Against the Darkmaster: First Impressions

 

A Terrifying Weapon to Behold

Guys, this thing is a freaking tome. I've got a good hunch if I took this monster of a book and hit you at the base of your skull you'd be dead. Or at the very least in a coma. It's not the largest RPG I own by page count - that's either Burning Wheel or Burning Empires - but the paper is this wonderfully thick and heavy stock and it's definitely a thicker (and larger) book. The fact that this book could double as a weapon is part of the point. This game is what would happen if you put the Iliad and put it to a heavy metal soundtrack.

That's explicit.

Parts of the game actually ask you to copy and paste heavy metal lyrics in. We'll get back to that. It's glorious.

Oh Right, You Want a Definition

Against the Darkmaster is a rules-heavy combat game, inspired principally by Tolkien and heavy metal. It's a d100 system: roll d100 (usually 2d10 with one die as the 10s and the other the 1s), add your modifiers, and pray to get 100+, for standard checks. 

You probably won't.

The dice engine is deliberately evil. If you just go by it you're not going to get a straight success, not terribly often. We'll get back to that.

For combat rolls you get all your modifiers, knock off an amount equal to your enemy's defense, and compare to the proper table. Roll as high as you can, cause the higher you roll means you not only do more damage but can also roll on a critical hit table.... and those get mean. Instant death mean. Better wear armor, because if you don't you'll find yourself in a coma for weeks. One strong roll and your character may be so critically injured that there's barely anything anyone can do to save them. And that's the point. 

Drive, Passions, Advancement Lists, and Other Walls of Text

The dice engine in this game can be compared to a box of needles and knives and rusty forks, especially at lower levels. Because there's this awesome thing called Drive. Drive allows you to fudge the numbers, reduce critical hits, get rerolls, and make your stuff much more effective. Spending 10 Drive nets you a Milestone, which means you have the ability to have what's called a Revelation. Most of the time Revelations require time to process the events since the last Revelation, so usually you need some serious time off, but once you do you can increase stats, buff items, get more HP, and other little bumps. Considering that Drive should be flying off your character the issue is not in getting the Milestone, but having the time to get a Revelation (although the game does say that a dramatically appropriate moment can suffice).

How do you get Drive? You act on your Passions. Yes, folks, this game has Burning Wheel in its list of inspired games! You choose three priorities for your character. Like Burning Wheel what these three Passions could be is totally up to you, but the game has three default assumptions: Nature (behavior/demeanor), Allegiance (love/hate of another character), and Motivation (an actual concrete goal). Other classifications can and do exist, but these are the three assumed by the game. Whenever you willingly put yourself into a dangerous situation or challenge, put yourself in a bad light because of your Passions, or put the story in a new or unexpected direction because of your Passions, increase your Drive by one. 

Oh, there's an alternate rule where you can use heavy metal lyric quotes for Passions. I don't know why it's an alternate rule, because that's just too cool for words! At that point Passions become a reference to music...  and the places you could go with that is amazing.

Your Drive caps at five. The game says you can either award Drive on the spot or at the end of the session, whatever you think is more appropriate to your story.

Now, I've read more than a few RPGs that claim to have Burning Wheel as an inspiration. Some of them it's a very surface level inspiration (cough Beyond the Wall cough hack), and others actually seemed to learn something from it (Blades in the Dark is definitely in this category). Against the Darkmaster is the only game I know of that actively apes Burning Wheel's core engine: two advancement engines which are fed by an open-ended "input" system. In Burning Wheel that's your Beliefs, Instincts, and Trait, which feed into the epiphany (grey-shading) and skill advancement systems. 

For this game we've already talked about the Passion/Revelation engine, but there's also the Achievement List/XP engine, which completes the resemblance to Burning Wheel. The Achievement List is decided upon by the GM and the players, who determine which concrete actions in the world warrant XP or not. Against the Darkmaster openly wants your group to customize their own list of at least six options. The game gives two examples of such lists, with solid guidance on how to make your own. And the game expects the group as a whole to draft the list. Now, the game seems to imply that once the list is made that's it; no changing it. But there's nothing explicitly saying that you can't. And I have every intention of encouraging the list to change to reflect new situations.

Oh, and if you die a heroic death you just pass on your entire experience track to the next character. Kill your darlings, because more are coming. That might be an important rule, no?

