Editing Kingdoms: Creating the Court

[[Kingdoms: Main Page]] -> [[Kingdoms: Creating the Court]]

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=Overview=

Creating the Court is a descriptive process - each player will need some sheets of paper, and something to write with. Adjudictors who want to do this more formally might create an A4 template for each for each Piece, with the players writing in the top half and the bottom half left blank for the Adjudicator to enter game-rules related information.

When the players write, they should be concentrating on the imagery that they evoke... for all its gamist structure, ''Kingdoms'' is at its core about the ''narrative''. A paragraph of descriptive prose for each piece is the bare minimum, though players who feel they want a little variation might choose to couch their prose in the form of a story, or might even feel that they would like to present poetry! Regardless, what we're looking for is something that you can be proud of, not just a list of bullet points or a scattering of words and phrases.

The only exception to this is the Eight Armies - in this case, a list of eight bullet points is ''exactly'' what we're looking for. We'll come back to them momentarily.

Traditionally, the King and Queen should be described in the first person, and other pieces in the third person.

When writing up your pieces, it can be tempting to try to "power-game", for example describing invisible ghost armies, teleporting demon kings and bishops with mind control powers. This is not a good idea. The game systems in place balance out any advantages with suitable disadvantages, and if you don't balance your characters then the Adjudicator will do it for you.

Instead, just approach this as an exercise in creativity, and understand that restraint is as important as imagination. Aim for imagery and mood, and let the Adjudicator deal with the numbers!

Of course, that isn't to say that you should be dismissive of grand strategy or ignorant of the rules. If, for example, you build a court that is 100% focused on aggression, pillage and plunder, then don't be surprised if they end up weaker at defence and other factors. Generally, balanced strategies work well, but it never hurts to have a ''little'' focus.
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=The King Dreams, The Court Serves=

The '''King Players''' are responsible for creating their Courts. The '''Queen Players''' can offer advice, but ultimately it is the king who gets final call on who is part of his court, and it is the ''King Player'' who holds the pen and paper.

There is ''one specific exception'' to this - the '''Queen Player''' always gets to write-up the '''Queen'''. While the king can say what he would like, the Queen is a self-made woman!

The in-game explanation for this is this is as follows:

''Every son of royal blood is a conduit for Glamour - the raw stuff of dream that comprises and maintains the Fae Realms. The whole of Fae Reality owes its existence to Glamour. As a young princeling grows up, he literally dreams his Court into reality. It is his subconscious and his Glamour that gives them form and substance. Once formed, the greater of these creations will gain independent sentience, but they still owe their existence to their King.''

''The exception to this is the Queen. She is a sorceress and outsider who was dreamt into being by secret cabals and ancestor spirits in the Outer Realms. At the appointed time she arrives and presents herself to the Court, ready to take her place at the new King's side, and to make his Court complete. She is not of the King's creation, but she binds herself willingly to his destiny.''

It's also worth noting that while the '''Adjudicator''' oversees the creation of the Courts, the two opposing Kings dream their creations separately and secretly from each other. At the start of the 12 years the Courts will be revealed to the public eye, in all their glory, but each King must prepare for war without knowing what his opposite is doing.
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==The Dreamform==

Every Court has a '''Dreamform''' based on the way that each King visualises himself and his kingdom. This ''Dreamform'' creates a unifying style and theme for the entire Court.

The Seelie White Kings normally dream of unified kingdoms with strong hierarchies and rigid societies. Often, their peoples will be of a single race, and with a single shared culture. For example, a Seelie White King might dream of a desert kingdom where he is the Undying Sun Pharoah, and where legions of skeletons serve him. Alternatively he might dream of a theocracy land ruled by its Church, where he is the Godhead to a million human worshippers.

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. Note also that the fact that this dream kingdom is newly formed is no reason for it not to have a history - as far as the Kingdom and its inhabitants are concerned, history is just about perception and can be formed at the same time as they come into being. So, for example, if you want to create a jungle kingdom that has been inhabited by elemental spirits for ten thousand years, thats absolutely fine - the fact of the matter is that it will only have existed for mere moments, but the elemental spirits that are dreamt into existence within may have all the memories of ten millennia, and will act like what they perceive to be true is incontrivertible fact.

All in all, the King should write at least 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.

Consider the following:

* '''Common Themes in White Courts:''' Order and hierarchy; Sun; Daylight; Codes of honour; Discipline; Technology; Science; Monotheism; Self Control; Beauty;

* '''Common Themes in Black Courts:''' Chaos and broken societies; Moon; Nighttime; Do-as-thou-wilt; Passion; The natural world; The supernatural; Animism; Rage; Freaks and misfits;

* '''Common Themes in All Courts:''' Strong leadership from the king; Each piece clear in its role; Strong thematic unity; Limited scale - a medieval European country is a good reference point; Real world history or fantasy tropes as a theme (e.g. Egypt and the Pharoahs, Land of Dragons, etc.);

* '''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; Unimaginatively plaigirising another game's setting ("...and these are my Skaven Plague Monks...");

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...
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==The Arrival of the Queen==

The Queen piece, is not part of the King's Dreamform, and so will almost never fit the same themes and appearances. She comes from a far kingdom elsewhere in the fae realms, and so is an outsider by default.

