TRoS scenario idea - comments and suggestions, please!

[Thanaeon]

Having recently come to possess this book called The Riddle of Steel, I'm kind of itching to use it, but I can't really stop running my Exalted campaign until it's finished. So I decided to run a one-shot game of it for the role-playing club of my university. I'm planning to have ready-made characters for the game, with possibly some room left in for customisation. I'd like to stress the key things in TRoS, preferably as many as possible.

The current story idea is as follows: the game will take place in either Cyrinthmeir or Angharad, and it will be based around a noble and his entourage after a magical artifact that can be used in different ways. This artifact is in the possession of another noble (or perhaps even king), and secretly, many or most of the entourage are secretly holding ideas of their own what to do with it. I'm thinking of a situation where the characters have to both work together and keep an eye on each other. I haven't yet decided if I'll have one of the PC's play the noble leading the expedition, or if I'll have them all work under him.

First of, do you have any suggestions what the artifact might be? I want something that could have both "good" and "evil" uses. (perhaps some item that gives power over waters, can be used for irrigation or flooding) Naturally, I'd also like the artifact to be as TRoS-like as possible in its tone. So a wand of fireballs is not "really" the way to go... A weather-controlling device might also be a good alternative.

Also, for the group archetypes, I'm thinking of at least the following:
-The noble, who just wants it for himself
-The knight, who wants to either get it for himself or give it over to someone else for glory
-The spy, who wants it for himself, but mainly if he can get away with it
-A Fey disguised as someone else in the noble's household, who wants it destroyed
-The idealist, who wants it used for the benefit of all

The SA's, I imagine, should really be flaring up for everyone nearing the final scenes, if all goes right. However, do you have comments on the character types available? Do you see someone being liable to break the party to early, or what kind of characters would you add to it? Naturally, it's better to have too many concepts initially and then start to select from them.

For extra complications, perhaps some other factions are after the very same artifact. I'm also thinking that the one currently in possession shouldn't know what exactly it is, just value it as an unusual treasure, since it would add to the intrigue.

What kind of suggestions and comments would you have this one-shot idea? What am I missing that's an important aspect of TRoS? (I know the artifact idea in itself isn't very TRoS, and if something else can be thought of that could serve a similiar purpose in gameplay, I'd welcome any suggestions.) I'm asking only because I'd like to give as good an impression as possible of the game and to really highlight the best features of it, the SA's and the combat system. (That's why I decided to run the question here, rather than doing it without outside input and ideas.)

Thank you for any answers, and sorry to trouble you!

[Valamir]

What kind of suggestions and comments would you have this one-shot idea? What am I missing that's an important aspect of TRoS? (I know the artifact idea in itself isn't very TRoS, and if something else can be thought of that could serve a similiar purpose in gameplay, I'd welcome any suggestions.) I'm asking only because I'd like to give as good an impression as possible of the game and to really highlight the best features of it, the SA's and the combat system. (That's why I decided to run the question here, rather than doing it without outside input and ideas.)

Well, the artifact is really just the McGuffin to get all of the characters in motion.  

I'm left thinking of the diamond studs from The Three Musketeers that had the same effect.  These were an item that two different sides both wanted to possess (one for the nefarious purpose of gaining political leverage) while a third side currently had them and which side he favored wasn't initially obvious.

So all of the same sort of elements I think your looking for without any need to make it some artifact of power

[Loki]

A twist on the MacGuffin might be to make it a person.

Suddenly the motivation "capture the artifact for your own purposes" has a whole new feeling. So does "protect the artifact" and "don't let it fall into the wrong hands, destroying it if necessary".

Are you willing to enslave another person? Kill another person if your enemies will use him/her for nefarious ends? Take a child from its mother, even if that child may grow into a dangerous person?

[Judd]

I'd suggest handing out the pre-mades and a paragraph write-up of the game's concept.  Give the players the PC's without SA's, allow them to make 'em up, so they actually mean something to them.

