TEXT: The Burning 
  Wheel:
  Adventure 
  Burner
  Luke Crane and Shit
  
  --The Way This Wheel Burns--
  -Looking From On High-
  -Burning Philosophy-
  http://pastebin.com/zGiXi8Tt
   
  --The Adventure Burner--
  -Burning Adventures-
  -The Sword-
  -Trouble in Hochen-
  -Thelon’s Rift-
  -Adventure Burner-
  http://pastebin.com/UjtiXYU3
   
  --The Crucible--
  -Adventurers Wanted-
  http://pastebin.com/c4kXHkXN
  --Commentary--
  -Commenting on Commentary-
  -Table Behavior-
  -Running a Game-
  -Situation Commentary-
  -Setting-
  -Antagonists-
  -Building Beliefs-
  -Instincts-
  -Artha Cycle-
  -Trait Vote-
  -Advancement-
  -Practice-
  -Intent and Task-
  -Shades-
  -Obstacles-
  -Versus Tests-
  -Help-
  -Linked Tests-
  -Let It Ride-
  http://pastebin.com/KDz2azuS
   
  Missing From Pastebin above:
  -Circles-
  -Resources-
  -Wises-
  -Duel of Wits-
  -Fight!-
  -Range and Cover-
  -Injury-
  -Magic-
  -Monsters-
  The Contents
  
  Version 1.0
  I claim no responsibility for the accuracy of this transcript.
  I have only formatted it for reading. 
  And even then, It was a half-assed thing for my own use.
  If you like the contents, go buy something from BWHQ.
  Those guys are awesome. 
  If anyone comes across a more complete transcript
  Pop me an email at: thisis4chandisposable@gmail.com 
  I’ll update it then. 
  xoxo,
  Anon.
  
  The Way This 
  Wheel Burns
  
  Looking
  From On High
  Welcome to the Adventure Burner. This is the fifth book in our series of Burning 
  Wheel core books. Its purpose is twofold: It is meant to be used by new players to 
  jump quickly into the system; for veteran players, the Adventure Burner provides 
  insight into the inner workings of the game. This is not a book of rules, rather it 
  contains commentary, advice, explanation and examples.
  This book is divided into a number of sections: The Way This Wheel Burns, 
  the Adventure Burner itself, the Crucible, Commentary and the appendix, Rules 
  Bloody Rules. These sections provide you, the player of Burning Wheel, with in-
  sight into the system’s application to your game.
  In the section The Way This Wheel Burns, we look at the philosophy behind 
  the Burning Wheel system. The introduction presents a perspective for both play-
  ers and game masters.
  The Adventure Burner section contains three sample adventures: The Sword, 
  Trouble in Hachen and Thelon’s Rift. In addition, we give you a procedure for 
  creating adventures and campaigns of your own.
  In the Crucible, we provide 32 character templates, ready to play, and all il-
  lustrated, too! These aren’t NPCs! They’re intended for use as PCs in quick-start 
  Burning Wheel games. We’ve done all the number crunching. You just add Beliefs 
  and Instincts and go. But wait, there’s more! We also provide nine campaign con-
  cepts for you to run with in the Crucible.
  The Commentary section is the meat of this book. In it we delve into the sys-
  tem’s various mechanisms and offer our insight as to how we think each piece can 
  
  be best used. We also have some practical advice for each system--when and how 
  to apply the rules.
  Lastly, Rules Bloody Rules provides a few additional rules tweaks not contained 
  in any of the other Burning Wheel books.
  --Three Things--
  We hope that the Adventure Burner provides you with three things: rules mas-
  tery, ways to establish player buy-in and explanations of ideas we found lacking in 
  the Burning Wheel proper.
  -Rules Mastery-
  Burning Wheel is very much a game. It’s meant to be played skillfully, mastered 
  over time. To gain maximum enjoyment from a session of Burning Wheel, it is 
  important to have some facility with the rules. The rules are deep enough that one 
  is rewarded for exploring them and invoking them. The more you play, the more 
  you learn about the game and how the various pieces fit together. The better you 
  play, the richer the results.
  This book is a naked attempt to promote rules mastery in Burning Wheel. We 
  provided every insight that we could imagine: from sample adventures and char-
  acters to philosophy and tactical advice. We hope these elements enhance your 
  enjoyment of the game. And we hope they encourage you to master the rules for 
  the best results.
  -Buy-In-
  Burning Wheel is not your standard fantasy RPG. It is more character-focused 
  and player-driven than your traditional fantasy fare, while it uses more intense 
  rules than the nontraditional, “lighter” fantasy RPG alternatives. Some folks grok 
  Burning Wheel at a glance--it is the game they always hoped for.
  For everyone else, Burning Wheel asks only for an open, honest desire to try 
  it out and see how it works. Sometimes, a player will be reluctant to try a new 
  game. Or he’ll be skeptical of a new style of play. That’s perfectly natural, but for 
  Burning Wheel to have a hope of working with your group, everyone at your table-
  -including the doubters--has to say, “Let’s give this a fair shot.”
  How do you create this basic level of buy-in? That’s a tough question. We’ve 
  found that it’s best to place some limits on the game the first time you play. Burning 
  Wheel is a deep game, meant for long-term play. It’s not possible to take it in all 
  
  at once. You’ll be overwhelmed. To have the best chance of convincing skeptical 
  or wary players to give it a shot, we recommend playing one of the demonstration 
  scenarios--The Sword, for example. Don’t modify it or hack it to suit your group’s 
  needs. Make your group step up and come to Burning Wheel as it is. Ask them to 
  give it their best shot. Ask them to really get in there and play the game. Ask them 
  to use the mechanics and try out stuff they wouldn’t normally try otherwise. It is 
  a test, after all.
  Afterwards, if it didn’t work, you gave it your best shot. But if you had a reason-
  ably good experience, you can talk about starting a more involved game.
  --How Long Does It Take--
  Burning Wheel can be run as a single session, an adventure or a campaign. In 
  a single session, you resolve one problem in the course of play--usually about four 
  to six hours. An adventure is a term we use for a cycle of play lasting two to four 
  sessions. 
  An adventure consists of an overarching goal, a subordinate goal or two and an 
  unexpected twist.
  A campaign is a series of interconnected adventures.
  We talk about the differences between each type of game in the Running the 
  Game chapter in the Commentary section. For now, it’s enough for you to know 
  that Burning Wheel plays slightly differently--using different mechanics--depend-
  ing on how long you play it.
  
  Burning 
  Philosophy
  This chapter attempts to spell out some of the philosophy behind Burning 
  Wheel. If you don’t want to read my poetical musings, just skip this section and 
  head right to the adventures. If you want to see my thoughts about what goes on 
  behind the rules, read on.
  --Fight for What You Believe--
  Burning Wheel is about fighting for what you believe. You take up the fight 
  both as a player of the game and as a character in play. The game of Burning Wheel 
  is about undertaking the role of a persona who is in crisis. 
  You fight with steel, words, and magic. All of the other rules are incidental to 
  those fights. They help you prepare for, survive, and recover from them.
  Your Beliefs announce to the group what you’re willing to fight for. We provide 
  rules for conflict, but more important, we provide a framework of consequences 
  for your actions. This framework--success, failure, injury, compromise--makes 
  your decisions in the game meaningful. You know that when you step up, your 
  struggle is going to affect you and the game, even if you don’t get what you want 
  in the end.
  
  --The Big Wheel--
  Burning Wheel is an odd duck of a game. It’s a mess of contradictions. It doesn’t 
  have a setting, but the lifepaths are tightly focused and impose a culture and 
  perspective on characters. Play is open-ended--there’s no narrative premise like 
  Inspectres or Dogs in the Vineyard--but the game is about fighting for what you 
  believe. And the system itself is modular--chunks can be added or replaced with 
  ease--but if you tweak the core mechanics, it falls apart.
  We often hear questions like “Why are there so many fiddly bits? Why so many 
  skills? So many traits?” The short answer is: because the game needs it. The long 
  answer is: Setting in Burning Wheel is primarily presented to the players in the 
  form of skills and traits. It’s not enough for us to say a culture has a particular feel. 
  The game needs to represent that culture mechanically. New settings and cultures 
  therefore require new system elements because the system is what enforces mean-
  ingful decisions in play.
  But there’s more to it than that. The range of options in the game creates the 
  spaces in which we play. Skills can be used creatively. Advancement requires 
  dedication and focus. Fight!, Range and Cover and Duel of Wits allow the player 
  to make important decisions on multiple levels. These decisions bring the player 
  deeper into the game and open up new perspectives that can be further explored 
  through the mechanics.
  -We Think Life Should Be Hard-
  You know those little bits of the game that don’t make sense, are a pain in the ass 
  or seem broken? Those are hooks that we built into the game. Sure, it’s a pain in the 
  ass to be a poor sorcerer with B0 Resources. So you earn your bread by summoning 
  up someone’s dead loved one, banishing an angry spirit or going on ridiculously 
  dangerous quests. Fight! is difficult and scary on purpose. You’re supposed to pre-
  pare for it, be smart about it. Tools and shoes seem like mundane, pointless details. 
  But in this game, they are a chance to get into trouble over something innocuous-
  -and elements that ground us in the “reality” of the fiction. And because nearly 
  every character starts lacking something or burdened with something he doesn’t 
  want, the characters are in motion, not static. They have energy that propels them 
  right into the story.
  -Burning Currency Cycle-
  The currency cycle of a game encompasses a player’s operation of the system, the 
  feedback the system produces and the reward presented to the player as a result of 
  the operation.
  
  Burning Wheel has a long, complex and downright baroque currency cycle. In 
  its most basic form, the currency cycle is “Belief, Action, Reward.” Let’s break that 
  down.
  You’re a player in the game; you state a Belief for your character. The GM pres-
  ents an obstacle or challenge to that Belief. You state an intent for overcoming 
  that obstacle. You and the GM determine the appropriate action for the intent 
  to overcome the obstacle. The task is determined--appropriate stat, skill, or attri-
  bute. You test against the obstacle, gathering help, spending artha and using other 
  advantages. The test earns you, and those who helped, advancement regardless of 
  success (in most cases). If successful, your intent is fulfilled in the manner you de-
  scribed. If the test is failed, the GM controls the outcome and can have the task fail 
  outright or he can twist your intent into unforeseen consequences. This process 
  also produces a result in the shared fiction of the game--something happens in the 
  story. This result--a vivid description, a thrilling performance--provides context 
  for new Beliefs.
  Successful tests lead to fulfilled Beliefs--accomplishing goals and earning artha. 
  Failed attempts lead to more, unexpected challenges to Beliefs, which engage the 
  cycle anew--allowing the player to earn more advancements. Failed attempts can 
  earn artha as well.
  Advancements increase the size of the dice pool. This means you can take 
  greater and greater risks while attempting to act on your Belief. Trait votes reflect 
  how the other players view your portrayal of your character. Artha invested in your 
  stats and skills can cause a heroic shift in power for your character. But it all comes 
  back to testing to try to fulfill a Belief.
  --Collaboration and 
  Sportsmanship--
  Burning Wheel is not a collaborative game. Not all opinions have equal weight. 
  Not every suggestion should be considered and included.
  Burning Wheel is a game of strong opinion, vision and zeal. To excel we must 
  advocate our position. However, it is also a sportsmanlike and gentlemanly game. 
  We are expected to play at our absolute best within the scope of the written rules 
  and the unwritten spirit of the game. But to be good sportsmen or gentlemen we 
  must be courteous to one another. We must ensure that the other players under-
  stand the rules as well as we do. If they don’t we explain what is unclear so they can 
  
  make the best decision possible at the time. We do not cheat, grief, or spam.
  --Some Advice for the Players--
  Some advice for players of Burning Wheel: Dare the GM to hurt you. Hurl your 
  character into danger. You must take risks with your character while maintaining 
  the gentlemanly attitude described above.
  Why take risks? Why not sit back and be safe? The answer: risk-taking is dra-
  matic and exciting. You push your limits and lay everything on the line for your 
  Beliefs. This is a new way to play roleplaying games. You set your own priorities. 
  The GM challenges them. You plunge into the challenge wholeheartedly, no mat-
  ter the danger. You don’t hide or evade.
  -Don’t Be A Wet Blanket-
  When another player wants to do something dangerous or risky, don’t smother 
  him with suggestions about “the right way to do it.” Play dumb and pretend you 
  don’t understand the risks. Or play along and encourage the bad behavior.
  Of course, you still need to be considerate and thoughtful in your actions. Too 
  often I see players use so much caution and care that they smother good, energetic 
  ideas. Don’t do that. Make bad decisions and enjoy the fallout and encourage good 
  risk taking in fellow players.
  -Inherent Dramatic Irony-
  Burning Wheel demands a deep investment in your character. To make a good 
  character for this game, you must commit yourself--commit to your gamesman-
  ship in the numbers and your sense of drama in the Beliefs and Instincts. The 
  more you throw yourself into this enterprise, the more engrossing and exciting the 
  results will be. 
  Conversely, Burning Wheel acknowledges an immutable divide between player 
  and character. The character is a fictional element only alive in our imaginations. 
  He is only in action when we all sit around the gaming table. He is not the player; 
  he has no life of his own. The player is not the character, but the character cannot 
  exist without the player.
  Thus the system provides a safe space and many opportunities for the player 
  to set his character up to fail. Not because the player wishes his character ill, or 
  even because he is incompetent, but because failure is interesting. It shows frailty, 
  vulnerability, courage and heart in the character. It lets us sympathize with him. 
  Failure creates narrative tension--he fails now, but one day he will overcome.
  
  Are these failures purely mechanical? Are we suggesting that you gimp yourself 
  for a test to deliberately fail? Not at all. Numbers-wise, it’s always possible to place 
  your character at risk--you know how many dice you roll, you know the obstacle. 
  The math isn’t that hard. But I am suggesting a different kind of failure. 
  You can set your character up to fall with clever use of Beliefs, Instincts, and 
  traits. You can make him believe in something that’s *wrong*. You know it’s 
  wrong, but he doesn’t. He pursues this goal with all of the vigor we expect of the 
  righteous, but ultimately, we know he’s not doing the right thing. Or he’s doing 
  the right thing for the wrong reasons.
  Or he is at war with his heart. One Belief tells him to go in one direction, an-
  other pushes him down 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. Certainly, you 
  might want your character to do the right thing, to go where you would, but that’s 
  the easy answer. Choose the wrong direction. Do the misguided, selfish, unrigh-
  teous thing. Let your experiences at the table, not your own personal beliefs, shape 
  your transformation.
  Burning Wheel is a character-driven game. When we set out on the wrong path, 
  we set up a tense and exciting opportunity to do the right thing. This sounds back-
  wards, but remember that the premise of the game is to fight for what you believe. 
  So if you believe in the right thing, then the GM must challenge or oppose that 
  belief with the wrong thing. That means if your character changes, he’ll fall--he’ll 
  fight for the wrong thing. It’s a good choice, but a hard one! If you believe passion-
  ately in the wrong thing, then the GM has a chance to challenge and oppose you 
  with the right thing. If your character changes under these circumstances, then he 
  rises--he can learn from his mistakes and turn to the right path. And this is the 
  stuff heroes are made of.
  Directing your character toward this kind of transformation needs a cleverly 
  worded Belief or two, to acknowledge that what you and your character want 
  might be different. Explore that conflict of interest, show the rest of us that inter-
  nal struggle. It makes for a satisfying game.
  --Some Advice for the GM--
  Being the GM in Burning Wheel is different from being a player. We don’t 
  have to worry about tracking advancement, artha, epiphanies or trait votes. We 
  have an overall vision of a world, a handful of problems in that world, and a host 
  of characters to embody those problems. We balance our vision and our will to 
  
  persevere with an accommodating, cooperative attitude.
  We are never rude. We never react out of anger. Our role is to present unexpect-
  ed challenges to the players that make perfect sense in the context of the setting 
  and the action.
  -Secrecy Impulse-
  Try not to hide or protect your ideas. Try your best to place them in harm’s way-
  -in the path of the players. When the players want to know something, test them. 
  When the players want to confront and change something, test them. When they 
  want to fight something, test them. 
  When you feel that tightening in your gut, “No, I can’t let them...” that’s a sign 
  that you need to set an obstacle and call for a test. Give the players a shot at your 
  villains, your organizations, your tricks and traps. Let them try to succeed. Let 
  them risk failure. This staccato rhythm of challenges--some overcome and others 
  failed--is what creates the story in Burning Wheel.
  --Emergent Properties--
  Burning Wheel has many moving parts. It is unlikely that one can interpret 
  the entire range of possible results by looking at the moving parts. In the course of 
  operation, it is very likely that this system of interlocking, moving parts produces 
  unexpected results. Properties of the game emerge only through exploration. No 
  amount of study or presumption will illuminate all of the possibilities.
  This phenomenon is due in part to the complexity of the currency cycle and in 
  part due to the nature of a roleplaying game.
  Let’s look at some emergent play involving one Belief. Let’s say you have a Belief 
  that states “I will liberate Dro from his burdens.” You’re going to steal Dro’s stuff 
  because you think he’s a bastard, and you need to eat and pay rent. So you use 
  Circles and wises to get close to him. Later, you meet him and realize that he’s 
  got troubles, too. You sympathize. You use Persuasion and Falsehood to tease his 
  problems out of him. But as you’re getting to know him, you discover that he’s a 
  terrible person. One of his burdens is, in fact, that he was the one who had your 
  family killed. He feels deeply guilty about it, but it doesn’t change the fact that 
  your mom, dad, and little sister are gone--dispatched on the execution block for 
  being seditionists. You’ve still got that Belief about him: “I will liberate Dro from 
  his burdens.” But something has shifted. Now you use your wises and Circles to 
  learn about his shadowy past. You begin to marshal allies against him. Then you 
  decide to use your Persuasion and Falsehood to lure him out alone.
  
  And at the last, you, a peaceful person at heart, decide to assassinate Dro with 
  your own hand. You play your Belief to its final iteration: You will remove his 
  ultimate burden--his cold, dead soul. Everything has changed for you know. You 
  began simply wanting to survive, even if it meant stealing from another. But you’re 
  not who you once were. When you pick up the dice, survival is the furthest thing 
  from your mind. Only revenge weighs cold in your heart and your hand as you roll 
  the dice to finish what you started.
  You used the system to accomplish a very different aim than that with which 
  you started.
  Now imagine this in three layers. You have three Beliefs. All of them create a 
  context like this. Each Belief colors how and why you engage the system. And in a 
  virtuous cycle, each engagement casts new light on your Beliefs.
  Thus, what seems straightforward to start--player priorities, skill tests, advance-
  ments, rewards--grows around you in rich, complex, and unpredictable patterns of 
  your own fabrication.
  --Dive Into a Demo--
  That’s enough philosophizing. Before you head for the Commentary section, I 
  recommend you crack open the The Sword demo game in the next section and run 
  it for some friends. Make the game fresh in your mind as you read and our further 
  ramblings will make much more sense.
  
  The Adventure 
  Burner
  
  Burning 
  Adventures
  The Adventure Burner section gives you three example scenarios, sample char-
  acters and guidelines for creating your own scenarios and campaigns.
  We hope that after playing through these adventures with our sample charac-
  ters, you’ll have a better understanding of how to use the Burning Wheel system 
  to play engaging sessions.
  --Three Adventures--
  -The Sword-
  The Sword is our classic starter scenario. It is meant to be used by inexperienced 
  players to explore the versus test, Duel of Wits and Fight! rules.
  -Trouble in Hochen-
  Trouble in Hochen is a classic but simple scenario in which a party of adventur-
  ers has been summoned to aid a remote village. Once they arrive, they find things 
  are not as they seem.
  This scenario begins with a Belief and relationship workshop. Each player picks 
  a sample character and writes two Beliefs for him based on this situation.
  -Thelon’s Rift-
  Thelon’s Rift is a traditional dungeon crawl done up Burning Wheel style. 
  Players take on the roles of sample characters or burn their own. They write Beliefs 
  based on their mission--to recover the Orb of Power--and their relationship to the 
  
  other players’ characters.
  Even though Thelon’s Rift is a traditional take on fantasy adventure gaming, it 
  is considered the advanced scenario of the three. Thelon’s Rift requires the greatest 
  amount of rules mastery to successfully navigate.
  --Demonstration Games--
  The three adventures provided in this book are meant to act as demonstration 
  games. When playing Burning Wheel in a demo environment, you have the op-
  portunity to learn the rules without risk. When running a demo, be clear that the 
  game is, in fact, a demo. While it should be fun and engaging, the players should 
  endeavor to engage and learn the mechanics. The GM’s role here is to teach, bit by 
  bit, piece by piece--using the scenarios as examples.
  Play the demo scenarios a couple of times. Change the characters around 
  between the players. See how the results are different each time. Engage with dif-
  ferent systems each time--Duel of Wits, Range and Cover and Fight!
  This play preps you for a campaign with custom-built characters walking into a 
  situation of the GM’s design. You’ll have a better understanding of how to ensure 
  that your characters are competent. And the GM will have a better understanding 
  of how to challenge you with the system.
  -Downloads-
  You can download The Sword and its characters from our website at burning-
  wheel.com. You can download the Trouble in Hochen characters from our website, 
  but not the scenario write-up. Thelon’s Rift is not available for download.
  --Adventure Burner Proper--
  We follow up those example scenarios with the Adventure Burner proper. In 
  this burner, we attempt to synthesize all of the other burners--character, magic 
  and monster--and use them to create compelling settings and situations for our 
  Burning Wheel play.
  
  The Sword
  The Sword is a very simple, one-scene scenario designed to introduce new play-
  ers to Burning Wheel. To keep play focused on the important aspect of learning 
  the rules, the players are placed in conflict with one another. This isn’t the normal 
  mode of play for Burning Wheel. The player-versus-player aspect is used only to 
  facilitate demonstration.
  The Sword accommodates a GM and two to four players.
  If you want to play with one player and a GM, or play cooperatively, see the 
  Adding Monsters heading in this chapter. 
  The Sword presents a staple fantasy situation: Who gets the treasure? It shows 
  how a conflict between players can be used as fuel for a cool scene rather than a 
  roadblock to fun.
  --Prepping for The Sword--
  If you’d like to run The Sword, there are a few bits you should look over. 
  Familiarize yourself with the Beliefs, Instincts, and skills of the player characters. 
  You don’t have to memorize them, but you should know where everyone is coming 
  from so you can jump in and help out.
  There’s no map and very litter descriptive text for the GM to feed the play-
  ers. This is deliberate. The physical space of the scene is secondary to the conflict 
  between the characters. The GM has no agenda except to facilitate play and dem-
  onstrate the game’s rules. 
  As the GM, you’re going to need a passing familiarity with some of the game 
  mechanics. The Hub and the Spokes--up to page 54 of the Burning Wheel--are 
  required reading. Pages 55 to 77 are recommended, but not required. Beyond that, 
  a read through of the Duel of Wits and the Fight! systems will help. Weapons, 
  
  Armor, and Injury wouldn’t hurt, but you can refer to them as you play. Circles is 
  not necessary, nor is Sorcery or Emotional Magic. Resources is only used for one 
  thing, paying the Roden for his services, so you can refer to that in play as well.
  --The Hook--
  When players sit down with me to play this demo, I give them the following 
  preamble:
  You’ve journeyed long through this crumbling, ancient citadel, down through 
  ruined chambers into muck-filled tubes. You arrive, at last, in the wreckage of this 
  collapsed temple. Laying on the shattered altar, in the chamber before you, is that 
  which you seek: The sword!
  After the preamble, I lay out the characters and describe each one in brief. After 
  the players have chose their characters, I instruct them to read their Beliefs. Then 
  I simply ask, “Who gets the sword?”
  Mayhem ensues, and suddenly we’ve got game.
  --The Characters--
  There are four characters for The Sword scenario. Ssisz, a Roden cultist; Robard, 
  a human gambler; Brechtanz, a Dwarven adventurer; and Fidhean, an Elven 
  bard.
  -Brechtanz, the Dwarven Adventurer-
  Brechtanz is a very solid character. He’s physically imposing and skilled in a 
  number of areas. He’s the perfect foil for the Elf.
  Remind the other players, before they decide stick a knife in the Dwarf, that 
  he’s armored head to toe. He’s a tough nut to crack.
  Lastly, as a Dwarf, this character has access to the Greed attribute. Using Greed 
  isn’t necessary for the demo scenario, but it can add a lot if you’re comfortable us-
  ing the mechanics. The sight of the sword can cause Brechtanz to make a Steel test 
  against his Greed. After that, he can spend his sole Persona point to tap his Greed 
  and dump a ton of dice into one roll.
   
  -Adventurer’s Beliefs
  Belief 1: This sword was a treasure of my clan for generations, stolen by foul Roden 
  and abandoned here. I’ll restore it to its rightful place among my people.
  
  Belief 2: Words may be eaten, but blood is forever once spilled. Better a heated 
  exchange than an exchange of blows.
  Belief 3: My companions and I have seen much hardship together. I’ll get them 
  home safely.
  Oath Belief: My Uncle Dvalin is proud but destitute. I will do anything to restore 
  his fortunes.
  -Found Weapon-
  Based on Brechtanz’s illustration at the end of the chapter, someone is going to 
  want to use the pick (digging tools) as a weapon. It’s a Power 4, Unwieldy, VA 1 
  weapon. 
  -Fidhean, the Elven Bard-
  Fidhean, the Elven Bard, is a classic adventurer-type. He’s handy with a sword, 
  but his tongue is even sharper. He’s well-equipped, has high stats and a decent 
  range of skills to back them. If Fidhean’s player can play the others against one 
  another, he’s going to come out on top every time.
  However, Fidhean’s songs don’t often come into play in this scenario. They are 
  primarily for color, but occasionally a player will use them to cause wonderment 
  (wonderment is bad for everyone else, see page 98 of the Character Burner). The 
  Verse of Friendship is an exception. It can be used as a bargaining chip--declaring 
  a character an Elf-friend is very powerful. But this ability is used after a conflict, 
  not during. 
  Lastly, Fidhean isn’t wearing a helmet and he has a glass jaw. One good clip to 
  the head and he’s going to rethink fighting out this situation.
  -Elven Bard’s Beliefs-
  Belief 1: This sword was made by my father. Using its markings, I will demon-
  strate its origin to my companions so they cannot dispute its ownership.
  Belief 2: I must return this lost sword to my father so that he will forgive me and 
  allow me to return from my exile.
  Belief 3: True friends and companions are a great treasure, and I will not let mine 
  come to harm.
  -Robard, the Human Gambler-
  Robard is a gambling man. Everyone calls Robard a “thief,” but his light fingers 
  are just one of his many talents. Using him only to backstab and pick locks is doing 
  him a disservice. He’s a cunning, dangerous opponent, but he lacks power for a 
  
  direct confrontation.
  He’s decent in the Duel of Wits, but he’s weak in the physical department. He’s 
  also the only character who doesn’t have a Sword skill.
  -Gambler’s Beliefs-
  Belief 1: Master Kogan of the gambling house is going to break my knees if I don’t 
  pay off my debts. I’ve got to get paid in this venture!
  Belief 2: I was the one who figured out where this treasure was; it belongs to me!
  Belief 3: That Dwarf is not to be trusted. His greed will be the doom of us all. If he 
  makes a move, I’ll have to push someone else into his path.
  -Ssisz, the Roden Cultist-
  Ssisz is a Ruden cultist. Before the scenario started, he led the other charac-
  ters through the ruins of the ancient civilization to this collapsed temple. His 
  player used his Below-wise to do it. We imagine that he spent a ton of artha, too! 
  However, since the player didn’t actually roll the dice, he does not gain the benefit 
  of Let It Ride in this scenario. If he wants Ssisz to get back out, he needs to test 
  Below-wise.
  Ssisz is vulnerable on a lot of levels: he doesn’t have any armor, he’s got the 
  Broken trait, and his main Duel of Wits skill is a B2 Persuasion. On the other 
  hand, he can definitely come out on top if he is played smart. He fights effectively 
  with sword and shield, and has a respectable Intimidation skill that can be used to 
  cow the gambler.
  If the Roden player is out of ideas, you might suggest one bargaining chip that 
  he has--someone’s got to lead the group back to the surface!
   
  -Roden Cultist’s Beliefs-
  Belief 1: To enter the Fields of Paradise, I must present my Visionary with thiss 
  fabled sword.
  Belief 2: The Prophet says, “To conquer from weakness, divide the strong.” I will 
  encourage the interlopers to argue among themselves.
  Belief 3: These squabbling mice hired me to lead them to their treasure. I will now 
  collect what I’m owed or else.
  Loyal Belief: Fiszzik the Visionary will guide us to seize the Fields of Paradise 
  from Men, as prophesied; I will serve him to my dying breath.
  
  --Playing the Scene--
  -The Starting Positions-
  I’ve found it useful to start the scene with the whole group in the doorway to 
  the chamber--still in the tunnel, really. The Roden, if he’s in play, should always be 
  in the lead. 
  -Versus Tests-
  Players often attempt to shove aside their companions or make a dash for the 
  sword. Before resolving any single action, allow everyone to state what he or she is 
  doing. If one player shoves another, ask the target player if he wants to be shoved. 
  If he doesn’t care one way or another, there’s no need to roll the dice. However, as 
  soon as two players want the same thing, or one player doesn’t want another player 
  to succeed at what he’s doing, you’ve got conflict. Use versus tests (Burning Wheel, 
  page 28) to resolve these simple conflicts.
  Be sure to enforce the Let It Ride rules. If a player failed to shove his compatriot 
  aside, that’s it. No amount of shoving is going to work. He’s got to find another 
  way around--either by changing the conditions of the test, tricking his friend, en-
  gaging in social conflict or escalating to violence!
  -Social Conflict Resolution-
  Focus on what the players are saying to each other and encourage them to 
  roleplay (of course!). As soon as the players butt heads on a point, I stop the conver-
  sation. Then I ask each in turn, “Are you ready to give in to his demands?” Likely 
  they’ll both say no.
  At that point, I use the Duel of Wits system to resolve the social conflict. This 
  scenario works well with these rules as described on pages 95-107 of the Burning 
  Wheel. Occasionally, players aren’t familiar with games that allow for serious so-
  cial conflict. Therefore, before I turn them loose, I let the players know that they 
  can use social conflict resolution to resolve the scene--as opposed to just beating 
  the hell out of each other.
  Judd dashed up to grab the sword. He menaces Jeff with it. Jeff tells him that 
  he’s not worthy to even touch the sword. 
  Judd responds with a prideful, “How dare you!?” and retorts that he was going 
  to give up the sword, but now he shall  claim it as his own. 
  I stop the conversation and ask, “Do you agree with each other? Do you want to 
  try to argue him down? Do you want to prove that you are right?”
  
