The Burning Wheel, Michael Clayton, & Realm + Conquest

Recently in my quest to discover and absorb all sorts of games I came across a niche RPG game called The Burning Wheel. All the reviews I read held the game in high regard along with awards, and multiple accolades.


The game is not easily found at local book stores or even local gaming stores and needed to be ordered online from a few different book sellers to get the 3 core books. Once they arrived I was surprised to see how small the books are. Instead of the large 8.5" X 11" trim size that every other RPG system I own is manufactured at these books are shorter and fatter at around 5.5" X 8.5". The core book, pictured left, is a new updated edition of two books combined in one. It explains the core rules of the game as well as adding the mechanics for creating a character. This new edition is called the Gold Edition. At almost 600 pages it's not a quick read. I have not read it cover to cover.

The game uses a simple system conflict resolution system with only common six sided dice. Character creation is more in depth then D&D or other RPGs I've encountered and requires creating a characters full background, history, desires, acquaintances  etc. Characters in Burning Wheel are everything. The character burner, the section of the book that gets you up to speed with character creation, does not get going until page 77. The book itself recommends that first time players of Burning Wheel read the first 75 pages and then "burn" a character. After that you and some friends should start playing the game.

I myself have not actually played The Burning Wheel yet. I tend to do more reading of game books,  and guides, (especially the complex ones like this) then actually playing. Short games of D&D, Heroclix, Monsterpocalypse, and some home brewed stuff the kids cook up tend to be the norm at my house. Still reading and absorbing other gaming guides is fascinating for me and The Burning Wheel is no exception. This is a very well thought out game created by someone who obviously loves to game. think of it as the ultimate home brewed system taken to the Nth degree and published.

There are no adventures for Burning Wheel and the book states early on that there are already so many great settings and adventures out there. Can this system use other adventures from old and new D&D as well as other adventures from Dark Heresy, Gamma Word, etc? My guess is yes. The system seems to be heavy on the story/RPG aspect of the game. Game mechanics and task resolutions are well thought out and constructed for a GM to run a game using other game adventures as source material and overlaying Burning Wheel mechanics over top. I find this system completely fascinating. All the gamers, GM and players alike, are encouraged to come together to decide on what type of story everyone wants to play. The core book even lists fiction, non fiction, games, films, and music in the back of the book. The rules too are not listed as mechanics that must be adhered to entirely, but rather decided upon by everyone. varying levels of complexity are encouraged. If you want to play a simple game with the core dice mechanics, burned characters, and a GM taking you through a heavily story based game, that is fine. The core book has expansive rules that can be used or ignored. More than enough is contained that you will never feel something was left out. The back of the book has entire in depth indexes to help you quickly find anything in the lage book you might suddenly consider needing to refer to.

The two other books I picked up from this system are Monster Burner and Magic Burner. Monster Burner is a Monster Manual of sorts. In addition to listing monsters, it aids in their creation, (burning) just like when you create your player character. Magic Burner builds on concepts from the core book and the monster book and expands on them adding new systems of magic, modifications, a new attribute, guidelines for creating your own magic systems, and new character lifepaths for wizards.

The second two books are obviously not necessary to get playing but they seemed to fall into the trilogy of core rulebooks that most RPG systems have.

In conclusion The Burning Wheel is a RPG game system that stands out amongst all other RPGs. It is obviously a labor of love and is so well constructed and thought out that it reads more as an intimate bible then a game. If you and your friends are creative enough to bring your own stories to the tabel or have the will to convert existing material that you always wished could be a RPG but does not exist then The Burning Wheel is for you. Be prepared to do some heavy reading as the book is not written for kids. My guess on the reading level is 12 and up. Also this would be a great gift for any gamer as it is something they just might not have already stumbled across in their travels.

Possible Michael Clayton Realm + Conquest, 
& Burning Wheel Connection?

A few years back I saw the film Michael Clayton staring George Clooney. The film centers around the morally ambiguous character Michael Clayton, a fix it man for a large law firm. Michael is the guy who gets his hands dirty for the prestigious firm doing questionable stuff the high ups dont want to dirty themselves with. In the film Michael Clayton's son is a young boy named Henry who lives with his mom and step dad. He does not live with his dad due to a divorce. When Michael and Henry are together heading to school he tells his dad about this fantasy book he wants him to read called Realm + Conquest. He quickly describes aspects of the book to his dad and lays out a fantasy setting in a small town with many characters with few or no alliances. He mentions Mages, Unbidden Warriors, etc. he wants his dad to experience the thrill of what he is experiencing through this book but his dad has bigger problems and has not even given the book a glance despite his son already having left it at his place the week earlier. Now in the film  Realm + Conquest play a very significant role and ties everything together in a way no thriller that I know of does. The film is fantastic and should be viewed if you have not already seen it. I'm not reviewing the film here though. Maybe that will be in a later blog. This is about the Realm + Conquest book and it's possible connection to The Burning Wheel Game.

