Fantastic World (tentative title)

What is this?
A hack for playing classical High Fantasy that I am developing. Knights in shining armor killing dragons and all that stuff. The goal is a hack for creating a mythos of epic stories or a single long one through play.

I have more or less completed the core classes, and have began on working on the race system, the relationships system and the sample world for playing a test campaing, but I could use some feedback.

The Stats:
Swift: Fast to move, fast to talk, fast to think. Clearheaded, calm, unfazable.
Noble: Brave, firm, but fair, merciful, dutiful, magnanimous. Of better stock and behaves accordingly. How worthy the person you just hit was to be hit by a hero, and thus, how well you do it.
Graceful: Attractive, inspiring, exciting. Well-mannered, charming and subtile.
Wise: Clever, sharp-witted, alert, perceptive, knowledgeable
Arcane: Strange, mystical, magical. Capable of sensing and doing supernatural things.

Basic Moves:
I’m propably keeping most of the basic moves in AW. I'm also introducing a new move:

Compromise: When you ask for something and offer something in return, or are offered something in return of something else, Roll+Wise. On 10+ you get what you want, but pick two, on 7-9 you get what you want, but pick one.

• You get exactly what you want
• You don't have to deliver first
• You get something extra

I also replaced the psychic maelstrom and opening your brain with a general field of A Wizard Did It that characters can utilize to a degree, and a move for it:

Do through magic: When you try to achieve a minor supernatural effect, roll+arcane. On 10+ you achieve something close enough. On 7-9 you achieve an impression of what you attempted.

The playbooks:
The Captain: There is safety in numbers. Good thing you brought some.

The Gallant: You are a warrior, but who says you can’t look good while doing it?

The Healer: Ailments, be they mundane or magical in nature need healing.

The Champion: There are always people who needs protecting.

The Lady of the Castle: You may or may not be the one who holds the title deed, but you are the one through who it all goes.

The Lord of the Castle: You may or may not be the one who holds the title deed, but you are the one who keeps it held.

The Milady: Everybody wants you.

The Rogue: Sometimes being a hero just isn’t what you nee. Good thing you know all the angles, and everybody knows you do.

The Smith: A wizard did it. You to be exact.

The Strider: In the wildernesses, when others stumble, you help them up.

The Wizard: You are a student of a mysical tradition.

The Races:
I’m probably using the Holy Trinity of fantasy races (humans, elves, dwarfs) as the basis here. Each race can pick one on a short list of stat bonuses, and has a move tree of its own, which let’s the player to utilize the traditional strengths of the race. The exact flavours of the three are still open, but here’s what I have thought.
Elves: The noble ones: Moves regarding magic, grace and agility
Humans: The common people:moves regarding being crafty, knowledgeable and clever.
Dwarves: The outsiders: Moves regarding trade, crafts, and being stury.

The relationships system
In adition to HX (redubbed history) and sexmoves, I thought of a simple set of motivation in how characters regard each other. Right now these are
Trust: You may trust or mistrust another character. Whenever that character contradicts your disposition, you may perform a move specified under relationship moves.
Goodwill: You may bear good or ill will towards another character. When you act according or contradictory to said disposition, you perform a move detailed in relationship moves.
What you feel towards others initially is detailed in the history option of each class.

Just two quick thoughts:

- What do you have in mind for the sex moves? Somehow the whole high medieval-fantasy castle-stuff doesn't seem particular "sexy-timey" to me, although I might be mistaken. Maybe swap them for similar moves for courtly love and romances?

- Why do you split Trust and Goodwill? Is it possible to trust but wish ill, or distrust but wish well? Hmmm ...

Yes, that

Just two quick thoughts:

- What do you have in mind for the sex moves? Somehow the whole high medieval-fantasy castle-stuff doesn't seem particular "sexy-timey" to me, although I might be mistaken. Maybe swap them for similar moves for courtly love and romances?

Tolkienian fantasy tends to be that way yes. Some medieval myths too, and definitely our perception of medieval times, but if you go to slightly older stuff (say, legends of Cu Chulainn) there is surprisingly lot of sex, and no wonder.