  They ask me what they can gain from an argument, and I reply, “You can test to 
  convince your opponent of your case. The result is as binding as any other rule in 
  the game.” They agree. They want to give this a try.
  Judd and Jeff want a social conflict. Jeff wants to convince Judd to hand over 
  the sword because he’s not worthy of it. Judd states that he’s offended and going 
  to claim the sword as his own. The outcome--who’s right-- will be determined by 
  a Duel of Wits.
  -Two Sides-
  Due to the nature of the Duel of Wits, only two players are going to be active 
  and fighting. Other players are not going to choose actions or roll dice during the 
  Duel of Wits.
  -Help is Vital-
  When a player isn’t in the primary role of a Duel of Wits, he may still partici-
  pate. He may grant help to either side on any appropriate action. In this scenario, a 
  +1D advantage can be the difference between victory and defeat. Thus the role of 
  the helping player is quite significant.
  Encourage players to be ready with their helping dice. Tell them to roleplay 
  their help and then hand over their helping die. 
  If players are sitting idle, I encourage the players leading the Duel of Wits to 
  play to them. Rather than just ignoring the other players, they can use their own 
  roleplaying to convince those inactive players to hand over those juicy, powerful 
  helping dice right there.
  -Violence-
  The scenario often devolves into violence. Swords will be drawn, blows will be 
  struck. If the players are just tussling or wrestling, use versus tests to resolve the 
  violence. If a player has murder in his eyes, use the Fight! system.
  When using versus tests, be sure to get everyone’s intent and task out in the 
  open and clarified before rolling the dice. Don’t let players negotiate among each 
  other. Have each player tell you what he’s doing and then tell him to zip it if he 
  tries to change in reaction to a clever ploy by his friend.
  When using the Fight! rules, remember that this is a demonstration scenario. 
  Start the players off with basic Fight! actions--Strike, Block, and Counterstrike. 
  Don’t use stance or positioning rules. Once the action interplay is clear, or 
  once positioning becomes important, add it into the conflict on the fly. When 
  
  is positioning important in this fight? Positioning is important when you want 
  to either keep someone out of striking distance or you want to close to striking 
  distance with an opponent. This arises when opponents are wielding weapons of 
  differing lengths--a sword against a knife or bare fists.
  It’s worth noting that, aside from the Dwarf, these characters aren’t very tough. 
  Warn the players about this. Warn them that one good hit is going to take them 
  out--possibly even get them killed. But it is also perfectly cool to come to blows, 
  realize how dangerous such a path is and then try to resolve the situation with a 
  Duel of Wits. 
  Also, don’t forget to have the players take Steel tests when their characters are 
  wounded. Once a character is hesitating for three or four actions, stop the fight 
  and reassess.
  In the name of simplicity and clarity, don’t suggest these options. Let the play-
  ers ask how they can do these things, then tell them what they need to know.
  --Paying the Rat--
  According to Ssisz’s Beliefs, he must be paid for his services. When play starts, 
  the Roden has fulfilled his part of the deal. He has lead the group down to the 
  sword. He has not yet been paid for this service. The Roden player can begin by 
  demanding payment or he can wait until things unfold to see how he should pro-
  ceed, but the best insurance for payment is to claim the sword for himself.
  Paying the rat requires a Resources test. The “agreed-upon price” is an Ob 2 
  Resources test.
  Ssisz’s player can set the price higher if he so desires. If the others want to argue 
  him down, use the Haggling rules on page 88 of the Burning Wheel to negotiate 
  the price. A Duel of Wits can also be played to arrive at terms.
  The purpose of the Resources test is to demonstrate that a) the characters are all 
  poor bastards and b) if they help one another, they can mitigate much of the woes 
  of having a low Resources exponent.
  -Negotiated Payment-
  If the players arrange terms to pay some now and some later, they are essentially 
  using the Carefully rules (Burning Wheel page 31). They can roll the dice when 
  the final payment is made. The GM can award them with an advantage die when 
  they make payment, but failure must result in some dastardly twist that can’t be 
  wriggled out of--like another cultist appearing from the darkness to check in on 
  
  his brother cultist.
  --Artha--
  The characters are all front-loaded with 2 fate points and 1 persona point. Be 
  sure that the players get a chance to spend artha during the game so they can see 
  what it does.
  -Introducing Artha-
  When demoing The Sword, I don’t describe the uses for artha until there’s a 
  need. When a player rolls 6s and could use some more successes, I stop play for a 
  moment and have everyone look at their artha. I describe what fate points do. 
  I describe persona points when a player needs to make a roll against a high ob-
  stacle. Again, I stop play for a moment and demonstrate how to use the point.
  Once I’ve explained it, I ask the player if he wants to spend the point or save it 
  for later. It’s important that he be allowed to decide.
  -Awarding Artha-
  I also recommend that the GM not give out artha during play. Don’t worry 
  about it right now. But do take note of when the players use their Beliefs and say 
  out loud, “Wow, you just broke his hand to get the sword. That’s in your Beliefs, 
  right?” At the end of the demonstration, if you have time, do artha awards. Have 
  each player read his Beliefs and award fate and persona based on the resolution of 
  the action.
  --The Sword--
  So what’s the big deal with the sword? Use the following stats for the sword: 
  Pow 3, Add 2, VA 1, +1D advantage. Not that it’s the only weapon in the scenario 
  with any armor-penetrating capability.
  As for the sword’s history, that’s for you to decide. Let the players use Ballad 
  of History, Elven Artifact-wise, Junk-wise, Stuff-wise and Obscure History tests 
  to establish facts about the sword. You can set obstacles using the criteria for each 
  skill or you can propose versus tests to quickly settle debates. Don’t let jostling for 
  the facts replace a good Duel of Wits, though.
  The Dwarf and the Elf each have a strong opinion about the provenance of 
  the sword. The Dwarf asserts that his clan was the last to own the sword. The Elf 
  claims that his father forged the blade. Both are correct and can coexist. Neither 
  
  assertion creates a clear chain of ownership.
  --Winning--
  The scenario is over when one player most decidedly has the sword and no one 
  can contest him. This situation could arise from convincing everyone via a Duel 
  of Wits, beating the snot out of everyone in a fight and taking the sword or by 
  making a lucky getaway via a Speed test.
  --Friendly Agreements--
  Some groups prefer to talk out the scenario and arrive at a friendly resolution. 
  That’s all well and good for a regular game, but this is a demonstration. If your 
  group is particularly agreeable, encourage them to be a bit more argumentative or 
  contrarian than they are normally. Explain that you’re not questioning their ines-
  timable roleplaying chops; you merely want to test the mechanics of the game.
  If they insist on making peace, it’s your job to create conflict. Use the Adding 
  Monsters section and confront them for the sword.
  --Adding Monsters--
  It’s possible to turn this scenario into a slightly more traditional adventure by 
  adding a guardian for the sword. This works with a group of any size. You can even 
  play a one-on-one with the GM (using any character but the Roden). As long as the 
  monster has the sword, the player’s going to want to confront him to get to it.
  When using a monster, be sure to exercise the same options available to the 
  other characters. It can engage in social conflicts, simple conflicts and violence 
  just like everyone else. And of course, it has its own erason to want the sword. You 
  decide what that reason is.
  I recommend the spider on page 291 of the Burning Wheel, and the Troll or 
  Hoszrem on page 292. In the Monster Burner, the Hsigo Noble (on page 268) 
  works well. It’s his sword after all, right? The Ophidia (Monster Burner, page 278) 
  is my personal favorite. She’s tough enough to take on any one of the characters, 
  and she’s got great social skills for the Duel of Wits. She’s full of nefarious purposes 
  and plots, always looking for something to rebuild her fallen empire.
  --Continuing The Sword--
  If you want to continue playing after completing this brief scenario, I suggest 
  
  that you stop play and end the session after the sword’s owner has been determined 
  or the group has returned to the surface. Do artha awards. Encourage the players 
  to rewrite one or two of their Beliefs to reflect the new situation in the game. For 
  example, if Robard manages to escape with the sword, Fidhean and Brechtanz 
  might change their Beliefs to reflect how unworthy and untrustworthy Men are-
  -thus they must recover this priceless artifact from Robard. The next scene would 
  involve the aggrieved parties trying to stop Robard from selling their heirloom on 
  the black market. Men are such scum!
  Once you have new Beliefs, start up the action again.
  -If the Group Agrees to Reconciliation-
  If the group agrees to take the sword to the Elven lands and then to the Dwarves, 
  or vice versa, pick up the action at their first destination. Fidhean’s father, Fineath, 
  is glad to have the sword returned, but it is a trinket to him--a trifle that he made 
  in his youth. Its recovery is not enough to exonerate his wayward son in his eyes. 
  However, Fineath will be deeply offended should Brechtanz suggest that the item 
  must now be removed to the care of the Dwarves. Greedy Dwarves! A Duel of 
  Wits can decide the fate of the sword in this circumstance.
  If the group takes the sword to the Dwarves, Brechtanz’s family rejoices. His 
  uncle hails him as a hero. The sword is taken and put on display in the clan’s hall. 
  There is no discussion of removing it. Brechtanz’s uncle will not accept a Duel of 
  Wits over the matter. The uncle must be tricked or the sword stolen to fulfill any 
  vows to return it to the Elven lands.
  -If Robard Recovered the Sword-
  If the group agrees to sell the sword, or simply goes up into the city--Scarport-
  -to help Robard pay his debts, then Robard’s enemies set upon them. One Master 
  Kogan, a criminal himself, attempts to lay claim to the sword as payment for 
  Robard’s debt to him. He offers no surety or money. A second-story man will at-
  tempt to steal it in the night. Swindlers will attempt to convince the players to 
  keep it safe with them. Finally, a gang of four young turks will attempt to take it by 
  main force and thus earn a reputation and a place in the underworld. These events 
  can trigger an epic campaign--a war for the underworld of Scarport!
  -If Ssisz Takes the Sword to His Cult-
  If Ssisz takes the sword to his cult, the Visionary claims the weapon for the 
  cult (and for himself). To prevent this, the players must tangle with a charismatic, 
  insane Roden cult leader! A Duel of Wits is in order.
  
  However, he rewards Ssisz’s efforts with a promotion within the organization. 
  The promotion grants no material reward, but Ssisz is now one of the Visionary’s 
  *trusted* guardians. In this capacity the Visionary presents Ssisz (and friends) with 
  a dangerous mission to be completed on behalf of the cult. What’s a good mission? 
  You decide.
  -If There were Deaths-
  If there were deaths during the scuffle to claim the sword, you have a few op-
  tions. The players of mortally wounded characters can burn up new characters. We 
  prefer members of Ssisz’s cult or of Robard’s cohort of thieves. Be sure that these 
  new characters have Beliefs in line with the new situation regarding the sword. 
  Don’t use this scenario to play out a reincarnated revenge story. That’s just silly.
  If only one character made it out alive, then you have to make a decision. Are 
  the other players invested in the fate of that sword? If not, perhaps it’s best not to 
  continue. Burn up new characters for everyone and start a new adventure in your 
  own setting.
  If the other characters want to give it a shot, burn up three- or four-lifepath 
  characters. Let the surviving player indicate the direction he wants to run. If he’s 
  stuck, the GM presents a situation. The players write Beliefs about the survivor, 
  their relationship to him and about resolving the situation.
  Possible situations include: Robard’s enemies come to collect; another greedy 
  Dwarf artificer hears of the sword’s reappearance and tries to claim it; or Ssisz’s 
  cult comes in the night seeking revenge for their fallen brother; or a new adventure 
  like Thelon’s Rift that has nothing to do with the sword.
  --Breaking Down The Sword--
  After playing The Sword, the group should come away with an understanding 
  of how Beliefs drive play. They all played their Beliefs and fought over the sword in 
  one way or another. This type of play leads to rewards. Though the players didn’t 
  get to spend those exact rewards, they should have spend a fate point or two. Thus 
  they can clearly see the value of playing a Belief to earn rewards, so those rewards 
  can help them overcome future obstacles.
  The group should also have come away with at least a cursory understanding 
  of versus tests, Duel of Wits, and Fight! If you didn’t engage with one of those 
  systems in play, consider running the scenario again and specifically engaging that 
  mechanic so you can see how it works.
  
  --Brechtanz, Adventurer--
  -Beliefs-
  This sword was a treasure of my clan for generations, stolen by foul Roden and 
  abandoned here. I’ll restore it to its rightful place among my people.
  Words may be eaten, but blood is forever once spilled. Better a heated exchange 
  than an exchange of blows.
  My companions and I have seen much hardship together. I’ll get them home 
  safely.
  Oath Belief: My Uncle Dvalin is proud but destitute. I will do anything to restore 
  his fortune.
  -Instincts-
  Whenever someone tells a tale, always one-up them.
  Always compliment good craftsmanship.
  Always keep a knife in my boot.
  -Lifepaths- (Age 81)
  Born Clansman, Delver, Tinkerer, Adventurer
  -Stats-
  Wi: B5, Pe: B5, Po: B4, Fo: B5, Ag: B4, Sp: B4, Stride: 6
  -Attributes-
  Health B7, Steel B5, Hesitation 5, Reflexes B4, Mortal Wound B11, Greed 
  B3 (Idiom: Riches, Physical Beauty, Craftsmanship), Circles B2, Resources B1
  -PTGS-
  Su: B3  Li: B6  Mi: B8  Se: B9  Tr: B10  Bo: B11
  -Circles-
  Reputation: Rough and tumble adventurer in the village of Verge, +1D
  Affiliation: Kwamish Artificers, +1D; Thieves’ Guild of Scarport, +1D
  Relationship: Uncle Dvalin (4 pts)
  
  -Common Traits-
  Accustomed to the Dark [Dt, no penalties for twilight, starlight, candlelight, 
  lamp light, or torchlight], Bearded [Char], Greed [Dt, Emotional Attribute], 
  Oathsworn [Dt, grants additional Belief], Shaped from Earth and Stone [Dt, 
  grants access to Dwarven Arts], Stout [Dt, Stride 6], Tough [Dt, round up when 
  calculating Mortal Wound].
  -Traits-
  Deep Sense [Dt, use Perception as Orienteering while underground], Curious 
  [Char], Adventurer [Dt, +1 Ob to Circles tests with all Artificer and Noble-born 
  Dwarves, free 1D affiliation outside the Dwarf hold], Stubborn [Dt, +2D to body 
  of argument in a Duel of Wits that contravenes a Belief]
  -Skills-
  Tunnel-wise B2, Stuff-wise B2, Survival B3, Mending B3, Scavenging B2, 
  Excavation B3*, Climbing B2, Herbalism B3, Haggling B2, Firebuilding B2, 
  Sword B3, Lockpick B3, Obscure History B2, Persuasion B4
  -Gear-
  Shoddy sword, shoddy knife, Dwarven-made plated leather armor (3D, ignores 
  first armor damage), clothes, traveling gear, sturdy shoes, shoddy Herbalism tools, 
  shoddy Excavation tools, shoddy Lockpick tools
  -Weapons-
  Bare Fist--I:B2 M:B4 S:B6, Add 2, VA -, Fast, Shortest
  Shoddy Knife--I:B3 M:B5 S:B7, Add 1, VA -, Fast, Shortest
  Shoddy Sword--I:B4 M:B7 S:B10, Add 2, VA -, Slow, Long, May Great Strike
  *This ability is open-ended. 6s explode when rolling. See individual ability de-
  scriptions in Character Burner.
  
  --Fidhean, Bard--
  -Beliefs-
  This sword was made by my father. Using its markings, I will demonstrate its ori-
  gin to my companions so they cannot dispute its ownership.
  I must return this lost sword to my father so that he will forgive me and allow me 
  to return from my exile.
  True friends and companions are a great treasure, and I will not let mine come to 
  harm.
  -Instincts-
  Never accept an insult.
  When a friend is hurt, soothe him.
  When times are dark, sing to uplift the hearts of those around me.
  -Lifepaths- (Age 100)
  Born Citadel, Student, Song Singer, Bard
  -Stats-
  Wi: B6, Pe: b6, Po: B3, Fo: B3, Ag: B5, Sp: B6, Stride 8
  -Attributes-
  Health B6, Steel B7, Hesitation 4, Reflexes B5, Mortal Wound B9, Grief 
  B5, Circles B3, Resources B1
  -PTGS-
  Su: B2  Li: B4  Mi: B6  Se: B7  Tr: B8  Mo: B9
  -Circles-
  Reputation: Traveling Bard, +1D, Exile among the Elves of Amon Kel, +1D 
  (Infamous)
  Affiliation: The Exiles of Amon Kel, +1D
  Relationship: Fineath, father and althing of the Citadel of Amon Kel (10 pts, 
  discounted to 6 due to immediate family and enmity)
  
  -Common Traits-
  Born Under the Silver Stars [Char], Essence of the Earth [Dt, no need to make 
  Health tests for disease, +1D to Health tests against fatigue or poison], Fair and 
  Statuesque [Char], First Born [Dt, ability to sing Elven songs], Grief [Dt, Emotional 
  Attribute], Keen Sight [Dt, +1D to Perception-based and Observation-based field 
  maneuvers in Range and Cover or any Perception test involving long distances; no 
  Ob penalties for dim (not complete darkness) light]
  -Traits-
  Exile [Dt, cannot journey West, +1D to starting Grief, Infamous reputation]
  -Skills-
  Elven Script B3, Lyric of Law B3*, Sing B4, Song of Merriment B3*, Ballad of 
  History B3*, Etiquette B4, Oratory B5, Song of Songs B3*, Song of Soothing B3, 
  Lament of Stars B3*, Verse of Friendship B3*, Flute B2, Sword B4, Man-wise B3, 
  Elven Artifact-wise B3
  -Gear-
  Traveling gear, Elven flute, run of the mill plated leather armor (3D), run of the 
  mill sword, Elven clothes, Elven shoes
  -Weapons-
  Bare Fist--I:B2 M:B3 S:B4, Add 2, VA -, Fast, Shortest
  Sword--I:B3 M:B6 S:B9, Add 2, VA -, Slow, Long, May Great Strike
  *This ability is open-ended. 6s explode when rolling. See individual ability de-
  scriptions in Character Burner.
  --Robard, Gambler--
  -Beliefs-
  Master Kogan of the gambling house is going to break my knees if I don’t pay off my 
  debts. I’ve got to get paid in this venture!
  I was the one who figured out where this treasure was; it belongs to me!
  That Dwarf is not to be trusted. His greed will be the downfall of us all. If he makes 
  a move, I’ll have to push someone in his path.
  
  -Instincts-
  Never throw the first punch.
  Always haggle for the price.
  Always cheat.
  -Lifepaths- (Age 24)
  City Born, Urchin, City Peddler, Criminal
  -Stats-
  Wi: B4, Pe: B4, Po: B4, Fo: B4, Ag: B4, Sp: B4, Stride 7
  -Attributes-
  Health B3, Steel B3, Hesitation 6, Reflexes B4, Mortal Wound B10, Circles B2, 
  Resources B0
  -PTGS-
  Su: B3  Li: B5  Mi: B7  Se: B8  Tr: B9  Mo: B10
  -Circles-
  Affiliation: 1D Thieves’ Guild of Scarport
  -Traits-
  Sickly [Dt, -1D Health], The Story [C-O for Falsehood when telling a story to 
  an audience], Cynical [Char], Poker Face [C-O for Falsehood and Gambling when 
  bluffing], Fleet of Foot [C-O for Speed if races or positioning]
  -Skills-
  Brawling B2, Climbling B3, Falsehood B2, Haggling B3, Inconspicuous B3, 
  Knives B3, Lockpick B3, Mending B3, Persuasion B4, Stealthy B3, Streetwise B3, 
  Tomb-wise B2
  -Gear-
  Run of the mill knife, run of the mill quilted armor (1D), traveling gear, shoes, 
  clothes, Lockpick toolkit
  -Weapons-
  Bare Fist--I:B2 M:B4 S:B6, Add 2, VA -, Fast, Shortest
  Knife--I:B3 M:B5 S:B7, Add 1, VA -, Fast, Shortest
  
  --Ssisz, Cultist--
  -Beliefs-
  To enter the Fields of Paradise, I must present my Visionary with this fabled 
  sword.
  The Prophet says, “To conquer from weakness, divide the strong.” I will encourage 
  the interlopers to argue among themselves.
  These squabbling mice hired me to lead them to their treasure. I will now collect 
  what I am owed or else.
  Loyal Belief: Fiszzik the Visionary will guide us to seize the Fields of Paradise 
  from Men, as prophesied; I will serve him to my dying breath.
  -Instincts-
  Always demand payment up front.
  Never reveal my hand until I’m ready to strike.
  Tithe half of what I make to the Visionary and the cult.
  -Lifepaths- (Age 20)
  Born Below, Scavenger, Initiate, Guardian
  -Stats-
  Wi: B4 Pe: B4(5), Po: B3, Fo, B3, Ag: B4, Sp: B6, Stride 8
  -Attributes-
  Health B3, Steel B7, Hesitation 6(7), Reflexes B5, Mortal Wound B9, Circles 
  B2, Resources B0
  -PTGS-
  Su: B2  Li: B4  Mi: B6  Se: B7  Tr: B8  Mo: B9
  -Circles-
  Affiliation: 1D with Saba’s Nest in the Below
  -
  
  Common Traits-
  Aecer’s Likeness [Char], Coat of Fur [C-O for Health and Forte related to 
  weather and wet], Communal [Dt, grants affiliation with nest], Enlarged Incisors 
  [Dt, weapon], Quick-Blooded [Dt, old age at 40, Stride 8], Tail [Char], Large Ears 
  [Dt, +1 to Perception rolls], Pack Rat [Char], Skittish [Dt, +1 Hesitation for Steel 
  tests for Fear or Surprise, must choose Run Screaming hesitation if hesitating for 
  more than one action]
  -Traits-
  Tunnel Vision [Dt, reduce penalties for dim light (not complete darkness) by 
  one step], Greedy [Char], Broken [Dt, -1 Ob to motivate character by Preaching, 
  Oratory, or Suasion], Merciless [Char], Loyal [Dt, adds extra Belief], Callous 
  [Char], Hackles [C-O for Intimidation]
  -Skills-
  Inconspicuous B4, Doctrine B2, Sword B4, Shield Training, Appraisal B3, 
  Intimidation B4, Brawling B2, Junk-wise B2, Society-wise B2, Haggling B2, 
  Below-wise B2, Persuasion B2
  -Gear-
  Sword, wooden shield (2D), traveling gear, blood blossom (+1D to Herbalism 
  or Field Dressing tests), clothes
  -Weapons-
  Bare Fist--I:B2 M:B3 S:B4, Add 2, VA -, Fast, Shortest
  Enlarged Incisors--I:B2 M:B4 S:B6, Add 2, VA -, Fast, Shortest
  Shield Bash--I:B3 M:B5 S:B7, Add 2, VA -, Slow, Short
  Sword--I:B3 M:B6 S:B9, Add 2, VA -, Slow, Long, May Great Strike
  
  Trouble in 
  Hochen
  Trouble in Hochen serves two purposes. It is an adventure scenario, meant to 
  kick off a short campaign. And it is a workshop for writing Beliefs and developing 
  relationships. In this chapter, we walk you through setting up the adventure. Then 
  we provide you with the details of the scenario itself.
  --Getting an Adventure Started--
  We start like so: Thor says, “Let’s play Burning Wheel.”
  I say, “Let’s play an adventure that we could feasibly complete in one session of 
  play but could lead to other scenarios if we like it.”
  Dro says, “Okay, sounds like you’re the GM.”
  “Okay, as the GM, I have an idea for a game. I want to play some dark, gritty 
  fantasy with an old-school-party-of-adventurers-on-a-mission vibe.”
  Dro and Thor decide they like this idea. Or rather, they pretend that they need 
  a moment to consider it, but in truth if you say “gritty, dark fantasy” to either Thor 
  or Dro they’re already playing that game in their grimdark souls. I know this about 
  them, so I tailor my pitch appropriately.
  “We’re going to need more than that,” says Thor. “Can there be a demon? I crave 
  demon.”
  “True,” I say. “You’re dispatched to a remote village that is being plagued by a 
  demon. You have to confront that demon. Some of you are there because it’s your 
  duty. Others are there due to obligations of family or friendship.”
  
  -Setting the Stage-
  “Fine, but where does this take place?” queries Dro. “We can’t make characters 
  without more setting. I imagine hilly countryside, covered in snow.”
  Pretending that I don’t already know the answer, I consider for a moment. 
  “The setting is a fantasy empire of Eastern European flavor--Czech, Hungarian, 
  German, and Polish. The village is part of the holdings of a lord who serves a 
  powerful marcher duke. The village lies in the snowy foothills of some jagged 
  mountains that provide a bulwark against ravening hordes of monsters. It’s pretty 
  basic stuff.”
  “Ah, in that case,” Thor offers, “I’ll play an idealistic young priest, freshly re-
  turned from his education at the distant capital.”
  “I want to play ze poor knight, in search of wealth and glory,” responds Dro.
  Thor says, “Do you have any names in mind? They’ll inspire us in character 
  burning.”
  I grab some of my foreign language dictionaries and do some quick research. 
  “Sure. The duchy is called Verdorben. Thus the duke is also called Verdorben. His 
  castle is called Lowenholhe. His bailiff is named Buttel.”
  “The village is called Hochen. It’s part of the demesne of a lesser member of 
  the duke’s household, Stravit. Hochen itself is managed directly by Wojt Marten 
  Rayla. How’s that?”
  “Okay! So the wojt is the appointed head of the village?”
  “Yes. If you want, you can fill in the names for your relationships, too. I’ll incor-
  porate them into the setting.”
  -Burn, Baby-
  In your typical Burning Wheel game, the next step is to burn your characters 
  based on this situation and setting: How will you save this plagued village in the 
  foothills of a forlorn duchy?
  But for this example, you’re going to use our preburned sample characters. 
  Review the template and briefly discuss the characters. Talk about why you’re here 
  on this mission.
  -Relationship Workshop-
  The character templates are incomplete. To successfully begin your game, you 
  must flesh them out. Each player must name and describe the relationship indi-
  cated by his template. Discuss how the relationships are tied to the situation. Are 
  
  they in the town? Or did they compel you to undertake this quest?
  Do this in turn, one player after another. A savvy player will interconnect his 
  relationship with that of another player.
  The GM notes the relationships, their roles, and their names.
  -Demonstration Relationships-
  Since this is a demo game, the GM should also tell the players that Marten, the-
  wojt, and Angar, the blacksmith, are available as possible relationship characters.
  -Belief Workshop-
  To write Beliefs, the players must have an idea of what’s going on. They need to 
  know the situation and they opening action.
  -The Situation for Hochen-
  Read the following to the players: “You have been sent or called to Hochen. 
  How exactly depends on the nature of your relationship. Hochen is in dire straits-
  -famine in the dead of a hard winter and rumors of an infernal influence.
  Go around the table and have each player read aloud his prewritten Belief. After 
  that, each player writes two Beliefs for his character: one about the situation and 
  one about his relationship.
  -Situational Belief-
  Your situational Belief can answer any of the following questions: How will 
  you interact with the town? Are you here to save them, extort them or damn them? 
  Will you confront the demon? Confront the wojt? Confront the townsfolk? Will 
  you compete, aid, support or hinder them? These are all options for Beliefs.
  -Relationship Belief-
  How is your relationship involved in the situation? Is it a matter of duty, honor, 
  obligation or love, or perhaps something darker like pride, extortion or revenge? 
  This Belief defines the dynamic between the player and the NPC. This Belief is 
  very powerful since the relationship also stands to define a significant portion of 
  the setting. The GM will challenge this Belief, and thus the relationship will be 
  tested.
  Be sure to read out each Belief as it is created. Encourage players to take inspira-
  tion from one another.
  The GM notes each Belief as it is announced.
  
  Not every Belief or relationship will come into play in this short scenario. 
  Therefore, the GM should encourage the players to write simple, direct goals. 
  Loftier and more open-ended Beliefs are tough to address in a single session of 
  play. However, if you’re planning to play for more than one session, more remote 
  relationships and longer-term Beliefs are appropriate.
  --Character Overviews for Hochen--
  There are six characters available to play in this scenario: a knight, a wizard, a 
  priest, a hunter, a Dwarf and an Elf. Choose two to five of these six characters. If 
  you’re only playing with two characters, use the knight and either the wizard or 
  the priest. With three players, use the knight, the hunter, and the wizard or priest. 
  With four or more players use the knight, the hunter and the wizard plus whatever 
  combination of other characters you’d prefer.
  The scenario doesn’t run with one or six players.
  If you’re new to Burning Wheel, share the following character overviews with 
  the players before everyone picks.
  -Knight-
  Gunter Kiczold is a bog-standard four-lifepath knight. He’s a tank, but his skill 
  exponents are low.
  Encourage the player to place the knight’s father at court--as an officer, courtier, 
  or even just an old knight himself. Doing so provides a good motivation for the 
  character in the adventure and sets him up nicely for the sequel scenarios.
  The player can write his Beliefs about proving himself to his father, earning 
  fame or wealth on this mission or even protecting his companions.
  -Wizard-
  Brin is a haughty personality. She’s a simple three-lifepath wizard, and 
  plenty powerful. Though she doesn’t have any killing spells, the combination of 
  Phantasmagoria, Spirit Servant, Binding and Call of Iron make her versatile and 
  potent in the hands of a creative player.
  Brin’s relationship is fairly well locked in. Her uncle makes an excellent poten-
  tial villain for this scenario. It’s up to the GM if he’s the one who’s actually behind 
  this madness or if he just holds dark secrets that may aid her.
  Encourage her player to write her Beliefs about creating a reputation for her-
  self, overawing the village (and her companions) and discovering her uncle’s evil 
  works.
  
  -Priest-
  Theoden is a powerful yet delicate character. His faith is mighty, and his will 
  strong, but he lacks any material protection whatsoever. If protected and aided, 
  he’s a valuable asset.
  Theoden’s abbot cousin is an important character in the setting. He’s influential 
  at court. Ask the player whose ear he has. Where does his power stem from?
  Encourage the player to write his Beliefs about doing a service for his cousin. 
  He can write a zealous Belief about purging Hochen of evil. Alternately, he can 
  write a nurturing Belief about healing this place or protecting his companions 
  with the shield of his faith.
  -Hunter-
  Daniel is a local. He has a personal stake in this game.
  His mother lives in or near Hochen. Ask his player where she lives and what 
  role she plays.
  Encourage the player to write earnest Beliefs about aiding the knight, the priest, 
  or the wizard. Encourage emotional Beliefs about the sad state of the village, And, 
  of course, Beliefs about saving his mother are never amiss.
  -Dwarf-
  Fureard is a good sort, deep down. He’s a treasure-hungry adventurer, certainly, 
  but he’s not so greedy as to commit evil acts.
  Fureard swore an oath to his uncle when he left his clan. Ask the player to fill in 
  details about his uncle. Why is his clan in need of wealth?
  Fureard’s player should be encouraged to write Beliefs about winning treasure 
  or other fortunes from this scenario. This Belief is a chance for Fureard to be played 
  as a cutthroat adventurer--seeking to extort the village for his help against the de-
  mon. But a Belief like this also sets up an excellent opportunity for a Moldbreaker 
  moment. Fureard can play the hard-ass, but ultimately relent and act out of com-
  passion rather than greed.
  Since he’s far from home, encourage his player to write a Belief that binds him 
  to another character in the group. Good Beliefs in this case let him ride on the 
  coattails of the knight or wizard. Or lead him to protect Daniel or Theoden.
  
