TFOB: Designing Schools

[Jake Norwood]

So I'm working on designing some specific masters and the schools they represent. The Current project is converting what little we know of actual historical masters into a few key examples, and coming up with stats and info that is appropriate and as accurate as possible (which isn't much).

What I'm really doing here is putting out a request list for what you'd like to see (or not see) in a selection of fighting schools and their masters--both who and what.

Jake

[Tywin Lannister]

I'm not sure I understand the question, but I guess that Asian guy who wrote The Art of War should be included?

Or a character based on Syrio Forel from A Game of Thrones.

[Salamander]

So I'm working on designing some specific masters and the schools they represent. The Current project is converting what little we know of actual historical masters into a few key examples, and coming up with stats and info that is appropriate and as accurate as possible (which isn't much).

What I'm really doing here is putting out a request list for what you'd like to see (or not see) in a selection of fighting schools and their masters--both who and what.

Jake

JAKE!!! BUDDY!!!
That would so cool! Are you going to refer to the original Masters, or use made up names?

If you're going to use real masters I wanna see *opens up letter to Santa*
Lichtenauer, Tallhoffer, Doebringer, Meyer, Ringeck, Ott...Dei Libeiri...

Grappling, longsword, flail, sword and buckler, daggers rondel, pgniard, stiletto, cut & thrust, side sword...

Man. My head is gonna explode... =)

[Overdrive]

It has always struck me interesting how many ways of dealing with the opponent TROS has. I don't think I'd like to see new school-specific maneuvers or reduced costs or anything, but more like what kind of tactics each school tends to use. "The Burkhalter school in Stahl stresses the importance of not letting the enemy attack", or "The rapier master Duffy never attacks unless his enemy makes a mistake and leaves an opening." You could include examples of such good tactics and when they are useful.

[BirdMan]

We'd kind of have to include the author of the Book of Five Rings in any publication of this kind, wouldn't we?

[GreatWolf]

Sun Tzu (The Art of War) is not known for founding a fighting school (to my knowledge) and, while Musashi Miyamoto is a fascinating character, I'm thinking that Jake is probably wanting to focus on Occidental schools.

I may, of course, be wrong.  :-)

(If so, by all means I'd like to see Nitto Tenchin Ryu, as well as Nakamura batto-do and Toyama ryu.  LOL)

Seth Ben-Ezra
Great Wolf

[Valamir]

What I would look for:

Schools replace Proficiencies.  I vies Proficiencies as a generic, "learned from a master whose name isn't famous enough for anyone to know", "learned it while drilling with the regiment" schools.

By contrast "learned it from Master Rudolph world renown master of the cut and thrust who's manual is read and employed by would be teachers across Wyerth" is something else.

I wouldn't have schools be an "extra" tacked on to the Proficiency.  I'd have it completely instead of the Proficiency.

I'd have special extras as part of the school (that no mere Profieciency has) that reflect the ideals and beliefs of the master beyond simply moves and techniques.

For instance, a master who believes in the decisiveness of an aggressive attack might get a bonus whenever he uses more than 1/2 his dice in an attack on the first exchange, but only 1 die instead of two when employing the Defensive Stance.

A master who believe that everything stems from waiting for an opponent to committ and then reacting or preempting might have the Counter move at a lower activation cost, but might pay an activation cost for making a big attack not based on a Counter.

Obviously mix and match these to something that actually makes sense, but that's the angle I'd go from.

[Durgil]

I hate to sound like a "me too," but I really like what Ralph wrote.  I would also like to see some suggested guidelines for GM's who run their campaigns in worlds other than Wyerth.

[Camillus]

Well given the name of the book Fiore dei Liberi, author of the other Flower of Battle has to be included.

[Mike Holmes]

Given that OBAM was a supplement for Wyerth, why wouldn't TFOB be any different. By that, I'm saying that it would surprise me if any real world schools were mentioned. I would assume, instead, that we'd get the Wyerth schools. No?

Mike

[Salamander]

Well given the name of the book Fiore dei Liberi, author of the other Flower of Battle has to be included.

Yeah. I picked that one up the first time I saw the title. "Flos Duelatorium" means The Flower of Battle and is the tittle of Die Libieri's work... for those who didn't know...

[Jake Norwood]

Given that OBAM was a supplement for Wyerth, why wouldn't TFOB be any different. By that, I'm saying that it would surprise me if any real world schools were mentioned. I would assume, instead, that we'd get the Wyerth schools. No?

Mike

Well, sort of. I'm going to include the real-world guys because, frankly, history is better than anything I'm going to come up with here. Each one will include a "The weyrth version of this guy is like this," but TFOB is going to be much larger than Weyrth.

Schools replace Proficiencies. I vies Proficiencies as a generic, "learned from a master whose name isn't famous enough for anyone to know", "learned it while drilling with the regiment" schools.

I couldn't agree more on this one. That's exactly where I think I'm going with it.

while Musashi Miyamoto is a fascinating character, I'm thinking that Jake is probably wanting to focus on Occidental schools.

I hadn't thought of Musashi, but I think I will include him. I've read most of what there is on him, so it should be fun. It also gives me an excuse to include a wee little preview of the Japan book that I'm drooling over doing eventually. I would like to have a few other asian masters (like 2), and then close it off. Like Seth said, TROS does focus on the west.

It has always struck me interesting how many ways of dealing with the opponent TROS has. I don't think I'd like to see new school-specific maneuvers or reduced costs or anything, but more like what kind of tactics each school tends to use. "The Burkhalter school in Stahl stresses the importance of not letting the enemy attack", or "The rapier master Duffy never attacks unless his enemy makes a mistake and leaves an opening." You could include examples of such good tactics and when they are useful.

There will be a small selection of new maneuvers. In addition, though, there will be discussion on how a certain school fights, and how to apply that in-game.

Keep 'em coming.

Jake

[Lance D. Allen]

I'm riffing off of Ralph's suggestion here.

To get a "school" you have to choose it as a skillset. Each "school" will act as a skillset replacing the generic "swordsman" skillset from the main book, and will give access to (though you'll still have to spend the proficiency points as normal) the proficiency side of the house.

I mean, an actual school teaches more than just the actual weapon-work, right? I know that I'm learning more than just throws and holds in Aikido, such as ki-breathing, one-point, and various other things which are outside of, but vital to, the actual techniques.

[Ashton]

So I'm working on designing some specific masters and the schools they represent. The Current project is converting what little we know of actual historical masters into a few key examples, and coming up with stats and info that is appropriate and as accurate as possible (which isn't much).

What I'm really doing here is putting out a request list for what you'd like to see (or not see) in a selection of fighting schools and their masters--both who and what.

Jake

Capo Ferro and Agrippa as competing rapier schools
George Silver (all about the saber, and a nice counterpoint to normal rapier)
Talhoffer
and I'm blanking on the German wrestling fectbuch that Talhoffer borrowed heavily from (i.e. stole wholeheartedly).
Does that help any?

[jeffd]

Here's a good place for some art - just some diagrams about what aggressive / defensive type stances would look like in each school.  Doesn't have to be fancy - hell they can be sketches.  

Differentiating the schools by bonus would be interesting.

Background on the actual school in-game.  What kind of fierce rivalries exist between practitioners of different schools?  Tell us about some legendary duels that have been fought between schools.  That sort of thing.

JD