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' I

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6

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eel

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•
Cunce1,t and Design
Luke Crane
Devclop1nent
Radck Drozdalski, Chris
Allingl:iarn, Pe1r.r Tierney.
Mayuran Tiruchch,a111,
Alexander Newman. Dwighl
Frohaug. Anthony Hersey,
Thor Olavsrud, Jared Son·nsr.n,
Rich Soto, Anthony Hcrs<'·)'t Judd
Knrlmn11 nnd Tnpi Mu l.:korum
Taxider1nist
Topi ~·lnkkoncu
The Black Duke
Nathnn Black
Roden Concept and Design
Pc1<'r Tierney
Speaker of the
Secret Language
Iladek Drozda lski
Roles of Magic Essay
Thor Olavsrud
Lifepaths and Traits
Luke Crone ond Anthony Hersey
Wi1.ard
l\.1errill Sterritt
W\vw.burninglvheel.com
----
Rules for Rich
Richurd Soto
Foren1ord
Adam Koebel
Copy Editor
Elisa ~1adcr. Pa1rick Hie1:,rer1
Cover
Kurl Ko,ooda
Art and Illustrations
Jordun \Vorl•:y. Kurr Komoun.
Ric-hard Lusd1ek. S1oru A Cook,
.lcunifcr Hodgtrs. Kev Suther.
Rcbckoh Be1111i11g1on. Pc1rr
Bcrgling, Doniel Schcnsrrom.
Russ Nicholson, Christopher
1\1ocllel' and D,•jao .Mondi,·
Folios
Jordan \Vorlcy. Jou ~-tiller and
Huss !'-.icholson ( ,·cspcc tivt'ly)
Playtesting
Don Corcoran. Hart Crane.
Chris Allinglwn1, Andy Markom.
Eric Cardon, Jason Ellis, Keren
Fo~m, Rich Soto, Alexander
Cherry. Tony Hamilton, Wilhelm
Fitzpntrick, Aaron Brown,
Dana11er l)empsey, Jason Costa
and Bob Doherty. Rowan
p

Cruwford, Mel Stephenson, Thank You

Charles Nairn, Chris Ferrand,
Jeremiah Frye, Josh Rynn,
Briun Todd, Johmal Brown,
Jarnes Rowlond, Adam Lnyzell,
Chris l·lnnnrun, Sean John ston,
Abel Vorgas. Alun Steiner,
Chris Johnson, Janet Gilbert,
Jon Lconurd, Jonathan \Vhite,
Pedro A111odor-Ca1es, Daniel
Hrncox, Doug N<'wmon. John
Smvropoulos, ~liguel Zapico,
Mnrk \Vnt ~on, Aaron Fri<'sen,
ChristofJher Conndl, Greg Falk,
CcorfHadli11g1011, Bnuulon
Fru11kli11, Justin Smith, Erik
Moofnnglc. Andrew t\1erlinu,
Kaitlrn Con:ornu, Shelby Adums,
Mirh~el Adams, Tyler Bensend,
Ju~on Hl'ilman, Brandon Wi~c,
Brodie B,mscud, Pou Murtincll,
Matcu Pnstorer, Quim Ball-llosera,
Euclnlcl B01una1i nnd Albert
Puignnu
In Memoriam
Uob Doherty
E:r:tra Rotam /\'ct/la Salus
Jake Norwood, Ron Edwards,
Clinton R. Nixon, Ralph Mnzza,
Erin Strumpf, Bob Doherty, Corly
Bo,gen, Megan Mcferren, Nicole
Fitting, Bncl1el Brown, Phil Kobel,
Kc,vin Corruption, Chris Bennet,
Robert Earley-Clark, Karen
Twel\'cs, Chris Peterson, Lukusz
Lenord, Sanjccv Shah, Jonuthon
Slack, Doniel Slack, \Vcsley
Edmunds, \Vil Alombre, Kyle
Foxworthy, Nid1olos DiPctriUo,
Rachel \Vnlton. Phil Wnlton, Oon
Corcoran, Joanna Walmsley, Dan
F,~sindcn, Alicia Fcssinden, Erin
Lower)', Brilln Lowery, Jule Ann
\Vnkcmnn, Jeremy Wakeman, Jon
Markus, Hich DiTullio, Jonathan
\VJ1ite, Mike VanHclder, Paul
Bc.akley, Merrill Sterritt und
Adorn Koebel

Bumr-r th. \!,,pc Bumtr and th. Mo.,.ttr

B.min;; Wl1«I, lllf C.odc.<. ~I< ,\dm•utt Oum,r. the C""'9c<rr Ix I ~ b o r<gbtrttd tnd<uurk (®)
Bun" cue traJrmark, ("') o( Luk<' Crnnl'. The fin, ..poktJ wt < So ·
i •11....Jc,. Cron,, TI1< Bumin~ Wlt«I Cu.Jul, 0 2011> Lui« C'.nul<',
I·
158N: 978-0-975-888'>·0-2 . .
l'rinrcd in ll,c Unil<d Su,:~ or Cu,hing-Mollo)', Inc. Ann Arbor. Michigan.
fust Editio11 I f'l'rsl p,;,,,;,,~

----
 •

Foreword. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

the Codex
Codex lgnis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1O

Adventure Burner
Looking from on High . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 12
Burning Philosophy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Adventure Burner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
More Bloody Rules ... . ... . . . ... . .. . . . . . . 39

Commentary
Commenting on Commentary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Table Behavior. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Running a Qan1e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48
Situation Commentary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Antagonists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
Building Beliefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Instincts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Artha Cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . 95
Trait Vote ... .. .. . ... . .. . . . .... ... .. . 106
Intent and Task ... . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Advancement . ... . . . . . .. . • . .. . . . . . . . . 125
Practice . . . . . . . . ...... . . .. . .. . . . . . . . . 129
Obstacles . .. ... ....•.. . . . . ... . . . . . . . 132
Versus Tests . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Help . . . . . . . . . . . •... ... . . . . . .. .... 144
Linked Tests .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . •. 148
Let It Ride . . . . . . . . • . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Shades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... 152
i Re.sources . . ..... .. .. . . . .. . . . . . . . . . .. 156

-----
' I

• Circles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . 163
Duel of Wits . . . .. .•. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Range and Cover . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
finht
It •. •· · •. •. .. . . .• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 189
lnJ'Ury · · · • · · . . . .. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20"';;,
Wises . . . . . . . . . .•. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Monsters . . . . . .. ... . •. •
01
• • • • • • • • • • • • • Z.1 6
Magic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 219
The Roles of Magic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
the Arcane Library
The Arcane Library . . . . . . . . . ... .. ....... 247
(iifted. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
Corruption . . . . . . . . . .. . . . ... . . . . . . . .. . 255
Practical Magic . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . 263
Religion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . 270
Art Magic . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . 279
Enchanting . . . . . . . . . .. . . . ... . . . . . . . . . 290
Spirit Binding . • . . , . . .. . , , ,.. . . • • , . . . . 306
Summoning . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . 324
Death Art . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . 340
Folklore. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . 363
Blood Magic. . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . 367
The Arsenal Method . . . .. . . . ... ... ...... 372
Artifacts
Magical Artifacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375

Lifepaths
Using the Lifepaths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 398
Wizard Burner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 402
The Path of Spite. . . . • . .. . . .. . .•. . . . . . . . 418
Roden lifepaths . . . . . . . . . . •. . . .. . . . . . . . 437
Nests of Roden . . . . . • .. . . .. . . . . . . • . . . . 445
Troll lifepaths . . . . . . • •. . . . . . . •. . .. . . . . . 462
Mountains of Trolls . . . • •. . . •. . .. . . . . . . . . 466
1'
I
Great Wolf lifepaths . . . .. . . . . . •.. . . . . . . . 480

----
 7

• Way of the (ireat Wolf . . . . . . . . . . . 485

t· Monstrous Trait List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 511
'i
f~.
~\
Monstrous Skill List.
Index .. ... . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . 535
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 543
Index of Traits . . . .. .. . . . 555
Reference. . . . ... . . . - . . .. 559
Colophon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 560

--- ..
 Foreword
Tlw origins of its nwne shrouded b y the 1nists of time, the Burning T/lheel
is n perfect analogy for the experience of playing the game. It won't allow
you to sit icily by, toking turns only ns the cold stare of i.be GM falls
upon you. There is no engaging the wheel part·way. The game doesn't
~ve quarter: it doesn't grant mercy. h burns. Though you u1ny often be
given cause for reflection, it is not a game of stillness, but one of action.
A wheel is crafted to n1ovc, to turn. This is n grune about momennnn.

In the rkvcn years since l first set eyes on t11e Burning \Vheel, I've played
countless otl1er rolepluying games. I've seen trends emerge from tl1e game-
design zeitgeist only to fnJI back into the churning sen of "\Vhat if we
made a gruue about ... " Through aJJ that, Burning \Vhcel has remained a
fixttU"C of not just my gruning shelf, but my gan1ing mind. It is a book I've
taken down, ti.me and again, to turn over in my Liands, wondering what
talcs it would wring from me next. I think t11is is what Luke and company
intended, pnrticularly when they published the Gold edjtion-a physicaJ
object weighty enough lo match the heavy brand the wheel burns onto
its disciples, tl1osce who feel its constant turning in tlieir rrunds.

I've heard Bui11i11g \Vheel dubbed the Swiss watch of roleplaying games-
not just for tl1c intricate impossibility of reassembling it if viewed as
merely individual pieces, but becau se of 1J1e intimate and slightly
mad way each piece fits together into tl1c larger whole. A thing whose
surface is precise and beautiful but whose insides-whose elements-
require devotion nnd time 10 fully undersUmd. Luke describes tJ1e main
mecbarusms as a huh-the core around which the rules are crafted-with
the systems tl1at expand on that hub and give the wheel motion as its
spokes. \Ve're given ruscretc systems such as Resources, Circles and i.bc
Duel of \Vits. \Ve'rc challenged to master Fight and take on the back-and-
fort11 engagements of Range and Cover. As we play, Olli" Steel is tested
witJ1 each new spoke crafted to expand on tl1e hub and support tJ1e wheel.

\Vhnt you're holding now is potent fuel for yow· cnmprugn's inner fire .
More ways and means to turn the wheel. New spokes to build onto
the hub. Every time 1 start a new roleplaying game (Burning \\'heel
or othenvise), I pull the Adventure Burner from my shelves and drink
from the foun tain of wisdom that its essays contain. I've lost collllt of
tJ1c many times a page from the Magic Burner lifopaths of the creatures
11 of the Monster Burner, looking hot11 for adversaries and allies. Now and

----
 l
• here, in the Codex, we are granted access to that strange library anew,

~
't..
• revised and reformed. These are gears whose teeth have been carefully
filed to fit the intricate clockwork of Gold.
$' I bope this book imparts momentun1 in a strange directio~ no matter
what your camp_aigu might look like. I hope it kindles something in you
Md your follow ployel's. As it has for me, 1 hope it !iP.ts you aflame.

Adam Koebel
Spring2016
,tdam Koebel is codl'signer of 1/ie awarc/-winning D1mgc&n IJlnrld roleplo,ring gomc. He's
a pioneering member of tl1e Ttuitc/1,lt' liue actuol-plaJ· co1111111mit~ am/ spend, 111011. of his
tin1c i11 l'a11com~r, British Columbiu, either ranting about ficlio,wl positionillg to Starr:rajl
plQJ-en or half designing game,.

~
I

---- l
 Codex lgnis
The Codex should be dead. Its pages should be lifeless bones of old
ideas, pac ked between two covers and dumped into you r lap. It
contains no new ma1·crio l. t \'crything wi1.hin has been published
beforr in one form or 1u1otlwr.

So whul good is ii ? \Vh y not wrifc u 11cw s up plcmc11t? \X1 hy u~e

this old dros:;?

F11ir quc.stions. Allow us 10 unswcr:

In 2011 , w,i publ ished the defin itive 1·clitio11 of Burning \Vhcel. It
has taken live years for thl~idrus of that cdirion 10 sci lie u11d for tht~
need for more muterial tO buil<l to a boil.

In th<- Codex, we chos r to i11 r. lurle the Adveuturc Burner,

Commentary, Ar<·nne Library, Magical :\rrifatts and t he
monstrous Jifepaths. Aud I think you will SCP.. we hove spun this
dross into gold. \Ve have takeo the '1ust matcrinl pul>lisl,ed. tested
it , distilled it and re fined ii. This is no mere regurgita tion. \Ve tuok
11 hummer l'O rhe metul nnd Letll it into sl111pc, until ir lowecl with
0
. : purpose nnd pattern.

