Instead, when we went to advance her character again we decided to try ditching Hindrances and Edges and incorporating Aspects, from FATE-based games like Spirit of the Century and The Dresden Files RPG. Now, I know this may be blasphemy to some, but we wanted to give it a shot. I’ve read a lot about SotC and DRPG, but haven’t yet had the chance to run either, so this was also like a test-run for using Aspects.

Below are my house rules for adding Aspects to Savage Worlds. I took a lot of inspiration for these house rules from posts here, here and from Strands of Fate, here.

Savage Aspects

• Remove all hindrances and edges or use the same names, but treat them as aspects.^[1]
• During character creation, every character receives 5-10 Aspects.
• Each session, players start with 5 Bennies, no matter how many they ended last session with.
• Bennies can only be used in the following ways:
  • Gain a Bonus – A benny can be spent to add 1 to any roll of the dice (except damage)
  • Invoke an Aspect – If appropriate, an aspect can be invoked, allowing the player to:
    – Re-roll all the dice just rolled, using the new result, or
    – Add 2 to the final die roll (after any re-rolls have been done).
  • Tag an Aspect – A benny can be spent to invoke an aspect other than the characters’ (this could be an aspect on another character, the environment, a weapon, or other things of dramatic importance)
  • Make a Declaration – A benny can be spent to declare a fact. If the GM accepts it, it will be true.
• Bennies can only be earned through accepting compels. The GM can compel one of the character’s aspects by offering the player a choice: the player can act in accordance with the aspect to gain a benny, or the player can spend a benny to ignore the aspect. The only other way to gain bennies is through the refresh to 5 bennies at the start of each session.
• Persistent Aspects are aspects that are “free-taggable”, are considered “always on” and cover such things as deep darkness and taking cover. Aspects like these impact so heavily on a situation that they are considered always in effect and bennies do not need to be spent to invoke such aspects.^[2]

Notes:

[1]  Alternatively, remove all hindrances and edges that do not give a mechanical benefit or penalty, and those that only give +2 or -2. If you wish to use such hindrances or edges, treat them as aspects. Also treat those hindrances and edges that remain as aspects. For example, someone who is Filthy Rich receives extra funds, but also has Filthy Rich as an aspect. The Lucky aspect should not grant an extra benny.

[2] Persistent aspects in Savage Worlds may add more or less than +2 to a roll depending on the situation. For instance, invoking Dim Light gives a +1 to Stealth checks, while invoking Pitch Darkness gives a +4 to Stealth Checks. Persistent aspects can also be invoked by the GM. For instance, if a PC is attempting stealth while running, the Running persistent aspect should be invoked by the GM to grant +2 to opposing Notice checks (mechanically equal to granting a -2 penalty to the PC’s Stealth checks).

So, those are the rules we’ve started using. It’s only been a few sessions so far, but the aspects have been invoked and compelled a lot more than the hindrances and edges were ever used. Furthermore, the aspects say a lot more about the character and what the player wants from the game and story. It’s working for us so far. She has aspects like “But I’m Pregnant!”, Skin of My Teeth, Black Sheep of the Noble Merricks, and Tough & Sexy. We’re getting a lot out of them, so far.

I want to now talk a little bit about the removal of Hindrances and Edges and give some explanation about the Persistent Aspects. Hindrances and Edges are fairly well linked into Savage Worlds, but I think they are pretty easily ignored, too. I’ve never found a problem with not using them.

I favour stripping out the entire sub-system and replacing it with Aspects, rather than keeping some of the aspects there. If you do that, you get things like the Filthy Rich aspect granting you extra funds and working just like a normal aspect. It’s not game breaking, but it certainly could be seen as a much more advantageous aspect than others.

Persistent Aspects are an idea I only encountered recently, in Strands of Fate. I searched for and discovered the idea after running into a problem early on. In our game, my wife’s character has a shadow demon inside her. It’s powers only work when in the dark. She also sneaks around in shadow a lot now. She asked me whether she had to spend a benny every time she rolled to get the benefit of the darkenss.

Now the answer is, not really. If she rolled high enough, she wouldn’t need to spend a benny. But if she didn’t roll high enough, then, yes, she’d have to spend a benny so that the darkness would shroud her from view. We both found this very jarring, especially for this character.

I like the idea of persistent aspects and feel like it gives you something to play around with. If she’s fighting pirates during the “Darkest Hour of Night” on a “Stormy Sea” then every PC and NPC is going to be able to tag, invoke those aspects, as well as have them compelled against them. To me, that makes a lot more sense for the way we like to game. Rather than the pitch darkness and thrashing sea only impacting on the characters when they spend points to make it so.

That said, I’ve never played a FATE-based game before, so I might be missing something. In our current Savage Worlds game, persistent aspects make the most sense for us, so we’re giving them a shot. So far, so good.