Then have all of the players make up their SA's together, deciding who they are and what their relationship to this struggle over the item is.

The character concepts are keen, good stuff.

SA's shouldn't be popping up just at the end.  Of course, hopefully, they are all firing by then but they should be firing throughout the game, pops here and there.  They are your guide to where the players want the game to go, where the handles on the characters are.  When things slow down, look at the list of SA's (oh, make a list of the players' SA's for your own quick reference) and pick one to utilize, maybe even look them all over and think of a scene or two with each one and how to insert it if things slow down a bit.

Have fun.

[kenjib]

If the item is something that people want to use for their own various ends, then why not have it empower SA's?  The artifact can be a legendary item used throughout history for various purposes.  A powerful conquerer used it to subjugate his enemies.  A famous prophet used it to prognosticate.  A righteous outlaw knight used it to become a chivalrous and noble hero, deposing a wicked king.  A humble monk (now canonized as a saint-like figure) used it to lift people from poverty and feed the starving.  A thief of legend used it to pull off the greatest heist in history.  So on...  These legends can creep out in the game one by one, leaving the players wondering what in the world this item does exactly since it's application has been so ambiguous throughout history.

In actuality the item simply magnifies the effect of your Spiritual Attributes.  So, for example, maybe it gives an extra 50% to bonus dice you get for activating spiritual attributes (i.e. if you have an SA at 4 that triggers, you get 6 dice instead of 4).  For a truly historically epic item, make it double the number of dice.  That would be a seriously powerful item that powerful people would die trying to obtain.

Raw power - what to do with it?

[Thanaeon]

Well, the artifact is really just the McGuffin to get all of the characters in motion.

Indeed, and never intended to be anything else. It's not the center of the story; the struggle to obtain it is.

A twist on the MacGuffin might be to make it a person.

Suddenly the motivation "capture the artifact for your own purposes" has a whole new feeling. So does "protect the artifact" and "don't let it fall into the wrong hands, destroying it if necessary".

Are you willing to enslave another person? Kill another person if your enemies will use him/her for nefarious ends? Take a child from its mother, even if that child may grow into a dangerous person?

I really liked this idea; let's see if I can make it possible, someone who knows something really important. A person being the MacGuffin is more interesting than the old, tired, artifact cliche. I'll have to think about this one.

'd suggest handing out the pre-mades and a paragraph write-up of the game's concept. Give the players the PC's without SA's, allow them to make 'em up, so they actually mean something to them.

Then have all of the players make up their SA's together, deciding who they are and what their relationship to this struggle over the item is.

Thanks, I think I will write this. As for the SA's... Making them up at the table might take a bit too much time for people not used to the idea. Maybe I'd let each of them decide on one additional one and assign four to each character in advance. One other reason I'd like to have the SA's done beforehand is to promote a bit of struggle. (And surprise, since the characters shouldn't be too aware of each others' motivations.)

SA's shouldn't be popping up just at the end. Of course, hopefully, they are all firing by then but they should be firing throughout the game, pops here and there. They are your guide to where the players want the game to go, where the handles on the characters are. When things slow down, look at the list of SA's (oh, make a list of the players' SA's for your own quick reference) and pick one to utilize, maybe even look them all over and think of a scene or two with each one and how to insert it if things slow down a bit.

Naturally they'd be used all along the way, I just meant that in the end they should be really flaring up all across the board. As for things slowing down, with luck the scenario idea should be one that wouldn't let this happen as the players would be busy scheming for ways to get a hold of MacGuffin.

If the item is something that people want to use for their own various ends, then why not have it empower SA's? The artifact can be a legendary item used throughout history for various purposes. A powerful conquerer used it to subjugate his enemies. A famous prophet used it to prognosticate. A righteous outlaw knight used it to become a chivalrous and noble hero, deposing a wicked king. A humble monk (now canonized as a saint-like figure) used it to lift people from poverty and feed the starving. A thief of legend used it to pull off the greatest heist in history. So on... These legends can creep out in the game one by one, leaving the players wondering what in the world this item does exactly since it's application has been so ambiguous throughout history.

