Warrior Poet rpg

Designed by Grant Howitt (lookrobot.co.uk)

Cover art by Daunt (dauntingfire.deviantart.com) Copyright 2014 Grant Howitt

-WARRIOR-POETIn the final days of the ancient and crumbling Empire of the Moon, Shinshi-Shijin – Warrior-Poets of peerless beauty – roam the land. They are inspirational leaders, shrewd diplomats, fearsome fighters, and passionate lovers. They can break free of the bonds of space and time. They can move the stars in the heavens, if it pleases them. Their passion creates lush valleys and orchards of cherry blossom; their anger, great wastelands; their sadness, monsoon rains; and their betrayal, vicious blizzards. All beauty fades. Come the end the year, Shinshi-Shijin lose their power. They will die – at their own hand, or at the hands of another – or they will fade away to nothing. You are a Warrior-Poet. Your sword is sharp enough to cut dreams. Your pistol is so precise as to shoot a single petal from a flower and leave the rest undisturbed. Your robes are a perfect, beautiful extension of your self. You will burn bright, and you must leave your mark on the world, lest you are forgotten.

-BATTLE-HAIKUA battle haiku is both the battle and the description of the battle. It is the sword, and the hand that wields it. The mastery, and the product. The Immortal Ghost Emperor is weary, for he has ruled over the Empire of the Moon since time immemorial. The land is dying and the people are restless, and yet; he cares only for haiku. When he reads them, he can feel. He is transported to his youth; he can hear the clash of steel, see the beauty in a drift of snow, taste blood in his mouth, feel silk gripped tight between fingers and smell the scent of blossom as cascades down from cherry-tree. The Immortal Ghost Emperor appoints Warrior-Poets every year:to defend the Empire, and to lead the people, and to solve the problems that threaten to tear it apart from within. But, most of all, he appoints them to create haiku: tales of love and loss, of great beauty and betrayal, of fire and blood and death.

What is WARRIOR-POET? WARRIOR-POET is a one-shot roleplaying game designed to be played from beginning to end in a single session. Like other roleplaying games, you take on the role of a character and roll dice to determine conflict resolution – unlike other roleplaying games, all your conflicts will be against other players.

Also, unlike other roleplaying games, the main element of conflict in this game involves

writing competitive haiku. If you are not at all interested in writing haiku, this is not the game for you.

To play, you'll need lots of six-sided dice – between fifteen and twenty should suffice – and three friends, for four players total. If there are more people, or fewer, the game can be adapted to take that into consideration – there are some notes on that later. You'll also need plenty of paper and pens; index cards are great for this, too.

The Gamesmaster WARRIOR-POET does not have a gamesmaster; the fiction is controlled and created by the players. However, in every duel, one player will need to stand aside and take on the role of the Emperor – it is up to them to judge the haiku and award dice. For the first couple of games, you will need one player to be the Facilitator. It's their job to

learn the rules and conduct play, reminding the other players how and when they can act. If you're reading this book, you're probably the Facilitator.

If you have five players and one of them is not confident in their haiku-writing abilities, they can take on the role of Emperor and Facilitator permanently.

One empire, many visions WARRIOR-POET takes place in the Empire of the Moon, an ancient and crumbling society in far-away lands. The first thing all players will do is decide what the Empire of the

Moon is like by selecting one of the Visions of the Empire on the following pages that you wish to use.

The “base” setting for WARRIOR-POET is The Elemental Courts, so it is presented first; the others provide alternative backgrounds and different styles of play.

Read through the different Visions of the Empire and decide as a group which one you are going to play. Then, individually, choose which of the four factions presented you will be allied to. It is best if all players choose a different group.

-THE ELEMENTAL COURTSIn the heartbreakingly beautiful and decadent Empire of the Moon, four courts vie for superiority through love, loss, sorcery and blood. Choose your court: The court of Air, favoured in spring; diplomats and academics from the flying Skyward Peaks, gifted with great wisdom and kindness. The court of Fire, favoured in summer; military leaders and orators from the shimmering desert Bone Temple, gifted with great aggression and zeal. The court of Water, favoured in autumn, advisers and spies from the murky depths of the river-city Fathom, gifted with great cunning and adaptability. The court of Earth, favoured in winter; architects and engineers from the walking bastion Footfall, gifted with great stability and resilience.

