tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1389986049507804094.post7263580133608646845..comments2024-03-25T21:52:03.310-05:00Comments on Hill Cantons: Blackmoor vs. Birthright: Domain-Play Cage Fight, Round OneChris Kutalikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01414743509426875792noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1389986049507804094.post-80253651597873340352011-02-16T07:19:04.945-06:002011-02-16T07:19:04.945-06:00{declaration of interest: I am a raging Birthright...{declaration of interest: I am a raging Birthright fan, I think it was one of the best settings/game extensions late-period TSR created}<br /><br />Birthright is - like a lot of the games we enjoy - one of those things that unpacks and elaborates itself as you look at how the fine detail of the system interacts.<br /><br />All that abstraction (<i>How do my people make a living? (And how many live exactly here in what amount of territory, for that matter?)</i>): that's a feature, not a bug. Just as in a classic hexcrawl the system is designed to be light enough to allow GMs and players as much wiggle room as possible.<br /><br /><i>There are some tidbit details found in them such as the notion that a guild (2) in a province (4) controls 50% of the province's economy. (In passing I have a hard time swallowing the notion that One-Armed Yuri the Master Thief controls half of all the farms, mines, craft work, etc. of an entire province, but whatever.)</i><br /><br />In "Birthright" 'Yuri the Master Thief' is actually more likely to be 'Yuri the Legitimate Businessman, Guildmaster of the Hanse'. Those abstract trade, temple, law and ley networks are all linked up to named organisations in named locations, run by named characters with plans and agendas of their own.<br /><br />Where the domain-level play and regular ol' adventuring meaningfully interface is: <br /><br />1) in the Domain Random Events Charts. Stuff happens regularly, and outcomes for the ruler vary depending on whether you play out resolving the crisis, or send a representative, make a decree, or ignore the matter entirely: the more personal the touch, the better the outcome. <br /><br />and <br /><br />2) in the domain level Character Actions. Heck, there's even one action called 'Adventure', which represents Lord Broadacres clearing his diary for a week (or more) of dungeon-crawling with the gang.<br /><br />Disregard the divine right 'holy-blood-is-power' thing and you can abstract Regency Points as 'attention' or 'institutional capacity'.<br /><br />Even the howling emptiness(tm) of the shire-sized provinces in "Birthright" maps pretty solidly onto the traditional 20 mile patrolled radius around a stronghold familiar from OD&D, B/X and (IIRC) AD&D. To my mind that's a pretty strong indication that the Birthright domain system is supposed to be part of a continuum with the traditional 'level 9, build a keep, clear the land' system of domain-ruling (albeit starting at lower character levels).Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04072272223837426211noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1389986049507804094.post-65489240047647007112011-02-03T14:01:47.179-06:002011-02-03T14:01:47.179-06:00@Wickedmurph
I got the sense that the Game of Thro...@Wickedmurph<br />I got the sense that the Game of Thrones rules lifted some concepts from Birthright (the holdings business jumps out for sure), but I think it succeeds better with them. <br /><br />There's a good deal more color and variety in the tables and the designers modestly state that this portion of play is something "intentionally basic and serve to enhance game play rather than define it." <br /><br />I could see a GM building more of them in a granular direction than I can with BR.Chris Kutalikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01414743509426875792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1389986049507804094.post-26115339344390072512011-02-02T22:07:38.939-06:002011-02-02T22:07:38.939-06:00I've been going over the domain rules in A Gam...I've been going over the domain rules in A Game of Thrones - they're a bit birthright-y in terms of general abstraction and levels of various attributes, but I think they do a better job of explaining *what* is actually going on in the domain. A good mix of both attributes, so far.Jeremy Murphyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17072164588443858336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1389986049507804094.post-68345083626575897412011-02-02T19:21:22.101-06:002011-02-02T19:21:22.101-06:00@Shino
Care package coming your way soon.
@phf
Th...@Shino<br />Care package coming your way soon.<br /><br />@phf<br />The multi-generational time scale of Pendragon make it a really innovative take on epic play. I really like the second edition rules myself. Never had a chance to play it though.<br /><br />FFC is really it's on creature, a somewhat incoherent jumble at times, but as a great window into a vibrant and exciting take-off for this hobby. It definitely has that Judges Guild random, strangely useful feel to it.Chris Kutalikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01414743509426875792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1389986049507804094.post-79277396151170763232011-02-02T18:40:15.184-06:002011-02-02T18:40:15.184-06:00I rather like the rules in Pendragon - though I ha...I rather like the rules in Pendragon - though I haven't kept up with all the versions so I don't know what it's like now.<br /><br />I am also looking forward to hearing about the FFC as I've never seen it up close before. I am imagining something akin to the 3rd D&D booklet, with a touch of Judges Guild thrown in...phfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05500880186402356662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1389986049507804094.post-45038490823079933902011-02-02T18:18:43.851-06:002011-02-02T18:18:43.851-06:00Look forward to hearing how the other side fares. ...Look forward to hearing how the other side fares. I have never really heard of either of these games... still too newbly of me I guess. But, they are now getting pretty high on my required reading list.Greg(ory) Senpaihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01137328793556744138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1389986049507804094.post-32402919626248048092011-02-02T16:11:50.123-06:002011-02-02T16:11:50.123-06:00You put the finger on what bothered me about Birth...You put the finger on what bothered me about Birthright when we tried to play. There was a big disconnect between those dominion turns and the rest of the campaign and it never worked out. <br /><br />Look forward to seeing what you think that Blackmoor did better.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com