  -Elf-
  Cerebirn is yet another young Elf on the run from his homeland. He’s not an 
  exile, and committed no crime aside from shirking his duties due to ennui.
  Cerebirn has a cousin. They have a contentious relationship. Ask the player why 
  they hate each other. Try to image a reason that would drive the cousin to pursue 
  Cerebirn into the lands of Men.
  Cerebirn’s Beliefs must be forceful. He’s far from home and can easily just 
  toddle off on another walkabout. It’s best if both his Beliefs ar tied to another 
  character in the group. For example: He’s going to help Brin purge the evil magic 
  from this place; and he’s going to help Fureard find his treasure.
  -Starting Artha for Trouble in Hochen-
  All characters start with two fate points and one persona point.
  --GMing Hochen--
  -The Ugly Truth About Hochen-
  This scenario takes place in the village of Hochen and the surrounding wood-
  land area. Hochen is in trouble--famine, destitution and all that. The villagers have 
  turned to a pagan goddess--Tawaret--for succor. But now there’s a demon stalking 
  the village. It’s a chicken/egg problem. Did the god send the demon or was the 
  demon there before they bent knee to this abomination? It’s up to the players to 
  find out!
  There are three main obstacles in this scenario--Marten, the cultists and a zom-
  bie bear. None of these directly or forcefully tweak any of the Beliefs, yet all of the 
  obstacles presented here should tie into the Beliefs written by the players. It’s your 
  job as a GM to tighten this scenario. Focus on your players and their choices.
  What will you add to this scenario? How will you change it to suit your needs? 
  What additional characters will you introduce? The best practice is to read the sce-
  nario and just try to play it straight, but as unexpected turns arise, wing it. Just be 
  sure to thrust obstacles in front of the players that solidly challenge their Beliefs.
  -Order of Events-
  In order to run this adventure, you must familiarize yourself with the charac-
  ters, their Beliefs and the actions described in this section. You must internalize 
  these elements. There is no set order of events to the action in this adventure, ex-
  cept that the group begins meeting Marten Rayla on the bridge. You present the 
  
  initial action--Marten’s greeting--and play off the players’ reactions.
  We expect you to incorporate Beliefs and relationships into this scenario and 
  make it your own. However, a typical session of Hochen involves the players get-
  ting ambushed by the cultists, then all of them getting ambushed by the bear. After 
  the players fight off the infected bear, they interrogate the villagers and either burn 
  the place or look for the cause of the trouble.
  -Unskilled Tests-
  You’ll note that many of the tests in this scenario call for skills the characters do 
  not have. This is deliberate. This is how you run Burning Wheel. It doesn’t matter 
  if the characters have the skill. Certain obstacles call for certain abilities. If the 
  characters don’t have those abilities, the players can choose to test using Beginner’s 
  Luck (Burning Wheel, page 40) or try to find another way around.
  -Night and Ice-
  Much of this scenario takes place at night in the middle of winter in a snowy 
  village. The GM may impose the following disadvantages at his discretion: dim 
  light +1 Ob, icy ground +1 Ob, candle-light conditions +2 Ob, darkness +3 Ob. 
  Even with the moon out, it is very dark. Not the best conditions for fighting or 
  tracking or whatnot. If the characters provide a decent source of light--more than a 
  lantern or a candle--the GM should lift the penalties. Remember that these penal-
  ties will apply to friend and foe alike.
  The ground is covered with ice and snow. Before any martial combat, the GM 
  may declare that the footing is very bad due to the snow and impose a +1 Ob to 
  all positioning tests. Any positioning or Speed test failed by more than two suc-
  cesses results in the character slipping and falling prone. Use this for grim, gritty 
  comedy.
  --Marten’s Greeting--
  Wojt Rayla greets the adventurers at the covered bridge over the Felsbach. 
  Despite the obvious devastation of his village, the wojt assures the investigating 
  group that all is fine now and their services aren’t needed. When the characters 
  meet Marten, it’s late in the afternoon. Not to inhospitable, Marten invites the 
  characters into his home to talk.
  Play Marten as if he’s hiding something (he is) and tell the group that he’s hiding 
  something. Just don’t tell them what he’s hiding. Let them make some tests--Ob 4 
  Intimidation, Persuasion, or Falsehood--or engage in a Duel of Wits to get it out 
  of him.
  
  --Marten Rayla, Wojt of Hochen--
  -Vitals-
  38-year-old, village-born Verdorben male
  -Stats-
  Wi: B4, Pe: B4 Po: B3, Fo:B3, Ag: B4, Sp: B3, Stride 7
  -Attributes-
  Health: B4, Reflexes: B3, Mortal Wound B9, Steel B3, Hesitation 6, Resources 
  B3, Circles B2
  -PTGS-
  Su: B3  Li: B5  Mi: B6  Se: B7  Tr: B8  Mo: B9
  -Beliefs-
  It is my duty to shepherd Hochen through these dark times. Our god has aban-
  doned us; we must do whatever we can to survive these dark times. Tawaret will bring 
  life and prosperity to Hochen.
  -Instincts-
  Always listen for village gossip. When I don’t know for certain, obfuscate. When 
  trapped, act rashly and without thought.
  -Traits-
  Verdorben [Char], Pragmatic [Char], Fixed Smile [Char], Gossip [Char], 
  Cramped Right Hand [Char], Mind for Small Details [Char], Flatterer [Char], 
  Guilty Conscience [Char]
  -Circles-
  1D reputation as Wojt of Hochen. 1D affiliation with villagers of Hochen.
  -Skills-
  Rule of Law B2, Persuasion B4, Falsehood B3, Village-wise B5, Bureaucracy 
  B2, Read B2, Write B2, Cooking B2, Mending B1, Accounting B3, Soothing 
  Platitudes B5, Guest-wise B3, Animal Husbandry B2, Riding B2, Horse-wise B3, 
  Road-wise B2
  
  -Gear-
  Clothes, Shoes, riding horse (and accoutrement)
  -Weapons-
  Bare Fist--I:B2 M:B3 S:B4, VA -, Add 2, Fast, Shortest
  --Cultists, Reveal Thyselves!--
  If the players spend the night in Hochen, the village cultists meet in the long-
  house in the dead of night. The villagers are muttering to one another, “What are 
  we to do?”
  -Spotting Shadowy Movement-
  If any of the characters stay up and keep watch during the night, make a versus 
  test: the character’s (unskilled and thus Beginner’s Luck) Observation against 
  the cultists’ B3 Inconspicuous. If the player wins, his character notices suspicious 
  activity near the longhouse. See the Eavesdropping heading in this section. If the 
  cultists win, the character notices nothing. See the Night Raid heading in this 
  section.
  If none of the characters keep watch during the night at Marten’s, go to the 
  Night Raid heading in this section.
  -Eavesdropping on the Cultists-
  If the players detect the suspicious activity near the longhouse, they can sneak 
  out into the cold night and spy on the cultists. They find them crowded into 
  the longhouse. It’s an Ob 2 Perception test to decipher what’s being said in the 
  longhouse without getting caught. If the test is failed, the character is spotted by 
  someone within.
  As a whole, the cultists believe Marten was wrong to bring the characters (“the 
  interlopers and interferers”) to Hochen. They are deeply unhappy with his leader-
  ship. They feel that these outsiders will upset their new goddess, Tawaret. They 
  fear she will withhold aid to the villagers. They decide they need to pray to her 
  more strongly and perhaps even offer her a sacrifice! One of their number, Angar 
  Smith, has taken a personal leadership position in the cult. He is the most outspo-
  ken about Marten’s incompetence.
  If interrupted in their deliberations, the cultists will pounce on the characters 
  and try to murder or capture them. They brandish farm implements, flaming 
  brands and skinning knives. See the Fighting the Cultists heading in this section.
  
  If the cultists’ meeting is interrupted, they immediately move to capture the 
  characters at their lodging at Marten’s house. See the Night Raid heading in this 
  section.
  -Fighting the Cultists-
  There are two entrances to the longhouse, one along the road and the other 
  in the back by the stacks of firewood. If the characters rush in (with weapons 
  drawn and all that), they can only fit through the door one at a time. To gain entry 
  through a door, they must win a positioning test in Fight! The cultists gain a +1D 
  advantage for controlling the entrances and up to three of them may help each 
  other defend the door. It’s an ugly situation. They will fight on until about half 
  their number are dead, injured or run off--that’s about 12 cultists.Of course, they 
  are only armed with knives and flaming brands, so hard can it be? Well, it’s a gory, 
  grinding fight. Be ready for horror in Hochen.
  In Fight!, the cultists will make judicious use of their numbers (about two 
  dozen ready and willing to fight) and the Charge and Lock actions. They will start 
  cautiously with Avoid and Block actions. On the second volley, have two cultists 
  Charge/Close one character and try to bring him down. They help one another. 
  On the third volley, they’ll Lock, again helping one another. If they can pin a 
  character down, draw knives (two actions) and start cutting. After a few cuts, give 
  the character a chance to surrender and then drag him deeper into the longhouse. 
  Vicious little cultists!
  The cultists believe they are between the devil and the deep blue sea. They’ve 
  angered their goddess and she has showered them with disfavor. They must win 
  her favor back (with ever more drastic actions). But their pagan cult has been 
  discovered, and they’ll surely be tried and burned for this crime by the religious 
  authorities. So this fight is all or nothing for the cultists.
  If the cultists are defeated, they will sink to their knees and beg for mercy. See 
  the Interrogating the Cultists heading in this section.
  If the player characters break and run from the fight, Hochen will divide into 
  armed camps; those siding with the cultists and those siding with the characters. 
  The cultists will participate in hostage exchanges. See the Captured by Cultists 
  heading in this section.
  -Night Raid (On Marten’s House)-
  If the players do not spot the cultists heading to their meeting, the cultists 
  confer in their longhouse and Angar convinces them to capture these interlopers 
  before their cultish ways can be discovered. Thus, the cultists surround Marten’s 
  
  home and send a handful of their followers into the house to capture the players.
  Test the cultists’ B4 Speed (unskilled Stealth) against each character’s Perception 
  (unskilled Observation). Sleeping characters suffer a +1 Ob disadvantage because 
  they’re asleep. Do not allow the group to help one another for this test. It doesn’t 
  make sense in the fiction to have sleeping characters actively helping one another.
  If the whole group fails, the cultists politely wake them. Skinning knives are 
  pressed to the characters’ throats. The characters are asked to come along quietly. 
  It’s likely the players will want to resist and force their way to freedom. Make a 
  versus Power test in this case. Each cultist has 1D of help from a companion. If 
  successful, the character breaks free unharmed. If unsuccessful, the character does 
  not escape and furthermore he suffers a Light wound. There is no time to cast 
  spells or utter prayers in this situation.
  If one of the characters is successful but the others are not, he’s overlooked as 
  the rest are taken hostage. It’s his chance to rescue them!
  If half of the group fail the test but half pass, a hostage situation arises. The 
  successful characters are on their feet and ready, but not before their companions 
  are grabbed and held.
  Try to use versus tests to resolve any altercations at this point in the scenario. 
  Do not go to Range and Cover or Fight! yet.
  -Captured by Cultists-
  If the entire group is captured, they are tied down in an icy field. The cultists 
  build a bonfire, produce the grotesque idol of Tawaret and begin to pray. They 
  pray to Tawaret for abatement of their miseries--the player characters are offered 
  as sacrifice to her demons. The characters may attempt to loosen their bonds with 
  an unskilled Ob 2 Escape Artist test (Beginner’s Luck Ob 4 Agility) or an Ob 5 
  Power test. Theoden can use a Minor Miracle to loosen his bonds and those of his 
  allies. Brin can cast Spirit Servant and command it to untie her. The Spirit Servant 
  doesn’t need to test to untie her. However, to prevent themselves from being no-
  ticed while casting, Brin and Theoden need to pass an unskilled Inconspicuous 
  test (Beginner’s Luck Will) versus the cultists’ B4 Perception (not Observation so 
  these successes aren’t doubled).
  If the characters escape, the bear bursts onto the scene as they make their 
  break.
  If they fail to escape, I’d keep them tied down as the bear comes. Have them 
  watch helplessly as the cultists are mauled and devoured by the bear. When the 
  butcher’s work is done, the bear shambles over and sniffs at them, dripping ichor. 
  
  He leaves them to their fate and staggers off into the night. By morning light, 
  dazed and frozen, the characters manage to work free of their bonds. They all must 
  pass an Ob 4 Forte test. The margin of failure is an obstacle penalty to all physical 
  actions until the character gets food and rest.
  If only some of the characters are captured, the cultists will attempt to use the 
  characters as hostages and bargain for clemency. Use the Duel of Wits to negotiate 
  a settlement.
  -Interrogating the Cultists-
  If the players manage to capture a cultist, you can use a simple Interrogation 
  test against Ob 4, the cultist’s Will. Or, if you have time, I recommend using the 
  Duel of Wits to resolve his interrogation. The GM, playing the cultist, can attempt 
  to extract all sorts of promises as his Statement of Purpose, such as, “You’ll let me 
  live” or “You are sympathetic to my plight!” or “It was all the wojt’s idea!”
  If successfully interrogated, the cultist will reveal that he and his people are 
  devout Tudomians, but they also pay homage to the fertility goddess, Tawaret. The 
  fields have been fallow for years, and desperate measures had to be taken. The idols 
  of the goddess depict a plump woman with voluptuous curves, eight breasts and 
  the head of a hippopotamus. No one knows where they originally came from. The 
  cultist will reveal a hidden altar to the goddess in the root cellar of his home.
  --Cultists--
  -Stats-
  Wi: B3, Pe: B4, Po: B4, Fo: B4, Ag: B4, Sp: B4, Stride 7
  -Attributes-
  Health B4, Reflexes B4, Mortal Wound B10, Steel B4, Hesitation 7, Resources 
  B1, Circles B1
  -PTGS-
  Su: B3  Li: B5  Mi: B7  Se: B8  Tr: B9  Mo: B10
  -Beliefs-
  I don’t trust outsiders. Tudom, our god, has abandoned us, we must do whatever 
  we can to survive these dark times. My family and my livelihood are the most impor-
  tant things in my life. Tawaret will bring life and prosperity to Hochen.
  
  -Instincts-
  When questioned by outsiders, clam up. Always give a suspicious glare to foreign-
  ers. When my neighbor needs a hand, pitch in.
  -Traits-
  Verdorben [Char], Calloused [Char], Prominent Scar [Char], Starved [Char], 
  Hardened [Char], Zealot [Dt], Rabble-Rouser [Char]
  -Skills-
  Ditch Digging B4, Mending B3, Sewing B3, Drudgery-wise B4, Cult Doctrine 
  B2, Inconspicuous B3, Falsehood B2, Persuasion B2, Brawling B3
  -Gear-
  Clothes, shoes, farm implement or knife, appropriate tools
  -Weapons-
  Bare Fists--I:B2 M:B4 S:B6, VA -, Add 2, Fast, Shortest
  Farm Implement--I:B3 M:B6 S:B9, VA -, Add 2, Slow, Longer
  Skinning Knife--I:B3 M:B5 S:B7, VA -, Add 1, Fast, Shortest
  --Angar Smith, Blacksmith and 
  Cult Leader--
  -Vitals-
  32-year-old, village-born Verdorben male.
  -Stats-
  Wi: B3, Pe: B4, Po: B5, Fo: B5, Ag: B4, Sp: B3, Stride 7
  -Attributes-
  Health: B4, Reflexes B3, Mortal Wound B10, Steel B4, Hesitation 7, Resources 
  B1, Circles B1
  -PTGS-
  Su: B3  Li: B5  Mi: B7  Se: B8  Tr: B9  Mo: B10
  
  -Lifepaths-
  Village Born, Laborer, Apprentice, Journeyman, Farrier
  -Beliefs-
  This village is falling to pieces, I will take charge and do the unsavory, necessary 
  thing. Tudom has abandoned us, only Tawaret can save us. Marten is weak; he must 
  be punished for bringing these interlopers into our affairs.
  -Instincts-
  Always check my forge in the morning. Always conceal my secrets. Always do what’s 
  best for the village.
  -Traits-
  Calloused [Char], Broken In [Dt], Made Man [Dt], A Bit Deaf [Dt], Back 
  Breaking Labor [C-O], Numb [Dt], Hardened [Dt], Suspicious [Char]
  -Skills-
  Blacksmith B4, Brawling B2, Cooper B4, Cult Doctrine B2, Ditch Digging 
  B4, Haggling B4, Horse-wise B2, Mending B3, Oratory B1, Tanning B2
  -Affiliations-
  1D Cult of Tawaret in Hochen, 1D Local Journeymen Craftsmen
  -Reputations-
  1D Blacksmith of Hochen
  -Gear-
  Blacksmith’s Workshop, Clothes, Shoes
  -Weapons-
  Bare Fists--I:B3 M:B5 S:B7, VA -, Add 2, Fast, Shortest
  Mallet--I:B4 M:B7 S:B10, VA -, Add 2, Slow, Long, may Great Strike
  --That’s One Angry Bear--
  The “demon” that’s plaguing Hochen is a great bear infected with a necrotic, 
  enchanted, black oil. You should use the bear to attack the village whenever it’s 
  inconvenient for the players or when the action hits a lull.
  It can interrupt the brawl in the longhouse--roaring through the outer village 
  
  and smashing right into the fight in the longhouse. The cultists will drop whom-
  ever and whatever they’re doing and flee for their lives. They believe the bear is a 
  manifestation of Tawaret’s anger toward them. And really, who wouldn’t?
  The bear itself is enraged and aggressive. It will charge and maul anyone who 
  takes a remotely aggressive posture against it. This includes launching missiles at 
  it or charging it. It is also a cunning creature. If it can’t move into close range with 
  its raw Speed, it will withdraw and use its Stealthy skill. It will even flee into the 
  night and return at another time and place to exact revenge.
  The bear is also incredibly tough. It can be killed by a lucky heavy crossbow 
  or great bow shot, but it can also handily deal death and destruction. The player 
  characters do not want to get into a Fight! with this thing. It is much more prefer-
  able to take it down at range with missiles, spells and prayers.
  --The Corrupted Bear--
  -Vitals-
  A supernatural, enraged great bear.
  -Stats-
  Wi: B4, Pe: B4, Po: B8, Fo: B8, Ag: B4, Sp: B6, Stride 10
  -Attributes-
  Health: B6, Reflexes: B4, Mortal Wound: B14, Steel B7, Hesitation 6
  -PTGS-
  Su: B5  Li: B9  Mi: B11  Se: B12  Tr: B13  Mo: B14
  -Skills-
  Savage Mauling B5, Intimidation B6, Hunting B4, Foraging B6, Stealthy B4, 
  Tracking B3
  -Traits-
  Massive Stature [Dt], Tough [Dt], Omnivore [Char], Sweet-tooth [Char], Keen 
  Smell [Dt], Fanged [Dt], Loner [Char], Infected by the Black Oil [Dt], Devastator 
  [Dt]
  
  -Weapons-
  Head butt--I:B4 M:B8 S:B12, VA 1, Add 2, Slow, Short
  Bear Fists--I:B5 M:B9 S:B13, VA 2, Add 2, Slow, Short
  Powerful Bite--I:B5 M:B10 S:B15, VA 3, Add 2, Slow, Short
  -Tracking the Bear-
  If the players will want to track the demon bear, it’s an Ob 3 Tracking test. This 
  will lead the characters on a wandering track through the surrounding woodlands. 
  The bear’s been on a merry rampage, tearing up trees and toppling nearly anything 
  that gets in its way. It has mangled a beaver dam, encountered and slaughtered a 
  wolf pack and shattered a hunter’s lodge. After that, the trail is old and cold and 
  leads up into the foothills of the Ironback Mountains.
  The bear’s den is a remote, shallow cave. It has been painted with arcane sym-
  bols and curses. An Ob 3 Symbology test identifies the symbols are necromantic 
  in origin. They are supplications to the dark powers begging for favor and certainly 
  weren’t painted on the walls by the bear! It’s up to you, game master, to decide who 
  marked this cave.
  -Surprise, I’m a Zombie Bear!-
  Use this advice for a more challenging encounter with the bear: When the bear 
  bursts onto the scene, it is a good opportunity for the GM to call for Steel tests. 
  The bear can then exploit hesitation to grab cowering characters or swat down any-
  one still standing. If you’d legitimately like to set up the ambush, test the bear’s B4 
  Stealth against the player’s unskilled Observation. If the bear wins, it can attack 
  from ambush at any time. Attacking from ambush forces a Steel test as described 
  above.
  These rules are likely to get characters killed, so only use them if you think 
  your players are up to the challenge. If you’re new to Burning Wheel or just aren’t 
  feeling particularly mean, don’t ambush the characters and don’t call for Steel tests 
  when the bear makes its entrance.
  -Fighting the Demon Bear-
  The bear is a formidable opponent. He will try to close with the characters 
  quickly. Note that his Stride gives him an advantage over everyone but the mount-
  ed knight. Once within striking distance, he’ll swing his bulk around using the 
  Push action to scatter and knock down characters. Once characters are sprawled, 
  he’ll pick up an annoying target and Tackle it. Once on top, he’ll either rip it up 
  
  with his claws or Lock it with his jaws. It’s fun to watch the look of horror on other 
  players’ faces as the bear is dragging around one of their number in its mouth, 
  while swatting at the rest of them with its massive paws.
  The bear will also cleverly defend itself with Avoids, Blocks and Counterstrikes. 
  Enraged though it might be, it is a smart bastard.
  The bear doesn’t have armor or Ironskin. It’ll bleed if it’s cut. So it should 
  attempt to retreat if it’s injured by more than 1D. If the bear is cornered and un-
  able to retreat, it will go into Aggressive Stance and try to take down a few of its 
  attackers.
  Also, note the bear possesses the Devastator trait (Monster Burner, page 322). 
  If his attacks cause armor damage or breaches, they count twice for this effect--two 
  points of armor lost, two breaches made.
  -Dissecting the Bear-
  If the bear is slain, some information can be gained from its carcass. An Ob 1 
  Animal Husbandry test will reveal that the bear had some type of internal infec-
  tion, of a type previously unknown. An Ob 3 Taxidermy, Hunting or Butchery test 
  will produce the bear’s heart, which is corrupted and infected. It is full of black 
  bile. In addition, a successful Taxidermy, Hunting or Butchery test will reveal that 
  the bear’s brain is also veined with the bile. No skill but Death Art or Alchemy can 
  reveal anything about the bile.
  If that Ob 3 test is failed, the dissecting/inspecting character becomes infected 
  with the black oil! Definitely announce this consequence to the player before the 
  roll is made. See the Black Oil heading at the end of this section.
  --Exploring Hochen and the 
  Surrounds--
  The action of this adventure take place primarily in the village, but may move 
  off into the wilds if the players track the bear.
  The village of Hochen is a field of wreckage. The wojt’s residence, the shrine to 
  Tudom and the village’s meeting hall are all intact, but nearly every other building 
  has been damaged by the demonic rampage. Some have collapsed completely, some 
  have claw marks across them, some have chunks taken out of them. It’s an Ob 3 
  Tracking test to determine that these marks were left by a bear. Successes over the 
  obstacle spent on working patiently can be used to note dark stains that look like 
  
  dried blood in the marks.
  -The Villagers-
  About half of the villagers of Hochen are not cultists. However, note their Beliefs 
  and Instincts. They will not get involved in these dark deeds unless forced.
  They will not speak unless persuaded. They will not help unless both bribed 
  and reassured. They will not aid in a fight unless rallied--Ob 4 Oratory to win 
  them over, followed by an Ob 4 Command to lead them into battle.
  --Villagers--
  -Stats-
  Wi: B4, Pe: B4, Po: B4, Fo: B4, Ag: B4, Sp: B4, Stride 7
  -Attributes-
  Health B4, Reflexes B4, Mortal Wound B10, Steel B4, Hesitation 6, Resources 
  B1, Circles B2
  -Beliefs-
  My family and livelihood are the most important things in my life. My neigh-
  bors are up to strange things, but it’s none of my business what they do.
  -Instincts-
  When questioned by outsiders, clam up. Always give a suspicious glare to for-
  eigners. When my neighbor needs a hand, pitch in.
  -Traits-
  Verdorben [Char], Calloused [Char], Prominent Scar [Char], Starved [Char], 
  Hardened [Char]
  -Skills-
  Choose appropriate skills from the following selection: Ditch Digging B3, 
  Mending B3, Sewing B3, Cobbler B3, Blacksmith B3, Butchery B3, Drudgery-
  wise B4
  -Gear-
  Clothes, shoes, appropriate tools
  
  -Weapons-
  Bare Fists--I:B2 M:B4 S:B6, VA -, Add 2, Fast, Shortest
  Farm Implement--I:B3 M:B6 S:B9, VA -, Add 2, Slow, Longer
  Skinning Knife--I:B3 M:B5 S:B7, VA -, Add 1, Fast, Shortest
  -Village of Hochen-wise-
  Here are the suggested obstacles for Village of Hochen-wise: Ob 1, Hochen 
  produces wheat, barley, and goats. Ob 2, Hochen is a village in Lord Hochen’s 
  demesne. The Lord of Hochen is a Stravit. Ob 3, Hochen is so small there is no 
  practicing priest or judge in the village. Itinerants come seasonally. Ob 4, the vil-
  lage is in a terrible state of disrepair beyond the destruction caused by the demon.
  --Tudom and Tawaret--
  Most devout and faithful peoples of this duchy, Verdorben, pay homage to a 
  just and holy god, Tudom. He keeps evil at bay, locked behind the heavenly vault. 
  (Though the vault is cracked, due to a cosmic betrayal, and from this crack come 
  demons and all the evil that men do.)
  Tawaret is an obscure, ancient feritility goddess from the far south. Her statues 
  were introduced into this village by the infamous necromancer Gotrung. He used 
  to pass through these lands disguised as a simple peddler, spreading the seeds of 
  his corruption.
  In truth, though her rituals are bizarre and require great sacrifice, Tawaret is no 
  demoness. She brings fertility to those who properly pay her homage. But here, in 
  this frozen waste, worshipped by benighted fools, she is as powerless as the night 
  is cold.
  --The End of Hochen--
  There are a few ways to end this scenario. The players can overcome the bear 
  and rout the cult from the town. From there, they can attempt to track down the 
  evil necromancer who created this plague or they can report to higher authorities 
  for assistance.
  However, I recommend you use our sequel scenario, Dinner for One, which is 
  available as a PDF download on our website.
  
  -Trouble in Hochen Leads to Dinner for One-
  As soon as the bear is overcome and any immediate aftermath involving the 
  villagers is dealt with, a sleigh arrives, driven by the forester of Lord Stravit, the 
  Seigneur of Hochen. The forester informs the characters that his lord would like to 
  see them promptly at his manor so he can properly reward them for their efforts.
  This revelation is best delivered after the players have burned the heretics at the 
  stake and torched their houses for good measure.
  -Oil Amok-
  It’s also possible that your group succumbs to the black oil. If that’s the case, I 
  encourage you to use the Black Oil and Black Rod rules contained in this chapter 
  as the basis for your own fantasy apocalypse campaign. Our published scenarios 
  are going in another direction--assuming more cautious players--so you’re on your 
  own here. If you end up running this way, let us know about it on our forums.
  -Artha and Hochen-
  Be sure to review Beliefs and award artha after concluding the action of the 
  scenario.
  --The Black Oil--
  This scenario introduces a foul necromantic liquid called simply the “black oil.” 
  This evil, magical fluid transforms the living into thralls for those practitioners of 
  the dark arts who now how to command them.
  If a character comes into contact with the oil, he risks infection. See the new 
  trait, Infected by the Black Oil, for details.
  -Exposure and Infection-
  The mysterious black oil possesses a number of peculiar qualities. First and fore-
  most, it is toxic and infectious. It will spread from one living creature to another by 
  touch--the oil will stick to flesh, leather, and wood. It infects a creature by crawling 
  into open wounds or orifices. Once inside of a creature, the oil will make its way 
  to the creature’s heart. Once in the heart muscle, it begins to reproduce. Soon after 
  the oil attempts to gain control of the creature’s heart. Thereafter, it transforms the 
  creature’s blood to oil.
  To resist the effects of the oil and prevent infection, the character must pass an 
  Ob 5 Forte test. If the character washes in clean water soon after contact, grant 
  two advantage dice. If the character is injured when he comes into contact with 
  
  the oil, add +1 Ob for Superficial or Light wounds, +2 Ob for Midi or greater 
  wounds.
  If the Forte test is passed, the character suffers no ill effects.
  If the Forte test is failed, the character enters a slow stage of infection. For the 
  first day, he shows no outward sign. On the second day, his pallor becomes ashen. 
  He loses sensitivity in his nerves and emotions--the world seems remote to him, a 
  thing to be watched with disdain. On the third day, he becomes violently ill and 
  cold to the touch. If he is not saved by the third day, he becomes infected and earns 
  the Infected with the Black Oil trait.
  If the Forte test is failed by more than one, the character enters a fast stage 
  of infection. He grows steadily more pale. When he sleeps and awakes the next 
  morning, he is sick and ashen. If he is not saved that day, he is infected and earns 
  the Infected with the Black Oil trait.
  Only two things can save a character who is in the early stages of the infection: 
  a Minor Miracle or an Ob 4 Bloodletting test. The Faith test miraculously restores 
  the character, as is appropriate. A successful Bloodletting test leaves the character 
  drained and weak, but cleansed. A failed Bloodletting test does not stop the infec-
  tion, and furthermore, the erstwhile bloodletter must pass an Ob 5 Forte test lest 
  he be infected by the oil!
  After the Infected trait is earned, a Purification miracle can be used, but this 
  destroys the host and the oil at once--since they are one and the same now.
  -Properties of the Oil-
  As noted above, the oil is contagious by touch. But it has some other, equally 
  nasty properties. If burned, the oil turns into a corrosive toxin in the form of a 
  sticky tar. Anyone who comes into contact with the tar or breathes the fumes must 
  pass an Ob 5 health test. Margin of failure is permanently subtracted from Health. 
  This loss may be recovered by advancement, but the attribute maximum is now set 
  at 10 minus the margin of failure.
  If Health is reduced to exponent 0 by the fumes, the character is reduced to a 
  comatose state. He will rise on the morrow as a revenant possessing the Infected 
  by the Black Oil trait. He loses all character traits as noted by the infection rules.
  Death Art or Alchemy* can be used to discern the oil’s properties, but not stop 
  its effects. This is a standard independent test, not an open test. The player must 
  set his obstacle before rolling the dice and he only gets that information for that 
  obstacle result. What’s more, his test rides unless conditions change. Obstacles 
  for investigating the oil: Ob 1, It’s not naturally occurring; it is a necromantic 
  
  substance. Ob 2, It seems to have a mind of its own; it can be washed off the skin, 
  but it keeps its cohesion in water. Ob 3, The oil itself infects through open wounds 
  or orifices; if burned, it turns to an evil toxin. Ob 4, It only takes about two or 
  three days before the victim is fully corrupted. Ob 5, It cannot be destroyed, only 
  changed.
  *Nota Bene: Both of these skills are of the sorcerous type. Therefore, they can-
  not be tested using Beginner’s Luck until the character has received instruction 
  from another character.
  -Infected by the Black Oil [Dt]-
  A character who is infected oozes black oil from his pores. He is aggressive and 
  delirious. In addition, this trait confers the benefits of the Brute and Thousand 
  Yard Stare traits. The character is also subject to the summons and controls of 
  the Black Rod. The character loses all other character traits. Lastly, he himself is 
  contagious. Any living creature standing near him is at risk. He sprays foul ichor 
  from his mouth as he moves about. See the rules in this chapter for infection.
  --Black Rod--
  A black rod is a special device constructed from a distillation of the black oil. 
  This is done through enchanted alchemical processes under guidance of a death 
  artist. A rod allows its bearer to command infected creatures in his presence. The 
  creatures may be given simple commands as per the Death Art rules. The bearer 
  of the rod may command a number of creatures equal to his Will exponent. If the 
  creatures leave his presence, they continue to execute the last command issued to 
  them. Once the command is completed, they revert to their own native impulses.
  The black rod also confers +1D to Health and Forte. It will slowly dissolve in 
  water, reverting back to essential oil. If burned, it has the same properties as the 
  black oil described previously. You also gain the character trait Cold to the Touch, 
  as the rod taps into your soul to fuel its evil magics.
  Black rods are bound to their makers. To use one you did not create yourself, 
  you must bond with it. To bond with it, you must make a Will test versus the Will 
  of the previous owner. If successful, you gain mastery over the device. If the test is 
  failed, you become infected with the oil and under the sway of the rod. You gain 
  mystical knowledge of the rod’s owner’s location and must immediately return the 
  rod to him.
  
