The Blackwood Campaign Setting | Folklore. Action. Dice. | PEACH

[Eldest]

I was reading the OSR blogs looking for a little gumption to use today and tonight, and came across a post about a guy's sandbox campaign, West Marches. I'd read it before, but this time through I noticed an important sentence:



How important! The Blackwood is technically my third campaign setting. One I started in college and came *this close* to finishing. The other I started around the same time as the Blackwood and dropped pretty quickly (it was clear where my interests lay).

Long story short, I think I'll find the gumption for the work I have left by running a campaign. I definitely want to run an in-person with some local friends, but I think I'd like to tackle another PbP. Any takers?

What do you think? I'll ask my boyfriend as well, he's been looking for a game, though I don't think he knows what WRM is (assuming you're still of the mind that's the best system for it.)

[Zap Dynamic]

What do you think?

That is precisely what I thought.

(assuming you're still of the mind that's the best system for it.)

Yeah. The "setting-neutral" nature of the Blackwood is more of a "you can convert it if you want to" mentality at this point. It's funny, I used to spend days happily planning out 20-level progressions for Pathfinder characters, but I've tried to make 3-4 over the past year, and I just can't stand all the crunch! Give me enough mechanics to get my ideas off the ground and no more!

[Eldest]

That is why I don't go for stuff like that. If the max level of most people and the intended max level of the setting is around 8 or 10, just means that that's less than half the complexity that you need and a reasonable power level.

Also, asked BF, he found another game, but it might not go through. So gonna ask him again if that one fails, but no promises. Also, not asking my brother again, since that went so badly last time. <.<

[Zap Dynamic]

No worries about your boyfriend. I've got a friend from college who'd like to play, and I can always post a notice in the recruiting thread.

In the meantime, I'm working on making a wiki for the setting! Behold, The Blackwood at Obsidian Portal.

At the moment, there's only enough stuff on the wiki to get an idea of the different cultures (wood vs. river vs. pagan etc), and whereabouts they can be found in the Blackwood. I'll be adding monsters from the Bestiary, equipment, spells, etc. as we go.

[Zap Dynamic]

Double post! Be sure to check above for a link to the Blackwood's new wiki.

I just had this thought and wanted to sketch it out. I've been drawing similarities between the Sentinels and the Classicists. They're the warrior and mage factions that originated in the Elder Kingdom, so they're seen as the highest aspiration for good warriors and mages.

The Classicists have five orders (Summer, Tales, Courts, Iron, and Leaves). Why don't the Sentinels have orders of their own? Sentinels are the knights of this setting and are masters of falchion and buckler. However, a European knight in the middle ages was a master of many weapons, and I like the idea of Sentinels with weapons other than falchion/buckler (that would be the iconic image more than the strict rule). With no more ado...

Sentinel Weapon Styles
The tales describe Sentinels as golden-mailed heroes wielding falchion and buckler to the betterment of the Blackwood. These two weapons form the core of a Sentinel's training, but these warriors pride themselves on diverse martial skills. Few indeed are content to master just one weapon.

The styles described below are each epitomized by one weapon, but there are drills for every weapon in each style.

Dragon The sword requires balance. For two-handed swords especially, attack and defense must be accomplished in the same stroke. Whose armor is harder than a dragon's, and whose claws--save only the Firecat's--are sharper? The Sentinels consider the falchion the epitome of the sword for its use as a tool as well as a weapon.

Stag There is no greater defense than a sturdy shield. Every blade turned or bludgeon stopped is another breath drawn under the Blackwood's boughs. Whose person is more unassailable, whose shield more deft than the Stag with its crown? The Sentinels consider the buckler the epitome of the shield for the great skill required to wield it.

Goat Positioning and defense are critical elements of mace combat. It is the lumbering weapon of the strategist, who bides her time yet stands her ground. What ground is beyond the reach of the nimble goat, and whose defense is steadier? Sentinels pass these techniques along to city guardsmen whenever possible.

