Seerbones

Bastiards of the electric epoch are known for their badly designed dice games, but what about the knights, vassals, and vagabonds of the mythic age? 

They have lots of their own games, but Seerbones is the most popular in my realm.

You need five small pieces. Look, there are no hard rules about what the pieces should be, but they’re usually interestingly shaped pebbles, bones, wooden rings, small shells, basically anything you can comfortably enclose fully within your hand. So yes, you can use dice. It’s important that the five pieces are all different to each other. Seasoned players keep their set of seerbones in a pouch or small box, always on the lookout for more interesting pieces to trade into their set.

Oh, did I say Seerbones was one game? No, everybody has their own version, but insists it’s the original. 

Seerbones (taught by a hunter)
2 Players only.

Agree on one piece to be “the killer” then place all five pieces in a concealed container.

The active player secretly chooses one piece and conceals it in a fist. The other player must either Guess or Declare.

If they Guess, they choose which hand they think the piece is in. If they’re right, they keep it. If they’re wrong, the active player keeps it. 

If the piece was the killer and the player guessed incorrectly then the other player immediately wins the game. If it was the killer and the player guessed correctly then the killer is returned to the supply. 

If they Declare, the active player reveals their piece. If it is the Killer then the declaring player immediately wins the game. If it is any other piece then the active player keeps the piece for themselves. 

If the killer is the only unclaimed piece then it is treated as a normal piece. When all pieces are claimed the winner is the player with the most pieces. 

Seerbones (taught by a squire)
Up to 5 players.

The owner of the set divides the pieces amongst players as evenly as possible, assigning remainders how they like.

Each player closes one fist and balances their pieces on the back of that hand. 

Players can now use their enclosed fist only to try to knock off the pieces of the opposing players. Whoever’s last piece hits the ground last wins. 

Seerbones (v3 taught by a bunch of drunks)
Up to 5 players.

Players bid on how many pieces they can throw in the air with one hand then catch in the other. The catching hand must be behind their back until the pieces are thrown.

Each player must either raise the bid or pass. When the first player passes the current high bidder immediately makes their attempt.

If they succeed then the player who passed is eliminated. 

If they drop even one piece then they are themselves eliminated. 

Seerbones (v4 taught by an innkeeper)
2 players only

Mark out a play area or sit at a table. 

Draft two of the five pieces to each player and place the remaining piece in the middle of the play area. Players place their pieces on their edge of the play area. 

Take turns flicking (specific flicking rules vary greatly) one of the pieces on your edge. If it hits one or more other pieces then move them all back to your edge. Pieces that leave the play area are dead and removed from the game. 

First player to have no pieces on their edge loses. 

Seerbones (v5 taught by a gaggle of children)
Up to 4 players. 

Draw a circle somewhere in the play area. The owner of the pieces sets the size.

Take turns selecting up to five pieces to throw, aiming to get them inside the circle. The owner of the pieces sets the throwing restrictions i.e. no crouching, required distance etc. 

For each throw score 1pt for each piece in the circle minus 1pt for each piece outside the circle. Your score for a throw can never be less than zero. Most points after three throws each wins. 

Seerbones (v6 taught by a smith's apprentice)
Up to 5 players. 

The owner of the set divides the pieces amongst players as evenly as possible, assigning remainders how they like. 

The current player secretly splits their pieces between their enclosed hands however they wish. The player to their left looks at their enclosed hands and picks one, taking all the pieces in that hand. Play then moves to that player. 

If a player has no pieces remaining they’re eliminated. 

Playing safe is frowned upon, and winning through cowardly play is seen as worse than losing on a big risk. 

The fight that often ensues afterwards is commonly referred to as “the real game”.

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MAC-27

 What’s the smallest possible game of MAC Attack?

By the book a force must have at least three MACs. The cheapest MAC you can build is a Class 1 (12pts) with the maximum of three Frame modules (each reducing its cost by 1pt) so 9pts in total. Three of those give us a minimum legal force of 27pts.