-THE GREAT CLANSIn the wooded, mountainous Empire of the Moon, the Great Clans vie for superiority through cunning, brutality, tenacity and war. Choose your clan: The Wolf Clan, favoured in spring; great hunters and archers, bold and vigorous. The Bear Clan, favoured in summer; great guardians and warriors, strong and fearsome. The Owl Clan, favoured in autumn; great scholars and diplomats, wise and true. The Iron Clan, favoured in winter; great smiths and builders, determined and implacable.

-THE BLOODED SOCIETIESIn the twisting streets of the sprawling city at the heart of the Empire of the Moon, the Blooded Societies vie for superiority through lies, betrayal, and political gambits. Choose your society: The Jade Serpent, favoured in spring; charming and manipulative, pretty and cruel. The Golden Lion, favoured in summer; violent and headstrong, bearing a terrible momentum. The Crimson Dragon, favoured in autumn; clever and precise, bureaucratic and cunning. The Ebon Spider, favoured in winter; shadowy spymasters, wielding lies like blades.

-THE PRIVATEER ALLIANCESUpon the rolling ocean waves of the island Empire of the Moon, four alliances of privateers vie for superiority through brutal strength of arms, torrid passion, and daring escapades. Choose your alliance: The Weavers, favoured in spring; mage-wrights and genius sorcerers on ships powered by arcane devices that skim across the waves. The Ironclads, favoured in summer; bringers of unstoppable wrath on great armoured steam-ships. The Bloody Crescent, favoured in autumn; powerful warlords and leaders of men, bearing armies without number in creaking wooden ships rowed by thousands. The Damned, favoured in winter; necromancers and beast-masters, a motley collection of outcasts in ships that draw power from stolen souls.

-THE DRAGON CULTSIn the distant and strange Empire of the Moon, the Dragon Cults whisper prayers to slumbering behemoths and vie for superiority through ritual, sacrifice, strained alliances and gruesome betrayals. Choose the ancient dragon to which your family gives sacrifice: The Mother of Monsters, favoured in spring; chthonic and serpentine, a well-spring of vicious life and creation. The Last Wyvern, favoured in summer; bestial and warlike, an underdog hungry for superiority. The Great Wyrm, favoured in autumn; noble and proud, a stoic force of endurance and denial. The World-Eater, favoured in winter; destructive and bitter, a nightmare creature of terrifying change.

PROBLEMS IN THE EMPIRE OF THE MOON The Empire is coming apart. On the back of your character sheet, write down one of each of the following with regards to the vision of the Empire you have chosen:

An influential and important person within the Empire A sacred or valuable place within the Empire A malicious and foreign cult within the Empire An antagonistic power that shares a border with the Empire, and why they are antagonistic

Creating problems Facilitator: read the following phrases aloud and pause after each. Each player reads

out the relevant features they have created when you pause. As a group, decide which elements you want to use as problems. Where the text reads [PLAYER FACTION], ask the

players to suggest factions that might be interested, or determine allocation of the factions randomly.

The neighbouring [ANTAGONISTIC POWER] is making preparations to invade us because [REASON] and we will come to catastrophic war come winter unless a solution is provided. The ownership of [PLACE] is causing conflict between [PLAYER FACTION] and [PLAYER FACTION], and one will fall come winter if this continues unabated. A struggle for control over [PERSON] is causing conflict between [PLAYER FACTION] and [PLAYER FACTION], and one will fall come winter if this continues unabated. [CULT] will strike at the Immortal Ghost Emperor, and they will slay him come winter if they are allowed to do so unchallenged. If your elements aren't used, they still exist in the Empire, but they are not contested. Feel free to use them to your own ends.

Facilitator, write down the results and put them somewhere where every player can refer to them.