After seeing Michael Clayton I was so taken with the film and the book Realm + Conquest  in the story that I went looking for it online. To my dismay it does not exist. The writer/director of the film Tony Gilroy created the book, card game, and computer images in the film to fictionalize real life books and games he and his son played and connected together with. Realm + Conquest in the film are made up likely from source material such as Magic the Gathering card game, Pokemon, various video games, and RPGs that already exist in the world–stuff most young kids tend to play.

So my search for Realm + Conquest led nowhere but I was still left with this odd feeling like I wished it actually existed. I read that Tony Gilroy went so far as to write out a large portion of Realm + Conquest for the film so it would seem as real as possible. If only he had finished it we might have this cool game. Many places I have read about Realm + Conquest speak of it as if it were a novel in the film, not a game. I suspect though that it was meant to be more of a narrative style source book for a card/RPG game, much like Pokemon or Magic the Gathering. The Pokemon video game even has a new book that comes out each year with new additions of new characters. It is shaped similarly in size to the Realm + Conquest book in the film. If Tony Gilroy and his son played card games together they were likely either Pokemon or Magic the Gathering. They might have also played video games or D&D. Naturally this is all speculative but in the film Henry is looking for a deck of cards. We also see Realm + Conquest on his computer screen as well as many wild and fantastic toys and art in his room. Seems like a fictional melding of Pokemon, Magic the Gathering and D&D to me.

When I stumbled upon The Burning Wheel I was struck right away at how similar the books cover looked to Realm + Conquest in Michael Clayton. Also too since I had never seen any actual Burning Wheel books in person I was unsure at first which books were the most current. It took me a while to figure out that the newest book was the gold edition that combines the older books 1&2 together. The original Burning Wheel Character Burner book looks strikingly similar to the red Realm + Conquest book in the film. The book is small and has a similar trim size too, as well as a circular wheel with spokes coming out from it. It is possible that when making Michael Clayton the films designers used the Burning Wheel book as inspiration. It is also possible that Tony Gilroy's son may have actually had copies of the actual Burning Wheel books. The game was originally published in 2002 and Michael Clayton came out in 2007.

Much of my comparisons are speculative but the resemblance between the original Burning Wheel books and the Realm + Conquest book in Michael Clayton can not be denied. In almost every way these books look similar. The red cover with the spoked wheel at the top and the books title prominently placed below are uncannily similar. Further reading led me to discover that the Realm + Conquest book was custom made for the film by the Praxis Bookbindery. Also the book itself does not seem like a novel but rather a nicely bound game system rule book that describes the many characters, game mechanics, ideals and setting. The cards and computer screen logo in the film further serve to illustrate that this was not just a novel but a game system with character archetypes and a setting that eerily mirrored the modern day setting Michael Clayton exists in within the film. This is a setting of mistrust, individuals sharing similar but disconnected experiences, dream-quests, etc. Henry speaks of this from Realm + Conquest early in the film. Only later, at the end of the film, is its uncanny synchronistic connection to his father's journey apparent.

Even side by side comparisons of art from the two books show similar pen and ink styles.

Burning Wheel is not a story but its sophistication and concentration on character creation does have similar overtones to characters in Michael Clayton and the personal moral conflicts they experience and how these moral conflicts arc and shape their destinies. Burning Wheel relies heavily on a players character creation, and like Michael Clayton in Burning Wheel ones "character" or "morals" drive the story and the direction of game events.

I'm glad I stumbled upon this possible connection and as I further read Burning Wheel and re-watch Micael Clayton I will add more information or insights I have as they come to me.

Thanks for reading.

