[Any text in these kinds of brackets is commentary and to be removed.] [The text is provided with three levels of headings, the chapter, subchapter and subsubchapter. The first type is not designated specially. There's also a number of "boxes" and "sidebars" for layout purposes. They are suggestions only, as far as placement goes.] [The text includes a number of formatting conventions: /cursive or other emphasis/ *bold or other emphasis* _underline or other emphasis_ - list x)numbered list [any other comments or guidelines are in brackets] These are to be removed during layout.] [Language editor: English is not my first language, so take especial care in considering sentence structure. Any stilted forms are most likely not intentional.] [the table of contents, for editor's convenience. To be removed. The Brotherhood The Situation Character creation The Rules Proper Wounds and boons Death and treasure Cooperation and other special cases Paradigm resonance The Brotherhood Ice The Brotherhood magic The Revival option Dungeon crawling Dungeon activities Various considerations Some monster statistics to give the GM a clue Game end The Adult material GMing advice Issues of Gender ] The Brotherhood /There are high mountains to the world, and there are waves breaking on the beach. And there is darkness, more horrible that humans should know. Once there was light too - knights, sorcerors of light, benevolent gods. That time has passed. Today, here, now; no gods, at least no ones fit for human worship. No knights, and the only sorcerors are dark as night. The sun shines, but even the colors are dull./ The Brotherhood is a traditional fantasy roleplaying game in a world without ideals or good. The players take the roles of brothers - no heroes here - who have stood up to the darkness. The style of the Brotherhood is similar to dark pulp fantasy, except for a heavy knowledge and emphasis on how the world is /supposed/ to be. This is not a pulp world, but a standard rpg fantasy world where good has been ripped off and evil has lost it's vigour. Take any D&D world and remove everything that is good aligned or having evil constructive goals and there you have it. Change all tinctures to earth colours while you're at it. Of course, the normal people remain, and are actually the focus of the world. But without good to lead the way, things are much different - no priesthoods to speak of, no knightly orders, everyone is out for himself. Nothing to stop the evil ones, but then again they only rarely turn they interest towards humanity. Now, the exception are the brotherhoods. They are no knightly orders, but rather associations of enlightened self-interest. When some evil grows strong or active enough, certainly some brotherhoods are formed of exceptional individuals - no heroes here. But still the things are different. There is no divine inspiration, no higher ideals to lead the way in the world. Such brothers are weak, with no vision and hardly any purpose. No paladins, you see, not one. Instead there is neutral magic, human magic of power, although of different kind. When the gods don't answer (at least in any way you'd like) and the evil has surrounded you on all sides, your brothers are all you can count on. The magic of the brotherhood is a special one: almost anyone can invoke it, and there is great strength to be gained by it. The situation This is a traditional roleplaying game for a GM and a bunch of players. The style of the game is most efficient when the social contract allows explicit violence and sex, but the game can conceivably be played without, too. Each of the players takes the role of a fantasy adventurer ready to risk all against evil. The characters form a brotherhood at game start to survive. The ritual of brotherhood is a simple one, but it has to first be done in the dawn, and will dissolve when the sun rises next. The characters have thus a time limit to their adventure. The goal of the players is simply to off the evil wizard, and thus the game is very decisively gamist. This need not discourage players from inventive narration, though, as we'll hopefully see. The GM role is to up the stakes during the game all the way to the pain threshold. As to the evil at hand - it's the domain of the GM to decide. The GM will build a suitably pulpy fantasy plot that gives ample motivation for folks to try to stop the evil. Just two limitations - it has to be a dungeon, and there has to be an evil wizard at the end. The game starts in an isolated tavern somewhere suitably near to the dungeon. Character creation The game will use the subtraction dice, which are rolled by rolling two d6 and subtracting one from the other. The dice are different colored and one is the positive and one the negative die. This will give a bell curve centering on zero and ranging from -5 to +5. The dice explode in situations where it's sensible: when a player rolls either -5 or +5 he rolls again and adds the result. This is not cogent in some cases, but that's what the GM is for. The character creation is done during the tavern episode. The players can frame their entrance, while the GM provides color to the tavern. The characters can be anything except full-blown wizards or paragons of good. The goal is for the characters to get to meet and form some relationships. These will be crucial later in the game. Play should proceed clockwise from the GM, so that each player gets an opportunity to state one action from the following list: 1) Entrance 2) Recognition 3) Performance 4) Declaration 5) Exploration Of course any other suitable actions are possible, but these have mechanical meaning. Obviously a character has to do an entrance before doing any of the other things. A player may pass as well on his turn, if he wishes. The turn may certainly include minor actions and colorful description as well. It should be noted that anything said about the characters that doesn't impact the game mechanics becomes true, regardless of who is talking. This is true even of things like character names or archetypes. If only one character has not made an entrance, the other players may easily nail the character by talking about "the one still to come" or something. The players may use statements conditional of player acceptance, of