Like sand through their fingers The Warrior-Poets have been appointed to keep the Empire safe and stable – which of

these problems will they solve? Will they be able to agree on the methods they use to deal with the problems? Can they align their Desires with solving these problems?

If they neglect one problem, what effect will this have – are the People angry, do they rise up? Is the Immortal Ghost Emperor weakened, or killed? Does one court hold a distinct advantage over another? How does the world change? It is impossible to maintain stability. The Warrior-Poets must choose what is important to them.

CREATING YOUR WARRIOR-POET Facilitator, read the following section aloud as you and the other players create their characters.

Your warrior poet is a champion of their chosen faction. Describe your rank in your chosen faction.

In these examples, I'm using the Elemental Courts variant of the Empire of the Moon. My Warrior-Poet is allied to the court of Fire and has the rank of Grand Phoenix. Names in the Empire of the Moon draw inspiration from the landscape and the animals around the people: Hunting Hawk, Soaring Eagle, Falling Blossom, High-Mountain,

Thundercloud, Sandstorm, Scattering Leaves, Drifting Snow. Name your Warrior-Poet.

My Warrior-Poet's name is Drifting Ember. Describe your Warrior-Poet's style and background. What was their previous

profession? Is your Warrior-Poet entirely human, or do they have non-human or supernatural features?

Drifting Ember was a great musician before she came to power. She is perpetually surrounded by incense smoke. Describe the most beautiful thing about your Warrior-Poet.

Drifting Ember's most beautiful feature is her unmatched passion and intensity. Robes are the traditional garb of the Warrior-Poets. Describe your Warrior-Poet's robes.

Drifting Ember's robes are black with red and orange sashes, ties and belts. The colours pulse in time with her heartbeat.

Swords are the traditional weapons of the Warrior-Poets. Describe your Warrior-Poet's

sword. Does it possess unique powers? If you do not carry a sword, why not? What do you carry instead?

Drifting Ember's sword is a broad, single-handed weapon made of blackened steel. In her hands, it is hot enough to burn the very air around it. Pistols are the traditional sidearms of the Warrior-Poets. Describe your Warrior-Poet's

pistol. Does it possess unique powers? If you do not carry a pistol, why not? What do you carry instead?

Drifting Ember's pistol is a revolver: a red-enamel heavy-bore three-shooter with a thunderous retort and bullets the size of her thumb.

Bonds The lives of the Warrior-Poets are intermingled with one another in the form of bonds. You will love one other character; you will want to please and honour them. Note down which character you love.

You will hate one other character; you will want to defeat and undermine them. Note down which character you hate.

Inform the players in question as to your feelings for them. Now, or as you play the game, work out the following -

What do I love or hate about this person? What complicates this emotion?

- and write it down on your character sheet. Love and Hate are not final; you can fall out of love, or forgive hatred, if the situation warrants it.

Desires You have two Desires. As the other players describe their characters and the Empire, work out your Desires and describe as phrases beginning with “I will.” It is best if these conflict

with those of the other characters. Do you wish to marry? To rule? To create? To destroy? Desire: I will avenge my father's death.

Desire: I will take a lover and marry him in the rain. Once your bonds and your desires are complete, read them aloud. You are now ready to begin play in the season of spring.

A note on sex and gender By default, society in the Empire of the Moon does not discriminate on terms of gender or sexuality and Warrior-Poets are free to pursue whatever relationships they choose.

If you feel it's more interesting to work within the bounds of a restrictive society – no sex before marriage, discrimination against same-sex couples, etc – then discuss it with the other players and include it if that's something you're all interested in exploring.

SEASONS Facilitator: read aloud or paraphrase the following section as you begin the game. The year is four seasons long; spring is the first, then summer, then autumn, then winter.

Each player will be favoured in a particular season, and it is their responsibility to lead the game during their season. (If more than one player is favoured during a season, roll off to see who leads the game).

They begin the season by stating: “And now it is [season], and [SET THE SCENE].”