MAC-27. A force for the MAC Commander on a tight budget. 

But Why?

I dunno. Because we can? I want the game to be fun with the minimum financial investment of three miniatures each, and this extends that philosophy to the points cost. 

These MACs are going to be pretty limited, with only three module slots left after taking those Frames. They should also be simpler for new players to play with, but there’s a risk they just aren’t that fun. 

They’re sure to have bad heat management, but they probably won’t generate all that much heat either.

They won’t have much firepower, but they’re also pretty flimsy, and unlikely to have much in the way of defensive modules.

So is a 3v3 battle with shitty MACs actually fun? Let’s make some and I’ll try it out. 

Discount MACs

Okay, here are the forces.

I’m not doing a normal scenario, instead just bringing the MACs onto the board from the centre of opposite board edges and playing for a total wipeout of the other side. 24x24" board with a few patches of cover and rough.

Post Battle Analysis

The most obvious effect here is that the MACs were all super simple, even more so than I expected. There were half the normal number of modules to keep track of, mostly focused on a few weapons. This is sometimes good, but a frame being destroyed is just less interesting than blowing up a weapon or a radiator, which often alter the way a player needs to pilot that MAC. 

Cooldown went a lot more quickly too, as all of the MACs just cooled 1 Heat, with no extra modules to factor in. 

I tried to avoid building these MACs to some imagined meta, but with all these small MACs running around certain modules (Burst weapons, Mesh) felt more appealing than normal. In play, piercing weapons still felt good, as even small MACs tend to slow down once the firing starts, as Rushing restricts how much you can rotate, making it harder to keep the enemy in your sights. 

Final verdict? It was fun! Definitely something I’d keep in my pocket if I wanted to introduce the game to a particularly inexperienced wargame player.

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Mythic One-Shots

How do you run a Mythic Bastionland one shot?

There’s some guidance on the “Starts and Scopes” page at the front of the book, but it seems to be a recurring question. I figured I’d share my thoughts, since I’ve done quite a few at this point. 

Considerations

• You can just prepare a Realm as normal and run a one shot without changing anything in particular, but there are a few things to keep in mind:
• Character creation is quick, but there’s a bit of passing the book around, copying down property and abilities.
• Realm creation is good “lonely fun” for the Referee, but it can take a little while, and a one-shot is unlikely to span too much of the wider Realm.
• If you have the standard setup with six Myths revealing themselves at once then it's hit or miss whether you’ll resolve one in a single session.
• All Myths can work for one shots, but some feel better suited to a campaign. Maybe they benefit from the players knowing the Realm and its characters (the Glade), work better in a game that spans Seasons (the Wheel), or change the Realm in ways that are fun to have as lasting impact (the Sea).
• Starting the Knights on the edge of the map, arriving in the Realm for the first time, tends to see them make a beeline for the nearest Holding, reaching it toward the end of the session.
• Frankly, the ongoing nature of how Mythic works means that there’s always going to be some unresolved stuff at the end of a session.

So I think there are actually three ways you can go with a Mythic one shot, so take your pick from these equally valid methods.

The Teaser-Shot: Most authentic Mythic experience

• Make the full Realm as normal and populate it with the full spread of six Myths. Settle in and flesh out the holdings and landmarks as much as you care to.
• Prepare blank character sheets and roll up the Knights at the table.
• Start with the Knights arriving on the edge of the Realm as normal, having been sent here to seek Myths.
• Warn the players that things will probably end without a big climax.
• When the session ends, see if the players take the bait to come back for a second session. If they say yes then you’ve already got everything you need, otherwise your Realm is ready to serve a one-shot to a different group if needed.

