Since we made characters for a D&D game that I'M ACTUALLY RUNNING WHAAAAT last night, I figured I'd do a fantasy game today.
The Game: Winter of the World
The Publisher: Cakebread & Walton
Degree of Familiarity: None
Books Required: Just the one, though the game really wants me to read the novels it's based on
Winter of the World is, as mentioned, based on a series of novels byMichael Scott Rohan. I have not read them, which I think is why I was avoiding this game for as long as I was. I don't normally enjoy games based on other IP that I'm not familiar with, just because it often feels like I'm not really getting it. And I...kinda still feel that way, but reading the game, I think the setting is described in enough detail that it'd be workable to run a game therein.
But interestingly, as I was writing up world-lore for the D&D game for which we made characters last night, I realized that one of the things that has always bugged me about playing fantasy in particular is that I don't enjoy playing in an existing world, precisely because learning the lore is laborious for one person and a lot to ask of a whole table. Learning the lore for, say, World of Darkness was a little easier because it was modern day and that gave you something to latch onto, but I think the real reason that my players and I did it so easily back in the day was a) it fit with our 90s aesthetic and b) we didn't have demanding lives and so could read sourcebooks all the time.
Nowadays, when we're all older and have jobs and reading glasses and we're tired and depressed and so on, reading a 200-page book is a harder ask, especially since RPGs are often kinda dry. But having the world of Abhaile explained over Discord, and being able to influence the particulars by making a character and helping to flesh out the world, is more appealing. (I think, incidentally, that although Atlantis has a shit-ton of lore, the lifepath method of characters creation helps mitigate that by making a character with a distinct history and giving you some focus.)
All of this to say, Winter of the World looks playable and fine and the system is easy enough (roll a d6 and add some numbers), but I don't think it's going on my "run-me" list. Let's make a character, anyhoo.
No easily screenshot-able process of chargen (rather, there is one but it doesn't fit on one column and ehhhh) so we'll just do this step by step.
Background. The book says that most characters will either be from Nordeney or Bryhaine, but it's also possible to play a Duergar (probably not the same thing that means in Baldur's Gate 3). I do not have a preference, so I shall roll a die - evens Nordeney, odds Bryhaine. Odds, so I'm from Bryhaine.
This makes me a Southerner or Penruthya. They're fair-skinned and they don't really believe that the folks in the North put magic into the shit they forge. That's cool. I think I want my character to be someone who really wants to believe in magic, despite the culture telling him he's dumb. I'll just let that percolate for the moment, and divide up my points.
I get 7 points to split between Strong, Clever, Quick, and Magic. Nothing higher than 3 and Magic can't be higher than 1, and it can (and probably should) be 0. I'll make it Strong 2, Clever 3, Quick 2.
Calling. Broad class-like sort of archetypes. I can't be a Magic-user, as that's off limits to Southerners, but is there a sage sort of thing? Specialist, that's what I want, specifically Academic. I want my guy to be an "expert" in Northern lore and culture, but very much the sort of "expert" that's learned everything third hand. I get Lore (subject specialist) 2, Lore (subject specialist) 1, and then 3 points in other Skills. Better jump ahead and find the Skills section, I s'pose.
Oh, I actually don't need to follow that Skill allotment, it's just a suggestion, but I get 6 points. I think it's fine, though. I'll take Lore (Nordeney) 2, Lore (Myths & Legends) 1, Language (Nordeney) 1, Art (Painting) 1, and Investigation 1. Not a martial character, this, but that's fine.
And...shit, I think that's actually it. I don't get any Calling features until level 2, I don't get any Virtues or magical shit. Health is Strong x 3 (6 for me), Defense is three times Strong or Quick, whichever's higher (but it's 6 in either case for me), Move is Quick x 10 (20), and otherwise all I need is a name and a description. Are naming conventions discussed? Not really.
Well, we'll say my character is named Kelv. Kelv is a Southerner, but is convinced he has Northern blood on his mother's side; he can't prove it but that's what his grandmother always said. His family is wealthy, they live in Kerbrynhaine, and they tolerated his weird fascination with Northern magic and smithing. At one time Kelv even talked about being a smith, but he really doesn't have the arm strength.
He does, however, have a keen mind for literacy and stories, and a good eye for art, so his folks allowed him to study with painters and scholars. Kelv is young and kind of naive, and he's one good swindle away from joining a caravan or something and heading north, and probably nearly being sold into thralldom or something.
Kelv is thin but well nourished, soft hand often stained with ink or paint, light skin but much darker hair than a lot of Southerners. He has a habit of peppering his speech with Northern-isms.
