Danse-Core-Rules, RPG
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Danse Macabre Roleplaying in a World of Medieval Horror Dean Suter b Chris Johnstone 1 The Content Introduction 3 Systems 5 Character Creation 9 Character Traits 20 Drama 34 Magic 48 Setting 80 Roleplaying 104 Beasts and Devils 112 Two Horrors 136 Copyright: Danse Macarbe is copyright 2004 Dean Suter and Christopher Johnstone. Written, designed and illustrated by Dean Sutter and Christopher Johnstone, unless otherwise stated. Permission is given for this version, “Danse Marcarbe (core rules) (PDF),” to be copied, printed and distributed freely on the condition that no version of this PDF (whether electronic, print or other) is sold. Cover art ‘Cloister in Snow’ by Caspar David Friedrich (September 5, 1774 – May 7, 1840). A 19th century German Romantic painter. ‘Leaf and Garland Border’ (on cover) and ‘Ivy Border’ on contents page sourced from www.webclipart.com 2 Introduction b Chapter One A Dance with the Dead Renaud was lost. The night had crept quietly into the forest, smoothing trees, ivy and leaves into smudges of darkness. Had the path dwindled and vanished? Or did he miss a turn in the rutted track. Had he wandered off down some wild deer path? Each breath made cold, dead shapes on the air. His brother’s hamlet should be close now, there should be light’s twinkling between the trees. But the night was endless. Grey trees marched into the murk, and became thinner shadows. When the first howl of the first wolf rolled through the forest, Renaud froze. He pressed his back up against a great, twisted oak, as close as he could to the knuckled bark. Another howl, and then another. Renaud crept around the oak and began to trot very fast. He was a portly man, there was no real speed in his waddle. When the light shone suddenly through the boles Renaud nearly cried out for joy – he would have, except that in his imagination the wolves were ready to pounce with snapping jaws, all they needed was the slightest sound to guide them. The light stabbed the darkness with a dozen spears of radience, which shifted between the trunks as the torch bobbed off into the darkness. Renaud hitched his flapping jerkin, and ran, his gut protruding, his flat feet flapping wildly. He ran until the light grew into a large orb of fiery gold. Until he was nearly upon the torch-bearer. It was a woman, dressed in a long grey gown, walking lazily among the shadows. Though her paces were slow and languid, Renaud could not catch her. His eyes were streaming now, his throat swollen, his legs burning. She must have heard him, but never once looked back; her path was straight and calm and resolute. When Renaud stumbled into the deep glade he was all almost blind from sweat and the pound of blood in his skull. He could just make out shapes, not just the lady in the long grey gown, but others. Leaning heavily against a tree, Renaud rubbed the sheet of sweat from his face. They were looking at him. The faces were cold, the eyes colder. And there were shapes behind them, large black things, lopping through the night, gathering together. There were sounds behind him now, heavy things moving through the leafy hazel, holly and thorn. He looked again at the gathering of folk. They were smiling now, but their teeth were not small, dull yellow things. They were sharp teeth. Cutting teeth. Gnawing teeth. Hungry teeth. They were the teeth of wolves. What is Danse Macabre? Danse Macabre is a pencil and paper Roleplaying Game (RPG) set in an alternative medieval Europe where the magic of folktales is real. But these tales are not airy and harmless sort. For this is not a land of harmless fairytale, no bright knights walk the realms, no airy fanciful things dance in the woods, this Europe is a dark place. In Danse Macabre the fabric of European folklore and fairytale is woven anew with the solemn threads that were a part of its first making. In the vales and forests of age-old Europe folk knew what it was to be afraid. The wilds seemed endless and, in the medieval view of things, full of cunning wolves, hellish witches, child-stealing faeries and old half-forgotten heathen gods. Danse Macabre takes a second glance at these forgotten monstrosities that are seldom taken seriously. It is these tales, the stories of nameless fears and haunted paths, that are hereafter retold. The Nature of the Game Danse Macabre is played by a group of people who collaborate on the game and story. All but one of the Players of the game will take on the role of a Character in the story. A Character has special skills, talents and personal quirks that are recorded on a Character Sheet. The Player who does not take on the role of a single character, instead takes on the role of many. This is the Gamesmaster, and he or she manages the storyline, the backdrops, scenery, props, and both allies and enemies of the Player Characters. Characters run by the Gamesmaster are termed Non-Player Characters (NPCs). Danse Macabre uses a Dice Pool of six-sided dice (d6) to resolve tests of skill. Each player should need no more than six dice. Being a game of fantasy, Danse Macabre has sorcery, monsters and swords like any other number of fantasy settings. But what sets any game apart is theme. What is the mood of the game? What sort of tales can you tell using the game? What sort of characters can you play? 3 What will the characters do? Danse Macabre is a game in which you play a fragile mortal character in a world where hell’s shadows and fae creatures are very real perils. All supernatural things in Danse Macabre are dangerous, sorcery corrupts the sorcerer, even the weakest of werewolves will easily slaughter the most skilful of mortal knights. The rules of Danse Macabre are built around this central theme: powerful, dark things lurk just out of human sight and they all want to eat you, or buy you soul, or make you into an eternal slave. Because of the dark theme of the game the rules in Danse Macabre are not balanced. Some new characters will have done well in life, others will not. Character advancement is limited – what power there is to be had comes at a price. So what sort of a game does this make? Danse Macabre will vary depending on how you deal with the supernatural elements that lie behind the fabric of everyday medieval life. Games that have very few supernatural elements may delve into intrigue, mystery or gothic romance. If you want to bring the supernatural elements into the bloody light of the torch, then the game becomes one of suspense and horror. If you introduce a lot of supernatural elements into the open then the game will become bloody and short- lived – as will the characters. setting should appear to be authentic even if they are invented. Effort has gone into creating a superstitious, fearful setting. b Rules that encourage character-driven games, grounded on believable, complex characters. b Rules that encourage a sense of danger and fear about supernatural elements in the game. b Strong emphasis on the social aspects of playing a game in medieval Europe. Social status plays an important part in a feudal society that Danse Macabre in set in. Tax collectors and corrupt barons are just as dangerous as demons. b A number of distinct branches of magic that possess definite places in the society that uses them. A sliding scale of power and danger has also been linked to magic. More powerful sorcery carries greater risks. b Psychology of horror rules that support various styles of play and help govern sins and virtues, insanity, trauma, and the selling of souls. b Grittiness and horror above game balance: unbalanced rules favour the supernatural over physical strength or skill, and unfair social rules favour of the wealthy, powerful and noble. Disclaimer Danse Macabre is a work of fiction. It does not describe real events or people. The authors do not believe in witchcraft or faeries and they suggest that you not believe in these either. They don’t exist. Also, Danse Macabre deals with adult themes. The game is intended for a mature audience capable of distinguishing between reality and fantasy. Summary of Chapters Danse Macabre is divided into ten chapters. The Introduction details a little of the setting, the mood and theme of the game and serves as a general overview. Chapter Two details Characters, character creation and various character options. Chapter Three deals with Rules of the game – Skill Resolution, Trauma, Fear and the likes. Magic is an important part of occult fabric of Benighted Europe. Esotery, a laborious and alchemic sort of magical discipline is given its own chapter. More sorcerous magic, Hedge Magic and scholarly Goetia are then discussed under a single Magic chapter. A short section on Roleplaying is followed by a discussion of the Setting – both will hopefully help you get to know the theme and mood of the game in more detail and think of a few ideas and hooks for your game. This is followed by Beasts and Devils – a discussion of adversaries and monstrous things. Two scenarios, The Ashen Man and The Troubled Priest round off the book. Copyright Danse Macarbe is copyright 2004 Dean Sutter and Christopher Johnstone. Written, designed and illustrated by Dean Sutter and Christopher Johnstone. Permission is given for this version, “Danse Macarbe (PDF),” to be copied, printed and distributed freely on the condition that no version of this PDF (whether electronic, print or other) is sold. Designer Notes The aim, in creating Danse Macabre, was to present a flexible system for playing in the world of the dark fantastic. Because the game varies in scope from intricate court intrigue to visceral horror, psychological and spiritual aspects of the character are important. Characters risk their sanity and their souls in Danse Macabre. Neither should be taken lightly. When designing rules simplicity and speed of resolution has been chosen over realism. This