The Speed-Shot: Getting straight to it

• Make a smaller Realm than normal. 6x6 Hexes with a single holding and one of each of the landmarks works, but go up to 9x9 with two Holdings if you want a bit more space.
• Generate a few more Knights than you have players, handing out fully completed character sheets and letting players swap around if they like the look of another Knight. Keep the spares for backups.
• Choose one Myth only for the Realm. Any time you would encounter an Omen, go to this Myth. You’ll hit the final Omen pretty quickly at this pace. Some Myths work better than others in this sense, but something like The Wyvern is ideal. 
• Start the Knights at one of the Holdings. The Ruler is busy but the inhabitants have told you some rumours about the Myth, urging you to go out and seek it, also hinting at the location of the nearby Seer.
• If the one-shot gives way to a campaign then you can always expand the map and populate it with a new batch of six Myths.

The Smart-Shot: For those blessed with Clarity 

• Make a full Realm, fully fleshed out, because it’s fun and you can re-use it for multiple one-shots.
• Generate the Knights ahead of time, as in a Speed-Shot, but leave their Virtue and Guard scores blank, players can roll for these so that they can’t blame you for low scores.
• Choose just two Myths for the Realm and place them far apart. Now you’ll still stand a decent chance of hitting the final Omen of one of them, but you’ll be mixing in a little bit of the other.
• Start the Knights in a Holding, having received an urgent message from a distant place, typically another Holding or a Sanctum, summoning them urgently. Now they have a clear goal of “get across the Realm” which will have them naturally encountering Omens and Landmarks on the way.

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How Did they Die?

Old characters in Mythic Bastionland stand a chance of just dying off-screen between Ages.

But what happened to that person?

Roll d66

11: The life was coughed out of their rattling lungs

12: Their body wasted away to bone and shadow

13: Gnawed on too much numbing bark for their pain

14: Strangled in wrath with little fight

15: Fell from a height and scattered their innards

16: Faded with their appetite, withered beside a full plate

21: Sank in a mire and not wholly found

22: Left to bleed on the roadside

23: A malady in their last meal turned their belly to rot

24: Trampled beneath horses

25: Spat out their blood in the night

26: Perished in weak murmurs, none heard or came

31: Burned in a fire brought by a neighbour

32: Torn apart by maddened hounds

33: Swollen to bursting by the old plagues' return

34: Smote by lightning atop a hill

35: Rode out with trembling hands, never found

36: Their mind was hot with raving till their soul slipped free

41: Slipped on the ground and cracked their skull

42: Lost their words, then their breath

43: Half-woke at dawn, still in their dream, dead by nightfall

44: Their body left clenched and contorted from wicked grain

45: Bitten by invisible mites, dying puffed and sputtering

46: Fell in a field, unable to drag themselves back

51: Wandered too far and grew cold, dying beneath their blanket

52: Found sitting stiff, watching the sky

53: Hollowed out by belly worms and left pale

54: Rendered silent by sun sickness

55: Bitten by a coughing wind, which spread deep

56: Dreamt too deeply, never to wake

61: Split open in a petty feud

62: Fed false herbs by will or chance, cold and blue

63: Hacked down by uncaring raiders

64: Choked on a bone at their evening meal

65: Screamed out their last breaths in the night

66: Drank deep of cursed water, leaving a yellowed corpse

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Between the Ages

Following on from last week, here are some events that might happen between Ages.

Other than the inevitable

Roll d66 for each Knight:

11. You suffered a great failure and must re-pledge your Oath in order to retain your Knighthood.

12. You have been in a nearby Realm on diplomatic duty. Roll a Spirit Save. On a pass, you are now well-esteemed there. On a fail you triggered a war with them.

13. You have become deathly ill. You that know you will die before the next Age without supernatural intervention.

14. You saved the life of a Seer, so they owe you a favour.

15. You have been named as heir to a Seat of Power.

16. You gain an especially loyal pet.

21. The most important non-player character to you dies suddenly. You are with them in their last moments.

22. You have spent years trapped in an Otherworld.

23. You brokered peace with raiders from beyond your borders, who have set up a Holding of their own in the Realm.

24. You won a great battle. Choose its location and roll a Vigour Save. On a pass you won, placing a Monument there. Otherwise you lost, placing a Curse there.

