BT RPG

Work continues on the Baeg Tobar pencil-and-paper RPG. We've decided to frame it as a secret document developed by a Riddari that the Fae courts can use as a means of predicting mortal behavior.

Here's a sneak peek at the current draft's Introduction:

It has not escaped the Courts’ notice (nor that of this humble author) that the Duine of the Dying Lands, despite their mortality, could one day pose a threat to those of us in the Dreaming Lands. The following document, created at the behest of the Courts, describes a simulation of the Duine of the Pilean Continent to be used as an assessment of the Duine threat and to prepare future defenses against mortal incursion. To most properly defeat one’s enemy, one must be able to think like one’s enemy.

Simulation participants will utilize a combination of precise traits and carefully balanced ratios to assume the identities of Duine characters. Said characters can then be placed in any number of unique situations as a means of exposing their workings, both individually and as a group. Completion of this simulation will reveal much about the chosen characters, providing a new, deeper understanding of the strange mortals that inhabit our sister realm. Aids including miniatures, maps, and costumes can make the simulation easier to visualize, though the only necessary tools are parchment, a quill, and a set of dice.

Participants must be mindful at all times of their characters’ impending demises. Regardless of the party’s success or failure at their given tasks, its members will all eventually die. Mortality is not an easy concept for those of us in the Dreaming Lands to grasp, yet it is the single most important motivator in Duine life.

Every simulation requires the designation of one participant as the simulation master (SM) responsible for the creation and administration of the planned experiment. The SM imparts all details relevant to the simulation’s setting to his fellow participants and determines the effects of all participants’ actions upon the simulation as dictated by the rules and probabilities within this document and, when necessary, his own best judgment. The SM must also be able to produce, as quickly as possible, any necessary information required to properly describe any people, animals, or phenomena the participants may encounter. Preparation is an important part of being a successful SM.

Characters controlled by the participants are called participant characters (PCs). Characters controlled by the SM are called non-participant characters (NPCs) because the SM is not considered a character. NPCs include all characters the PCs meet during the simulation, including any characters that may join their party. NPCs are not defined as completely as the PCs – the SM rarely needs to know in advance the complete character history of each shopkeeper, for instance.

SMs are encouraged to create situations that will challenge the minds of their participants. Forcing participants to adopt mortal thought processes to solve complex problems will provide a more complete understanding of Duine tactics and priorities. Participants should do their best not to break character while completing such tasks.

It would be most beneficial to the Courts of Twilight to see the same characters utilized in the same setting for several sessions as they attempt to achieve a difficult goal. These campaigns often revolve around a story of some sort in which the participants fill the lead roles. The SM plays the role of the storyteller, much like an author writing a novel wherein the characters have minds of their own and the story often deviates in useful and interesting ways.

Please note that this document is bound to the Courts of Twilight through a magic most sensitive and destructive. Use this simulation against the will of the Courts at your own risk.

- Secrecio, Most Knowledgeable Riddari of Admi