  --Gunter Kiczold--
  -Concept-
  Poor, Low-Born Knight
  -Beliefs-
  Belief 1: [A belief about the knight’s mission to Hochen, to be added by the 
  player]
  Belief 2: [A belief about the character’s father or another player character to be 
  added by the player]
  Belief 3: I have sworn to my duke and my baron to serve as a loyal and honorable 
  vassal. I shall uphold their word and law in this land.
  -Instincts-
  Always bow properly to my superiors (as is their right).
  Always make sure I am in full harness for battle!
  Always look out for a good candidate to be my page or squire.
  -Lifepaths- (Age 25)
  Born Noble, Page, Squire, Knight
  -Stats-
  Wi: B4, Pe: B4, Po: B5, Fo: B5 Ag: B4, Sp: B5, Stride 7
  -Attributes-
  Ref: B4, Ste: B6, Hes: 6, Hea: B5, MW: B11, Circles B2, Res B0
  -PTGS-
  Su: B3  Li: B6  Mi: B8  Se: B9  Tr: B10  Mo: B11
  -Traits-
  Mark of Privilege [Dt CB, pg. 155], Sworn Homage [Dt CB, pg 158], Gloryhound 
  [Dt CB, pg 277]
  -Skills-
  Ancient History B3, Axe B4, Brawling B3, Conspicuous B3, Crossbow B3, 
  Etiquette B3, Knives B3, Lance B3, Oratory B3, Poetry B2, Riding B4, Sword B3, 
  Armor Training, Shield Training, Mounted Combat Training
  
  -Circles-
  Affiliation: 2D affiliation with his lord’s household
  Reputation: 1D a poor knight of no means but great promise
  Relationship: father (minor, immediate family)
  -Gear-
  Arms (axe, sword, knife and lance), armor (plated mail 5D), riding horse, 
  courser, clothes, shoes, traveling gear, crossbow, dog
  -Weapons-
  Bare Fist--I:B3 M:B5 S:B7, Add 2, VA -, Fast, Shortest
  Light Axe--I:B4 M:B8 S:B12, Add 2, VA 1, Slow, Long, may Great Strike
  Sword--I:B4 M:B8 S:B12, Add 2, VA -, Slow, Long, may Great Strike
  Knife--I:B3 M:B6 S:B9, Add 1, VA -, Fast, Shortest
  Lance--I:B5 M:B9 S:B13, Add 2, VA 2, Unwieldy, Longest, may Great Strike, 
  must be mounted
  Crossbow--I:B4 M:B8 S:B11, Reload 17 act, VA 2
   
  DoF: I:1-2, M:3-4, S:5-6, 2D opt, 3D ext/125 paces
  --Brin--
  -Concept-
  Inscrutable Young Sorceress
  -Belief-
  Belief 1: [A belief about Hochen to be added by the player]
  Belief 2: [A belief about the character’s uncle or another player character to be 
  added by the player]
  Belief 3: I will attain wealth and power by any means, arcane or mundane. But 
  the surest way to build a famous reputation is to be a powerful hero!
  -Instincts-
  When danger looms, protect myself with Touch Not Sublime Flesh.
  When darkness falls, cast Wyrd Light into my staff.
  Never let them forget I am a noble.
  
  -Lifepaths- (Age 24)
  Born Noble, Arcane Devotee, Lead to Noble Court, Court Sorceress
  -Stats-
  Wi: B5, Pe: B4, Po: B3, Fo: B5, Ag: B4, Sp: B4, Stride 7
  -Attributes-
  Ref: B4, Ste: B6, Hes: 5, Hea: B5, MW: B10, Circles: B2, Res: B0
  -PTGS-
  Su: B3  Li: B6  Mi: B7  Se: B8  Tr: B9  Mo: B10
  -Traits-
  Mark of Privilege [Dt CB, pg 155], Base Humility [Char], Inscrutable [Char], 
  Gifted [Dt CB, pg 161]
  -Skills-
  Alchemy B2, Astrology B2, Calligraphy B2, Etiquette B3, Falsehood B2, Family 
  Secret-wise B3, Read B2, Research B3, Rhetoric B3, Sorcery B4, Symbology B3, 
  Write B2
  -Circles-
  Relationship: My uncle, the evil necromancer (minor, other family, forbidden)
  -Gear-
  Finery, shoes, wizard’s staff (sustains Wyrd Light)
  -Spells-
  Phantasmagoria (Ob 3^, 56 actions), Spirit Servant (Ob 3, 50 actions), Binding 
  (Ob 2, 2 actions), Call of Iron (Ob 3, 2 actions), Wyrd Light (Ob 2, 9 actions), 
  Touch Not Sublime Flesh (see below for stats of new spell)
  Touch Not Sublime Flesh (Ob 3, 3 actions, Anima/Earth, Control, Personal 
  origin, Caster area of effect, Sustained duration, 6 rps): Ignoble, aggressive crea-
  tures (and persons) suffer a +2 Ob to attack or lay hands on this sublime flesh.
  -Weapons-
  Bare Fist--I:B2 M:B4 S:B6, Add 2, VA -, Fast, Shortest
  Staff--I:B3 M:B5 S:B7, Add 2, VA -, Fast, Long, Two-Handed, may Great 
  Strike
  
  --Theoden Vridel--
  -Concept-
  Idealistic Young Priest
  -Beliefs-
  Belief 1: [A belief about Hochen to be added by the player]
  Belief 2: [A belief about the character’s cousin or another player character to be 
  added by the player]
  Belief 3: Tudom is the light; Tudom is justice. I am an instrument of His Will 
  and shall serve Him until my dying breath.
  -Instincts-
  Always punish the wicked in kind for their evil deeds.
  Never take up arms.
  Always pray for the souls of the dead when at service.
  -Lifepaths- (Age 20)
  Born Noble, Lead to Religious, Temple Acolyte, Priest
  -Stats-
  Wi: B5, Pe: B4, Po: B4, Fo: B4, Ag: B4, Sp: B4, Stride 7
  -Attributes-
  Ref: B4, Ste: B6, Hes: 5, Hea: B4, MW: B10, Faith: B5, Circles: B2, Res: B0
  -PTGS-
  Su: B3  Li: B5  Mi: B7  Se: B8  Tr: B9  Mo: B10
  -Traits-
  Mark of Privilege [Dt CB, pg 155], Tonsured [Dt CB, pg 158], Vested [Dt CB, 
  pg 159], Faithful [Dt CB, pg 161]
  -Skills-
  Oratory B3, Suasion B5, Doctrine B4, Read B3, Write B4, Etiquette B4, 
  Religious History B2
  
  -Circles-
  Affiliation: 2D affiliation with the temple
  Reputation: 1D an idealistic young priest
  Relationship: cousin, an abbot (significant, other family)
  -Gear-
  Finery (vestments and courtly attire), riding horse, Writing kit, shoes
  -Weapons-
  Bare Fist--I:B2 M:B4 S:B6, Add 2, VA -, Fast, Shortest
  --Daniel Wigel--
  -Concept-
  Vengeful Peasant Hunter
  -Beliefs-
  Belief 1: [A belief about Hochen to be written by the player]
  Belief 2: [A belief about the character’s mother, brother or another player charac-
  ter to be added by the player]
  Belief 3: This village is symbolic of all the other villages in the duchy. If it falls to 
  evil, the whole duchy will fall as well.
  -Instincts-
  Practice Taxidermy when not on the hunt.
  Always bag something extra for mom.
  Always look for animal tracks.
  -Lifepaths- (Age 23)
  Born Peasant, Trapper, Woodcutter, Hunter
  -Stats-
  Wi: B4, Pe: B5, Po: B4, Fo: B4, Ag: B5, Sp: B6, Stride 7
  -Attributes-
  Ref: B5, Ste: B3, Hes: 6, Hea: B4, MW: 10, Circles: B2, Res: B0
  
  -PTGS-
  Su: B3  Li: B5  Mi: B7  Se: B8  Tr: B9  Mo: B10
  -Traits-
  Quiet [C-O for Speed CB, pg 284], Fortitude [C-O for Forte CB, pg 277]
  -Skills-
  Firebuilding B2, Hunting B3, Trapper B3, Mending B2, Foraging B2, 
  Orienteering B3, Tree-wise B2, Tree Cutting B2, Tracking B4, Stealthy B4, Javelin 
  B4, Haggling B2, Taxidermy B2
  -Circles-
  Relationship: beloved mother (minor, immediate family), brother who moved 
  to city and abandoned mother (minor, immediate family, hateful/rival)
  -Gear-
  Hunting javelins, Trapper kit, traveling gear, clothes and shoes
  -Weapons-
  Bare Fist--I:B2 M:B4 S:B6, Add 2, VA -, Fast, Shortest
  Hunting Javelin--I:B3 S:B6 M:B9, VA 1, 1D opt/1D ext, DoF: I:1-2, M:3-4, 
  S:5-6, 50 paces
  --Cerebirn--
  -Concept-
  Elven Wanderer with a shady past
  -Beliefs-
  Belief 1: [A belief about Hochen to be added by the player]
  Belief 2: [A belief about the character’s cousin or another player character to be 
  added by the player]
  Belief 3: I have been a wanderer, student and soldier in my short life. It is time now 
  to journey into the human lands and learn what I can from my younger brothers.
  
  -Instincts-
  The roads are dangerous. Always keep my bow at hand.
  When waiting, practice Bowcraft.
  When passing quietly by a door, always sing the Air of Gates.
  -Lifepaths- (Age 126)
  Citadel Born, Wanderer, Student, Lead to Protector, Ranger
  -Stats-
  Wi: B5, Pe: B6, Po: B4, Fo: B4, Ag: B5, Sp: B5, Stride 8
  -Attributes-
  Ref: B5, Ste: B6, Hes: 5, Hea: B6, MW: B10, Grief: B6, Circles B2, Res: B0
  -PTGS-
  Su: B3  Li: B5  Mi: B7  Se: B8  Tr: B9  Mo: B10
  -Traits-
  Born Under the Silver Stars [Char], Essence of the Earth [Dt CB, pg 82], Fair 
  and Statuesque [Char], First Born [Dt CB, pg 83], Grief [Dt CB, pg 83], Keen 
  Sight [Dt CB, pg 83], Lost [Dt CB, pg 280]
  -Skills-
  Air of Gates B4, Ballad of History B3, Bow B4, Bow-wise B3, Bowcraft 
  B2, Elven Script B3, Etiquette B2, Lyric of Law B3, Mending B3, Oratory B3, 
  Scavenging B3, Song of Paths and Ways B4
  -Circles-
  Relationship: cousin (minor, other family, hateful/rival)
  -Gear-
  Elven clothes, Elven shoes, traveling gear, mirrorwine, Elven bread, hunting 
  bow
  -Weapons-
  Bare Fist--I:B2 M:B4 S:B6, Add 2, VA -, Fast, Shortest
  Hunting Bow--I:B4 M:B7 S:B10, Reload 5 act, VA 1
   
  DoF: I:1-2, M:3-4, S:5-6, 1D opt, 2D ext, 100 paces
  
  --Fureard--
  -Concept-
  Dwarven Adventurer
  -Beliefs-
  Belief 1: [A belief about Hochen to be added by the player]
  Belief 2: [A belief about the character’s uncle or another player character to be 
  added by the player]
  Belief 3: A fair price can never be won without haggling. To fail to haggle is to 
  show a disrespect for the quality of the goods!
  Oath Belief: I swore to my uncle that I would bring back great wealth and fortune 
  for our clan.
  -Instincts-
  Never boast or brag about my great deeds.
  Never give up.
  Always be on the lookout for a dragon hoard!
  -Lifepaths- (Age 55)
  Born Clansman, Lead to Dwarven Guilder, Hawker, Lead to Dwarven Host, 
  Arbalester, Lead to Dwarven Outcast, Adventurer
  -Stats-
  Wi: B4, Pe: B6, Po: B4, Fo: B5, Ag: B4, Sp: B3, Stride 6
  -Attributes-
  Ref: B4, Ste: B7, Hes: 6/5, Hea: B5, MW: B11, Greed: B4, Circles: B2, Res: 
  B0
  -PTGS-
  Su: B3  Li: B6  Mi: B8  Se: B9  Tr: B10  Mo: B11
  
  -Traits-
  Accustomed to the Dark [Dt CB, pg 49], Bearded [Char], Greed [Dt CB, pg 
  49], Oathsworn [Dt CB, pg 49], Shaped from Earth and Stone [Dt CB, pg 50], 
  Stout [Dt CB, pg 50], Tough [Dt CB, pg 50], Squinty [Char], Adventurer [Dt CB 
  pg 51], Cool-Headed [Dt CB, pg. 273]
  -Skills-
  Appraisal B3, Artillery B2, Brawling B3, Climbinb B2, Conspicuous B2, 
  Crossbow B3, Firebuilding B3, Haggling B3, Herbalism B3, Inconspicuous B2, 
  Knives B2, Lockpick B2, Lost Treasure-wise B3, Man-wise B3, Obscure History 
  B3, Persuasion B3, Streetwise B3, Survival B2, Sword B3, Symbology B3
  -Circles-
  Affiliation: 1D affiliation with Antiquer’s Guild
  Relationship: Artificer uncle (minor, other family)
  -Gear-
  Dwarven plated leather (3D, ignores first armor damage), shoddy arms, shoddy 
  crossbow, Dwarven clothes, traveling gear, Dwarven Lockpick toolkit, shoddy 
  Herbalism kit, shoddy Mending kit
  -Weapons-
  Bare Fist--I:B2 M:B4 S:B6, Add 2, Va -, Fast, Shortest
  Shoddy Sword--I:B4 M:B7 S:B10, Add 2, VA 2, Slow, Long
  Shoddy Crossbow--I:B4 M:B8 S:B11, Reload 17 act, VA 2
   
  DoF: I:1-2, M:3-4, S:5-6, 2D opt, 3D ext/125 paces
  
  Thelon’s Rift
  Thelon’s Rift is a microdungeon drawn by Tony Dowler. A microdungeon is 
  an illustration of a dungeon map that contains only the barest of detail. It doesn’t 
  include distances, stats or anything mechanical. It’s a sketch of an idea meant to 
  inspire an evening of classic dungeon-crawl play.
  To demonstrate how you might use one of these dungeons, I’ll run through the 
  process and give the numbers for what I did.
  --Thelon’s Rift at the Table--
  Grab four players. Sit them down for a session of Burning Wheel. Tell them 
  that you’re going to do an old-school dungeon crawl. Tell them the name “Thelon’s 
  Rift,” in your best wizard voice. Do not show them the map.
  Also, once the characters enter Thelon’s Rift, there’s no retreat. There’s no rest-
  ing beyond spending a few minutes binding wounds. You either conquer the Rift 
  or die trying!
  Thelon’s Rift looks like a straightforward exercise, but some expertise in using 
  Burning Wheel is required for a successful run, moreso than The Sword or Trouble 
  in Hochen. If you haven’t run The Sword, do that first. You’ve been warned!
  --Thelon’s Rift Situation--
  To effectively play this scenario, we must all buy in to the situation. “An old-
  school dungeon crawl” is not enough. There has to be more motivation.
  
  Looking at the map, the two routes lead to one final chamber. The chamber 
  appears to have an orb-like object in it. Thus, I tell my players in my best wizard 
  voice, “You are questing for the Orb of Power.”
  If the players ask questions about the Orb of Power, I try to say yes to every-
  thing. “Is it valuable?” or “Can we wield its power?” or “Is it dangerous?” Yes, yes, 
  and yes. If I absolutely don’t want to say yes to something, I say, “Maybe. You’ll 
  have to recover it in Thelon’s Rift and discover it’s true nature!”
  --Thelon’s Rift Characters--
  You can burn your own characters, you can use the four friends from The Sword 
  or you can choose characters from the templates in this book.
  The characters should have only three of four player characters. Using only two 
  characters makes the scenario very challenging. I wouldn’t even bother trying to 
  make it through with one character.
  --Thelon’s Rift Beliefs--
  Players should write Beliefs for this sutuation based on one of three criteria: 
  recovering the Orb; helping or hindering another player character; or a purpose or 
  motivation from an external source like an enemy, a relative or religion.
  --Describing Thelon’s Rift--
  One of the features of the microdungeon is that it lacks any “boxed text” and 
  canned description. These little maps are intended to inspire you. So pour on the 
  overwrought descriptions for this scenario. Describe the mold on the walls, the 
  features of the stone face, the runes, etc. Really dig into it. Revel in the descrip-
  tion. Go overboard. Trill your Rs. Make you players roll their eyes--with delight, 
  of course.
  --Thelon’s Rift Obstacles--
  Each detail of the map is an obstacle. The following section offers a description 
  of how I chose to handle the obstacles. There are many more options. You can use 
  these or use your own. If you choose to use your own, it’s important that you don’t 
  do any prep work. Try to think of the obstacles on the fly.
  
  -Assessing the Obstacles-
  Except for the Lair and the Orb Room itself, it’s dark in Thelon’s Rift. The 
  characters will have to provide light, most likely in the form of candles from their 
  traveling gear. This means dim light for humans--+1 Ob to physical actions like 
  fighting and climbing.
  -Entry-
  The entry is a peaked arch. It opens into a natural cave. It’s only wide enough 
  for one person at a time but it appears to widen out ahead of you. You can hear the 
  sound of rushing water. The walls are very damp.
  -Spout-
  A giant face vomits forth a torrent of water across the passage. To cross the 
  stream requires an Ob 4 Speed test. 
  Failure to pass the Speed test throws the character down the well, wounding 
  him. Give him a Light wound.
  The face is a brilliant detail. It deserves attention during play. The players may 
  search the face for a mechanism with which they can stop the flow of water. An 
  Ob 2 Below-wise test will confirm that it is, indeed, a trap. It’s an Ob 3 Trapper 
  or Trap-wise test--maybe Ob 4 Tomb-wise--to successfully stop the flow of water. 
  Failing this test causes the eyes to roll slowly back and even more water to pour 
  out of the face, rapidly filling the well. This can complicate finding and traversing 
  the tunnel.
  -Well-
  The water from the spout pours down a 20-foot deep well. The water flows 
  out from the bottom of the well through a tunnel that leads under the Bridge of 
  Death.
  Climbing out of the well is an Ob 3 Climbing test. Hauling a character out with 
  rope is an Ob 4 Power test. Safely climbing down the well is an Ob 2 Climbing 
  test. Failure results in the falling water sweeping gear away down the tunnel.
  Traversing the tunnel beneath the Bridge of Death requires an Ob 3 Agility test 
  to grab handholds at the far end. Success indicates the character can pull himself 
  from the water to safety on the left side of the lair. Failure indicates he is swept into 
  the lair. He must make an Ob 3 Power test to grab hold of the lip of the channel 
  and hold fast. Success indicates that he pulls himself up, but on the right-hand side 
  of the lair. Failure indicates he is swept away and lost.
  
  -Door-
  The door is just a door. It works fine. It’s not trapped or rigged or stuck. You can 
  toy with the players a little bit, but don’t waste too much time here.
  -Runes-
  This room is covered with strange runes. A character must pass an Ob 3 
  Symbology test (common arcane symbols) to read them. If successfully read, the 
  runes speak of Thelon the Wizard. Apparently, this place is his tomb. The runes 
  also contain dire warnings about the Bridge of Death (but not the trap landing) 
  and the Orb of Power.
  If the runes are read incorrectly, the character learns that this place contains 
  the great Thelon’s mightiest work, the Orb of Power. To gain the Orb, one must 
  cross the bridge.
  -Trap Landing-
  The trap landing falls away when a character steps onto it. To leap to safety re-
  quires an Ob 4 Speed test. To grasp hands and catch a character is an Ob 3 Agility 
  test. To hold a character back by main force is an Ob 4 Power test.
  If a character falls down the trap landing, he is hurled onto the Bridge of Death. 
  If another character fails in an attempt to grasp or hold a falling character, he falls 
  too.
  If the GM is feeling generous, or if the players have an Instinct or just ask to 
  examine the landing, it is an Ob 3 Observation test to discover the trap. It’s an Ob 
  2 Trapper test to jam the mechanism so that it does not trigger when stepped on. 
  Don’t give this info out unless asked.
  -Bridge of Death-
  The Bridge of Death is covered by an evil enchantment. It radiates poisonous 
  power. Touching or stepping onto the bridge triggers an Ob 6 Forte test. Failure 
  causes Tax to the character’s Forte by the margin of failure. If the Tax knocks a 
  character unconscious, he falls into the stream below. He must be rescued before 
  he drowns. It’s an Ob 3 Speed test to race into the Lair to the aid of a drowning 
  character.
  If not rescued, a drowning character is swept away by the current and lost.
  If a character’s Forte drops below zero, he takes a B6 wound for the first die 
  below and B12 for the second die. That should be sufficient damage for the bridge 
  to live up to its name.
  
  -Lair-
  Silvery light pours down the stairs from the Orb chamber. The Lair is just 
  that, a lair of the guardian of the Orb of Power. I used the aptly named Formian 
  Guardian (Monster Burner, pages 260-261). Just one of these creatures is enough 
  to give a group of adventures a scare. The creature rests on the right-hand side of 
  the lair, across the water. If any hapless adventurers wash up on his side of the 
  channel, it’ll put their heads betwixt its mandibles and rattle their brains.
  If the adventurers emerge on the left-hand side of the channel, the Formian will 
  become agitated and pace the channel before it leaps and charges them. Give them 
  a moment to plan before you launch into them.
  I have also used an Ophidia (Monster Burner, pages 278-279) as the guardian 
  of the Orb. She’s not as tough as the Formian Guardian, but she’s more versatile. 
  She has decent fighting capability; she can engage in a Duel of Wits; and she has 
  sorcery.
  If time permits, I highly recommend using the Fight! system for this 
  encounter.
  If you’re playing with skilled Burning Wheel players, use the Nowhere to Run, 
  Nowhere to Hide rules in this book to spice up the positioning for this combat.
  -Orb of Power-
  Once the guardian is defeated, there is nothing left to bar the way to the Orb. 
  The Orb is a perfect, crystalline sphere resting atop a short pedestal specially built 
  to cradle it. It glows brightly with a silvery light.
  The first person to touch the sphere is possessed by the wizard, Thelon. The 
  character earns the Possessed trait and the Spooky trait. Thelon has a B6 Will, 
  which he will use liberally to control the character--especially to prevent him giv-
  ing away the Orb. His Beliefs are: I must seek my brother, High Priest Thonel, and 
  have him free me from this prison. My wife Noleth imprisoned me herein; when I 
  am free I shall wreak a terrible vengeance upon her. I shall strike any bargain at any 
  price with the first fool who grasps the Orb so that I might be free.
  Despite his third Belief, Thelon is supremely stingy is sharing his knowledge 
  and power. He tries to restrict his help to his B5 Sorcery-wise.
  If the players devise a plan to dislodge the Orb and carry it without touching it, 
  assign an appropriate Agility obstacle based on how dangerous their plan is.
  A Duel of Wits over who gets the Orb or what should be done with the Orb is 
  not only acceptable, it’s encouraged. In fact, it’s tradition!
  
  If the players manage to grab the Orb without getting possessed, it can be sold 
  off for ten cash dice of Resources.
  --Crawling Back Out--
  If the players took the water-filled tunnel route, they skipped the Runes, the 
  Trapped Landing, and the Bridge of Death. If you’re feeling particularly cruel, 
  you can play out these obstacles in reverse. The bridge will likely do them in. And 
  then the Trap Landing will dump them back onto the bridge...and the runes will 
  belatedly warn them they shouldn’t have gone this way. It’ll be dark comedy.
  However, you don’t have to play this out. If you’re satisfied with the events after 
  the Orb was recovered, call it a night there. Just smile beatifically and close your 
  books. Award artha before the players start to ask questions.
  -Let it Ride in the Rift-
  Thelon’s Rift is an excellent scenario in which to apply Let It Ride. If the players 
  tested to successfully bypass an obstacle on the way down, they don’t need to retest 
  to cross it on the way out. They would only need to test if they crossed the obstacle 
  with help or tools that they no longer possess. Or, in the case of the well, if going 
  back up isn’t the same as coming down. Swimming against the flow to get back 
  into the well isn’t the same as catching a handhold as the stream carries you past. 
  Thus, Let It Ride doesn’t apply there.
  --Creative Thinking in Thelon’s 
  Rift--
  The obstacles described in this short scenario are difficult and unforgiving. 
  Encourage the players to come up with creative solutions. At the very least, the 
  players should help one another and use linked tests to overcome obstacles.
  For situations in which the players are trying to mitigate a disastrous failure, 
  give them one chance or test to make things right if they come up with a creative 
  plan. The responsibility is on them to come up with the inspiration for such a plan. 
  If that plan fails, their fate is sealed!
  --Microdungeoneering--
  If you enjoyed romping through Thelon’s Rift, grab another microdungeon and 
  do it again. Try to use the same characters. Set up a new situation. cut right to the 
  
  dungeon. Don’t do any intervening roleplay. If a character was wounded, roll ran-
  domly to determine how much time has passed. Don’t do any prep work. Dome 
  up with obstacles on the fly. Keep the Monster Burner handy so you can bring in 
  some appropriate opposition. And have fun!
  
  Adventure 
  Burner
  This section takes you through a detailed approach for creating a Burning 
  Wheel game. I don’t recommend you use this text word for word every time you 
  want to start a game. I recommend you adopt the spirit of the process and forget 
  the rest. Use the ideas here to get you excited about stating games, then go off 
  and use these mystical techniques to create your own scenarios, adventures and 
  campaigns.
  At Burning Wheel headquarters, we’re fans of sketching and brainstorming. 
  We think those are vital parts of the creative process, so the chapter starts with 
  an exhortation to brainstorm. Then we walk through setting up a situation and 
  setting. I feel that only after you have a stuation and setting can you develop char-
  acters. You might feel differently and want to start with characters first and then 
  plug them into a setting. That’s perfectly acceptable. This isn’t a process per se. It’s 
  more like a punch list.
  The chapter also briefly discusses how to kick off your game or session with 
  action. This discussion is followed by a breakdown of how to challenge Beliefs. 
  Again, this is a chicken/egg situation. You want to write strong Beliefs, but how 
  do you know what to write them about? If 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 to con-
  sider when fleshing out our settings.
  This chapter is not a specific campaign burner like the Clan Burner or the 
  World Burner. We didn’t want to limit you to creating one type of story, thus we 
  chose to attack these ideas from a higher level. The Adventure Burner gives you the 
  
  tools to create your own individual campaign burners.
  --Definition of Terms--
  There are some terms that we’re going to lean on in the Adventure Burner chap-
  ter. Since this is the first time you’re encountering them in this book, we’re going 
  to stop and define them.
  -Characters-
  In this chapter we talk about characters that the players have burned up, re-
  lationship characters that the players have named during character burning and 
  straight-up GM-controlled NPCs.
  -Setting-
  The setting is the overarching container of play--the place, the age, the atmo-
  sphere. But setting in Burning Wheel is represented primarily by stocks, traits, 
  skills, and gear. It’s more than just geography. It’s culture and people. the geo-
  graphical aspect--the place--are just sketched out.
  -Situation-
  Situation is a problem in the setting to which the characters are inextricably 
  bound. In Burning Wheel, characters must fight their way through these prob-
  lems. There’s no other option.
  -Action-
  Action is the thing that’s happening right now. It’s the immediate, in-your-face 
  problem that is merely a part of a bigger problem as represented by the situation.
  --Chicken or Egg--
  To play this game effectively, you must create a situation. To have a situation, 
  you must have setting and characters. But setting doesn’t matter unless you have 
  a compelling and interesting situation. And characters must be firmly entwined 
  with both setting and situation. So which comes first? Chicken? Egg? Setting? 
  Situation?
  
  --Sketching and Brainstorming--
  To set up a game of Burning Wheel and create compelling setting, situation, 
  and characters, you and your group must toss around some ideas to narrow your 
  options and find a general aspect of the fantasy genre that interests everyone.
  We usually spend a session to set up a game and create characters. Though we 
  also sometimes do prep in email, we find it much more productive to make time 
  to do it all face-to-face.
  Draw on any source of inspiration at your disposal. If you recently read Greg 
  Keyes’ The Water Born and were inspired by the gods and mythology, don’t hesi-
  tate to propose pulling those gods into you game. If you recently watched Peter 
  Jackson’s film of The Return of the King and were inspired by Theoden’s speech at 
  Pelennor Fields, tell your firnds why you love it and why you want cataclysmic wars 
  between the forces of light and darkness in your game. If you just finished Mark 
  Smylie’s Artesia comics and love the flavor of his world--the intrigue, the politics, 
  the culture--you should propose using similar ideas in your game.
  Find a land, a place or a time that interests everyone in the group. Work with it 
  a bit--adding or adopting ideas. Get everyone involved.
  -GM’s Big Picture-
  To begin a game of Burning Wheel, one of the players has to have a strong 
  opinion, a vision. That player takes on the role of the game master.
  As the game master, your job is to approach the game with the fire of inspira-
  tion in your gut.You have an idea that excites you. You want to share it. I call that 
  idea the Big Picture.
  When you present that Big Picture to the players, you weave their feedback into 
  it. You want them to interact with this idea. You want them to have a stake in the 
  fate of this nascent thing. So we bend and stretch it as best we can to accommodate 
  the players’ needs. Some ideas don’t fit and are discarded from the start. Some will 
  wash out during play. While the process is not an equitable collaboration, there is 
  give and take.
  However, as you brainstorm remember this dictum: Limitations make things 
  interesting. Don’t try to include everything in your Big Picture. Limit it; pare it 
  down. When you decide not to include an element, devise a reason or logic behind 
  the decision. Likewise, when you expand the Big Picture to include input from a 
  player, share the logic of your decision. Why do these things exist (or not) in your 
  schema?
  