Examples: “And now it is spring, and bright flowers push out of the snowy ground.” “And now it is spring, and heavy rains turn the frost to grey slush.” “And now it is spring, and the people rejoice in a hundred festivals, for the new year is come.”

Actions It is then the leader's responsibility to describe their action for the season. Each WarriorPoet must make one action per season. Players are encouraged to make actions that will lead other characters into conflict with them and forge interesting alliances, as well as achieving their Desires and furthering the agendas of their allied faction.

Actions are monumental endeavours and show the most important part of the character's season, so do not be afraid to tackle great challenges. Think big.

Actions take place in the order of seasons, starting with the dominant season and moving

around the table until all the characters have acted. A player may “hold” their action until later on in the season if they want to see how others will act.

If another player is unhappy with their action, they may interrupt it with the following

phrase - “This cannot stand.” The action then becomes a duel, detailed below. Facilitator – when play moves to a duel, go through the Duel section below with the other players.

A Warrior-Poet can duel more than once per season, but at least one of the participants in every duel must not have duelled yet this season. Once every Warrior-Poet has been involved in at least one duel or successfully acted unopposed, the season is over.

Unopposed actions If no other player interrupts a character's action, it continues unopposed. The player

narrates the consequences of the action and gains a glory for their effort as though they had won a duel.

Bonus dice If you are allied to the court that is favoured in the current season, add a die to your pool when you resolve a duel.

winter winter is the final season, and with it the power of the Warrior-Poets will fade and the

game will end. Have they achieved their Desires? Have they left their mark on the world?

Have they loved and hated, and been loved and hated in return? Have they been beautiful? A Warrior-Poet cannot die until the season of winter. A Warrior-Poet cannot die unless

they do so as part of a duel. Denying another Warrior-Poet a glorious death and damning

them to fade away into the mundane world is a severe insult; killing yourself to do so is an even greater one.

DUELS When the Warrior-Poets duel they shape the world around them; there is no limit to what a Warrior-Poet can achieve. They can leap through the air, and command powerful

magics, and fight with lightning reflexes and terrifying strength; they can persuade, lie,

cheat and steal; they can take on the form of falling autumn leaves or a crashing wave or a great beast of the forests; they can fight at the head of a great army, or stand alone against five thousand.

A duel is resolved, in its most simple form, by each player rolling three six-sided dice, and the player with the most matching dice wins the duel. It is possible to earn more dice, however, through artful use of the Battle-Haiku.

Declaring a duel Warrior-Poets will come into conflict. If, when you are playing the game, another

character performs an action that you feel your character would disagree with, say the following phrase:

“This cannot stand. We will duel.” Their opponent, the defender, then states: “Will anyone help me succeed?” Any other Warrior-Poet may declare that they are on the defender's side. The player who issued the duel, the attacker, then states: “Will anyone help me stop them?” Any other Warrior-Poets may declare that they are joining the attacker's side.

The Emperor One player who is not participating in the duel must declare themselves Emperor; it is their job to judge the haiku that will be written and award bonus dice.

Goals Once the sides involved have been determined, the attacker and the defender must state their goals for the duel; if they win, or if they lose, this is what shall come to pass.

Example: “If I win, I will learn the dance of the Ten Thousand Phantoms.” “If I win, I will forever remove the dance of the Ten Thousand Phantoms from the face of the earth.”

What type of duel is taking place? Though many disputes are settled through strength at arms, not all are. Do you wish to create an argument at court? A dancing contest? Ghost-summoning? Horse-riding? Flower-arranging? So long as it is beautiful, it is an apt scene. Do not feel limited to combat alone.

Not all duels are equal challenges. It is still considered a Duel when one Warrior-Poet is attempting to sneak past another's keen eye to be with his lover, her husband, and pulls the night around himself like a cloak to hide from sight.

Framing the duel Beginning with the attacker, each participant makes a statement about the duel. You can define the broad nature of the scene, specific events within it, your own emotions and actions, and the actions of non-player characters within the scene. You can't define your opponent's emotions or their actions, nor can you directly harm them.

