Game Geeks #48 Burning Empires

Game Master Kurt Wiegel reviews and educates viewers on role playing games. In episode #48 Kurt reviews Burning Empires by Luke Crane and Chris Moeller.
http://www.burningempires.com/
Burning Empires is Copyright © Luke Crane.
The Iron Empires is a trademark of Chris Moeller

Game Geeks © PugKnows Productions

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• game
• geeks
• role
• playing
• Kurt
• Wiegel
• Rob
• Mattison
• pugknows
• pugknowspro
• dungeon
• dice
• rpg
• Burning
• Empires
• Wheels
• Moeller

[buzzm0]

FYI: World-building comes first, before you generate PCs. You create the world, determine in what phase to start, what the basic situation is, and then come up with who the important characters are. *Then* you create those important characters. You *don't* pre-determine what's going to happen. The GM will then make up a relationship map for the important characters in play, and use that to guide his decisions for the NPCs. Then you start playing and see what happens. Zero-prep beyond that point.

[stormtube]

The comics the game is based on from 1994, roughly contemporary to 40k's launch. Not that GW invented soldiers in power armor by any stretch.

[rintintin49]

Yeah, is is not as easy at it seems & there is a lot to agree on beforehand. BE didn't work for me either ( not because I didn't like the game, but simply because it is difficult to steer). I had really good games of BW, thought. I mean REALLY GOOD ones ! All in all, those games have a lot to offer if your group is homogenous (i.e. same level of education & intrerests). Otherwise it is difficult.

[Kunstdesfechtens]

@rintintin49 Despite really enjoying reading BW, I was never able to make it work in play. However, I think BW is simply required reading for any GM, regardless of whether you use it play or not. BE wasn't for me either. I really, really hated it, to be honest. It's the first time I ever quit a gaming group was due to BE, and I really wanted to like it. The adversarial nature of the game (GM vs. Players) just wasn't my bag. YMMV, of course. It's really quite brilliant, but not my cup of tea.

[rintintin49]

Also, this must have been said by many people already, if you wonder how your game should look or feel like, go read A Song Of Fire And Ice serie - or watch A Game Of Thrones. This is Burning Wheel in action (...or an ideal representation of it).

[rintintin49]

It is an excellent but difficult game. Not because you play a story that has been foretold - it is actually quite the opposite - but because of the scene management mechanic (witch is not there in Burning Wheel). It is not for everyone, I agree, but to me the two games (BW & BE) are he best there is. These games push rpg elsewhere by focussing on the characters & their struggles - goals vs life itself - and cutting down the crap. I would recommend BW to start with.

[scullkrusher]

@thadrine I agree. I enjoy this game and its predecessor Burning Wheel. I heard on their site that BW will be reorganized like BE in it's next printing. The way life paths were done in BW was I think it's only downside. I really enjoy the massive scale and metagame conflicts that BE uses along with roleplaying. Takes a few sessions to get use to but it's fun.

[thadrine]

Having had a chance to play this game I comfortable say it is the best game I have ever played!

But yes, it is very different.

[Jbickley00]

This is a very good, multi level rpg, with a very cutting edge and theoretical understanding of roleplaying. Once you get through the mechanics, and in to roleplay its actually a very smooth game.

The replay value is quite high, and the game does ecourage and reward some metagame thinking. Ultimately however, the strength of this game is its scale. This game is about politcs and planetary, or interplanetary issues. If all you want to do is kill stuff and gain levels its not for you.

[MhicWombat]

The core book looks pretty, but so much of the terminology is ill-defined and the conflict system (either physical or social) is so bad, that I simply cannot get into it

[elysium1976]

I'm on thadrine's side, and wouldn't like to play in a game with c64king's style of play. But I don't get the downvotes, here. That's what they like, and there's nothing wrong with that... it's good to know what you want, and state it before you get into a game. Figuring out what you want in a game is a good thing!

[thadrine]

That sounds like the opposite of fun for me, both as a player and as a GM.