An Open Tome of Deadliness

Now, here's where my predilections as a reviewer come the most into play. I am of the opinion that folks should not modify a game to suit their tastes when they're just starting. They need to adapt to the game and see if they can work with it, as written. The designer spent some time crafting a piece that works (in theory), and it's not up to somebody who's never even touched the darn thing to determine on a surface-level read whether or not they should change it. That doesn't mean you shouldn't eventually house-rule the game to your preferences: just take some time learning the game as it is. I currently have one house rule for Burning Wheel, with another in consideration, with seven years of gameplay under my belt. When I was playing 4e DnD I played a full three years before I started hacking it. Learn the game. Then figure out what you wanna do with it.

Against the Darkmaster takes a bit of a softer approach than I'm used to: it provides several alternate rules, with active advice on what that does to the system. Most of those alternate rules are the way the designers prefer to play the game. That leads to a more collaborative experience, with players using heavy metal lyrics as inspiration for Passions, deliberately softening the blows for deaths that are not heroic, and a couple of other rules that make your games about badassess dying deaths of badassery. 

Most of the time alternate rules seem to dilute the experience for me, but here the designers seem to legitimately think the "other" way is just as much a legit way to play their game. The rules have a polish to them that suggest play-testing, as opposed to "Hey, this might work", without much of a thought as to whether they'd actually work. That suggests to me that there's more than one way to play this game in the very heart of the design team. And that I don't mind, as it seems genuine enough.

The Bonk on the Back of the Neck

I called my brother John, who is not an RPGer, not by any stretch, but used to be in a heavy metal band, and threw the pitch for this game as I understood it his way: in order to destroy the Darkmaster you have to exist in an world of pain, suffering and death. Your characters live short, but incredibly intense, lives dying in blazes of glory that will be forever remembered. You pass on your experience track, creating stronger and stronger characters, until you're waist deep in the blood your characters have spilled, all to get to the Darkmaster. And when you win and end the series of campaigns you've been playing it's drenched in blood, with all the weight of the dead behind you.

John told me there was no more metal pitch.

When I told him Italians had made the game he laughed and said he expected nothing less from them.

I'll becoming back around when I have more play experience. We'll see how these impressions line up then!

With Six Wings: Session Two

Hikaru Genji: a human champion of the high race of men, played by Brian. He's out to kill the evil and wretched Warlord Bai on behalf of his lord, Warlord Monkhbat. He keep around paper and quill to give out autographs. He runs through these pretty regularly.

Thakraw: a human shapechanging animist, played by Ethan. THAKRAW CAN CHANGE INTO A POSTOSUCHUS DINOSAUR AND THAT'S AWESOME AND WHY DIDN'T I- Oh right, I'm writing a blog post. Sorry. Thakraw's tribe had been killed by Warlord Bai's serpa soldiers. But Thakraw knows it wasn't Warlord Bai who gave the order. He wants to know who did.

Genji and Thakraw decided to take the Kooramch Pass to get to the Mogoin Forest. Itw as a stretch of flat land directly between the Baytarlag Hills, known for their ghosts and barrow-wights, and the Yadargay Swamp, which held undead horrors in its seemingly infinite pools of swamp water. It also avoided the road, which was patrolled by soldiers. They had a chance of running into denizens of both the hills and the swamp, but it was certainly less of a chance than running into soldiers on the road.

A melanorosaurus

As they made their way with their cart and hired servant, Tomoya, they happened upon a baby melanorosaurus; it had a deep bite in its side. Thakraw jumped out of the cart and ran over to the injured infant dinosaur. Within a few minutes he had transferred healing energy into its bloodied side. It wasn't healed all the way back, but at least the poor thing was no longer on The Deaths' door. Mamma melanorosaurs rounded the corner and lowed at Thakraw, who backed up, next to Genji, who asked if this was one of "his people". Chuckling darkly, Thakraw "reminded" Genji that all of his people were dead, no thanks to Bai and whomever had given the order to slaughter them. Patting Thakraw on the shoulder, Genji told him that he trusted he had this well in tow, regardless. Rolling his eyes at Genji, Thakraw gently approached the mama dino and stroked her. She resisted at first, but relaxed into his touch. Stepping back, Thakraw, Genji, and Tomoya left the mother and child together.