course, and nothing stops a player from stating the relevant facts about his character immediately after the Entrance. /Recognition/ is when a character sees another player character and approaches, triggering the first flashback between the two. Flashbacks are explained below, for now it's enough to note that each character /will/ know each other character, except for one each. Every character can recognise every other character only once, and if a character is already in conversation with another when a third recognises him, then both are recognised (assuming the other is not the stranger to the recogniser) but there's only one flashback. Flashback happens when a character tells about a past event. In Brotherhood all flashbacks include at least two player characters and the characters have to be in the scene when the flashback is told. The event in question can be anything, it's purpose is to define how the characters view each other. The other player gets one interrupt to correct the narrator of the flashback, always. The flashbacks are always marked as short sentences in the character sheets. The standard way of starting a flashback in the tavern could be something like "[character name]! Haven't seen you in a while! Actually, now that I think of it, the last time I saw was you was...". /Performance/ is an action where the character exposes one of his abilities for the other players. Each character has six base abilities, which can be any skills, traits or other features that help or hinder the character in killing evil wizards. If an ability is magical, it's always relatively small magics and nothing worthy of a wizard. When performing, the player rolls the dice and names the ability. The player chooses if he will use the result as a positive or a negative number and nominates any player, whose character gets the other result. If an ability makes sense only in a positive or negative aspect the GM will mold the counterpart to something sensible. The character need not literally perform his ability for the other characters, but it must manifest in some way in the tavern through the player's narration. A character can only gain abilities from performances if he doesn't yet have six abilities. The player can nominate his own character to get both abilities. /Declaration/ is when the character announces his intent to go off the wizard. This might be because the wizard has already crossed the character's path, because the character hears something in the tavern or just because the character likes another character who already made the announcement. The declaration should elucidate on character motivation clearly, for this will surely help the player later on. /Exploration/ is anything else the character could do in the tavern that gains a pay-off. The player need not strictly announce his intention when his turn comes around, so he can poke his nose in different places, play hide and seek with the other characters or almost perform abilities. The turn will be fixed only when the character deigns to recognise, performs an ability or /finds something useful/. The results of exploration are dependent on the GM. He should probably have a list of thirty rumours, for example, for the characters to discover by talking with the tavern patrons. Of these maybe ten or fifteen should concern the dungeon and evil wizard at hand. When a character finally hits such a rumor his turn ends immediately after, for he has hit the pay-off. Similarly the character might find stuff too, or simply draw such from his backpack. As long as it's an edge for the character it's a pay-off and ends the turn. It's the job of the GM to ensure that the pay-off is big enough but not too big. For example the rumors above should all be actually useful when in the dungeon. The characters can do exploration in the tavern and thereabouts as long as they wish, but the tavern phase ends only when all characters have declared, in which case it ends immediately. The characters can only each have maximum of six abilities and all but one of the other characters recognized. The GM can veto any exploration attempts the players announce by simply deciding that the pay-off suggested isn't available. The characters won't in any case find any magic items in the tavern except by defining them as abilities, but they should equip themselves liberally with survival equipment if they want to survive the dungeon. Gold can certainly be "found" in their pouches as a pay-off, and is oft needed to purchase some other pay-off come next turn. [box] The nature of the "tavern episode" and the character creation is a little queer, but that's intentional. Try it with good humour and you see. The GM should make the episode light and entertaining, and lead the game along towards the dungeon with a light hand. [/box] During the tavern phase the characters will meet and come to the conclusion that they should form a brotherhood to off the evil wizard. This is serious business, both brotherhoods and offing wizards, so the players should play with suitable gravity to add to hilarity. When the tavern phase ends the exposition should be finished; the players should more or less know what kind of world the characters are in, everyone should know his character, everyone should know what the wizard is up to and so on. Root the players to the situation. The rules proper [box] The conflict resolution steps: 1) Conflict description 2) Deciding abilities 3) Rolling 4) Boons and wounds 5) Rinse and repeat 1-4 until content 6) Death and treasure rolls [/box] As already intimated, the characters have six base abilities. They can also get temporary abilities through the brotherhood magic or by winning and losing conflicts, but that'll come later. The main system is /conflict/ resolution. When a character wants to do something the GM deems dangerous the GM will set the /danger/ value for the goal. This is a number, generally from -5 to +5, and will tell how hazardous the conflict is for the character. [box] The conflict resolution is supplemented by a /task/ resolution system. In it the character simply tries to do something simple and the dice are used to figure out success. A task will incur a single boon or wound, is not repeated and won't trigger death and treasure