Borchardbriar: THE ACCORD

 

THE LINE THAT HOLDS US

"The old songs say there was an order to things. Spring to summer to autumn to winter and back around again. Drawn up to check the wild magics so good Folk would have a chance to build something without the heather and ivy dragging down their hard work. Laying out the tenets of Thumb and Fist and overwriting the red laws of Tooth and Claw.

Now the cycle's broken with Reynard's arse wedged into Borchardbriar castle, stalling the others in their far flung corners 'til the wheel turns again. But the Accord still holds. Though with all these growling stomachs, I don't know how much longer."

- Cass, Raconteur of Some Renown

ACCORD - Every Wild Card starts with maximum Accord equal to 2 plus half their Spirit die type. As things unfold the GM may call for a Accord check with a modifier based on events. An Accord check is a Spirit roll, the results may modify your current Accord score.

Murder -  Killing Folk for any reason other than self defense causes an Accord check at -2. 

Backlash - A character with an Arcane Background who triggers Backlash must also make an Accord roll.

Fear - Fright and animal terror cut the noblest beast at the knees. When you fail a Fear check, lose 1 point of Accord.

Relic - Wielding a Relic is playing with fire. Each use of a Cursed Relic causes an Accord check.

Open Road - Out past the borderposts, the Land's wild magic warps Folk. Moreso when they're isolated. Each day you're on the Open Road, make an Accord check with a -2 penalty and adding +1 for each companion.

Viciousness - The Accord is built on trust. Being a bastard undercuts that. Predatory and cruel acts cause an Accord check, with a penalty (-1 or -2) at the GM's discretion.

LOSING ACCORD

The real risk of losing Accord is uncontrolled transformation as the Land's wild magic uses your flesh as a canvas, turning you into a worthy predator. But maybe a little monstrosity is fine, given the stakes. When you lose points of Accord, you temporarily gain a Tinge. Draw a card for each point lost and apply the card of your choice, gaining the corresponding Tinge. At your next Advancement you can choose to keep the Tinge instead, otherwise it blows away on the wind. Be sure to conceal you Tinges, the Wyld Breakers are always on the look for Folks meddling with the Old Times.

If your Accord reaches 0 then you're lost until the next full moon as the wild magic overwhelms you. The GM takes control of your character and draws 4 cards, applying all corresponding Tinges. 

RECOVERY

The most effective way to recover lost Accord is building trust and community. So lend a paw by helping out, doing things for others, pitching in without being asked, and taking nothing in return. Additionally, every lunar cycle, equinox, and solstice that goes by without any further Accord loss, you regain a point of Accord. You may want to promote one of the Network Contacts to a full fledged Cell Member and play them while your other character is on the mend.

Accord cannot go above the starting value, minus 1 for each Tinge. Nor can Accord go below 0.

New Edge:

DEFY FATE

REQUIREMENTS - Legendary, Spirit d10

Choose 1 Skill rated d10 or greater. When you make an opposed roll with that Skill, you may spend 1 Accord to succeed with a raise.

TITANOMACHY: BIGGER THAN BIG. TALLER THAN TALL.

M. Asif Khan grew up in a Pakistani village surrounded by the Himalayas. As the mountains dominated his vision, they similarly dominated his life. He started mountain climbing to conquer these titans and symbolically rise above his origins. He was not prepared for how literal this would be.

While scaling a recently shifted mountainside, Asif discovered a metallic giant packed in the ice and snow, thawing out under the sun. He drew close to the enormous figure and reached out, brushing the metal skin with his fingertips. In a flash the figure disappeared into Asif. The sudden cavity in the mountainside quickly filled with a crush of tumbling ice, snow, and scree dragging him along.

Though he fell just a man, Asif emerged from the rubble as BRUM - THE MOUNTAIN AMONG MONSTERS.

In its last act the alien bestowed the Titan Factor on Asif. Now able to attain tremendous stature, Brum led a successful career combating, and sometimes cooperating with, the planet's Daikaiju. A career functionally ended when Stellar Tyrant Ophiuchus invaded from another solar system. Joining forces with the Daikaiju, they repelled the Tyrant at great cost: Ptera Khan lost a wing, Anglax was blinded, and Brum couldn't change back into Asif. Now forever a Titan.

Now a resident of the Bonin Island Refuge, Brum must negotiate a new equilibrium with his monstrous housemates.

ATTRIBUTES
Agility d8 Smarts d6 Spirit d8 Strength d12+16 Vigor d10

SKILLS
Academics d6, Athletics d10, Common Knowledge d6, Fighting d8, Notice d6, Persuasion d6, Science d6

PACE 6 PARRY 6 TOUGHNESS 54 (30)

HINDRANCES
Enemy - Major, The Stellar Tyrant Ophiuchus  believes all Titan Factors belong to him,
Heroic - Major

EDGES
Brute, Iron Jaw, Mutation (Size x2), 

SPECIAL ABILITIES
Blunt Force Trauma - 3d12+16, AP 24
Dependency - Sunlight, the only thing that sustains him
Racial Enemy - Daikaiju, his unwilling "housemates" hold a grudge
Sapient - Brum is capable of complex thought and full speech
Size 18 - Larger than your average Daikaiju, Brum has Heavy Armor, can suffer three additional wounds and Stomp

Titanomachy is a collection of sample characters for Dawn of the Daikaiju from Pinnacle Entertainment Group. You can find the main rulebook here.

Tuesday Reviewsday: ThunderCats (2011)

 

We're drowning in fantastic animation. In the age of Avatar, Kipo and the Age of the Wonderbeasts, Voltron: Legendary Defender, and She-Ra and the Princesses of Power you're easily forgiven the sin of overlooking the excellent 2011 ThunderCats series. After all, it hasn't been on any streaming service as far as I know.

Recently added to Hulu, the 2011 series was planned for 52 episodes but tragically cut in half when the toy sales failed to meet expectations. I don't use the word "tragic" lightly considering how good the 26 episodes were I wish the studio could have finished their tale. I hold no nostalgia for the original series and this series grabbed me by the throat. The stakes are high, the animation fluid, the voice acting is top notch, and the characters draw you in. In the alternate world where the 2011 ThunderCats reached its conclusion, we might praise it as effusively as Avatar: the Last Airbender.

Both ThunderCats (1985) and ThunderCats (2011) are streaming on Hulu right now.

Borchardbriar: We All Lift Together

Cell Table

Rank	Rep	Resistance	Expertise
0	0	0	Start with 2 Network Contacts, a Hideout, and 1 Defense
1	1	1	Wild Cards joining your Cell gain d4 Repair
2	2	1	Gain a Network Contact. Current members gain an Edge.
3	3	2	Wild Cards joining your cell gain d4 Battle
4	4	2	The Cell gains a Benny any Wild card or Extra can use.
5	5	3	Wild Cards joining your cell gain the Trademark Weapon Edge
6	6	3	Gain a Network Contact.Current members gain an Edge.
7	7	4	Wild Cards joining your cell gain the No Mercy Edge
8	8	4	The Cell gains a Benny any Wild card or Extra can use.

Increasing the Cell's Rank costs a number of Food equal to the next Rank.

Rep is a measure of renown among the oppressed and heat from the oppressor. 

Resistance is a bonus to Battle rolls. Certain Hideout Edges allow you to add this bonus to other rolls as well.

The Hideout starts with 1 Defense. You can choose from: deadfall (burst), smoke wires (darkness), lockjaw traps (ensnare), or clay pots with stinging insects (summon minion). The powers are activated with a d8, or the highest Repair skill in the Cell, and 10 Power Points.

Feel free to create your own with GM approval.

Hideout Edges - A Cell's maximum number of Hideout Edges is equal to the Cell’s Rank.

BELLS & WIRES

You’ve strung thin wire across every entryway and set small bells to act as a crude alarm system. Incidentally you’ve gotten good and bypassing similar arrangements, add +1 to Stealth and Thievery checks indoors.

BOLTHOLE

The hideout has an escape tunnel running into a nearby district. The tunnel is tight and can be collapsed to block pursuit. Though this can cause problems for larger members of the Resistance.

BUNKS

Maybe your home isn’t safe since you fell into the Resistance. Or you don’t have a home. Either way the Hideout has bunks for you to sleep in. Add Resistance in opposed rolls to be tracked since you can vary your patterns.

DISTILLERY

It ain’t much but you can produce the basis for myriad elixirs and potions: snakebite. Of course you could always just drink it. You receive 1 shot of Snakebite per Wild Card at the beginning of each caper or adventure. You can take this Hideout Edge multiple times but instead you add 1 shot of Snakebite each time, to be distributed separately.

GUTTER FLEET

Down the canal there’s a skiff or two tied off to a hidden dock. Add Resistance to your first Boating check during a Dramatic Task.

INFIRMARY

With a bed for long term convalescence, bandages, and a cabinet packed with herbal remedies; you're ready when things go sideways. Add Resistance to your Recovery rolls to bounce back from the Injury Table.

IMPREGNABLE

Most Hideouts have one active Defense, but you’ve developed additional lines of Defense. Choose one: an additional Defense, increase the Power Points by 10, or increase the activation die by one step. You can take this Hideout Edge multiple times but you have to pick a different option each time.

PACTSTONE FOUNDATION

Your Hideout’s foundations were laid with stone from the Bad Old Days before Reynard ascended to the throne. You can knap pactstone shards for use in small, light weapons like knives and arrows. During the Muster Phase, add +2 to your test to procure such items.

PARTNERS IN CRIME

The Meow Street Runners are fracturing and some have abandoned their posts. Now they’re on your side with inside information. You generate an additional caper and draw an additional action card during dramatic tasks. You can choose which card to use.

PRINTING PRESS

With wondrous machinery you can now get the word out. When you Muster Forces, add a d4 to the number of Extras you rally to the cause. You can take this Edge multiple times.

SECRET SHRINE

Maybe y’all built it yourselves or maybe it was here before you moved in, but in a small alcove there’s a shrine to the 3 Forgotten Seasons. Choose one: Albina the Spring Sow, Chaunteclure the Summer Bantam, or Gilgen the Winter Elk. During the Muster phase, you may choose to pray at the shrine and make a Spirit roll. If you’re successful gain one below power with a reserve of Power Points equal to you roll for the rest of the Caper. Use Persuasion for power activation.