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. If nothing else it should be at least feasible that the queen will one day be able to bear the heirs to the throne for the next generation.

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.

Ultimately though, remember that both King and Queen are of the same Court, and thus should be natural allies. Whether there is love at first sight (as is not uncommon in the Fae realms), or whether there is simply a mutual understanding of shared goals, the Queen binds herself to that Court and to working towards its ultimate victory.

Note that because the Queen Player is only responsible for this one character sheet, there may be a tendency for the Queen to have a far greater degree of description than any other piece. This is intentional! While the King is defined by his realm and his followers, the Queen is defined as an individual. As a result it is perfectly correct for her to lead a more complex and personal existence.
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==Ready for War: The Knights==

Each Court has two Knights - one Seelie and one Unseelie.

A Knight is, essentially, a master of aggressive 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.

Regardless, when the Court is created, it is the King's-Player who must make the decisions, and fill out the character sheets for both of the Knights in his court.
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==Masters of Intrigue: The Bishops==

Each Court has two Bishops - one Seelie and one Unseelie.

A Bishop is a master of intrigue. Bishops are essential to success in the season of Winter, and will be the Pieces you use most often employ as Agents for your Winter Intrigues. A Bishop's strength is through subtlety and the power of words, rather than through martial strength or battle command.

Unlike Knights, there are strong in-game differences between Seelie and Unseelie Bishops, and the sort of actions they can engage in. Seelie Bishops tend to be politicians, courtiers and administrators, operating openly in society to achieve their goals. Unseelie Bishops tend to be spies, black-op agents and demagogues, working invisible to subvert, poison and sow discord. Critically, a Seelie Bishop can never oppose the actions of an Unseelie Bishop and vice versa.

Note that despite being called "bishops" these pieces need not have any religious connotations to them. You definitely can make them clerics and holy men if you like, but you don't have to - they can be secular agents if you so wish. 

Regardless, when the Court is created, it is the King's-Player who must make the decisions, and fill out the character sheets for both of the Bishops in his court.
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==Defenders of the Realm: The Rooks==

Each Court has two Rooks - one Seelie and one Unseelie.

A Rook is a defence specialist - they help protect your Kingdom against both military and intrigue threats, and tend to do so more effectively than most. Though you can send Rooks on the attack, they don't necessarily do well in such circumstances, because they rely on resources and contacts within the Kingdom itself.

The Seelie Rook tends to be a co-ordinator of "official" forces. For example, a Minister for Homeland Security would be a Seelie Rook, as would a Castellan, a Seneschal or an Imperial Engineer.

The Unseelie Rook tends to work in shadows with "unofficial" resources to defend the realm. For example, an Underworld Crime Boss would be an Unseelie Rook, as would a Shadow Guildmaster, a Cult leader or a Ghost-speaking shaman.

Both, however, can defend and counter any threat, and can use different means to achieve the same goals.

Regardless, when the Court is created, it is the King's-Player who must make the decisions, and fill out the character sheets for both of the Rooks in his court.
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==The Eight Armies: The Pawns==

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, when 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.

Conceptually, each army by default represents the strength of about one thousand human infantrymen, and you should aim to use this as your base. Don't worry too much about the details: all you really need for each of the eight armies is a name, and an idea of what they represent. For example:

* '''The Grinning Skull Corsairs''' - Undisciplined piratical filth, hungry for gold.
* '''The Templars of the Silver Moon''' - Religious warriors, dedicated to the Moon King.

Its generally a good idea (and helps to avoid confusion) if you avoid piece names in descriptions of your armies. Don't, for example, call your Pawn army the ''Knights of the Ebon Dawn''.

Aim for variety - each Pawn is just a Pawn, but it still deserves its own unique identity, and a name that evokes strong imagery.
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=Consolidating the Court - Adding the Stats=

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 by adding '''Descriptors''' and '''Numbers'''.

He'll almost certainly need to be familiar with the following pages to do this:

* [[Kingdoms: King - The Lord and Liege|King - The Lord and Liege]]
* [[Kingdoms: Queen - The Sorceress|Queen - The Sorceress]]
* [[Kingdoms: Knights - The Warmasters|Knights - The Warmasters]]
* [[Kingdoms: Bishops - The Manipulators|Rook - The Manipulators]]
* [[Kingdoms: Rooks - The Defenders|Rooks - The Defenders]]
* [[Kingdoms: Pawns - The Eight Armies|Pawns - The Eight Armies]]

==Descriptors==

Generally there are three types of '''descriptor''' he can work with: '''Boons, Drawbacks''' and '''Traits'''.