rolls. The danger level the character rolls against is called the difficulty of the task, and the GM might or might not roll dice for it. [/box] The player won't know the danger value, but he can guess it from the way the GM discusses the conflict. For positive danger the GM may only introduce one weak point and has to introduce more than and at most double the absolute value of the danger in hazards to his description of the conflict particulars, while with negative danger the amounts are switched. To say it in another way, the amount of the corresponding details has to be between the value and double the value, while there always is one detail of the other kind. Weak points are any hints, observations or other details that help the character in overcoming the conflict and reaching his goal. Hazards are the opposite; dangers that will threaten the character or close off certain kinds of solutions. The GM is not obligated to point out any of these details or repeat them, but he must introduce them when first descripting the conflict. Any later iterations need not keep to these limitations, but will have to conform to the first description. It's possible that instead of a simple danger level a given conflict will feature something with abilities. For the players this will initially look exactly the same, as the GM will supply a description with relatively easily identifiable weak points and hazards: the whole truth, however, is more complex than that. It well might be that the player will never realize that the encounter has more abilities to share. Creatures and situations with multiple abilities have a general danger level equal to the sum of all abilities. However, the GM has more options than that for description, as he can choose any subgroup of those abilities, sum them and base the description on that value. However, if the players want more detail or for some other reason the GM gives more description, he has to base any subsequent descriptions on abilities that have not yet for that encounter been bases for weak points and hazards. This continues until all abilities have been considered for description or the conflict ends. After describing the required amount of hints the GM is again free to continue however he wishes except for conforming to already described detail. The above means that, for example, a monster with two abilities can be initially described based on either ability or on both of them. If the GM uses only one and is required to give additional description, he now has to use the other. After using both abilities he is free to continue as he sees fit. In the case of bigger creatures with prohibitive amounts of abilities the GM can always sum most of the abilities into the first description, leaving aside just enought to throw the players of the scent. A danger with multiple abilities works exactly like a normal danger except that it will only use one or more of it's abilities in a given conflict or task. In this manner there's no difference to player characters really, and PvP-combats and such can be handled through the same rules. The above rules of description are key to all kinds of conflicts, so consider them well. Misdirection and verbal trickery is recommended. There is no punishment for the GM failing to conform to the description limitations except for derision of the players. [subchapter] Wounds and boons When the player has decided his actions regarding the conflict, if he cannot or will not somehow escape, change or avoid the conflict, dice are rolled. The attacker or equivalent will first choose his ability to use, and the other side has to choose some compatible way of answering. The active participants throw dice, so the details of the conflict decide on which side rolls, or if both roll. The result of the roll is added to the danger value or ability (for the opposition) or pertinent ability (for the character). Higher result wins, and the loser takes a wound, winner a boon equal to the difference in results (each subtracts the other's result from his own). Wounds are simply negative temporary abilities, specified in detail when inflicted. Boons are positive temporary abilities, also specified when inflicted. Generally both will go away with a speed depending on the nature of the ability. If the GM has no opinion on the matter each temporary ability will go towards zero one point per turn (which idea is introduced later on). [box] Example wounds: - Drunk as a skunk -1 - Snake bite -2 - Dazed by beauty -4 - Broken leg -6 - Bewitched by black magic -8 - Crushed skull -10 Example boons: - It has pockets +1 - Does something glitter in there? +2 - "OK, I'll tell you everything!" +4 - "Here, take the book, it's yours!" +6 - The key to the treasury room +8 - "Congratulations, you're our new king!" +10 [/box] After the first exhange either side can opt for another round if the previous roll did not indicate an end for the conflict in the form of escaping, avoiding or winning by one side. Pursuit is always an option if the other side tries to escape. The particulars of one-sided avoiding attempt determine the new abilities to use, or if both want another round, then the last defender chooses. The roll is similar to the last one, and will result in wounds and boons. [subchapter] Death and treasure When the conflict cannot be continued or neither side wishes to, both sides will roll both a death roll and a treasure roll, both task rolls. The former will represent dying or any other nasty repercussions of the conflict, from getting fleas to getting syphilis. The latter decides whether any permanent good comes of the conflict - could be gold, could be a bevy of blondes in a porche. Death has a difficulty equal to -10+(dungeon level) and the character uses abilities pertinent to the way he could be dying. If the character loses this roll, the GM can do what he wills with the character, up to killing him. The possible wounds just gained will always be pertinent to the roll. If there are multiple wounds from multiple rounds the GM may decide on multiple death rolls if the wounds are not stackable. The treasure roll has a difficulty equal to +10-(dungeon level) and the character will use any abilities pertinent to the possible treasure resulting from the conflict. If