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Today we're taking a gun little game called Eldritch Ass Kicking. Written by Nathan Hill (a really good guy, btw), EAK is set on a pretty bog-standard fantasy world -- until every magic user went stark raving mad and started blowing up everything in sight. Rocks fell, everyone died... well, not everyone. But those who were left were greatly inconvenienced, by all accounts. The world of Anhelm now lies in ruins, it's pristine beauty reduced to smoking ruins and various crispy bits. Wizards these days, of course, are a bit smarter. They're still running the rough edge of crazy, though. The current age of crazy has led to the Shaping War, in which all wizards duel like crazy during the day to gain enough power to defeat all other wizards and remake Anhelm in their own image, retiring at night to the pub, dungeon, and tower to drink, delve, and decide what grand scheme the next day will hold.
This really is a fun little game. It's not going to result in any epic campaigns, but its "zany fun" and "blow-shit-up" meters ping really high. Plus it has a "chart of hubris." Seriously.
The Game: Eldritch Ass Kicking (a game of arcane action and old men with sticks)
The Publisher: Key 20 Publications
Degree of familiarity: I playtested it a bit and edited the book, if I recall correctly.
Books required: Just the main book.
Step One: Concept
This is where you have to pick your initial concept and what your primary power is (magic is elemental in Anhelm). Given that the line between good and evil is not only thin in this game, but somewhat transparent as well, I'm going to base my character on the most awesome of Disney villians, Maleficent. She's classy, beautiful (or perhaps more accurately described as "handsome,") with a chilling sense of humor and enough charm to lure unwary souls into all manner of unfortunate situations. She's also really good at blowing stuff up. Her primary power is fire.
Step Two: Thy Wizard's Name
Ignoring the faux Middle-English in the header, I think that her name will be Anelfia the Ill-Tempered. That sounds sufficiently pretentious and yet probably not entirely of her own choosing.
Step Three: Determining Attributes
There are three stats, Agility, Endurance, and Concentration. All start at 1. You get 12 points to split between them. I think Anelfia should have 6 pts in Concentration, and then 3 pts in each of the others. That gives Agility 4, Endurance 4, Concentration 6.
Step Four: Derived Attributes
Speed 12, Life Points 12, Focus 18.
Step Five: Determining Skills
You get 35 pts, with a max of 15 in any one. You can choose to not put any points in a given skill, but you don't get a chance to pick up any ignored skills later. A 0 means you don't get to use that ever. I'm giving Anelfia her highest score in Fire, her lowest in Water (Fire's opposite), and middling scores in the other two.
Air 8, Earth 10, Fire 12, Water 5
Step Six: Word of Power
Wizards get a word of power that can give them a bonus to their actions. Rather than going for a simple word, though, I'm going to go for a phrase. In this case, it's "I am DISPLEASED!!!!"
Step Seven: Description, Background, and Events.
You are supposed to come up with a description that can strike terror (or amusement) into the hearts of your enemies. You're also supposed to write up a background for the GM to use to set up an adventure or two down the line. You also come up with three events or goals for your wizard, two minor and one major. Minor only involve you or a few people, while Major events are epic goals, real "shake the pillars of heaven" type stuff.
Description: She stands there, looking at the world with eyes that never waver. She wears a high necked, long sleeved, tight black gown, remniscent for some reason of smoke and flickering firelight. Her eyes glow like amber coals, and her mouth is the dull red of banked embers. Her hair is silver and red, fire and snow, her gaze as implacable as either.
Background: Anelfia was once apprenticed to the most powerful fire mage in the land. Then madness set in and, though she was largely spared and/or not powerful enough to actually cause a lot of damage at the time (depending on who's telling the story), her master managed a goodly bit before he blew himself up in a big ball of flame. She moved into the ruins of his tower and took over her own education, coming into her own and becoming a force to reckon with. Now the Shaping War is upon Anhelm, and she is determined to use her powers to atone for her master's misdeeds -- and, naturally, to rule the world while she's at it. Wouldn't you?
Events: Her first minor event is "discover why/how her master died," as it was somewhat unlikely he would have crispied himself on accident. Her second minor event is "acquire the Flame of Balerion," a famous item that belonged to her master which she's been unable to find among his belongings, and her major event is "reduce all opposition to ash and go on to rule the world in a benevolent fashion."