Like the person idea, this idea also rules. Maybe even more, since it really focuses on SA's, which are at the core of what TRoS is about. However, I'm a bit conflicted about the legendary status of the item; I'm not sure "legendary artifacts" are very TRoSian in their feel, and I also had the idea that it's current possessor wouldn't realise what it was. Rather, I was thinking the characters' SA's should focus on things they want to do/have, and see the MacGuffin as a means to that end, rather than an end in itself. So if I make it into an artifact (and after that idea, I think I might still go by that), I'd have it be a bit more obscure and less well-known. Though I guess in Angharad a more famous artifact wouldn't be as mood-breaking. I'll think about this.

In actuality the item simply magnifies the effect of your Spiritual Attributes. So, for example, maybe it gives an extra 50% to bonus dice you get for activating spiritual attributes (i.e. if you have an SA at 4 that triggers, you get 6 dice instead of 4). For a truly historically epic item, make it double the number of dice. That would be a seriously powerful item that powerful people would die trying to obtain.

Raw power - what to do with it?

Again, very TRoSian... Maybe it'd also increase the emotional extremes it's possessor would go through. So if it was an amulet, it's owner would be known for his or her extreme mood swings. Indeed, a very good idea.


Thank you all for the ideas, and if you think of anything else, keep 'em coming! With any luck, there should be a good game coming up.

[Loki]

This is a little bit nuts, but reading the person-as-MacGuffin and SA-boosting-MacGuffin quotes in a row got me thinking.

What if the artifact is a person, and that person has the ability to harness tons of raw power. The trick is convincing (or manipulating) him/her to release it.

For instance, there's this artifact, let's call it the Holy Pail*. There are lots of legends and stories about it, and not all of them add up to a bucket with a halo.

It turns out to be an ancient typo: the artifact is Holy "Gail", the female descendant of some supernatural bloodline. If bad guys get her, they'll torture and twist her into a hateful creature and point her in the direction of their enemies. If good guys get her, they'll teach her to be an enlightened being that will spread warm fuzzies throughout the world. There might even be a Greenpeace faction that just wants her to be left alone: they maintain that all creatures have the potential for such power, and she's a natural step in our evolution to some prophecized step towards grace. She should be allowed to live her life free of interference, anonymously, perhaps as a simple peasant.

The in-game effect of her power is that if you can convince her to pick up your SAs, she can add her dice to yours. And she's got a lot of dice. She's like a little kid who doesn't know better. If someone she trusts convinces her to help him, she'll do it. Likewise if she's been abused, her fear of punishment might make her channel her energy as directed.

The scary part is that when she grows up, she'll be able to do this on her own. Neither faction wants that to happen (maybe just the 'natural' faction).

* Super corny, I know. And yeah I just read the Da Vinci Code. Sue me. But don't waste your time reading it, it's crap.

edit: you'd have to handle this gently or risk losing the low-magic feel of TROS, I think. I'd make her effect subtle and mystical, unless something really dramatic happens. And when the MacGuffin grows up, her effect would probably be that people who associated with her would tend to pick up her SAs.

[kenjib]

Like the person idea, this idea also rules. Maybe even more, since it really focuses on SA's, which are at the core of what TRoS is about. However, I'm a bit conflicted about the legendary status of the item; I'm not sure "legendary artifacts" are very TRoSian in their feel, and I also had the idea that it's current possessor wouldn't realise what it was. Rather, I was thinking the characters' SA's should focus on things they want to do/have, and see the MacGuffin as a means to that end, rather than an end in itself. So if I make it into an artifact (and after that idea, I think I might still go by that), I'd have it be a bit more obscure and less well-known. Though I guess in Angharad a more famous artifact wouldn't be as mood-breaking. I'll think about this.