the character wins the roll he gains the treasure in question, whatever it is. The possible boon just gained will always be pertinent. As with the death roll, multiple boons are either stacked or rolled individually, depending on the particulars. The death and treasure are not usually literally that, but only general descriptors of consequences. The actual situation character finds himself in is the decisive factor, so a death roll failed accidentally in an otherwise safe situation will probably lead to just a major fucking, not actual death. Similarly whether the GM rolls dice for death and treasure depends on whether they are coming from active quarters, or whether the character is the only actor in the situation. It's important to understand the distinction of wound-death and boon-treasure. The former are temporary abilities that will prove shortlived and fleeting, while the latter are the real thing. The GM may lower or take away wounds and boons based on divine inspiration, but not so with death and treasure. The interplay of the two is important when the character gains a major boon only to find in the treasure roll that the scheme didn't pan out after all - the gnolls would love to make you their king, but you'd have to fight old king Krusher for it, that kind of thing. Appropriate death and treasure depends on the location of the character. Generally the greater general danger level will mean a greater and more degrading fuck-up, while the lesser treasure level will mean a more useful and valuable treasure. Mixing the two will get the character crawling in severs to escape with the golden throne of the gnolls. Suggestions of consequences are offered in the GMing chapter. The GM is the final arbiter of wound and boon abilities. In many cases they are almost useless (climbed over the wall succesfully +5) or harmless (a blow to selfesteem -3), or so temporary that their relevance is immediately lost after the death and treasure rolls. Some times they are left lurking in the character sheet or GM notes and attack without warning from the shadows later on. The same holds sometimes true for treasures and deaths. [subchapter] Cooperation and other special cases If a character has more than one pertinent ability for a given approach, they are added together for the conflict roll. Pertinency is always judged finally by the GM, and is based on how the player describes his approach to the situation. Any ability the character does not have is assumed to be zero. Characters may cooperate in conflicts by either combining abilities or taking turns. Wounds are always split among multiple characters by the opposition, while boons are split by the players of the characters. All characters taking part in the conflict by applying any abilities will also roll for death and treasure, and may either combine their abilities or roll for each separately. Characters will need to have the tools and resources for a given approach to work in a conflict. Thus they will need adventure gear and perhaps magical materials for their minor magics. The abstract conflict resolution assumes these tools, and the abstraction is no excuse for forgetting to take them with you. There's place for an inventory in the character sheet for a reason. The GM will adjucate exceptional conditions by giving bonuses and penalties to rolls. The following table has some advice on the matter. [table] Bonus: Condition: -1 Suboptimal tools for the job and anything else hampering success. -2 Significant problems, like being tied to a wall in a sword fight from one leg. -5 Conditions that make success near impossible, like shooting a bow in pitch darkness. +1 Good roleplaying, especially cogent planning or anything else useful. +2 Deciding factors, like surprise or blessing of the dark gods. +5 Near automatic actions, like killing an unresisting opponent. [/table] Characters will some times due to magic gain non-human abilities outside the -5-+5 range. The latter bring no special problems, except the GM can forget rolling dice for some situations. Extremely low abilities however will paralyze the character if they are abilities needed for normal actions. The GM should demand task rolls for simple actions or flat out deny some things for such a character. Walking unaided is difficulty -7, for example. If a draw is rolled in any roll the GM will split the difference in an entertaining manner. Probably the situation will be left such that either side will have to roll again to get to their goal. The players can freely use different kinds of abilities at the characters of other players. If something can be used on NPCs, it works the same way with PCs. Especially social abilities, if allowed by the GM, may on a high enough success affect character action. These can of course be resisted with social abilities, willpower or by changing conflict type. To make it completely clear: there are /tasks/ and there are /conflicts/. The latter use rolls, but when the rules call for simply a task roll it means only adding a roll of the dice to the given abilities, with perhaps comparison. When a conflict is called there will be death rolls and such. This is an important difference. A reflexive roll is a task roll that can be done regardless of character effort. A roll is simply any of the above. [subchapter] Paradigm resonance One way of controlling conflicts for both the GM and the player is the /paradigm resonance/. This occurs whenever the true subject matter of the Brotherhood is brought to fore through narrative detail or character action. As far as paradigm resonance is concerned, there are only two kinds of conflicts, violent and social. A conflict participant may thus get either a cross-type bonus or an on-type bonus for the conflict, depending on whether his input to the conflict resonates with the type of the conflict. When a player or the GM institutes on-type resonance, the side in question will gain a +3 resonance bonus in the conflict roll. When a player or the GM institutes cross-type resonance, the side in question will gain a reroll: the player of the side chooses one or both of the dice rolled and rerolls them. An on-type resonance is instigated when the player in question suddenly intensifies the subject matter in question, either violent