  The Big Picture is your world, but the term “world” is too big. World makes 
  you think you need to design an ecology and economy right off the bat. You don’t. 
  You need only sketch rough lines. Create a loose structure with indistinct borders 
  that you can detail in play. As you fill in each area, you learn how it works. When 
  you return to a place you established, it feels comforting--fostering a sense of space 
  and time.
  -Tone-
  Set a tone for your game. Tone is often tied directly to the setting. Some ex-
  amples include: straight historical (Barbary Tuchman’s A Distant Mirror), 
  mythological or mystical (Tale of the Heike: sort of historical but with magic and 
  heroes), fairy tale (William Goldman’s The Princess Bride), grim dark fantasy 
  (Stephen R. Donaldson’s The Mirror of Her Dreams, or Glen Cook’s The Black 
  Company) and adventurous in the vein of classic Dungeons and Dragons fantasy 
  (Terry Brooks’ The Sword of Shannara).
  -Loose Character Concepts-
  Toss around some loose character ideas. The GM’s Big Picture is a large circle 
  encompassing appropriate character concepts. Players state what type of character 
  they’d like to play, but they should also be ready to adapt as details get firmed up. 
  There will likely have to be some negotiation between the GM’s concept of the set-
  ting and the players’ character concepts. Try to accommodate all of the ideas that 
  make sense. Throw out everything disruptive or nonsensical. Actually, keep one 
  thing that doesn’t make sense. you might be able to make the anomaly compelling 
  as play develops.
  A word to the wise: Consider the lifepaths. Try to mold your concepts to the 
  existing lifepaths. Creating new lifepaths is possible, but it should be your second 
  option, not your first.
  -One-Sentence Setting-
  At this point you should have at least one sentence to describe the type of setting 
  in which you want to play. You should not have more than three bullet points.
  An ancient kingdom in which a prophesied king ruled justly, leaving it all to his 
  •	
  son upon his death.
  The last Elven citadel, still a shining example of all that the First Folk can 
  •	
  accomplish, a place of wisdom and grace.
  A broken land to which the Orcs were exiled after their dark lord was defeated.
  •	
  
  An arachnid empire that has spread its web over half a dozen continents, unify-
  •	
  ing different spider species into a deadly nation.
  The primordial forest that links to all forests.
  •	
  A land walked by gods who do not have the best interests of Men and beasts at 
  •	
  heart.
  --Burning Situation--
  Burning Wheel doesn’t care about topography, population, climate, cosmol-
  ogy, or creation myths of your world--unless--unless it matters. What matters in 
  Burning Wheel? Stuff that challenges the players’ Beliefs.
  -How Do You Challenge a Belief?-
  To successfully challenge a Belief, you first need to create believable context. 
  You need to draw the player into the world so that he cares about his character and 
  this challenge. *Then* you confront him.
  “Bloodshed in the name of violence is irreligious.” A Belief like that speaks of 
  pacifism. You cannot challenge it simply by saying “You’re in a fight!” Or even, 
  “Some guy picks a fight with you. What do you do?”
  You need to create a situation in which the player can make a choice about how 
  he will engage that Belief.
  A situation is something that contains choices. What 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. In the context of the game, you must have the 
  option to cut your own path.
  These choices lead to actions. Actions are tests or conflicts of the character’s 
  abilities. Resolution of an action produces a result that changes the situation, even 
  just 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 encompasses many fictional people, makint it easy for the 
  •	
  players to burn 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 most important, a situation is not easily solved, nor is it solved 
  •	
  through any one straightforward path. In fact, there is no correct solution, 
  
  only exciting action.
  All that is certain is that the situation must be confronted through adventure 
  and conflict. When the situation stops burning, when players can no longer find 
  conflicts to which they can attach Beliefs and Instincts, you know your game has 
  come to a rest.
  -How Does One Create a Well-Wrought Situation-
  Creating a situation requires a measure of passion, a slice of inspiration, a help-
  ing of determination and a good amount of patience.
  Think.
  •	
   Come to the table with an idea of something that excites you about 
  Burning Wheel or fantasy gaming or fantasy literature--it could be a charac-
  ter or even a situation borrowed from another story.
  Brainstorm.
  •	
   Everyone has an idea they’re excited about. Get it all out on 
  the table. I like to have everyone pop off an idea, and I write them down in a 
  list as they come.
  Be inspired. 
  •	
  Get excited about other people’s ideas. Repeat each idea aloud 
  as it’s announced. Roll it around on your tongue.
  Be merciless. 
  •	
  The other side of this friendly collaboration is to be merciless 
  and honest. Cut out ideas that don’t inspire you.
  Compromise.
  •	
   After you’ve all brainstormed about ideas that excite you and 
  hacked off the ones that didn’t, compromise. Merge what you have. How 
  can it all fit together? The GM is the main player in this role. It’s primarily 
  his job to take the ideas and build them into a coherent whole. Be imagina-
  tive. Create a warped internal logic. Each connection between two elements 
  creates a reason or paradigm. Explain this logic to the group.
  Use the following questions to get you started and talking. Again, the GM 
  should take a strong role in this, but he needs to honor reasonable requests, espe-
  cially for including character types. Try not to break the setting, but rather flesh 
  it out.
  What’s the conflict? What are the characters involved in? What are the 
  •	
  sides? What problem do they have?
  Who opposes the goals of the characters? Who are these antagonists? What 
  •	
  is the relationship between the antagonists and the characters?
  What are the antagonists’ goals? Why are the characters in their way?
  •	
  Imagine a scene in which all the characters are standing in a room with the 
  •	
  
  antagonists or their minions. What to the antagonists want from that meet-
  ing? What do the characters want? Parley, redress, slaughter?
  Alternately, imagine the characters standing at the scene of some great disas-
  •	
  ter or calamity clearly caused by one of the antagonists. What’s the disaster? 
  How did it happen? What are the characters going to do about it right now?
  And lastly, what’s the raison d’etre: Why are the characters together as 
  •	
  an inseparable group? What is the glue that binds them? Are they family, 
  neighbors, friends, or fellow employees?
  The situation for our recent campaign was as follows: The Ice Age comes because 
  Death has gained control of Fire’s Lantern. The Lantern gutters in Death’s care.  
  Mysteriously, you are dispatched on a journey by Death to find the Lantern and  
  decide whether or not to rekindle it. The conflict was two-fold. First, the players 
  had to successfully complete their journey. And second, they would have to con-
  vince Death in regard to the fate of the Lantern.
  Their opposition was frightening. When I considered the setting of walking 
  gods, I realized that their enemies were the gods who wished to see light and fire 
  extinguished eternally--Night and Cold. Those are two powerful enemies.
  From the outset I planned to have the God of Cold pursuing them, turning all 
  intheir path to ice. The God of Night would then offer to aid them in their quest... 
  if they would only perform a small service for him.
  Those were my big setting villains. More immediately, I planned to oppose 
  them with tribesmen who believed themselves to be the Chosen (not the players), 
  goblins who sought to cause mischief and lesser gods who simply wanted to get 
  their way despite the end times!
  This was a rather esoteric but high-stakes games. The last element of the situ-
  ation was the most important by far. Why are the characters together? What’s 
  the glue that binds them? We decided that they all ardently believed they were 
  Chosen of Death. Each had their own reason, but essentially they were zealots for 
  the god.
  I’ll talk more about the characters in the Characters section.
  --Burning Setting--
  When creating a setting for Burning Wheel, it’s important to acknowledge the 
  game’s limits. Though versatile, you cannot “do whatever you want” in this game.
  
  Burning Wheel doesn’t provide you with a map, geography or other setting 
  details, but there is a setting to this game. The lifepaths, traits and game rules 
  themselves create the setting. The atmosphere of this setting is passionate and 
  violent. It’s fraught with volatile emotions like faith, greed, grief, and hatred. The 
  people of this setting are trying to escape the grind of their daily life, looking for 
  something better. They are a colorful, quirky people--but often scarred or crippled 
  by their experiences.
  Look over the lifepaths and traits. Try to fit these ideas into your setting. If you 
  can make it work , your game will go smoothly. if you can’t make your ideas fit with 
  our intrinsic setting, you need to rethink your game.
  Technologically, Burning Wheel favors thirteenth-century France and twelfth-
  century China. The poor are very poor but surviving. The wealthy are very wealthy 
  but also teetering on the edge of ruin. Magic is extremely potent, armor is effective 
  and injury from a sword or bow is calamitous to the victim.
  By default, there are peasants, villagers and townsfolk. There is a noble rul-
  ing class and an elite class of magicians and priests. The age of the professional 
  soldier--mercenaries--has just dawned. Slavery and bondage are not uncommon, 
  and society casts out those who don’t fit or obey tradition--criminals, vagabonds, 
  insurrectionists and sorcerers.
  In addition to Men, there are all manner of fantastic peoples. The most robust 
  are Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, Trolls, Great Wolves, Great Spiders and Roden. Each 
  people has its own distinct culture that governs its abilities and outlook. These 
  peoples are heterogeneous--their cultures exist separately within the setting.
  All these elements exist in the default Burning Wheel setting. You can and 
  should remove or omit elements that do not appeal to you. Pare the default setting 
  down to what’s absolutely necessary to get your setting off the ground.
  Use the following questions for inspiration. Let the world builders in your 
  group go to town--the GM should take an especially strong role--but be sure to 
  accept input from all interested players. Try to answer these questions as succinctly 
  as possible and don’t spend more than a half hour or so on this part!
  What’s the Big Picture? What’s going on in this setting that makes it ripe for 
  •	
  adzenture? What’s changing, evolving, declining?
  What’s the culture? What are the cultural analogs? Analogs can be taken 
  •	
  from historical earth, current events or fantasy works.
  What is the environment or atmosphere like?
  •	
  What’s the name of the most important place in the setting? Not the capital 
  •	
  
  per se, but the place where the action goes down.
  What’s the name of a faraway place? A place that folks talk about, dream 
  •	
  about or mutter about under their breath?
  What type of magic exists in this setting? How is it viewed by the various 
  •	
  cultures?
  Which character stocks are in play in this setting? Which are restricted and 
  •	
  why?
  Who are the monsters of this setting? Are they outcasts, or are they a part of 
  •	
  everyday life?
  What’s the monetary currency, if any? Who collects the taxes? What do 
  •	
  people do for work? What’s the major economy?
  I’m going to run down the answers for these questions for our most recent 
  campaign:
  Big Picture: We played in this world in a previous game. We wanted to explore 
  more of it, but we didn’t want to rehash what we’d done. On the other hand, the 
  results of our last campaign were rather catastrophic: Fox God tricked Forest God, 
  Mountain God and Fire God to war with one another. This resulted in Fire God’s 
  Lantern being doused and stolen. We decided that in the aftermath of that divine 
  cataclysm, Death had come into possession of the Latern and an Ice Age had set in. 
  The question overhanging this world now was: Will Death extinguish the Lantern 
  for good and plunge the world into eternal darkness or would she rekindle it and 
  bring an age of rebirth?
  Cuture: We decided that some time had passed since Death had gained the 
  Lantern. In that time, an ice Age crept down from the north. Mannish civilization 
  crumbled into itinerant tribes, slowly fleeing before the inexorable cold. But in 
  addition to the tribes of Men, Trolls now walked the earth, protected from the sun 
  by the pall of gloom that preceded the ice.
  Environment: The Ice Age wasn’t complete. I decided that the campaign would 
  start on the ice and move south and west, finding verdant, still-living lands. But 
  if the group delayed, the weather would turn cold and the clouds would blot out 
  the sun. 
  The Most Important Place: This campaign didn’t necessarily have a central 
  location. It was a journey, a quest that traversed the world. In face, I made certain 
  that the  location of each session was markedly different than the last: a great cave, 
  
  a hidden glade, a goblin grotto, a mountain town, a rotting valley and the wind-
  swept plains.
  Faraway place: There were two faraway places in this world: the Land of Death 
  and home. One was at the end of the journey and the other was the beginning.
  Magic: Thor decided he wanted to play a summoner, so this world had 
  Summoning. Danny decided that his brother was a spirit binder, thus there was 
  also Spirit Binding. And,  despite the fact that gods trod the earth in many forms, 
  there was no Faith magic  present in the world. If you wished to entreat a god, ei-
  ther you bound him with  Summoning or encountered him through your Circles.
  --Burning Characters--
  -Character Concepts-
  When you’re burning up your characters, tie into details you’ve created for your 
  game. Review questions. Tie character into setting and situation.
  Continuing my example from the Setting and Situation headings, we had four 
  characters joined together by a love of Death--the power, not the practice.
  Thor decided he wanted to play a medicine man to treated with the dead. He 
  claimed  that he had received his powers when he died and was thrust back into life 
  by Death herself.
  Dro decided that he wanted to play a simple hunter who wished to guide his 
  companions safely to the Land of the Dead.
  -Group Burning-
  When you make characters, try to make them together as a group. There’s a 
  certain energy and camaraderie that only comes when all heads are bent to rule 
  books and pencils can be heard scritching on worksheets.
  If you don’t have enough Character Burner books for everyone, download the 
  lifepaths from our site and print them out. The books can be shared, but it does 
  slow down the process.
  Making characters together is pretty straightforward. Everyone announces his 
  concept in turn--as a last check to make sure everyone is still on the same page--
  and then tucks into the Burner. Choose your lifepaths. Divide stat, trait, resource 
  and skill points. Buy your gear. Write Instincts. Read off the Steel, Health, Grief, 
  Greed and Hatred questions. Hold off on relationships and Beliefs for a moment.
  
  -Hacking Lifepaths-
  If you’re stuck on finding the right lifepath to represent your setting, you may 
  use the following options. However, the modifications must be approved by the 
  other players first and then the GM gets final say. He can make suggestions to 
  modify or tailor your changes to the setting. This is his job: to ensure the setting 
  crates adequate adversity for your little guy.
  -Change the Name First-
  This method is by far the simplest, best option for modifying lifepaths to suit 
  your setting. Change a “knight” to “janissary,” for example. Sometimes that’s the 
  difference you need to make something fit. If that’s not enough, add a Wise or 
  skill to the path. Don’t change anything else. If that’s still not enough, change one 
  skill to something more appropriate to your setting. For example, if playing in a 
  Renaissance setting, you might need to change Bow or Crossbow to Firearms or 
  something similar.
  Sometimes the nature of your setting just doesn’t fit the lifepaths. To accommo-
  date the setting culture, consider changing *one* of the lifepath’s requirements--trait 
  or skill.
  Traits are a major part of the Burning Wheel setting. It’s tempting to toss them 
  out in favor of your new awesome setting. I urge you not to. Believe it or not, 
  behind each lifepath trait is a careful decision about game balance. So, it’s cool to 
  change the names of traits to suit the flavor of your game, but try not to change 
  their substance.
  -New Lifepaths-
  Sometimes your setting will include inventive twists that aren’t included in our 
  lifepaths. use the Monster Burner to create a new lifepath that suits your require-
  ments. Try to look in the various settings--Monster Burner, Blossoms or even 
  Jihad--for an analogous lifepath. Base your new path on that.
  Use this option sparingly.
  -Of Men and Monsters-
  Sometimes, a player is going to devise a character concept that simply cannot be 
  burned up using the existing lifepaths. For example, my friend once wanted to play 
  a half-lizard man. As discussed in the Monster Burner, there are a couple of ways 
  to go about this. you can do a straight, complete monster burn for the guy or you 
  can burn him alike a stock character and then just toss on some additional stock 
  traits to make him into a monster. You can also just pick a monster from one of the 
  
  various bestiaries and modify it to suit your needs.
  Chris and Danny chose more problematic characters. They didn’t want to play 
  Men.
  They wanted to play Trolls. Chris made a manhunter who claimed to be in love 
  with Death herself, but who also claimed to be a personal friend of Fire God.
  Danny decided to be difficult. There’s always one, right? He wanted to play a 
  half-troll, half-yeti. We used the Troll lifepaths to create the skeleton of the char-
  acter. The we replaced some of his Trollish traits with traits from the Greyman 
  in the Monster Burner. So rather than being scaly, he was hairy. He replaced his  
  Claws and Fangs with the Aura of Fear, and his Night Eyes with Keen Senses.
  -Cultural Traits-
  What cultural traits apply to the characters of this game world? Pick one to 
  three character traits for each culture (See the Character Builder, page 149).
  -Material World-
  Take a look at your material world. Can you make your setting more interesting 
  by imposing limits or restrictions? What weapons and armor are available? Are 
  some weapons and armor restricted to certain cultures or character stocks? What 
  property is available? Are resources and gear otherwise restricted?
  --Burning Action--
  You’ve got a setting, a situation and characters, so you’re good to go, right? 
  Almost, but not quite. You need an immediate problem in the setting to kick them 
  off. You need action. To create action, the GM makes a strong statement about 
  how the antagonists or their minions or the general forces of the setting are out to 
  make the lives of the characters difficult.
  These forces can attack the characters directly, attack their relationships or 
  property or even try to destabilize the setting itself. The GM sets up a scenario and 
  lays it out for the players.
  Alternately, the action can consist of a mission for the player characters--an act 
  they must undertake. The direction for the mission comes from one of their rela-
  tionships. The goal of the mission entangles them with their enemies. It shouldn’t 
  topple or directly confront the enemy. Build up to that.
  Two tribes--one of Trolls, one of Men-- meet at the prophesied place--the mouth 
  of a great cave. Both claim to be the Chosen of Death to undertake this quest.
  You are members of both tribes. You must strike an accord so that the tribes do 
  
  not slaughter each other and fail to complete Death’s quest before it is begun.
  In our game, a contest between the champions of each tribe was declared. The 
  winners would go on the quest.Once the ontests were decided, the group of Chosen 
  were led into the caves by Bat God. He led them to a chasm from which they had 
  to leap in darkness into River God and be swept away. Forte tests to stay conscious 
  once they hit the freezing, rushing river...and they were away on their quest.
  --Burning Beliefs and 
  Relationships--
  Now that you have setting, situation, characters and action on the table, the 
  players finalize any relationships their characters have and write Beliefs.
  The action as described by the GM should grab you by the throat. If your en-
  emies are acting against you, you should be narrowing your eyes, saying “No way,” 
  after hearing the description of their actions. If you’ve been sent on a mission, you 
  should be staring at the GM with conviction, saying “Nothing can stop me!”
  Write a Belief about the action. This Belief must be goal oriented.
  •	
  Write a goal-oriented Belief about helping, hindering or learning about 
  •	
  another player’s character.
  Write a non-goal-oriented ethical statement about the situation--you oppose 
  •	
  the situation on moral grounds; you’ll do the right thing no matter what; 
  you’ll follow your code despite the situation.
  Write a goal-oriented Belief about one of your relationships.
  •	
  Write an ethical statement about something you want to explore in the 
  •	
  setting.
  Chris wrote the following Beliefs for his Troll who loved Death:
  I must find a guide to aid me on this journey (or I will get lost).
  I must rescue the Lantern and keep it burning.
  I love Death. I will prove to her my potency and serve at her side.
  The action of our first session was a direct challenge to his first Belief: to prove 
  his love for Death and win his place on this quest at all cost.
  
  --Burning Mechanical Details--
  There are a handful of mechanical details that the GM and interested players 
  can noodle with to better customize the game for the setting.
  What optional rules from this book are you using? Make sure all of the play-
  •	
  ers are aware that these rules are in play.
  What’s your Resources cycle? One month, seasonal, six months, annual?
  •	
  If traditional Sorcery is used, what’s its idiom? Does it require speech? 
  •	
  Gestures?
  If traditional Sorcery is used, what spells are available? Which spells are inap-
  •	
  propriate to the game world? If Summoning is used, which orders are in play? 
  If Art Magic, what schools? If Death Art, which creatures are appropriate? If 
  Spirit Binding, which domains?
  If Faith is used, what is the Faith idiom? What are the religions? Is Faith 
  •	
  universal or does it only affect believers?
  -Resource Hacks-
  Are there special conditions on your world that necessitate characters begin-
  ning with certain resources, gear or relationships? If necessary, distribute 5, 10 or 
  15 resource points to each character so they may begin the game in line with the 
  vision of the world. Don’t take this one lightly. It can break the game. Err on the 
  conservative side.
  Does your world necessitate certain traits for survival? An apocalyptic waste-
  land, an undersea kingdom, sky realms, etc? If so, assign appropriate traits to the 
  characters so that everything fits and makes sense. These traits should mostly be 
  character traits, but low-end die traits are acceptable, too.
  -Burning Starting Artha-
  For games with a more heroic feel, start your players with a larger pool of artha-
  -up to three fate and three persona. To encourage your players to really dive into 
  their Beliefs, start them with the bare minimum of one fate and one persona.
  
  --Wrapping Up--
  The questions and bullet points in this chapter should have you primed to de-
  velop a functional situation and setting for a Burning Wheel game. This chapter 
  is little more than a sketch. For a more in-depth look at the individual mechanics 
  and how to use them in your games, check out the rather extensive Commentary 
  section. Beliefs, setting and situation all have individual Commentary chapters; 
  building a long-running game is discussed in the Running the Game chapter; col-
  laborating and being a good, supporting player is discussed in the Table Behavior 
  chapter.
  
  The Crucible
  
  Adventurers 
  Wanted
  This section contains lots of characters--not antagonists, but well-rounded 
  starting characters with three or four lifepaths each. You can use them for NPCs, 
  but they are intended to be used as quick-start templates for players.
  --Grab a Template--
  Grab one of the templates and jump right in. It’s a great way to start a game of 
  Burning Wheel. You can make a few modifications to the starting templates if you 
  feel the need. You shouldn’t change more than two of the following categories. If 
  you do, you’re probably taking too long for a quick-start character!
  **Lifepaths**--if you’re going to change a lifepath, you might as well just burn 
  a fresh character. If you add a lifepath to one of the templates, be sure to recalcu-
  late skill roots if the stats change.
  **Age**--you can add or subtract a year or two from the age if you really need 
  to. If you change a lifepath, change the age accordingly.
  **Stats**--you may shift a point between Will and Perception. You may shift a 
  point or two between your physical stats. Modifying stats will change your roots. 
  You’ll have to refactor all of your skill exponents accordingly. Not terribly fun!
  **Attributes**--you may not modify attributes unless the stat from which it is 
  derived is changed.
  **PTGS**--PTGS is only modified if Power and/or Forte are changed.
  **Traits**--you may trade out traits for traits of a similar cost.
  
  **Skills**--you may shuffle a few points between your skills, but you may not 
  lower a skill below its root value.
  **Circles**--you may change the descriptions for affiliations, reputations and 
  relationships but you may not change their values.
  **Gear**--you may swap out gear for items of a similar or lesser cost.
  **Spells**--You may trade spells for items of a similar or lesser cost. You may 
  also change the type of magic--traditional Sorcery to Art Sorcery, for example-
  -if it is appropriate. This is a significant change. Rather than rework the whole 
  character, trade your old spells, gear, orders and such for the new breed of magic 
  that you need.
  **Weapons**--You may change out your weapons for items of similar or lesser 
  resource cost. But note your skills. You don’t want to take weapons in which you’re 
  untrained unless you really know what you’re doing or have a strong reason based 
  on your character concept.
  --Grab a Campaign--
  Here are eight quick-start ideas you can use to spark your imagination for a 
  Burning Wheel campaign.
  --Human Stock--
  Knight, Brash Young Sorceress, Idealistic Young Priest, Peasant Hunter
  -The Situation:-
  A stalwart duke has given you all a writ, demanding the arrest of the prince for 
  a crime he perpetrated when he came through your village. The heir to the throne 
  is back in the capital city by now, nestled in the court of the most tremendous 
  metropolis humanity has ever built.
  -Beliefs:-
  Write a Belief about what you want from the prince and what you are willing to 
  do to those who bar your path. Write a Belief about life in the city. Write a Belief 
  about one of your comrades and how you feel about them going with you on this 
  quest.
  -Things to make up:-
  Name the prince. Name the village. Name the empire and its capital.
  
  -Nota Bene:-
  If you want the first arc of this game to be about the journey to the city, and 
  the second arc to be about the city and the heir’s crimes, Beliefs will have to be 
  changed accordingly.
  --Elven Stock--
  Elven Ranger, Elven Wanderer, Elven Sword Singer, Elven Bard
  -The Situation:-
  The Age of Elves is over and the Age of Humanity has begun. You are among the 
  last of the Elves to venture across the continent, making a final pilgrimage through 
  these lands, singing to the forests and giving the humans their last lessons.
  -Beliefs:-
  Write a Belief about something left by the Elves that the humans do not de-
  serve. Write a Belief about something dangerous: a relic or monster from the past 
  age that should be dealt with before sailing on to the West. Write a Belief about 
  something so beautiful that it could seduce you into staying in these lands, causing 
  you to eschew your immortal existence.
  -Things to make up:-
  Historical points along the way (ruined citadels and watchtowers, groves of his-
  torical importance, the lands where the Evil One blossomed and was struck down, 
  etc.). The name of the western port from which Elves sail.
  --Dwarven Stock--
  Dwarven Adventurer, Young Axe-Bearer, Dwarven Rune Caster, Dwarven 
  Tinkerer
  -The Situation:-
  A two-front war, with Elves to the west and Orcs to the east, is tearing the 
  Dwarven hold apart.
  -Beliefs:-
  Make a Belief about one of the fronts and why it is the more important of the 
  two. Make a Belief about peace and how it should be achieved. Make a Belief about 
  the prince and how the hold can best be supported.
  
  -Things to make up:-
  The most pivotal battles so far. Someone who is held up as a war hero and 
  someone else who is held up as a coward and a traitor by the Dwarves. Where do 
  veterans hand out in the hold? How do those who are against the war protest it?
  --Orc Stock--
  Goblin Nightseeker, Orc Warrior, Orc Sorcerer, Orc Head-Taker
  -The Situation:-
  The Orcs are being torn apart by factions: the wolf-riders, their spider minions, 
  and the Servants of Blood and Night. Each wants the hordes to unite under its 
  banner and march against a different enemy. These internal pressures will tear this 
  horde apart.
  -Beliefs:-
  Write a Belief about how you survived the cruelty and hatred rampant in the 
  wastelands. One of the faction’s leaders has done you wrong--write a Belief about 
  how you will get revenge on him. Write a Belief about something you will do for a 
  faction to gain its trust.
  -Things to make up:-
  What are the philosophies held by each faction? Where is the nearest human 
  outpost, Elven citadel and Dwarven hold? Each faction holds a geographical area 
  in the horde’s lands. Describe each area and any monuments there.
  --Troll Stock--
  Young Bridge Troll, Legion Battle-Troll, Horrible Monstrous Troll-Mother, 
  Charmingly Oafish Bull Troll
  -The Situation:-
  Orcs have claimed an ancient bridge that was built by the Trolls.
  -Beliefs:-
  Write a Belief about what you will do to the human knights, Elf sword-singers 
  and Dwarf axe-bearers who will undoubtedly bar your paths to the Troll-Bridge 
  Keep. Write a Belief about how you will deal with the Orcs who are squatting 
  in your ancestral birthright, turning this bridge cathedral into a charnel house. 
  
  Write a Belief about how you feel about other Trolls and the dream of finally hav-
  ing a homeland to call your own.
  -Things to make up:-
  Names, banners and some background for the humans, Elves and Dwarves 
  whose lands stand between the Trolls and the bridge. Three Orcs in the horde 
  who occupy the bridge. The bridge’s origins.
  --Roden Stock--
  Albino Spirit-Binder, Roden Cultist, Roden Adventurer, Roden Thief
  -The Situation:-
  Bodom’s Nest in the Field and Savk’s Nest Below are gearing up for war with 
  each other. You can either stop the war or profit from the bloodshed.
  -Beliefs:-
  Write a Belief about your inclinations toward war or peace. Write a Belief about 
  a goal that would be made far easier if war were to break out. Write a Belief about 
  a loved one who might come to harm should war occur.
  -Things to make up:-
  Name three movers and shakers in each nest; write a Belief for each. Something 
  lurks outside the nests and could threaten them both if they should become weak; 
  name this threat. Draw a crude and ugly map of both nests and the areas where 
  they overlap.
  --Great Wolf Stock--
  Dominant Wolf, Legion Wolf, Spirit-Chaser, Lone Wolf
  -The Situation:-
  A dark power threatens the hunting grounds. It devours all prey. Your pups will 
  go hungry unless you confront it. Other packs go mad and attack their own kin. 
  Can you rally them before it’s too late?
  -Beliefs:-
  Write a Belief about another wolf pack. Write a Belief about the source of the 
  dark power--even if you’re wrong. Write a Belief about your place in the pack or 
  how you feel about one of your fellow pack members.
  
  -Things to make up:-
  Make up three landmarks that mark the borders of the pack’s hunting grounds. 
  Decide what the dark power truly is. Assign the dark power voracious minions.
  --Spider Stock--
  Wolf Hunter, Hunter-Seeker, Wyrd Weaver, Wandering Star
  -The Situation:-
  You have been delegated to broker a peace between the Army of the Mother 
  Spider and the tribes of this human land. Your forces need rest and sustenance to 
  continue their campaign of conquest. The agreement need only be temporary.
  -Beliefs:-
  Write a Belief about why humans are so puzzling and difficult to understand. 
  Write a Belief about one “fact” that you are sure you know about humans. Write a 
  Belief about your mission and how you intend to help carry it out.
  -Things to make up:-
  Write a rough map of the human land’s details. There is a human cult that wor-
  ships a spider goddess. They will see the player characters as harbingers of their 
  fell goddess. Create a few cultists. Decide where they are hidden throughout the 
  human lands. One faction of the humans will capitulate to the spiders’ demands, 
  one faction will fight them to the death rather than make a pact with these abomi-
  nations. Sketch out these two factions.
  --Mobu City--
  All stocks, all lifepaths
  Mobu City is a Burning Wheel urban setting inspired by China Mieille’s 
  Bas Lag books, Perdido Street Station, The Scar and Iron Council. This process 
  is meant to take the familiar stocks of Burning Wheel and put them in a new 
  context, one in which the standard fantasy world is turned upside down and the 
  medieval social structures are breaking apart. The past centuries of conflict and 
  war are boiling to the surface, all contained in one sprawling, cyclopean metropo-
  lis built upon a foundation of grief, faith, greed, hate, and spite.
  This city is not a Tolkien-inspired fantasy campaign. The modern age is upon us 
  and the center of this modern world is Mobu City.
  
  -Situations:-
  You are part of a wave of newly-arrived refugees from a distant war, just arrived 
  in Mobu City. The others are resorting to selling drugs and their own bodies to 
  survive. Will you follow in their steps? Will you try to preserve the dignity of your 
  people?
  You are members of a proud military caste. Your corpulent superiors are selling 
  your banners and heirlooms to pay for their crumbling, decadent estates. Your 
  corps is now disbanded at last. You must enter civilian life. How will you make a 
  living? How will you get by without use of your sword? Or will you turn to murder 
  for pay?
  You have just gotten out of prison and must struggle to reclaim what remains of 
  your life in the city’s cruel streets.
  -Beliefs:-
  Your first Belief should be about something in the city that needs to change 
  and what your character is willing to do to make that change happen. Your sec-
  ond Belief must be about someone your character loves or hates in the city. Is it a 
  romantic entanglement, a cross-borough rivalry or loyalty to a troubled friend? 
  Your third Belief must be about doing your job and what you are willing to do to 
  make money.
  -Stuff to make up:-
  Who’s buying the drugs? What are the merchants selling and to whom? What 
  put the players in prison? Who holds power over the city? What does the archi-
  tecture look like? What are the different neighborhoods, districts and quarters? 
  Which stocks tend to live in each? What does the criminal class look like? Which 
  stocks are newly arrived immigrants and which have been there the longest?
  
  Commentary
  
  Commenting on 
  Commentary
  In this section of the book, we try to pass on all of our observations and insights 
  about Burning Wheel. We break the game down chapter by chapter, rule by rule. 
  We also try to talk about what happens at the table--stuff beyond the rule books.
  In each commentary chapter we discuss the rules, how they work and what 
  they mean. We talk about house rules and variations. And then we try to delve 
  into practical applications of the rules at the table. So there’s more than just us 
  blabbering about how much we like the Fight! mechanics. There’s pointers on how 
  to get more from the rules for your game.
  Traditionally in our section introductions, we list each chapter and give a sum-
  mary. There are too many chapters in this section! You’re just going to have to read 
  through and enjoy the process of discovery (or use the Table of Contents).
  The first half of this book is intended primarily for new or casual users of 
  Burning Wheel. This section is for expert users who want to get more out of their 
  games.
  The Commentary section isn’t meant to be read straight through. There’s no 
  narrative to it. Each chapter is largely independent of the others. Commentary is 
  meant to be taken in a bit at a time. Read a chapter to clear up confusion about 
  mechanics after one of your games. Or consult a chapter before your game to help 
  sharpen your situation. We feel these essays are all useful, but there’s too much 
  information to absorb in one pass.
  
  Table Behavior
  Rules give us the procedure for the operation of the system. They tell us how to 
  run the game, but there’s more to how we play than mechanics. What do players 
  do at the table when playing Burning Wheel? In this chapter, we highlight some 
  important habits at our table: referencing the rules, logging tests and artha, sup-
  porting the other players in pursuit of their goals, passing the spotlight and taking 
  notes.
  --Referencing the Rules--
  There’s a certain ebb and flow to the intensity of play in a roleplaying game. 
  Sometimes we’re all talking in funny voices, deeply engrossed in the situation. 
  Sometimes we’re slinging dice and crying victory or howling defeat. Sometimes 
  we’re an interested member of the audience. Sometimes we zone out. And some-
  times we need to reference the rules.
  There is no secret knowledge in the Burning Wheel rules. Everyone is encour-
  aged to know the rules of the game. Some players will have a better handle on 
  the rules than others. That’s only natural. But when a rules question arises, we 
  reference the rules: What’s that obstacle? What’s the practice time? What’s the 
  appropriate skill? Sometimes we all go to the rules at the same time. Sometimes 
  the referrer is the GM, but more often it is a player not directly involved in the 
  action who reaches for a book and reads aloud the relevant passage. it helps us all 
  become more familiar with the system. Our memories are subjective, faulty, and 
  unreliable. By relying on the rules, we ensure that calls are as fair and consistent 
  as the can be.
  It deserves mention that if there’s a dispute to be settled or interpretation to be 
  made about the rules, the GM is the lead player in the matter. We cite the rules and 
  leave the final call up to him. It is his role to challenge us, after all.
  