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.

'''Important Rule:''' ''No single Piece may have any given Descriptor more than once.''
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===Boons===
A '''Boon''' is an advantage that the piece possesses. ''For each '''Boon''' allocated at this stage the Adjudicator should add one '''Drawback'''.''
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===Drawbacks===
A '''Drawback''' is a weakness or disadvantage.
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===Traits===
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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==Numerical Traits==

In game, there are various numbers that have in game meaning. Each Piece has a '''Primary Attribute''', and the King also has two additional numbers to track.

* The King's Primary Attribute is '''Dreaming'''.
* The Queen's Primary Attribute is '''Sorcery'''.
* The Knight's Primary Attribute is '''Warcraft'''.
* The Bishop's Primary Attribute is '''Intrigue'''.
* The Rook's Primary Attribute is '''Protection'''.
* The Pawn's Primary Attribute is '''Battle Rating'''.
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===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).

By default, the King starts with '''10 Glamour''', though certain game rules 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.
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===Harvest===

'''Harvest''' is also recorded on the King's character sheet. This number represents the amount of ''Glamour'' that the King receives in the season of ''Autumn''. 

''Harvest'' is not spent - the number is purely there to remind you how much you Glamour gain in Autumn. By default, the King has '''Harvest 5''', though certain game rules can effect this.
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===Dreaming===

'''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.

''Dreaming'' is not spent - the number is purely there to remind you how much you Glamour can spend per Springtime. By default, the King has '''Dreaming 5''', though certain game rules can effect this.

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.

''Dreaming'' also determines the King's effectiveness in many other situations. For example, a King with strong Dreaming is a more effective war-leader and diplomat.
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===Sorcery===

'''Sorcery''' is a trait unique to Queens, and is found on the Queen's character sheet. Queen's with a higher ''Sorcery'' score cast magic more effectively.

''Sorcery'' is not spent - the number is purely there to remind you how powerful your Queen is in magic. By default, the Queen has '''Sorcery 5''', though certain game rules can effect this.
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===Warcraft===

'''Warcraft''' is a trait unique to Knights, and is found on each Knight's character sheet. Knights with a higher ''Warcraft'' score are more effective at aggressive fighting and at battle leadership.

''Warcraft'' is not spent - the number is purely there to remind you how talented your Knight is. By default, the Knight has '''Warcraft 5''', though certain game rules can effect this.
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===Intrigue===

'''Intrigue''' is a trait unique to Bishops, and is found on each Bishop's character sheet. Bishops with a higher ''Intrigue'' score are more effective at political and subversive tasks.

''Intrigue'' is not spent - the number is purely there to remind you how talented your Bishop is. By default, the Bishop has '''Intrigue 5''', though certain game rules can effect this.
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===Protection===

'''Protection''' is a trait unique to Rooks, and is found on each Rook's character sheet. Rooks with a higher ''Protection'' score are more effective defenders for your Kingdom.

''Protection'' is not spent - the number is purely there to remind you how talented your Rook is. By default, the Rook has '''Protection 5''', though certain game rules can effect this.
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===Battle Rating===

'''Battle Rating''' is a trait unique to Pawns, and is written next to each Pawn on the army roster sheet. Pawns with a higher ''Battle Rating'' score are more effective in battle.

''Battle Rating'' is not spent - the number is purely there to remind you how effective your Pawn is. By default, the Pawn has '''Battle Rating 5''', though certain game rules can effect this.
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=A Work of Art, to be Admired by All...=

At the end of this process you should have a collection of prose and of game stats that describe the kingdoms as they begin the '''Game of Succession'''.

The next part is ''absolutely vital...''

'''All the information is then fully shared amongst everyone at the game table.'''

This is done in an open fashion - everything that has been written goes on the table, and anybody can read anything. At this stage, the play group should just be a group of friends, admiring each others handiwork and visualising how things are going to play out. There shouldn't be any secret discussions at this stage, and no-one should take any of the paperwork away from the table.

Of course, a canny and tactical player will be paying close attention to what's written down there, and may even want to take a note or two. Its up to you how you deal with this, but make it clear that at any time during the game these bits of paper can be viewed by anybody. While the game is played they remain the property of the group, not the authors, and nothing on them is ever hidden information.

This can be a bit of a system shock to players used to clinging tightly to their character sheets. Remind the players that the game is not these bits of paper - they're just aides-memoire, and pieces of creative writing to be shared and appreciated by all.

[[Category:Kingdoms|Creating the Court]]