Game of Trhones Political d20

[Minchandre]

So, I'm starting a Game of Thrones political play-by-post over at Myth-Weavers.com

The ad is here: http://www.myth-weavers.com/showthread.php?t=120147

I'm also posting it below, for your edification. I know you need to make an account, but Myth-Weavers is a great site anyway, so don't flinch from it!

Game Description:

A Game of Thrones

15 years ago, Rhaegar Targaryen kidnapped Lyanna Stark and nearly set the continent to war. When Rickard and Brandon Stark ran to King's Landing to demand satisfaction, they were imprisoned by Mad King Aerys, and nearly executed. However, Rhaegar himself arrived at the Red Keep just in time, and freed the men, dueling Brandon Stark over Lyanna's honor. Rhaegar won, and a few months later Lyanna was returned to Winterfell, apparently none the worse for wear. Gifts and honors were heaped upon the wronged parties, Aerys was cast into internal exile, and the entire event was never spoken of again in polite company.

In the years since, King Rhaegar the Good has ruled well, and is beloved by smallfolk and nobles alike. Of late, however, the King is increasingly distracted, spending long hours studying ancient and arcane scrolls, and always looking north. Last month, he set out on an expedition to the Wall by way of Winterfell, accompanied by a legion of architects, engineers, and builders. You are the men of his Small Council, and must keep the kingdom from falling apart in his absence.

The crunch

This is an A Game of Thrones game, obviously based on the excellent Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin. More specifically, it is a game using the Game of Thrones d20 rules published by Guardians of Order (and so not the Song of Ice and Fire RPG published by Green Ronin). This game uses a slightly modified version of standard 3rd Edition rules. Notable changes include armor providing damage resistance instead of armor class, a general en-lethal-ening of combat, a slight change in how attribute bonuses affect attack bonus, and all-new classes. Oh, and the inclusion of the all-important "Influence" system, which basically provides an actual rules framework for politicking.

So, yeah, Game of Thrones. I've been wanting to play a political campaign, or a campaign using AGoT d20 for a while. Eventually I decided to run one, instead. It should be awesome!

In this game you will be playing members of Rhaegar Targaryen's Small Council. The only NPCs on the Small Council will be Eddard Stark, Hand of the King, and Tyrion Lannister, Master of Coin. Common Small Council positions include Master of the Navy, Master of the Armies, Master of Laws, and Archmaester. Other members who are effectively members include the Master of Whispers (played by Varys in the absence of a PC in that position), the Lord Commander of the City Watch, or any other number of plausible sounding titles. You can also have "council members without portfolio", men (or women, if you want), basically people who don't have any official position, but are trusted by Rhaegar.

At the start of the game, Rhaegar has just left King's Landing to visit the Wall for reasons that none of you are particularly clear about. The early game will probably be some consolidation of your power and scouting out for risks to the realm, but trust me, there's a lot of potential threats to watch. Because this is a political game, you'll have your main characters...but you'll also have to watch your House, your underlings, your informants...it's not quite a nation state game, but it's more than a simple RPG. The early game will not be battle-oriented at all, and depending how it goes, it's very possible that the mid and late games won't be either. Still, being martially skilled could be a very strong advantage anyway: for one, if you're a male noble who isn't at least a little decent in a fight, people won't respect you in any field. Any noble son of the Reach will be a knight unless he's physically disable; the same is true to a lesser extent among all followers of the Seven. Northmen and Ironmen place less emphasis on mounted combat, but value martial skill just the same. Women are allowed, but be careful: relatively few women are prominent movers and shakers in the Seven Kingdoms, at least not openly. Woman characters are strongly advised to have a mouthpiece (e.g. Mace Tyrell for the Queen of Thorns, some random Lannister kid for Cersei Baratheon).

Be aware that even though your characters are members of the Small Council, the King's closest advisers, there's nothing stopping you from scheming against him later if it suits your character. A note about the Hand of the King and Master of Coin: the former will be a combination of GM mouthpiece and legitimate NPC; you can definitely influence him, but be aware that this Ned is somewhat more politically canny than in the novels - he'll be a tough one to screw with. Tyrion Lannister will essentially be a GM PC, used to gently guide you guys in the right direction so...heed his words, though you're of course not obligated to do anything he says. If I really want you to do something, I'll have Ned tell you (or Rhaegar, in a letter). If I use GM Voice, it'll be entirely OOC.

The game won't start before...call it February 8 at the earliest (I'm traveling), and character creation should be a fairly involved process anyway.

Details on character creation are in the game forum, but be aware that I will want a full character fluff write up before we even look at fluff. I have a list of about a dozen questions I want answered; those two answer all (or almost all) of them, you'll get a free feat! At some point, we'll also need to develop your House to some greater or lesser extent. If you want to play the second son of a minor House two rose on his own merits, then you can afford to flesh out your House less. If you prefer that your character derive his power from his family and holdings, obviously we'll have to flesh it out a little more. Don't worry if you don't have much of an idea for your House; I've got some tools (mostly stolen from the A Song of Ice and Fire RPG that we aren't using) that can help. I have developed a fairly extensive list of characters, most lifted from the novels (though adapted a little). You can play one of them, but ask first. More advised, if you want to play a character from one of the Great Houses, is to make up a third son or something. Example of a character not allowed at all: Tywin Lannister. Example of a character permitted: Tygett Lannister. Example of of another character: Tyran Lannister, Tywin's youngest child. Coordinate with me on how to incorporate your characters into the already existing web. This is true even for members of minor Houses, too.

The nature of the game means it'll probably be a little on the slower side, with lots of PMs and such, so I don't mind if you can't post all the time...but I'd very much like people who won't, you know, drop out.

Oh, by the way: I'm not sure whether I feel like trying to use the DnD 3.5 sheets available here, or just listing stuff out.