  -Master Your Role-
  Players are responsible for knowing their part. If you’re playing a knight, fa-
  miliarize yourself with Fight! If you’re playing a courtier, learn the Duel of Wits 
  chapter. If you’re playing a priest, read up on Faith. If you’re playing a sorcerer, 
  learn what your spells do and how to cast them.
  It’s considered very bad form at our table to not know the specialized rules for 
  a character you’re playing. You might not have mastered them, but make a reason-
  able attempt to absorb them. It’s the polite thing to do.
  One way to learn these specialized rules is to help refer to the rules during play. 
  We don’t expect you to memorize everything beforehand. We learn much better 
  by doing and referring in play.
  --Logging Tests and Artha--
  The best practice for logging a test for advancement is to wait until the moment 
  has passed, the test is resolved and the performance has ended. The spotlight will 
  inevitably pass to another player or the GM. Use that moment to quickly check off 
  your advancement. If you don’t know what the difficulty was, look it up--either on 
  page 42 of the Burning Wheel or on your character sheet.
  Do not be rude and interrupt the GM and other players asking for the difficulty. 
  If I could go back and make this a rule, I would: “If you interrupt another player 
  or the GM with a question about advancement, you lose the test for advancement 
  that you were trying to log.” The interruptions drive me crazy, especially since 
  they’re unnecessary.
  When you spend artha, the situation is different. You must announce the ex-
  penditure to the group and mark it off your sheet (and mark the progress toward 
  epiphany) as you spend it.
  Of course, when you earn artha, you should note that immediately as well, but 
  that’s not usually an issue.
  --Supporting Other Players--
  Supporting other players in pursuit of their goals is a more nuanced behavior 
  than referring to rules or logging tests. But it is an important habit at the table. It 
  requires measures of sensitivity, humility, fair play and a sense of drama.
  Supporting other players goes beyond passing a helping die, but it can start 
  there. If a player is in pursuit of a Belief, don’t jump on the test simply because you 
  
  have a better chance of succeeding. Offer to help the other player accomplish his 
  goal. Roleplay the mentorship and support.
  On the other hand, if you’re gunning for a goal, but you don’t need this test 
  for advancement, take a moment to roleplay your character asking for help. Make 
  an impassioned plea. Let another player step up and share in your moment. Help 
  them help you accomplish your goal.
  Another great way to support another player is to include his character in one 
  of your Beliefs. Write a Belief about helping, hindering or convincing another 
  player’s character. It’s guaranteed to benefit you both and you’ll get to share the 
  spotlight to resolve the situation.
  --Passing the Spotlight--
  Sometimes you have to take center stage when a Belief is challenged. However, 
  after you’ve accomplished a goal, think about how you can help your fellow players 
  accomplish theirs. Don’t be selfish in the spotlight. They’ve helped you, now what 
  can you do to help them? We’ve found that a session of Burning Wheel play often 
  revolves around one or two players driving the action while other players, who 
  aren’t as invested, play supporting roles. It’s a perfectly natural state, and those 
  roles change from session to session. We can’t all be in the spotlight all the time.
  As the GM, you must be conscious of this phenomenon as well. It doesn’t pay to 
  focus too heavily on one character--challenging only his Beliefs. This will stymie 
  the growth of the group. When I’m running a campaign, I try to pick one Belief 
  from two different characters to challenge in a session. During the session, I set up 
  the challenge for those Beliefs. Everyone else is expected to help or support those 
  players. Hopefully they have Beliefs about doing just that. Next session, I set up 
  challenges for two different Beliefs. This way, in our ongoing games, I work to 
  ensure the spotlight is shared over the long term.
  --Note-Takeing--
  At BWHQ we like extended campaigns. We like story lines that span sessions, 
  campaigns, characters and even groups! We foster this type of play by keeping 
  notes on our play. Usually a couple of players will note down the names of charac-
  ters met, places visited and items found. The GM logs Duel of Wits compromises 
  and winning statements. And sometimes a player will keep an obsessive log of all 
  his character’s accomplishments.
  After playing this way for many years, we have a sprawling archive of material 
  
  from multiple campaigns. Honestly, it’s a bit daunting. Since it’s all scribbled in 
  notebooks, it can be hard to find a particular piece of information. However, it’s 
  incredibly inspiring. I can grab a notebook, flip through it and not only remember 
  some good times, but be inspired for other stories for those characters--stat blocks, 
  scrawled notes, careful plans and lists of names.
  There’s plenty of downtime in a game when the spotlight is on another player 
  or the GM is in the bathroom. Instead of rewriting your equipment list (again), 
  checking your email or tuning out, take some notes. Jot down what you’re think-
  ing about the campaign. Write down your friend’s hilarious in-character outburst. 
  Record the name of the fortress you just conquered. The notes will pay dividends 
  in the long run. We use notebooks and a folder full of notes for each campaign. 
  Some folks like to use online documents and wikis, too.
  
  Running a Game
  The Burning Wheel books provide procedures for creating a character, enumer-
  ating player goals, resolving conflicts and changing characters over time. Yet the 
  text does not provide instructions on how to combine those elements and run a 
  session, adventure, or campaign. This chapter contains loose commentary on how 
  to run a game of Burning Wheel. We’ll get into specifics in the individual com-
  mentary chapters.
  --One-Off--
  A complete game of Burning Wheel can be played in one sitting. In this case, 
  the situation must be a one-act story with one goal to push toward. Complications 
  in attaining the goal and the resolution o the goal make up the action for the ses-
  sion. Burning Wheel sessions of this type run from two to six hours.
  Here are some of the one-offs I’ve run: a tribe of Orcs attempts to overthrow 
  its leader; a delegation of Elves comes to congratulate a Dwarven prince upon his 
  coronation, but they forget to bring a gift; four adventurers find a magical sword 
  and debate who keeps the treasure; four Elves journey to a lost island to end their 
  kin who have become Dark Elves; a family gathers to cremate their grandfather 
  and divide his patrimony; and a ragtag group of adventurers must aid a town 
  plagued by a violent demon.
  During a one-off session, don’t worry about tracking advancement. Don’t track 
  artha for epiphanies. Most players will focus on one Belief in a one-off session. 
  Once they’ve make a statement about that Belief, challenge it. You’re not going to 
  get a second chance. If a player is struggling with a Belief, try to push for a climax 
  that threatens or changes that Belief. Otherwise, don’t worry about challenging 
  each Belief in a one-off. Drive toward the action with players who are interested 
  and focused. Other players with tangential Beliefs need to dive into the action and 
  
  participate--encourage them, but don’t coddle them.
  When starting a one-off session, it’s vital that the GM be explicit about the 
  situation. Before characters are chosen or burned, he must tell the players what the 
  goal of the session will be. He’s not obligated to reveal any secrets or spell it out, 
  but he must tell the players what’s going on. Doing so allows the players to make 
  more directly applicable choices for their character--Beliefs, skills, wises, gear--and 
  thus get right to the action.
  -Single-Session Goals-
  The Sword and Thelon’s Rift are both examples of one-off play. The Sword has 
  one main conflict: Who will take the sword? The results of that conflict can spin 
  off into other conflicts--a brutal fight, an impassioned argument, a race for the 
  surface. Regardless, the scenario ends once the ownership of the sword has been 
  indisputable asserted or all parties have agreed to compromise.
  Thelon’s Rift is another style of single-session play. The players are given a goal, 
  “retrieve the orb,” and a series of obstacles are placed in their path. Note that there 
  are about four obstacles that lead to one fight. How the players handle the ob-
  stacles determine the state of the fight. They can walk into it fresh and smart, or 
  they can wash up bedraggled and in trouble. The results of the action in Thelon’s 
  Rift often lead to a Duel of Wits about the fate of the Orb. And occasionally, we 
  play out a return trip through some of the obstacles.
  Thelon’s Rift is a good example of a solid, four-hour session. There are about 
  half a dozen obstacles total and the potential for a Duel of Wits and Fight! That’s 
  a standard Burning Wheel session. In this case, the scenario wraps up neatly at the 
  end of the session.
  --Short Campaign--
  To run a short campaign of Burning Wheel, you’ll need a setting and a situa-
  tion with two goals. One goal should be obvious and explicit, similar to a one-off 
  session goal. The second goal should be occluded and emergent. It presents itself 
  after the first goal has been accomplished or failed to be accomplished.
  How long is short? We recommend 4-15 sessions. In four sessions, you can ac-
  complish quite a bit, but don’t have room to advance many abilities. In 15 sessions, 
  you can usually see one full cycle from a starting character through a trait vote 
  with plenty of advancements.
  You have more time to stretch your legs in a short campaign. Yo can afford do 
  
  more broadly address individual Beliefs. However, you still need to stay tightly 
  focused on the resolution of the situation at hand.
  Plan on confronting the first goal at the end of the second session or the begin-
  ning of the third. However, don’t start slow. Start off the first session of a short 
  campaign with action--a confrontation, a fight, a dispute, an argument, a ceremony 
  or a mystery revealed. Use this action to engage the players; challenge a Belief or 
  two right out of the gate.
  Once you’ve accomplished that first goal, the players will have new ideas about 
  their Beliefs. Encourage them to change them. Prepare to be taken by surprise. 
  Prepare to have to scramble to challenge them.
  Your second goal is a twist or revelation presented at the conclusion of the first. 
  It is not an unconnected surprise. It’s a natural outgrowth from the action thus 
  far. This twist is revealed in the action of completing that first goal. You topple 
  the duke, but you learn that your wife is pregnant by him. You gain a pup from an 
  opposing wolf pack, but now you’re embroiled in a war with the gods, and so on.
  -Long-Term Mechanics for Short-Term Play-
  In a short campaign, it’s possible for the players to accomplish micro-goals 
  from session to session--changing a Belief at the top of each session to reflect 
  their immediate goal. This is perfectly acceptable. Also, encourage them to track 
  advancement. You’ll probably see advancements in session three or four. Don’t 
  worry about tracking epiphany artha--unless you plan to return to these charac-
  ters in the future. An epiphany typically requires about 30-50 sessions of play to 
  accomplish.
  Lifestyle maintenance cycles depend on the pace and passage of time in the 
  fiction. If you’re playing a taut, thriller-like story that happens over the course of a 
  week, then you won’t need the lifestyle maintenance rules. If you’re playing a short 
  campaign about a war that spans a year--with significant downtime between the 
  battles--then you’ll want to agree on a maintenance cycle.
  Also, at the end of a short campaign, take time to perform a trait vote. It is 
  an excellent way to reflect on the game and cement the characters in the group’s 
  imagination. It is also a nice reward for all of your hard work.
  --Long Campaign--
  Burning Wheel is meant to be run as a long campaign. The system cre-
  ates growth and change in the character--Beliefs and Instincts change, abilities 
  
  advance, injuries reduce your bilities, new traits are earned and old ones lost. In a 
  long campaign, these events happen inevitably and repeatedly. Thus the character 
  changes not once, but gradually, constantly, as the story progresses. I find this style 
  of play immensely satisfying.
  How long is long? To us, a long campaign is just getting rolling around session 
  12. At this point, all of the original Beliefs are resolved and now we’re really dig-
  ging into the setting.
  For a long game, it’s important to have a big, loose setting. The GM and the 
  players need to have an idea of the culture, the customs, the mores and even the 
  prejudices of the people they are playing.
  However, the pregnant situation that kicks off a one-shot or short-term game 
  is also vital to the success of a long-term game. You must jump into a long-term 
  game with action and you must move from action to action. When a goal is ac-
  complished, it reveals new information, a new situation that changes the players’ 
  perspectives. Players must modify their Beliefs to accommodate this new informa-
  tion. If you reach a point and players don’t wish to modify their Beliefs, you’ve 
  reached the end of your game.
  In a long-term game, track advancement and log artha expenditures for epipha-
  nies. Keep a practice journal. At least one player should take notes on important 
  NPCs met, compromises reached and other important events. Perform a trait vote 
  every 6-12 sessions.
  Reincorporate old NPCs. Old characters encountered in the early days of the 
  game return with a new perspective and new goals.
  Revisit locations. Recurring locations help create a sense of place in the game. 
  You can indicate progress or change in the setting with descriptions of how certain 
  locations have changed during the course of the story. The players can also directly 
  change these places--buying them, destroying them, liberating them. This in turn 
  creates a sense of ownership, which translates into ownership of the story itself.
  Engage with the practice and lifestyle maintenance cycles. When a character 
  absolutely must recover from an injury, use this downtime to allow the other 
  characters to accomplish long-term aims. Their progress is described in terms of 
  practice cycles--intriguing at court? Practice Etiquette. Scouting a city? Practice 
  Streetwise. Imprisoned? Time to do pushups for two hours a day and practice your 
  Power.
  When you reach a lull in the game, don’t be afraid to set it aside for a while. 
  Talk about the setting, the characters and the events. Find out what parts of the 
  
  setting interest the group. Pick up the game again and address those interests. Or 
  play from a different perspective. Same setting, but different characters. We’ve 
  used one of our settings to play out a dozen campaigns from a variety of different 
  perspectives. From adventure to adventure, some characters recur, some are new. 
  This practice truly gives the setting a feeling of life and depth.
  --One-on-One Games--
  Some of my favorite campaigns have been one-on-one: one player and myself as 
  the GM. These games are intense. You have to be very focused. There’s no way to 
  turn aside to another player and get a break while your brain chews on a thorny 
  problem.
  In my experience, this intensity makes the sessions shorter than they would 
  be for a larger group. My one-player sessions lasted between two and three hours. 
  Never longer. They’re exhausting since you can’t pass the spotlight and rest or 
  reflect.
  Mechanically, the system works fine in this mode except for three aspects: help, 
  artha and trait votes. Help is a problem since there is only one player--and help is 
  a vital part of the system that ties deeply to advancement and learning new skills. 
  To remedy this, play strong NPCs and use them as surrogate PCs. Build close 
  relationships. Let the NPCs help and be helped during play.
  The artha awards for MVP, Workhorse and Embodiment are tricky. They are 
  derived from a group vote. It’s too easy for the GM and player to lazily agree that 
  all awards are deserved. Or too easy for the player to sit back and let the GM hand 
  out the rewards as he sees fit. Neither of these scenarios are acceptable. Both player 
  and GM must be pin, honest, and critical of the session. They need to both look at 
  the session with dispassion. Be harsh critics. Your play will benefit greatly from it.
  Trait votes are difficult in a manner similar to group-determined artha awards. 
  It’s too easy to be lazy and just toss on benefits. The player and GM must be critical 
  of the play and look at it with an open mind. Procedurally, the GM plays a dual 
  role in the trait vote. He acts as both the group and the GM. It’s quite a bit of 
  power. he judges the player’s performance and determines what trait is appropri-
  ate. He determines what traits are valid to be removed. It’s a bit stressful, but also 
  very refreshing. It’s a tremendous venue for deeply changing a character. A one-on-
  one game will transform you and the way you play.
  A group game is more like a little party, but a one-on-one game is more like a 
  date. The intimacy, for lack of a better word, can be intimidating. There’s nowhere 
  
  to hide! Still, the experience is very rewarding. Try it out.
  --Practical Action--
  Burning Wheel is a game about action. Characters take action in service of 
  their Beliefs to accomplish their ends.
  -Options and Questions-
  To keep action interesting, there can be no set outcome to the situation. Both 
  player and GM must be prepared for a beneficial or harmful outcome, but the GM 
  holds the greater responsibility in this process.
  When the GM presents an obstacle for you to overcome, there must be an 
  explicit question about its resolution. Your nemesis, the cardinal, visits your cell. 
  You’ve been condemned. He represents your only possibility of redress, yet you 
  hate him. Will you treat with him or will you go stoically to your fate? If you treat 
  with him, will you plead, bribe or spell your way out of this situation?
  It there’s no question, consider Saying Yes to his action and moving on.
  Fights and arguments in Burning Wheel have uncertain outcomes. They pres-
  ent their own inherent questions: Will you survive? How much will this cost you? 
  But again, if there’s no question--if an opponent is unassailable--don’t play out the 
  action. Move the story along to the point at which there is a question with uncer-
  tain outcomes. You can’t defeat the giant in single combat, you’ll be destroyed in 
  a single blow. But can you outwit him? Can you escape his dungeons? Those are 
  questions whose outcomes we don’t know. Their resolution will provide us with 
  interesting play.
  --Practical Situation--
  -Simple Motivations-
  When devising problems to be solved in fantasy roleplaying games, it’s easy 
  to run away with complicated, outsized ideas. The classic example: We must save 
  the world! Why? Because the forces of ancient chaos have arrived to annihilate it! 
  Great. Who cares?
  Such situations are tempting because they are full of awe and imply heroic 
  deeds. Burning Wheel is not suited to stuff like that. Burning Wheel operates 
  best with simple, human motivations: greed, jealousy, grief, hatred, zealotry, love, 
  despair, fraternity, etc.
  
  Place these themes at the core of your situation and build out from there. Give 
  your characters motivations based on these simple emotions and Burning Wheel 
  will sing.
  Even if you’re conducting an old-school dungeon crawl, make your dungeoneer 
  hateful and bigoted or motivate him with loyalty and friendship. The Goblin King 
  at the center of this hellish pit might be motivated by unrequited love for the noble 
  knight’s beautiful sister. Motivations like these help the actions make sense. They 
  give structure around which you can easily wrap Beliefs and Instincts. And most 
  important, they allow you to start from a believable center and grow out into the 
  realm of the fantastic.
  The key to creating an epic game in Burning Wheel isn’t in the shade of the 
  villain’s abilities, but his motivations. These motivations must be made compre-
  hensible, even sympathetic. Make the core of your story small and set it against a 
  large backdrop. Your game will take on an epic scope.
  --Practical Situations in 
  Continuing Games--
  It’s one thing to set up a neat world and have an interesting starting point, but 
  how do you continue that game?
  -Last Time...-
  You can pick up right where you left off. Briefly recap the last session. Drop 
  the players right back into the action. This is a basic technique that works well for 
  resolving cliff-hangers and other unfinished action. It’s easy for the GM because he 
  doesn’t have to do a lot of new work for the next scene.
  The GM can and should use the break between sessions to add a new twist or 
  dimension to the situation. Bring in a relationship to help or an enemy to hinder, 
  or use a previous failure result to add a new twist. Be sure to add this new obstacle 
  to the end of the recap of last session.
  The players are welcome to modify or change Beliefs to suit developments in 
  this ongoing problem.
  -Our Intrepid Adventurers Recently Discovered...--
  You can use a recap method that takes the last bit of action ant restates it as 
  a kind of prologue for the coming session. This works well with big revelations. 
  Restate the discovery. Rattle off a number of the players’ options for dealing with 
  
  the situation. Give theme a few minutes to discuss. Then hit them with a new twist: 
  a relationship comes to see them with more information; an antagonist makes a 
  move against an ally; or an antagonist makes a move directly against the group.
  This technique is most easily used at the top of the session, but it’s quite effec-
  tive during a session, too. If the players lack direction, you can stop the bickering 
  and say, “You recently discovered that the twelfth daughter of the Queen Mother 
  of the city is a sorceress and in love with Ian’s character. What are you going to do 
  about it?”
  -Meanwhile...-
  If your group is split up, you must switch the spotlight between the two seg-
  ments. I find it effective to start the session with a Meanwhile, focusing on the 
  group that was inactive at the end of the last session.
  Describe the situation of both groups. Let the players write or modify Beliefs. 
  Focus the action on one part of the group. Allow them to overcome or resolve one 
  obstacle. Cut back to the other group and do the same. Try to keep each cut to five 
  to 10 minutes. Don’t make the cuts back and forth with die rolls. Sometimes you 
  can even intertwine tests between two separated groups. Set up a test and have one 
  group throw the dice. Cut to the other group roll for their test, but then cut back 
  to the first group and determine their results. Ant then finally jump back to the 
  second group for their results. It can be a nice tension-building technique.
  Once the action is resolved, narrate the groups rejoining. “After your harrowing 
  experiences, you meet again on the far side of the marsh.” Or, “Later, back at your 
  apartments in the city, you discuss what happened.”
  Of course, if one group is in great danger, the other players may have to come to 
  the rescue. It this is the case, don’t make the captured or dangling group wait too 
  long. Frame an obstacle to the rescue and resolve it. Dig right into the real action 
  of the situation--players helping one another in a heroic fashion.
  You can also use Meanwhile situations to demonstrate what the antagonists are 
  doing or to show off a piece of the Big Picture. Once the players have resolved a 
  situation--especially one that transpired over a long period of game time--hit them 
  with a Meanwhile: “Meanwhile, the Society of Professional Mourners has set up 
  an office in the funerary district. You hear about it from some of your clients.” Or, 
  “Meanwhile, while you were out traipsing around the countryside, the Council 
  has passed a law restricting the practice of magic in the city.” You can use these to 
  showcase the effects of the players’ actions in the setting and foreshadow the next 
  situation.
  
  Born from your setting and situation, such simple statements can galvanize a 
  group and spur them on to creative action--especially if they challenge Beliefs.
  -Later...-
  The GM controls the pacing of the game. If he feels the game is stalled or drag-
  ging, he must reframe the action. He briefly narrates a jump in time and then 
  describes the current, more pressing situation to the players. It’s the perfect op-
  portunity to grab one of the player’s Beliefs and confront him about it.
  Don’t say,  “You finish that and wait.” Put the players right into the throat of a 
  problem they can’t ignore. Tell them, “Your hearing goes poorly. You’re conducted 
  back to your cell to await the verdict.  After an interminable, undefinable amount 
  of time, the cardinal--your nemesis--is admitted to your cell to give you absolu-
  tion.” What will you say to the cardinal? Will you try to escape judgement?
  This technique is very powerful, but take some care in using it. Players will often 
  want to interject some action or detail. “Oh, before that I wanted to go shopping.” 
  Say no. Tell them there was no time. This is a GM superpower. You control pacing. 
  You get to set the scenes. Of course, if you honestly forgot a pending request, you 
  should honor it. Don’t be a dick but don’t let players dither.
  -When Do You Back Off and Let the Players Take the Reins?-
  It’s important to keep the action moving, to keep the players interested and 
  engaged. After a good, strong run, players will be exhausted and out of ideas. Their 
  characters will be beat up, in need of rest and recuperation.
  You do not want to rest up the characters before every dramatic situation. The 
  whole point of being wounded or suffering similar penalties is that these modifica-
  tions make the next action more dangerous, more challenging. If the players are 
  allowed to gather their strength before every encounter, then the penalties lose 
  their value, which causes success and failure themselves to lose their value.
  Thus, you must strike a balance. You must push the players and threaten their 
  characters. You must harry them, work them. But once they have accomplished 
  that great goal in their Beliefs, you must back off. Once the situation has been 
  resolved or substantially changed, you must give the reins to the players. You must 
  frame the action so they can rest and consider their options.
  Even so, unless you’re ending a campaign, you must constrain their choices. 
  Give them a set amount of time or resources to use. Give them a month to rest and 
  practice, for example. During that time, they can make Resources tests. At the end 
  of the rest period, something happens: An event transpires that challenges their 
  
  Beliefs in an unexpected way.
  Certain savvy players will build rest, recuperation and refitting into their 
  Beliefs. They’ll create personal goals that seem to dodge the situation and create 
  room for them to lessen the impact of injury, tax or loss. Don’t get flustered by this. 
  It’s a beautiful thing and perfectly valid within scope of Burning Wheel. Don’t 
  forget: Your job, as GM, is to challenge their Beliefs, whatever they may be. So if 
  the players write Beliefs about replenishing lost gear or recovering from wounds, 
  run with it. Challenge them: Pester them as they recover; Tax them as they save; 
  summon them for duty when they practice. The story will spin in unexpected di-
  rections with this action. The players will gain a new perspective, you’ll generate 
  hooks for future developments and resting won’t be quite so easy.
  Of course, if they resolve their Beliefs, they should be given time to rest and refit 
  as per their goals. As they recover, hit them with a a Meanwhile situation. Or when 
  they’re done, frame the action with a Later situation. Keep things moving!
  If there’s truly no action or situation to be resolved, then don’t play out the rest 
  and downtime at all. Simply set a length of time and allow players to log practice, 
  recovery and jobs as appropriate. Don’t forget the lifestyle maintenance tests!
  
  Situation 
  Commentary
  I believe stories are best told through the actions of their protagonists and 
  antagonists. However, this statement is simplistic. It’s not enough to have protago-
  nists and antagonists. To have drama, we need the seed of a problem that will drive 
  the characters into conflict.
  We call this seed “situation.” A situation takes a handful of elements from the 
  bigger setting, places them in context and pits them against one another. Many 
  forces are at work, all vying for dominance. The outcome is uncertain.
  In this chapter, we offer commentary on creating and playing through situa-
  tions in Burning Wheel. We discussed the Big Picture in the introduction--a 
  setting fraught with peril ant all manner of interesting characters. It seems like 
  that would be all you need to get a game rolling. Unfortunately, starting out with 
  only characters and a setting makes playing Burning Wheel harder than it needs 
  to be.
  That’s where we come in. To play Burning Wheel, we need a Big Picture and 
  this smaller situation. Once we have them, we can design our characters so that 
  they are part of this world. They have a role in it, a stake in it. They feel at home. 
  They care about it, or, conversely, hate it.
  We need to wind your character up and launch him into the situation. You 
  know the forces at play. You know your role. Write Beliefs that thrust you into 
  action. They tell us that you’re going to enter this space and do something. We 
  don’t know the outcome, but something is going to change. In the course of this 
  action, other unanticipated elements will be revealed and create new situations. 
  New Beliefs will be written to address new situations. Action will spin off into 
  
  unforeseen directions. Play will be interesting and exciting.
  --Three General Situations--
  There are three general types of situation in fantasy roleplaying: the quest, the 
  struggle and intrigue. They are not mutually exclusive to one story, but they exist 
  discretely within a narrative.
  For example, a lost artifact must be recovered so that an evil may be confronted. 
  Heroes risk their lives in this quest. Meanwhile, the armies of evil swarm over the 
  land in an overwhelming tide. A small band of men must rally their beleaguered 
  allies and stand against evil at any cost. While in the halls of power, the struggle 
  and the quest have unearthed ugly truths about the ruling class. These revelations 
  must be carefully navigated lest they topple the very order that all now fight to 
  uphold.
  That example outlines an epic campaign. However, your game dies not need to 
  be nearly so involved, especially at the outset.
  It’s best to pick one of the archetypes and work from there. Flesh out the 
  situation at hand, and perhaps leave hooks for the other tropes to tie in later if ap-
  propriate. In general, a campaign will be mostly of one type, with flourishes from 
  the other two types.
  -Quest-
  A quest is a journey to a foreign, lost or exotic place to recover a person, artifact 
  or piece of knowledge. Quests can be epic in scale--to Mt. Doom--or local--to the 
  attic above or the sewers beneath your home.
  Quests contain stories of self-discovery, mastery and coming-of-age. If we’re 
  aiming for a quest story, then one of your Beliefs might be about:
  Seeking the missing thing
  •	
  Learning something about the object of the quest, ideally from someone or 
  •	
  something unwilling to hand over the information
  Beating others who seek the same thing
  •	
  -Struggle-
  In a struggle, our protagonists face overwhelming odds against which they 
  must fight. While at first it may seem the protagonists fight for survival or self-
  interest, ultimately, they fight to change the established order. Revolutions, wars 
  of succession and wars of resistance are all classic struggles.
  
  Struggles often include stories of self-sacrifice, coming of age, justice and other 
  loaded values.
  If we’re struggling for something, one of your Beliefs should be about:
  An idealistic (perhaps even naive) statement about the politics, region or 
  •	
  philosophy of the setting
  Sacrificing something you care about for an ideal
  •	
  A defiant declaration about overthrowing (or safeguarding) the powers that 
  •	
  be
  -Intrigue-
  Intrigue is perhaps the most subtle and least glamorous of the three archetypes. 
  An intrigue transpires within a social or cultural structure. Protagonists must op-
  erate within that structure--playing by its rules, both overt and covert--to achieve 
  their ends. Courts, guilds and clans all make perfect backdrops for intrigue.
  Intrigues often contain power, revenge, benign tyranny, despotism and the lofty 
  battle to uphold the rights of protagonists. Protagonists of intrigues are reformers, 
  whistle-blowers, ambitious social climbers and the power hungry. Antagonists 
  include the established order or forces that would turn the order to evil.
  To set up an intrigue, establish a strong social order in the setting and then upset 
  the balance: the duke dies without an heir; impoverished nobility desperately tries 
  to retain power in the face of wealthy merchant families; the king has gone mad 
  and is in love with a chambermaid; your guild is being undermined by its former 
  allies. Each of these situations crates many hooks for conflicts about intrigue.
  If we’re aiming for an intrigue story, then one of your Beliefs might be about:
  Getting information from someone
  •	
  Setting someone up for failure or success
  •	
  Covering something up
  •	
  Establishing an alliance or friendship
  •	
  Ruining an enemy
  •	
  -Choosing an Overall Situation-
  The initial situation is a broad template. It should be easy to insert yourself into 
  it.
  Let’s play a band of doughty adventurers dispatched to aid a town beset by a 
  demon. Struggle or quest? The GM decides that the demon will possess secrets 
  
  that will lead to further adventures. So the adventure will be  a quest. The GM 
  doesn’t have to reveal his secrets to the players, but  he should tell them that he’s 
  interested in running a quest.
  Place yourself in the framework. Can you imagine playing a character in this 
  situation? Are you inspired by it? Do you have ideas for other characters, places or 
  artifacts?
  If you’re not inspired, ask your fellow players for help. Ask them to pitch you 
  ideas. Keep an open mind. If you absolutely can’t be moved to play in this situa-
  tion, then perhaps you and your friends need to talk about why you’re playing this 
  game.
  --Build Tension--
  Build up tension. Don’t destroy the world in a day. Threaten it. Build toward 
  its eventual demise. In doing so, you provide solid anchors on which players can 
  hook their Beliefs. As the game progresses, those Beliefs will guide you in how to 
  continue to challenge the players.
  --Relationships, Affiliations, 
  Property and Situation--
  Once the players have burned up their characters, it is the GM’s job to take the 
  relationships, affiliations, property and anything else he can get his hands on and 
  bind it to the situation. Put relationships in power. Put them in jeopardy. Threaten 
  them. Undermine or attack affiliations. Covet property. Work to change the laws 
  of the Big Picture so you can own it.
  When setting up the situation, use the game elements provided in character 
  burning as fodder for Beliefs. 
  --Buying Into a Situation--
  Situation is something that all of the players agree to buy into before the game 
  begins. If everyone isn’t excited about immersing themselves in the situation, then 
  there’s a problem. The uninterested players are either going to get left behind or, if 
  there’s no interest at all, the game is going to grind to a halt.
  So right at the beginning, everyone must explicitly agree to the situation. Do 
  not pass from situation generation until you’ve heard everyone say, “Yes, I want to 
  
  play that.” Tie their characters into this idea using Beliefs, Instincts, traits, rela-
  tionships and property!
  --Reincorporate--
  Reincorporation is a technique for building a situation from parts of a previous 
  scenario. You take characters and places and use them again in a new way. A char-
  acter the players met in the past has now changed--he’s been promoted or perhaps 
  lost everything. He has a new perspective.
  Places are powerful tools for reincorporation. It’s a simple trick to have action 
  in the game transpire in a set of locations. This trick lends the game a sense of time 
  and space. Players can come to know the places of their world.
  