That's a good point.  I was actually thinking of something more like an occult secret rather than a item of legend that everyone knows about.  It would be kind of like finding out now that Gandhi, Winston Churchill, Ghengis Khan, and Charlemagne all had possession of a specific piece of Jesus' real burial shroud (the Shroud of Turin being a smokescreen).  Maybe a few shadowy people know the secret, but it is very well kept and really hard for most people to believe.  I think something like that would fit okay with Weyrth.

I like Loki's artifact=bloodline idea too.  Again comparing to Earth history you could have people like Rasputin, etc. throughout history all part of the chain.  Some of them might have been aware of their ability and used it to manipulate others, while some other people might have never known - as per the role of the muse to a famous artist.

[Jake Norwood]

This is a little bit nuts, but reading the person-as-MacGuffin and SA-boosting-MacGuffin quotes in a row got me thinking.

What if the artifact is a person, and that person has the ability to harness tons of raw power. The trick is convincing (or manipulating) him/her to release it.

For instance, there's this artifact, let's call it the Holy Pail*. There are lots of legends and stories about it, and not all of them add up to a bucket with a halo.

It turns out to be an ancient typo: the artifact is Holy "Gail", the female descendant of some supernatural bloodline. If bad guys get her, they'll torture and twist her into a hateful creature and point her in the direction of their enemies. If good guys get her, they'll teach her to be an enlightened being that will spread warm fuzzies throughout the world. There might even be a Greenpeace faction that just wants her to be left alone: they maintain that all creatures have the potential for such power, and she's a natural step in our evolution to some prophecized step towards grace. She should be allowed to live her life free of interference, anonymously, perhaps as a simple peasant.

The in-game effect of her power is that if you can convince her to pick up your SAs, she can add her dice to yours. And she's got a lot of dice. She's like a little kid who doesn't know better. If someone she trusts convinces her to help him, she'll do it. Likewise if she's been abused, her fear of punishment might make her channel her energy as directed.

The scary part is that when she grows up, she'll be able to do this on her own. Neither faction wants that to happen (maybe just the 'natural' faction).

Hmm...must work this into present campaign...

edit: you'd have to handle this gently or risk losing the low-magic feel of TROS, I think. I'd make her effect subtle and mystical, unless something really dramatic happens. And when the MacGuffin grows up, her effect would probably be that people who associated with her would tend to pick up her SAs.

Part of the reason TROS is low-magic is so that something like this is epic and not run-of-the-mill. So go for it.

Jake

[Thanaeon]

What if the artifact is a person, and that person has the ability to harness tons of raw power. The trick is convincing (or manipulating) him/her to release it.

An interesting idea. Something, though, keeps me from getting too excited about the idea - don't know what, exactly. I think I'll run the game where MacGuffin is an SA-boosting item, most likely an amulet. And I think I'll also add the emotion-strengthening effect to it. I like the idea of its possessor being known for his erratic and very strong emotions. If I succeed in playing them right, they might be downright creepy.

edit: you'd have to handle this gently or risk losing the low-magic feel of TROS, I think. I'd make her effect subtle and mystical, unless something really dramatic happens. And when the MacGuffin grows up, her effect would probably be that people who associated with her would tend to pick up her SAs.

The subtleness is exactly why SA-boosting would be the way to go, in my opinion. As for the growing up - Well, since it's going to be a one-shot, I honestly do not see it being much of an issue...

[Spartan]

An interesting idea. Something, though, keeps me from getting too excited about the idea - don't know what, exactly.

Well, to each his own, but there is a lot of potential there.  Suppose one of the PCs falls in love with the person.  Suppose then the person picks up the PC's SA Passion: "Love for Artifact Chicky-poo" and starts to love herself with those doubled SAs, resulting in her going beserkly selfish with all that arcane power trapped inside... could be interesting.  And bloody weird. ;)

-Mark

[Thanaeon]

Oh, I agree there is potential there. It just somehow doesn't strike me, and I find that crucial in running a good game.

As for falling in love... Not likely to happen in a one-shot.