Tltrough our efforts, we have crr.atccl r·he perfccr companion to

Burning \Vhcel Gold. The matcrio l i11 the Codex ndds no wci~ht
to the game. To the contrary, it provides breadth and deprh,
ultimately lightening the load Gold bears. This t·omc works
for you. h provides. Shimmering, it shall g uide you down nP-w
and wo ndrous poths-10 cream r.ver better stories, ever moro
memorable charac ters.

This Codex is stamped with the mark ofmorr tha n ten years of our
blood and sweat. \Ve are proud 10 put it in your honcls, and hope it
brings light into your Ii fe.

'

10 •
• I

.I

'
..
I

-----
 Looking
from on High
J11u·oduc·tio11s out of the way. the Codex begins with thl' Burning
Philosophy st>ction, in which we look at the principles bclrind the
811r11i11g \Vlwr.l systr.m. Th.is in1roductio11 presents a perspective
for both plnycrs and gume rnasters.

111 thl' eponymous Adventu.rer Burner, we provide a framework for

1:rcaling your ow11 worlds and situations. plus a few new rules to
1:11huncr long-tenn play.

Two Things
Rules l\1astery
Burning \Vhed i~ YCry 11111ch a gn1ne. It's incant to be played
skillfully 011<l 111as1t·red over ti1ne. To gain maximum c11joyn1ent
from u s1•ssio11 or Burning \Vht:eL il is irnporLa111 lo have some
fari lity wirh 1he rules. The rules arc deep enough that one i:;
rewarded for exploring 1hr.n1 and invoking thr.n1. The n1ore you
play, the mor<> you Ira r11 ubout the ga,nc mid how the various pieces
fir 1ogcd1er. The Letter you play, the richer the results.

Buy-In
Burning \\1hcd is not your standard fantasy RPG. It is n1ort•
characlt'r-focu,cd and player-driven titan your1radilionnl fanta sy
fart:. allliougli ir uses more intense rult's thau othrr nomraditionnl
al11:r11a1ivc.~.

Som,· folks grok Burning \Vhcr.l at a gloncc-it is tJ1e ga1nl' they

ulw11ys IJOptid for. For everyoni~ elst:, B11r11ing \Vh1:cl ask:; only for an
OJll.'11 , hont:i.t d~sirc 10 1ry ii ,lul und Sl'C how ii works. Somcti uws,
pluy<·rs wi II lw relucl 11111 to 11·r u 1ww gu1nc ur I hcy' II br skcp1 icnl of
u /ll'W ,,1yl1· ur 1,luy. Timi's p1:rfordy 1111111rnl. b111 for Bunting \Vheel
111 l111v1· u l111p1· of worki11g witli your group. cvl·ryorn· ut 1he tubll·-
i,wludin~ lhc douhtPrs-ltas 10 suy, "Ll'l'!, give I his II fair sho1:·

12
 The Adventure Burner

How do you l'l"l'l\tc thi:; basie level of buy-in? That's a tough question. i--4
0
\Vt.,\'t' found that it ·s best to pince so1ne lirnits on the game the fu·st time ,.,..
0
,·uu ph1y. Burning W'hcd is a deep game, n1eant for long-term play. It's -·
::3
; 101 possiblt· to take it ull in at onee. You' ll be overwhelmed. To have the (/Q

bt·~t d11,11ce o[ l'onvineiug skeptical or wary players to give it a shot, we ::t'

0
rt'romnwnd playing our starter scenario, Trouble in Hochen (contained
in tlw Twilight in the Duchy Vc1·dorben PDF). Don't modify it or hack
s
::>
it to suit your group's nt·eds. Muke your group step up and come 10 ::3
Burning \Vheel as it is. Ask thcrn to give ii their best shot. Ask them to ::r::
n•11lly gl· t in t ht•rc and play the game. Ask them to use the mechanics -·
and tr~ 0111 stuff they wouldn't normally try otherwise. It is a test, after
1111.

Afterward, if it dicln't work , you can say you gave it your best shot. But
if you had a reasonably good experience, you ~an t'alk about starting a
more involved game.

How Long Does It Take?

Bunting Wlu!cl c1u1 be nm as a single session, an adventure or a campaign.
In a su1glc sessiou. you generally resolve one problem in the cow'Sc of
play-usually uhour fmu· to six hours.
'/ i,,. /( (i/ ' //; fl,:.! } ,! /, I', ' ) ,' . (. '

An ad,·cntw·e is a term we use for o cycle of piny lasting two to sL,

sessions. An adventure con1oins an overarching goal, n subordinate goal
or two and an unexpected twist.

A cruupuign is o series of i11tercoru1cctc<l advcnt1ires.

\Ve talk about the differences be1wccn each type of gan1e in the Bunning
the Game chapter in tJ1e Con1n1cntary section. For now, it's enough
for you to know 1.ha1 B1u·ni11g \Vhccl plays slightly differendy-using
diffore111 n1echnnic.s-depc11ding on how long you play it.
Burning Philosophy
T hi:; dmptcr a\ll'mpls to spell out some or the philosophy be hind
13ur11i11g \Vhl·rl. If you don't wa nt to read my poetical musings, just
:,ki p I hi ~ scel ion. If you wn m 10 sec my tho ughts a bout wha t goes
0 11 lw hind I lw rules, rend on.

Fight for What You Believe

Bm·ni11g \Vht'el is about fighting for wha t you believe. You ta ke up
thl' fight both ns n player of rhe game and us a character in play.

Vou figh t wit h Elcel. word:i nnd mogic. All o f Lhc othcl' rulc.s ar c
inciclem al to ll1osl' fighrs. They help you prepare for, s urvive and
recover front those conflicts.

You r Belic,fs anno unce lo the group wha t you' re willing to fight
for. \\\~ provide rules for conflict, hur more important, we provide
a framework of conscq11N1ce!l for your actions. This frnme work-
s ucccss, failure, injury, compro1nisc--mukes your decisions in dlC'
game meaningful. You know thnt when you srep up, your struggle
is going to affect you nnd the, game, even if you don 't get what you
wanl in I.he end.

The Big Wheel

Bu111ing \Vheel is an odd duck of a game. It's a mess of contradictions.
It doesn"t have a setting, but the W'eputl1s tu·e tightly foc used a nd
impose n cult ure a nd perspecti ve on the characters. Play is open-
cnded- t hcre's no fixed structure like those found in otu· other
gan1cs. And the syste m itself is modular-chunks can be added 0 1·
rcplnccd with case- but if you tweak the core mechanics, it falls
a pur t.

\Ve often hear questions like " \Vhy are d1erc so mnny fiddly bits?
\Vhy so muny skills? So mm1y h'aits?" The short a nswe r is: Because
thl' game need~ it. The long answer is: Setting in Burning Wheel is
primarily presen ted to th<' players in cJ1e fonn of skills and traits.
It's 110 1 1•no ugl1 for us to soy thut a culture J1as a particulal' feel.

15
..
: ; .
'• ' .
1
Th<.' gwnr uceds
. to represent t hat cultur<.' mcchanicaJly. New setti ngs
and t·uluu-es requirr new system d ements, because the system is what
t•n.forees 111eru1ingful dedsions in pJay.

But then•\ more to it thau that. The range of options io the game creates
thl' spaces in which we pJuy. Skills can be used creatively. AcJvancemenr .
_.
requin•s dedication aud focus. Fight, Range and Cover, and Duel of
\Vits allow the play<:r to make in1portant decislons on multiple levels.
These decisions briug the player deeper into the grunc and open up new
perspl'crives that ca11 be fw1lier explored through the mechanics.
I
.

'•
;:

We Think Life Should Be Hard

You know those li11le bits of the game I.hat don't rnnke sense, are a pain
in t he ass or seem broken? Those arc hooks that we built into tl1e game.
Sure. it"s a drug 10 be an indigent sorcerer with BO Resources. So now
you huv<.' to earn rour bread by summoning someone's dead loved one,
bani~hing an angry spirit o r going on ridicuJous ly dangerous quests. Fight
i:- <liffieuh and scar y on ptwposc. You ' re s upposed to prepare for it, be
s111ar1 about ir. Tools and silo<'~ scen1 like munda ne, pointless details.
13111 in 1his game, they urc a chance to get into trouble over something
innocuous-ekmcnts tJiut g round us i11 !.he "reality" of t he fiction. And
because 111os1 charncte rs stnr1 lacking som<~thing-or burdened with
something rhey don ·1 wunt- thr dwrac ters urc in motion wit.ban energy
111111 propels them rig ht into Llu~story.

Burning Currency Cycle

The c urre ncy c ycle of a gnme encompasses a playe r's operation of the
system, the feedback the systmn produces and the reward presented to
t he player as a result of the operation.

1311rni11g \Vheel has a long, complex and downright baroque currency

cyclC'. 111 its ,nost basic forin, tl1c c urrency cycle is " Belief, Ac tion,
RewnrJ." Let's break that down.
You ' re a player in tl1e game; you stare a Belief for your c hru·acter. 111c
CM presents m1 oh,;rode or challenge to thnt· Relief. You state an intent
for ovcrr.oming that obstacle. You and the GM dctcrminr the appropriate
wsk for the inlent to overcome that obstacle and select d1e appropriate
s wr, ski/I or auribute 10 wi; t. Af1cr gathering help, spending m1ha and
us ing o the r advnnluges, yo u roll a gainst 1he ohstndc. In 1nost cases,
1h1: tesr earns you (1111d those who helped) advancement, regardJess
of .<,ur;ccss. If su<:c11ssful, you achieve your inte nt in the manner you
,J1·~r'ribcd. If you fuil rl1e rest. the CM cono·ols the o utcome a nd can hove
1111' r:isk fuil oulrighr 01· twis r your i11w11t into unforeseen consequences.

_j
The Adventure Burner
 f f
! •. •, •. ':--,·; ,.
• -
: . ;~, , ~· 1 ">
'1

'

This process also produces a result in the shared fiction of the game:
Soc11ethi.11g happens in the story. This resuh-a vivid description, a
tlu-illing performance-provides context for new Beliefs.

Successf11I tests lead to fulfilled Beliefs-accomplishing goals and

ea.nli.ng art.ha. Failed attempts lead to n1ore, unexpected challenges to
Beliefs, which engage the cycle a.new, allowing the player to earn more
aclvance1ueul~. Failed atte111(JlS 1:ur11 artlta as well.

Advancements increase the size of the dice pool. This means you can take
grt'.ater und greater risks while atten1pting to act on your Belief. Trait
votes reflect how tbe other players view your portrayal of your character.
A.rrha invested in your s1a1s and skills can cause a heroic shift in power
for yonr duu·acter. But it aU comes hack to testing to try to fulfill a Belief.

Collaboration and Sportsmanship

B1u·ning \Vheel is not a collaborative grune. Not all opinions have equal
weight. Not. every s uggestion should be considered and included.

Bm·ning \Vheel is a gruneof strong opinion, vision and zeal. To excel, you
must nd,·ocate you1· position. However, it is also a thoughtful and civi,1
gan1e. You are expected to play at youJ· absolute best within the scope
of the written rules and the un,vritteo spirit of the game. But to be good
players you 1nust be courteous to one another. You n1ust ensure that
the other players m1clerstand tho rules as well as you do. If they don't,
explain what is IIIH~IP.111' ;;o they can make rl1e best decision possible at
the ti1ne. Do not cheat, grief or spam. Help each other and the game will
prosper-even when you 're fighting for )'Our beliefs.

Some Advice for the Players

So,ne advice for players of Burning \Vheel: Dare the GM to hurt
you. Hurl your character into danger. You n1ust take risks with your
character while 1naintaining the civil attitude described above.

\Vhy take risks? \Vhy not sit back and be .safe? Hisk-taking is dramatic
and exciting. You push your limits and lay everything on the line for
your Beliefs. Furthermore, play·ing it safe in Burning \Vheel won't get
you the resources you need to succeed.

' fhis is a novel way to play rolep]aying games for some. You set out your
own priorities. The GM challenges them. You plunge into the challenge
wholeheartedly, no matter the danger. You don't hide or evade.

_;
 The Adventure Bun1er

Don't Be a ,vet Blanket

\Vbcn ru1othe1· player wants to do something dangerous or risky, don't
smother him with s uggestions about 14 the righ t way to do it." Play
dumb und pretend you don't unclcrs tuud the risks. Or play along and
encmu·agc the bad behavior. Of course, you still need to be considerate
1md thoughtrul iu your actions.

