Humans, Orcs, Dwarves and Elves in one adventure

[Paka]

Has anyone had parties with all of the Burning Wheel's standard stock PC lifepathed folk all in one adventure?

Thoughts on making it work?

[Paka]

The Elf, the Dwarf, the Orc and the Human are getting together for an adventure.

The Elf has his grief.

The Dwarf has his greed.

The Orc has his hatred.

The Human has his faith.

What has brought them together?

[luke]

Just drop the Tolkienisms and I don't see why not. Make them all "races/species" in the land with the standard political/geographical/ethnic/national loves and hates. Not ancient and foresworn adversaries/allies, just people wrapped up in their various emotions.

-L

[Viper]

Well, pick a Macguffin- a magic sword, ring, whatever. Something that each of them wants, for their own reasons. Assume that it's a tolkeinesque world, where dwarves, elves and humans are at least friendly, and orcs are the hated enemy. Let's say it's the sword of the first elvish king, who defeated the dark lord in the last age, but died on the field of the last battle. The dark lord's servants fled with the sword into the caves below the dark lord's fortress.

The elf was at that battle, and grieves for the soul of the king, which wanders the home of the elves, restless and in agony. The elf wants to bring the sword to the king's tomb, and lay his spirit to rest. It is he who is the impetus for the quest, the one that recruits the others.

The dwarf is along because the sword is still presumably underground, and his experience will be needed. The tales of its workmanship have fired something inside him, however, and it remains to be seen as to whether he will be able to give it up when the time comes.

The human is recruited for the strength of his sword-arm and the purity of his spirit, two things they will need deperately in the dark lands. The sword itself is the symbol of his order, and an old prophecy states that a champion will retrieve it from the heart of darkness, and use it to bring justice and peace to the entire world. He would not presume to be that champion... or would he?

The orc is an outcast among his own people. Driven out of the dark lands, cursed as a traitor. he found no solace in the lands of men, being beaten and attacked by all until at last landing in the dungeons of the human's order. He is to be executed tomorrow... but the trio needs a guide through the dark lands, someone who knows the hidden ways and secret paths, and here is such an orc. He will aid them to save his own skin, but if he can lay hands on the sword before the rest of them, then he would have the power to show them all... and once he dispatches these three weaklings, its on to his former kinsmen, and then the world!

Just an idea. The key is to find something bigger than all of them that explains why 4 people of such disparate backgrounds would come together for a quest. Or you could just make orcs less of a universal adversary, and just another face in the crowd, as abzu suggested.

Edit: To make it more interesting, why not flip the traditional orc/troll relationship? The trolls are the big bosses, pushing the puny little orcs around... part of the orcs' motivation is to get the sword, and lead his people in a revolt against them. Also, the prophecy says justice and peace for ALL... does that include the orcs? If it does, might it mean that the orc, not the human, is the one destined to wield it? How would the human deal with that?

[mike_ravenwood]

I should make the Trolls rise up and throw off the yolk of Orc oppression in my game. I can't seem to burn one without giving them the Savant trait, and having them show up with book in hand. All they are ever trying to do is find a quite place to read but they always seem to run into some PC out to save the world...