[Gary_Bingham]

Here are a few ideas I threw together. I haven't rationalise the idea yet I thought I would just throw them out and see what you guys thought about them.

The Crown of Xanar
This item of antiquity is said to have belong to Xanar himself, and certainly its age substantiates this claim if nothing else does. Since the early crusades it was the treasured pocession of the Samarius Noble house, and during the time in which the crown was in the hands of the Samarius family they certainly prospered and their holdings, wealth and standing grew. Stories sprouted that the crown was magical and granted it's wearer great power. The King of Cyrinthmeir became jealous of the power the the Samarius family were gathering and coveted the crown that was the heirloom of that family. The Royal House and the House of Samarius began to clash both politically and financially. Finally the King demanded that Lord Samarius present him with the Crown as a token of loyalty and the Lord refused plunging the country into a bitter civil war. The result of the war left the crown in the hands of the King and the House of Samarius shattered. The Crown was invested as the Crown of Cyrinthmeir.

1. Contary to the view that the Crown was the boon of the House of Samarius, actually the family had made huge financial and political gains from participating in the crusades in Taveruun. The Samarius family made a number of financially astute decision with the wealth and their circumstances grew favourably. None of this can be directly traced to the supposed power of the Crown. The surviving family members of the House of Samarius desperately want the crown back.

2. House Ganimit has reason to want the crown. The truth is that they actually possess the true crown. Stolen and replaced with a replica many years ago. The Marquis Bardimay, a lawyer and cousin of the Ganimit family, has recently discovered evidence of the theft in the Ganimit family records. Bardimay is blackmailing Lord Ganimit by threaten to tell the King of the truth about the crown.

3. The Church of the Three wants the crown as a holy relic of Xanar. They have made a number of requests for the crown over the years but these have been politely resfused by the King on each occasion. Bishop Hackbarth of Barameir is a ambitous cleric who sees the crown as a politicaly tool for his advancement within the church. He has financed a secret expedition to fetch the crown for the church.

4. The Order of St. Barameir wants the crown also. They know the magical truth about the crown. The crown does indeed magnify the power of the wearer, but the crown is a two edged sword because it also magnifies the desires of other to possess it. They fear that the crown will plunge the kingdom of Cyrinthmeir into a devastating civil war which will leave it open to the aggressive force of Gelure who will pounce on any Cyrinthmeirian weakness.

[Thanaeon]

Oh, that is very good stuff, and a very interesting base for a campaign.

Unfortunately, I've kind of settled on the idea of having the game set in Angharad, and the artifact is an SA-enhancing amulet that does increase the strength of the wearer's emotions. It was made by the Siehe, originally as a curse for a certain noble who cut away too much forest. They Fey reasoned that the amulet would drive him into madness and be his downfall. It was, but there was a side-effect they didn't expect; his strenghtened emotions gave him increased performance, until finally he went too far, got too ambitious, and he and his whole house was utterly crushed, with the exception of one child who escaped, with one thing to remind him of his family; the amulet, though he was not aware of its powers. He lived his life as a poor man, and an outlaw, but a surprisingly succesful one. And he continued his line, each father passing along the amulet to his firstborn son, or sometimes daughter, if no sons were given birth. Eventually, one of his ancestors gained knighthood for valiant service, and several generations later, the latest man of the bloodline is once again a powerful king in Angharad, but completely unaware of the amulet as anything other than a family heirloom.

The noble whose entourage the players will be playing is an art collector, collecting paintings of great men of old, and has noticed one amulet on several of them, as have a few of his closest advisors. He and the current possessor of the amulet, however, are not on good terms, so he has decided to go to him under a masquerade of peace talks. He hopes to gain the amulet for himself. So, unfortunately, do many of his advisors. The countdown for the struggle has begun.

Gary_Bingham, I really liked your whole idea, and I would have used it, but I had settled on Angharad as the location of the scenario and I think that your idea couldn't be done justice in a one-shot.

[kenjib]

Let us know how it goes after you run it.