Miscellanea: In addition to all of the above, all wizards get the "'innate-ass-kicking' ability of flight," and gold equal to their Concentration x 100. That puts her with flight and 600 gold. There isn't any purchasing of gear beforehand, though one can work to acquire items during the game.
And there's Anelfia! A character completed. Next time... well, no freaking clue. Requests are accepted, but no guarantees as to order are made. :)
This really is a fun little game. It's not going to result in any epic campaigns, but its "zany fun" and "blow-shit-up" meters ping really high. Plus it has a "chart of hubris." Seriously.
The Game: Eldritch Ass Kicking (a game of arcane action and old men with sticks)
The Publisher: Key 20 Publications
Degree of familiarity: I playtested it a bit and edited the book, if I recall correctly.
Books required: Just the main book.
Step One: Concept
This is where you have to pick your initial concept and what your primary power is (magic is elemental in Anhelm). Given that the line between good and evil is not only thin in this game, but somewhat transparent as well, I'm going to base my character on the most awesome of Disney villians, Maleficent. She's classy, beautiful (or perhaps more accurately described as "handsome,") with a chilling sense of humor and enough charm to lure unwary souls into all manner of unfortunate situations. She's also really good at blowing stuff up. Her primary power is fire.
Step Two: Thy Wizard's Name
Ignoring the faux Middle-English in the header, I think that her name will be Anelfia the Ill-Tempered. That sounds sufficiently pretentious and yet probably not entirely of her own choosing.
Step Three: Determining Attributes
There are three stats, Agility, Endurance, and Concentration. All start at 1. You get 12 points to split between them. I think Anelfia should have 6 pts in Concentration, and then 3 pts in each of the others. That gives Agility 4, Endurance 4, Concentration 6.
Step Four: Derived Attributes
Speed 12, Life Points 12, Focus 18.
Step Five: Determining Skills
You get 35 pts, with a max of 15 in any one. You can choose to not put any points in a given skill, but you don't get a chance to pick up any ignored skills later. A 0 means you don't get to use that ever. I'm giving Anelfia her highest score in Fire, her lowest in Water (Fire's opposite), and middling scores in the other two.
Air 8, Earth 10, Fire 12, Water 5
Step Six: Word of Power
Wizards get a word of power that can give them a bonus to their actions. Rather than going for a simple word, though, I'm going to go for a phrase. In this case, it's "I am DISPLEASED!!!!"
Step Seven: Description, Background, and Events.
You are supposed to come up with a description that can strike terror (or amusement) into the hearts of your enemies. You're also supposed to write up a background for the GM to use to set up an adventure or two down the line. You also come up with three events or goals for your wizard, two minor and one major. Minor only involve you or a few people, while Major events are epic goals, real "shake the pillars of heaven" type stuff.
Description: She stands there, looking at the world with eyes that never waver. She wears a high necked, long sleeved, tight black gown, remniscent for some reason of smoke and flickering firelight. Her eyes glow like amber coals, and her mouth is the dull red of banked embers. Her hair is silver and red, fire and snow, her gaze as implacable as either.
Background: Anelfia was once apprenticed to the most powerful fire mage in the land. Then madness set in and, though she was largely spared and/or not powerful enough to actually cause a lot of damage at the time (depending on who's telling the story), her master managed a goodly bit before he blew himself up in a big ball of flame. She moved into the ruins of his tower and took over her own education, coming into her own and becoming a force to reckon with. Now the Shaping War is upon Anhelm, and she is determined to use her powers to atone for her master's misdeeds -- and, naturally, to rule the world while she's at it. Wouldn't you?
Events: Her first minor event is "discover why/how her master died," as it was somewhat unlikely he would have crispied himself on accident. Her second minor event is "acquire the Flame of Balerion," a famous item that belonged to her master which she's been unable to find among his belongings, and her major event is "reduce all opposition to ash and go on to rule the world in a benevolent fashion."
Miscellanea: In addition to all of the above, all wizards get the "'innate-ass-kicking' ability of flight," and gold equal to their Concentration x 100. That puts her with flight and 600 gold. There isn't any purchasing of gear beforehand, though one can work to acquire items during the game.
And there's Anelfia! A character completed. Next time... well, no freaking clue. Requests are accepted, but no guarantees as to order are made. :)
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Date: 2009-07-17 03:56 am (UTC)From: