A song of Ice & Fire

[Eosin]

So, not to be a heretic but I am quite excited about the new fantasy system coming out for A Song of Ice and Fire.

 

It looks like the Quick Start rules are coming out in a week or so - these include some Pregens and an intro adventure.

 

Green Ronin has two design journals up so far and the system sounds dynamite ~ especially when you couple that with some of the comments of Robert Schwalb, Steve Kenson, and a few of the playtesters.

 

The system is not a level based system. It doesn't seem to have Stats actually. Still, the playtesters seem to like it and the comments on social combat and mass combat sound intriguing to say the least.

 

So, who else is looking forward to some low fantasy grit with copious blood thrown in for good measure?

 

This quote on RPG.net from a patron of Buy.Com told me most of what I needed to know.

 

Mad Professor Ludlow

 

The victor decides his or her victim's fate. If your Health drops to 0 or below, you're Defeated, not necessarily dead. Your opponent may choose to leave you Maimed (they get to choose one of your Abilities which is reduced by 1 rank permanently), they might hold you for Ransom (in a Tournament they get your armor and horse), they might insist you Take The Black (), or they could just leave you Unconscious (for 2d6 hours, all of which you are essentially helpless).

 

Or, yeah, they can just kill you (but see below!)

 

If you see your Defeat is inevitable, you can choose to Yield. By yielding, you get to choose the outcome of your defeat (w/ the Narrator's approval).

 

Not the Yielding type? Good news, read on!

 

As a Greater Action you can Catch Your Breath.

 

You can accept an Injury to reduce Damage, which reduces the amount of Damage taken by that character's Endurance rank. Each Injury = a -1 on all dice tests. Injuries can last weeks.

 

Or you can take a Wound. A Wound removes all Damage but also = -1 to all tests per Wound. You can only accept as many Wounds as you have Endurance ranks. Any more and you die. Wounds can last months.

 

Oh, and there are Destiny Points, which you can burn to avoid all (well, most..) of that unpleasantness.

 

*Armor actually makes it easier for you to be hit, but harder to do you any actual Damage. Each type has an Armor Penalty which applies to all Agility tests and to your Combat Defense. When you do get hit, all Damage is reduced by the Armor Rating. Full Plate has an AR of 10, and AP of -6, and a Bulk (reduces your Move) of 3.

 

Shields and Parrying Weapons do make it harder for you to be hit, adding to your Combat Defense.

 

 

Maiming... yummmy.

 

I'll have to dig up some threads on Hero Conversions.

 

On another tangent, I recently built a "Greensight" power for one of the players in my pbp game. It was modeled after Bran's warg-riding.

[Nolgroth]

Re: A song of Ice & Fire

 

In the hands of responsible, good role players, sound fun. In the hands of 90% if the role-playing market, I wouldn't touch that idea with a 10 foot pole. BUT, it is very evocative of the SoI&F setting.

[Pattern Ghost]

Re: A song of Ice & Fire

 

Did he ever finish the series? I read the first one when it came out, but the gap was so long between books, I decided to wait till it was finished before reading it.

[Markdoc]

Re: A song of Ice & Fire

 

Did he ever finish the series? I read the first one when it came out' date=' but the gap was so long between books, I decided to wait till it was finished before reading it.[/quote']

 

Still waiting. A new book is due out .... soonish. There's two more to come, I think.

 

cheers, Mark

[Eosin]

Re: A song of Ice & Fire

 

In the hands of responsible' date=' good role players, sound fun. In the hands of 90% if the role-playing market, I wouldn't touch that idea with a 10 foot pole. BUT, it is very evocative of the SoI&F setting. [/quote']

 

On the subject, we had a lot of table talk last night and most of it centered around how much of a rat bastard DM I am... Let's see there was the "When I am through with you, you'll wish you we dead" comment from the player to which the bad guy retorted, "When I am through with you this will be too hard core for a prison shower scene." One of my personal favorites because the player was so floored by the prospect of losing.

 

In my story hour there is the in game seduction of the Justicar-Paladin guy by a Dryad named Yasha. Everything went well until two days later when one of the PCs figured out the word Yasha means "Demon" in Japanese. Whoops....