  Setting
  We need a place for our fantasies to inhabit. We need bounds and limits, for 
  these embellish and highlight our characters and their actions. But we don’t want 
  to overburden ourselves. We want to use the barest description and minimal de-
  tails to evoke the greatest range of possibilities.
  Burning Wheel’s setting is an abstraction, an agglomeration of fantasy tropes 
  represented by lifepaths, traits, skills and gear. It’s not a place, but an idea or an 
  aesthetic. In this setting, the world is rough, harsh. There is a great divide between 
  wealthy and poor. The poor are downtrodden, sickly and harried. The wealthy are 
  powerful and aloof. People of all types fight for what they believe with words, 
  swords and sorcery.
  The cities, the lands, the seas and the people are for you to decide. Those names, 
  qualities and details are for you to design--pulled from your knowledge of the fan-
  tasy genre. These places and cultures contain inherent inequities that one must 
  struggle against or quest to overcome.
  --Devil in the Details--
  A setting for Burning Wheel is broad, composed of brush strokes and vague 
  pronouncements, punctuated by a handful of details. The items that get listed on 
  each character sheet--traits, skills and gear--are the only setting details that truly 
  matter. They are the most vital elements of any setting. Population, geography and 
  culture are all secondary.
  
  --Setting Over Time--
  Don’t fill in your setting all at once. Don’t front load. Sketch out the broad 
  likes--some geographical, some political, some cultural--but leave the precise de-
  tails to be filled in later as needed. Focus on the immediate details. Flesh out the 
  space that’s directly in the path of the players’ Beliefs and relationships.
  Make some notes about possible contingencies, but I strongly urge you to re-
  frain from “world building.”
  Why? World building can be great fun, an exciting exercise for the imagina-
  tion. But in Burning Wheel, it is extra effort and an impediment to thoroughly 
  and accurately challenging Beliefs.
  This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t have a deep or compelling setting. Your set-
  ting should be amazing and exciting. But it’s third in the list of things important 
  to a Burning Wheel game: player priorities, situation and setting, in that order.
  So as you test for Circles, note the NPCs found. Build a list of contacts over 
  time. As each new place is explored, give it a culture and a climate. Make it memo-
  rable and inspiring. Present fresh ideas. Each new culture encountered should be 
  given traits appropriate to the situation. Don’t just make the culture exotic, make 
  it challenging.
  --Culture--
  Creating a fantasy culture is a delicate, prolonged process. It cannot be done in 
  a single night. Certainly, fascinating facets can emerge and be explored in a session 
  of play, but a culture is too vast and complex to be exhausted by one single such 
  look.
  When introducing a culture into my games, I start with a cultural analog, 
  whether from history or fiction. I modify it to suit my needs--in fact, I strive to 
  make it only barely recognizable.
  Using the analog, we can describe a mode of dress, architecture, accent and even 
  climate. i also like to include one element of the culture that is different from ours 
  and offensive our modern sensibilities--something that jars the modern player. In 
  a recent game, victims of human sacrifice went willingly to the slaughter and, in 
  fact, resisted attempts at rescue.
  Conversely, I like to include a custom that’s different from, but pleasing to our 
  sensibilities. I often like to make the food and diet of the setting different from our 
  own, but perhaps more delicious.
  
  Added to the core of the cultural analog, these two accents are usually enough 
  to create a convincing model. Of course, when you’re deciding on the content of 
  the society’s customs, you should seek to intersect with and contravene as many 
  Beliefs and Instincts as possible.
  -Cultural Traits-
  Page 149 of the Character Burner briefly describes cultural traits. On the sur-
  face, it may seem that cultural traits create a one-dimensional or possibly even 
  bigoted view of culture. 
  Cultural traits do carry this risk. But they are designed to be blended into all 
  of a character’s other traits. You carry a piece of your culture with you among all 
  of the other traits you’ve acquired from your family, your life and your work. We 
  hope this creates a nuanced view of character, rather than a stereotype.
  --Names--
  Names are magical. And they are potent tools in your hands. When you name 
  something in a roleplaying game, whether a character, a house or inn, a city or a 
  sword, you make it just a little more real, more substantial, to everyone else. A 
  sword found in a tomb? Big deal. The Sword of Seven Shadows found in the tomb 
  of Aras-Ekbar? That’s something special.
  When you introduce something new to your group, name it! It will create a 
  connection between the others at the table and the fictional element.
  You can do some pretty neat tricks if you get creative with your naming. For 
  instance, you can assign different earthly languages to cultures in a fantasy game. 
  For one of our games, we kept a Mongolian-to-English dictionary at the table. 
  Any time we needed a name for a character, a ship or an island, we dove into the 
  dictionary and pulled one out.
  Assigning different cultures to different languages creates auditory differentia-
  tion between the two cultures in a recognizable but subtle way.
  Or we go to Chris Pound’s Name Generation page (http://www.ruf.rice.
  edu/~pound/), or the super cool Random Name Generator that uses U.S. Census 
  data (http://www.kleimo.com/random/name.cfm), to generate pages of names 
  that we bring to the game table. Whenever a name is needed, we grab it off the list, 
  and note down the name and who or what is getting named.
  
  --Monsters--
  When choosing monsters for your setting, use folktales and mythology to 
  inspire you. A little research can pay huge dividends. Rather than having a kitchen-
  sink setting, you can pare down your choices to a few important entities and really 
  focus on how they’re a part of the setting.
  --Gear--
  Restrict or add gear as appropriate for the setting, having different stuff avail-
  able in different places. Even better, price Resources differently depending on 
  where the players are.
  
  Antagonists
  Burning Wheel is about character-driven drama. The character is the most im-
  portant element of the game. it’s about him, about how he grows and changes. To 
  have engaging, believable change, we must have good villains. Developing a good 
  antagonist in Burning Wheel is tricky and a bit counterintuitive.
  There are many types of antagonists. From Big Bads on down to the annoy-
  ing minion, they come in many shapes and sizes. Their purpose is to give the Big 
  Picture, the situation and the action a face and a voice. The problems that confront 
  the characters can come in many forms, but the most engaging and memorable 
  ones come from other characters--antagonists.
  --The Source of Antagonism--
  An antagonist can spring from five sources in Burning Wheel: relationships, 
  the enmity clause, the Big Picture, the setting and the situation.
  -Relationships-
  By spending a few resource points, players can create an antagonist for them-
  selves at the beginning of the game. The level of power paid for--minor, important, 
  and powerful--determines where this character falls in the GM’s scheme. Minor 
  characters will pester the character at a local or tactical level. Important character 
  are part of the situation. Powerful characters are enmeshed in the Big Picture.
  -Enmity Clause-
  Antagonists can be generated extemporaneously from the Enmity Clause rule. 
  Due to the failed roll, the GM can introduce a character who is opposition to the 
  players’ goals. These characters are often minor, but due to the scale of the Circles 
  rules, they can be as powerful as they come--if you try to use Circles to contact the 
  
  king and you fail the test, then you’ve made a powerful enemy.
  Keep that in mind. The higher the obstacle for the Circles test, the more the 
  character should be plugged into the situation, the setting and, ultimately, the Big 
  Picture.
  -The Situation-
  Situations demand antagonists. To adequately challenge the players’ Beliefs, 
  they must be opposed by the actions of other characters.
  Important relationships and enemies from failed Circles tests can both emerge 
  as antagonists in this situation--the captain of the guard through which you must 
  fight, the courtier who is jealous of your love, your brother who has turned to 
  evil. 
  Those examples are tied directly back to the character. But sometimes the 
  situation demands a villain who stands apart from and in direct opposition to the 
  character. Sometimes you need a bad-ass Orc summoner who’s razing towns and 
  villages. Sometimes you need a rebel leader who’s inadvertently undermining the 
  character’s machinations. Sometimes you need a staunch conservative minister 
  who opposes the characters purely because they are outsiders.
  Where do antagonists like that come from? They are born from the GM. He 
  creates them by intuiting the best way to challenge the players and by personifying 
  that challenge in the form of an engaging character. They aren’t created by the 
  players. They are purely the province of the GM in his role as chief adversary.
  Situation-based antagonists can also emerge from allies who are turned against 
  the characters by their actions during play--from a Duel of Wits, a failed test or 
  just fallout from play.
  -The Setting-
  I like my games to feel like they transpire in a living, breathing world. Therefore, 
  in addition to all of the characters who are tied into and opposed to the characters, 
  I always crate characters and groups who exist outside of the immediate action, but 
  who are nevertheless opposed to the players.
  These antagonists are tied into the structure of the setting. They are members of 
  important groups with their own agendas. They do not directly or actively oppose 
  the players, but their very nature is inherently opposed.
  A dragon decimated your people in ancient times. He’s not part of the situa-
  tion; he doesn’t care about you or your petty aims. But someday, you might find 
  him and confront him. Or the king: He’s not interested in your trials and travails, 
  
  but he certainly  doesn’t want you going around killing his men and upsetting the 
  status quo. He doesn’t oppose you because he cares about you. He stands in your 
  way because it’s his job to  keep punks like you in their places.
  Where do these characters come from? Extrapolate them from all of the bits 
  and pieces on the characters’ sheets--particularly their lifepaths, reputations, affili-
  ations and relationships.
  If a player has created a knight, that means there are other knights in the set-
  ting. There are probably cadres of them. Who do they work for? How do they get 
  paid? Who’s their boss’s boss? Who’s his boss? What’s his name? What’s his rank 
  and title? That’s a setting-based NPC right there.
  If a player buys an affilation with a group of mages, he’s implying a whole eco-
  system. First, the group itself. Who leads them? How are the members ranked? 
  Are there rivals in the group? Who are they? What are their names? What do 
  they want? Does the group itself have any rivals? Are the rivals publicly known or 
  do they plot in secret? Who leads the rival group? What’s his name? Where is he 
  from? Just a few questions like those can produce a proper antagonist that you can 
  keep in your back pocket until the  time is right.
  I am not advocating that you build out every NPC in your setting. The key 
  here is to pluck these guys from the character sheet and then drop them into the 
  background. When the characters start moving in larger, grander circles, you’ll be 
  ready with some thoughtful, powerful antagonists.
  -The Big Picture-
  Finally, when I run a game, I like to ensure that above the situation and the 
  setting, something Big is happening in the background--something is changing. 
  The players might never directly encounter this thing, but even just mentioning 
  it enriches the game--traders arrive from heretofore unheard of kingdoms, wars 
  erupt in distant provinces, wizards brood in towers for generations, gods grow 
  angry and throw plagues upon the land.
  There are two keys to making these events meaningful. First, they should be 
  scary. If the players were involved, they would certainly be put to the test. So in 
  this way, these rumblings are a way for the GM to indicate that Beliefs are being 
  challenged whether you’re there or not. Second, these events need faces. Heroes, 
  gods and wizards whom the players later meet, only to find out, “Oh, you’re the 
  one who leveled that city...” These faces are all potential antagonists or allies. They 
  go about their business, but they are not allied or in sync with the players’ goals. 
  They are not necessarily directly opposed--at least not to start--but if pressed they 
  
  will fight for their own goals.
  --The Face of Antagonism--
  So how do you successfully antagonize someone? Well, the smaller the power of 
  the antagonist, the more direct his interactions must be. If you’re on the outs with 
  your local hostler, he’s only going to bug you whee you come into his stable.
  If you’re at odds with the local guard captain, well, that’s a slightly different 
  matter. He’s going to ride you when he sees you, but he’s also going to instruct 
  his men to keep an eye on you. Thus, his reach is extended beyond his immediate 
  presence. he has agents to do his dirty work.
  And at the level above that--the evil wizard who controls the wasteland--you 
  never see him until the final confrontation. You are vexed and plagued by his min-
  ions, but he is out of reach until the very last.
  Finally, there are antagonists whom you might never directly confront--at least 
  in the way that you want. Gods, kings and other powers beyond our ken remain 
  aloof. You defeat their minions and their agents, you ruin their works, but you 
  never strike at them directly. Those antagonists can be frustrating to deal with 
  since the game is so character driven, but when used sparingly, they can add to the 
  tension and create the feeling of a natural order in your world.
  --An Antagonist Is an Empty 
  Vessel--
  How many lifepaths do you choose for your villains? Do you write Beliefs for 
  them? What skills and spells do you choose?
  An antagonist begins his life as an empty vessel. He is a container that will 
  hold a conflict. The shape of that vessel is determined by his place in the game--his 
  purpose, his name, his power level. Its contents are added only as necessary, but 
  once they’re in, they remain.
  Thus, if you have an Orc summoner leading a horde, rampaging across the coun-
  tryside, you’ll ultimately need to know his stats, skills, traits, spells and gear. But 
  when you first introduce him, what do you need? If he remains in the background, 
  then you don’t need his stats or skills. You want to hold off in creating those stats 
  because you want to ensure the summoner is the right level of challenge for the 
  players. So if you planned on using a five-lifepath character with a horde of goblins, 
  
  but your players are ripping through their opponents, then you want to give him a 
  few more lifepaths and some better minions.
  This isn’t cheating. Your job as GM is to create adversity. If your villains get 
  bowled over without any sort of a fight, then it’s no fun for the players.
  So keep your villains empty until the time comes when you need hard 
  numbers.
  -Motivating Antagonists-
  There are villains who directly oppose you because it is their nature to want 
  what you do not. Our exemplar Orc summoner exists to destroy all that you stand 
  for. Why? Because he is o’erbrimming with hatred. He needs no other motivation 
  to send him into conflict with the group.
  And there are villains who believe what you do. They stand for what you stand 
  for, but they achieve their goals in a vile, destructive manner. For example, a des-
  potic king sits upon the throne. You want to depose him, as does a rather dark, 
  imposing wizard. You wish to restore justice to the kingdom. The wizard wishes 
  to punish it--its rulers, its ministers and even its people--for allowing itself to be 
  so corrupted.
  How do you oppose him? When do you oppose him? Do you work with him to 
  topple the despot and then confront him? Or do you stand up for what you believe 
  in from the outset and make a true enemy of that wizard? he is the best type of 
  villain because your relationship is complex. There is no one way to deal with him. 
  You must, in fact, confront yourself before you can confront him.
  As you place your antagonists onto your palette, be sure to create some who are 
  simply opposed, and others who have the same goals, but for different reasons.
  --Antagonist Beliefs--
  Small-fry antagonists don’t need Beliefs. The thugs and angry shopkeepers don’t 
  require that much attention. But all the rest of them do.
  Write a Belief that describes the villain’s world view.
  Villains need a goal-oriented Belief as well. this goal should be to accomplish an 
  act that intersects with as many of the players’ Beliefs as possible. If the players all 
  have a Belief about their patron, the villain must act against him. If the players all 
  have a Belief about an orphanage and its staff, then he’s got to burn it down. Write 
  a goal-oriented Belief about what the villain must accomplish.
  
  An antagonist doesn’t need to have all of his Belief slots filled. You should fill 
  them as appropriate. Focus on the best way to challenge the players. And you 
  should change them as you need until he finally appears on stage. Until the an-
  tagonist actually takes the stage and meets the players, he remains an empty vessel. 
  His contents are determined by necessity.
  Additional Beliefs can focus on tying his goals and philosophy together. Or 
  you can write a Belief about another character in the game. Writing Beliefs about 
  characters is tough because you don’t necessarily want to focus on your main an-
  tagonist on just one character. You want him to tie together as many of the players’ 
  Beliefs as possible.
  -Belief Tracking-
  Typically, a game of Burning Wheel has only one or two real antagonists at a 
  time. These characters are played against and confronted. In the confrontation, 
  they are changed: They are defeated; they are changed from antagonist to ally or 
  they are magnified and elevated. Thus, there’s not too much to keep track of, only 
  a handful of Beliefs.
  --The Evolution of an Antagonist--
  What follows is an extended example about one of the best and most unlikely 
  villains I’ve ever created, Wizard Librarian Chu, the Storm King.
  Throughout our long-running campaign, a cabal of sorcerers has plagued the 
  characters. For all intents, using a couple of generations of characters, the play-
  ers have been at war with a group of 20 or so wizards for about 10 years. In the 
  course of play an empire was toppled, cities were destroyed, factions were crushed, 
  demons were summoned, minds broken, lives were lost. It was rather epic.
  And now there’s only one surviving member of that cabal.
  There’s also a giant magical storm engulfing the capital city. The storm delivers 
  vicious lightning strikes that either immolate the target or imbue it with magic. 
  Mutants roam the wastes. It’s a fantasy apocalypse--caused by Wizard Hunter 
  Yang years ago in a previous campaign.
  In our last encounter with our heroes, Wizard Librarian Chu was poisoned and 
  grievously injured. He fled the chaos to the relative safety of the Storm and the 
  now-abandoned capital city. There he recuperated and took command of the place. 
  He became the Storm King.
  I explicitly told the players this last bit when I pitched the game to them. It 
  
  was the Big Picture and the situation coming together for the game. I also told 
  them that their characters had heard rumors of the Storm King in the Tower. 
  Previously, Danny, Chris and I played an abortive short campaign from which 
  they specifically had more knowledge of the situation. They helped me fill in the 
  details about the situation--the Storm, the monsters, the wasteland.
  We gathered at the end of the summer to play this continuation of our long-
  running campaign. Pete had a couple of months in which he could play, so we also 
  knew that the campaign had to be 8-12 sessions.
  Rich played the clever, fiery Sijuk.
  •	
  Pete played his student to the Master Park, Palgi Park, now Toksuri, General 
  •	
  of the Center.
  Dro reprised his role as General Park’s advisor and architect, the venerable 
  •	
  Mr. Do.
  Danny played his wandering, vengeful Oakman ranger, Maxahana.
  •	
  Chris reprised his role as the Wizard Hunter Yang (known by many other 
  •	
  names).
  And Thor joined us for the first time in this campaign as Hsark, Hozrem 
  •	
  missionary.
  I presented their mission to them--they were charged by the recently reinstated 
  emperor to go forth and slay the Storm King, thus ending the Storm so that the 
  emperor may return to his rightful throne.
  The group wrote strong Beliefs about destroying the vile Storm King and all of 
  his works.
  That’s a lot of preamble. Let’s talk about the Storm King.
  My initial concept for this game was to have a puissant, despotic villain ruling 
  like Sauron over an army of magically corrupted mutants. I imagined the players 
  would swarm his tower and there would be a giant fight. I envisaged my Storm 
  King in ornate, heirloom armor, wielding a deadly halberd, shouting spells behind 
  ivory teeth and red lips. I kept that image in my head for the first few sessions, but 
  I didn’t detail it any further.
  Once the players began their approach to the Storm, I had to know more about 
  this putative Storm King and his mutant army. I thought about him for a bit. Who 
  was he really? He was a product of the cabal. Therefore, he knew “red wizardry” 
  as we call it: fire spells and mind-affecting spells. He also knew a handful of battle 
  spells like Turn Aside the Blade and the Fear. I dug around my old (old) notes. I 
  
  couldn’t remember which of the red wizards he really was. Was he Kwok? Mosu? 
  Fou? Maori? No, they were all slain. Well if that’s the case, his name was Chu, he’s 
  a northerner from a remote port and was a...researcher. Suddenly, my fearsome 
  concept lost a bit of his stature. Well, I could just change him to make him what I 
  want, right? No one really knows what’s contained in my voluminous notebooks. I 
  decided against it. It would defile the purity of our ongoing game. He was who he 
  was. I was prepared to work with the concept.
  Okay, so he was a powerful, sorcerous researcher. I can use that. Hell, I could 
  set him up with lifepaths and then just have him practice and train to get all the 
  martial stuff that I wanted. Yeah!
  So I burned up a headmaster sorcerer researcher with the Magic Burner College 
  of Magic lifepaths. An eight-lifepath bad-ass! Woohoo. 64 years old. Ouch. Okay, 
  timeline-wise, he’d have two-and-a-half to three years to practice after his last 
  meeting with the players.
  I looked over his spell list, his skill list, his resources...three years wasn’t enough 
  time for him to become a martial master and do all of the magical research he 
  needed to do at the tower and create player-killing enchantments. Hrm. I could 
  have fudged it...but my gut told me not to. My gut was told me to leave him be. 
  My conscience, on the other hand, was screaming at me: “He’s going to die like a 
  sucker!” Well, we would see.
  I did give him three (rough) Beliefs to give energy and direction to his nefarious 
  plans:
  All of the secrets of this land [meaning the former empire] must be mine.
  •	
  I will found a new [magical] order and city in this tower.
  •	
  The Gifted must be protected and instructed.
  •	
  I did not reveal these Beliefs (until the very last moment of the last session).
  During play, I always referred to Chu as the Storm King, implying he was 
  more like my original concept. I never revealed his actual nature. Until, of course, 
  Wizard Hunter Yang passed a brilliant Sorcerer-wise test to discover who he truly 
  was. I informed the group that he wasn’t a mass murderer, but a librarian. Still, I 
  tried to present him as a mysterious, remote brooding presence. This came across 
  specifically when they interrogated mutants who served him. To them, the Storm 
  King was aloof and powerful.
  As the campaign progressed, the group discovered the Storm King was kidnap-
  ping children from their parents and taking them to the tower. How ghoulish! 
  Mr. Do and Max rescued a young girl from the clutches of the Storm King’s Storm 
  
  Riders--a fearsome group of mutants, soldiers and rangers who enforced the Storm 
  King’s will in the Storm.
  Later, the group was attempting to find a safe place to hide in the Storm King’s 
  citadel. They made a Slaver-wise test to find an old, disused slaver safehouse. They 
  failed and instead found one of the Storm King’s schools run by ex-slavers. Six 
  children were being trained there, guarded by former slavers and mercenaries. It 
  was obvious then, especially to the wizard hunter, that the Storm King was culling 
  Gifted children from the surrounding wasteland and instructing them on how to 
  use their power. The children were attentive, intelligent and curious. They were 
  not abused, enslaved or manipulated.
  This revelation challenged many beliefs about toppling the Storm King. Here 
  was evidence of his good works. Will they crush him? Is he still a tyrant?
  The players debated. These children could be trained to end the Storm. Half 
  of the players were convinced that this was, in fact, what the wizard was doing--
  training the Gifted to alleviate the apocalypse. I kept silent in the debate.
  The group considered their options: They were going to confront the wizard. 
  However, if he was the only hope to end the storm, then he should be aided not 
  killed. The other faction argued that he was evil and must be slaughtered for all 
  of his evil deeds. I considered changing some of the wizard’s Beliefs. Would it 
  challenge their Beliefs more if he was truly altruistic? Would it be more engaging 
  if he was, in fact, completely reformed and not the Sauron-like villain I had hinted 
  at? Ultimately, I judged that a more nuanced view was required. I needed to stick 
  by his original Beliefs and let the players deal with their own reactions among 
  themselves.
  When the time came to confront the wizard, the players were deeply divided. 
  One group wanted vengeance, the other wanted reconciliation. I pounced on the 
  divisive atmosphere in the group. I had the Storm King raise a flag of truce so they 
  could discuss the situation. Were they at war or was something else afoot?
  Just prior to that scene, my understanding of Chu had crystallized. He was a 
  survivor, not a visionary or a savant. He wanted to ensure that he was protected, 
  fed and could practice his art unopposed. Over a decade ago he’d been summoned 
  to a war council of wizards and made a soldier. He wanted to return to his roots 
  and study these wondrous secrets. He’d seen all his friends, colleagues and rivals 
  die. His own secret library was razed in the fighting. The lands that supported him 
  revolted. Every ploy and aim was crushed. He was tired. He didn’t want to die like 
  the rest, but neither did he want to fight.I also decided that he would cop to all of 
  the evil acts he’d committed. But in doing so, I knew that I could destroy some 
  
  illusions--he didn’t create the Storm, he never summoned demons. The players 
  themselves did those things. He merely profited from these events.
  In the final moments of the campaign, this villain manifested before me. He 
  was not the swaggering automaton of destruction I had originally envisaged. He 
  was a small, tired man, radiating power. His old battle robes lost long ago, he 
  dressed in finery. His fingers, ears and neck were laden with enchanted jewelry. 
  He carried no weapon, wore no armor.
  He met the players (ostensibly) alone in a wheel-shaped chamber in a vast, aban-
  doned citadel tower--a crossroads both literal and metaphorical.
  The wizard hunter and the martial master characters could not be disarmed, so 
  I bid all the characters to come armed they were. What did it matter now?
  They demanded Chu come and stand trial for his crimes. He scoffed. They 
  wanted a Duel of Wits, but I declined the stakes. I would accept a Duel, but not 
  under those terms. I made it clear in the ensuing conversation that he was not try-
  ing to end the Storm. He even said, “Why would I do that? It protects me.” This 
  was a shocking revelation for the players.
  However, I made it clear that I would accept from them a statement of purpose 
  about the Storm rather than about his own fate. In doing so, I was careful that I 
  was challenging Beliefs across every character on the table. Some wanted justice, 
  so I mocked justice. Some wanted the Storm to end, so I embraced the Storm. And 
  due to a previous Duel of Wits among the players, they couldn’t just murder the 
  wizard where he stood. They had agreed that he would either be taken to justice or 
  would work to end the Storm.
  And so rather than a cataclysmic fight, we ended with a Duel of Wits: Their 
  statement of purpose was “You will work to end the Storm with Wizard Hunter 
  Yang.” Mine was, “There is no empire, no justice. The citadel was abandoned and 
  I claim it as my own.”
  In short, “End the apocalypse” versus “admit the empire is gone and given over 
  to wizards and mutants.” Heavy stuff.
  During the Duel of Wits I was careful to choose actions that reflected his jaded 
  caution. And when I (narrowly) lost, I made sure to compromise rather than to 
  escalate to violence. Chu would do as they asked, provided that he could have his 
  order and be protected--thus fulfilling two of his Beliefs.
  This villain emerged from these vague notions not as a caricature, but as a vivid, 
  sympathetic personality. It was sweet.
  
  Building Beliefs
  In this section, we attempt to distill five years of advice about writing Beliefs. 
  Pray for our immortal souls.
  --Belief versus Situation--
  You cannot write Beliefs in a vacuum. Before Beliefs are put to paper, the GM 
  and players agree to the rough action, the situation. Situation includes a bit of 
  the setting, the player characters, antagonists and a problem or two that can’t be 
  ignored.
  Once you have your situation, the players must bind their characters into it. 
  How are you going to change this situation? What must be done right away? If a 
  player has trouble answering those two questions concretely--including a character, 
  a setting element and a problem--then the situation is lacking. The GM must re-
  view the situation and tighten it up. he must make it more threatening, impossible 
  to ignore, but not so pressing that the game is going to end in the first session.
  The cost for ignoring situation isn’t the end of the road, rather it causes the an-
  tagonist’s plans to evolve. While the players dawdle, the villain gains. The situation 
  becomes more grim. The idea is that if the players fail to stop the initial problem, 
  the antagonist changes the setting to his benefit. he takes over. He ruins lives. He 
  murders loved ones. He steals ancient artifacts. He rewrites law. He enslaves na-
  tions. His work is never finished in the first session. If the situation is ignored (or 
  if challenges are failed), the Big Picture is threatened.
  Your first Belief always refers to this situation. It describes your view of it and 
  how you’re going to tackle it. Are you opposed? Why? What action will you take 
  to stop it?
  
  --Intraparty Beliefs--
  The other players at the table present other opportunities for Beliefs. During 
  play, you interact with them more than anything else in the game. Each of you has 
  your own opinions and methods. Each player has his perspective on the history, 
  behavior or actions of the other players’ characters. And each player is taking ac-
  tion in the situation. You may find those actions compelling and want to help. Or 
  you may find their actions offensive and wish to thwart them.
  Write your second Belief about another player character. What intrigues you 
  about him? What offends you? How will you help him? How will you hinder 
  him?
  -One-on-One Games-
  In one-on-one games, the GM is the “other player” mentioned above. The GM 
  must present a compelling, recurring allied NPC about whom the player cares.
  --Ethical or Philosophical 
  Stances--
  Some of my favorite Beliefs contain no goal or opinion, no action at all. They are 
  philosophical guides. They are the moral underpinnings of the character. These are 
  by far the hardest Beliefs to write. Not that you can’t come up with a fascinating 
  statement of your philosophy. On the contrary, that’s the easy part. The difficulty 
  lies in the application. If poorly conceived, these Beliefs are too easy to ignore. And 
  if you’re ignoring one of your Beliefs, you’re carrying around deadweight.
  Make your third Belief an ethical, moral, or philosophical statement. For the 
  best effect, write it so that it can be contradicted. It’s easy to say that you believe 
  in God or good, but it’s not easy to challenge a Belief like that. A slightly more nu-
  anced Belief like “As a faithful man, I should sacrifice myself for the greater good,” 
  tells us more bout the character and allows for the statement to be tested. Just how 
  much of yourself will you sacrifice? Try not to have more than one of your Beliefs 
  be an ethical statement.
  --The Fourth Belief--
  Loyal, Zealot and other similar traits grant characters a fourth Belief. According 
  to the rules, the Belief must tie into the nature of the trait. And the rules for the 
  traits say that if the Belief is changed, the trait is lost.
  
  This might sound contradictory, but you can change the Belief. What I meant 
  to say was that you lose the trait if you use the Belief slot for anything aside from a 
  Belief relating to the trait.
  If you’re Loyal, but your master is killed, you can take on a new master and 
  write a new Loyal Belief about it.
  Often players will write two-part Beliefs into these slots. “I believe strongly in 
  this thing, therefore I must...” You can keep the declarative statement and change 
  the action to reflect your current situation.
  --Give and Take--
  When you start a Burning Wheel game, the GM presents a situation building 
  on the Big Picture and the characters. You write your Beliefs based on those ele-
  ments. The GM then presents scenes or actions to challenge those Beliefs. 
  The game proceeds based on your decisions and the results of the tests--pass 
  or fail. Based on your actions, a new circumstance will arise. The situation will 
  change. You will have a new opinion about this situation. Some Beliefs will be 
  fulfilled by the developments of the ongoing game. Write new ones based on the 
  new circumstances.
  Some Beliefs will be engaged but left incomplete. Tweak them so they reflect 
  the current situation. And some Beliefs will lay inactive. Talk to the GM and the 
  other players about these. Is the story headed in that direction? If it is, keep the 
  Belief. If you are clinging to something that the game has moved past, change it.
  --Belief-Building Tips--
  Beliefs are a principled to-do list. The most common problem we see with Beliefs 
  is that they either have an ideology but no action, or an action without a driving 
  ideology. Each Belief needs a to-do so it’s clear when the character is pursuing his 
  Belief and he can earn artha, and each Belief needs an ideology to back it up so the 
  action has context.
  -Red Flags-
  If the players don’t know what they’re supposed to be doing right now, their 
  Beliefs are broken. The situation and buy-in are probably deficient in this case, 
  too.
  If the players aren’t earning at least one fate point per session for pursuing their 
  Beliefs, their Beliefs are lacking. 
  
  If the players haven’t completed a Belief and earned a persona point within a 
  session or two, their Beliefs lack urgency. Not broken, but potentially stagnant. 
  To earn persona points, try to break your goal-oriented Beliefs down into smaller 
  steps.
  --Inner Conflict--
  By design, Beliefs provide an opportunity for a player to evoke the inner turmoil 
  of his character. You have three Beliefs rather than one so you can counterpose 
  them. You are supposed to have differing or conflicting opinions about various ele-
  ments of the game. Your actions in the situation may contravene your philosophy. 
  In play, as the action rises, you get to decide which is more important to you. Play 
  out the turmoil in a dramatic fashion and you’ll earn artha for Moldbreaker as 
  well as for playing your other Belief or accomplishing a goal.
  --Direction--
  You can use Beliefs to set your character on an arc--transformation from neo-
  phyte to master, from worm to hero, from child to adult and even from hero to 
  something more.
  Ethical statements are one tool for setting such directions. You play them now, 
  but you plan on growing past them in future play. In fact, you can make ethical 
  statements now and set yourself to move into direct conflict with that stance later. 
  I can say, “I will never raise my hand in violence.” I can play a pacifist in the mo-
  ment. However, my plan can be for this peaceful man to transform in the course 
  of play into a cold-blooded killer.
  Of course, there is a danger of playing your character too rigidly--locking him 
  into a predetermined course. To prevent this, stay open to the possibilities that 
  arise in play. Consider the events of the game and how they affect your character’s 
  perception. Be prepared for unexpected change.
  I recently played a character who I planned to transform from a pacifist to a 
  martial master. But after seeing the woman he loved killed before him--struck 
  down by the curses of an angry god--his goals seemed hollow. Perhaps he’ll devote 
  himself to the faith or to medicine. Perhaps his heart is broken and he determines 
  never to return home again.
  