or social, by introducing narrative detail or character action pertaining to the resonance. This will be a quantitive increase over the efforts of the other side of the conflict. This is a stylistic issue, not simulative or anything like that. Resonance can always be manipulated, even in unbelievable ways. A cross-type resonance is instigated by mixing in the conflict subject matter of the other resonance. This is done again by narrative detail or character action, and need to be a qualitative change in meaning without changing the conflict type. This is again a stylistic issue, and only rarely is it impossible to instigate resonance in this manner. A side may get both types of bonuses in one conflict. The first side to introduce cross-type resonance will get that bonus, and the side who ramps the on-type resonance highest (that is, the last to heighten it) gets the on-type bonus. If the conflict type is changed from the initial one by the details the bonuses are nulled and have to be gained again. And to make it clear, the on-type bonus is only gained if the /initial/ situation description is ramped over, regardless of it's content. In the same way an already mixed description or action cannot be cross-typed. Thus it's harder to gain the bonuses over narrative material which is already mixing the conflict types with great intensity. The resonance of violence is about sudden, brutal violence and the slower, sadistic type (no surprise there, eh?). The minor resonances are threatening manners and words, and can be ramped up to violent actions. Violent acts can further be ramped up by either brutality or sadism. That can be ramped up by adding the other one, or by further graphic language and detail. Detailed violence can be ramped up to psychological violence, and that can be further ramped up by inhuman visions of gore in the style of Clive Barker. Everything can be ramped up by adding even more horrid details and lack of respect for humanity. The resonance of social type is about magnetic, erotic and overtly sexual conduct (didn't expect that one, did you?). The minor resonances are exact roleplaying, in-character dialogue and mannerisms. These can be ramped up to allure, debauch and seduction, or to graphic visual detail. Visual detail and enticing action can be ramped up to either naked detail or first-base action. These can be further ramped up by more detail or adding bases. Further ramp-up includes actual carnal action, detailed description, erotic roleplaying and finally different fetishes (of non-violent kind). Everything can be ramped up by better description and stronger affects. The Brotherhood When the characters set on their journey to assault the dungeon and off the wizard they will happen on the entrance conveniently a little bit before dawn. Now they will have to perform the rite of Brotherhood. The rite has to be performed at dawn for the first time, but later on any characters that participated can perform it again at any time. In the finest roleplaying tradition the characters could exercise their freedom and /not/ perform the rite. This is one of those games where the players should know the rules as well as the GM, so they'll probably know that such would result in a horrible death later on. The brotherhood is the only magic capable of /miracles/ in their arsenal, and they need it. The rite itself is simple enough that any adventurer will know it. Each player will state one detail of the ritual and the GM will compose it's description from the input. Anything from blood to burning incence to drawn symbols is fine. There is also a word component as follows, which the players will speak with one voice always when executing the Brotherhood ritual. No other way, must chant it if you want to have part in the rite. [indented quote] In darkness as in light, the Brotherhood stands together. No gods, no demons, but free men for the freedom of Men. One for all and all for one, the Brotherhood stands together. No knights nor saints, but only men against men. In love eternal, the Brotherhood stands together. [/indented quote] The special effects of the ritual are up to the GM, but this is as close to divine as they get in this world. Each character gets Ice values (explained below) towards every other character, starting from +10. This is corrected by -1 if the character has a flashback of the other and by -1 or +1 if the player prefers. After the ritual the characters are ready to limber down the chute. The Brotherhood ritual will dissolve at the next sunrise. After that any characters who participated in the dawn ritual can reneve the ritual between them by touching each other and reciting the vow of Brothers. Such a reneval will hold until the next sunrise, after which it has to be performed again. The Ice values for a reneved ritual are reset to +10-(number of shared flashbacks)+-(1 if player prefers). The only connections of reaffirmed ritual are those who actually are present for reneval, so the ritual might be forced to be affirmed in pairs or other small groups. The Ice should be quick to melt on subsequent times as the characters get to know each other. [subchapter] Ice The Ice values characters have towards other characters signify the trust and closeness of the characters to each other. Or rather, they tell how much social ice there still is between the characters. +5 is a known stranger, 0 is a friend, and -5 is a love. The Ice values, as the rest of the character sheets, are kept secret from the other players. The Ice values of two characters towards each other are independent and change without affecting the other. The values fluctuate during play depending on the roleplaying signs the players make towards ice. Friendly actions or dialogue always weaken the Ice and hostile actions or dialogue strenghten it (always towards the person in question), always by one point per act. Usually the player can just sign at the GM when changing the values, so he can nod accent. There is a couple of Ice limits at which the actions needed to lower the Ice get more demanding. The following table details the limits and demands. Any actions not up to the demands do not lower the Ice. [table] Limit: Demand for lowering: >5 Speaking to the target. >1 Being nice towards the target. >-1 