Apart from being an obvious excuse for fanservice, the sexmoves in AW being rather powerful at times felt appropriate, because in a setting where people casually stab each other in the back, letting someone get intimate with you is kind of a big deal, even if any semblance of any morality (included but in so many ways not limited to sexual morality) hasn't just completely eroded with civilizations.

Classic medieval times is similar, but for different reasons. A lot of stories from the time has illicit sex and the relationship revolving it as a motivation, as a honey trap, hell, even as prize both before or after the deed. And from that comes a lot of cris-crossing relationships, personal grudges, attachments and other complications between PC:s and NPC:s that (hopefully and aided by mechanics) will result in what I as a MC call "Hilarity ensuing".

As for less carnal romantics, I'm fairly confident that the normal relationships mechanic, in conjuction with manipulate basic move and a couple of class moves should cover them nicely.

And of course, this not being a core mechanic, it's entirely possible that players simply choose to disregard them, especially if it doesn't fit the fiction.

- Why do you split Trust and Goodwill? Is it possible to trust but wish ill, or distrust but wish well? Hmmm ...

Well, this is kinda awkward, because I'm probably cutting them and replacing them the string mechanic from Monsterhearts. But assuming they stayed: Yes. Now, the trust or the goodwill doesn't have to be absolute. It can, for example, take the form of trusting someone to hold the line against the orcish horde, but harboring a personal vendetta, held back until a more convenient time to put it into motion.

Also forgot to say that in a setting where sexuality is mostly hushed up, sex, both marital and extramarital, can also really screw up relationships and personal interests, resulting in fun.

Hey, depending on the time period (and how exaggerated you make it), something as innocent as giving the wrong women a handkerchief can result in bloodshed on a personal or even national level. Make it "whenever you engage in intimate relations..." leaving it open for interpretation. In AW terms, that means it's 100% on, but in Disney terms, it would be any time two people sing a duet. I find the AW interesting, but it makes it hard to play with a younger audience. Or even people my age, who'll take each and every opportunity to be stupid. Or adults who'll take offense at anything.

That... is actually a pretty cool idea.

Cheers. Leaving the wording flexible is great for the MC, but maybe just try it out with some players first. Of course, you could make it "When 'people' learn of 'intimate relations', between you and this person..." for extra hijinks, especially with masks and people getting framed.

Relationships:
In addition to history, relationships revolve around strings and geasa.
A string is a piece of social pull your character holds over another. You get strings through some history options and through some moves. By using up a string you have, you can:

• Get +1 to you against them after you have rolled
• Get +3 to manipulate them if they are an npc after you have rolled.
• Get -1 to them after they have rolled
• Offer them xp to do what you want if they are a pc
• Force them to act under fire if they are a pc
• Force them to freeze, hestitate or falter if they are an npc
• Add +1 harm against them when dealing damage.

A geas is a usually self-appointed goal for a character. Anyone else can invoke a character’s geas like they were using a string on them. Only one geas can be taken up per session, but more may come from special moves. While ending the session, if the player considers the geas fulfilled or otherwise ended, he drops it and marks experience. A new geas may be taken up as a replacement, but this is not mandatory.

//Seems like some basic moves (such as manipulate) needs a rewrite...

I may have run into a bit of a problem while thinking about players' gear. The weapons have next to no difference from each others. I currently have

Big weapons (3-harm, hand) a broadsword, a battleaxe, a large polearm (a lance, a halberd etc.) A two-handed sword.
Blunt weapons (2-harm, AP, hand) a mace, a flail, a morningstar
Small weapons (2-harm, hand) A shortsword, a knife
Heavy thrown weapons (3-harm, close, hand, messy) A hand axe, a shortspear.
Light thrown weapons (2-harm, close, hand, messy) Throwing knives
Heavy bows (3-harm, close/far) Heawy crossbows, longbows
Light Bows (2-harm, close/far) Light Crossbows, shortbows.

Are these sufficient, or should I try to vary them up more?

