The Riddle of Steel

MadassAlex

^^^ Roleplaying is sort of a necessity in this game, although the game itself includes mechanical elements to support this. Even if you're, say, using anachronistic language ("Dude, that's fucked up"), the game actively rewards you for roleplaying. Tests related to your character's drives, passions and moral compass are rewarded with extra dice to represent their commitment to the task at hand. This is also the most effective way to empower your character. Any skill, attribute or spiritual attribute (aforementioned drives and such) progress by using them. So if you play your character with gameplay efficiency, you're also roleplaying.

As for what I want out of you guys in terms of roleplaying, this is pretty much comprehensively it:

- Keep in mind what your character's knowledge limitations are as opposed to your own.
- In a chat client or forum, use quotation marks to signify character dialogue.
- Anachronistic language is fine, but keep exclusively regional stuff out of it ("jive" talk, heavily urban slang, essentially anything associated with a specific region or environment). For instance, "Dude" is decidedly un-Middle Ages, but that's fine because it's a modern, universally understood term in the Anglosphere. "Dingbat", on the other hand, is too Australian.
- Keep your character's broader characterisation in mind, but don't worry about 100% roleplay or anything.
- Keep it all reasonable. Humour's great and I encourage it, but keep it in context. One of my friends once roleplayed a black stereotype in Dark Heresy. It was amusing, but it didn't fit the setting. Not to mention it was horribly racist.

I guess, in short, I'd like to see the people I GM keep one foot in the setting most of the time.

^^ Riddle of Steel is a horrible game for loot, so I'm glad you're not after that kind of thing.

^ Noted.

So, we collectively like

- Puzzles and multi-PC obstacles.
- Interaction
- Trickery

so far.

I can work with this.

ClockworkUniverse

Some stuff about my character so far:

Basically, he's supposed to be sort of a spy. I'm not entirely sure who he'd be working for...if you have suggestions, I'd appreciate them.

But I kinda picture him working as a bartender at a tavern, or something else that would let him observe and interact with lots of people.

MadassAlex

Your character might work for an underground information exchange network, collecting and selling information. This information is usually political, economic or social. If he does, he'd probably have little to do with the selling. Instead, he'd collect information, report, get paid for his trouble and have nothing further to do with it.

Unless it came back to bite him.

vandro

My character would be a hermit blacksmith's adopted son, his only role model being him. He lacks social skills and makes up for it in determination, he becomes a blacksmith in the city in an effort to have more money to get by, I am still trying to think how he learned magic, however.

MadassAlex

hermit blacksmith's adopted son

---

Why would a blacksmith be a hermit, if not for the fear of revealing unusual and frightening skills? The magic would also explain how a blacksmith could survive as a hermit without farming or much hunting. Furthermore, since magic ages a character in TRoS if not handled correctly, you could have it so the blacksmith hermit died before his time, forcing his adopted son to move out into the world.

vandro

Good one.

Icalasari

Is it possible for my character to have once been a somewhat respected knight, but then one day during a demonstration (perhaps at a fair) magic went off, leading to him being shunned?

Then he could develop his magic between the period of being shunned and when the rp starts, thus explaining why he is better with swords than magic (since he learned swords far sooner)

MadassAlex

No problems with that.

Also, everyone should get their hands on the rules. The book itself is rather rare, although online materials are pretty easy to find.

ClockworkUniverse

Your character might work for an underground information exchange network, collecting and selling information. This information is usually political, economic or social. If he does, he'd probably have little to do with the selling. Instead, he'd collect information, report, get paid for his trouble and have nothing further to do with it. 

 Unless it came back to bite him.

Interesting.

MadassAlex

Absolutely your call, by the way. I'm just throwing stuff.

ClockworkUniverse

Yeah, but I didn't really know who to have him work for, and I like that suggestion.

MadassAlex

Another advantage of this method is that he continue to work no matter where he is in the network. He can simply give the information he connects to the local administrator -- a good source of income in any decently sized town.