 

The roasting cleric still gets talked about by Edsel nearly a decade after the "event". I think that was the first hard core death he ever had in an RPG. He took it well but I heard about it for several months. Nut he had a bad guy beat my vigilante up and use my character as a human shield so we are pretty much even.

 

I like gritty but I don't like "punish the players." Gritty and deadly adds a degree of sweat equity into a campaign that cannot be had any other way. Knowing the DM will do terrible things to your character if you put yourself in the situation is dramatic tension. Knowing the DM is going to hose you irregardless of your actions with the GM NPC uber-bad monkey of death dealing is like watching the D&D movie. Funny in a demented sorta way but ultimately a waste of time.

 

 

That is a long winded, verbose way of say, "Yeah, I agree but I think our group can tip-toe in the waters to see how many sharks lurk beneath the surface."

[Pattern Ghost]

Re: A song of Ice & Fire

 

Still waiting. A new book is due out .... soonish. There's two more to come, I think.

 

cheers, Mark

 

Thanks.

 

I think he originally stated plans for four or five books. What's the count up to now? Has he exceeded the original goal or is just slow in getting them out?

[Nolgroth]

Re: A song of Ice & Fire

 

And that is cool. I would even trust my own online group to be similarly well-equipped to handle such a game. I can also see the dissolution of entire groups if they play this game.

[Old Man]

Re: A song of Ice & Fire

 

Thanks.

 

I think he originally stated plans for four or five books. What's the count up to now? Has he exceeded the original goal or is just slow in getting them out?

 

The answer is yes. Four books have been published so far. IIRC the original plan was to write six books, but the fourth one had to be split into two and he is still working on the second of the two. So best case scenario is seven, but I doubt it; I really get the sense that he has started too many subplots and it will take more books than that to wrap them up.

[Eosin]

Re: A song of Ice & Fire

 

The answer is yes. Four books have been published so far. IIRC the original plan was to write six books' date=' but the fourth one had to be split into two and he is [i']still[/i] working on the second of the two. So best case scenario is seven, but I doubt it; I really get the sense that he has started too many subplots and it will take more books than that to wrap them up.

 

To refine even more.....

 

The original plan was two separate trilogies with 5 years between them.

 

That wasn't going to work for various reasons. It was decided that he would create a "bridge" book between the two trilogies. He has had some trouble with the "bridge" book with ballooned out of control and had to be split into two books.

 

So, 8 books are now planned. Four of them done and the fifth has been "nearly done" for a year.

 

 

I am not too worried about wrapping up. He can sever plotlines faster than any author I have ever read. I mean all the Ned plotlines wrapped up in about 30 pages.

 

[Shigeru]

Re: A song of Ice & Fire

 

You aren't worried that he'll pass away before completing the series? THat's got me worried, let me tell you!

[Eosin]

Re: A song of Ice & Fire

 

You aren't worried that he'll pass away before completing the series? THat's got me worried' date=' let me tell you![/quote']

 

Actually, that's the rage now days. Start a massive sweeping epic and die in the middle. Jordan, Gemmell, and a few others have shown it can work well.

[Markdoc]

Re: A song of Ice & Fire

 

The answer is yes. Four books have been published so far. IIRC the original plan was to write six books' date=' but the fourth one had to be split into two and he is [i']still[/i] working on the second of the two. So best case scenario is seven, but I doubt it; I really get the sense that he has started too many subplots and it will take more books than that to wrap them up.

 

Shucks, he could wrap up many of those plots right smart, if he was only prepared to kill a character or two

 

cheers, Mark

[sbarron]

Re: A song of Ice & Fire

 

Actually' date=' that's the rage now days. Start a massive sweeping epic and die in the middle. Jordan, Gemmell, and a few others have shown it can work well.[/quote']Do we really need another massive sweeping epic fantasy story?

 

I guess that's what sells, because everything has to be at least a trilogy these days. But dang, nothing ever seems to happen "small" any more.

[Nolgroth]

Re: A song of Ice & Fire

 

Do we really need another massive sweeping epic fantasy story?

 

I guess that's what sells, because everything has to be a at least a trilogy these days. But dang, nothing ever seems to happen "small" any more.

