My new group just put the Seasons chapter through the ringer in a very good way. They asked hard questions, making me come up with hard answers. They found mistakes, they found inconsistencies, they found loopholes. They showed me how to make the game better. A lot better. I’m very excited for one of the…
One of my players has begun an online journal of the playtest sessions. Actually, she’s been keeping these journals from the beginning. Fun, quick reads. You can read them here.
Most ven seek Artifacts from the ruins of the sorcerer-kings. Such items give a ven power, prestige and influence. The noble caste finances groups of ven brave enough to dare the ork-haunted ruins, hoping they’ll return with such items. Not all return. A small party of ven crawling through an ancient ruin. The smell of…
One of the most common forms of murder in ven opera and pillow books is poison. The temptation to create an elaborate system for venoms is tempting… Actually, it isn’t. Not even in the slightest. Poison kills you. That’s what it does. No risk. No rolling dice. If you ingest it, if it’s injected into…
When a ven noble declares Revenge, another weapon becomes available to him. A weapon declared illegal under all other circumstances. A shameful weapon. A deadly weapon. The patient kiss. Poison. Ven biology is such that most venoms and toxins do not affect them. A few are potent enough to make him stumble or perhaps even…
I’m adding a new Region type. “Swamp.” Swamps give you access to both sorcery and poisons. Making a poison is a Season action. The ven know many kinds of poisons. I count about 5. You’ll need to make one of those specific kinds of poisons. Making yourself immune to a particular kind of poison… the…
One of the most common forms of murder in ven opera and pillow books is poison. The temptation to create an elaborate system for venoms is tempting… Actually, it isn’t. Not even in the slightest. Poison kills you. That’s what it does. No risk. No rolling dice. If you ingest it, if it’s injected into…
The pillow books talk about them. Other historical references cite them. Used only in duels–except in the cases of extreme treachery–pistols existed in ancient Shanri. We know this. But I am reluctant to include them in the game. To be completely faithful to the source material, I should have them in the book. We know…
As you may have gathered from the title, this chapter is for the GM. Players can read it if they wish—there are no metaplot secrets or spoilers—but reading this chapter is a lot like learning how a magic trick works. And trust me, learning how a trick works is a lot less sexy than watching…