Runeblade
R.U.N.E.B.L.A.D.E
Following on from earlier where I described a bit about Runeblade, I thought I'd put down the story that we as players managed to come up with in an evening.
Just as a reminder, Runeblade works on the Diceconomy system. Players begin with a set pool of coloured dice, each player then commits dice to an action in a scene, and if your dice colour succeed you then get to add a narrative to that scene. The player who has gathered the most of their own coloured dice at the end of a scene then narrates the denouement for that scene, and once the first player reaches ten of their own coloured dice, they evoke the endgame and narrate a conclusion to the overall story.
Each player get a chance to open a scene describing the opening action, the other players then take it in turns to control that scene. I have therefore broke the story up into Scenes (1, 2 and 3) and Parts (1, 2, and 3).
I didn't make a note who began each scene, or who narrated the denouement for that scene, or even what order we took turns within each scene, but Jake opened the story, and The Book evoked the endgame and story conclusion. The entire story took place over a single session in one evening over about 3 hours of play.
As Runeblade is narrative in nature and the players in the game move the story forward with their descriptions, I thought it would be good to keep a note of the story. Looking back to my notes I can attest it is a (very) rough transcript of what took place and could easily be described as “a few scribbled notes”.
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JAKE RAVEN AND THE BOOK
Characters:
The Wielder – Jake Raven
Jake Raven is a light fingered street kid who like all street kids in the Big City has had it tough. He isn't a bad kid at heart and wants to grow personally through helping others. Jake “found” The Book in an abandoned house.
The Blade* – The Book
The Book looks like an old faded tome that has been passed from person to person for longer than people can remember. Godlike beings created The Book to seek out those worthy of transformation. The Book does not know or care about their fate of those it seeks, it's goal is only to seek them out and prepare them for the coming of it's creators. The Book was hidden in a dusty cellar until being uncovered by Jake Raven. The Book has helped guide and influence Jake over the past while and believes that he be worthy of greatness. Only The Book's creators can truly decide Jakes ultimate fate.
*Although the game describes this character as a weapon of power, it could easily be anything and the player decided it would be a book instead.
The Nemesis – Simon Blackheart
Hailing from a different city, Simon is a man of influence and status. He has a business venture in the Big City which undertakes research into tracking down mystical powers that exist in the world so they can be used for his own gain. Through his research he has learned of the existence of The Book and knows that it is currently in the possession of a street kid in the Big City. Simon's agents are hot on the trail of Jake.
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Scene 1, Part 1 – It is night-time by the docks of the Big City. Standing on the stairs in an empty warehouse is Jake, giving an oration of a short passage from The Book to a bedraggled gang of youths.
Jake is listing the virtues of looking out for themselves and for each other, using passages from the The Book to reinforce his words, and that the youths of the Big City need to begin to look out for themselves or be forgotten forever in the city's underbelly. The power of The Book fills Jakes words and overcomes the youths so much that they take to the streets in a mini demonstration, aimlessly wandering from the docks towards the merchants quarter, as it moves out from the docks it turn into a riot, before fizzling out as city guards descend on the area.
Simon has hunters out on the streets looking for Jake. The demonstration impedes their search allowing Jake to make good his escape to another part of the city. Simon has already lost two hunters looking for the boy, and looks like he has lost two more in this riot. With The Book being so tantalisingly close, and the hunters being mostly ineffective, Simon has relocated to the Big City.
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Scene 1, Part 2 – Following along in the wake of the demonstration, but trying not to become involved, Jake wanders through the night-time maze like alleys of an area of the Big City Jake has never been to before feeling lost and worried. The Book sensing Jakes dismay generates a little blue flame which hovers in front of Jake. Jake feels an urge to follow the flame as the flames meanders through the streets. The flame stops by the door of a plain building, before disappearing underneath the door.
Jake follows the flame into the house and is met by an old archivist. The archivist looks up from his work seeing Jake in the doorway, chuckles and ushers him inside, stating that he had been expecting him.
The archivist has collected many old books and records on the legendary 'super beings' who shaped this world. The archivist tells Jake of the values of the 'super beings' and what they look for in mankind. The archivist also tells Jake he knows he has The Book and asks to show him something. The archivist points to several paragraphs that when read as one allows Jake to understand The Book more.
Jake now understands part of the value The Book provides. The Book is a tool of balance. Oppression is currently rife in the world and The Books current purpose is to redress this and bring back balance.
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Scene 1, Part 3 – On the other side of the Big City, Simon has descended on the docks with a handful of bruisers, and finding Jake and The Book gone, heads out following the rabble of youth. He uses some of his own powers to look down on the city and sees the little blue flame working its way through the streets. Simon knows of the archivist and sends the squad of bruisers ahead of him to the archivists location.