The gear needs to be reworked a bit . . . I can't understand why whacking someone with a hand axe not only harms them as much as a battleaxe but is Messy as well. Why would a fighter in this world use a Halberd when a spear is lighter, inflicts nastier damage, and can be thrown as well?

It will also be interesting to see what basic moves you've used. Using "noble" for fighting, as your stat array implies, makes me wonder if there's a different move for less-noble engagements!

I agree about the weapons. An easy way to figure them is to look at the fiction. Broadsword (3 harm) against steel plate (2 armor) results in 1 harm. Dangerous for NPCs, inconvenient for players. Sounds just fine to me. And a knight with a broadsword against a peasant in boiled leather (1) is always going to end messily.

Throwing a small axe at a knight and almost killing them? Hitting them with a mace goes straight through all that steel like it wasn't even there? Less likely.

One thing that just sprung to mind is that a harm should be made using Noble, but only when both participants agree to it. Otherwise, if one uses Swift the other has no choice but do the same or lose, but using Swift (or Hard or whatever) has some kind of negative impact on social standing.

The gear needs to be reworked a bit . . . I can't understand why whacking someone with a hand axe not only harms them as much as a battleaxe but is Messy as well. Why would a fighter in this world use a Halberd when a spear is lighter, inflicts nastier damage, and can be thrown as well?

Well, the description of messy in the Core book of AW says that a messy weapon may hit anyone within the area, and thrown weapons tend to be inacurate and stick out of people.

It will also be interesting to see what basic moves you've used. Using "noble" for fighting, as your stat array implies, makes me wonder if there's a different move for less-noble engagements!

The Gallant gets a move that allows the class to hit things with swift. Basically I'm trying to make the world to work on the tolkienian logic where, for the most part, how tough a guy you are is largely dependent on who you are in terms of status if you are a PC. (i.e. Aragorn the ranger is relatively tough, Aragorn, the High King of Man is one badass motherf#&%r.).

NPC:s are, naturally, as strong as the plot demands.

As for basic moves, I used the ones in AW plus the ones mentioned in the first post.

Hitting them with a mace goes straight through all that steel like it wasn't even there? Less likely.

Actually, as platemail was developed, different blunt weapons became more commonplace because they did exactly that. However, I do agree that it doesn't really fit the fiction.

But yeah, I need to develop some extra tags for weapons.

Okay, here are some additional tags I worked out:

Thrown: A weapon may be thrown to a close range. If used in this way, the weapon deals +1 Harm, is lost to you until picked up, and may hit any person within the targeted area.

Sidearm: A weapon can be carried on a sheath, a beltloop or other such way when it's not in use. The weapon is usually kept getting in the way and may be drawn quickly. It's also more socially acceptable to carry a weapon that can be carried this way.

Pole: The wielder may only bring it to bear at couple of meters from the target. It canot be used at couple of meters in front of you.

Hand: The wielder may only bring it to bear at an arms length.

Short:  The wielder may only bring it to bear, withing a couple of meters.

I'm also grabbing the Two-handed tag from Dungeon World.

Based on these I have begun rewriting weapons. Still have to figure out how should I do shields.


I also rewrote gangsize modifiers, and added to them the creature size modifiers

Squad: From a few to a bit over a dozen people

Platoon: a couple of dozen people

Company: From a couple of dozen to a hundred people

Generally these work by Rule of Three: three squads makes a Platoon, three platoons makes a Company.

Large creature: Considerably larger than a horse. A gryphon or an elephant.

Huge creature: Most dragons.

Colossal creature: Smaug

Size modifiers work the same way as group modifiers. These are mixable, for example, a single gryphon (lagre creature) does +1harm and takes -1harm, but a flight of them (squad, large creature) does +2 harm and takes -2 harm from a single human PC.

Finally started to get playbooks to publishable order. I'm taking feedback on these, and likely will modify them. I'm uploading and linking these in alphabetical order.

The Captain

So yeah. Things happened, test campaing kicked off, and inspired by that I ended up reviving the whole thing on Fallen Empires.

The Core book (early bare bones version)

I'm beginning to rewrite the playbooks, and hope to start posting them soon.