftsfolk and miners we have grown to know and love. In addition, they are torn between rigid cultural tradition and Greed, which is its own attribute that can influence dwarvish characters.
Elves are, on the one hand, passionately interested in the world around them and its affairs. But they are also long-lived, and see much more of the larger picture than Men and Dwarves. This leads to the elvish emotional attribute, Grief, which can eventually drive them overseas to the West or into wasting away from it.
Men are, of course, the default race. Their emotional attribute, Faith, is optional, but can allow them to perform miracles. They are also the only ones with the option of being Gifted with sorcery.
Orcs lead harsh and brutal lives, which drives them to Hatred. Actually, there's a PDF with the information about Orcs available as a free sample PDF from the Burning Wheel website, if anyone is interested in finding out more about the Orcs, or seeing a sample of what the Lifepaths look like.
The basic conflict resolution system uses six-sided dice, where the attribute or skill tells you how many dice you roll, and the obstacle set tells you how many successes you need to be, well, successful. If you happen to be in conflict with another character, then it becomes about who gets more successes on the relevant skill. And then there's the more complex conflicts... in what other roleplaying system is there anything resembling a Duel of Wits, where you use approximately the same moves as in a melee or other fight, and yet have such great moves as "Obfuscate" (for those interested in mimicking politics?) and Feint, where the only weapon is words? I haven't had a chance to see how the mechanics actually play out, having just been being by myself reading the books, but it could be a fun concept to explore at some point.