• Albina, the Spring Sow - Growth

• Chaunteclure, the Summer Bantam - Warrior’s Gift

• Gilgen, the Winter Elk -  Slumber

SORCEROUS SANCTUM

Ritual reagents and sanctified space allow the canny sorcerer to craft Talismans of various sorts and perform rituals held in check until the right moment. Add Resistance to your first power activation or power damage roll per caper.

THE STACKS

Piles of books pile up in a hideout corner. Thumbing through them can prove useful. Add Resistance to Research and Academics checks.

VOLUND'S STONE

Getting a piece of Pactstone to sharpen blades rather than blunt them is no mean feat. All Cell members with the Trademark Weapon Edge now add Resistance to damage rolls

WAREHOUSES

Somewhere off-site you have space to hold contraband and hide people. Reduce the Crackdown by 1 when you steal material, liberate tithes, or kidnap someone.

WORK BENCH

Equipped with a cornucopia of tools, the cell is now better able to prepare the materials for their mission. Add Resistance to Repair rolls needed to create or maintain the means of mayhem.

Tuesday Reviewsday: Corto Maltese

Corto Maltese is a series of European action/adventure comics by famed Italian creator, Hugo Pratt, chronicling the life of its titular character through the early decades of the 20th century. Though related to Tintin, Gil Jordan, Lupin III, and other continental adventurers, Corto carries himself more as a pulpy Sinbad the Sailor. Embarking on adventures for lost Imperial Spanish gold and thwarting Nazi spies for the sake of outrunning boredom than the allure of wealth or pursuit of truth. Along the way he crosses paths with historical figures like Rasputin, Butch Cassidy, Ernest Hemingway, and Jack London.

With striking black and white art from an artist at the height of his powers and narrative depth belying comics, Corto Maltese is well worth the time. Especially if you love pulp adventure tales staring colonialism's ugliness full-on. This series is definitely in the Old Man's Bar DNA. The stories have most recently been translated and printed by IDW and some animation was done 4-5 years ago.

Tuesday Reviewsday: The Sinner

We're all spending time at home as the Troubles extend into a 4th month and probably watching a lot of TV. If so, you've found you can only watch Terriers (on Hulu right now) so many times before you need a new crime drama. You can replace Terriers with something else more fitting your tastes - True Detective, Black Spot, The Shield, Bosch, The Glades, or what-have-you. But the sentiment is the same.

There's a LOT of good media out there but we consistently return to the crime drama/police procedural well for some degree of comfort. Even in the most hardboiled or noir story offer a structure delineating the good, the bad, and the bad-but-good-enough-to-live-with into boxes and delivering some sort of justice in an increasingly unjust world. The Sinner dumps those comfortable boxes out on the floor and kicks the contents into the wall where hey break and spill, leaking their contents into a runny mess defying a shallow viewing. In the first season Jessica Biel plays Cora Tanetti, a seemingly placid housewife, who stabs a man to death at a public beach in upstate New York. Bill Pullman plays Detective Harry Ambrose, a police detective on the rocks, who feels a pull that Cora's crime is a part of something larger and, like a bad tooth, just can't leave it alone.

If you enjoy being pushed out into deep water and feeling your way back to shore, then The Sinner would be for you.

The Sinner seasons 1 & 2 are currently on Netflix.

Tuesday Reviewsday: Space Dandy

Hey everybody, Aaron here. It's been a long time since my last post, but I've been really busy writing adventures and mysteries for games such as: Savage Rifts, Trophy, and Brindlewood Bay. Besides being the Head Writer for a ZineQuest 2 Kickstarter project Oligarchy - a game of political folly. Those are all wrapping up in the near future so I have time to get back to Tuesday Reviewsday. 

Earlier this month we finished watching Space Dandy! a science fiction comedy anime from Shinchiro Watanabe of Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo fame. Over the course of the series, the titular character travels the star in his tiki themed spaceship searching for alien lifeforms, falling in love, and hanging out at an interstellar Hooters. It's a love letter to fishbowl helmets, rayguns, scantily clad ladies, Americana, and high adventure across a lurid galaxy. Every episode shares a loose continuity but rarely impact one another. Which is probably for the better since that gives each episode room to breathe, no matter how gonzo or ridiculous the individual premise may seem. 

Overall the show alternates between lighthearted and poignant, delivering  a heartfelt salute to its influences while leaning on animation's strengths. Similar to Watanabe's other series the soundtrack is impeccable. I mean, watch this:



If you like pulpy sci-fi stories like Flash Gordon, the Original Star Trek, Secret of Sinharat or Barbarella you should check out Space Dandy! You can watch it on Hulu.

If you'd rather have dandy adventures in space for your next tabletop game, then check out Troika! the Otherworld's Favorite Roleplaying Game (art free SRD here) and try out Across the Humpbacked Sky, Baby! from Carol and I. It's a collaborative framework for creating weird aliens and some weird planets for them to hide on.