Burning Wheel: Elf vs. Orc

[Judd]

So, it is the weekly Burning Wheel group.  Excuse me while I kvell a bit.

We took time off to playtest Luke's Sooper Seekrit Project but found out that one of our players, Kolja, might not be returning from his summer trip to Germany.  So, in a flurry of e-mails and phone calls we decided to put the playtest aside and with Luke's blessing got back to The Vault, our epic fantasy tale of a city built over Hell.

We finished a game and decided that our next session would take place five years later, after Hell had spit forth into the world and laid waste.  We played through in the Five Years Later timeline until all of the players were at the last Elven stronghold left.  Orcs were surrounding the joint and they were planning their last desperate move against the armies of Hell. 

During our last session, before the playtest break, there were rumors of an orc attack in the night.

And then, a few months later, we're all sitting there and the players are looking at me and I have no fucking idea what to do.

None.

Finals had been rough and I came to the game without much of a thought as to where it would go.  None of the players, to my memory, had particularly invested in the guarding of the walls, so I said that Orcs were in the walls, some had sneaked over.

Then I had an orc attack something on each of their Beliefs.  They each got to take down an orc and Aaron's fight came last.

Aaron's bad-ass sword-wielding elf had killed (almost) every damned opponent I'd put on the table in ONE HIT. Son of a bitch.

The Dwarven Traitor to the Troll Warlord...one hit.

Fuck that.

His brother, mentioned prominently among his Beliefs, the Raven King of the North, was being choked, hung from the rafters by a whip that was held by He Who Rules by Whip, Sword and Spell, the biggest, baddest Orc in the campaign, an NPC listed in the back of the Burning Wheel book, burned by Master Burner Dro.  He Who Rules is a Tolkien-inspired nightmare..

The Herald of the Dawn is, as Aaron put it, the elf he always wanted to play.  He is haughty, cold, and wields his sword with a terrible, terrible skill.  I was terrified.  Aaron's elf is a bad-ass and Aaron is a veteran wargamer.  He outscripts me left and right.  When we played Riddle of Steel he beat the shit out of every bad-ass I threw at him.

Scene framing - check

Pushing those flags - check

Challenging my players strategically -eh, never been my strong point but dammit, its important.

In the scripting for the four previous orc attacks, I had gained some understanding of a strategy.  I finally felt that Fight! was sinking in.  Honestly, I should have gotten together with some buddies and just scripted gladiator style for an afternoon months ago.

They fenced for a little while, circled, parried, let their armor do a little work for them and then, at the same moment they went for the Great Strike, the most brutal hit possible in the Burning Wheel system. When Aaron saw my script and I saw his we high-fived, knowing full well that it might mean death for his beloved character.

Great Strike allows the player to either add to the power of the hit or add to the hits ability to penetrate armor. They both went for the armor penetration.

And they both got it.

Aaron got lucky, he was just maimed, sword stuck through his chest.

He Who Rules was not so lucky, his sword arm was chopped off and the blow continued on through his chest, stuck in his sternum.

Aaron's elf, The Herald of the Dawn, collaposed in his brother's arms and his brother called for a healer. It took him four months to recover from his wounds, one iota short of death.

When Aaron's bad-ass elf, The Herald of the Dawn, took down He Who Rules with Whip, Sword and Spell, I realized right then that I need never see an elf fight an orc at my gaming table again. It will never be cooler than that for me.

I'm satisfied.

Also, we were all watching each other's fights, helping out with the scripting and keeping track of distances.  There is a really great group vibe that is splendid.

What I really liked about the fights I had in this session is that there weren't any bells and whistles. It was just mechanics driven play.

I attacked the PC's Beliefs with big ugly orcs, clean and simple. I didn't have to make the PC's fight on upright logs or set the house on fire or fill a room up with water. I just had orcs attack their beliefs. Bam! BW's Fight! mechanics did the rest for me.

After the fights it was the hunt for the orc the Dwarf let get away and then we let months get by fast forward style as the Herald healed, the orcs outside the gates falling on one another now that their leader was dead.

