A Mythic Calendar

I’ve ragged on games before for wasting my time with bespoke calendars. Traveller’s names for weekdays are running jokes in my group. It’s the height of worldbuilding indulgence that never actually matters at the table, right?

Okay but... just let me do it this one time.

It can matter, of course, but only if you make it matter. So I’ve tried to keep things simple and focused on things that might actually affect the game, such as times when important events occur, or how certain days of the week affect peoples’ behaviour. 

This is more detail than I’m actually including in Mythic Bastionland itself, so take it or leave it for your game.

Let’s start at the top. 

Seasons

Seasons do not obey a rigid calendar, their whims known only to the Seers.

These are already covered in the book and focus on the very broad strokes of Spring, Harvest, Winter.

From a purely gameplay perspective the main thing here is that Winter sucks for travel, and if you’re invested in a particular Holding then you’ll care about how well the Harvest turns out. 

Months

Each season is broken into three months of variable length, typically around 40 days. These might be hurried through or strung out as the season progresses. As always, the Seers understand this. 

The three months fit nicely onto the existing details of each Season as written in the book. Here they’re expanded a little and named, keeping the focus on why a player Knight would actually care which month it is. 

Spring

• Sprouts - First shoots of green are coming through. The Feast of the Sun is all excess and revelry, so lots of room for messy drama to occur in and out of court. Bloody contests are encouraged, believing it strengthens the land for the year ahead.
• Petals - Blossoms paint the Realm in every colour. Sceptremass brings all the local rulers together to renew their vows of loyalty at the Seat of Power. Big events could occur at this gathering, or at an individual Holding while the ruler is away.
• Leaves - The peak of ripening growth, rising up to the longest day. The Tax begins, collecting coins from the wealthy inhabitants of the Realm, Knights often sent along as escort.

Harvest

• Bales - The land turns gold and the first hay is cut. The Feast of the Stars is the best day for weddings, knighthoods, and hosts the most important tournaments of the year.
• Bushels - As the breeze cools, amber grains and ripe fruits are reaped in vast quantities. Eldermass is a secret gathering of Seers, which Knights are unlikely to be directly involved with, but are often summoned by Seers afterward to work their agendas.
• Barrels - A chill runs through the air as the leaves fall. Meat, beer, and bread is loaded into storage for the winter. The Tithe begins, a portion of all foodstuffs taken into the ruler’s store, often putting a strain on the people of the Realm. Knights are called on to manage this.

Winter

• Pyres - First frost is fought back with the roaring fires of the Moon Feast, a solemn festival often combined with a census of the Realm’s inhabitants.
• Hearths - The Realm lies quiet in its death shroud, the people huddled inside at their fires. Kindlemass is a lone reason for some to venture toward their neighbours to offer or partake of hospitality. Generous rulers see this as an opportunity to bring the people together, while others see it as an excuse to receive lavish gifts.
• Candles - Rivers stir, snow turns to damp earth, and the cold air reveals a hint of freshness. The Levy begins, collecting a share of raw materials and crafted goods from across the Realm, taking them back to the Holdings and Seat of Power. Travel is still difficult at this time, so Knights are expected to offer their service.

Days

A Week is nine days. Think of it as three sets of three days.

The first day in each set is a normal working day.

The second day in each set is considered lucky for a particular activity, but generally treated as another working day. 

The third day is traditionally a break from daily work for some other purpose. Most honour this in some form. 

Stoneday - Named for the hills and mountains of the Realm.

Woodsday - A lucky day for hunting, fishing, foraging, or finding lost things. 

Armsday - Those who can fight must train, others support them. 

Riverday - Named for the waters of the Realm.

Silverday - A lucky day for trade and travel.

Kinsday - All should visit their kin, especially those in need.

Skyday - Named for the heavens above the Realm.

Rainsday - Considered a lucky day if it rains. 

Stillday - A day of fasting, peace, and contemplation.

Months can change on any day, and successive days of that type are named “the first, the second” etc. 

So a chronicler might describe a particular date as “the third Armsday of Bushels” which would be roughly three weeks into the month of Bushels, at the first month of Harvest. 

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This post was originally sent as a reward to all Patreon supporters, and is released freely on this site the week after its original publication.

If you want to support my blog, podcasts, and video content then head over to my Patreon.

The Age of the MAC

I’m back from three weeks in Japan, and as such there’s no proper blogpost this week. I complained about jetlag after GenCon but sheesh… this is another level.

However, I’m happy I can finally share the new-look MAC Attack playtest featuring fantastic art from the amazing Amanda Lee Franck.

I’m holding back the Faction and Variant sections for now, but the doc has everything you need to try the game out. I can tease one of the factions, though, so you can see how they’re looking.

What’s the plan with this game? Let’s see how early 2025 looks when we get there.

Game Design is Chains and Axes

I've been using my favourite tool again.

And it feels good.

The Knights are safe. This time it's the MACs who have been suffering under the hatchet.