Frank talking, signs of affection. >-5 Confessions of feelings, erotica. <=-5 Dramatic love dialogue, explicit carnal acts. [/table] It should be noted that nowhere in the above is anything stated about the actual feelings of the characters in question. Such is the tragedy of Brotherhood. Ice is used for various mechanical concequences. In such situations any character can rise his Ice towards any other character afterwards by one point, if desired. Many mechanics use "Ice reversed", which means the opposite number of the Ice value. [subchapter] The Brotherhood magic The powers of Brotherhood are many and various. There are many effects, of which the following table lists some. A character may use a power when a relevant Ice value /of the target/ is at most equal to the limit indicated. Ice rolls referred to are always a roll of the character's Ice reversed against the Ice of the target character (their Ice towards each other, of course). The target brother may also roll, if he wishes. As the abilities available depend on the other character, it's up to the other player to reveal what a character can and cannot do (the Ice value itself being a secret). A character can always guess at the level and try an ability without knowing if it's possible. If the player doesn't really know if the ability is possible the character has to succeed in an Ice roll to use the ability for the first time without the other player's support. If the player knows, the ability works normally. [table] Ice: Effect: 5 Camaradie 4 Telepathy 3 Heal 2 Save 1 Sharing 0 Teleport -1 Greater Sharing -2 Contact -3 Drawing -4 Open Mind -5 Oneness [/table] Camaradie: The character can roll against his Ice instead of opposing ability or danger level when the goal is to save or protect a brother. Telepathy: The character can send magical communication to the brother in question. Heal: The character can roll his Ice reversed against (the brother's wound reversed)-10. Any degree of success is subtracted from the wound, while failure results in nothing happening. Touch range, takes an action. Save: The character can negate a failed death roll for the brother with a successful Ice roll. He takes a death roll himself against both Ice values, paralyzing on a failure. Sharing: The character can draw on the brother's lifeforce on a successful Ice roll. On success the character can use any abilities of the other character in the conflict at hand, but the other character loses those abilities for the duration. Teleport: The character can switch places with the brother on a successful Ice roll. Takes an action. Can use touch range effects and make touching actions on the other character. Greater Sharing: The character can on a successful Ice roll draw any abilities up to +5 for himself, while causing a similar negative ability for the brother. Contact: The character can opt on a successful Ice roll to renew the Brotherhood with the brother regardless of distance. Only one of the brothers need to succeed, but he has to recite the vow regardless. Drawing: The character can on a successful Ice roll retool his abilities freely for one conflict, causing the opposite of any ability on the brother. The brother faces a death roll connected to pertinent abilities after the conflict. Open Mind: The character can at any time on a successful Ice roll rummage through the other's mind without him knowing. This is best represented by the player in question questioning the character's player, which answers truthfully. Takes an action. Oneness: The characters can, when both have Ice towards the other at -5 or lesser, opt at any time to be considered as either single persons or one person, whichever is convenient. The characters can use Drawing as reflexive action. [subchapter] The revival option /The revival option/ is for when a character is killed. One of the powerful affects of the Brotherhood magic is that it can really revive the dead. The price is however hard: the character doing the reviving has to sacrifice his memory of the dead. For resurrection the brotherhood will need the body. The revival ritual has to be done before the next dawn while the brotherhood is still in force. The ritual takes an action from all participants. Only characters with at least one flashback from the deceased can be part of the rite. The actual rite is a conflict type Ice roll. The reviver sacrifices one flashback, which is removed from both character sheets. Then he and other participants sacrifice as many additional flashbacks as desired, for a +1 each in the roll. Each participant gets to use his Ice once, in any combination of rolls. One success is needed to resurrect the body. Any failures will take a paralyzing wound as per normal conflicts. All conflict participants roll death rolls and treasure rolls for supernatural visions. If a character loses his last flashback about another character they become strangers and may not get any more flashbacks towards each other. Resurrection can only be tried once per death, and deceased cannot take part in the Brotherhood ritual, so one has to already be in a brotherhood to be resurrected. Dungeon crawling When the characters get into the dungeon the GM will again start running turns. Any characters in the same location will get one turn. The turns always start from the character(s) closest to the exit and end with the character closest to the wizard (which could help the players in finding the wizard, assuming the GM won't just place him where he wishes when the game is ready to end). The dungeon itself is the perennial gamist nightmare from the 70s, including everything and the kitchen sink if the GM thinks it necessary. The locations are connected by endless tunnels. The GM should keep a map (secret from players) with locations as circles connected by lines. It's OK to improvise the structure, but single locations should probably be prepared. The locations will probably be divided into larger areas, which are then grouped into levels of the dungeon. The wizard will most likely come forth before the tenth level, as the challenges become so dangerous that only magically bolstered characters dare go beyond the fifth. The players may always know what dungeon level they are in. A simple rule of thumb for the GM is