Take turns making statements back and forth between the sides taking part in the duel; alternate between speakers on one side if it outnumbers the other.

If you want to set up a particular scene, ask your opponent if you can briefly narrate their

actions. Your opponent is always allowed to refuse or suggest an alternative action.

Examples: “I'd like to have a fight in the ruins of this temple as they slide down the side of the mountain, is it okay if your character follows me inside?” “I'd like to turn this fight into a test of our skill at dancing, is that okay with you?”' “Can you open fire on me?” During this stage, the Warrior-Poets are crafting reality and bringing it under their

control to establish dominance over one another. Great and rapid changes of scene and tone are expected and indeed encouraged, so long as they do not negate previous statements.

Once any participant has decided the duel has been sufficiently defined, they end the

framing with the phrase “... I begin to write.” Once the framing is over, participants will begin to write their battle-haiku.

Example: Attacker: We are fighting on a mountaintop ... Defender: … and amongst the clouds themselves... A: … as thunder and lightning crack through the sky .. D: … I swoop on on a great eagle, letting off shots with my pistol ... A: … I am leaping miles between snowy peaks, dodging your shots as they kick up snow... D: … I begin to write. Both players take out their pens and begin to write the first line of their haiku.

BATTLE-HAIKU When Warrior-Poets duel, they are fighting on many levels. They are displaying their honour and their kindness; their zeal and their fighting prowess; their oratory and

charisma; their artistry, and breadth of knowledge; their command over the occult and the

powers of Heaven; their grace, and their strength. In this game, though a duel may happen through any or all of these methods simultaneously, we will represent it using a communal Battle-Haiku.

What do the lines mean? The lines can be a description of the scene, a sudden change in events, or a prediction of the future. The lines of a haiku are vague and open to interpretation, so feel free to be creative in your wordplay; there are no absolutes, and it is not possible for a line in a haiku to win or lose you the duel before the resolution phase.

The first line Once a participant in the duel has used the phrase “I begin to write” during the framing,

all participants write down the first line of a haiku that they feel describes the scene that's taking place on a scrap of paper. The first line of a haiku is five syllables long.

The Emperor determines which line is superior. The winning line is the first line of the

haiku that will define the duel. The Warrior-Poet that wrote it gets one extra die in the resolution phase.

Example: The attacker writes: Snow-clouds blur horizons. The defender writes: Swords borne by hawk-wing. The Emperor believes that the attacker's line was better, and that they win this round.

The second line Hand back the scraps of paper to the participants in the duel. Players who did not win should strike out their line and replace it with the winning line before continuing.

Before the second line is written, the players describe the scene in the same way as they did during the framing phase. The player that won the previous round becomes the attacker.

Any player may state “I begin to write” at any point, and then all participants must write the second line of a haiku that follows on from the winning line in the previous round. The second line of a haiku has seven syllables.

Again, the Emperor decides which pair of lines are best. The Warrior-Poet that wrote it gets two extra dice in the resolution phase.

Example: Attacker: I leap high into the air, my sword raised above my head... Defender: But I swoop underneath you on my great hawk,... Attacker: So I strike down at you as lightning splits the sky... Defender: I parry your strike with a flash of steel... Attacker: I begin to write. The attacker writes: Snow-clouds blur horizons/We come together like thunder The defender writes: Snow-clouds blur horizons/ Sword-cut flakes fill the open sky The Emperor believes that the defender's line was better, and that they win this round.

The third line As before, hand back the scraps of paper to the participants in the duel and update them with the winning line.

For a final time, the players take turns describing the scene until one of them says “I begin to write,” and both participants write the final line of the haiku. The final line of a haiku

has five syllables. These are judged, as before, and the winning player gets three extra dice in the resolution phase. Once the third line has been chosen, move on to the resolution phase.