choice was made to prevent tense situations in the game becoming bogged down in rule resolution. The main goals of the game design were… Gender The topic of gender pronouns is tricky. Most will agree that although using male pronouns in gender-neutral phrases is traditionally correct, it is archaic, outdated and not helpful in a hobby that (let’s be honest here) doesn’t need to alienate female enthusiasts more than it already has. By way of a compromise Danse Macabre uses the female form (she, her, hers) when referring to the Gamesmaster, and the male form (he, him, his) when referring to players. b A solid medieval atmosphere. The elements of the 4 Systems b Chapter Two T he rules in this chapter make up a basic system for playing Danse Macabre. The rules will help you get a feel for how the world works, they present for everyone at the table a shared system of cause and effect, and ideally rules allow you to play the game without falling into disagree- ments over fine points of the setting. Are longbows more deadly than crossbows? Should a suit of mail protect you from a ghost? How long does it take to summon an imp from the nether regions of the cosmos? These are ques- tions that rules address so that you can get on with the business of playing the game. Danse Macabre uses rules primarily to negotiate difficult or dangerous situations. You may want to escape the creature following you through the woods, but can you? You may want to clash sword to sword with a recreant knight, but who will win? These are questions answered by the rules of the game. As well as creating a fair playing ground where swords may slice both ways, rules also add structure to a game. Their aim, to varying degrees, is to create a sense of game balance or fairness for the players, present an obvious way to record and track a character’s changes, mediate disagreements, and determine the outcome of dangerous or difficult situations. game considerably. Objective Resolution Where Subjective Resolution falls short Objective Resolution takes up its place. In the Objective method difficulties are set, dice are rolled, outcomes are narrated and a set of rules that apply to everyone ensures fairness. Particularly in instances where death is on the line, players are likely to prefer Objective Resolution for its fairness, if nothing else. The dice will not prefer one of the players or give favour to a villain. The rules of the game apply to all and everyone and are known to all and everyone at the table. As such the rules themselves can be negotiated by careful strategy. Objective Resolution should be emphasised more when the situation is dramatic, or the climax of a building plot. Even if Objective Resolution is called for, try to use simple Tests of Traits during most of the game. Only use extended Contests of Traits when there is a dramatic reason to play out a conflict blow by blow. Dice Danse Macabre uses a six sided die (d6) based resolution mechanic. Tests of Skill are made by rolling a dice pool - a collection of dice rolled together. Each player will need no more than six d6. Subjective Resolution The most common and quickest means to resolve questions in the game will be the subjective interpretation of the Gamesmaster. As players narrate their character’s actions the Gamesmaster responds with Subjective outcomes. This makes up the bulk of a game’s give-and- take between the players. If one player states that he wishes to steal a horse, the Gamesmaster might warn him that he hears voices inside the stable. The player then states that his character sneaks away and sets a fire by the outhouse. The Gamesmaster considers this and decides that the stablehands will leave their post to put out the fire. The character is then free to sneak into the stalls, steal the horse and ride off. The question of whether the character in question can steal the horse is resolved through action on the part of the character. The key to Subjective Resolution is acknowledging that clever ideas and well-narrated actions deserve rewards. Encouraging Subjective Resolution speeds the pace of a Terminology The rules of Danse Macabre use a number of terms with very specific meanings. The below is a list of those found in the following chapter. Action - A simple undertaking that is declared by a Player. Round - An arbitrary measure of time during which Char- acters are permitted no more than one Action. Sometimes Players may declare complex Actions that will take multi- ple Rounds to complete. For instance - two Player Charac- ters are holding off guards while a third picks a lock to allow the group to escape. Holding off guards involves simple short Actions (attacking and defending) whereas the Character who is picking the lock may take three or four rounds to complete his single task. Chronicle - An ongoing series of Sessions that include the same player Characters, and often the same over-arc- 5 [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |