Ideas for a begginer GM of Burning Wheel

[u/leandropug]

Hello to all. I have been a GM for a long time and I love to play many different systems (nowadays my favorites are Pathfinder 2e, Ars Magica, Blades in the Dark, Masks, and now Burning Wheel).

I have GM'ed a short campaign in a "made-up-on-the-spot" scenario with some of the players in my community (themed after Bloodborne) and a "solo" game with a friend in the Game of Thrones universe, where she played a female version of Jon Snow in a "what if" situation. Both games were a blast and the players loved it.

Now, I want to run a big campaign in GoT using Burning Wheel. I just feel that it matches perfectly with the theme of the world and my style of GM'ing, and I'd love some suggestions from Burning Wheel veterans here.

First, in character creation, I'm thinking of creating some choices using the lore from the books and adapting elements from The Blossoms Are Falling for the House part. I really didn't like the official A Song of Ice and Fire RPG, but I love the house building of that system and I'd like something similar. Does anyone have some ideas on how to proceed?

Second, the list of skills. Which is the best approach? Use them all but only focus on the ones my players pick? Or generate a list of skills exclusive to my campaign?

And regarding the magic, I'd love to have the mysterious feeling of low magic but with high consequences from the TV show in my game. I feel the core game already can provide that, but I'd love to hear some ideas from you.

Besides that, it would be nice to hear suggestions and tips for creating and GM'ing this kind of game.

Thanks already for reading until here :D

[u/etkii]

Ooh, character creation hacking - I don't have any advice for that, because much as I love BW, character creation is excruciating (I refuse to do it without the web app) and your plan sounds like a massive amount of work. I'd just tell the players to make PCs appropriate for GoT, and trust that they'll somewhat succeed.

Regarding magic, you have your pick of all the different magic systems there to use, you'll find something that feels right. Maybe Blood Magic?

For more general advice - you've read the game so presumably you know this, but it bears repeating just in case (because it's less visible when running one shots): players write beliefs, and continuously change their beliefs, and GM prep/objectives for the next session is/are to challenge current beliefs.

That's all.

This means that players have a huge amount of power over where the game goes and what happens - if this doesn't fit with your vision then BW isn't the game for you. If you're thinking of cool things that you want to see happen in the game, forget about it - unless the players make it happen, you'll be doing something else instead.

The game is extremely character focused, the GM reacts to player written beliefs - the lense of the game is player driven. It's the greatest part of the system imo, and results in incredible games.

[u/leandropug → u/etkii]

Great advice, thanks a Lot (and I didn´t know there is an web app, I will search now!)

And fo the Beliefs, it is what I most loves about the game and in the two games I run what the players love it too.

[u/Imnoclue]

I really didn't like the official A Song of Ice and Fire RPG, but I love the house building of that system and I'd like something similar. Does anyone have some ideas on how to proceed?

I think Blossoms has your back here. Figure out a half dozen overarching conflicts. Then decide which Houses the players are from and burn up those. Put all the other Houses into a web of allies and rivals. That’s a lot of work, I know.

You could strip it down a bit, by just focusing on the PCs’ personal Beliefs and Relationships based on what you know about the Houses based on the source material and not worrying about burning up the Houses like clans in Blossoms.

Second, the list of skills. Which is the best approach? Use them all but only focus on the ones my players pick? Or generate a list of skills exclusive to my campaign?

Use the ones that make sense, any that don’t must either be tossed or reworked. Any missing skills need to be added.

And regarding the magic, I'd love to have the mysterious feeling of low magic but with high consequences from the TV show in my game.

I’d probably go Practical Magic and Religion.

[u/Dead_Iverson]

I think BW core should have everything you need for skills included in it. There’s very little you should have to change in order to use BW for the ASOIAF universe. Remember that Wises can fill in for niche skill-sets that are specific to one fiction or another.

As for magic, hunt down a copy of the Magic Burner. It might be difficult as it’s out of print but PDFs should be floating around somewhere online. It should have everything you need in it. Magic in the ASOIAF is very rare and peculiar, in the sense that you only see very specific people using it. Enchanting/alchemy is likely going to be the most common “magic” any character can access.

As for how to design your campaign: BW is a HOLY MESS if you try to think too big with it from the GM-side. Your players are going to be the ones who run half the game with beliefs, so you probably won’t be able to write up that much plot stuff until you have their characters together.

Remember that the whole Game of Thrones megaplot starts with just one thing: the lord of one particle house being asked to take a trip to the capital. Sure there’s other plots and perspectives but the best place to start is with your players considering how to deal with a single dilemma placed in front of them that will have serious consequences if they don’t do something about it.

BW gameplay loop: your players try to solve dilemmas that challenge or agree with their beliefs, and the consequences of their problem solving either allow them to keep swimming if they succeed or sink them deeper into the shit if they fail. How deep into the shit can they keep sinking before they can’t swim back out and drown?

[u/Judd_K]

I'd use the skills as they are in the book. If players need a skill, they can use them unskilled and try to learn those skills. They can seek out teachers, seek out books, it can become a belief or a part of play.