Example: Defender: I glide down to the snowy peak beneath... Attacker: I tumble to the ground but push my sword into a cloud and glide down it as it tears... Defender: I channel the spirits of Air to disperse the cloud... Attacker: I draw my revolver as I fall to earth like a comet and fire round after round at you, and... Defender: I deflect them with my sword... Attacker: They hiss as they melt the snow around you... Defender: I begin to write. The attacker writes: Snow-clouds blur horizons/ Sword-cut flakes fill the open sky/Spirits claim the air The defender writes: Snow-clouds blur horizons/ Sword-cut flakes fill the open sky/Bullets thunder down The Emperor decides that the defender's haiku was better and that they win this round. They move onto the resolution phase.

RESOLUTION Dice pool To resolve a duel, once the ink has dried, dice are rolled. Each Warrior-Poet rolls three

dice plus any they earned during the duel. They add an extra dice if they are in the season that favours their court.

Helping out Warrior-Poets that aided another in a battle can only achieve the goals of the character

that they were helping – they cannot achieve their own, separate, goals. However, they can establish truths as detailed below.

Establishing truths Before rolling, a player may spend their dice to establish a truth about what has happened in the scene. These truths cannot be related to the conflict over which the duel was fought – so if the purpose of the duel was to determine who has the heart of the Crow Prince,

then it's not possible to establish “The Crow Prince loves me” by spending a dice. It would

be possible, though, to say “The Crow Prince is left scarred by the duel” or “I steal a magic ring from the Crow Prince.”

The truth must be somehow relevant to the scene that just took place; “I am now the Emperor” does not relate to the above scene, so it could not be established.

If another player in the duel wishes to oppose a conflicting truth - “The Crow Prince is

entirely unharmed in the duel,” to continue the example – then they can spend their own

dice to negate that truth; and the original player can outspend them to establish it, and so on, until one party runs out of dice or chooses not to escalate the bid.

It is possible to establish some potent truths with this system, and if the table as a whole – or the Emperor, if you have one – feels that a particular truth will unbalance the game or make it less enjoyable, feel free to disallow it.

Roll and compare Once you have established truths, roll any remaining dice and look for matching dice in

your pool. The player with the highest number (or width) of matched dice is the winner; if there is a tie, the player with the highest value on their matched dice is the winner, so

three 4's beat three 2's. If the value matches, compare any lower sets of matched dice, or the highest unmatched dice if you have no more sets.

Determine results If the winner of the duel had a width of 3 or higher than the loser of the duel, they describe the events following the duel and their victory.

If the winner of the duel had a width of 2 or fewer than the loser of the duel, the loser describes the events following the duel and their opponent's victory.

Once you have described the victory (and loss), write it down in the form of a haiku and move on to the next scene.

Example: Two Warrior-Poets duel as one attempts to protect the Emperor and one to attack him. The winner rolls 5, 5, 5, 5, 2, 1. The loser rolls 6, 4, 3; the winner's width exceeds theirs by four. The winner gets to describe the consequences of the duel – they shame and imprison the loser, and assassinate the Emperor with a phantom dagger. Alternatively, the Winner rolls 5, 5, 5, 3, 2, 2. The loser rolls 4, 4, 3; the winner's width exceeds theirs by one. The loser gets to describe the consequences of the duel – they cry out for aid but, on the palace balcony during his annual address to the people, the Emperor is mortally wounded by the winner in full view of the crowd.

glory At the end of the battle, assign a glory to each character on the winning side – a phrase that describes what benefit they earned from winning the duel.

In future duels, a Warrior-Poet who uses their glory to their advantage may roll an extra die in the Resolution phase; they must mention the glory as they frame the scene, or in their haiku, to gain this benefit.

A Warrior-Poet may benefit from all relevant Glories they possess in any future duels.

Example Glories: This sword has cut the words away from the tongue of a Warrior-Poet I am favoured by the Water court even though I am their rival I have the love of the Duke of Bones I am friend to the eagles of the Great Sky Kingdom I have taken the legendary Ship of Gold as a prize I have mastery of the element of fire

THE YEAR ENDS Once winter passes, the year ends, and the game is over. The game is over. Facilitator, go around each player in turn and ask them: Have you loved?