The bruisers arrive at the archivists house kicking in the door. Jake and the archivist rush and hide in a back room as the bruisers enter the house demanding the boy and The Book be handed over.
The Book on sensing Jakes fear causes pain in the heads of the bruisers when they approach Jake and The Book. The archivist tells Jake that he must hurry and escape, and that he will hold the bruisers off. The archivist, a secret mage of talent, casts a spell at the bruisers which disorients them with shrieks in their ears allowing Jake to make good his escape.
Jake climbs up through the building to a skylight and flees across the rooftops. It is a full moon and Jake can clearly see the spires and roof-lights of the City Hall. He has a feeling he should head this direction and as he makes his way across the roof tops he calls out for those youths below to follow him, and with the power of The Book filling his words the youths obey.
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Scene 2, Part 1 – Jake stands atop the roof of City Hall with a sizeable gang of youths. Passers-by in the street below have not noticed Jake and his gang. Jake wonders aloud that he hopes they have an easy way of getting into the building. On hearing this The Book unlocks all the windows and doors of City Hall. Jake and the gang enter through a skylight and Jake is compelled to head to the central library. The sense of corruption and wrong fills Jake as he approaches the central library. The central library of City Hall is where meetings take place to debate and formulate new laws, and where all the laws of the land are kept. The central library is massive and is filled with tomes upon tomes of books.
On entering the the central library Jake and his gang find the library is empty. They find a memo on the front desk indicating the Lords of the Realm will met here this evening to discuss a new law. They will be here within the hour. Jake organises the gang to look through the law books to find specific laws relating to indentured servants and zero-hour contracts, and with the power provided by The Book the gang sets about their task.
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Scene 2, Part 2 – Jake and the gang uncover prolific legal precedent allowing indentured servitude, token payments for work undertaken, and general meanness to the the workforce. The gang has actually uncovered evidence that is has been Simon Blackheart who has been proposing and pushing all these new laws. A look-out on the roof of City Hall has spotted the Lords of the Realm approaching the building and has called down to Jake and the gang.
Simon has met the Lords of the Realm on the way to City Hall and now leads the Lords as they mount the steps to City Hall. The look-outs from Jakes gang now have a good description of Simon Blackheart and the Lords of the Realm.
As the Lords of the Realm make their way into City Hall, Jake and his gang escape through a skylight with their evidence.
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Scene 2, Part 3 – Jake relocates to the Speaking Stones just outside the city walls. Once there Jake his gang to make their way to various Councillors, Guild Masters and Community Leaders of the Big City and surrounding towns and beseech them to make their way to the Speaking Stones so Jake can talk to them. The power of The Book compels those leaders that the youth meet to come to the Speaking Stones.
Jake awaits at the Speaking Stones with a few of his gang, as various leaders from the Big City and surrounding towns begin to make their way to hear what Jake has to say. Jake orates and once again reads passages from The Book. After several days listening to Jake and with the power of The Book the various leaders understand the corruption that lies in the heart of their Big City and decide to take action against the Lords of the Realm.
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Scene 3, Part 1 – The Lords of the Realm and Simon Blackheart gather in the law making room. Simon has convinced them that they need to take control of their people with force, and that a show of strength is what is needed. He outlines a new law should be passed allowing each Lord to raise a private army to 'take back control'. Simon uses one of his powers to get each Lord to agree to his 'demands'.
After a few days, private armies can be seen gathering outside the gates of each Lords manors. Simon has his own private army, and can be seen smiling as he rides at the head of his army into the Big City.
With the troops gathering, various common-folk have been coming to the Speaking Stones, to look for guidance. Jake has decided to stay and speak with the common-folk and read to them from The Book. Spies from several of the Lords private armies have reported back that Jake and the various leaders have been gathering at the Speaking Stones. The Lords decide to coordinate and march their private armies on the Speaking Stones, with each Lord riding at the head. This will be their first 'show of strength'.
Jake's gang easily spots the private armies making their way to the Speaking Stones. The Book has foretold of this event. Jake has read the passages in The Book and been preparing the various leaders and their followers using the power of The Book for the events to come.
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Scene 3 , Part 2 – With Jake and his gang at the Speaking Stones along with various common-folk and some leaders there is concern as to what to do as the private armies are now converging on the Speaking Stones. The Book changes the weather gathering a storm with the eye over the Speaking Stones to slow down and hold back the private armies. The Book then compels Jake to what looks like a fox-hole behind one of the stones. This is actually a tunnel which leads from the speaking stones out into the countryside. Everyone at the Speaking Stones follows Jake and makes clear their escape as the private armies break through the storm to the Speaking Stones.