25. A distant or estranged relative has come to the Realm, finding a place in court.

26. An enemy or rival from your past has found a place in court.

31. You inherit a piece of armour (your choice) belonging to a Knight-Radiant, who has left to find the city. Old knights hold you in high regard when you wear it.

32. Roll a Clarity Save. On a pass you helped depose an unjust ruler, who seeks petty revenge against you. On a fail you unwittingly helped to make them a ruler.

33. A defeated foe has placed a sizeable bounty on your head.

34. You received prophetic dreams of a new Myth in the realm. The dreams relate to its final Omen.

35. You helped a new Seer find their sanctuary. Place it anywhere you wish.

36. A random visiting Knight gifts you their steed before they leave.

41. Justifiable or not, the vassals have taken to calling you "The Wicked"

42. Justifiable or not, the vassals have taken to calling you "The Great"

43. You are offered a new Knightly title. Roll a new Knight type and decide if you wish to exchange your gear and ability for the new one.

44. As a diplomatic gesture you have been barred from visiting the Seat of Power.

45. You fight in a battle that sees the destruction of a random holding. Decide which side you were on.

46. You set up a modest home for yourself that has grown into a dwelling. Place it wherever you choose.

51. Illness plagues those close to you. Choose three non-player characters close to you. They must each pass a Vigour Save or die.

52. A ghost from a previous encounter still haunts you. You cannot sleep alone.

53. You have been exiled from the Realm. If you stay you are doing so under a false identity.

54. You were sent to fight against a nearby Realm, earning a bloody reputation amongst its loyal Knights. They swore to come for you one day.

55. You helped a young protegee become a full Knight. Roll their Knight type at random, and they are now roaming the Realm on their own quest.

56. Time has been cruel to you. If you are Mature, immediately age to Old. If you are Old, lose d6 Vigour to a minimum of 2.

61. Time has been good to you. If you would age to Old, remain as Mature instead. If you would age to Mature you may increase any one Virtue by d6 to a maximum of 18.

62. You earn a reputation in tournaments. Gain d6 Maximum Guard to a maximum of 18.

63. You were embroiled in a blood feud with a ruler of the Realm. Decide somebody close to you who died in the conflict, and also somebody close to them.

64. A particularly harrowing battle leaves you with little appetite for combat Lose d6 Maximum Guard to a minimum of 1.

65. Another Knight bearing your title has entered the Realm, seeking to usurp your position.

66. A holding unexpectedly fell into your rule.

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Between the Seasons

Mythic Bastionland assumes that you’ll advance through the Seasons, and likely through the Ages, seeing your Knights grow old and maybe die a peaceful death. 

In terms of what happens between the end of a session and the start of a new Season or Age, it’s left quite loose. You get this table.

And of course there are Spark tables for the Referee to draw on. These ones in particular are handy.

And maybe this middle one when you become Old.

I turn 40 in a couple of weeks, so I’m studying this one carefully.

Knights also get to choose an activity between Seasons and Ages, but what if want to inject a slightly more concrete random event thing?

Let's go. We'll just do between Seasons today. These aren't really meant to be played out in full, you just discuss what happened as a group when you move to a new Season.

Some of these call for specific Spark Tables found in the book.

Between Season Events

Each Knight rolls d66:

11. An old Knight offers you their longsword (2d8) if you pledge to train their grandchild as a squire.

12. A random Seer of the Realm is dying and summoned to you ask them one last question.

13. You become ill, roll an ailment.

14. You are assigned an important role at a wedding.

15. The ruler of a nearby holding has openly spoken ill of you.

16. While camping, one of your weapons, shields, or pieces of armour was stolen.

21. A messenger from a distant realm brings news, with a loose connection to you.

22. Your steed suddenly dies.

23. Local farmers provide you with sustenance.

24. A merchant from a neighbouring realm provides you with stimulant.

25. A band of pilgrims offer you sacrament.

26. Somebody close to you becomes ill, roll an ailment.

31. You learn of a new Landmark in the Realm. Roll and place it randomly.

32. You witness a ghost from your past.

33. You meet a travelling part. Roll SPI. If you pass, they write a complimentary song about you, granting 1 Glory. If you fail they mock you, losing 1 Glory until you prove them wrong.