1bo often I sc<' players use so much caution w1d care that they stifle good,
mll·r~clic ideas. Don'1 do tluu. Make bn.cl decisions and enjoy the fallout
ruHI cneouruge good risk-taking in fellow players.

Inherent Dran1atic Irony

Burning \Vhccl demands n deep i11vcs1n1ent in your cluu·acter. To make
n good character for this game, you i:uust com.m.i, ymu·seU-co1nmit
to your gruucsmansh.ip in the nmnbers and your sense of drama in the
Beliefs ru1d Instincts. The more you tlu·ow yourself in10 this enterprise,
the more engrossing and exciting the results will be.

Convcrsl, ly, Bw·11.i11g \~' heel acknowledges an i1runu1aJJlc divide between

player and character. The character is a fictional element only olive in
ow· imaginations. It is only in action when we all sit around the gaming
mblc. It is not the player; it hos no life of its own. The player· is not tl1c
chnractcr, but the character cannot exist without tl1e player.

The system provides n safe environntent and many opportunities for

the player to set up his character to fail-not because cl1c play<'r wishes
his charac rer iU, or even because he is incompetent, but because failw·c
is interesting. h shows frailty, vulnerability, courage and heru1 iu tJ1e
characcer. It lets us syrnpatltizl' with him. Failure creates narrative
tension: He fails now, but one dny be will overcome.

Are these frulures pm·cly mechanical? Are we suggesting that you gimp
yourself for a test to <lcliberntely fail ? No1 at all. Numbers-wise, it's always
possible to place yow· character at risk. 1Vter 11IJ, you know ho1v n1any
dice you roll, you know the obstacle. The math isn't that hard. But I nm
suggesting a different kind of fuiJure.

You c1111 set your character up to fall with clever use of Beliefs, Instincts
and t1·aits. You can make him believe in something that's wro/lg. You
know it's wrong. but he doesn 'r. Hr pursues th.is goal with all of the vigor
we expect of the righteous, but uhimntcly, we kuow he's not doing tlu•
right tlting. Or he's doing the right things for tl1e wrong reasons .

..
,:: ,., .
•
' ,) •· if' . ~ (/ ,: ,'
I • • •• •.·. , / , •
l
Or he is at war "rith his heart. One Belief tells him to go in one directio
n,
another pushes hi.Jn doM1 the opposite path. Which will he choose? The
decision is engaging for you as a player, but it is also engrossing for the
audience-the other players-to see the internal conflict played out
before their eyes. C-ertainly, you might want your character to do the
right tiring, to go where you would, but that's the easy answer. Choose
1..hc wroug direction. Do the misguided, selfish, uw·ightcous thitlg. Let
your exp1~ricnccs at the table, not your own personal beliefs, shape your
u·ansfonuation.

Burning \Vheel is a character-driven game. When we set out on the wrong

path, we creute tension and exciting opportw1ity to do the right tbing.
This sounds backward, but re1ne1nber that the premise of this grune is to
fight for what you lJclievc. So if you believe in the right thing, thP.11 1he CM
n111s1 challenge or oppose that belief witJ1 the wrong thing. That mcaus
if your character changes, be'U fall-he' ll fight for the wrong thing. It's
a good choice, but a hard one! IJ you beUevc passionately in rJ1e wrong
thing, tJ1en tJ1~ Ctvl has a chance to challf!uge and oppose you with the
righl thing. lf your char.act('r d.1ange.s tuHlcr tJ1ese circun1stances, then
lie rises-her.an lciu·n frorn his 1nistakes and nm1 to the riglu puth. And
this is tl1e s1.uff tliat heroes are 1nade of.

Directing your character toward this kind of transfonnation needi; u

cleverly worded Belief or l:\vo to ar.k.nowledge that wJ1at you and your
character want 1night be different. E>.plore d1al conflict of interest; sbow
the rest of us the internal su·ugglc. It 1nakes for a satjsfring ga,nc.

Some Advice for the GM

Being the CM in Burning \X1heel is different fr01n heing a player. \'fle mostly
don 'r have to worry about Lracking advanccrnent, artha, cpiphll.Ilics or
u·ait votes. \Ve have au overall vision or a world, a handf-ttl of problcn1s
in 1.hat world and a host of ch1u-acters i-o c1nhody those problems. \Ve
hulunce our vision ru1d our ,vi][ to persevere with an aeconunodating,
cooperative: au ih1de.

\Ve urc never rude. \Ve never react out of ungcr. Our 1·ole is to preseut
unexpected challenges to the players that make perft\CI sense in thl\
context of tht· setting ru1d the action.
p

The Adventure Burner

Secrecy In1pulse
Try not to hide or protect your ideas. Try your best to place chr.m in
harm's way-in the path of the players. ,Vhen the players want to know
something, test chem. \Vhen the players want to confront and change
sorncd1ing. 1cs1 tlten1. \Vhen they wunl to fight something, test them.

\Vhe n you feel that 1ightening in your gu1, "'No. I can't let them .. . ,"
1ha1 's a sign that you need to set an obstacle and call for a test. Give the
-
....
0
(/l
0
"O
pluyers a shot 111 your viUains, your organizations. your tricks and traps. o""
Let ti1em 11·y to succeed. Let tl1e1n risk failure. This staccato rhythm of "-<
d,aUengcs-~omc o,·r.rcorne and others foiled-is what creates thr story
in Bunting \Vft,,,~(.

Emergent Properties
Burning \Vlwd has 1na.11y moving parts. lt is unlikely that one can
u1terpre1 the entin~ range of possible re!;ults by looking al thr indi,;duaJ
pil'crs. li1 dw r.ourse of operation. ii is very likely that th.is sptrn1 of
interlocking gears produces mwxpt?r.tcd nisults. Pi:opertics of the game
em~rgl' only tlirough ,•xploration. No amowll of study or preswnption
will illmninaH: all of the possibilities.
This phenomenon is due in part to the complc:xity of die current'y cyde
and in pan to the nature of n rolr1>layi11g game.

Let's look at some emergent play involving onf' Bdief. Le,.-s say you have
a Belief that states. "l will liberate Oro from his bm1.-!t•n, .~ You· n• l,!Oin[!
to steal Dro's smff, because you tJ1ink he's a bnstaril and you neetl to Nit
and pny rent. So, you usr Circles and \\;s,•s 10 get do~t;' to him. Lutrr.
you mrct him and rnalizr that he',; go1 trouble$, tw. You syrnputhize.
You ust• Persuasion 111111 Falsehood 10 wnse hi::; proLl<'lns out of him. But
as you' re gettJng to know him. you di~covcr thul lu•°::; a terrible person.
One of llis burd1ms is, iu faet, that he was rJw o ne who had yow· family
killed. He feels deeply guilty about it, but it doesn·, chnnge the fact that
your mom. da<l aJ1d little sister are gone-dispatched on the ex,iculion
block for heu1g seclition.ists. You've still got that Belief about him: -[ \\ill
librrate Oro num his burdens.,. Yet . .. somethinc: has shifted. Now you
~ .
use yum· wises and Circles to lt~ru·n about his shadowy past. You Legin to
marshal allies 1lguinst him. Then you dcdde to use your Per:;uasion and
Falsehood to lure hin1 out alone.
At the Inst, you-a pencefuJ per;,on ac heart-decide to a.:1~assinate Dro
wiili yoiu· own hnnd. You play your Belief to ils final iteration: You
wiU remove his ultin1ate burden-his cold, dead soul. Everything has
 .
.J .t', , ' '. .
} ' !! <' , '
I '
---, .

changl~d now for you. You began sirnply wanting to survive, even if ii
n1eru1t stealing Ji-om anotl1cr. Bui you 're oot who you once were. \Vhen
you pick up the dice, swvival is the furthest thing from )'Our mind. Only
revenge weighs hcuvy in your heart und your hond as you roll the dice
to finish what vou star1ecl.

You used the sys1en1 to accon1plish a very different onn than d1at with
which you started.

Now i1nnginc this in three layers. You have three Beliefs. All of then1 create
a contl\XI like this. Each Belief colors how and why you engage tbc system.
In a virtuous cycle, each enguge.n1cnL casts new light on your Beliefs.

Thus, what sce1ns strnightforwar<l al the start-player priorities, skill

tests. advanecu1ents, rewards-grows around you in rich, complex and
unpredictable patterns.

Dive into a Demo

That's enough philosophizing. Before you head for the Commentary
section, I rcconunend you do,,11load tJ1e Twilight iri tJ1e Duchy Verdorbcn
fro111 uur1tiugwlwcl.co1n ,u1d r1111 it for ~0111e friuuds. Make t.hc gmuc
frrsh in rour 111jnd as you read and onr fw·thcr ramblings ,viU make
1nuch n1orc sense.

J
 Adventure Burner
This src1ion lakes you through a detailed approach for creating a
Burning \Vhed game. I don't reconllllend you use this text word-
for-wor<l every time you want. to start a game. I rcconnnend you
adopt the spirit of the process.and f0t·ge1. the rest. Use the ideas here
1o gr1 you t>xcit<'<l about staning grunes, then go off and use these
mystical 1cd1niqucs to create your own scenarios. adventures and
co111puigns.

:\1 Burnin~ \~1 hcc l Headquarters, we're fans of sketching and

brains torming. \Vt> 1hi.uk those arc vital part$ of the creative
process, so LIU! chapter starts with an exhortation to brainstorm.
Theo wr. walk through escablishing a ~ituation and setting.
r f1•1•l that only after you have situation and setting can you
drvclop clwractci·s. You might feel differently and want to start
with i:harac1ers first and th<m plug the1n iuto a setting. That's
nr.ccptablc. These are guidelines for you.

The chapter also bricOy discusses how to kick off your game or
si:ssion with action. This discussion is followed by u breakdown
of how to dmlle11ge Beliefs. You want to write sn·oug Beliefs, bul
liow do you know what to write the1u about? H you write a strong
situation, how do you induce players to care about it?

Lastly, the chapter rounds out with some rules variations that we
like 1·0 consider when fleshing out our settings.

Definition of Ter1ns
Herc are some terms that wc'1·e going to lean ou throughout the
Adventure Burner chapte r:

Characters
In this chapter, we talk about characters dint the players have
liw·ned up. relationship clutracters that the players have na1ned
<luring chLu-acter burning un<l straight-up GM-controlled NJ>Cs.

23
 7
Setting
The setting is die overarching container of play-the place, the age, the
atn1osphere. But setting in Burning Wheel is represented primarily h
stocks, traits, skills and gear. Il's rnore than just geography; it's culnu-:
and people. Tim geographical aspce1-cl1e places-arc just sketched oiu.

Situation
Situation is a problcn1 in the setting to which thr. characters arr
inextricably bound. In Burning \Vhcel, characters n1us1 fight theu· way
through thl•.sc proble,ns. Thcn~'s no othPr option.

Action
Actio11 is t11e thing that's happening iii;ht now. Its t11c inuncdiatc, in-your-
fa cc problc1n llull is 1111:n·ly u pan of a bigger problem ns repri>,scnted
by the :,it11atio11.

Chicken or Egg
To play t hi,; ~,une cffc<·t ivcly, you rnusl c1·en1c a situation. Tu have 11
sit unrion , you n1u:,;1 hnvc scui ng and ehn racters. But seuing does11'1
1natter nn lcs~ you have a c01npdl iug sit nation. And characters n1us1 he
firn,ly tut wined wi1l1 Loth scLCi11g unc! situation. So whi1·h co,nes first?
Chickl'n? Egg? Seuin1[? Situation?

Sketching and Brainstorming

To st•t up a game of Burning Wheel nnd r.rent<' cmnpelling eharacters.
setting au<l sit1mtio11. you and your groJu.p must toss aroun<l su111e idc11s
to narrow ~·mir nplinn,, ancl finrl n genernl IH;pect of tl1c fantus y genre
l'hat interests evervOnl'.

\Ve usually spend a sti!<sion to set up n gan·1c and create cl1uracrers.

Although we nlso sometimrs do pr<:p through email, we find it much
1nore productive 10 1nnke I in1c to do it all fuct'-to-foce.

Draw on nny sourr.f of inspiration at your disposal. If you recently read

J. (.;regory Keyes' The ll'alerborn und were inspircJ by the gods and
rny1hology, dou't hesitate 10 propose pulling those gods into your game.
If vou rc<"cnth· wa1d1cd Per er Jackson's filn1 of ThC' Rr.Lurn of the King
u,;d wc>r<· inii j>ircd by Theod1·11·s speech at Pelennor F"ields, rell your
friends why yon lov~ it aud wrhy you wuut cutaclysmic wars l,en\'Ct'Jl
1he forces of light nnd darkn,:ss in your game. lf you just finished l\1ark
 The Adventure Burner

5 111 ylie·s Artesia cornics and love the flavor of his world-the intrigue,
rhc politics. the culture-you should propose using similar ideas in your
game.