The various leaders make their way back to their towns and cities, including Jake and his gang, and imbued with the power of The Book and with a new distaste and distrust of their Lords, the leaders and common-folk begin to build a Peoples Army. The Peoples Army builds in the Big City and rivals any of the single private armies the Lords have built. Fighting in the streets begins as the Peoples Army takes over critical areas of the city. The power of The Book imbues the Peoples Army with balance and redress rather than oppression, and so most of the Lords and their private armies are gathered up and ousted from the city. The Peoples Army now control the gates to the Big City.
Simon Blackheart is seen circling the city on a large winged beast. A Hippogriff.
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Scene 3, Part 3 - Simon has summoned a thick fog to act as a screen which creeps into the city. Simon uses the fog to infiltrate the city with a small force. Even though Jake cannot see through the fog, the power from The Book allows him to sense an ally or an enemy.
Word is passed around the city that a force has infiltrated the city and is converging on the square outside the City Hall. Jake, already aware of the enemies in the city, has already a plan in motion for this and has prepared fortification on the ground outside City Hall. Simon has managed to gather a larger force than Jake had predicted, and so Jake sends bands of youths to the rooftops around the square in front of City Hall with missile weapons. Hopefully Simon's forces will be trapped between the barricades and the youths hidden around the edge of the square.
As Jake is commanding troops he realises he has command over the fog with his hand actions, a power gifted to him by The Book. Jake moves about through the prepared fortifications moving fog to allow his troops opportunity to take out Simon's army. Simon is swooping above the square on his Hippogriff attacking Jake's army where he can either in the square or on the rooftops. Although the fog also obscures Simon's vision, the Hippogriff can see through the fog.
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Endgame – With a huge fight in the centre of the city both sides are gaining and losing ground with no clear winner. Simon Blackheart is circling above the town square when he suddenly goes deaf. All of a sudden, a sound like a ringing bell sounds in his hear rising to a crescendo before silence again. The sound of a Man and Woman's voice in unison can be heard “You have been judged and you have been found unworthy”.
As the voice ceases, a stray sling bullet from Jake's army strikes Simon between the eyes, knocking him out. Simon's limp body tumbles from the Hippogriff and seemingly tumbles through the air in slow motion. Simon's limp body drops and is impaled on the iron railing outside City Hall killing him instantly. As Simon dies, the fog lifts, the fighting stops, and those close to Simon's corpse start relaying through the crowd that he is dead.
As Simon's body strikes the iron railing, Jake also goes deaf. He also hears the sound like a ringing bell rising to a crescendo before silencing and then the voice of a Man and Woman. “We have looked into your heart and you have been judged worthy. Until your natural death you will have the power of The Book to aid you to return balance to the world”. With that the sound of the world returns and Jake can hear cheering.
END
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I really do wish I had taken better notes. Better notes detailing the action would have been real nice, but even just simple things like who's turn it was, who had the denouement etc would have been a start.
Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed this short story that arose from the game and I look forward to playing the next one.
J
I did try (very hard, honest) to get people to play it, but as it turns out because it was quite different from most other games and I found it hard to sell the concept. Come lock-down however, I saw my opportunity to get a game of Runeblade in action. I decided to get Runeblade set up on Roll20 (and the heartache I went through for this I will keep for another blog!) so that given even the slightest opportunity I could grab a couple of players and spend an evening doing something different.
Enzo leads you into his office and sits you in front of a heavy dark wooden desk., behind which stands a tall bookcase filled with books. After sitting you down and offering you a drink of 'da finest Tilean wine' he sits opposite you and begins 'so you come to Enzo eh? What can I'a do'a for you today?'
Franklin is tall, thin, bald and although he looks quite aged he still has a suppleness about him when he walks. He is dressed in a smart dark grey outfit which although of fine quality has definitely seen better days. His pale grey-blue eyes seem to stare through you before he speaks in a flat matter of fact manner.
I have also played Call of Cthulhu before that, and if I recall correctly we played using a battered copy of the 2nd edition rules sometime back in the early 1990s. I like the Cthulhu mythos, and have read various works by H.P. Lovecraft who's writing the game is based on so playing Call of Cthulhu wasn't a step too far off the beaten track.
This was the first scenario I have played using 7th edition rules, and although I was not very prepared (I rolled up my character using the Quickstart rules about an hour before the first session) this game was great. We didn't win, but we didn't lose our minds or die, so that was nice.