Have they hated?

Have you protected the Empire from threats within and without? Have you achieved your desires?

When songs are sung of you years from now, what will the songs be about?

ALTERNATIVE RULES Once you've played your first game of WARRIOR-POET, you might want to modify your experience by tweaking some of the rules for later sessions. Here are some ideas:

Three players: Duels must be one-on-one. Remove one of the Problems from the list at the start of the game.

Five players: Persuade one player to become a permanent Emperor. They may frame scenes in the manner of a player, but may only describe the actions of non-player

characters and the changing environment. Alternatively, play as normal, but ensure that the players who share a faction between them are opposed to one another.

The changing Empire: Begin the year with two Problems, then introduce the third and fourth at the beginning of summer and autumn as edicts from the Emperor.

Cut-away shot: Phrases used in framing a duel don't have to relate directly to the action in the duel; you could describe crashing waves, falling snow, a still room bisected by lines of evening sunlight, frantic penmanship, or whatever you please.

The story of the year: Whoever takes on the role of Emperor – or whoever has the best handwriting – writes all finished duel haiku and resolution haiku in order in a single document, which forms a permanent record of the game.

Green-eyed Samurai: In addition to Loving and Hating two other characters, you are Jealous of something about a third. What are you jealous of, and why?

Beauty is a flowing stream: Rule that no Warrior-Poet can engage in the same sort of duel more than once; so if you have a gunfight in spring, that's you done with gunplay for the rest of the game. Encourages more variety, if straight-up fighting isn't really your thing.

My heart in your hands: During the character creation stage, instead of determining who your character loves and hates, determine which characters love and hate your character.

This requires a bit more admin so people can remember who loves who, but it provides an interesting roleplaying challenge.

ALTERNATIVE SETTINGS Your own houses: Make up your own vision of the Empire of the Moon, or what's

important in it. Maybe your houses are factions in a travelling circus troupe the likes of which the world has never seen; maybe they take place in a school for witchcraft and

wizardry; or maybe they're aligned towards the traditional roles of Cleric, Fighter, Thief and Mage.

Brawling Bards: Keep most of the rules as they are, but take on the role of drunken Irish poets with connections to ancient elemental Sidhe courts. Create limericks instead of Haiku: write the first two lines, then the second two, then the fifth line.

Sestina Seppuku: Take on the role of glamorous Italian Dukes and Duchesses allied to great noble houses. Write sestinas every round. Go mad from the stress.

INSPIRATIONS Hero, Zhang Yimou, 2002 Probably the most beautiful film ever made. Four assassins plot to kill a brutal warlord, and the “truth” is manipulated through a number of re-tellings separated by different colour palettes. Falling Snow is definitely a Warrior-Poet; she is beautiful, implacable, and chillingly proficient. Mage: The Ascension, White Wolf, 1993 A game about twisting reality to your own ends. Much more colourful and characterful than the 2005 reboot. Dogs in the Vineyard, Vincent D Baker, 2004 Powerful agents traverse a West that never was and solve problems with righteous justice. Not similar in tone, but the character creation – especially the Coat creation section – has directly influenced WARRIOR-POET. Polaris, Ben Lehman, 2005 Deals with powerful, tragic, quasi-supernatural beings in a crumbling mythical kingdom and has a big focus on seasons and ritual phrasings. Some similarities. Samurai Gunn, Beau Blyth, 2013 A lightning-fast arena fighter where opponents take on the role of legendary Samurai, each armed with a katana and a gun.

THANKS TO Daunt, for the incredible art

Mary Hamilton, for inspiration and advice My playtesters – Kurtis, Mary and Leigh

-WARRIOR-POET CHARACTER SHEETCHARACTER RANK

CHARACTER FACTION AND FAVOURED season

CHARACTER NAME

STYLE

MOST BEAUTIFUL THING

ROBES

SWORD

PISTOL

BONDS I love:

I hate:

Because:

Because:

But:

But:

DESIRES I will:

I will:

GLORIES: