Steampunk Emotional Attributes

[Paka]

I've just finished Iron Council, the third book on China Mieville's Bas Lag books. Each book works well on its own but they are all clearly in the same world, with events and characters mentioned in each book.

Xenian's are non-humans who live in New Crobuzon, a place whose creation was clearly influenced by Charles Dickens and William S. Burroughs. On top of which, the author has talked about clearly being a geek and loving to flip through the Monster Manuals when he was a kid.

Neat stuff.

I've long thought that Burning Wheel would be THE game to run a Bas Lag influenced setting. But what is the setting about?

Its about Monsters and Marxist Class Struggle.

So, on to the emotional attributes:

Iron: This is the attribute that stands for going along with what your social class is supposed to do. The player and GM should decide the character's lot in life based on the lifepath choices.

After spending a Fate point this attribute can be added to any roll that goes along with the character's lot in life.

When you hit ten you begin your death kicker, during which you will die in some manner, keeping the status quo.

Fire: This is the attribute that stands for fighting against the regime, raging against the machine, etc.

After spending a Fate point this attribute can be added to any roll that aids in the character's class warfare.

When you hit ten, you begin your death kicker, during which you will die for the revolution. This can be as fast as being picked up by the militia and never being seen again or as dramatic as leading an assassination attempt against a corrupt public official.

Steam: This is the attribute that stands for rising above the class lines for some kind of higher purpose, be it love, a passion or scholarly pursuit or religion. This high purpose should be clearly defined in the character's Beliefs and Instincts.

After spending a Fate point the character can use this attribute to add the dice to any roll that aids their passion. Perhaps there will also be a Faith-like list of miracles and such.

Other tidbits I'd like to add:

I'd like to re-read the Monster Burner and make clear rules for making non-human citizens of the city.

I'd like militia dice for each character, particularly if they carry illegal weapons. Perhaps some dice to roll when they make Circles test. If their militia dice are higher than their Circles test dice, the militia will be paying a visit. Perhaps a bribe of a Fate point for one Circles test per game to mitigate the risk and encourage players to make a Circles test per game.

I have no idea when or if I'll ever get to play this thing, just an idea floating in a notebook for a while.

Thoughts appreciated.

[luke]

Very cool. Though, Fate points might make adding 2-6 dice per roll a bit cheap. Look over Serpent Sun and check out how we revised the Need and Despair stuff.

-L

[Paka]

Very cool. Though, Fate points might make adding 2-6 dice per roll a bit cheap. Look over Serpent Sun and check out how we revised the Need and Despair stuff.

-L

That was certainly one of the things I was planning on taking a look at.

Thanks.

[Kaare Berg]

Any five concepts for this setting yet, or Beliefs Instintcs like we kicked around earlier?

Not quite on the ball with you when about what the setting si about. But then I'm not a literary critic.

Like the emotional attributes.

Later

k

[Paka]

Beliefs and Instincts...hm, let me think on that.

Thanks.

Any five concepts for this setting yet, or Beliefs Instintcs like we kicked around earlier?

Not quite on the ball with you when about what the setting si about. But then I'm not a literary critic.

Like the emotional attributes.

Later

k

[Paka]

I am thinking that there would be a city burning series of questions very much inspired by Thor's world burner in Burning Sands.

Any five concepts for this setting yet, or Beliefs Instintcs like we kicked around earlier?

Not quite on the ball with you when about what the setting si about. But then I'm not a literary critic.

Like the emotional attributes.

Later

k[/quote]

I'm thinking about Meiville's work and coming up with lame and haughty ones. Here are some ideas:

Fantasy should always be a meaningful metaphor for reality but sometimes a cool monster does the trick.

The class struggle pervades every facet of the story but this doesn't mean it ain't a rollicking good adventure tale.

The city is a mix of everything in the world and as ugly as it is, your PC rather loves it.

[Robert Bohl]

This is interesting, but I think I'd like to see some variety in what the emotional attrs. can do. For example, with humans, Faith lets them cast magic but with Dwarves, they get super-skills. It seems Fire might have some good applications in social situations, rabble rousing, etc. Maybe it can act as an open-ended DoW skill.

[Paka]

It seems Fire might have some good applications in social situations, rabble rousing, etc. Maybe it can act as an open-ended DoW skill.