Now I feel like I've got Fight! down as much as I have Duel of Wits. Next up (though not this campaign) is Range & Cover. This is prompting me to cultivate the Troll Hunt mini-scenario after school chills out.

It is also gratifying to be coming to closure on this game.  We all know that there are only a few games left and the stakes are high.

[Ron Edwards]

I totally need to know the specific Beliefs that were being attacked, per player-character.

I would also like to know what the Great Big Orc "wanted," in this scenario. Anything? And if so, was it something that a person at the table might easily sympathize with?

Best, Ron

[Judd]

He Who Rules wanted to get out of there with the Raven King, so that the Lord of Fury, Famine and Fire could turn him against his brother.  Their relationship is pretty rocky, turning the king against his brother probably wouldn't be too difficult for a full on fallen angel leader of hell's armies.

They each had their missions, though and at this point in the campaign, all of the PC's are worth targeting.

Dwarf's Belief that I attacked:

I will preserve the wonders of the races

I had an orc taking a dwarven tapestry, given to the elves when they first built the citadel in the mountains as a gift.  The dwarf snagged the tapestry and get the hell out of there and the second half of the adventure became hunting down the orc and finding out who was harboring him.

The Knight's Beliefs:

I am my brother's last hope.

I will not be tainted by the sword.

A knight's duty is first to his people, then to his lord.

I had the orc bow before him and offer a message from his brother, who had turned evil in the first part of the campaign.  Kolja elected to have the knight attack the orc before he ever heard the message.

The Lord of Humanity's Belief:

My children's lives will not be so dark as mine.

I had an orc attack his pregnant warrior wife.  They had a discussion afterwards about how she was fighting not just for herself and how being pregnant changed combat for her.

The Herald of the Dawn's Belief:

I love my brother, not the king.

[Storn]

Paka, that sounded like so much fun.

If I ever make it back to Ithaca to visit my folks... ya gotta run me a game!

I have a question, the orc who had the message, but never got it off... did you reveal that he had a message after the fact?  In a way, you sorta did that here (I dunno if your players skim this posts of yours).

[Judd]

I have a question, the orc who had the message, but never got it off... did you reveal that he had a message after the fact?  In a way, you sorta did that here (I dunno if your players skim this posts of yours).

I never did reveal the message.

Honestly, I don't remember what it was or would have been.  I'm pretty certain I had an idea but damned if I can remember.

[agony]

I have a question, the orc who had the message, but never got it off... did you reveal that he had a message after the fact?  In a way, you sorta did that here (I dunno if your players skim this posts of yours).

I never did reveal the message.

Honestly, I don't remember what it was or would have been.  I'm pretty certain I had an idea but damned if I can remember.

I think Storn was not asking if the message itself was revealed, but if the fact that the Orc had a message from the character's brother was revealed.  Reason I am entering this conversation is I am also curious.  I assume you did, as it makes the consequences of the Knight's actions quite visible to the player. 

[Judd]

I think Storn was not asking if the message itself was revealed, but if the fact that the Orc had a message from the character's brother was revealed.  Reason I am entering this conversation is I am also curious.  I assume you did, as it makes the consequences of the Knight's actions quite visible to the player. 

I didn't make it apparent and won't address it directly until next game, when the knight should confront his brother for the first time.

[agony]

I think Storn was not asking if the message itself was revealed, but if the fact that the Orc had a message from the character's brother was revealed.  Reason I am entering this conversation is I am also curious.  I assume you did, as it makes the consequences of the Knight's actions quite visible to the player. 

I didn't make it apparent and won't address it directly until next game, when the knight should confront his brother for the first time.

Oh, very nice.  Would like to see the sting on the player's face.

[taepoong]

That sounded like a great time! I am jealous!

It's so easy to GM when the players have good BITs, no?

[Judd]

It's so easy to GM when the players have good BITs, no?

I generally go in with one or two bangs and the players lead me the rest of the way.

It is as easy as dancing with really funky-ass music plays, y'know when a great Prince or James Brown song comes on and everybody starts shakin' their ass, they just can't help it.

And if I need mid-game inspiration, I just look at their character sheets.