Childhood in the Empire
Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2020 2:53 am
One of the ideas I’ve got on the backburner is for a game set in your average Imperial (or Bretonnian) peasant villlage. In this case, it’d probably be a fishing village on the Sea of Claws.
I’d probably have the PCs start as children in the village, and have months or even years pass between game sessions as they become adolescents, young adults and finally village elders. Successive adventures could reveal some of their community’s hidden secrets, whether those are mundane (e.g. perhaps their fishing village actually survives through smuggling or by wrecking passing ships) or more mystical (ancient pacts with dark powers and the like). I’d also be inclined to present “the way the things are” in the village, and give the players the chance to decide whether they want to make the same choices as their ancestors or shake things up.
I’ve taken a quick stab at rules for child and adolescent characters here. As the game would focus on a small and tight-knot community I’ll probably mock up some rules for characters’ families next, with an initial focus on their reputations, how well off they are, their internal dynamics and how those sorts of things might change in play. I also like the idea that each character’s family might be facing some sort of crisis or difficulty each adventure.
Comments and suggestions very welcome.
Child (Human):
WS 2d10 +10
BS 2d10 +10
S 2d10 +10
T 2d10 +10
Initiative 2d10 +20
Agility 2d10 +20
Dexterity 2d10 +20
Intelligence 2d10 +10
WP 2d10 +10
Fellowship 2d10 +20
Fate / Resilience 0
Wounds (2 x TB) + WPB
Movement 4
Talents: Cruel World, Small, 1 random Talent (replacing Linguistics with Sprinter, Noble Blood with Growing Up Fast and Read/Write with Beneath Notice)
Cruel World (Talent): You are an ordinary man or woman of the Empire, with no special fate or destiny to protect you. You will never have Fate Points or Resilience Points, and can never choose to take Corruption Points to re-roll failed Tests. The only way you will ever have Fortune or Resolve Points is if you are fortunate enough to roll the Lucky or Strong-Minded Talents.
Growing Up Fast (Talent): You do not start with the Small Talent, and are instead Size (Average). If you survive to adolescence, trade this in for your choice of the Very Strong and Very Resilient Talents.
Species Skills:
Choose 3 of the following skills to gain 3 advances in, and 3 of the following skills to gain 2 advances in.
Animal Care, Charm, Climb, Dodge, Drive, Intuition, Lore (Local), Perception, Row, Stealth, Swim.
Starting Equipment (roll 1d10) at the start of each adventure:
1. A knife
2. 1d10 pennies
3. A bag of sweets
4. An empty sack
5. A crust of bread
6. A few sticks of chalk
7. A pair of dice
8. A doll
9. A match
10. A coil of rope
Do not carry forward equipment from previous adventures unless the GM tells you otherwise.
At the start of each adventure, roll 1d20 to see what your character’s been up to that morning:
1. I harvested gull’s eggs from the cliffs: Gain 2 Advances in the Climb skill. Begin play with a clutch of eggs.
2. I scared the crows from my family’s crops: Gain 2 Advances in the Ranged (Sling) Skill. Begin play with a sling and a handful of stones.
3. I toiled in the fields: Gain 2 Advances in the Endurance Skill. Begin play with a hoe or scythe (counts as an improvised weapon) and a crust of bread and cheese, as a reward for your labours.
4. My grandad told me old stories: Gain 2 Advances in the Lore (Local) Skill. Begin play with no special equipment.
5. I hid to avoid a beating: Gain 2 Advances in the Stealth Skill. Begin play with no special equipment.
6. I got into a fight: Gain 2 Advances in the Melee (Brawl) Skill. Begin play with torn clothing or a split lip (your choice)
7. My dad took me fishing on his boat: Gain 2 Advances in the Row Skill. Begin play with a fishing rod, and a bucket of fish.
8. I played football: Gain 2 Advances in the Athletics Skill. Begin play with a ball of rags.
9. I started a rumour about one of the other villagers: Gain 2 Advances in the Gossip Skill. Begin play with no special equipment.
10. My grandma taught me to gather herbs and a little about the old ways: Gain 2 Advances in the Trade (Herbalist) Skill. Begin play with a trowel, and strict instructions not to tell anyone what you’ve learned.
11. I played games of make believe with the other children: Gain 2 Advances in the Entertain (Storytelling) Skill. Begin play with a stick that you’re pretending is a sword or some other implement.