A few nights later Genji found himself on a mountain so tall that he could see the clouds far below him. The sky above Genji was a navy blue; the winds below him howled, but Genji had never known a more peaceful place than where he was, right then. Way up above him, in the darkness, shone a blue flame. Slowly but surely it descended. The flame did not flicker, sputter, was in no danger of going out. As it got closer Genji saw a six-winged serpent at the center of the corona of blue. It declared to Genji that Bai could not die. The seraphim had claimed the serpa as their own, and it all began with Bai. To kill him would be the beginning of the end for the whole planet.

Genji was very quiet the next day, after he woke up. Thakraw was grateful for the break from conversation. A few days later they crossed the Kheigdhal River, approaching the Mogoin Forest from the south. It kept them off the road, but they would have to thread their way between the outpost forts that guarded the southern edge of the forest. Thakraw went ahead of the cart, scouting for the group. He saw a lot of roving companies of drakhon going between the outpost forts. The soldiers were unruly, undisciplined, and only interested in just the bare minimum of security measures. Thakraw could hear the drakhon soldiers complain about how badly treated they had been ever since Warlord Bai had moved in with his serpa soldiers, and they were really only in it for the food, room, and money. So avoiding them was quite easy. And Thakraw made sure they did.

After a few days of avoiding patrols they entered the Mogoin Forest, known for its myriad snakes. They got close enough to investigate Bai's Fortress, which was still under construction. It was a wooden keep with a wall, with a bailey and moat still under construction; the amount of human slaves working the site was overwhelming to the both of them. The serpa soldiers were well-fed, well-disciplined, and well-motivated to serve their warlord.

As Genji and Thakraw watched the proceedings one human slave stuck out to them. He always seemed to have a sense of humor about being worked to death (almost). So when the guards weren't focused on him Genji and Thakraw snuck over to talk to him. They asked him what his name was: Snort, on account of the sound he made to most serpa demands. He'd forgotten his own name shortly after his wife was beaten to death in front of him; his children had been sold to another serpa shortly thereafter. But life was great! Can't complain, right?? Genji asked if Snort could could get him and Thakraw into the keep. Snort asked why one earth Genji and Thakraw wanted to go into such a hellish place. Genji told Snort he was a hero of the people, it was his job! To right wrongs! To defend the weak! Snort laughed and asked if Thakraw was a hero of the people too. Thakraw replied that he would eat Snort if he talked to him again. Snort laughed again and said he had a way to get them right under the serpa's slit noses.

At dusk they made their move. Snort let them into the slave compound, but Genji's metallic breast plate was seen in the dusky light. Snort let the guards capture him so Genji and Thakraw could go on, waving a jaunty salute as they closed in. Another human male came out of the darkness and said Snort had selected him as the backup. They were hurried away.

Snort was never seen again.

They man brought them to a tunnel that the slaves had dug to hide extra food. They defended the secret with their lives. If Genji and Thakraw could kill Bai then they might actually get some change around here. The tunnels went under the courtyard, which was currently empty; the serpa soldiers had been mostly sent out on patrol. There was still a few feet of earth above them. Genji asked Thakraw if he could change into postosuchus and dig. Thakraw said he didn't have that much control over his dino form. All he knew was that when he came back to being human was usually pretty full. So they dug together.

The keep was quiet, but there was a light in the uppermost tower, so that's where they went. At the top of the stair were three guards. Genji took out his autograph paper and quill and wrote something down. He rolled it up and handed it to Thakraw, who nodded in understanding. Walking up to the guards Genji proclaimed that Thakraw was a representative of the great Tomoya and that they needed to speak with Lord Bai, immediately.

The guards saw right through that nonsense.  Two of them thrust their tridents at Genji, but coudln't get through his shield. Genji was barking out orders to Thakraw, helping him avoid a few stabs here and there. The last guard  stabbed Thakraw deeply in the thigh. The postosuchus appeared, roaring in pain. The three guards declared they'd never get to Lord Bai, not after everything he had gone through!  They began stabbing at Thakraw, while Genji swung his sword at one of the guards, getting a light cut in through his armor. Thakraw swung his tail at the middle guard and he fell in a heap; the guard furthest from the door bolted. Genji's next swing bounced off the remaining guard's armor. The guard lunged at Genji, drawing blood.