that the local variables used in the later rules add up to -5+(dungeon level). So some area on level 2 might have -3 in geography (cliffs to climb) and zeroes in anything else, and another +2 in monster activity (wendigo nest), -5 in geography (straight tunnels) and 0 in anything else. The common variables used are general danger level, geography level, treasure level and monster activity, but if the GM thinks up any others to simplify his life, it's all to the good. The GM will also keep record of passing turns. The dawn comes every twenty rounds, and this will be important for the brotherhood magic. The characters carry light for ten turns and can only get more by returning to the surface for a turn or finding light sources inside. In no case can the characters carry light for more than ten rounds, except if finding magical light in the dungeon. [subchapter] Dungeon activities On a given turn each character having that turn can make one of many possible actions. Action is anything important that could conceivably take about quarter of an hour or more. Any real conflicts are always actions. The following is a non-exhaustive list of actions and guidelines for refereeing them. - Resting - Moving - Magic actions - Conflicts - Flashbacks - Other /Resting/ characters are doing nothing, to gather strength. The rester(s) will roll luck or equivalent against the local monster activity (decided by the GM for the area) to check if trouble comes looking for them. If at peace, the rester can reduce one wound by one point (in addition to other possible reductions) and roll any information ability for a hint, which the GM supplies. The hint might be useful or not, depending on result. /Moving/ characters will roll against the structure of the dungeon (decided by the GM for the area). Failure will mean getting lost, being trumped by the local geography, encountering wandering monstrers or being split up. Lost characters resurface in a location as many locations away from their starting point as the degree of failure was. Trumped characters either return where they came or try again with a cumulative -1. Successful character end up in either the next unexplored location in the direction they chose or in any location up to degree of success away from the starting point. A location is considered explored if the character knows it's there. /Magic actions/ are the Brotherhood actions allowed by the characters' Ice. Some of these take an action. It's assumed that the character will not be threatened or otherwise exercising when doing magic. /Conflicts/ happen when a character starts the turn in a location offering conflict. The general conflict rules detailed before are used. The GM may use the local treasure level (decided by the GM for the area) as a guideline when deciding on any treasures found. If the location will be offering conflict in the future is entirely up to the way the GM has set up his dungeon. /Flashback/ can be chosen if a character is in the same location with some other character towards whom he already has at least one flashback. Flashback takes one action and is still, like in the tavern, a short story about the common past of the characters. The other player can still interrupt and correct the story once. A flashback is equivalent to a rest (the wandering monsters should be rolled before the story), except that it is written in the character sheets and both characters must adjust their Ice towards the other to the level indicated by the flashback. The character gets no hint roll, though the other well might if simply resting. This is a gamist dungeon game in the spirit of early roleplaying. There might be a casino, for example, for the characters to waste money in. Or a shop, who knows. The wizard is probably doing some pretty weird things, so different kinds of puzzles and interaction challenges are probable. The Infamous Troll Roulette might show up. The GM will decide what is worth an action in his dungeon. The GMing advice section will go to more detail about the purpose of the dungeon. [subchapter] Various considerations The surface has dungeon level 0 and -1 in about every area category for the purposes of spending time there. A good place to get more torches and rest. If the characters were really extraordinary stupid and left without any food, they will have to scrounge in the dungeon or return to the surface (or even the village) for food. The GM may start giving wounds when appropriate for not eating or sleeping. When a character gains a treasure the players and the GM may use their imagination. The GM may roll the dice for the local treasure value to get some sense of worth. As a general guideline the treasure value can be converted into a temporary ability bonus with value equal to treasure value reversed (a magic item, blessing, whatever) as long as the GM takes it away after a number of turns equal to value or it weakens by one in every use. Likewise any treasure can be balanced with a curse of equal value. Some more suggestions are in the table. It should be noted that the lower treasure level is better, as it's a feature of the area that's actually useful for the character. The above holds true in every particular for the death a character should gain as well, except that the consideration can be based on the general danger level of the area instead of the treasure level. The reverse of the table holds true in every particular, with the character actually dying in various bad and worse ways with results over zero. [table] roll Example treasure: <-5 Cool and unexpected bonuses. -5 Minor rules-breaking benefit. -4 A major magic item or spell. -3 Permanent +1 in an ability (experience, whatever). -2 Permanent special considerations, allies, etc. -1 A minor magic item or spell. 