–A

Calm Down, Relax, & Enjoy Yourself

D&D and RPGs in general have a tendency to attract very exacting rule abiding people. While this in and of itself is not a big deal it can make playing a relaxing game where the players, and yes even the DM, do not know every single nuanced rule a bit unpleasant. To illustrate the often absurd way gamers can often get Lore Sjöberg over at Wired (back in 2008) has written up a rather amusing article showing how cookbooks are similar to D&D rule book but if everyone who cooked approached cookbooks the way D&D rulebooks were often approached, well, just read the article. It's hilarious, true, and also kinda sad.

Killjoy Cooking With the Dungeons & Dragons Crowd by Lore Sjöberg

Remember to have fun and not take it all so seriously.

D&D 4e Explained Simply

Dont worry, you are not a dummy if you need help understanding the 4e players handbook. D&D 4th edition is a great game. It is infinitely easier to understand then AD&D from when I was kid. Still, it's far from perfect and many claim 3rd edition and 3.5 are superior. Some swear by Pathfinder which is basically 3.5 by another company. 4e is what I got into and the books are readily available almost everywhere, even B&N. The problem with 4e, and many RPG games, is that the books are not entirely easy to understand, especially for someone new to the game. The books seem written by those who are masters of the game and as a result the information is scattered and not easily explained simply for beginners. I think the rules complexity and the chaotic instructions of 4e often serves as a block for new gamers. As a result I believe Wizards of the Coast is trying to correct this with D&D Next which is being play tested now and will be out, eventually, to try and draw in new players with simple rules and then layer more complex rules for the truly hard core.

Finding simple explanations for 4e was not hard though. Here are a few links that will help you with wrapping your head around it all.


D&D 4th Edition For Dummies Cheat Sheet


How to Create a 4Th Edition Dungeons and Dragons Character


If you still need help and find character creation a daunting task you can go to Wizards.com and for a fee, use their character creation software. Now I understand paying more to simplify the task of character creation may seem insane, and I kind of suspect its so complicated that WOTC either needed to make this software or made it complicated to get more money. Either way, the software helps. It's not terribly expensive and the full year option is the best value. Aside from the Character Builder software tool you gain access to 2 great magazines–Dragon and Dungeon–both chock full of articles, adventures, monsters, and more. You can also download all the older issues dating back quite a while. Also, (I know it sounds like I'm selling this but I already pay for the service and I love it) there is the D&D Compendium, and D&D Adventure tools. Both are searchable and aid greatly with characters, rules, monster creation and more. You can give it a try for a month, 3 months, or a full year. If you are not already a paying member this link will not do much for you but there are still some free resources on the WOTC site so I suggest you look around. It's basically home base for any D&D gamer.

Wizards.com D&D Character Builder

Finally here is a link to downloadable character sheets from Wizards. These can be downloaded for free and printed out. Enjoy.

Wizards D&D Character Sheets

Our first D&D Encounter or "Wizards NEVER wear armor!"

This story is from back in 2011...

To get the real flavor of D&D you need to play with more than just 2 people. I find 3-5 players is the best with a DM. At home my son and I could only accomplish so much. We needed to find a group so we arrived at our local gaming store to play our first session of D&D with strangers. We live very close to 2 gaming stores, which is quite convient. Even back in NYC where I grew up there was no gaming store in walking or biking distance. 

So for our first D&D Encounters game we went to the one of two local store that does not have cats. I'm allergic to cats so I had to go there by default. When we got there we went upstairs to the gaming area and waited for the DM to arrive. Day one was supposed to be for character creation, something I found maddening as explained in the current 4e players handbook. I spent days reading it and found it so poorly written that I sat down and step by step rewrote out the basic rules and character creation simply for my son and I, while I deciphered the players handbook bit by bit. Still we arrived with just dice and some blank character sheets so we could get help from the DM. This was our first mistake as the DM was not one for helpful instruction. The worst teachers are the ones who hate explaining themselves and this guy was the ultimate epitome of that. With me and my son clearly explaining we were new and needed help we were barely given any. Any questions we had were met with hard exhales and quick curt responses. Not fun. This was supposed to be a game right? We muddled through character creation. To make matters worse there were twin brothers there, delivered by their mom, who had a vast mnemonic understanding of D&D. When my son gave his wizard armor one of these kids yelled out–"Wizards NEVER wear armor!" I was like, "OK relax, we're new, give us some slack." The DM helped a bit but all in all it was only slightly better then a disaster and there was nothing game-like about our experience. No real role playing at all. Very mechanical, devoid of what made me want to rediscover D&D in the first place, and entirely not fun. I kept my thoughts to myself and remained positive but my son experience what I was experiencing and he let me know he did not enjoy it when we left. 