34. You meet a new successor, potentially more promising than your own if you have one.

35. You meet a potential romantic partner. Pass a SPI Save to see if the affection is mutual.

36. You indirectly cause a great fire, wiping out a hex of forest or other greenery.

41. A visiting Knight wishes to duel you.

42. You discover a raiding party from a neighbouring Realm.

43. You stumbled upon a wild beast. It gave you a Scar (d12) before leaving you for dead. Any Virtue loss caused by this is still active at the start of the next Season.

44. A wandering Seer from a distant Realm offers you cryptic guidance.

45. You learn the location of a legendarily powerful longsword (3d8 hefty), but it's in the most inconvenient place.

46. You encounter a Knight sworn to an enemy Realm, but they're pleading for sanctuary and passage to the Seat of Power.

51. You are called to adjudicate between a truthful but vindictive ruler and a dishonest but desperate vassal.

52. You learn of a secret Drama in court.

53. A Seer personally calls you for a Task.

54. You are at the centre of a new Conflict between two holdings.

55. You witness a Wonder in a hex near to your most significant holding.

56. You dream of an Otherworld.

61. You are accused of a crime you did not commit.

62. You are swept up within a peoples' revolt in the Realm.

63. You find a band of artisans from a distant Realm. You escort them to set up shop in a holding.

64. You offended a strange hermit and they swore a curse upon you. Seers predict grave things for you.

65. You are with a random ruler as they die suddenly.

66. A ruler abandons their holding, calling you to aid in establishing a new ruler.

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Background Mutations for Paranoia

After last week’s holiday I’m taking a little break from Mythic places, but I’ll return to that series at some point. 

Let’s go back to Alpha Complex. 

I mentioned previously that mutant powers have felt like an afterthought in the few sessions of Paranoia that I’ve run. 

So what if they weren’t a thing the player could actively use, but something that ticks along in the background? Some might be useful, but I also like the idea of them just being annoying and sparking more suspicious behaviour from players. 

Of course, that means it becomes a thing for the Referee to track, but I’m sure they can handle it.

Let’s make 12.

1. Hostile Emissions - If you are scanned for anything you always generate the worst possible result. 

2. Shocking Field - Any living thing you touch suffers a painful shock equivalent to a stun stick. 

3. Pressurised Blood - If you suffer even the smallest wound you spray blood everywhere. If you’re killed it’s extremely messy. 

4. Soft Gut - If you eat any solid food you regurgitate it instantly.

5. Rubberised Musculature - You are unarmed by falling, but bounce a lot upon landing. 

6. Inflation Bladder - If you enter a body of liquid you automatically inflate like a balloon, floating quite safely. It takes a moment of calm for you to deflate.

7. Facial Chameleosis - Each morning you wake up with a new face.

8. Bronchial Cryogenesis - When you sneeze, cough, or otherwise expel a large amount of air, it’s cold enough to freeze liquids or a bit of flesh.

9. Mortal Regeneration - When you die, as long as your body is mostly intact, you’ll regenerate in a few minutes without needing a new clone. You’re still messed up, but you’re back on your feet. This may cause multiple clones to be active at once.

10. Hyper Hearing - You can hear things happening in the next room as clear as day, but loud noises cause you physical harm. 

11. Bio Siren - When you are wounded you emit a scream so loud that it shatters glass in the nearby area.

12. Molecular Metallurgy  - Metal objects you hold gradually start to melt, without becoming hot.

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