Find a land, a placr or a tin1e that interests everyone io the group. Work
with it a bit-adding or adopting ideas. Get everyone involved.

GM's Big Picture

To begin o gum,, of Burning \Vhccl, one of tho players has to buve a su-oog
opinion-a vision. That player takes on the role of the game master.

As the game master, your job is to approach the gan1e with tl1e fire of
inspiration in your gut. You have an idea that excites you. You want to
share it. I call that idea the Big Picture.

\Vhcn you present that Big Picture to the players, you weave their
feedback into it. You want them lo interact with this idea. You want
rhem 1.0 have a stake in the fate of this nascent thing. So we bend Wld
srietch it a s best we can 10 o.ccommodute tl1e players' needs. Some ideas
don ·1 fit and nre discarded fro111 the start. Some will wash out during play.
\~'ltilc the process is not an equitable collaboration, there is give and take.

However, as you brainsto1m, remcntber this clicmm: Limitations make

things interesting. Don't try to include everything i.u your Big Picture.
Li1nit it; pru·e it do,vn. \Vhen yon decide not to include an eleo1e111, devi se
a reason or logic beltind t.hc decision. Likewise, when you expand the Big
Picture to include input from II player, share the logic of your decision.
\Vhy do these clements exist (or not) in your schema?

The Big Picture is your world, but the term "world" is too big. The word
world makes you cl,ink you need to design an ecology and economy right
off t he bnt-t he whole fantas y ,nilieu. You don't. You need only sketch
rough lines. Create a loose struct11re witll indistinct borders thnt rou can
detail in play. As you fill in each area, you lerun how it works. When you
retu n1 to a place you established, it feels comforting. fostering a sense
of space and time.

Tone
Ser a LOne lor your garne. Tone is o(ten t ied directly to the setting. Smne
examples include: s traight bistol'ieal {Barbara Tuchman's A Distant.
1't1irror), mythological or m)'Stical (711e Tale ufthe Heike, which is son
of historical but with magic and heroes), fairy tale (Willian1 Cold1nan's
Th e Princes.~ Bride), grim dark fantasy (Stephen R. Donaldson's
Th e !vlirror of Iler Dreams or Glen Cook's The Bl.ack Company) and
i U, r.,.1, 1,•.: n- -1 ,,,.,,,
: lf. ,.,,
• / ·· '
. '

adventurous in the vei.n of clussic

Dungeon s & Dragons farnasy
(Terry Brook s' Th e S111ord of
Shannara).

Loose Character Concepts

Toss around s0111c loose character
ideas. The C~t's Dig Picture is a
large circle cnco1npassing appro-
pri11tr. r.hnr11ctr.r concepts. Playr. rs
state wlsat typr of character they'd
like to play, but they :;hould also
he ready t.o adap t ns d1~1uils get
firn1ed up. There will likely have
to be son1c negotiation bet ween the
GM\; co11ccp1 of the selling and 1hr.
players' chm·act.l.'r concepts. Try to
ac.conunodate all of I hf! idem; that
make sense. Throw out everything
that's disruptivr. or nonsensical. Actually, keep one thing that doesn't
mft ke s~nse. Yo11a1igh1 be able co make the anon1aly compl'lling us play
de\'d ops.

A word to the wise: Consider the lifcpaths. Try to 1nold your concepts to
the existing Hfopaths. Creating new lifepaths is possihlc, but it should
be yout· option of last resort, not your first.

One-Sentence Setting
At this point, you should have at least one sentence to describe the type
of setting in wliich you want to play. You should not hove more than
three bullet points.

AH dH&ir.11t ki11Jdom iH wlt,di d propltr.si'et/k,n!J Ytcledj'ust!y, letiVIH!J it

till ta Iris son uppn /,is tleatlr.
rite la.sf Elven citadel, st,11a sh.inin3 example Pfalltltat tlte First FPlk can
auPmplish, a place PfwisJpm anti1race.
A hrPken /anti to which the Ores were exiledafter their Jark IPrJ wu
defeated
rite primon{ialforest that links ta all forests.

,.
i'
p

The Adventure Burner

A tap_estry of Dwarven princes ?''"'J for fame andJlory from their

palatialhalls .scatteredalo"'J the mountains.

A land walked bJJods who do not have the best interests ofhumans
anti bea.sts at hearl.

Burning Situation
Burning \Vhecl doesn't care about the topography, population, dimsite,
cosmology or creation 1uyths of your world unless-unless-it matters.
Whnl matters in Burning \Vhcel? Stuff that challenges the players'
Beliefs.

Ro,v Do You Challenge a Belief?

To successfu lly challenge a Belief, you fhst need to create believable
comcxt. You need to draw the players into the world so that they cure
uLout rheir characters and these challenges; then you confront them.

Blootlshe.fin the name ofviolence is iYYe!tjious,- I shallnot raise myhanJ

to strike another.
ABelief like that $penks of p.ac;i6sm.. You cau,,vl challenge it simply hy
saying. "You're in a fight! " Or even, "Some guy picks a fight with you.
Whal do you do? "

You need to create a situation in whicl1 t he player can make a choice

about how he will engage that Belief.

In this ease, the owner ofthat pacifist Beliefis a tloetor. What will he
do when one ofh,°5 patients is attaeketl while convalesein!J? w,1/ he
intervene? Wt11 he stand idly hJ? Run for help?
A situa1ion is something that contains choices. \Vhat are these choices?
They are potential actions a player can take with his character. It's not
enough to have the option to refuse or to walk away. ln the context of
the game, you must have the option to cul your own path.

These choices lead to actions. Actions are tcl;tS of a character's abilities.

Resolurion of an action produces a result that changes the situation,
even if only slightly.

Building a situation is tricky business. Note its many qualifications:

• A well-wrought situation is interesting to everyone at the table.

 • It is a conflict that encompnsscs ,nany fictional people, making it
ensy fol' the players to bura characters that are central to this long-
term conflict.

• It gives players room for input and interpretation through their

Beliefs, Instincts, reputations, affiliations and relationships.

• And perhaps ntost important, a situation is not easily resolved, uor

is it solved through any one straightforwai·d path. In fact, there is 110
correct solution-only action.

All t hat is certain is that the situation must be confron ted through
adventure and conflic t. \X1 hen the situation stops burning, when
players cau 110 loa!!cr find con llicts to which they can attac h .Beliefs and
Inst inc ts, you know your game has eon1e to a conclusiou.

Ho,v Does One Create a Well \\'rought Situation?

Creating a situ at ion requin~s a 1neasurc of passion, a slice of inspiration,
a helping of detexmioation ancJ a good a1nL>unt of patience.

• Think. Conic to tht ta ble witb an idea t.lun excite.s •you about Burnin110
\Vhcel or fantasy ganiing or literature. It could be a character or
eveu a situation burrowed fro1n anothel' story.

• Brai11stor111. Everyone hns an idea they' re excited about. Ger it all

out oo the rahlr.. I like to havr. everyone pop off an ic.len, and I write
t.ltr.m do,vn in n (jst as they come.

• Be inspired. Gtt cxcitell nboul other peoplr.'s ideas. Repeat each idr.a
a.loud as it's announced. Roll it around on your tongue.

• Be merciles.~. The ocher s ide of this fr:endly collaboration is to be

merciless and honest. Cut out idr.as that don't interest you.

• Co111promise. Aft.er you've all brains1on11ed about ideas that e.tcite

you and hacked off the ones that don't, cou1promise. Merge what
you have. How can it nil fit together? The Gtvf is the main player
in this role. It's primru·ily his job to take the ideas and build them
into a coherent whole. Be imaginative. Crcace a warped intemaJ
logic. Each connection between two elc1nents creates a reason or
paradigm. Explain this log ic lo the group.
 The Adventure Burner

Usr. the following questions to get you started and talking. Again, the
GM ,;honld take a stroug role in this, but needs to honor reasonable
.-equ~s,~. especially for iucludiug character types. Try not 10 break the
,euing. bur rather llesh it out.

• 111,at's the conflict? Whut nre the characters involved in? What are
the sides? \Vhat problein do they foce?

- 11'/,o opposes the goals of the characters? Who arc the

antagonists? \Vhat ii; the relationship between the antago-
nists m11J tJ,e chai·actcrs?

- /11hat are the a11lagonists' goals? \Vhy,arc t.hc characters in

their way?

• /111agi11e a scene in which all of the characters are standing i11 a

room mit/1 the antagonists or their minio11s. \Vhat do I hr. antngonist~
want from that 111r.l'l i11g? \Vhnt clo the characters want? Pnrlc:y,
redrnss, slaughter?

• Alternately, imagine the characters standing at. the scene of some

gn!af disaster ur cu/amity cleurlJ• caused by one ofthe antago11isM.
\Vhat ·~ the r.lisaster? How did it happen? \'\' hat are the charoctexs
going to do about it right now?

• And lastly, what's cl1c raison d'etre; \Vhy are the characters together
as an inseparable group? \Vhat is the glue that binds them? Are 1.hey
fnmily, neighbors, fricnrls or fellow employees?

rite situRt,"gn for one ofr,ur uunpm'jns wa.s a.s follows: An iu ll!JC aYYivul
be~«$,:; Deatl, J"';.,ctl cqntn,I "f 11,c t;o.,/ ofF,i-e~ /41den1, wltul, ht:Au
the worltl. rl,c lantern nuw!Jullcrulin DeaU,'$ &are. MJSkriuuslJ, tlte
_'/roup w/lS Jispakltu{ en ajouYHtj bJ Dea.tit lt«self /Q /inJ the lanUYH
anti JcciJe whether 11r nut to rekintllc it.
Tl,c ton/fitt was two-fold First, Ute pl4Jcrs haJta suuessfu!IJ UJmpletc
tl:eiYjPurncy. Sccontl, they woultl hat'& to convintc l>caUt in rc!}arl to
the fate oftire lanttrn.
Their opposition was (rijltteniHJ· when I cgns1ilcrcd the sr:ttinJ of
wnlkin!J!]DJs, it struck me Utat Uteir enemies woultl he tltc two !)Otis
who wislreJto see li!]ltt andfire extinJuishetleternally: Nijht anrl C?IJ.
Those arc powerfulenemies.
 ~ A
'

i ; , t.. _
I •
i , ;, rt' t fi ... I! 1!~, ·.t
1
< .ul 1 ·. :

From the Qut.sd, Iplannedt" have tlte 4«/ofColdpursu,itJ them, tun,UfJ

allin the1Ypath to ice. The t;"d "fNijht wuuld then u(for tu a,i/ the>H ,;,,
/heir 1uest... 1fthey wfJuld un& perform a smallservice /"r l11in.
TltfJse were my b'j settin!J n1laiHs. MfJre ,inmediately, Iplannttltu "Pl'"se
them with tribes "fhumans whu believe/ themselves to be the Chusen
(n"t the players}, j"blins whu SfJu!Jht to cause mischiefanti lesser!J"tls
whfJ simpfJ wu11te~ to jet tl,eir waJ .IC$fit& t/,e en./ time.,!
This was a rather esoteric but hljh-stakes!fame.
The last element"/the situati'un was tlte must impurtanf by for: WhJ
were du: draracicr.s tojctl,cr? What buunJ tl1e1n? We Jcc,ileJ ll1at t/rr;_y
aYJent!J believedthey were Chusen ufDeath. Each hadtheir own re«sfJn,
but essentiallJ they weYe zealots fay the!J"d I'll talk moYe abfJut the
charaeteYs in the 8uYniH!f Characfeys se&Hon.

Burning Setting
\Vhen creating a setting for Burning \Vheel, it's irnportanL to
acknowledge the game's limits. Versatile though the game rnay be, you
cannot "do whatever you want."

Burning \Vheel doesn't provide you wirh u map, geography or other

setting details, but there is a selling to th is game. TI1e lifepnths, traits
and game rules 1hcn1selves create the setting. The atrnosphere of this
sclli11i; is pa,:;sio11utc a 11d violent. It's fraught witlt volHtilc cu1utiu11s Uke
fnith , greed, grief and hatred. The people of 1his setting are trying to
escape the grind of their daily Life, looking for son1ething better. They
are a colorful, quirky people-but often scarred or crippled by their
experiences.