0 A key/hint about the wizard. +1 Items or resources usable later on. +2 Information usable later on. +3 Resources usable for barter in GM locations. +4 Resources usable in the surface world after offing the wizard. +5 Common resources that could have been got from the tavern. >+5 Shitty stuff or lies, demeaning treasure overall for a real hero. [/table] When giving characters permanent improvement options (especially if the game is expanded over the wizard offing) the GM should institute some progressive cost scheme for abilities to give a soft ceiling for ability increases. +5 is to be considered the best of a big city, and +6 is the best of a nation. There's probably no +10 anywhere except among the black wizards the characters off regularly in this kind of campaign. [subchapter]Some monster statistics to give the GM a clue Dragon: Claws +2 Breath +3 Tail +1 A bitch to kill +5 Stupid -3 An intelligent dragon: Claws +2 Breath +3 Tail +1 A bitch to kill +5 Orcs or other green, replaceable things: monster level or general danger level from -3 to +5, depending on the amount. Trap, accessorise freely: General danger level -5 to +2. Anything GM is too lazy to stat: General danger level. There'd be more examples if I got paid for this, you know. [subchapter] Game end The game ends when the wizard is offed, but there is a certain play of rising stakes that goes on before getting there. The GM should put the players into hard situations with monsters, traps and natural disasters before facing the wizard. This is really for their own good, as harder enemies mean greater treasures mean greater readiness to confront the old bastard. The wizard himself has the average danger level of +5; unfortunately this means that his Frail -5 balances nicely with Black Magic +10 (and who knows how many points his Impotent is worth...). The player characters won't likely be getting anywhere near, but if they do the wizard should be easy to off. The GM should be ruthless in applying the wizard unless the conditions given in GM advice are fullfilled. He could even visit the characters to storm among them some before going back to his lair. The wizard will be a master of both resonances. He usually doesn't go anywhere without his pre-pubescent boy slaves, and just the sight of his personal dungeons will most likely gain him both bonuses in all kinds of conflicts if the GM does his job. The player whose character offs the wizard should be hailed by all and considered winner. The character will be able to claim the riches of the wizard too, including his manifold pleasures. It's the real test to see what he does with them. [subchapter] The adult material There is some heavy subject matter in the game, but it can be played with differing lines and veils; it's better for the players to discuss it beforehand and negotiate some comfortable rules about the matter. Then again, a real gamer will just play and let the social contract take care of itself. After all, it's a part of the challenge to see what you can and cannot do personally. GMing advice This is a complex game to run, if the goal is to get the themes to rise to the surface. The game is clearly and without hesitation gamist, but that won't be meaning that there is no social conflict or interesting events in-game. The success will come to the player who embrases the winning strategies of violence and sex without estranging his fellow players, who are needed to get anywhere. The GM should be without mercy in enforcing the rules about the resonances and Ice. He can however keep the game on a comfortable level by his own description (keeping ramping up easy when necessary) and by keeping the overall challenge level low, to not necessitate the most powerful forms of the Brotherhood magic. For the players there is two main winning strategies, both powerfully thematic. In the best tradition one will mean that the character is of evil alignment, and one that he just could be returned Good in person. The Brotherhood magic enable both, and is the vessel of neither. One way to win is to get another player to lower his Ice level low enough to dominate the character and finally Draw it's power. The real challenge is doing this without the other resisting, even when it means death for the character. We are all here to kill the wizard, after all, aren't we? The other main way is for two characters to love each other so much that they can both use the powerful effects of lower Ice. They are even more powerful than the lone character, actually. The last effect of Joining isn't even balanced for longer term play. The trick here is trust, as the players will have to decide who won't rape their body and mind when the Ice goes down. There are a couple of other ways to win, but those you'll find yourself. The important thing is that the GM will have to faciliate the challenge by introducing dungeon levels with a suitable rhythm. Don't go too hard, but neither you should give any feel of progress if the characters are not ready to invest in it. If the players are getting it too easy, or they don't use enough of the resonances and Ice, the challenge should go up. The idea is that you'll make the challenge harder and harder until getting to the limits agreed to as far as sex and violence go. From there it's easy to get in some good old-fashioned catharsis. A key technique for the GM should be dividing the characters to smaller groups and individuals. Many locations of the dungeon should be pointed towards either dividing the groups or remixing them. A central idea of the game is how well different characters can cooperate. Character death should be avoided. It should be absolutely understood by the GM that failing a death roll /doesn't/ mean that the character dies. He will only be as dead as the GM wishes to make him. This means that when a character fails the roll he is at the mercy of the GM or the player who wins the conflict. The winner may decide on his fate, killing him or not. If the player wants to continue the game and others want him in, there's no reason to kill the character. Much better for him to crawl away. If a character is regardless killed, flip over to the Brotherhood magic and revive him by all means. Death for dramatic purposes is good for the soul. In practice the rules should work without too many problems. Study old-school dungeon design, and adapt a dungeon to your taste. Remember to enforce player communication if someone loses his telepathy. Always take an opportunity to split characters up and join them together in inventive ways. [subchapter] Issues of gender Despite the game referring to brotherhoods, brothers and hes there is nothing to stop women from playing or being characters. One would think that it'd make the game better, truth to tell.