Editing Kingdoms: Creating the Court
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The Unseelie Black Kings usually reach into the wilder and uncontrolled depths of the Dreaming for their visions. Their people will be diverse, passionate and prone to wildness. One Unseelie Black King might see himself as an Orcish Warlord, with a feral horde of trolls, nightspawn and greenskins at his command. Another might see himself as a Giant Spider, controlling a sprawl of "independent" city states through blackmail and influence. | The Unseelie Black Kings usually reach into the wilder and uncontrolled depths of the Dreaming for their visions. Their people will be diverse, passionate and prone to wildness. One Unseelie Black King might see himself as an Orcish Warlord, with a feral horde of trolls, nightspawn and greenskins at his command. Another might see himself as a Giant Spider, controlling a sprawl of "independent" city states through blackmail and influence. | ||
− | Because the Dreamform shapes the King himself, and because Seelie or Unseelie nature plays a part, there is little reason for the two brothers to be similar in any way. Genetics and inherited traits have no place in the Fae Realm - the imagination of the subconscious mind is the only limit | + | Because the Dreamform shapes the King himself, and because Seelie or Unseelie nature plays a part, there is little reason for the two brothers to be similar in any way. Genetics and inherited traits have no place in the Fae Realm - the imagination of the subconscious mind is the only limit. |
− | All in all, the King should write | + | All in all, the King should write about a paragraph about his Dreamform and himself. He should establish what he looks like, how his kingdom appears, and should aim to mention the mood, the values and the structure of his kingdom. |
− | + | As the King-Player defines his ''Dreamform'', he should complete the character sheet for his King piece. This Dreamform will determine the theme and nature of the rest of his Court, with one small exception... | |
− | * '''Common Themes in White Courts:''' Order and hierarchy; Sun; Daylight; Codes of honour; Discipline; Technology; Science; Monotheism; Self Control | + | * '''Common Themes in White Courts:''' Order and hierarchy; Sun; Daylight; Codes of honour; Discipline; Technology; Science; Monotheism; Self Control; |
− | * '''Common Themes in Black Courts:''' Chaos and broken societies; Moon; Nighttime; Do-as-thou-wilt; Passion; The natural world; The supernatural; Animism; Rage | + | * '''Common Themes in Black Courts:''' Chaos and broken societies; Moon; Nighttime; Do-as-thou-wilt; Passion; The natural world; The supernatural; Animism; Rage; |
− | * '''Common Themes in All Courts:''' Strong leadership from the king; Each piece clear in its role; Strong thematic unity | + | * '''Common Themes in All Courts:''' Strong leadership from the king; Each piece clear in its role; Strong thematic unity; |
− | * '''Things to avoid generally:''' Attempts to power-game; Excessive focus on one Season or strategy; Poor thematic cohesion; Weak or uninteresting descriptions; Deliberate attempts to break the game or de-rail the setting; | + | * '''Things to avoid generally:''' Attempts to power-game; Excessive focus on one Season or strategy; Poor thematic cohesion; Weak or uninteresting descriptions; Deliberate attempts to break the game or de-rail the setting; |
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<br><br> | <br><br> | ||
==The Arrival of the Queen== | ==The Arrival of the Queen== | ||
− | The Queen piece, | + | The Queen piece, being formed independently and not as part of the Dreamform, will almost never fit the same themes and appearances. |
The Queen Player fills writes up this Piece's character sheet, and should try to strike a contrast that is aesthetically pleasing rather than ridiculous. | The Queen Player fills writes up this Piece's character sheet, and should try to strike a contrast that is aesthetically pleasing rather than ridiculous. | ||
− | For example, if the King is a dusky skinned sheikh of the desert, then it is excellent narrative to have the Queen be a fair-skinned beauty from a green and pleasant land. On the other hand, if the King is a seven hundred foot tall stone behemoth ruling elemental earth, then perhaps it becomes more appropriate to the story if the queen is a spirit-dragon made of elemental air | + | For example, if the King is a dusky skinned sheikh of the desert, then it is excellent narrative to have the Queen be a fair-skinned beauty from a green and pleasant land. On the other hand, if the King is a seven hundred foot tall stone behemoth ruling elemental earth, then perhaps it becomes more appropriate to the story if the queen is a spirit-dragon made of elemental air. |
Contrast with consistency is the goal. Don't forget also that by nature, the Queen will be opposite to the King. A Seelie King has an Unseelie Queen, and vice versa. | Contrast with consistency is the goal. Don't forget also that by nature, the Queen will be opposite to the King. A Seelie King has an Unseelie Queen, and vice versa. | ||
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Each Court has two Knights - one Seelie and one Unseelie. | Each Court has two Knights - one Seelie and one Unseelie. | ||
− | A Knight is, essentially, a master of | + | A Knight is, essentially, a master of warfare. Knights are essential to success in the season of Summer, and will be the Pieces you use most often to lead your Summer Campaigns. Knights are often fine warriors in their own right, are often skilled war-commanders and are almost always fiercely loyal to their monarchs. |
Cynics might observe that aside from cosmetic and moral differences, Seelie and Unseelie Knights fulfil much the same function. The most important differentiator, of course, is that one Knight will follow the orders of his Queen, and the other will follow the orders of his King. | Cynics might observe that aside from cosmetic and moral differences, Seelie and Unseelie Knights fulfil much the same function. The most important differentiator, of course, is that one Knight will follow the orders of his Queen, and the other will follow the orders of his King. | ||
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Pawns are approached a little differently from the other pieces, in that they don't represent characters that you play directly, but armies who you can lead in battle. | Pawns are approached a little differently from the other pieces, in that they don't represent characters that you play directly, but armies who you can lead in battle. | ||
− | Because of the way Pawns come into being (from the King's dreamform) they don't have much in the way of independent personalities. A Pawn is not an army of individuals, but rather a single entity formed from the concept of an army. Pawns don't go to war unless led by a back-row piece. In fact, | + | Because of the way Pawns come into being (from the King's dreamform) they don't have much in the way of independent personalities. A Pawn is not an army of individuals, but rather a single entity formed from the concept of an army. Pawns don't go to war unless led by a back-row piece. In fact, whe they're not commanded Pawns don't really live independent lives at all. |
Once a King is victorious all this will change - the Pawns (and indeed the peasants of the kingdom) will benefit from the growing strength of the new High King's vision and will become people proper. For now though, they're just future echoes of what they will one day become. | Once a King is victorious all this will change - the Pawns (and indeed the peasants of the kingdom) will benefit from the growing strength of the new High King's vision and will become people proper. For now though, they're just future echoes of what they will one day become. | ||
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Aim for variety - each Pawn is just a Pawn, but it still deserves its own unique identity, and a name that evokes strong imagery. | Aim for variety - each Pawn is just a Pawn, but it still deserves its own unique identity, and a name that evokes strong imagery. | ||
<br><br> | <br><br> | ||
+ | =Consolidating the Court - Adding the Numbers= | ||
− | + | Once the descriptions are in place, the ''Adjudicator'' takes over, adding game information to each character sheet. The information he adds is determined by the descriptions, but ultimately his main task is to achieve game balance between the two sides. | |
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− | Once the descriptions are in place, the ''Adjudicator'' takes over, adding game information to each character sheet. The information he adds is determined by the descriptions, but ultimately his main task is to achieve game balance between the two sides | ||
He'll almost certainly need to be familiar with the following pages to do this: | He'll almost certainly need to be familiar with the following pages to do this: | ||
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* [[Kingdoms: King - The Lord and Liege|King - The Lord and Liege]] | * [[Kingdoms: King - The Lord and Liege|King - The Lord and Liege]] | ||
* [[Kingdoms: Queen - The Sorceress|Queen - The Sorceress]] | * [[Kingdoms: Queen - The Sorceress|Queen - The Sorceress]] | ||
+ | * [[Kingdoms: Rooks - The Ministers|Rooks - The Ministers]] | ||
* [[Kingdoms: Knights - The Warmasters|Knights - The Warmasters]] | * [[Kingdoms: Knights - The Warmasters|Knights - The Warmasters]] | ||
* [[Kingdoms: Bishops - The Manipulators|Rook - The Manipulators]] | * [[Kingdoms: Bishops - The Manipulators|Rook - The Manipulators]] | ||
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* [[Kingdoms: Pawns - The Eight Armies|Pawns - The Eight Armies]] | * [[Kingdoms: Pawns - The Eight Armies|Pawns - The Eight Armies]] | ||
− | + | Generally there are three types of '''descriptor''' he can work with: '''Boons, Drawbacks''' and '''Traits'''. | |
− | + | A '''Boon''' is an advantage that the piece possesses. | |
− | + | ''Each one '''Boon''' is countered by one '''Drawback'''.'' | |
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A '''Drawback''' is a weakness or disadvantage. | A '''Drawback''' is a weakness or disadvantage. | ||
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A '''Trait''' is a descriptor that effects the way the Piece plays, but can be considered to be overall neither an advantage or a disadvantage. | A '''Trait''' is a descriptor that effects the way the Piece plays, but can be considered to be overall neither an advantage or a disadvantage. | ||
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+ | Adjudicators should generally aim to keep things simple - zero to three descriptors per piece is generally more than enough, though some pieces (most especially the Queen) might deserve more complexity than this. | ||
<br><br> | <br><br> | ||
+ | =Numerical Traits= | ||
− | + | In game, there are various numbers that have in game meaning. | |
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− | In game, there are various numbers that have in game meaning | ||
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<br> | <br> | ||
− | + | ==Glamour== | |
'''Glamour''' is recorded on the King's character sheet. It is a numerical resource, which the King will spend to achieve various effects (such as restoring armies, building improvements and hiring mercenaries). | '''Glamour''' is recorded on the King's character sheet. It is a numerical resource, which the King will spend to achieve various effects (such as restoring armies, building improvements and hiring mercenaries). | ||
− | By default, the King starts with '''10 Glamour''', though certain | + | By default, the King starts with '''10 Glamour''', though certain King traits can effect this. |
''Glamour'' is a resource that is tracked from moment to moment - it can increase and decrease as it is earnt and spent, but can never fall below zero. | ''Glamour'' is a resource that is tracked from moment to moment - it can increase and decrease as it is earnt and spent, but can never fall below zero. | ||
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− | === | + | ==Dreaming== |
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− | '' | + | '''Dreaming''' is also recorded on the King's character sheet. This number represents the maximum Glamour that the King can spend in the season of ''Springtime''. King's with a higher ''Dreaming'' have a significant advantage, as they can muster troops faster, grant more boons, outbid the opposition for mercenaries and build improvements faster. |
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− | + | ''Dreaming'' is not spent - the number is purely there to remind you how much you Glamour can spend per Springtime. | |
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− | ''Dreaming'' is not spent - the number is purely there to remind you how much you Glamour can spend per Springtime | ||
Note that your ''Dreaming'' score does not limit any costs of expenditures in seasons other than Springtime. For example, if you want to pay a Ransom in Autumn, you can pay as much or as little Glamour as you like, regardless of your Dreaming score. | Note that your ''Dreaming'' score does not limit any costs of expenditures in seasons other than Springtime. For example, if you want to pay a Ransom in Autumn, you can pay as much or as little Glamour as you like, regardless of your Dreaming score. | ||
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[[Category:Kingdoms|Creating the Court]] | [[Category:Kingdoms|Creating the Court]] |