Look over the Ii fcpaths and traits. Try to fit these ideas into your setting.
If you c11n 1nake it work, your gan1e will go smoothly. If you can't make
you r ideas fit with our intrinsic setting, you need to rethink your gan1e.

Tcchnologicnlly, Burning \Vheel favors fourteenth-cenhrry France and

cwelfth-cenlury China. The poor nre very poor but s urviving. The
wealthy arc very wealthy but also teetering on the edge of ruiu. Magic
is extremely potent, armor is effective nnd injury frorn a sword or bow
is calamitous for the vict.in1.
 The Adventure Burner

By default, there are peasants, villagers and townsfolk. There is a noble

ruling class and an elite class of 1nagicians and priests. The age of
the professional soldier-mercenaries-has just dawned. Slavery and
l.londage arc not uncommon, and society casts out those who don't fit
or ober t1·adition: criminals, vagabonds, insurrectionists and sorcerers.

In addition to humans, there are all manner of fantastic peoples. The

most robust are Elves, Dwarves, Ores, Trolls, Great \Volves and Roden.
Each people has its own distinct culture that governs its abilities
and outlook. These peoples are heterogeneous-their cultu1·es exist
seporat ely within the setting.

All of tJ1ese cle~ncnls exist in the default Burning \Vhecl setting. You
can and should pare down the default settings to what's absolutely
neccssm·y to get your setting off the ground.

Use the following questions for inspiration. L et the world-builders in

your group go 10 town-the GM should take an especially strong role-
but be sure Lo accepl input from all interested players. Try to answer
these questions us succinctly as possible and don't spend more than a
half hour or so on this part!

• fflhat's the Big Picture?\('hat's going on in this setting tlu:it makes it

,ipe for adventw·e? \Vhat's changing, evolving or declining?
• lflhal:'s the culture? \Vhat arc the cultural analogs? Analogs can be
taken from history, current events or fantasy works.
• ll1hat: is the environment or atmosphere like? ls it a sunlit realm of
contrasts or a dour, grin1 country?
• fllfwt:'s the name ofthe 11wst important place in this setting?Not the
capital per se, but tl1e place where all the action goes down.
• lf11,at's the nanze ofa faraway place? A place that folks talk about,
dream about or mutter about under tl1eir breath.
• Whal t;ries of magic exists in this selling? How is it viewed by the
various cultures?
• ll1hi.ch character stocks are in play in this selling? Which are
restricted and why?
• Who are the moMlers of this setting? Are they outcasts, or are they
a part of everyday life?

• flow does the econorny work!' Whul 's cl1e currency? Who collects the
taxes? What do people do for work? What's the major trade?
 7
I'm JOiHj to Yun Jown tlte answeYs for SPme Pf these '{~!UJn.1 for 411
example campaijn:
Bij Pitture: We plaJed in this worldin a previous!Jame. We wa11teJto
explore more ofit hut we diJn 't want to rehash what we'ddone. 011 the
other hand, the results ofour last campaij11 were rather catastrophic:
Fox Coe! tri&ked Forest t;od, Mountain t;oel and Fire t;od into war with
one another. This resulted1n Ft're t;od's lantern hein!J dousedaHdstolen.
We Jecided'fhat in the aftermath ofthat divine cataclysm, Death haJ
come ,ntopossession ofthe lantern andan ice tlje hadset ,n. rite 1uestion
overlta"'jin!J this world now was: w,11 Death exi,n!Juish the lantern for
!Jood a11dplun!Je the world ,nto eternal darkness or would she rekindle
it and hr,n!J a11 a!Je ofreh,'rth?
Culture: We decided that some time hadpasseds,nce Deatit had!JaineJ
the lantern. In that time, !JlacieYs crept down from the north. Human
civilization CYumhleJ into itinerant trihes, slowly flee,'n!J hefore tlte
ine)(vra/Jleaid But in aJJi(t'vn to these tribe5, !]Yca&(uny lro//5 now walktl
the earth, protectedfrom the sun hJ thepallof!Jloom thatpruu/eJthe ia.
Env,ronment: rite ice llje wasn't complete. I decided that the uunpaijn
wouldstart on tlte ice andmove south and wes4 ,nto veYdant str1l-livin!J
lands. But ,ftire!JYoup delaJet/, the weather would turn coldand the
clouds would hlot out the sun.
The Most Important Place: This campaijn didn't ne&essarifJ have a
centYal location. It was ajournt:J, a 1uest that traversed the world
In fact I maele &erla,n that the location ofeach session was markedlJ
different titan the last: a!Jreat cave, a ruslt,n!J rive,; a hidden jlade, a
!Joh!tn !Jrotto, a mountain town, a rott,'nj vallt:J and windsweptpla,ns.
FarawaJ Place: There were two farawaJ places ,n this world: the land
ofDeath andhome. One was at the end oftheirjourno/ and the other
was the bC!J1'nn,nJ,
MaJ1&: Thor decided lte wanted to plaJ a summoner, so tlte WQrll/ Ital/
Summon,'n!J. Dan")' decided that his hrother was a sp,'rit h,ntle,; thus
there was also Sfirit Bindt'n!J. And, despite the fact that!Joris trod the
earth ,n ma")' forms, there W.ll5 no Faith ma3ic present in the world
IfJou wisheJ to entreat a30d, eitherJPu hound it with Summonin3 or
entountereJit thro"!Jh1our Circles or relationships.
 The Adventure Burner

Burning Characters
Chura<'ter Concepts
'
,r111.·11 you'n• burning up your characters, weave in the details you've I
rrl'utl'd for your ga1ne. Review questions. Tic characters into s~tting I
anti situation. I

Continu,n!J mJ example from the Settin,J anti Situation heatlin!Js, we I

hat/four characters joined to!Jdher by a love of Death-the power, not
the practice.
Thor JedJetl that he wanted to plllj a mulic,ne man who treated with
the dead He daimeJ that he haJreceivedhis powers when he died and
was thrust back ,nto life by Death herself

Dro tit.tided tliat lie wantr..Jtorial 11 simtfe hunftr who ,vi.shttl fo juule
his companions safelj to the Land ofthe l>ead.

Group Burning
\Vhen you makl' characters, try to make them together as a group.
T here's a certain energy and camaraderie that only comes when all
heads art> bi:nt lo rule books and pencils can be heard scritd1ing on
worksheets.

Making characters together is pretty s rraigluforward. Take turns

announcing your conccprs and check to make sure ('vr.ryone is still on
dmsame page. Then tuck into the Burner. Choose your lifepaths. Divide
stnt., trait, resource and ski ll points. Buy your gear. \Vrite. Instincts.
Reud off the Steel, Health. Grief, Greed and I-J1:1trecl questions. Hold off
011 relationships and Beliefs for a moment.

Hacking LifeJ)aths
If you're ~tuck on finding the right lifepatb to rcprcsc111 your setting,
you may use the following options. However, the 1nodi6cntions must be
uppro\'ed by the other players first and then the CM gets final say. He
can make suggestions to modi(y or tailor your changes to th<' setting.
This fr; his job: to ensure rhe setting creates adequate adversity for your
liule guy.

Clu111ge //,e Na11uw fir11t

Tliis mc tho<l is by far the simplest, best option for modifying
lifopo1hs to suit your sr.uing. Change a " knight" to " jani_s snrr,"
for exumplt:. Soruc1imes that 's the diffcn,ncc you need to make
i r.
. . ..
I
'
:-'-', ' · · ·

somerl1ing fit. JI that 's not enough, ndu a wise or skill to the pnth.
Don' t change unyt.hing else. ff tl1at's still not enough, change one skill
to somclhing rnorc appropriate to your setting. For cxrunplc, if playing
in u Renaissance setting, you rnight need to change Bow or Crossbow
10 Firl'anns or smncthiug si1nilur.

Son1c1irnes the culture of your selling just dot>.sn't fit the lifcpaths.
To uccornmodntc the culture. consider chru1ging one of tJ1r lifopnth's
1·1!1.1uircrner11s--a truil or skill.
- The Adventure Burner

Traits are a m~jor part of the Burning \Vheel ethos.. but it's tenipting to
cut rhr111 out m ftwm· of yow· new awesome setting. I nrge you not to.
Believe it or not, be~1~nd each lifepath trait is a careful decision about
grune balance. So, 1t s cool to change the names of traits to suit the
Oavor of yo11J' game, but try not to change their substance.

Ne,v Lifepaths
SomeLimes your setting will encourage inventive twists that aren't
inr.lnded in our Iifepaths. Create a new Jifepath th.at suits your
requirements. Try to look in the various settings in the Codex for an
analogous lifepath and base your new path on that.

Lise this option sparingly.

Of Men and Monsters

Sometim1~s, a player is going to <levise n cluuacter concept rhat simply
ca nnot ue burned up using the existing lifepaths. There arc a couple of
ways ro go about this. You can sin1ply rough in the appropriate abilities
and tTaits for rhe creature or you can burn it from one of the extant
lifepat h sets and then just toss on some additional traits to make it into
a monster.

DannJ wanteJto play a halftYol/, hal/-yeti. We useJthe TYoll lifepatl,s ta

create the skeleton oftire thaYacter: The.n we replatedsome ofhi.s TYolli.slt
traits wit/, traits from du: Mon.siY<1u.$ T,-ait List: Ratltcr tha11 bci,'J .sea~
he was hairy. He replaeeJ lti.s Claws a~u{ Fan!J.S with the Aura ofFear,
a11(/Iris Ni_jht Ej'es with Keen Sijht.

Cultural Traits
\Vhat cultural traits apply to the characters of this game world? Pick
one r.o three character traits for each culture (sec the Burning \~' heel,
pugc 198).

Material \Vorld
Take a look al your material world. Can you 1nake your setting more
interes ting by imposing limits or restrictions? \Vhat weapons arid
armor are available? Arc some wcapnns and armor restricted to certain
cultures or characrcr stocks? \Vhul property is available? Are resource~
and gear otherwise rcstri~tcd?
 '
'I . ;I

Burning Action
You've got u ;.c11i11g, u situu1io11 u11d chnnu:1crs,
so you·rt· good 10 go, right? Aln1ost. l.,111 11111
quite. You 11e1.·d on il11111cdiutc problem iu tl1<'
setting 10 kick you off. You 1w1•J 1w1iu11. To
c-r1•orP 11ction. th<> G~·I 1na kl's n stro11~ s11111·11ie111
11uou1 how tllf' u111ui::011bts. ,heir 111i11iu11s 11ml
1111· g;l'11l'ral fon:c•s of 1hc sN1i11g un• out ro mnkc.·
the li,·1·s of I h,· dutrurH·rl> Jiflicuh.

Thc•s<· forn:s rau 11twrk Ihr churacfl'r, cli r1·1·lly.

a1111ck thrir n·l11rio11~hips nnd property. orcvl·II
lry to dcslllhi li,m the ~Cltifl~ itsc:l f. Tl11· c rir St•IS
up u ~c,•1111rio :u1d lnys i1 0111 fur 11,.. pl11r,•n.

Ahcrnnlt•ly, 1111: 11c1ion ran consist of n n1is.;io11

for the plnycr charoc1cr,-u11 111·1 ll11·y must
1111cler1nkc-. The dirtr.rio11 for 1hr n1i,sio11 rnu w.s
from (1111' of 1h11ir rclution~hips. Thi· go11I of the
mission c11t111111lc~ 1hr111 wilh lhl'ir r.1w111it,. It
should11'1 1opplo•. or Jin·ctly confrc.1111 d11· 1·m·my.
Built! up lo I hni.

Tw/J fribe.s-(!He u/funy fruf/s, unc oflrum1111s-mi:ct al tl,epYuplre.sid

place, the 11111ufh 11(a!JYCaf &ave, B11tl1 &!aim t1J be Cl1ose>1 of Deatlt 14
1011/erl-akc tltis 1ue.st. You ari: mr:mbtrs ofb11th tn'l,es. Yo" mJ<St strike a11
a&eoYdso that tl,r. lYibcs do noi sla"j/,/er cad, otl1er nn,Ifa,1 to &ompli:ie
Deaf/rs '!"est br.fo~ ii i.s bC!JU>f.

/11 our!Jame, a &oHtest hetween tire d1amp1iJxs ofcad, tr,'l,e wn.s t/ul11Yed
Tire wmner.s would!JO 11n the 1u.est.

OH&e tlte eonlesl.s were 1'ceit/ul, theJYUup ofClto.rcn was led info aJY&al
t11ve bJ Bat (;ot/. He let/ them lo a d1as111 from which they /,at/ lo leap in
tlaYkncss i11!11 R,'vcY (;01/antibe swept aw9- Tho/ luul lo m11kc Forlt It.sf.;
lo smy eonstt'oJ<S 011:e fht:J hit tlte fee21i'J, r11sltinJ l'iver...antl then lhq
weYe aiva1.011 theiY 1ucsl.
 The Adventure Burner

Burning B~li~fs.and Relationships

Now dull you have sct ting. s1t11atto11, characters and actiou 011 the table
die ploycrs finalize ony relationships their characters have and writ~
Beliefs.

The action as dcscriucd by the GM should grab you by the throat. If

your enrmies arc ~cl ing" against you, you shouJd be narrowing your
ryr.s and saying ""i'\o wny after heari og the description of their actions.
If you·vl' been :;,~rH on ll 1nission 1 you should be staring a1 the CM with
conviction, announcing, ~Nothing can st.op me!''

The followi11g bullN points give you s01ne pointers:

• \~'rite a Rrlief about l'lw action. This Beli1•f n111s1 be gonl oriented.

• \Vritc a gonJ-oriented Belief about hclpiog, hindering or learning

ahout another player's char::U:lf:1·.

• \Vritc a non-goal-oriented ethical statement about the situation-

you oppose the situatio11 on moral grow1ds, you'll do the right thing
no mailer what or you' ll follow your code despite the sintation.

• \Vriti'. a goaJ-01·icmed Belief about one uf yow· n:laciouships.

• \V1ite an etlt.ical statement about something you want to explore u1

the setting.

Chris wrote tlte(ollowitlj Beliefs for- /,is funy troll who loveJ l>eath:
• I mu.it(i11d a !lu,Je tu aid me on this joun1ey (or I w,11jd lost).
• I must YC$Cue the latttern and keep if: /4ur11i11j,
• ! love Death. I w,11prove to her my f rowess andserve at her sil/e.

The sifuafio11 in ofour-first session wa.s a tlirecf dtallt:11Jt: to l1is last Belie(:
to prove h,'s love for Death and win his plau on this ruest at all &osts.

Burning Mechanical Details

Thrrc are a hnndful of mechariicnl details that rhe C~[ and interested
play,!rs can fiddle wi!'h to lmr-1er customize the game for the setting.

• \Vha1 optional or new rules from this book are you using? Make s1u-e
nl) of the players are aware I.hat thesr. ruJes m·c in play.
 ' ..
I •
' ' .

• \\' hat's your Resources cycle? One ,non t.h, season al, six mo nths,
n11nual?
• If traditional Sorcery is used, wh at's its idiom? Does ir 1·equ ire
speech ? Gestu res?
• Lf traditional Sorcery is usec~ w ha l spells are available? \l'hich spells
arc inappropriate io the gmne worl d? Jf Su m.mon ing is used. which
orders an• in pluy? lf Art Magic. what scJ1ools? ff Deuth Art, whid i
crea tu res ru·c appropriate? If Spirit Bind.in/!, wh ich donrnins?

• ff Fnith is usrrl. wlmt is LIil' Fni1h i<lion1? \Vliat are tJ1e religions? Is
Fuith univt'rsal or d ors ii only affect bclicwcrs?

Resources Hacks
Are tbere specia l conditions on your world that ne~~ssitate characters
b~gi1111ing w ith certa in n:sou rcc,:;. g1ior or rc.la 1ionships ? ff necessary,
d ist r ib 111.- 5 , 10 01· 15 resou r c:1· p oinrs to each cha ra cter, so t hey may
begi n rhc ga nu~in line wil 11 tJ1c ,·ision of you r world. Don't ra ke this one
lightl y. Jt can break i11c gu nu:. Err on the conscr\'ali vc side.

Does yo ur worl<l n eccssi1a t e r.r.rt ain traits for s ur v iva l ? ls it a n

t1pocalyptic wastcln nd. un undl'rsc.a kingc.10111, a realm of r.loud castles?
Tf s u, n~i.,11 nppt'Oprinte ll'nit:, to t he characlt:rs 50 that cvcryl11i11g {iv;
and 1nak1•s sense. T hese tra its sh ou ld n1osdy be ch a r acter n-aits, but
low-end die tTaits a re a r.cr. ptnblc. 100.

Burning Starting Artha

f or gan1cs with a n iorc bcroit: lccl, sta rl your players wit h a larger puul
of artha-up Lo t hn!e fate mid t h ree p e1-soua . To cucour~l' you r plnyera
to realJy divr. into lheir Beliefs, start them with the. ba re 1n ini n111111 of
une fate and one per sona.

Wrapping Up
The q uestions an d b uJlet points in tltis chapter should have you primed
to develop a functional situution and setting for a Burning \Vheel grune.
T ltis chapter is little n1orc than a sketch . f or a ntore iu-depth look at the
individuaJ mr.r.hanics and how to use them in yum· grunes, check oul the
rather extensive Comrnentai-y section. Beliefs , setting and situation all
have individual Commen tru-y chap ters; building n long-running grunc is
discussed in the RWlning lhe Game ch ap ter~and collaborating and b eing
a good, supportive player is discussed in th e Table Behavior chapter.

~
--

More Bloody Rules

Here an•. some rules lhat n1ight help clean up some bad habits and
soft spots in I he rules that emerge in long-term play.

Too Many Cooks

For tc!-ts in which space or time is constrained, when design by
co111mi11cc· would prove detrimenutl or ,vhcn the Gl\1 feels like ii.
only one hclpC'r should be a llowed unless cxlruordinary conditions
are met. Extraordinury conditions include a training skill or lrait
that allows for t' Xtra help, a workshop (not just loots) or extreme
conditions as clctcrn1incd by the gmne's circumstances.

Slowest and Loudest

\Vhen using help 10 inakc a test as a group-such as running away,
sneaking or climbing-the cha rac le r wilh lhc lowcsl exponent
rum;i uiake the tcsl for the g roup. U two chon1ctcrs have the san'lc
exponent, use the one with the higher obstacle penalty.

Slowest and Loudest applies to tests in which the g roup must

succeed together: They are a ll 11·ying to convince s01neone, they
arc a ll sneaking together, they are all fleeing an enraged n1onstcr,
etc. Jr is not a universal rule to be applied to nil help. Sometimes the
master can accepl help from t he students, but at other times, when
the studen ts have to escape the rampaging n1onsrnr, the protective
master can only go as fast as the slowest of the pupils.

Fight Action Variants

Counterstrike Variants
There are t,vo variants to the Countersuike action that we use at
Burning \Vhccl Headquarters: Counter-Lock and Counter-Disarm.

They use the srunc basic mechanics ns the CoW1terstrike--the same

action interactions. You divide yow· dice between defense and attack.

39
 The ai1ul'k portio11 of the Counter-Lock ucts as a Lock action . Clicck
tlu: inierat'tio11 ugai11s1 your OJ)poncnt's current action. lf you meet your
obs1udr or wi.t1 the v«·rsus 1es1, apply a Lock a ccordiJ1g to Lhc srandurd
rul«-s. This also iJ1dicatl'S you've won advantuge at hantls fighting distan('(:.

The attack portion of dw Co un1er-Disui-m acts as a Disann actiou.

Check 1.he interactions against your opponent's current action. [f you're
successfrt.l, you knock yom· opponent's weapon away, as per the scundnrd
rult•s.

I only rcconrn1c11d incorporating t.l1r.sc variant nr.1 ions if you 're looking to
udcl ,non· nr.u-tinJ flavor 10 yotu· gmnc. J also rr.co1runend lin1iting them
10 ;,periJit· skills or e\'ell iudivid1111I cl1aracwrs who ca11 1cacb t.l1c111. A
sin1plc instr11c1io11 cycle i.:au bl• used for 1.eadm1g this new technique.

Dan1aging Locks
After you incapac itate your opponent with a Lor.k action._ yo u may
1:un1in11e to apply 1hc L ock action even though your opponent cannot
resist a11r f1uth er. Each suh:,cqucnt wiopposed Lock action cotulls as o
bare-fisted Strike. You ,uay 110 1 uses any weapons for this 8n·ikc rxccpt
claws or teeth. The grappled ,;c1i111 may uot defou,l in any way. ,\ rmor
<lor..s 1101 protect agains1 1.his u1tuck.

If you wish to incapacitate smneone und knife them, you use a regular
Strike action aud all the nonnaJ rules for tha t at:tion apply.

Stature
Stat1Lre gets shorl shrift iu Bunting \Vheel. Let's sec if we can n1ake up
for that. There arc five statures: tiny, dituinutive, 1niddliug, 111assive
and gigantic.

Middle of the Road

Humuns, Elves, Ores and \Volvt>.s all count as middling stallu·e. m.!.ither
diminutive nor 1nassivc . And due to the ir Stout trait, we ' II count
Dwarves as middling stattu·e for the purposes of this rule. Roden, aJns.
are dir11in111jvr..

Grabbing the Big Guys

Add a +1 Oh penrul)' for each step of difference in stat1u-e when a smaller
character is attempting 10 Lock, Charge or Push a character of bigger
stal ure.
- The Adventure Burner

Thu~, 11 ()wurf or liuanun bus + 1 Ob to Push, Charge or Lock a Troll

(111ossiv1• stalnr~ ). They wo llld have +2 Ob lo Push. Charge or Lock a
Drugon (gi~annc stntnrt>).

Faith Hindrance Against Stature

\X°lll'll attempti11g to use thr Faith Hindrance rniracle against creatures
of larger than 111id<llinl,{ -;tatnrc, use the following modifications: massive
,;rnrure counts as two people (Ob S); gigantic :itature counts a s three
people (Ob 6) .

Free Shots
Take all lhe free shots owed to you on a 1naneuver in Range aud Cover
(instead of being limited to one as described in the standard rules). Don't
say l never gave you anything.

Instinct Timing
How much time does an Instinct provide? The core ntles are intentionally
silent on the mattr.r. I want players and GMs to decide what feels -right.
Instincts arc a way to edit the story so it fits better wid1 our conception
of what is heroic.

But if I h111.I to put a nu1nber on it, I'd say 2-3 actions before a conflict are
reasonable for un Jn:;tinct. But don't gel too picayune with this definition.
If you have an '"Always practice ... "' Instinct, then you practiced the last
time there was a good mon1ent for it. But this doesn't mean you can
sq11ccze i11 one last practice session right now before your big fight.
'. '
.•
~
';.
,~
$'

_... __
 Commenting on
Commentary
In this St'Ctio11. we try to pass on all of our observations and
insights t1bout Bur11i11g \Vhcd . \Ve break the game down c hapter
by clrnptt't\ rule by rule. \Ve also try lo talk about what happcus al
t he 1ahle-s111ff beyond the rule books. This section is for e.\'.1w r1
users who wnnt 10 gl·t n1orc out of their p;amcs.

In N1c.h commentary chapter, we discuss the rules, how they work

a11d what they mean. \Ve talk abou·t house rules and vnria1ious.
And then we u·y to delve into pruc Lical applications of Lhe rules at
the rable. So, there's more than just 11s blabbering ahout how much
we likr the f ight system. There ore poinre1·, on how to get more
from the rufos for your game.

Tradit ionally in our section introd11c1 ion!>. we list each chapter

and g ive a summary. There ai-c loo 1nuny chapters in this sectior1 !
You' re just going to have to read through and cujoy the process of
discovery (or use tlw Tobie of Co,11,~nt,;}.

The Co1nmcni-ary section isn't incant to he n:ad straight through.

There's no na rrative to iL Euch chapter is largely independent of
t he others. Cornmentary is meant to be di gestl!d a bit at a time.
Read 11 chapter to clear up confusion ubuur mechanics after onr of
your games. Or consult a chapter be fore your game lo help sharpen
your situat ion. \Ve feel these essays ore all useful, but there's too
much informatjon to absorb in one pass.

43
 Table Behavior
Rules give us tile procedure for the operation of the sy,1cm. They
tell us how to n,n 1hc 1,un1e. hut there's n1on• to how w,' play than
rult·s. \Vha1 do players <lo 01 the tnblc wh<>n ploying Burning
\Vhcl'i? In this cbupter, we hi ghligh1 s001e in1por111nl habits 111 our
rnhle: referencing die rules. loggiug 11•s1s ond nr1ha. supporting
, thl' other players in pursui1 of their goals. passing the spotligl11
n11d taking no1 es.

Referencing the Rules

'fl1ere·s II cc11ain ebl, and flow to the in1e11~i1y of play in a rolcplaying
gaul('. Sonu:timi:s we're ull talking in fw my voices. deeply cugros,;ed
u1 the situc11io11. Son1eti.J111·s wt·' re slinging dice and crying ,·ictory
or howling d efeat. So1netimcs W<' ' n· on interested we1nbrr of the
audience. So1ne t.in1es ,vr. zone out. And sometirnes we need to
reference the ruJC;1.

