Actual Play – Journey to Kashkir (10/18/2011)

GM: Shaun “Sub 1” Hayworth
Players: Eric Smailys, Justin Diehl, Kristin Hayworth, and Sean Nittner
System: Burning Wheel
Setting: Burning Theorsa

I’m jumping into this actual play out in the middle of our campaign, so there is a little that needs to be established up front.

Theorsa is a medieval setting where an usurper king has taken control of the kingdom. Our characters have been sent by Duke Roderick to find the last remaining heir of the old line and bring him safely home.

Moya – The Duke’s hidden bastard child who works for him as a war wizard. She is conniving and manipulative but sees the duke’s goals as well as protecting her (unknowing) half-brother Baldric.

Sir Baldric – The Duke’s oldest son, sent to retrieve he heir. To protect his father’s involvement he killed another knight (Sir Catamere) and took his crest, he now masquerades as Sir Catamere (a loyal servant of the Userper king).

Sir Madoc the Blunt – A warrior who earned his fiefdom and title from his actions, not his blood, and certainly not his manor. Having successfully brought Baldric down a peg, he has now turned his attention to Moya, of which he has more carnal desires.

Eogan Ninian – By Argent, By Ferros, By Plomae. The Silver Star, The Iron Nail, and the Lead coin. By mind, By strength, By body. He’s a devout follower of the three gods, and suffers them insufferably (at least to the two knights who both share very divergent religious views).

The situation

Last session we had conscripted (though a lot of outright lies and shouting loud enough people didn’t think to question whether or not we had the authorities to give orders) one of the Userper Kings royal ships, alongside a seedy group of pirates. Probably unnecessary to say seedy, I mean, they were pirates. In the confusion, as the ship crew were running off, the pirates stabbed several of them to “clean up loose ends”. When we boarded a single passenger was found, Moya’s mentor in the sorcerous arts AND the one she stole her spell book from!

No more unnecessary violence!

The pirate captain was mad a Baldric because his “method” left people alive that could mean trouble for them later. Balric was furious at the pirate for killing the crew as they fled. It was no way to die, stabbed in the back. Moya also wanted some immediate lack of violence in the form of “Don’t throw my old mentor over the edge of the boat!” DoW ensued and Incite was the death of the captain. Feint for the win!

Below deck, there were discussions between Moya, her mentor and Madoc regarding his spell book and her lineage.

With a successful cooking roll Eogin fed the entire crew better food than they were used to and gained us the favor of the pirates.

In the captain’s quarters after a peace offering of good wine was made, we drank together and Baldric was able to recover some of the Userper King’s plans for the recovery of a mystic artifacts. Sadly, they were plans that has been rescinded and will send him on wild goose chase.

Arrival and the Wall of Ages

We arrived to see the great wall that stretched on past the horizon and encompassed the foreign land of Kashkir.

Thoughts on the game.

I was really low energy during this game. Partially because I was working on my Apocalypse Galactica game, partially because I was still tired after Big Bad Con and partially because starting at 7:00 is kind of a hard start time for me (kids aren’t in bed till 8:00 and my wife leaves for her L5R game just before 7:00). So yeah, I didn’t feel “all there” during the game.

I had some beliefs that seemed hard to touch on. Probably because I need to make them more specific. One was about getting Madoc to side with Baldric in defense of what was just. As it turns out, he sided with my character, but to aid Moya, and before Baldric had a chance to talk with him. It felt a little meh regarding the conflict I intended.

The other one, regarding Eogin’s faith has just got to go. The priest wants Baldric to worship “properly” and Baldric wants him to see that only one of the gods (Argent) is worth following. It’s an empty belief full of sophomoric pride and little else.

I dig our motley crew. We all have a good reason to be together and in side conversations have fun dynamics between us. Eogin is very much a man of the faith, and I think Baldrics next belief around him should be to get him to talk about something he cares about that has nothing to do with the gods. That could be fun.

I have got, GOT to get my character on paper. Playing off my character sheet on Obsidian Portal is costing me skill tests. I keep forgetting to put them in there! Besides, the character feels way more REAL when they are on a character sheet.

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