The postosuchus tore the guard's guts out in one swing.

He collapsed against the door, breathing heavily, trident still out, glaring at his enemies with all the fervor of the righteous.

Genji cut him the rest of the way open with one flick of his sword.

 The postosuchus began to dine.

Genji knocked the door to the tower in on itself. In the child-sized bed Genji saw a child-sized lump. Under the covers was a child serpa.  Looking up, the postosuchus saw the child and lumbered up to him.

Thakraw reappeared a moment later.

Genji asked the child if anyone else was in the room. The child shook his head. The only window led to a thirty foot drop. On the child-sized desk was a stack of papers and a signet ring. The child said his name was Bai. That had been his father's name too. He'd died two years before. Bai's uncle, Chen, took care of him now. Well, when he wasn't shouting at him to get his work done. Signing documents all day was lonely.

Considering their options, Genji asked Thakraw if he wanted the child Bai dead. Thakraw said he only wanted to know who'd told adult Bai to kill his people; he didn't even want the adult Bai dead. Genji said that all he needed to do was report to Monkhbat that a Bai was dead. There was no need to kill the child. Genji said he had no idea why Chen was using Bai like this, but using the child as a proxy was unacceptable. Thakraw asked if Bai would come with them, to someplace better. Certainly less lonely.

Bai nodded.

Genji took out paper and quill, and gave Bai an autograph. Y'know, to remember this day by.

They took the seal and papers on their way out. Tomoya was waiting outside the fortress, ready to go.

With Six Wings: Session One

Lore note: The prevalent races on Podushtu are drahkon (h is a hissing sound, so drassskon) and serpa. The drahkon word for a male is erchoud (erksssood) and women are called emethcoud (emetssssscood). 

Yes, I chose to bastardize Mongolian this time around. 

The land the campaign takes place in is a drahkon one. When in doubt, assume that someone is a drahkon if I don't say otherwise. Genji and Thakraw are both humans, who were the slave race of both drahkon and serpa alike.

Genji and Thakraw walked into the town of Souderlessen before Bai's Fortress, in the Mogoin Forest. As they entered the town they saw a stampede of flesh and scales coming right at them. Beyond that stampede they saw some erchoud dragging women of various races through the town square, off to who knows where.

Genji saw an inn to his left and went through it. Tables, chairs, and benches were knocked over, with the patrons huddling beneath all the overturned furniture. Striding through, he went out another door in the inn to get a bit closer to the ruffians, undetected. Genji demanded in a loud voice that the thugs turn and face their destiny: to be defeated by Genji in battle!

Yes, he struck a gallant pose when he said that.

Just try to imagine every line this guy speaks being said by this dude:

 The ruffians guffawed; they had what they wanted. Why would they fight anyone?

Thakraw exploded forward, putting himself between the thugs and escaping from Genji. They whirled around to face Thakraw. Genji charged and cut one of them acrost the back with his sword. The ruffians were armed with metal clubs, the cultural weapon of the drahkon. One of the ruffians swung at Thakraw and completely whiffed. The second thug hit Thakraw in the head so hard that, had it not been for the helmet that Thakraw was wearing, he would have been knocked straight into a coma. Thakraw was open to the third blow.

It glanced off scales.

IT'S POSTOSUCHUS TIME! 

Yes, I will be finding different Power Rangers morphing pictures.

I hope you're up for it. 

The postosuchus roared in befuddlement, head still aching and spinning.

The thugs dropped their feminine prizes and tried to back up. Genji backed up, and helped one of the women up. "Hikaru Genji! I'm a lover, not a fighter, but it's too dangerous now. Run along... and I'll see you soon!" Of course that was said with a wink

Your friendly neighborhood GM  threw up in his mouth not only hearing it, but typing it. 

The postosuchus shook the cobwebs out of its head. It was pissed. Not to mention hungry. It chased down one of the thugs and got its lunch.

A group of erchoud came running. People were saying that someone had screamed out an infernal incantation and had become a demon! Genji told them that was nonsense! Thakraw was merely a skinchanger, and there was nothing demonic about defending helpless and charming ladies from the criminals who were going to carry them off. Eating one of them? Merely a bonus for Thakraw.

Somehow that worked. The erchsoud helped them get out of sight.

With Six Wings: Session Zero

On the planet of Podushtu two races rose to power: the drahko, humanoid descendants of the fable dragons of yore, and and the serpa, humans who had sold their entire race to the Lords of Hell for power so they could throw off the yoke of the tyrannical drahko. The war eventually became global, but the serpa were winning it, equipped with their demonic powers and the full backing of Hell. The drahkos became desperate. Their Emperor then made a discovery: there was a flame, in the center of the earth. It was holy. It was pure. The Emperor somehow discovered how to weaponize it.

The ensuing explosion destroyed an entire continent, throwing hundreds of tons of dirt into the air.

DID I MENTION THERE WERE DINOSAURS???

TOTALLY ETHAN'S IDEA.

I'M GOING TO LOVE THIS CAMPAIGN IT HAS DINOSAURS OH MY G-

erhem

I WAS GEEKING ABOUT DINOSAURS FOR A FEW DAYS AFTER THE SESSION ZERO. MY WIFE WAS GETTING READY TO KILL ME.

THERE ARE T-REXES IN MY GAME AND THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE

But seriously, we'd be in the middle of a really serious conversation and I'd just smile and say "There are dinosaurs in my campaign" and Maria would shake her head.

ERHEM

Look, I can geek out about this, deeply serious and depressed aspect of my personality. I have motherfucking dinosaurs in a campaign and I never thought about doing it before. Back off.

OK, I can have this sub-to-sub talk later. Away from prying eyes.

The point. This is very serious.

After the incredibly horrific destruction of a whole continent of people the two empires decided they were going to forcibly integrate, in an effort to bring greater empathy between their peoples. People were forcibly moved to the other end of the planet, swapped on a 1-for-1 basis.

This is going about as well as can be expected.

BUT THEN THESE GUYS SHOWED UP

Yes, the khen-zai are back, try not to be surprised. They showed up, launched an attack, and are now hanging in orbit, not moving an inch. But it was enough to unify everyone against a common threat.

Well, mostly.

See, there's this serpa warlord, named Bai, who lives in a formerly drahkon nation. He was moved there by the Twin-Scale Alliance, to be their new governor. And he's been ruling the area through fear, intimidation, and death. So Hikaru Genji and Thakraw have resolved to kill him and end his tyrannical rule.

Hikaru Genji, played by Brian (who I've been trying to get in a game for long time) is the scion of one of the Elder Men, those whose alliance with the elves had produced a strong and healthy race, longer lived and more stately than their more common kin. Proficient in mace and spell, Hikaru is dashing, powerful, and literally carries around quill and pen so that way he can sign autographs. 

Yes, we have a proficient Lockhart running around. Yes, I intend to throw a lot of swooning teen girls at his feet. Be very afraid.

He works for Baghsatur Monkhbat (the "h" is a hiss, so Monksssbat), the drahkon (drasskon), somewhat unofficially, as humans are still technically slaves of both drahkon and serpa alike, and has been sent to find a reason to kill Bai.

Thakraw, played by Ethan (who is definitely the youngest member of this group, by a very great margin), is a member of a tribe of plains-roaming humans who can shapechange. HE CHOSE A POSTOSUCHUS.

IT'S AN ADORABLE SIX FOOT LONG CARNIVORE. I'VE NEVER SAID YES TO A PLAYER REQUEST SO FREAKING QUICKLY.

Anyway.

Thakraw had saved Hikaru from an assassination attempt. The two have been fast friends ever since. A lot of Thakraw's tribe had been butchered by Bai and his troops, but under orders from... someone... above him. Thakraw wants to find out who gave the order to Bai. He wants to hear it from Bai's lips.

And then he wants to stand aside while Hikaru kills him.

DID I MENTION THERE ARE DINOSAURS IN THIS CAMPAIGN??????????

I SO EXCITE

Against the Darkmaster: First Impressions

 

When I first saw this game I immediately wanted to back it. Can you blame me?? Look at that name. Do not tell me that is not an awesome name. I simply will not believe you. Or, if I am forced to believe you your taste in everything will be doubted. But, then again, I think 47 Meters Down: Uncaged is an awesome movie, in the same vein that I think the name of Against the Darkmaster is awesome. Heck, throughout the day I find myself saying the name, just because it's fun. I throw as much camp and silliness into as I can. My children have occasionally looked up at me in curiosity as I've done so, and then I realize that I'm actually talking out loud, not in my head like I thought.