There is no secrl't knowledge in the Burning \Vhcd 1·uJcs. Evl'rynnl'

is encouraged 10 k,now the rules ofthc ganw. S01ne player,; will have
a bcner handJc on iJ1e ntles than otl.iers. T hat"s only natural. But
when n rules question arises, we. referenc-c tJ1e rules: \VJ1111 s thnt
obsmcle? \Vhnt';; the. practicr. tin1e? \Vhat's the appropriate skill?
Sornetunes we all go to the rules ut tll(' samr time. So111etunes tht•
referrer is the C~1, but more oficn it is a player not directly i.J1volvcd
in 1.hc act ion who reaches for a book and reads aloud tltc relevant
passage. It helps us all becon1c n1ore fru.niliur with the syste111. Our
ml'n1ories are sttbjective, faulty and mu-eliablc. By relying on tilt'
rules. we ensure that calls are. as fair and consistent as tl1e.y can be.

It deserves n1cotio11 that if there's 11 dispute to be set1lcd or

interpretation to be mudc about the rules, the G~1 is the lead plnycr
in tJw rnnttcr. \Ve can each cite ntlcs, bur Lilt'- fmul cml is tlu: GM's.

Master Your Role

Players arc re.sponsible for knowing their 1>art. U you' re playing n
knight, familiari:.m yourself with Figbl. [f you're playing n courtier,
lem11 the Duel of \Vi1s chapter. If you 're playing n priesl, read up on
faith. If you're playing a sorcerer, learn what yo1u· magics do and
bow to perfom1 tl1e10.

44
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
 Geordie and the Sick Dog.
an english story.

It was Saturday afternoon, and had been longed for all the week
by little Geordie, as he was called, for he was a very little fellow.
Geordie had built himself a boat, and had promised to give it a fine
sail in a pond, not a great way from the house in which he lived,
called the fen ditch.
So away he went, before he had quite eaten his dinner, with his
boat in one hand, and the remains of a slice of bread and butter in
the other; for his mother was a poor woman, and Geordie did not get
meat every day, and never on a Saturday.
But his cheeks were rosy, and his eye was bright, and his ringlets
laughed in the wind as he ran along, looking at his boat with eyes of
delight all the way, and every now and then taking a huge mouthful,
and then stopping for breath, for fear the dry crumbs should be
blown down his chest.
There was a beautiful breeze, as he called it,—for he called
everything beautiful that pleased him. He had a beautiful piece of
bread and butter; and a beautiful knife; and a beautiful pair of shoes,
—only his toes peeped through them.
He had a kind, cheerful, and tender heart, and so everything
appeared beautiful to him, and few things had the power to make
him discontented or peevish; but, just as Geordie got over the
Warren hills, which led to the place of his destination, he saw Harry
Dyke, the groom at the great house of Lady Clover, coming over the
swale, as it was called, with several of the boys of the village
dancing about him, apparently in great delight.
 When he came nearer, he found that Harry was carrying, wrapped
up in a piece of an old sack, a little dog, which Geordie recognised
as being one which he had before seen, with its two fore paws
leaning over the ledge of the sash-pane in Lady Clover’s carriage,
when she drove through the village.
One of the boys had got a couple of brick-bats, and a long piece
of cord, and seemed very officious. He called out to Harry, “Harry, let
me throw him in, will you?—there’s a good fellow. But wo’n’t you give
him a knock on the head,—just one knock to dozzle him?”
“Why, they are going to drown that little pet-dog, that us children
used to say, lived a great deal better than we did; and, when I have
been very hungry, I have often wished I was Lady Clover’s lap-dog,
for I heard say that she sometimes gave it rump-steak for its dinner,
with oyster-sauce.” So thought little Geordie to himself; he did not,
however, say anything.
“O! here is little Geordie,” said one of the boys. “Geordie, Geordie,
come and have some sport!—we are going to drown a dog in the
ditch.”
“What are you going to drown it for?” said Geordie.
“O! to have some fun, I suppose. No, it is not that; it is because
my lady can’t bear the nasty thing—it has got the mange, or some
disorder. There;—do not touch it. Don’t you smell it?”
The poor little dog looked at Geordie, and struggled to get out of
the sacking, and gave a whine, as if it would be glad to get away
from its enemies.
“Lay down, you beast,” said Harry, and gave it a severe blow on
the head; “lay down; I’ll soon settle your business.”
By this time they had come to the fen brook, and the dog was
placed on the ground, and taken from the sack-cloth in which it was
wrapped. It was a deplorable looking creature, and its hair was off in
several places; it yelped wofully as it looked around, while the boys
began to prepare the noose and the brick-bats.
 “O! do not drown him,” said Geordie; “pray, do not drown him.
What are you going to drown him for?”
“Why, because he is sick, and ill, and dirty. He is no good to any
one,” said Harry. “My lady used to be very fond of him; but now, he
looks such an object, she says he is to be destroyed.”
“Give him to me,” said Geordie; “I’ll have him, and keep him till he
gets well—he shall have half my dinner every day. Here, little dog,
have this piece of bread and butter.”
“Go away, and leave the dog alone,” said the boy who had the
cord; “you are not going to spoil our sport. Get out of the way with
you.” And so he drew near, and fastened the cord to the dog’s neck.
“O! do give him to me! Pray don’t drown him,” said Geordie; “pray
do not. O! do give him to me; I will make him well—indeed I will. Do
let me have him?—there’s a good Harry Dyke,” and the tears came
into Geordie’s eyes.
“Go along, Mr. Dog Doctor,” said Harry; “go along, Mr. Cry Baby.”
“Here, Harry, I’ll give you my boat for the little dog—it is a beautiful
boat; here, put it into the water instead of the dog—do, do, do;” and
so Geordie thrust the boat into Harry’s hand, and, without waiting to
settle the bargain, laid hold of the dog.
“Leave go of him,” said the boy with the cord and the brick-bats,
“leave go, I tell you; if you do not, it shall be the worse for you. Leave
go, or”——
“Ay, you may rap my knuckles,” said Geordie, “I do not mind that.
—​Harry Dyke, Harry Dyke, am I not to have the dog, and you have
the boat?” said he, struggling.
“O! I do not care about it,” said Harry; “take him, if you will have
him; the boat will do for my brother Tom, and I wish you joy of the
bargain.”
The other boys hearing this, were much disconcerted; and would,
no doubt, have molested Geordie still further, but the little fellow no
sooner heard Harry’s tacit consent, than he immediately set off at full
speed, with the dog under his arm, in the direction of home.
 When he reached his home he was quite out of breath, and his
mother was fearful something had happened to him. “Why, Geordie,
Geordie, what is the matter with you; and what have you got under
your arm?”
Geordie laid down the dog, and the sight of the poor creature,
whose looks told the state of disease in which it was, made the good
woman quite afraid to have it in the house; and, without hearing
anything of the circumstances connected with the poor animal, or
giving Geordie time to explain, she declared it should not set foot in
the house, and drove Geordie and his purchase out of it together;
telling the latter to take it from whence it came, and that the house
was not to be converted into a hospital for sick dogs.
Geordie was more disconsolate than ever; he went into the fields,
with the dog under his arm: now be laid it down, and patted it; then
he talked to it, and, in his childish manner, tried to comfort it. The
poor creature looked up to Geordie, and wagged its tail, and seemed
quite glad to find somebody could feel for it.
“Ay, that is the way of these ladyfolks,” thought Geordie to himself;
“they like their pets, and fondle them enough while they look pretty
and frisk about, and play about; but, when they get sick, and ill, or
old, then they hang and drown them. I wonder what makes them do
it.”
What to do with the dog Geordie knew not. At last, however, he
bethought himself that he would take him up into a little loft, over a
small stable which his father had, and there make him a bed with
some nice hay, and try and make him better.
So he mounted the ladder, and got into the loft. He soon made the
poor thing a bed, and then he thought he would get him something to
eat; but Geordie had no money. He had, however, a good many
marbles, for Geordie was a capital hand at ring-taw; and so he took
his marble-bag, and went into the green, where several boys were
playing, and very soon sold his marbles. They produced four-pence,
for there were more than fifty, at sixteen a penny.
 He then bought some dog’s-meat at the butcher’s, and a
halfpenny worth of milk, and a halfpenny worth of sulphur, to mix with
the milk; for somebody once said, in his hearing, that sulphur and
milk were good physic for dogs.
He then washed the animal, and fed him; and what with washing,
and physicing, and comforting, in a few days the poor dog regained
his strength; in a few days more he regained his coat; and it was not
many days more before he was as well as ever.
Geordie then ventured to bring him in to his father and mother;
who, seeing the animal quite changed in appearance, and a lively,
handsome, little dog, and not very old, were quite pleased with him;
and no less pleased with their son’s conduct, when it was all
explained to them.
Some weeks after this, Lady Clover came through the village, in
her carriage, as usual, and was astonished to behold her little dog
sitting, with his fore paws out of Geordie’s mother’s parlor window,
just as he used to sit out in her ladyship’s carriage.
Lady Clover alighted, and went towards the house. The dog
immediately began to bark, nor would the soft tones of the lady’s
voice by any means pacify him. In a few minutes she learned the
whole of her former pet’s history, and wished to have him again.
“She would give Geordie a crown for him,” she said; but Geordie
would not sell his dog.
“No, I thank you, my lady.” “Bow-wow, wow,” said the little dog.
“He might be sick again, my lady, and then he would be drowned, my
lady.” “Bow-wow, wow—bow-wow, wow.”
“Keep the plaguesome creature quiet,” said her ladyship, “and
hear me.”—“Bow-wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow,” said the little
dog.
Her ladyship could not obtain a hearing, and left the cottage in
high displeasure. “I would not sell him for his weight in gold,” said
Geordie,—“not to Lady Clover.”
It was some years after this that Geordie grew almost a man, and
Chloe, for that was the dog’s name, grew old; Geordie’s father had
prospered in life; and, from being a poor cottager, had become a
respectable farmer.
One night he returned from market with a considerable sum of
money, arising from the sale of his crops, the principal part of which
he had to pay away to his landlord in a few days.
Some evil-disposed fellows had obtained a knowledge of this
money being in the house, and determined to break into and rob it—
perhaps also to murder those who might oppose them.
It was a very dark night, and all were sound asleep, when Black
Bill, and two companions, approached on tip-toe, to make an
entrance in the back premises.
By means of a centre-bit they had soon cut a panel out of the
wash-house door; they then entered the kitchen without making the
least noise. Black Bill had a large carving-knife in one hand, and a
dark lantern in the other, and, supposing the money to be in the bed-
room, was mounting the stairs, to take it at any hazard.
The stairs creaked with the weight of the robber, and in a moment
Chloe aroused the whole house with her barking—her shrill voice
was heard in every room. In a moment Geordie was up, and his
father’s blunderbuss at his shoulder.
“Speak, or I will fire!” said he. No answer,—but a scampering
through the passage. Geordie followed—he heard the robbers
making their escape; he fired—the robber fell.
Lights were procured. It was found that the fellow was only slightly
wounded in the leg, which prevented his running away. In the
morning it was discovered who the robber was—it was the very boy,
now grown a man, who had the cord and the brick-bats!
Chloe did not live long after this, but died of sheer old age; not,
however, you see, till she had amply repaid the kindness which had
been bestowed upon her by Geordie.—​Learn from this, my little
readers, a lesson of humanity!
 The Sable-Hunter.

CHAPTER V.
A dissertation upon going on foot.—​A fearful adventure with wolves.