King Pheasant The spear requires mobility. Spearfighters keep opponents at a distance, ready to move and feint at a moment's notice. Whose flight is more agile and elusive than the King Pheasant? This is the most erudite of the weapon styles, and masters are sad to possess great spiritual power.

Wasp The only weapon nimbler or more natural than a dagger is the empty hand. When combat goes to the earth, the smallest movement could deliver or avoid doom. What creature more vexing than the wasp, and whose bit more bitter? Some wasp masters even apply sedative poison to their weapons, but many consider this unchivalrous.

Firecat The onslaught of an axe fells trees and splits shields. Slower in the striking, but fiercer and more devastating too, masters are irresistible attackers. Whose fury more inevitable, and whose claws more terrible than the Firecat? Sentinels have passed along some of these techniques to woodsman and hunters.

[Eldest]

Double post! Be sure to check above for a link to the Blackwood's new wiki.

I just had this thought and wanted to sketch it out. I've been drawing similarities between the Sentinels and the Classicists. They're the warrior and mage factions that originated in the Elder Kingdom, so they're seen as the highest aspiration for good warriors and mages.

The Classicists have five orders (Summer, Tales, Courts, Iron, and Leaves). Why don't the Sentinels have orders of their own? Sentinels are the knights of this setting and are masters of falchion and buckler. However, a European knight in the middle ages was a master of many weapons, and I like the idea of Sentinels with weapons other than falchion/buckler (that would be the iconic image more than the strict rule). With no more ado...

Sentinel Weapon Styles
The tales describe Sentinels as golden-mailed heroes wielding falchion and buckler to the betterment of the Blackwood. These two weapons form the core of a Sentinel's training, but these warriors pride themselves on diverse martial skills. Few indeed are content to master just one weapon.

The styles described below are each epitomized by one weapon, but there are drills for every weapon in each style.

Dragon The sword requires balance. For two-handed swords especially, attack and defense must be accomplished in the same stroke. Whose armor is harder than a dragon's, and whose claws--save only the Firecat's--are sharper? The Sentinels consider the falchion the epitome of the sword for its use as a tool as well as a weapon.

Stag There is no greater defense than a sturdy shield. Every blade turned or bludgeon stopped is another breath drawn under the Blackwood's boughs. Whose person is more unassailable, whose shield more deft than the Stag with its crown? The Sentinels consider the buckler the epitome of the shield for the great skill required to wield it.

Goat Positioning and defense are critical elements of mace combat. It is the lumbering weapon of the strategist, who bides her time yet stands her ground. What ground is beyond the reach of the nimble goat, and whose defense is steadier? Sentinels pass these techniques along to city guardsmen whenever possible.

King Pheasant The spear requires mobility. Spearfighters keep opponents at a distance, ready to move and feint at a moment's notice. Whose flight is more agile and elusive than the King Pheasant? This is the most erudite of the weapon styles, and masters are sad to possess great spiritual power.

Wasp The only weapon nimbler or more natural than a dagger is the empty hand. When combat goes to the earth, the smallest movement could deliver or avoid doom. What creature more vexing than the wasp, and whose bit more bitter? Some wasp masters even apply sedative poison to their weapons, but many consider this unchivalrous.

Firecat The onslaught of an axe fells trees and splits shields. Slower in the striking, but fiercer and more devastating too, masters are irresistible attackers. Whose fury more inevitable, and whose claws more terrible than the Firecat? Sentinels have passed along some of these techniques to woodsman and hunters.

Pair of nitpicks: you may wish to make it clear what *exactly* Wasp style uses, and I'd shy away from defining the civilized as the "good" side.

[Zap Dynamic]

Pair of nitpicks: you may wish to make it clear what *exactly* Wasp style uses...