If you were speaking out againt The Man, Fire would certainly be able to help your roll. Surely.

I have to look over Under a Serpent Sun to get a better idea for how these things go up and how they can change from one to another.

[Paka]

I am thinking about an insect creature lifepath. Players can decide what the look and color of these creatures are. There are two lifepaths players take before easing into the city's lifepaths, born drone, born warrior, born queen, then exodus lifepaths to say how they got out.

That is how the really alien non-humans would be dealt with who weren't just pure Monster Burner material, a kind of oddity lifepath burner.

I picture a cog on the cover with the Burning wheel five spoked sigil in the middle.

I'm thinking about the cover and nothing's written yet and other projects are on the vine while grad. school rages... :roll:

I found my printed out copy of Under a Serpent Sun, so I'll read its Emotional Attributes and work on my class struggle emotional attributes.

[Paka]

These mechanics are very much inspired (read, ripped) from Under a Serpent Sun.

Iron: The emotional stat of the masses, the iron cogs in the machine. These are the hordes who work in the capitalist lord's factories, churning out product for their betters' profit.

A persona point can be spent to add this attribute to any craft skill or any roll that will enforce the status quo, like breaking a strike, fighting for your lord's royal factory fief or hunting down or even arguing against revolutionaries. Using Iron in this manner causes a difficult test.

Iron advances by seeing those with Fire take stat and skill tests. The ob of the stat and skill tests count against their Iron stat for advancement.

When this stat reaches 10 the player has two choices:

1) They can intiate their death kicker and die for their lord, with a grave in the factory fief's church of the cog.

2) They can attempt to drive their character to Fire or Steam. They must make an ob 10 test, sixes explode, without artha but help dice from any PC's can be added.

Should they make the test, if they are in the presence of player characters with either Steam or Fire they may either choose the stat to change into or ask a PC who has Fire and a PC who has Steam or argue their philosophies to see which stat they take up. They begin their new emotional attribute at 5.

Fire: These are the revolutionaries, fighting against the powers that be through the killing of lords, distribution of pamphlets or the setting up of meetings among the workers, urging them to form a union.

They can spend a Fate point to add dice to any conflict concerning their class struggle. A straight skill roll is a routine check. A Duel of Wits is a routine and Fight! or Range and Cover is a challenging check towards the Fire attribute.

When ten is reached the player has two choices:

1) They can begin a revolutionary act that is tantamount to suicide, something so bold and ludicrous that it will ring out among the workers, their blood a testament to the will of the common folk, during which, they will surely die (or at best, disappear into myth).

2) They can slouch into Iron, starting at five, realizing that the struggle is nothing, never able to take up Fire again.

3) They can attempt a 10 obstacle Fire test, sixes explode to take up a higher calling and gain Steam. This means that they have taken up some kind of calling that they see as higher than the revolution, be it god, devotion to a lover or child or to some manner of higher ideal or dream.

If they should succeed, they must change a Belief to reflect this dream. Should they fail, see choices 1 & 2.


Steam: These are the priests, the lovers, the dreamers. Those with ideals that they believe rise above the struggle between the lords and the workers, the low and the high, the rich and the poor. They must have a Belief regarding this ideal.

Steam may be used to gain dice with the spending of a fate point during any conflict that is directly driven by the ideal's Belief. This is a difficult trait test.

Steam may be used to re-roll traitors by each die counts as an ob for an advancement of their stat.

When Steam reaches 10 their ideals have put them into a terrible decision. The player and the GM should talk together, with the rest of the group to help out and figure out how their ideals will consume and destroy them.

The player should be encouraged to play their next character as someone who was inspired by this sacrifice or somehow effected by it in a profound manner.

[Robert Bohl]

I like what you've done here. Each one is now much more flavorful and cool.

[quixoteles]

For serious, A Bas Lag Supplement is golden. You should get in contact with China Mieville and ask him about some of the game for advice. The man is a RP friendly. He might even get really interested. I would really like to have a Bas Lag supplement for BW. I would even help if you let me.

[Paka]

If this ends up happening I would need someone to playtest what we've got.

But for now, this is fairly deep and low into my priority pile.

Thanks for the interest; I will PM you and post here if I come up with anything else for it.