You kidding? I can't even read short stories anymore. They end too quick.

[Manic Typist]

Re: A song of Ice & Fire

 

Actually' date=' that's the rage now days. Start a massive sweeping epic and die in the middle. Jordan, Gemmell, and a few others have shown it can work well.[/quote']

 

Robert Jordan is dead? As in the Wheel of Time?

 

 

WHAT?

[Nolgroth]

Re: A song of Ice & Fire

 

Robert Jordan is dead? As in the Wheel of Time?

 

 

WHAT?

Yes. Sadly enough he passed away a few months back.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Jordan

 

EDIT: And if you'll forgive a slight derail, it looks as if a gentleman by the name of Brandon Sanderson has actually picked up the writing for the last book, A Memory of Light. His site is at http://www.brandonsanderson.com/index.php . Back to Song of Ice and Fire.

[Eosin]

Re: A song of Ice & Fire

 

However, a very talented young writer named Brandon Sanderson is going to finish the last book. Between the notes, Harriet, Tor, and Sanderson I have some really high hopes that it'll re-capture the Wheel of Time feel.

[Nolgroth]

Re: A song of Ice & Fire

 

However' date=' a very talented young writer named Brandon Sanderson is going to finish the last book. Between the notes, Harriet, Tor, and Sanderson I have some really high hopes that it'll re-capture the Wheel of Time feel.[/quote']The timing of it all!

[Curufea]

Re: A song of Ice & Fire

 

However' date=' a very talented young writer named Brandon Sanderson is going to finish the last book. Between the notes, Harriet, Tor, and Sanderson I have some really high hopes that it'll re-capture the Wheel of Time feel.[/quote']

 

Or possibly even become readable again. I'm sorry about his loss, but I hope the new writer is more knowledgeable about book pacing than Robert was.

[Old Man]

Re: A song of Ice & Fire

 

That's why they call it The Wheel of Timing.

 

Also note that, acronymed improperly, A Song of Ice and Fire reads "AS IF".

[Nolgroth]

Re: A song of Ice & Fire

 

Or possibly even become readable again. I'm sorry about his loss' date=' but I hope the new writer is more knowledgeable about book pacing than Robert was.[/quote']On his web page is a free novel you can download to get an idea of his style.

[Pattern Ghost]

Re: A song of Ice & Fire

 

Robert Jordan is dead? As in the Wheel of Time?

 

 

WHAT?

 

Yep. He was ill for a while.

 

They do have a guy working on the last novel in the series, which was partly written already. Jordan also left copious notes, both written and recorded, behind. I believe Jordan's wife will be editing for the book, which is something she did for him while he was alive. So, even though the writer's not one I've heard of, it does look like the series has a shot at a decently-done conclusion.

 

Eh.... I didn't even see the second page here, before I replied to Manic.

 

Nothin' to see here, move along.

 

I may have to take a pass on the Martin books for a few more decades, it seems. I was kind of afraid he'd bloat the series. Though, if someone's going to write freaking huge multi-plotline novels, Martin's one author who seems to be able to make it tolerable.

[Old Man]

Re: A song of Ice & Fire

 

Oh, the series is wonderfully written, if gritty and even bleak at times. But on the other hand, at this rate the series won't be completed until 2013 at the earliest, and who knows if he will be able to conclude the series in an appropriately epic, non-anticlimactic manner? Especially if he can't bring himself to kill off a character or two.

[Markdoc]

Re: A song of Ice & Fire

 

Oh' date=' the series is wonderfully written, if gritty and even bleak at times. But on the other hand, at this rate the series won't be completed until 2013 at the earliest, and who knows if he will be able to conclude the series in an appropriately epic, non-anticlimactic manner? Especially if he can't bring himself to kill off a character or two.[/quote']

 

From the south come dragons, scorching everything with flame. From the north comes ice, others and giants. The two meet around Kingsport. Everybody dies.

 

cheers, Mark

[Eosin]

Re: A song of Ice & Fire

 

From the south come dragons, scorching everything with flame. From the north comes ice, others and giants. The two meet around Kingsport. Everybody dies.

 

cheers, Mark

 

You've been reading Martins notes!