I like the idea, too, of having a pile of bennies in the middle of the table for players to gift each other (like Primetime Adventures’ Fan Mail), but in a one-on-one game that’s irrelevant, so I haven’t done that yet.

We’ll keep playing using this system and I’ll update you on how it works out (or doesn’t) including any tweaks we add to the system.

If you’d like an offline copy of these house rules, you can download a PDF here.

Savage Worlds licensing information can be found here.

I’ve recently been thinking about threshold or liminal gods. It’s a strange concept to have an entire god – or several – dedicated to doorways. However, liminality also refers to being “between” places, times or states. I created Tarsis – Goddess at the Gate – as an attempt to create a coherent threshold deity for use in roleplaying games. I’ve also included rules for using Tarsis with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and with Savage Worlds (licenses can be found here). If you find this article interesting, I suggest reading up about Hecate, who Tarsis is heavily based upon.

Tarsis

Goddess at the Gate, The Goddess Between, Watchgod
Goddess of protection, thresholds, crossroads, transitions
Alignment: LN
Domains: Animal*, Law, Protection, Sun, Travel
Favoured Weapon: Torch or mace
*canines only

Tarsis is a goddess of protection and vigilance. She is associated with thresholds, transitions and the between places, such as the wilderness and dangerous roads. Tarsis watches over all gates, doorways, thresholds and crossroads, though she pays special attention to those flanked by torches, adorned with her shrines or guarded by dogs.

Tarsis is able to avert demons and harmful spirits, but if offended she may refuse to avert these dangers or even drive them on against those who have wronged her. Tarsis is closely associated with dogs and they are her servants, acting as guardians in the mortal realm. It is said that when dogs howl, Tarsis is near.

Tarsis is depicted as a rugged and mature but beautiful canine-headed woman in a long dark travelling cloak, ears pricked up in alertness. She is usually shown holding a torch in each hand and is often accompanied by two ghostly glowing dogs on either side of her.

Tarsis illuminates the darkness and helps identify and protect against danger. She is the patron of guards and those who work at night. Due to her connection with the night, transitions and dogs, she is also associated with lycanthropes and it is said that those attacked by werewolves have fallen from Tarsis’ favour. On the other hand, some believe that lycanthropes are actually Tarsis’ favoured servants and being chosen to become one is a blessing from the goddess.

Tarsis is linked to transitional and transformative times in people’s lives, such as puberty, marriage, moving to a new area and starting a new venture. She is often offered prayers and small sacrifices of incense and candles during these times. Her primary sacrifice is the burning of such objects and the solemn sacrifice of dogs. If these sacrifices are carried out improperly, Tarsis can take great offense, but if done with the correct rites and respect, Tarsis will listen to prayers and bestow her blessings.

Tarsis’ holy symbol is a flame-eyed dog-head with raised ears and a ring its mouth, resmebling a door knocker. Physical holy symbols of Tarsis have hollow eyes and a place for oil, allowing them to be used as miniature lanterns. Dog-head shaped bullseye lanterns with light emanating from the eyes are also favoured by followers of Tarsis. Even the heads of the maces they use will often have a dog or flame shape or motif.

Tarsis’ shrines are never far from city gates and it is common to carve boundary markers, doorframes and gates with her image or holy symbol. Her idols and shrines are also found at crossroads, where the goddess is depicted several times, each representation watching over one of the roads. Such shrines in the wilderness always contain fires or torches and it is good luck to relight one that has burned out.

Tarsis’ servants light the streets, and none of her faithful are ever without some source of light. Tarsis often sends warning through her dog servants: the howling of a dog, a dog running from fire or a dog with a torch or lantern in its mouth. Other warnings include the banging of a gate, a flash of bright light in the darkness and the guttering out or sudden flare of torches.

Savage Worlds Conversion

• Aspects: Protection, thresholds, crossroads, transitions
• Powers: Armor, banish^FC, barrier, beast friend (canines only), bless/curse^FC, boost/lower trait, darksight^FC, entangle, shape change (canines only), smite, speed, stun, summon ally^FC (ghostly dog), teleport
• Duties: Guard thresholds and crossroads, bring light to the darkness, keep streets and roads safe, protect those who cannot protect themselves
• Sins: (Minor) Covering or extinguishing lights in the darkness, denying entry to people in need, allowing acts of cruelty to canines; (Major) abandoning guard duties, permanently blocking a gate or doorway; (Mortal) Knowingly allowing entry to harmful forces, killing a canine that is not part of a ritual sacrifice, defacing or destroying a shrine or carving of Tarsis.

This game references the Savage Worlds game system, available from Pinnacle Entertainment Group at www.peginc.com. Savage Worlds and all associated logos and trademarks are copyrights of Pinnacle Entertainment Group. Used with permission. Pinnacle makes no representation or warranty as to the quality, viability, or suitability for purpose of this product.