OK, that's not really why I backed it. But I'd be lying if I didn't say it wasn't a plus.

I normally don't really go for combat in RPGs. Even when it's good I rarely engage in it, mostly 'cause I like to yak uncontrollably and expound and talk and if you didn't get the picture yet I'm not entirely sure how else to explain it to you???? I like talkety talk talk talky in games.

 I also happen to have a really snobby taste. I am that guy who thinks that if it isn't depressing it probably isn't very good. More than willing to cop to that.

And, honestly? Most action movies just aren't that good. Violence is always from a breakdown of communication, patience, and love. Always. It is not something to be glorified, or to be looked at as "Wow, that's AWESOME!" or anything like that. Yes, I am one of those weirdos who do not think that fantasy is a source escaping from the principles of the world, just the specific instance that's pissing you off at that moment. And, to be blunt, far too many games are way too cavalier about this. Getting hit should not be something that can be magically erased. Not only is it not realistic, but it isn't interesting. If there are no consequences then why do it? So therefore I just refuse to play anything that has the whole "Violence has no consequences" bullshit baked into it. Call me cynical or a stick in the mud but violence is not some random action, it means something, and I don't want to switch that off.  If not for the existence of John Wick I would have written off action movies as a genre.  Against the Darkmaster most definitely has consequences. Assuming you can get access to the healing, it only minorly speeds it up, and seems to operate a lot more like the modern tech we have now, where wounds can be dealt with better, but not completely solved within a few minutes. It's going to take a few days to get even a minor wound to stitch back up.

The rest of the game looks kinda like DnD, to the point to where one of my players asked me why we didn't just bother playing 5e. And on the surface level, sure? Maybe? But the vocations/classes are much more open, with the emphasis being on vocations being a starting place, not a definitive container. Combat is not really initiative based, but is phase based, which I had experimented with in 4e and found superior in just about every way imaginable. But the proof in the pudding is in its influence from Burning Wheel. Now, normally when designers tell me "Burning Wheel was an influence" I find myself rolling my eyes a bit. It's not that I don't believe them, it's whether or not they got Burning Wheel in the first place.

SNOB ALERT!!!

Let's get blunter than normal. Burning Wheel is a janky, complicated, intimidating mess of a game. Saying "Burning Wheel influenced my game" could simply mean that you read the rulebook once, liked Fate points, and decided to include them in your game. And, I mean, you wouldn't be wrong? I guess? I mean, I think that misses the entirety of the feel that Burning Wheel is going for. Burning Wheel is a game about struggle, setbacks, and triumph and how they affect a person as they slowly become a hero. They have these moments of sheer brilliance and awesomeness, but then have to go back to the grindstone, to the mundane, to the painful. The mechanics have a distinct feeling to them, so much so that I could probably identify a BWHQ game if you scrubbed the serial numbers off and renamed everything and dropped me in cold. You struggle. You persist. You may eventually triumph. And without your artha you probably won't. The game's math is set up in a very particular way, to where if you don't have a lot of artha you're going to have a very hard time. One of the reason why BWHQ games are so fun is because of their reliance upon your actions to make their terrible engine work. If you do not roleplay you will not do well. You will fail. Hard. That is not a bug, but a feature. Invest or die.

Against the Darkmaster appears to have learned that lesson from Burning Wheel. Keep in mind I've no real exposure to MERP, VsD's primary influence, but if I had to guess where this particular arc of struggle to triumph came from, mechanically, I would go with Burning Wheel. Because, from the little I've looked through the book as my players set up character, I would say this'll have a very similar feel to it. The math is intentionally stacked against the players, but playing the Passions (this game's version of Burning Wheel Beliefs) gets you Drive Points, which will allow you to come out on top in some of these situations... most of which you had to put yourself into because of the Passions you'd chosen in the first place. I mean, I could be wrong, but this appears to be an actual spiritual successor to Burning Wheel. I mean, that means someone actually learned from Burning Wheel, which would be a really cool thing to experience.

We'll see where it goes. The Session Zero will be up sooner than later!