I'm hesitant to do that only because I'd rather make it clear that each style uses each weapon, but they tend to have one weapon they use best. In the case of wasp style, their "strike like a butterfly, sting like a bee" mentality could be applied to any of the weapons, but the "Master Drill" (as I think I'll start calling it) would be daggers and unarmed--there are master drills for each, and masters are expected to know both.

and I'd shy away from defining the civilized as the "good" side.

Good point, thanks!

[Eldest]

I'm hesitant to do that only because I'd rather make it clear that each style uses each weapon, but they tend to have one weapon they use best. In the case of wasp style, their "strike like a butterfly, sting like a bee" mentality could be applied to any of the weapons, but the "Master Drill" (as I think I'll start calling it) would be daggers and unarmed--there are master drills for each, and masters are expected to know both.

Then certainly make that clearer, cuz I was thinking of this meaning groups of people within the organization used solely these styles.

[Zap Dynamic]

So I got my map printed in anticipation for this face-to-face game... too cool! I can't believe how huge it is.

[Eldest]

So I got my map printed in anticipation for this face-to-face game... too cool! I can't believe how huge it is.

Nice. Do say how the face to face game goes.

[Zap Dynamic]

I will definitely! What kinda character are you thinking about playing in this game? I think my buddy just got registered last night, and he's planning to play a hunter who uses axe & shield at close range.

Getting this in order before I post it in the proper thread...

System: Warrior, Rogue, & Mage "WyRM" (it's sleek and free!)
Player Count: We've already got 2 players, and we're looking for 2-3 more.
Style of Play: OSR-inspired sandbox/hex crawl with dungeons and 5 discoverable mini quests. Planning to focus on whatever the players prefer, but with frequent puzzles and traps. Gameplay will be lethal, so I'm giving every player a backup character slot (it's OK to generate that character if/when the time comes... please don't do it now).
Allowed Content:

• The Blackwood Campaign Setting (Wiki)
• Any Warrior, Rogue, & Mage material (but no guns)
• I will consider any ideas a player suggests.

Character Creation:

• Backstory: 1-3 potent paragraphs are welcome, but much more is unnecessary.
  1. What does your character look like?
  2. What does your character want?
  3. What does your character do to get it?
  4. What scares your character?
  5. Why does your character stick with the party?
• Experience: Characters will start at the equivalent of "level 2" with one advancement. After standard character generation, pick any 1 additional skill, talent, spell (2nd circle or below) or weapon style.
• Wealth: 600 sp
• Ability Scores: 11 points, distribute as per WyRM standard rules.
• Hitpoints/Health: Max at 1st level. You may roll or take the average for your advancement.
• Alignment: Not really relevant to this system. Characters may be good or evil, but I would prefer everyone to be the same.
  

Other Notes: Initially looking to play for a single adventure. Will happily consider a longer campaign if the players like what's going on.

[Eldest]

I'd probably be giving the magic rules a stress-test. Somebody young and ambitious, this time, though. Probably not *evil* but morality is less important to him that survival and learning. Alternately I could use Ben again, that was a fun character in spite of the relatively low-key things we did.

[Zap Dynamic]

Sounds awesome! Let we know when you've got a character created so I can take a look.

[Eldest]

How many talents do we get to start with?

[Zap Dynamic]

Definitely one, and maybe on extra if you choose it for your bonus advancement (you could also choose a spell, skill, or weapon style).

[Zap Dynamic]

Spent some time this afternoon updating the Blackwood wiki. I fleshed out most of the magic section, but I still need to put spells on there. That involves a lot of tables (and thus a lot of tedium), so I'm going to save that for tomorrow. Posting weapon style info is a major priority, followed by skills & talents, then gear & treasure. The bestiary section may not be filled out (no spoilers! ), and the characters section is for your characters once we've created them.

Now that I think of it, I want to change that up a little. Instead of "Characters," I think it'd be better as "Campaigns." I'll link that to a section with adventure logs and links to individual characters.

[Eldest]

Ok, Mauve's sheet is done, now to figure out the story.

And by that I mean later cuz I want to play League of Legends instead.

[Zap Dynamic]

Ok, Mauve's sheet is done, now to figure out the story.

And by that I mean later cuz I want to play League of Legends instead.

Looks good! Do you think she'd aspire to being a Classicist, or is magical mastery in general more important than any specific path?

Also, is that a wish list of spells? You should only be starting with 1-2.

[Eldest]

Looks good! Do you think she'd aspire to being a Classicist, or is magical mastery in general more important than any specific path?

Also, is that a wish list of spells? You should only be starting with 1-2.

Book said 25 for a 1st circle spell, 50 for a second, and 75 for a third. Poured most of my gold into it.

[Tsa'Bakr]

So, this is what I have so far for Jan son of Jan:

http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetvie...sheetid=792813

First time posting, so not sure if my linking will work...

[Zap Dynamic]

Book said 25 for a 1st circle spell, 50 for a second, and 75 for a third. Poured most of my gold into it.

Gotcha! Spells will be difficult to come across in gameplay (there may be 1-2 in any given settlement), but you can pick as many as you'd like at character creation. I'm excited to see how many works too!

Behold: Mauve Blackbriar, currently nondescript mage

So, this is what I have so far for Jan son of Jan:

http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetvie...sheetid=792813

First time posting, so not sure if my linking will work...

Looks good, and welcome Tsa'Bakr!

Behold: Jan son of Jan, lively woodsman

Tsa'Bakr and Eldest: Let me know if you see anything that needs correcting!

I'm waiting to hear back from a friend about interest in playing, but in the mean time I'm going to go ahead and post in the recruiting thread. Hopefully we can get started next weekend!

[Eldest]

Re: Classicalist vs. general, I think she's more preoccupied with power arcana to mind such petty distinctions. I'll need to figure out why she's fairly amoral, but that'll be later. (I'm saying this while she is pretty much the equivalent of CN. It's just my CN is very, very fluid with what they are willing to do)

[Zap Dynamic]

Hey! So Eldest and Tsa'bakr know too, I'm going to make this the OOC thread for the game. I'm commandeering my own thread. MADNESS!

First up... check it!

Will O'Freeport

Ulrich Draconis

Welcome new (and old) players! We will most likely get started a week from now, so we've got until then to clean up any character bits and for me to generate your starting conditions. You'll each be getting a few rumors to follow up on, but other than that this story is whatever you decide to tell. Do whatever you can all agree to do together, and I'll roll with any and all punches.

Wait, so do I need to change my skills and masteries or not? I is confuzzled

I took a look, and I don't believe you need to. You have your three skills and one talent from character creation and then several spells, which could have been earned during your second advancement or purchased. Just let me know if you still have questions!

I don't think that's gonna be balanced, Zap...

I can see where you're coming from. How about we get rid of the "basic" mastery distinction? Characters can naturally use any weapon, having that weapon's skill gives you a small bonus, and Weapon Mastery increases that bonus. Thoughts?

Also, I don't see any rules for "starting spells"--standard WR&M rules are that you buy beginning spells at character creation just like other equipment, which is what I was going by.

You may choose one spell at character creation, then you may buy more for the prices listed under Equipment.

Tsa'Bakr
To clue you in, we're updating the rules for Weapon Mastery. You may have to adjust your character a little bit, so I just wanted to give you a heads up.

[Amaril]

Okay, so I guess we're here now. Hey guys

[Eldest]

Hiya. Zap, you didn't actually link the recruitment thread from here, silly goose.

JustPlayItLoud! I was just thinking about you! Thanks for the kind words. Of course you're welcome to play! I told Eldest he could play his old character, so you can bring back O'Bannon if you'd like. Or not! Whatever's clever.

Well, you actually didn't say one way or another. But...

I was thinking about it. I kind of like the idea of making something new though. Maybe keep O'Bannon as a back up in the event that I get murderizified.

Old Ben will similarly be on backup-character duty.