I make fun of myself for always writing in sets of threes, so naturally MAC Attack originally had three weapon ranges, three types and three subtypes that could be applied on top of them.

Later on in development I wanted to experiment with some advanced types and subtypes, with the intent being that players would add them into their arsenal after familiarising themselves with the core three of each.

Some came naturally. Others were a little forced, but I think that can sometimes be a good thing.

Forcing yourself to come up with that third thing can lead you to places you wouldn't have naturally found. Extra types were easy, but extra subtypes were harder to balance, as they needed to present both an advantage and disadvantage, all while being viable to combine with each of the six main weapon types and respecting my goal of tactical counterplay.

They changed a lot with each revision, sometimes reworked, sometimes reinvented. While the core types largely stayed the same, the cauldron of advanced variants bubbled away like primordial soup, evolving through the pressures of playtesting.

A thought kept returning to me. Is this too much? Sure, it's fun to say "there are a billion weapon combinations in this game" but after a point it's all bluster. I should look at these and pick the best three of each, chopping them down to the best of the best, avoiding the weirdness of having half of them gated behind an advanced rules section.

So now I'm going to shock you.

I've taken those six types and subtypes and trimmed them down to...

Four of each.

I know. A disgusting number. Why not three?

Because it doesn't need to be three.

I've put myself through the wringer by writing them in sets of three, and now I'm reaping the rewards. This set of weapon types and subtypes feels well tested (albeit not finalised) and each of them has fought for their place at the table.

Restriction breeds creativity, sure, but once the creativity has happened it's okay to turn your axe on the chains that you've made for yourself.

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This post was originally sent as a reward to all Patreon supporters, and is released freely on this site the week after its original publication.

If you want to support my blog, podcasts, and video content then head over to my Patreon.

Worse Places to Be

Last week I did this for the positive Landmarks, so let’s look at the negatives. Now, Ruins aren’t strictly negative, but they aren’t as outright beneficial as the others. 

Hazard

BATS. Whichever way you move they’re facing you, like 2D sprites in an old FPS. When you aren’t looking at them you feel them scratching and biting at the back of your neck. When you turn around they’re back in their hung position. 

Curse

Things that throw you off course. Thick woods seems obvious here but let’s go further. Tiny shadow figures jump between the branches, gesturing for you to follow. They only take you deeper into the woods, distances not making sense. If you ignore their guidance they mock and taunt you, but if you follow they’ll just keep you going in circles. 

Ruin

This one actually ties into the Myth, being an overt hint at a Myth currently not in play. A stone mound conceals a huge cauldron sealed shut, apparently in some huge forge. Faint arguing inside can be heard inside. 

Do the Coven break free if the Knights somehow break the seal? Of course! It’s not in the rules for how Ruins work, but Primacy of Action must be honoured. 

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This post was originally sent as a reward to all Patreon supporters, and is released freely on this site the week after its original publication.

If you want to support my blog, podcasts, and video content then head over to my Patreon.

Landmarks in the Artwork

Part of the reason I put so much artwork into Electric and Mythic Bastionland is to act as a repository of ideas when you just need a quick detail.

Landmarks in Mythic Bastionland often call for you to to make something up. You’ll know if it’s a dwelling, sanctum, monument, hazard, curse, or ruin. You might have a prompt from the entries on the bottom of each page. Or maybe you forgot to do that, or the prompt doesn’t seem all that inspiring anymore.

Flick to a random Myth that you aren’t currently using in the Realm and grab some cool imagery, then run from there.

Let’s do it for each of the positive Landmark types.

Dwelling

The specific Myth doesn’t even matter for most of these, so I won’t bother naming them all. Remember we’re just looking for inspiration in the artwork here.

Take the spinning wheel. Wait, is it a spinning wheel? It doesn’t matter, it sparked the idea, so it’s real.

A weaver living out in the woods, their house practically being swallowed up by the encroaching roots and branches. A deer skull hangs above their door.

Now if I was being fancy I could claim that this is all a rich thematic tapestry, and if the group encounter this actual Myth later in the game they’ll feel a sense of mythic consistency in the world.

Hey, it could be true.

 

Sanctum

A Sanctum usually takes one of the Seers detailed alongside each Knight, but here let’s say it’s the Tawny Seer, a colossal owl-like being. They roost atop an isolated tower, sleeping for most of the day. 

Near the tower the stars are visible at day, and the night sky is filled with pillars of light. The Seer can interpret their positions to offer guidance.

 

Monument

A fortunate pull here, but remember that a monument allows recovery Spirit, so should offer some sort of inspiration.

Veiled mourners scatter petals among a Knight’s tomb surrounded by desolate bog. Flowers peek out of the murk almost immediately, and the sky seems to lighten.

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This post was originally sent as a reward to all Patreon supporters, and is released freely on this site the week after its original publication.
If you want to support my blog, podcasts, and video content then head over to my Patreon.