Canonfire! Forums-viewtopic-Birthright and Greyhawk

Thu Sep 25, 2008 5:49 pm Birthright and Greyhawk

I confess I know very little about Birthright, other than it's geared towards kingdom-level activities. I was wondering if anyone could fill me in on BR, and whether or not there was any possible applicability with Greyhawk? I'm toying with buying it, but it's not cheap, and if I can't plug it into my Greyhawk campaign I'm going to be less motivated to plunk down the luckies.

My thought is, if BR makes it possible to play kings and councilors in whatever setting BR has, would it not be possible to do so in Greyhawk? Has anyone actually done this?

Joe
http://greyhawkgrognard.blogspot.com

Thu Sep 25, 2008 6:21 pm

I'm actually just starting on this for my next Pathfinder Greyhawk game (Greyhawk: Conqueror), starting in the Bandit Kingdoms and featuring both mass combat and domain management. I'm riffing on some of the rules found in the free 3rd Ed. Birthright document, available from the downloads here:

http://www.birthright.net/

I don't see a reason why the basic ideas for domain management couldn't be ported over from that setting.
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Thu Sep 25, 2008 10:21 pm

Birthright is a very good system for domain management. I used it for my DMing of GH, but not for PCs as I could never get it to mesh well with general adventures. The mass combat system was fun and maybe second to Warmachine from OD&D as my favorite quick resolution D&D mass combat. Good luck with it, GH is a politically rich setting so BR goes with it naturally IMO. Also I think since I've read George RR Martin's 'A Song of Ice and Fire' I would better know how to run a setting like BR. I highly reccomend those novels for inspiration.

Fri Sep 26, 2008 3:06 am

Warmachine from OD&D?

Eh?

Fri Sep 26, 2008 6:15 am

warmachine is from the D&D Companion Set (So it technically belongs to BECMI D&D rather then true OD&D)... it is the mass combat system I use when such situations come up as well.

Fri Sep 26, 2008 7:56 am

Had me worried there for a sec. I thought there might be something other than Swords and Spells...

Joe

Fri Sep 26, 2008 8:20 pm

I have figured out over time that I do not use a mass combat system. Actually, I dont use a system for anything that is not my players. (exception I use some random generators).

As to how to handle mass combat, I strongly suggest Heros of Battle. IT IS a 3.5 book, but the general system for organizing a "War," campaign, and how to keep the whole game about the characters should easily apply to any edition of D&D or even other systems.

I like the idea that they can participate in a battle and it not be about them. We have had alot of fun with this, and it was not edition specific.

Sun Sep 28, 2008 9:53 am

I've used the system in Heroes Of Battle too; it worked out pretty well for a Wotc supplement.

I remember using the battle system from Bushido a few times and that was pretty good as well; it involved having "encounters" while the battle raged around you. Bloody good game all round if I remember rightly Idea

.

Sun Sep 28, 2008 5:31 pm

For an encounter sytem within a battle, the only system I am familiar with is L5R's. Of course, service in battles is expected as a trope of the milieu.

I also like Battlesystem 2E. Much easier to run than the original and has an optional set of conversion rules for PCs, as unlike its predecessor, it uses a different mechanic than AD&D. It recommends PCs continue in stay in AD&D rules with special encounters to play out. Throw in the actual battle encounter tables from L5R and Bob's yer uncle.

IIRC, characters in BR gain special magical powers due to their links to their lands. Do you plan to incorporate these or just the domain management and setting trope?

Tue Sep 30, 2008 1:32 pm

Fri Oct 03, 2008 4:29 am

I played in a Birthright Greyhawk campaign several years ago...it was a blast. What that DM did was take the nations of Greyhawk and divide them up into smaller principalities and what not - the names were the same and all that - the game just focused on 2nd tier nobility instead of the supreme rulers of each kingdom.

According to the DM the Greyhawk countries as written were a bit 'large' to truly fit the thematics of BR. Any who, we all played a group of lesser nobles from Keoland that all answered to King What-his-whoosey in Niole Dra. A lot of the campaign took place in the Kings court.

I remember the DM did this great map (by hand no less) and we were really going to do some fun stuff with it, but his family went through a rather sudden tragedy and as such the campaign ended and he basically stopped gaming.

At one point he gave me the map so that I could make a digital version of it - which I may still have somewhere - I will check around; this was back in Windows 3.x days.

Anyway, sorry I cannot offer much in the way of specifics but yeah, it can be done.

Oh, and that same DM used the old Battlesystem rules with heavy tweaks for our mass combats. Our field combats were typically centered on some primary objective that the PCs had to accomplish over the course of the actual battle (bring down a certain key unit, take out the standard, etc.) and the actual battle itself was relayed to us narrative style. Basically however we did was a reflection of how the corresponding troops on the battle field did.

It was fun.

Tue Oct 14, 2008 2:36 am

Hi folks,

Long time, no see.

I would recommend working out something with the old Greyhawk Wars Box,
if that matches the time period you are playing in.

Like, first running *Fate of Istus*, then playing a few months Greyhawk Wars, and then continue, basing your adventures on From the Ashes. Smile

Yours,

Rafe
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