Now the last thing I wanted to do was show my son that quitting after trying something for 2 seconds is an option in life so after we left there that first night I explained how it was not entirely fun, not the way I remembered playing as a kid, but that we'd give it another shot the following week. We could read more during the week and hopefully get up to speed. So to make a long story short we went a few more times. Each time was pretty much the same as our first experience. Not good. The DM did not even seem like he wanted to be there. I almost asked him why he was running the group as it seemed like he hated it, or us, or both. I kept my thoughts to myself and we decided not to go back. Worst D&D experience ever. 

Eventually we hit the gaming store with the cats, and despite my allergies we wound up finding a great group of people, a fantastic DM, and a game that we played for weeks on end until the end of that Encounter session in the spring.  Miraculously the cats barely bothered me. I must have had a +2 allergic shield or something just for playing there. 

In conclusion... follow your gut. Play with a group that is accepting of your level of game play. Play with people who are nice, not elitist, and above all make sure you are happy and enjoying yourself. D&D is a game, not an insurance seminar. If no good group exists to play with do not dispair. Reading the books can in and of itself be fun. Many of them read like novels and can aid you with your own adventure creation. Also, like this blog, getting online can serve to connect you to like minded people and aid you in your quest to find a good group. If no group is close enough to play with, it is possible to play online with web cams. Technology is your friend. 

Keep on gaming and always enjoy yourself. 

Rediscovering Dungeons & Dragons

Over a year ago I was in the local gaming store with my son. He had some money he was looking to spend and I was just wandering around while he looked for something to buy. We had been in the store many times and all the games, RPGs, books, comics, miniatures, etc, were all interesting to us. I had not engaged in gaming beyond video games since I was in my late teens. It was just something I was no longer into. Everything I saw on the shelves of the store intrigued me but I just had no inkling of what to buy, who I'd play it with, or where to begin. My son did not suffer from the troubled anxieties I had. he saw some Heroclix miniatures and despite having no idea what the game was or how to play he gathered a few of them up to buy with his money. While he was doing this I decided I too was curious about everything in the store and I wanted to take the plunge and find something to get. Then it happend. I saw the big Dungeons & Dragons display. It had been more than  20 years since I even looked at a D&D book but there on the shelves were a ton of handbooks, rulebooks, modules, comics, cards, dice, and more. I took one off the shelf and thumbed through it. Holy crap, I thought. This looks even more complicated than I remember. I skipped getting anything that day but the seed was planted in my mind. I was already familiar with D&D from childhood and I wanted to explore it again. There was so much to look at and so many books so I figured I'd wait. My son bought a few Heroclix and started his collection that day. He now knows how to play Heroclix well, and often goes to competitions on the weekends.

For a while I forgot about D&D but as the world has a way of reminding you where you need to be headed I encountered some synchronicity a few weeks later. I was out and about doing chores and I hit a few local garage sales. Usually I find nothing but there at this one house sitting on a table filled with typical utensils and housewears was the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual. This was the real McCoy–the actual book I used to own from back in the day, way back in the 1980s. For a mere 25¢ I walked away with a piece of history. Once home I skimmed through the old worn book looking at the pen and ink art that made real the imaginary monsters that a Dungeon Master could use to populate a dungeon or adventure. That was it. I was hooked. I remembered looking at the books at the gaming store a few week prior and decided I wanted to get a new set of rulebooks of the current edition of D&D. Rather then go back to the gaming store, which I found a bit intimidating, I went to the local Barnes and Noble. B&N could care less how long you stood around and looked at their books and there I could take my time, read, and decide from what I saw what I felt I should buy. After about a 1/2 an hour I walked out with the 3 core rulebooks and a module or two. I made my way over to the gaming store and grabbed a few sets of dice and that was that. I found the books quite complicated and having never truly played the game properly as a kid I had a lot of reading to do. I enjoyed every second of it and even wrote down the basic rules myself, explained more simply than the complex books. This became the beginning of my research into gaming, testing different games at home, writing about games, coming up with my own home brew games, and even trying to get freelance work at gaming companies. As well, gaming and it's many sourcebooks has been a constant inspiration for my own fiction writing.

Eventually My son and I started going to D&D Encounters every Wednesday. My son and I both need to go in order to help us better learn the game. As well, we needed to play with a sizable group, but that will be the subject of my next entry.

Welcome!

A new blog about gaming. More coming soon...