[Thou Art but a Warrior] The Fall of a Kingdom

[Anna Kreider]

Travis and Adam,

Thanks for the feedback. I didn't get to check back on this thread due to house hunting and computer problems, so I'm just reading this now.

I feel like Ben did a pretty good job of filling in for me, in that Ben said a lot of things I would have said. But I'll also add this:

What happens in the Discord Events isn't really all that important. What the Discord Events represent is a turning point. It's a way of compressing events that happened over the course of one hundred and fifty years into a few sessions of gaming. The collapse of Muslim Spain happened over centuries, but in order to really relate to the tragedy things have to be compressed. So each Discord Event represents a transition in the state of affairs: Muslim dominance > Parity of strength > Christian dominance > Eradication of the Taifa. These states are also tied to mechanical advantages and disadvantages.

So I'm not really sure how to implement more Events, because I'm not sure how to break down the collapse into more steps and still have them be meaningful and tragic transitions when they happen in play. Also, I'm not sure how I would go about further breaking down the progression of mechanical advantages and disadvantages.

Does that make sense?

Also, I don't know that having your game focus on more personal issues means that you're "playing it wrong". In that situation, the disconnect between bigger Discord Events and the more personal issues of the Knights is just showing that sometimes situations go to shit when you're not really paying attention to them, and all of a sudden you look around and realize everything's fallen down around your ears. That being said, your characters should still feel a sense of connection to the taifa. After all, each Knight has sworn an oath to protect his people - and one of the central themes of TABAW that I hope will come out in play is the tragedy of the destruction of such an advanced civilization by essentially uncivilized people.

Thank you, though, for your feedback. I'll definitely reflect on this. And if Travis does get time to respond more fully, I'd be interested in hearing his thoughts.
~Anna Kreider

[Travis Farber]

Scene 18(Faiz)

Taking the advise of his adviser Diego, Faiz agrees to raise taxes to fight off the Christian invaders.  When the people refuse he sends the military to collect by force if necessary.  Unfortunately, a famine hits the people shortly thereafter and the peasants start revolting.  Faiz sends his troops into Christian lands to get food for his people, but before they can return the Christians feed his people for him.  A revolt starts and when the military is forced to fight against there own families they begin to desert. 
There were 7 sins in this scene, 2 resulting in failures.  The discord became 15 and the Taifa of Zaragoza fell to the invading horde.

Scene 19 (Nasir)

During the battles for Zaragoza we start with Nasir being offered terms of surrencder from Rodrigo.  Instead he decides it is time for them to make a stand.  He is able to decimate the Christians, but his army is forced to retreat listening to the sounds of the peasants working their supply train being beaten, killed, and taken as spoils of war. 
3 sins, no fairlures

Scene 20 (Amit)

With Zaragoza under siege Rasheed comes to Amit and warns him.  Abdul tells Amit to leave him that they both cannot make it out alive.  Amit grabs his crippled son and hids him in a wheelbarrow as he races him out the city.  As he just exits the city a stray arrow from the Arabic forces lands in the wheelbarrow killing Abdul.  Amit bellows in anger, renouncing Allah chopping off his beard with his blade into battle.  Rasheed finds him in the fighting and tells him he is his bastard son.  He also tells him that he has failed him, his county, and Allah. 
4 sins (2 failures)
As Amit sees the capital burn he sees the face of satan in the flames and he knows Allah is no longer with them.

Scene 21 (Diego)

After the Emir left Zaragoza Diego tries to keep the men organized.  Rodrigo rides up to his house and makes demands of surrender.  Rodrigo refuses.  Diego runs away from his house and family as it is burned to the ground leaving nothing but screams to be heard. 
6 sins(3 failures)

This put us to 20 Discord and to Epilogues.

Faiz agreed to surrender to Christians in exchange for exile.  While on the boat to the island of his exile he is murdered by his own people.  He gives a prayer to Allah and asks for forgiveness for his many mistakes.

Nasir escapes into Granada, becoming the capt of the Guard until he is killed by the son of Whalid(fighting for the Christians)

Amit wanders through the hills and starts to have Christian visions.  He begs forgiveness of Asad but is cut down by the boy.

Diego escapes to Africa renouncing Allah.  He only has some servants and money, which never make him happy.

[Anna Kreider]

Travis: Awesome.