I wanted there to be dice to add a element of chance to the game, but I also wanted it to help the PC look tough. First thing that came to mind was that knife game where you splay your fingers on a table and quickly stab a knife between them.

Before I knew it I was saying in character as the NPC: “So, have you ever played… knifey-dicey?”

While not as simple as the Simpsons’ “knifey spoony”, it was more fun than cutlery comparison.

On the spot, we came up with some quick rules for this two player minigame, which are as follows:

1. Decide the stakes (standard games are either 1 or 5 gold pieces).
2. Decide who goes first (roll a d6 and call odds or evens, or flip a coin – loser goes first).
3. The player whose turn it is throws the agreed stakes onto the table.
4. The player rolls a d6 to see how many “circuits” or “laps” of their hand they have to do.
5. The player makes a Dexterity check with a DC equal to 10 + the number of rounds played so far (0 in the first round) + the result of the d6 rolled in Step 4. Just remember DC = 10 + rounds + d6.
6. If the player succeeds, it is now the other player’s turn. Repeat steps 3-6 until someone loses or quits (every second time you get to this step, it is a new round so the DC increases by 1).
7. Winner takes the stakes. For 24 hours, the loser suffers a -2 penalty to rolls requiring two hands (unless they quit before stabbing themselves). DC 15 Healing check or any cure spell removes the penalty.

We played a game of knifey-dicey using these rules and it was a lot of fun. Due to the ever-increasing stakes, the PC ended up winning 30 gold pieces and the NPC walked away with a damaged hand.

I imagined and described the game as extremely fast paced. Decide stakes and who goes first, then begin! Throw gold on the table, roll the d6 and stab stab stab! Other player throws down gold, roll, stab stab stab! Repeat!

Because of the quick pace of the game, the DC increases by 1 each round, so someone is eventually going to lose – if they don’t quit before that, forfeiting the stakes.
Knifey-dicey has several things going for it:

• Quick and simple to play
• Elements of randomness
• Elements of “skill” (the players’ Dexterity scores)
• Easy to make variants

Speaking of variants, here’s a few I’ve made up just now for this post:

Knifey-Dicey-Drinky:

• After their turn (that is, after Step 5), the player chugs a mug of ale or takes a shot of spirits.
• The player then makes a Fortitude save (DC equal to 10 + the number of drinks consumed).
• Failing the Fortitude save adds 1 to the DC of subsequent Dexterity checks in Step 5.

Knifey-Dicey-Wifey:

• Dedicated couples play this game, where one partner stabs around the other’s hand.
• Often played as “doubles”, where both partners stab at the same time (rolling Dexterity separately).
• If one partner gets stabbed, the other can continue on. It’s like having two chances.
• Winners take the stakes. Losers suffer regular penalties and whatever their partner dishes out.

Knifey-Dicey-Deadly:

• The knives are soaked in deadly poison. Winner takes stakes. Loser dies.

Knifey-dicey is a quick and fun minigame that you can add to just about any roleplaying game to spice up the action next time your PCs wander into a tavern. EDIT: See the comments below for my conversion to Savage Worlds rules.

Knifey-dicey could also be used as a hook. “Sure, I’ll give you the information you’re after, if you and your buddy there beat me and my girl at knifey-dicey-wifey”. And I can just picture a showdown with a crime lord who challenges the PCs to a game of knifey-dicey-deadly instead of traditional combat. It would definitely be a memorable encounter.

Do you have any minigames like this in your roleplaying games? What sort of mechanics do you use? And if you try out knifey-dicey in your game, I’d love to hear how it goes.

Fact one: demons are awesome. Fact two:  everything is better with pirates.

Combining them is an obvious move, yet I can’t think of a campaign setting I’ve seen that was dedicated to this concept. Hence, my new campaign setting: Demonsea.

I’ll be using Pyres of Vam as a place to preview material from Demonsea, so that readers can follow the development of this brand new campaign setting. But for now, read on to get the first sneak peek at this swashbuckling, demon-slaying world of mayhem and adventure!

Five years ago the Demoneye opened and the fires of Hell boiled the seas. Demons sailed their Hellships, lashed together from flesh and bone, out of the furious inferno and straight for civilisation. They arrived at the shores of the desert kingdom of Kalarash and brutal war has raged between the Kalarashi and the demon invaders ever since.

Further north, the colonial empire of Darbrin remains relatively untouched by the war. Their former foes, the Kalarashi, now serve as their primary defence against the attackers. Yet demons are insidious creatures and their influence reaches far. Demonic cults have begun to appear all over Darbrin. Smugglers bring in hellforged weapons, demonic artefacts, cursed writings, and a drug called Ambrosia that is rumoured to be made from demon blood.

Darkness stirs and fears become reality. Walls of old houses bleed red, the dead rise from their graves at night, and monsters that existed only in nightmares stalk the shadows of the waking world. The mere presence of demons has corrupted life itself, transforming harmless creatures of the land and sea into deadly threats, and turning already dangerous creatures into living weapons of bloodshed and destruction.

Even pirates cannot deny that the world has changed. On the waves, pirates are harassed by other pirates, sea monsters, hellships and zealous law enforcers who make captured criminals choose between death and becoming demon hunters. At shore, these dangers are replaced by demonic cultists, pirates-turned-thugs who have abandoned the sea, corrupted beasts and suspicious inquisitors who passionately seek to root out evil in the world.

Pirates being pirates don’t put up with any of this and even while fleeing from the law and other dangers, they often find themselves the unwitting heroes of this dark new age.

So, that’s Demonsea in a nutshell. I picture pirates being attacked at sea by demons on a hellship, or raiding a town during a demonic cult’s summoning ritual, or capturing a ship only to find vials of ambrosia, cursed artefacts or hellforged weapons on board. It’s a recipe for excitement!

But, you don’t have to play as a pirate. You could be a naval officer hunting down demons that have made it to Darbrin’s shores, searching out demon artefacts to destroy and capturing pirates and deciding their fate – or even working with them to fight the bigger threat. Some of these officers are extremely zealous – paladins of the sea, if you will – and are deadly serious about fighting evil, whether it’s pirates, monsters, demons or anything else.

Playing an inquisitor is another possibility, and one of my favourites. Imagine a wandering detective/exorcist and you begin to get an idea of what these guys do. Add a liberal splash of Inquisitor Glokta and Harry Dresden and you’re getting closer still. Grim loners whose minds are their greatest weapons and who are mortal but take on the supernatural on a regular basis.

Inquisitors travel the coast by land and sea, investigating crimes, particularly those where demonic influence appears to be involved; they root out cults and demonic smugglers, exorcise demons, and hunt down pirates from time to time – after all, pirates are cutthroat villains who spread the influence of evil in the world and are thus, knowingly or not, aiding the forces of Hell.

Speaking of aiding the forces of Hell, there’s nothing to say that you can’t embrace the demonic. Pirates, inquisitors or even hardcore naval officers could be ambrosia addicts, wield hellforged weapons, attempt to bind demons into service or even – oh yes! – capture and captain a fearsome hellship! There’s plenty of demonic fun to be had by all! It’s likely to corrupt your eternal soul, of course, but who says you can’t have a good time during the process?

As you can see, there’s lots of potential for fun and a variety of play styles. I don’t plan to expand much on Kalarash or the Burning War – as the Kalrashi-Demon War has been dubbed – for the “main” part of the campaign setting. Kalarashi will have a big part to play in the setting, but their homeland will remain “off the map” for the most part. If this setting takes off and I want to add more to it, Kalarash would be the obvious place to work on next.

But for now, I’ll be steadily developing Demonsea and posting articles and excerpts here on Pyres of Vam. As this is a campaign setting rather than a whole new roleplaying system, most of what I’ll post will be “fluff” rather than game mechanics. I haven’t decided what system I’ll use for Demonsea yet, and I prefer it that way – then I don’t feel limited by what each system does and doesn’t offer. That said, I’m running a Demonsea game for my wife to help me flesh out the setting, and for that we’re using Savage Worlds which appears to be an excellent fit so far.

I’m really excited about Demonsea, so you can expect to see more of it over the coming months. This is also my first time creating a campaign setting in this way – that is, using a website as the main place to brainstorm – so from time to time I’ll write about my thoughts on the whole process and what I’ve learned from the experience.

So, sharpen your hellforged cutlass, take a swig of ambrosia and get ready to set sail for Demonsea!

March Fourth has become known as GM’s Day in the roleplaying community. It’s a day to celebrate Game Masters and thank them for their hard work, convoluted plots, devious villains and all the fun times you’ve had with them. After all, without GMs most people wouldn’t be roleplaying. So players, bring extra snacks to your next game, buy your GM some new dice, make a little present or try extra hard to roleplay your character. What about Players’ Day, you ask? Every other day is Players’ Day

GMs and players alike will be interested in the celebrations happening over at DriveThruRPG, the Internet’s largest RPG download store. They’ve take a fourth off many of the products on their site until the 8th of March. That’s 25% off! So head over there and pick up some great deals. Now is the perfect time to try something you might not have played before, like Mouse Guard or Savage Worlds. Both of these excellent systems – along with hundreds of other PDFs – are dirt cheap until March 8th!

So march forth and celebrate your GM, grab some bargains and keep playing games!