Having taken leave of their Tungusian friends, the travellers

proceeded on their journey, hoping, before many days, to reach
Yakootsk—a large town on the Lena, and the great fur market of
eastern Siberia. Here they intended to stay a few days, and then
proceed down the Lena, in pursuit of game. Alexis expected also to
find a letter there, from his sister, which was to be sent by the mail,
and which would, of course, travel faster than the pedestrian party.
Incited, therefore, by several motives, the adventurers pressed
cheerily forward upon their journey. But it was now October, and the
ground was covered with snow. Every day, indeed, more or less
snow fell, and the hunters found their progress much impeded by it.
But in travelling, as in almost everything else, practice makes
perfect. A man who is well trained to walking, can travel farther in a
month than a horse; and as the power of going from place to place,
without being dependent on horses, railroads, or even money, is a
great thing, I advise all young persons—particularly young men—to
learn to perform journeys on foot. The best way to travel over a
country, is to go as a pedestrian. You can then stop and see the
people along the road, and thus get acquainted with their manners
and customs; their ways of living, acting and thinking.
Some of the pleasantest passages in my own life, occurred when
I was journeying on foot; and they are perhaps more delightful in my
recollection, that I had then a good, sound pair of legs—and now,
alas! one of them is replaced by a “timber toe!” If I had time, I could
relate many little incidents, to show that a traveller on foot is ever
welcomed to the hut, the log-cabin, or the farm-house, along the
road; and that his stories, his news, or even his company, are
esteemed good pay for his lodging and his fare.
But I must proceed with my story of the sable-hunter—or I shall
never get through with it. When I began, I expected to despatch it in
two or three chapters; but the journey, as well as old Linsk’s tongue,
is much longer than I expected.
For some time after the party started, Alexis found his feet sore
and his limbs weary, at night—and more than once, he felt homesick
and discouraged. But he was a youth of much energy of character,
and he felt the importance of making a great effort in behalf of his
father and sister, upon whose happiness the whole power of his soul
was now concentrated. Beside these motives to effort, Linsk took
pains to enliven the spirits of his party, by putting a cheerful face
upon things, and by telling his tales, of which he seemed as full as a
hive is of bees. And there was this difference between Linsk’s
tongue and the little honey-makers—that while they grow torpid as
the cold weather comes on, his organ of speech seemed to wag all
the faster for it. A flurry of snow was usually a prelude to a story, and
a real storm seldom failed to bring out something interesting. Alexis
remarked that the tale was always lively in proportion as the day was
dark, or the journey tedious; and Linsk seemed, indeed, as ready to
attack blue-devils with a joke, as he was to send a bullet after a bear.
I note these things with some particularity, because I conceive that
cheerfulness is a great virtue, and that it is of infinite importance in
those passages of life which seem to demand of us patient
endurance and protracted effort. Cheerfulness is the best of all
stimulants, and I advise my young friends to lay in a good stock of it.
It produces two excellent effects—it makes a person agreeable to
himself and to others!
As I have said, the weather was now stormy, and the country
through which the hunters were passing, was to the last degree
dreary and desolate. It was generally level, or slightly undulating,
and nearly destitute of vegetation. Occasionally they came to
extensive forests, consisting of low pines and cedars, and
sometimes there was a deep ravine, where the fir trees grew to a
considerable height, and so matted together as hardly to admit the
light between them.
One gloomy afternoon, as the party were winding their way
through a forest, which covered a range of broken hills and ridges,
the younger portion had gone before, leaving Linsk a little in the rear.
Turning an angle in the road, they lost sight of him, and went on for
several minutes, forgetting that he was not with them. By and by,
they heard a sharp whistle, and then a rifle-shot, and then a call, that
made the sullen woods echo, as if filled with twenty voices. They
instantly looked around, and seeing that Linsk was not with them,
turned back, and ran with all their might, knowing that something
must have happened, to cause so loud and urgent a summons.
Turning the angle in the road, and pushing on for about a dozen
rods, they came upon a scene which amazed and alarmed them.
There stood old Linsk, battling for life, in the midst of a pack of
wolves. One of the beasts lay dead at his feet; but another had hold
of his leg, and a huge fellow, nearly as tall as the old hunter himself,
was laying his paws upon him, and threatening to seize him by the
throat.
The coolness of Linsk was admirable. He waited his opportunity,
and then stretching himself to the full height, he brought down his
powerful arm, and striking his dagger in the side of the wolf, laid him
prostrate in an instant. He then bestowed a kick upon the rude fellow
that had hold of his leg, and hitting him by the side of the head,
made him roll over and over in the snow. Linsk fell upon him, but the
creature, being only stunned, got up, and was about to run away,
when the old hunter, now more furious than the wolves themselves,
seized him by the tail, and whirling him round and round, sought to
dash out his brains upon the frozen earth. The animal seemed
amazed and frightened, and set up such a hideous howl, that all the
rest of the pack took to flight; and even the beast upon which Linsk
had fastened, slipped through his fingers and fled for life. Happening
to take the direction of the young men, now coming up and near at
hand, he came pretty near Alexis, who levelled his rifle and shot him
through the head.
 “Well done!” cried Linsk, clapping his hands; “well done, Alexis!—
you’re a true hunter, after all! Whew! I am all out of breath. Bravo,
boys! It’s the first bit of fun I have had since we set out! St. Nicholas!
that fellow has stuck his forks into my calf, as if I was a piece of pork
—the beast! and I suppose he expected to make a supper of me. I
guess he’d found me the toughest bit of meat he ever undertook to
carve. The knave!—to think of attacking an old fellow, all alone, while
his companions had deserted him. The fool! to expect that an old
hunter wouldn’t give, as well as take. However, he’s got his last
supper; a bullet in the stomach is hard of digestion, and so he’s
finished. Poor fellow—I can’t help liking a wolf, after all!”
While Linsk was uttering this last observation, Alexis came up,
and although he was curious to know why his old friend could have
an affection for an animal that had just threatened his life, and
actually thrust his fangs into his flesh, he did not attempt now to
inquire into the subject. The hunter was, indeed, in too great a state
of excitement for any deliberate conversation. He went on, with one
exclamation after another, describing, by snatches, the attack of the
wolves, and his own feats in the fray.
After spending some time on the spot, and taking a view of the
several animals that had been slain, they proceeded on their way.
Linsk was greatly excited by the adventure, and, having talked about
it for some time, began to tell of other scenes of the kind, in which, at
various times, he had been engaged. Some of these tales were
worth repeating, and if I can remember them long enough, they shall
appear in the next chapter.
(To be continued.)
 The Tongue.

Every child has in his mouth a thing to talk with, called the
tongue. This is made to tell the truth with. When the tongue tells a
lie, it does that which is very wrong.
The tongue is made to say kind and pleasant things to our friends.
When it says a saucy thing to anybody, it is a naughty tongue.
When the tongue says a disobedient word to a father or mother, it
is a wicked tongue. When it says an unkind word to a brother or
sister, it is a very bad tongue indeed.
When the tongue swears, it does that which God has expressly
forbidden.
When the tongue speaks dirty words, it is a vile tongue. What little
boy or girl would like to carry about such a tongue in his mouth?
Now, my young reader, let me ask you a few questions. What sort
of a tongue have you? Does it always speak the truth? Does that
tongue of yours ever say saucy words?
Does your tongue ever say any disobedient words to your
parents? Does it ever say any unkind words to a brother or a sister?
Does it ever swear? Does it ever utter any bad words?
O, my little friend, if your tongue ever does anything wrong, what
shall be done? Can you tell me how to correct an evil tongue? I can
tell you. Let every child take good care of his tongue, and see that it
never behaves ill.
 What is Selfishness?

There was once a dog and a cat sitting by a kitchen door, when
the cook came out and threw several pieces of meat to them.
They both sprung to get it, but the dog was the strongest, and so
he drove the cat away, and ate all the meat himself. This was
selfishness; by which I mean, that the dog cared only for himself.
The cat wanted the meat as much as he did; but he was the
strongest, and so he took it all.
But was this wrong? No,—because the dog knew no better. The
dog has no idea of God, or of that beautiful golden rule of conduct,
which requires us to do to others as we would have them do to us.
Dr. Watts says,—
“Let dogs delight to bark and bite,
For God hath made them so;
Let bears and lions growl and fight,
For ’tis their nature too.”
But children have a different nature, and a different rule of
conduct. Instead of biting and fighting, they are required to be kind
and gentle to one another, and to all mankind.
Instead of being selfish, like the dog, they are commanded to be
just and charitable, by which I mean, that they should always give to
others what is their due, and also give to others, if they can, what
they stand in need of.
If a child snatches from another what is not his, he is selfish, and
very wicked. If a child tries in any way to get what belongs to
another, he is selfish, and is as bad as a thief or a robber.
Selfishness is caring only for one’s self. It is a very bad thing, and
every child should avoid it. A selfish person is never good, or happy,
or beloved.
How miserable should we all be, if every person was to care only
for himself! Suppose children and grown-up people, were all to be as
selfish as cats and dogs. What constant fighting there would be
among them!
How dreadful would it be to see brothers and sisters snarling at
each other, and pulling each other’s hair, and quarrelling about their
food and their playthings! We ought to be thankful that God has
given us a higher nature than that of beasts, and enabled us to see
and feel the duty of being kind and affectionate to one another.
And as we can see and feel this duty, we ought to be very careful
always to observe it.

A Thought.—There are one thousand million people in the world.

Each individual has a heart, and that heart beats about seventy
times a minute. By means of this beating of the heart, the blood is
sent over the body, and life is sustained. How great must that Being
be, who can keep one thousand millions of hearts beating seventy
times every minute—thus sending the blood through the veins and
arteries of one thousand millions of people!
 WINTER.
music composed for merry’s museum, by
g. j. webb.

’Tis winter; ’tis winter; the morning is gray:

A cold looking sky is above us to-day;
And see, where the hilltops are naked and brown,
The pretty white snowflakes come quietly down.

They come in their beauty, like spirits of light,

And wrap the chilled earth with a mantle of white:
Beneath it the daisies are sheltered and warm,
And safe from the blasts of the pitiless storm.

And soon, when the sunbeams of summer shall come,

They’ll start up anew from their snow-covered home:
They’ll spread their green leaves over valley and plain,
And catch the bright dews in their blossoms again.
MERRY’S MUSEUM.
VOLUME II.—No. 6.
 Sketches of the Manners, Customs, and History
of the Indians of America.

CHAPTER X.
Second attempt against Chili.—​Valdivia reaches Mapocho.—​Founds
the city of St. Jago.—​Temper of the natives.—​Terrible battle.
—​Sends to Peru for help.—​Officers taken.—​Their treacherous
escape.—​Valdivia Perseveres.—​Final success and
arrangements.

The next who attempted the conquest of Chili, was Pedro de

Valdivia, a Spanish adventurer, and, like all the others, eager to
distinguish himself, and to gain a fortune. However, he was not so
cruel and avaricious as many of the adventurers. He determined to
establish a permanent settlement in Chili. He began his march in the
year 1540, with 200 Spaniards, and a numerous body of Peruvian
auxiliaries; he had also some monks, several women, and a great
number of European quadrupeds, with everything requisite for a
colony.
He pursued the same route as Almagro, but, as it was in the
summer, he passed the Andes without trouble, and entered Copiapo.
But he found a cool reception, though it was warm weather. The
people had learned the fate of Peru, and were determined not to
allow their country to be plundered by the Spaniards, if they could
help it.
They, of course, began to attack Valdivia, on all sides; but still the
Spaniards made good their way, and reached the province of
Mapocho, now called St. Jago. This lies about 600 miles distant from
the confines of Peru. It was a beautiful country, pleasant and fertile,
and had such a large population, that its name was interpreted to
signify “the land of many people.” It lies upon the mountains of the
Andes, and is 140 miles in circumference. The mountains in the
north part abounded with gold, and in the east were rich mines of
silver.
Valdivia admired the country, and determined to possess it. He
accordingly began his settlement, by founding a city, which he
named St. Jago, in honor of that apostle. At that time, Christians
really believed that God was well pleased with having his followers
conquer the heathen; and the most cruel and wicked of the Spanish
adventurers always made a parade of their religion, or rather, their
superstitions.
Valdivia went on, for a time, very successfully with building his
city; but the natives were forming plans to destroy him. These he
suspected, and seized and confined a number of their chiefs. Still, he
was not at ease, and, wishing to watch their movements, he took
sixty horse, and went out to scour the country. The Mapochians in
the vicinity, who were watching for such an opportunity, immediately
fell upon the colony with terrible fury, burned the half-built houses,
and assailed the citadel, where the inhabitants had take a refuge, on
all sides.
The battle began at day-break, and was continued till night; fresh
troops of Indians constantly pouring in to fill the places of those shot
down by the Spaniards. The commander of the fort sent, during the
night, a messenger to Valdivia, who immediately returned. The
Indians were thus attacked on both sides; the musketry and horse
made a terrible slaughter among them; they had no arms but bows
and slings, yet they fought most furiously, till nearly all their army
was destroyed.
Valdivia thus relieved the siege, and rebuilt the city; but, for six
years, the natives were constant in their attacks; they cut off the
Spaniards at every opportunity, destroyed the crops, and, finally,
rendered all the fertile plains around St. Jago uncultivated and
desert; and then retired to the mountains.
The Spanish soldiers had become heartily tired of this fighting life.
A few battles did very well, but to spend year after year in warfare