Gelzo

I think it might be better to hold off on setting anything in stone for me until I learn more about the rules and setting, but I'll just present a rough outline and can be told if something is wrong with it. I think I'd like to play a character that's strongly fixated on magic, preferably an academic type. As long as I can do that, I don't think I mind taking hits to my stats in other areas so long as it's consistent internally and with the story, and that it doesn't cripple me so horribly that I become a burden.

Well I guess what I wanted ended up being simpler than I thought, I just had some other ideas about how to deal with the drawbacks I'd deal with.

MadassAlex

So, are you a magician as a result of your fixation, or a studious outsider?

In any case, your skill packets would probably be Academic/Ritualist. Whether you're magical or not, it gives you some kind of understanding on the whole shebang.

If you're magical, I'd do it like this, probably:

A: Skills (Learned!)
B: Race (Human magician)
C: Social Class (High Freeman, which would justify you having the resources to pursue academics.)
Proficiencies (Enough to have decent magic, but at the cost of weapon skills -- fitting for an academic.)
E: Attributes (Enough to slam some decent mental statistics in, but not enough for good physical ones.)
F: Gifts and Flaws (Magic can make one mad quite easily, you know.)

Although you could mix up the last three.

Alternatively, if you're an unmagical outsider with an academic interest:

A: Skills (Learned!)
B: Social Class (Low Nobility.)
C: Gifts and Flaws (This is on the upper end of the scale, affording you some kind of free advantage.)
Attributes (Again, mostly for mental attributes.)
E: Proficiencies (Not a fighter, nor a magician.)
F: Race (Non-magical human.)

MadassAlex

I'd also note that, according to the rules, you need to know a few intimate details about your character's motivations, ethics and passions.

Is there someone they're genuinely, freely loyal to? Do they live by a moral code, or by what's convenient? What is their own, personal goal?

Gelzo

I like the sound of the first build you presented. Might want to switch proficiencies and attributes later once I figure out what the difference would be.

I'm imagining a character that is primarily passionate about his studies. He would have morals, but they wouldn't be especially strict, and I imagine that he'd end up bending them if presented with a good enough temptation.

MadassAlex

You don't want Proficiencies at any lower than D unless you want just about no magic or fighting potential. It only gives 4 points, which buys you enough to be effective, albeit limited.

vandro

Morals and ethics, pretty idealistic and somewhat naïve, holds himself to standards he can't quite live up to, instilled in him by his father. Pretty uptight, his wish should be to be a great smith and maybe someday a great merchant.

Icalasari

Are we getting too many magic users?

MadassAlex

Yes.

I'll deal with it, though.

Part of the reason I wanted basic character builds first is so I can begin constructing scenarios that deal with the potential insanity of whatever builds you guys throw at me.

Icalasari

Well, if there are too many, then I'll drop race down to an F and be a normal sword fighter instead

vandro

I have no problems if you choose I can make the assassin instead.

MadassAlex

-shrugs-

It's really your call. I wasn't intending to cater for a bunch of magic-users to begin with, but if you guys choose to go that way, then I've already got some ideas suitable for a party of magicians. While the design process is a little more challenging this way, I've also got the opportunity to play with different themes and possibilities.

It's probably better that I design scenarios for mostly mundane characters or mostly magical characters rather than an equally split party, anyway.

Icalasari

Ah, then I'll stay with magic

MadassAlex

I hope you guys have found some rulesets. >

Gelzo

Shouldn't the person running the game know where to find them?

MadassAlex

I've got the rules, and I posted a cut-down version on the last page as a PDF.

Some here have expressed that they want to look at the rules before finalising character creation or even character concept, though, so if those don't look at the rules themselves, then we'll get nowhere.

That said, I'd be willing to run an example of combat with someone. 

Icalasari

...You don't have the rules as a PDF, but as an actual book, don't you?

MadassAlex

PDF only, I'm afraid. The Riddle of Steel was published in 2001 and has yet to receive a second edition; consequently, it's an uncommon acquisition.

Icalasari

Ah. Then why not upload the PDF so we can download and read it?