Over the past few months, I’ve been looking at OSR rules and procedures. With the arrival of the Burning Wheel Codex, I wanted to map some of the OSR procedures to Burning Wheel Gold.
Reaction
When introducing new NPCs that are not part of a Circle test, consider their disposition based on their BITs and any relevant reputations of the PCs. When in doubt consult the following table:
| 2d6 | Result |
|---|---|
| 2 | Hostile |
| 3-5 | Unfavorable |
| 6-8 | Indifferent |
| 9-11 | Favorable / Talkative |
| 12 | Helpful |
Morale
When NPCs encounter stiff opposition, the GM should reference their relevant BITs to determine a response. When in doubt consult the following table:
| 2d6 | Result |
|---|---|
| 2 | Routes |
| 3-6 | Retreats |
| 6-8 | Assess fight or flight |
| 9-11 | Fight on |
| 12 | To the Death! |
Initiative
If there are multiple actions in which timing is critical, leverage the following procedure for simultaneous declaration:
- Players may declare task and intent (+1s for Speed tests).
- Game master declares task and intent.
- Remaining players declare task and intent (-1s for Speed tests).
- All participants roll Speed to determine order of execution.
- Resolve actions from most successes to least. Characters may cancel actions but not revise.
This is a refinement on my experience hacking together a Burning Wheel Conflict resolution – a conflict that involved 34 characters that took 20 minutes for talking, stabbing, and looting.