Regarding the characters, I would prefer to start with another person or having known them at least fairly well, since as mentioned Mauve is a bit loose with the morality and I'd rather have a friendly bond tying her to the group and not just have her be a slide into a gray and then black magic. Could be fun having her be friends with the knight.

Few notes, Zap, her Eagle Slice I'm going to say is her shifting one of her hands into a claw and physically attacking with it (same stats and all, though) and if Ben comes back into play, he's gonna need a new talent, since I took his cat and put her on Mauve instead. Makes more sense for the witch to have a familiar.

[JustPlayItLoud]

I would likewise change up O'Bannon in the event of his coming into play. After the last game started I had some regrets about the way I'd built him.

So how much collaboration do you want us to put into how our characters have come together before we start?

[Zap Dynamic]

Hiya. Zap, you didn't actually link the recruitment thread from here, silly goose.

I am the silliest of gooses.

Old Ben will similarly be on backup-character duty.

Sounds good! Sorry I didn't mention it... lots going on at the moment, lots to slip through the cracks. Whoops!

Regarding the characters, I would prefer to start with another person or having known them at least fairly well, since as mentioned Mauve is a bit loose with the morality and I'd rather have a friendly bond tying her to the group and not just have her be a slide into a gray and then black magic. Could be fun having her be friends with the knight.

Few notes, Zap, her Eagle Slice I'm going to say is her shifting one of her hands into a claw and physically attacking with it (same stats and all, though) and if Ben comes back into play, he's gonna need a new talent, since I took his cat and put her on Mauve instead. Makes more sense for the witch to have a familiar.

That's fine with me, but you could always tweak Mauve instead of changing characters, if you'd prefer. As long as everyone has a good reason to stick together, I don't think it's a problem to have a little conflicting morality. Could make for fun storytelling!

I would likewise change up O'Bannon in the event of his coming into play. After the last game started I had some regrets about the way I'd built him.

Word. Sounds good!

So how much collaboration do you want us to put into how our characters have come together before we start?

You don't necessarily need to do any planning beforehand, but one of my big rules is that the party has a reason to stick together. I feel like every live game I've played has had at least one party meltdown because somebody decided it would be fun to play a character that's super aloof and hates everyone else. Always a bummer when gameplay stops so players can have an argument.

You guys could know each other from childhood, some/all of you could be related somehow, or you could be total strangers. As long as all the characters are willing to get along.

[JustPlayItLoud]

You guys could know each other from childhood, some/all of you could be related somehow, or you could be total strangers. As long as all the characters are willing to get along.

I'm fine with either. Though now wandering Blackwood, Ulrich's family estate is somewhere west of Three Rivers. That's all I've got for now, but it's conceivable he could at least know anyone that has grown up on that area.

As far as a reason to stay together, I've always thought that's part of the social contract in tabletops. Significant party splits should only serve to heighten drama and be agreed upon by all parties. Nobody likes the guy that tells the rest of the party to go pound sand because he's going that-a-way.

[Zap Dynamic]

As far as a reason to stay together, I've always thought that's part of the social contract in tabletops. Significant party splits should only serve to heighten drama and be agreed upon by all parties. Nobody likes the guy that tells the rest of the party to go pound sand because he's going that-a-way.

Exactly! If we're all on the same page then I don't see a need to do any "how do we know each other ahead of time" stuff, but of course you're welcome to do it if you'd like.

I'll have some time today to do a little random generation for everyone, so expect a PM sometime this weekend with rumors you've heard and a little info about our starting location.

[Eldest]

That's fine with me, but you could always tweak Mauve instead of changing characters, if you'd prefer. As long as everyone has a good reason to stick together, I don't think it's a problem to have a little conflicting morality. Could make for fun storytelling!

No, I think you misunderstand, I want to start with Mauve, who knows one of the other player's characters and so has a reason and somebody to (try to) act as a moral guide. I suggested the knight for interesting RP, but it could be anybody.