12. I took care of my family’s animals: Gain 2 Advances in the Animal Care Skill. Begin play with either a pail or a shovel (counts as an improvised weapon in combat).
13. I went foraging in the woods: Gain 2 Advances in the Outdoor Survival Skill. Begin play with a basket of berries or mushrooms.
14. I checked the snares for rabbits: Gain 2 Advances in the Set Trap Skill. Begin play with a small snare and a dead rabbit.
15. I went swimming: Gain 2 Advances in the Swim Skill. Begin play with no special equipment.
16. I split logs for firewood: Gain 2 Advances in the Endurance Skill. Begin play with a small axe (counts as an improvised weapon in combat)
17. I played with my new puppy: Gain 2 Advances in the Charm Animal Skill. Begin play with a small dog that sometimes does as it’s told.
18. I stole my dad’s pipe to practice smoking: Gain 2 Advances in the Sleight of Hand Skill. Begin play with a pipe and tobacco.
19. I stood up to a bully: Gain 2 Advances in the Cool Skill. Begin play with the threat that you’re “dead” the next time they catch you.
20. I bullied another child and stole their lunch: Gain 2 Advances in the Intimidation Skill. Begin play with a stolen lunch.
Adolescence:
1. Add 5 points to each of the following characteristics: WS, BS, S, T, Intelligence and WP.
2. Remove the Small Talent, and roll for another random Talent (replacing Linguistics with Sprinter, Noble Blood with Strong Swimmer and Read/Write with Sea Legs)
3. Gain the Doomed Talent.
4. Choose 3 of the following skills to gain 3 advances in, and 3 of the following skills to gain 2 advances in: Animal Care, Art (Weaving), Charm, Drive, Endurance, Gossip, Intimidate, Lore (Local), Row, Sail, Swim, Trade (Carpenter)
Starting equipment: <I’ll work this out later.>
At the start of each adventure, roll 1d20 to see what your character’s been up to that morning:
1. I helped build a new boat: Gain 2 Advances in the Trade (Carpenter) Skill. Begin play with either a saw or a small hammer and a handful of nails.
2. I obsessed over whether my crush is interested in me: Gain 2 Advances in the Intuition Skill. Begin play with a lot of confused feelings.
3. I toiled in the fields: Gain 2 Advances in the Endurance Skill. Begin play with a hoe or scythe (counts as an improvised weapon) and a crust of bread and cheese, as a reward for your labours.
4. I flirted with my boyfriend/girlfriend: Gain 2 Advances in the Charm Skill. Begin play with a small gift.
5. I hid to avoid a beating: Gain 2 Advances in the Stealth Skill. Begin play with no special equipment.
6. I got into a fight: Gain 2 Advances in the Melee (Brawl) Skill. Begin play with torn clothing or a black eye (your choice)
7. My dad took me fishing on his boat: Gain 2 Advances in the Row Skill. Begin play with a fishing rod, and a bucket of fish.
8. I played football: Gain 2 Advances in the Athletics Skill. Begin play with a ball of rags.
9. I started a rumour about one of the other villagers: Gain 2 Advances in the Gossip Skill. Begin play with no special equipment.
10. I went to archery practice: Gain 2 Advances in the Ranged (Bow) Skill. Begin play with a bow and 2d3 arrows.
11. I took care of my family’s animals: Gain 2 Advances in the Animal Care Skill. Begin play with a pail or shovel (counts as an improvised weapon in combat).
12. I stole a jar of moonshine: Gain 2 Advances in the Sleight of Hand Skill. Begin play with a jar of moonshine.
13. I set snares for rabbits: Gain 2 Advances in the Set Trap Skill. Begin play with a couple of small snares and a few dead rabbits.
14. I went swimming: Gain 2 Advances in the Swim Skill. Begin play with no special equipment.
15. I split logs for firewood: Gain 2 Advances in the Melee (Basic) Skill. Begin play with an axe (counts as a hand weapon in combat)
16. I played with my dog: Gain 2 Advances in the Charm Animal Skill. Begin play with a dog that’s reasonably well trained.
17. I tracked a wounded deer through the woods: Gain 2 Advances in the Track skill. Begin play with a spear.
18. I stood up to a bully: Gain 2 Advances in the Cool Skill. Begin play with the threat that you’re “dead” the next time they catch you.
19. I knitted some gloves for the winter: Gain 2 Advances in the Art (Weaving) Skill. Begin play with either a pair of gloves, or a ball of yarn and a pair of needles.
20. I took the family goods to market in the cart: Gain 2 Advances in the Drive Skill. Begin play with 2d6 pennies as your reward.
I’d probably have the PCs start as children in the village, and have months or even years pass between game sessions as they become adolescents, young adults and finally village elders. Successive adventures could reveal some of their community’s hidden secrets, whether those are mundane (e.g. perhaps their fishing village actually survives through smuggling or by wrecking passing ships) or more mystical (ancient pacts with dark powers and the like). I’d also be inclined to present “the way the things are” in the village, and give the players the chance to decide whether they want to make the same choices as their ancestors or shake things up.
I’ve taken a quick stab at rules for child and adolescent characters here. As the game would focus on a small and tight-knot community I’ll probably mock up some rules for characters’ families next, with an initial focus on their reputations, how well off they are, their internal dynamics and how those sorts of things might change in play. I also like the idea that each character’s family might be facing some sort of crisis or difficulty each adventure.
Comments and suggestions very welcome.
Child (Human):
WS 2d10 +10
BS 2d10 +10
S 2d10 +10
T 2d10 +10
Initiative 2d10 +20
Agility 2d10 +20
Dexterity 2d10 +20
Intelligence 2d10 +10
WP 2d10 +10
Fellowship 2d10 +20
Fate / Resilience 0
Wounds (2 x TB) + WPB
Movement 4
Talents: Cruel World, Small, 1 random Talent (replacing Linguistics with Sprinter, Noble Blood with Growing Up Fast and Read/Write with Beneath Notice)
Cruel World (Talent): You are an ordinary man or woman of the Empire, with no special fate or destiny to protect you. You will never have Fate Points or Resilience Points, and can never choose to take Corruption Points to re-roll failed Tests. The only way you will ever have Fortune or Resolve Points is if you are fortunate enough to roll the Lucky or Strong-Minded Talents.
Growing Up Fast (Talent): You do not start with the Small Talent, and are instead Size (Average). If you survive to adolescence, trade this in for your choice of the Very Strong and Very Resilient Talents.
Species Skills:
Choose 3 of the following skills to gain 3 advances in, and 3 of the following skills to gain 2 advances in.
Animal Care, Charm, Climb, Dodge, Drive, Intuition, Lore (Local), Perception, Row, Stealth, Swim.
Starting Equipment (roll 1d10) at the start of each adventure:
1. A knife
2. 1d10 pennies
3. A bag of sweets
4. An empty sack
5. A crust of bread
6. A few sticks of chalk
7. A pair of dice
8. A doll
9. A match
10. A coil of rope
Do not carry forward equipment from previous adventures unless the GM tells you otherwise.
At the start of each adventure, roll 1d20 to see what your character’s been up to that morning:
1. I harvested gull’s eggs from the cliffs: Gain 2 Advances in the Climb skill. Begin play with a clutch of eggs.
2. I scared the crows from my family’s crops: Gain 2 Advances in the Ranged (Sling) Skill. Begin play with a sling and a handful of stones.
3. I toiled in the fields: Gain 2 Advances in the Endurance Skill. Begin play with a hoe or scythe (counts as an improvised weapon) and a crust of bread and cheese, as a reward for your labours.
4. My grandad told me old stories: Gain 2 Advances in the Lore (Local) Skill. Begin play with no special equipment.
5. I hid to avoid a beating: Gain 2 Advances in the Stealth Skill. Begin play with no special equipment.
6. I got into a fight: Gain 2 Advances in the Melee (Brawl) Skill. Begin play with torn clothing or a split lip (your choice)
7. My dad took me fishing on his boat: Gain 2 Advances in the Row Skill. Begin play with a fishing rod, and a bucket of fish.
8. I played football: Gain 2 Advances in the Athletics Skill. Begin play with a ball of rags.
9. I started a rumour about one of the other villagers: Gain 2 Advances in the Gossip Skill. Begin play with no special equipment.
10. My grandma taught me to gather herbs and a little about the old ways: Gain 2 Advances in the Trade (Herbalist) Skill. Begin play with a trowel, and strict instructions not to tell anyone what you’ve learned.
11. I played games of make believe with the other children: Gain 2 Advances in the Entertain (Storytelling) Skill. Begin play with a stick that you’re pretending is a sword or some other implement.
12. I took care of my family’s animals: Gain 2 Advances in the Animal Care Skill. Begin play with either a pail or a shovel (counts as an improvised weapon in combat).
13. I went foraging in the woods: Gain 2 Advances in the Outdoor Survival Skill. Begin play with a basket of berries or mushrooms.
14. I checked the snares for rabbits: Gain 2 Advances in the Set Trap Skill. Begin play with a small snare and a dead rabbit.
15. I went swimming: Gain 2 Advances in the Swim Skill. Begin play with no special equipment.
16. I split logs for firewood: Gain 2 Advances in the Endurance Skill. Begin play with a small axe (counts as an improvised weapon in combat)
17. I played with my new puppy: Gain 2 Advances in the Charm Animal Skill. Begin play with a small dog that sometimes does as it’s told.
18. I stole my dad’s pipe to practice smoking: Gain 2 Advances in the Sleight of Hand Skill. Begin play with a pipe and tobacco.
19. I stood up to a bully: Gain 2 Advances in the Cool Skill. Begin play with the threat that you’re “dead” the next time they catch you.
20. I bullied another child and stole their lunch: Gain 2 Advances in the Intimidation Skill. Begin play with a stolen lunch.
Adolescence:
1. Add 5 points to each of the following characteristics: WS, BS, S, T, Intelligence and WP.
2. Remove the Small Talent, and roll for another random Talent (replacing Linguistics with Sprinter, Noble Blood with Strong Swimmer and Read/Write with Sea Legs)
3. Gain the Doomed Talent.
4. Choose 3 of the following skills to gain 3 advances in, and 3 of the following skills to gain 2 advances in: Animal Care, Art (Weaving), Charm, Drive, Endurance, Gossip, Intimidate, Lore (Local), Row, Sail, Swim, Trade (Carpenter)
Starting equipment: <I’ll work this out later.>
At the start of each adventure, roll 1d20 to see what your character’s been up to that morning:
1. I helped build a new boat: Gain 2 Advances in the Trade (Carpenter) Skill. Begin play with either a saw or a small hammer and a handful of nails.
2. I obsessed over whether my crush is interested in me: Gain 2 Advances in the Intuition Skill. Begin play with a lot of confused feelings.
3. I toiled in the fields: Gain 2 Advances in the Endurance Skill. Begin play with a hoe or scythe (counts as an improvised weapon) and a crust of bread and cheese, as a reward for your labours.
4. I flirted with my boyfriend/girlfriend: Gain 2 Advances in the Charm Skill. Begin play with a small gift.
5. I hid to avoid a beating: Gain 2 Advances in the Stealth Skill. Begin play with no special equipment.
6. I got into a fight: Gain 2 Advances in the Melee (Brawl) Skill. Begin play with torn clothing or a black eye (your choice)
7. My dad took me fishing on his boat: Gain 2 Advances in the Row Skill. Begin play with a fishing rod, and a bucket of fish.
8. I played football: Gain 2 Advances in the Athletics Skill. Begin play with a ball of rags.
9. I started a rumour about one of the other villagers: Gain 2 Advances in the Gossip Skill. Begin play with no special equipment.
10. I went to archery practice: Gain 2 Advances in the Ranged (Bow) Skill. Begin play with a bow and 2d3 arrows.
11. I took care of my family’s animals: Gain 2 Advances in the Animal Care Skill. Begin play with a pail or shovel (counts as an improvised weapon in combat).
12. I stole a jar of moonshine: Gain 2 Advances in the Sleight of Hand Skill. Begin play with a jar of moonshine.
13. I set snares for rabbits: Gain 2 Advances in the Set Trap Skill. Begin play with a couple of small snares and a few dead rabbits.
14. I went swimming: Gain 2 Advances in the Swim Skill. Begin play with no special equipment.
15. I split logs for firewood: Gain 2 Advances in the Melee (Basic) Skill. Begin play with an axe (counts as a hand weapon in combat)
16. I played with my dog: Gain 2 Advances in the Charm Animal Skill. Begin play with a dog that’s reasonably well trained.
17. I tracked a wounded deer through the woods: Gain 2 Advances in the Track skill. Begin play with a spear.
18. I stood up to a bully: Gain 2 Advances in the Cool Skill. Begin play with the threat that you’re “dead” the next time they catch you.
19. I knitted some gloves for the winter: Gain 2 Advances in the Art (Weaving) Skill. Begin play with either a pair of gloves, or a ball of yarn and a pair of needles.
20. I took the family goods to market in the cart: Gain 2 Advances in the Drive Skill. Begin play with 2d6 pennies as your reward.