  --Goal-Oriented Beliefs--
  It is a good habit to shape one Belief so that you can accomplish it this session. It 
  might not happen, but you should try for it. Shooting for the Personal Goals award 
  keeps you active and engaged.
  -What’s an Appropriate Goal?-
  Goals are relative things. In game terms, a goal must require action from the 
  player--he must risk for his Belief. At minimum, one test must be made in pur-
  suit of the goal. It is preferable that a series of tests are made, but there is no hard 
  formula.
  Remember, our motto is “Fight for what you believe.” If a player isn’t fighting, 
  then the game isn’t delivering on its promise. Therefore, as a GM, you must place 
  a challenge in the path of each Belief: an opponent to overcome, a confidante to 
  be convinced, an artifact to be rescued, a mystery to be solved or even a dangerous 
  cliff to be scaled.
  These elements are born from the Big Picture. They are facets of the setting that 
  you pull from the background and place into foreground.
  It should be feasible to accomplish these goals in a session or two.
  --Reconciling Two-Part Beliefs--
  Two-part Beliefs are very useful because they allow you to maintain your philo-
  sophical stance but to change up what you’re going to do about it. When the action 
  portion is invalidated or the goal accomplished, you can keep the ideological state-
  ment and change the action or the goal. “I am loyal to the king, therefore I will...” 
  has huge potential for play. What will you do for the king? Keep your statement of 
  loyalty and as the situation changes, insert new actions into the Belief. Now you 
  get a fresh persona point from it in play!
  Ye Olde “fourth Beliefs” from Loyal, Zealot and similar traits are often two-
  part Beliefs and thus fall into this category.
  --Practical Beliefs--
  This section breaks down some issues with Beliefs in Burning Wheel: trouble 
  writing Beliefs, writing Beliefs for a campaign, changing Beliefs during a cam-
  paign, what to do when you earn Moldbreaker, what to do when you’re finished 
  with a Belief, how to play a Belief that can’t be accomplished and some practical 
  
  advice on challenging Beliefs in general.
  -Trouble Writing Beliefs-
  If one of your players is having trouble writing Beliefs, try to get something 
  down on paper, anything that’s even close to the concept. Don’t worry about get-
  ting it perfect out of the gate. Have him write a Belief that you know will need to 
  change.
  During the session, be prepared to confront him with a handful of decisions. 
  Use your own inspiration and ideas for the situation to prod the half-baked Belief. 
  Set up a problem that can’t be solved in a single roll. When the player grabs for the 
  dice, stop him. Nail down the intent and task for this test, and ask him what he 
  wants to accomplish by the end of the session. Have him write this statement as a 
  Belief.
  At the end of the session, be sure this player gets artha appropriate for the 
  Belief. Break down the reward process. Let the player know why he’s earning these 
  strange little points. This will close part of the cycle for him--he should understand 
  now that if he acts on his Beliefs, he’ll get rewarded in a way that will allow him to 
  act more effectively next time.
  -Writing Beliefs for a Campaign-
  You want to topple the duke, but it’s going to take many sessions of play to get 
  there. You can write a Belief that states, “I must overthrow the duke no matter the 
  cost.” This is a nice, strong Belief, but it’s very hard to earn rewards for it. In the 
  short term, you’ve got to constantly push against the duke or his works. This will 
  probably get you a handful of fate points. Ultimately, after many sessions of work, 
  you’ll accomplish this goal (or die trying). That’ll net you one persona point, not 
  an adequate reward for your effort.
  It’s best to break that long-term goal into bits that you can accomplish in the 
  short term. “I will rob the duke’s treasury of every penny.” Or, “I will kidnap the 
  duke’s brother, Baron Evil Crown the Bad, and hold him for ransom.” Or, “I 
  will embarrass the duke at court when the prince comes.” Assume for the sake of 
  argument, that these instances are not long-term, campaign-spanning goals, but 
  scenarios that you can accomplish in a session or two of play.
  Writing strong, goal-oriented Beliefs allows you stay on track for your larger 
  aims, earn lots of artha (to be saved for that final confrontation, of course) and 
  have many exciting sessions en route to your goal.
  
  -Changing Beliefs During a Campaign-
  When do you change a Belief? In the rules as written, you can change one at any 
  point as long as the GM approves the timing. However, we rarely change Beliefs 
  during a session. We prefer to let them be challenged in the course of the session. 
  If we can’t challenge a Belief in a session, we reexamine it. At BWHQ, we change 
  Beliefs at the start of a session. We review what happened last time we played. We 
  state where we are now and what we plan on doing. If goal-oriented Beliefs were 
  accomplished in the previous session, we change or update them. If ideologies were 
  challenged or crushed, we change them to suit our new outlooks. If we have a Belief 
  that’s not being challenged, we try to rework it so it can be more rewarding.
  On rare occasions, an earth-shattering event will rock one of the players. 
  Something snaps. He’s got to make a change right now. This moment is perhaps 
  one of the most powerful in all of Burning Wheel. By all means, go with inspired 
  changes of Beliefs!
  Sometimes, a Belief needs to sit in reserve for a session or two before you can re-
  ally dig into it. That’s perfectly acceptable. It’s rare that a single session challenges 
  all of the players’ Beliefs. But if a couple of sessions pass without the Belief being 
  touched, then you need to change it.
  In campaign play, if you’re playing hard with goal-oriented Beliefs, you’ll prob-
  ably also have far-reaching goals that aren’t appropriate for a Belief. Or you’ll agree 
  to accept a side mission to help a friend--to help accomplish another player’s goal. 
  You need to write a Belief about this goal, so what do you do with the Belief that 
  you’re replacing? We keep notes on the backs of our character sheets about long-
  term goals. So if we need to clear a Belief slot for a short-term goal, we can do so 
  without fear of forgetting our big plans.
  When the immediate situation is resolved, we refer to the notes, make sure 
  they’re still germane and then write new Beliefs for them.
  -When to Say No to Changing a Belief-
  It’s possible, in the course of a session, for the GM to have an unrevealed ob-
  stacle waiting to challenge a Belief. If this is the case, and a player asks to change 
  the Belief that is about to be challenged, the GM can and should advise him to 
  wait. Only delay the change of the Belief if you can challenge it this session. If you 
  can’t get to it this session, let the player change it.
  -Moldbreaker-
  The Moldbreaker reward is a powerful tool in long-term play. You can earn 
  
  this reward in a very self-conscious way. You are in control of when you play into 
  or when you break a Belief. Breaking a Belief isn’t the same as disregarding it for 
  convenience’s sake. You must dive into the drama, and play against yourself. For 
  your troubles, you earn a nice persona point.
  What to do with the Belief after you’ve broken it? Do you discard it? No. You 
  keep it. Breaking it convincingly shows how much you truly care about that ideal. 
  You return to the Belief and play it earnestly, like a man shamed by his own actions 
  so he resolves stalwartly to do good from now on. Your transgression reaffirms 
  your Belief.
  We talk about Moldbreaker a bit more in the Artha chapter. But to briefly re-
  peat what’s said there: If you find yourself repeatedly breaking a Belief, then it’s 
  time to change it.
  -Finishing a Belief-
  When we accomplish a goal related to a Belief in a game, we have a short conver-
  sation. The GM asks, “Are you done with that? Do you want to push it further?” 
  Remember, the GM’s job is to challenge Beliefs. Even if a situation is resolved, it’s 
  possible that the Belief isn’t resolved with it. A Belief may take on new meaning in 
  the resolution of the action. It’s up to the player to decide.
  On the other hand, the GM has to be honest. If he has inspiration for more 
  action behind a Belief, then he should say so. And if he doesn’t, he should tell the 
  player, “I feel like you’re done with that. I don’t have anything else. Do you?”
  If the player and the GM don’t agree, discuss the problem and work out an 
  appropriate direction. You can modify the situation or create a new one to accom-
  modate the Belief.
  -Guiding Light Beliefs-
  A guiding light Belief is one that is not accomplishable by any means. It pro-
  vides an ethical rule upon which the player can measure his character’s actions. 
  At BWHQ, we try to discourage these Beliefs in new players. They’re hard to play 
  and hard to challenge. However, for a skilled Burning Wheel player, they’re a lot 
  of fun. Guiding light Beliefs help you “get into character.” They encourage you to 
  offer a different perspective on the situation. If you have a Belief like “I must never 
  raise my hand in violence again, since I have been forced to slay mine own brother,” 
  how are you going to topple the duke?
  Guiding light Beliefs that ascribe to an ideology--”I will abide by the precepts 
  of Nurgle’s church,” for example--are colorful but difficult to play. Behind these 
  
  Beliefs lays an ideological system. The player must carry this ideology in his 
  thoughts while he plays and be ready to spout those precepts and abide by them! 
  On the other hand, as the GM, you must also know these principles. You must be 
  ready to offer situations that directly contradict them or present options in which 
  one way contravenes the ideology and the other venerates it. This is quite a chal-
  lenge to bring out during gameplay.
  As the GM, I find that not only do I have to present nuanced situations, but 
  I often have to remind players of their own ideologies! Really, you’re going to do 
  that? I thought it was against your religion.” So take care with these Beliefs. It’s 
  okay for each player to have one, but no more. When getting started with the 
  game, try to focus on goal-oriented Beliefs. You can develop these deeper, more 
  nuanced Beliefs in play.
  -Practical Advice on Challenging Beliefs-
  Here are some practical perspectives on challenging Beliefs. They were pre-
  sented to us by Michael Prescott on our forums.
  A player has the Belief “I must kill that bastard Mordock.” Here are a number 
  of ways you can challenge that one Belief using different perspectives on the char-
  acter Mordock.
  -Validation-
  Make Mordock super villainous, mean to children, etc. to validate the worthi-
  ness of the Belief.
  -Undermining-
  Make Mordock a super nice guy, someone nobody in their right mind would 
  want to kill. The player has a chance to define his character by the unreasonable 
  pursuit of his goal.
  -Flip-
  Switch from validating to undermining, or vice versa. Have the villain repent 
  and beg for mercy--now the long-validated player has to risk looking murderous to 
  complete his goal.
  -Opposition-
  Make Murdock hard to kill, in logistical terms. He has henchmen, powerful 
  allies, etc. so that once he’s dead it feels like a big accomplishment.
  
  -Catch-22-
  Make gunning for Murdock costly in terms of the player’s other Beliefs. For ex-
  ample, if the player has a Belief about curing his sister’s terming illness, Murdock 
  is the only guy who can cure her.
   
  -Divide and Conquer-
  Like Catch-22, but you cause interplayer friction by finding ways to get other 
  players to oppose the player with the Belief to bring down Murdock. For example, 
  Murdock is the only person who can teach the players the secrets of Enchanting.
   
  -Merge-
  Create harmony in the group by making Murdock’s death a means of accom-
  plishing other goals. Perhaps Murdock also has the Black Chalice, something 
  another player needs.
  Try to imagine your players’ Beliefs in this scheme. What’s the common goal 
  they share? What are their secondary goals? How can you tie the secondary goals 
  back into the common one? Can you use the secondary goals as obstacles to ac-
  complishing the common goal?
  What’s the mood of the table? Do they universally hate one of the antagonists? 
  Can you turn him into a sympathetic villain and thereby challenge all of their 
  Beliefs by causing them to question their goals?
  Michael’s simple scheme for challenging Beliefs helps frame things into a pat-
  tern of easily executed actions. How to your group’s goals fit into this scheme?
  
  Instincts
  Instincts are a tricky part of the game. A good Instinct is harder to write than a 
  good Belief. And often, a bad Instinct is harder to apply than a bad Belief. To write 
  a good Belief, you need a situation, a character and a sense of drama. To write a 
  good Instinct, you need a character, a sense of drama and a bit of system mastery. 
  Instincts game the system, so to use them best you need to know how the system 
  works.
  The rules mention two types of Instincts: those that add characterization and 
  those that grant a mechanical benefit. There’s a third type that we describe in this 
  chapter--Instincts born from the situation. We also discuss what makes a good 
  characterization Instinct and how you get the most mechanical benefit from an 
  Instinct.
  --Characterization Instincts--
  A characterization Instinct is a reminder to you about how to play your char-
  acter through a situation. It offers little or no mechanical benefit, but it tells you 
  “what your character would do.” It’s helpful when overwhelmed by choices to be 
  able to refer to your Instinct list and be nudged in a direction.
  The best characterization Instincts remind you to do something with your 
  character that you, the player, are bad at or uncomfortable with. They remind you 
  to push against comfortable behavior. They remind you to be cool when you al-
  ways blow up; they remind you to lie when you always tell the truth; they remind 
  you to be cold-blooded when you’re usually sanguine.
  --Mechanical Instincts--
  A mechanical Instinct is one that gains you some mechanical advantage in the 
  
  game. Typically, you are allowed to make a free roll to cover your ass when trouble 
  arises or to trigger a condition that bypasses a penalty.
  Instincts work best in the looser framework of independent and versus tests 
  made in the course of play.
  As it says in the Character Burner, Instincts let you make a test when triggered 
  by a situation or obstacle. Essentially, play stops advancing for a moment and you 
  step back in time to allow the player with the appropriate Instinct to make a test. 
  If you have an Instinct like “Always remember to bring a gift when visiting,” and 
  you arrive at court in play but you forgot a gift, you get to make a Resources test on 
  the side for an appropriate gift. No questions asked.
  Or Instincts can provide the pretext to turn a situatino into a versus test--
  rather than a standard test or an outright declaration by the GM. You have an 
  Instinct to “Always watch out for an ambush.” You’re assured of getting to test 
  your Observation against an impeding ambush no matter how distracted your 
  character is.
  Or an Instinct allows you to take an action in the game that alleviates a penalty. 
  This is the “I forgot to say it, but my guy would totally do that” type of Instinct. 
  “Always sleep with a knife under my pillow.” You don’t have to talk about that 
  knife, ever. It’s always under your pillow when you bed down. “Always lock the 
  door when I leave the vault.” That vault is always locked when you leave. You don’t 
  leave it ajar unless you specifically state you play against your Instinct.
  -Instincts in Duel of Wits, Range and Cover and Fight!-
  Contrary to appearances, Instincts don’t work in Duel of Wits, Range and 
  Cover and Fight! They work before you engage these systems and after, but not 
  during. Timing is too important in these instances to let people cheat outright. If 
  Instincts could change actions, these conflicts would rapidly devolve into Instinct 
  wars.
  You can write Instincts about being prepared for a Fight! or to always escalate 
  to violence in a Duel of Wits or to always gather your arrows after a skirmish in 
  Range and Cover, but you can’t write anything that interferes with the action 
  sequence. “Always fight in aggressive stance” will allow you to start a fight in 
  aggressive stance, but once you drop out of stance, you don’t automatically pop 
  back in. You have to spend the action required. “If disarmed, draw my knife.” This 
  Instinct sounds cool, but it breaks the rules. It costs two actions to draw a knife 
  in Fight. Since there’s no way you could have had the knife ready before you were 
  disarmed in the melee, the Instinct can’t pay off.
  
  --Situational Instincts--
  Situational Instincts are similar to characterization Instinct, but rather than 
  focusing on the character himself, they relate an action about a specific circum-
  stance in the story.
  So rather than, “Always draw my sword at the first sign of trouble,” your third 
  Instinct should be something like “When I see my traitorous brother, attack him 
  vigorously!” or, “When I see the night watch, run.” Or, “When Soryu mouths off, 
  try to cover for him.”
  These Instincts relate to specific circumstances and specific characters you are 
  involved with in the game right now. Using these Instincts will pay off handsomely 
  in artha and create fun chaos in the game.
  --Practical Instincts--
  Let me try to give some advice about common problems with Instincts.
  -Always Win-
  I see badly written, poorly conceived Instincts all the time. They go something 
  like this: “Always win;” or “Always do the right thing;” or “Always know some-
  thing seemingly prosaic but actually impossible--exits, the truth, your thoughts.”
  Of course, no one actually writes those Instincts, but that’s the spirit behind 
  many of the bad ones. They’re written to shield the character (and player) from 
  danger. That’s not what Instincts are for, so don’t tolerate Instincts like that.
  Make sure Instincts are focused on a physical action that can be accomplished 
  in a single heartbeat or something that you do habitually when you’re not under 
  pressure or in danger. Instincts have to make sense in the context of their use! If 
  you have an Instinct “Always assess my opponents for weaknesses,” and you get 
  ambushed, there’s no time for assessin’!
  Checking out your opponent seems like such a simple thing, but it’s tricky. 
  Weaknesses need to be studied. That Instinct needs to say “Always assess my op-
  ponents for weaknesses before a fight.” The modified Instinct makes perfect sense 
  in the context of an ambush. No time! But if you were at court and you met your 
  enemy in passing, that’d be a perfect time to assess him for weaknesses--even if you 
  don’t say that you did it. When you fight him, you can call back to that moment 
  and say, “Weren’t we at court together? I totally assessed his weaknesses then! I 
  want to make a Perception test to have noted where he wears the lightest armor.”
  
  -Picking Three Good Instincts-
  Players often struggle to choose three good Instincts. They typically have one 
  sweet Instinct in mind, but have no inspiration for the second or third.
  Well, let us start off this discussion by removing the pressure. The Character 
  Burner is quite clear, “Characters may have one to three Instincts.” You’re not re-
  quired to have all three. So if you’ve only got one Instinct, you’re fine. You can start 
  playing and worry about adding others as play progresses.
  We often use this tactic. We’ll get stuck with two great Instincts and then draw 
  a blank for the third. However, in the course of play something usually happens 
  that makes us say “My guy would never do that,” or “My guy would always do 
  that!” That becomes our missing Instinct!
  We also use these guidelines:
  -Personal Instinct-
  Make one Instinct about the character’s personality.
   
   
  “Never let them forget that I’m a noble.”
   
   
  “Never let a man insult me.”
   
   
  “Always make a short joke around Dwarves.”
  -Material Instinct-
  Make one Instinct about something your character does with his gear.
   
   
  “Always mend my armor before I bed down.”
   
   
  “Always sleep with a knife under my pillow.”
   
   
  “Never wear shoes.”
  -Skill-Based Instinct-
  Look over your skills. Imagine how they would make your character behave. 
  Write an Instinct about that behavior.
   
   
  “When I’m in a library, do research.”
   
   
  “Always intimidate people who are shorter than me.”
   
   
  “Always recite a poem for the beautiful girls.”
  
  Artha Cycle
  Burning Wheel is a game about rewards. It is not enough for a player to claim 
  to want something. It’s not enough for that player to fight for what he wants. The 
  game only begins to work when the player stakes his claim on a Belief and then is 
  rewarded in fate and persona points. That artha crates incentive for further en-
  gagement with even tighter, more dramatic Beliefs, but it also fuels other parts of 
  the system.
  Artha is meant to be used. It’s not hoarded or reserved. You can only benefit 
  from it if you spend it. And generally, you need to use it. You need artha to over-
  come obstacles so that you can fulfill your Beliefs. And the more you invest in that 
  circuit, the more you’re likely to get back. Spend artha and earn it right back. Do 
  more, push harder.
  But that’s not all, no sir. You need that artha to advance, too. Perception, Faith, 
  Resources--they can’t advance without it. You need to invest it in challenges that 
  are too difficult to overcome without it. That investment pays off as your stat, skill 
  and attribute dice pools increase.
  One way to advance abilities of exponents 5 and higher is to use artha to pass 
  challenging tests. The only way to garner the artha is to play your Beliefs, Instincts 
  and traits to thoroughly engage in the game.
  Furthermore, investing artha in Beliefs helps you earn traits from trait votes. 
  These traits codify the aspects of your character that you evoked while fighting for 
  your Beliefs. Spending that artha has helped bring your character closer to your 
  vision of who he is right now.
  And there’s the ultimate investment: epiphany. Fighting for your Beliefs, 
  spending, earning, investing--an epiphany is inevitable. It takes quite a long time, 
  but it’s worth it. A gray-shade ability substantially multiplies your character’s 
  
  effectiveness.
  This enormous, beautiful cycle is born from working towards fulfilling one 
  Belief.
  --Awarding Artha in General--
  At our table, we’ve drifted the rules for awarding artha a bit. On page 64, the 
  Burning Wheel states that the GM is to award artha on the spot if a Belief is ful-
  filled. We don’t do that anymore. For players newly introduced to the concept of 
  Beliefs and artha, on-the-spot awards are useful. They demonstrate the cycle: Play 
  your Belief, get rewarded.
  But that method has two drawbacks. It’s disruptive; it requires more record 
  keeping in the moment. And it lessens the value of individual points of artha by al-
  lowing players to grub for artha in the moment rather than push themselves while 
  husbanding their resources. I prefer for players to have a finite resource with which 
  they must make difficult resource-management decisions. In the currency cycle, 
  you risk now to earn rewards later--fate for playing Beliefs, persona for accomplish-
  ing goals, etc.
  At our table, we do artha awards at the end of each session. How do we remem-
  ber if we played a Belief or Instinct? We developed a method that I feel enriches 
  our games. We wrap up 15 minutes earlier than we used to. Then each player in 
  turn reads his Beliefs, Instincts and traits aloud. The player interjects commentary 
  as he reads--”I played that when I...” or “This one didn’t get touched at all...” Other 
  players also offer insights. Often, a player will shrug off a Belief, “I didn’t play this 
  at all,” and we all shout, “Are you kidding?! What the hell else were you doing 
  when you murdered that dude in cold blood?!” or something similar. If the player 
  agrees, he takes the award. If he disagrees, then he doesn’t take the point. It’s im-
  portant that the session is remembered and parsed by the group as a whole. It helps 
  us all keep focused on the game.
  This works in the other direction, too. If a player isn’t earning artha from a 
  Belief, it’s obvious. Therefore, when reviewing Beliefs for artha, we can clearly see 
  what’s misfiring and what’s working.
  --The Deeds Point--
  The Deeds point is the single most powerful type of artha in the game. It can be 
  spent before the roll or after. It can double your dice or reroll your traitors. 
  The criteria for earning a deeds point is intentionally vague. In fact, deeds 
  
  points aren’t earned, they’re given. Unlike fate or persona points, which are earned 
  by fulfilling player-driven criteria, these points are handed out at the sole discre-
  tion of the GM.
  The deeds point is bound up in the Big Picture of the game. It’s for doing 
  remarkable, unexpected things that the GM thinks are exemplary or even frus-
  trating! Deeds points are won when the players sacrifice their petty aims for a 
  grand act. They can’t be gunned for--unless the price for failure isn’t a setback but 
  a cataclysm.
  If you feel like you’re cruising toward a deeds point, then you’re doing it wrong. 
  If you feel like you’ve tricked your way into one, then you’ve done yourself a dis-
  service. If your stomach is in knots and your hands trembling under the intensity 
  of the events that concluded your game, then you might be eligible.
  Deeds points can be earned in conjunction with persona points for goals. But in 
  the quest for that goal, the player must risk his character to unanticipated heights 
  or profound depths. If these great deeds are all part of the plan, then it’s worth a 
  persona point. If the situation blows up, gets complicated and you have to take a 
  few deep breaths before you dive in, yet you still manage to persevere, then you 
  might be eligible.
  The context of play and the challenges therein are paramount. It’s all relative. 
  And, ultimately, up to the GM.
  As a GM, I recently gave out a deeds point to each member of my group for 
  completing the campaign goal of ending the reign of a powerful wizard.
  As a player, I recently earned a deeds point for helping banish a Greater Daemon 
  who plagued our party for years. Both events were the result of a lot of hard work, 
  but they both concluded with explosive, unexpected results.
  --Earning Persona--
  There are five distinctions for earning persona points: Embodiment, 
  Moldbreaker, Personal Goals, Workhorse and MVP.
  -Earning Embodiment-
  For the Embodiment award, one player or the GM nominates another. He 
  cites the scene or scenes and describes why he thinks the player deserves an 
  Embodiment point. Everyone has a chance to chime in, for or against. We never 
  nominate ourselves, and we tend to make Embodiment awards gradually harder 
  to earn. Repeating your stellar performance from session to session will earn you a 
  
  few persona points in the early games, but later in the campaign, it’s just what we 
  expect as your normal behavior. If you want the award, you just have to push into 
  new and interesting ground.
  -Earning Moldbreaker-
  Moldbreaker is perhaps my favorite award, but it has its problems. It is earned for 
  dramatically playing against a Belief. You can betray a Belief in situations presented 
  to you by the GM as he challenges you or you can set up your own Moldbreaker by 
  writing conflicting Beliefs. Both are perfectly valid. It’s important to note that you 
  don’t earn this persona point by *ignoring* a Belief. If a Belief doesn’t come into 
  play, or if it’s challenged and you take no action, then there is no reward.
  To get the Moldbreaker award, you must bring your character’s internal struggle 
  into the spotlight. You must show the rest of the group how you are fighting with 
  your own demons. Show us how much this decision costs you.
  Sometimes this roleplay results in you serving one Belief while ignoring another. 
  That’s perfectly normal. And often, if a great performance or brain-breaking deci-
  sion doesn’t get you Moldbreaker, you are considered for an Embodiment point.
  -The Moldbreaker Belief Change Warning-
  As I said above, I love Moldbreaker moments. They’re very powerful for me. 
  They are a point at which many parts of the game come together and present the 
  player with a poignant meaningful choice. The Moldbreaker moment is part of the 
  classic Burning Wheel question, “Is that what you believe now? Well, what if this 
  happens? Do you still believe that?
  When I GM and a player undergoes a Moldbreaker moment, I ask him about the 
  Belief at the end of the session. “Do you still believe that? Do you want to change 
  the Belief?” I am comfortable with the player deciding either way, but I want to 
  make sure that there is still interesting conflict to squeeze from the decision.
  Sometimes when you break a Belief, you are changed by the moment. Your 
  character has surprised you. You no longer believe. You know it intuitively. You 
  know you have to change.Powerful stuff.
  Other times when you break a Belief, you are using that moment to define 
  the very Belief that you played against. By going against it this one time, you are 
  demonstrating just how committed you are to your ideals. You would prefer to do 
  this another way, but circumstances have forced you to compromise your ideals. 
  However, this doesn’t make you callow or disingenuous. In fact, it roots you even 
  more firmly in your ideological stance.
  
   
  So after you earn the Moldbreaker award, reflect a bit on the Belief and 
  the direction of the character. If you no longer believe, change it. If you care even 
  more, leave it alone.
   
  If a player earns Moldbreaker in multiple sessions, I flag the Belief. After 
  three times, I request that the Belief be changed to reflect the character’s new 
  ideology. Generally, the players agree with me. On occasion, the situations in the 
  game are so fraught with chest-tightening, fist-clenched struggles of ideology that 
  it’s appropriate to keep the Belief even though it’s been broken repeatedly. This is 
  a tough call, though, something to be discussed and verified by both player and 
  GM.
  -Personal Goals-
  The persona point for the Personal Goals award is straightforward on the sur-
  face. Did you accomplish the goal set out in your Belief or not? If yes, you get 
  a persona point. If not, then either you played it to drive the game forward and 
  earned a fate point or didn’t touch on it and didn’t benefit.
  In practice, this award can get a little muddy. Players can have Beliefs whose 
  meanings change in context. “I will destroy the Red Council and all of its evil 
  works.” In the campaign, the Red Council is down to one wizard who maintains 
  a lot of evil works. Once that wizard is destroyed, is that Belief counted as accom-
  plished? Or what happens if the evil works still exist or the evil works are thwarted 
  but the sole wizard survives? Who decides?
  When we read our Beliefs at the end of the session, we’ll just ask the player who 
  owns it. “Are you still interested in that Belief? You pretty much fulfilled it, but you 
  could pursue it more if you’d like.” If the goal has been nominally accomplished, 
  but contains open-ended possibilities, we let him decide whether he wants to keep 
  the Belief and take a fate point, or change the Belief and take a persona point.
  At your table, when a personal goal is achieved, we strongly encourage the 
  player to write a new Belief to replace that one. It’s tacitly understood that the GM 
  is going to move on and challenge other Beliefs.
  -Personal Goals Outside of Beliefs-
  The Personal Goals paragraph on page 66 of the Burning Wheel also notes 
  that you can award the group persona for accomplishing unwritten group goals. 
  As a GM, I have left this practice behind. I feel it detracts from the incentive to 
  write strong, action-oriented Beliefs. And there’s plenty of artha to go around 
  without it. However, one  of the GMs in our group does faithfully reward us for 
  group goals--escaping from  imprisonment, mucking up a giant ritual, establishing 
  
  relations with a foreign town, etc. He gives them out as if they were mini deeds 
  points.
  -MVP-
  At Burning Wheel Headquarters we drifted the MVP rules slightly. When we 
  review Beliefs, Instincts and traits for fate point rewards, we also discuss MVP and 
  Workhorse awards. We grant these awards on a per-session basis--we consider each 
  session a “scenario” described in the MVP and Workhorse descriptions.
  We review the session. First, we look at the tests made. Was a particular test 
  or conflict crucial to the progress of the group? If one player’s actions stand out, 
  we award him the MVP. If there’s no test or conflict we can point to, we look for 
  moments of performance in which a player’s decision or action drove play in a vital 
  direction.
  If the session was mellow, everyone contributed equally or it was a builder, 
  moving toward future action, don’t be afraid to withhold this award. It is not 
  obligatory; it is discretionary.
  -Workhorse-
  For the Workhorse award, we look at everyone’s actions across the session. Who 
  used lots of seemingly mundane skills to keep us going? Who carried us through 
  that fight, soaking up blows that would have killed us all? Who was the unsung 
  hero? He gets the persona point for Workhorse.
  Workhorse is a test-based award. It’s for rolling lots of dice without hogging the 
  spotlight. However on occasion, a player will slog away behind the scenes with-
  out a lot of tests. A player will devise plans, inspire other players to action or play 
  the anchor, supporting the other players with his performance and still earn this 
  award. This includes passing lots of helping dice while not testing much yourself.
  This award is not based entirely on success. You can labor behind the scenes, 
  testing to forage and cook for the group, trying to muster a couple of linked dice, 
  but only accruing failure and penalties. In the mechanics, you’ve hurt the group, 
  but in the fiction you’ve fed and clothed the group so that they can carry on the 
  fight--even if you’re also the one who made them sick and poor. On occasion, that’s 
  also worthy of the Workhorse award!
  --Earning Fate--
  Fate is the most common artha currency. It is easiest to earn because there are 
  more conditions for its acquisition than persona or deeds combined.
  
  -Earning Fate for Beliefs-
  The conditions for earning fate for playing a Belief are very loose. The text says, 
  “serves a purpose or drives the game forward.” Ideally, I intended that the player 
  make a test in service of his Belief. I want you to bring your statement into the 
  game--make it manifest with a risk of failure. If not that, then at least a strong 
  performance based on or defending a Belief is necessary for the reward.
  Merely restating the Belief to the group or silently handing over a few helping 
  dice during the session is not enough to earn this reward. Beliefs must be actively 
  pursued--there must be risk--if you wish to be rewarded.
  -Working Toward...-
  For most Beliefs, you earn fate points on your way to earning a persona point 
  for personal goals. You don’t accomplish the goal this session, but you actively 
  worked toward it. That earns a fate point.
   
  -Fate Mines-
  Some Beliefs are not goals. Either the explicit goal is beyond the scope of the 
  campaign or the Belief is an ideological or philosophical statement. “I will spend 
  every breath to over-throw this empire” is an example of the former (for argument’s 
  sake, let’s say the scope of the game doesn’t include room for me to actually topple 
  anything so grand as an empire). “Fire is my guide and my succor” is an example of 
  the latter type of Belief.
  I can work toward both of these Beliefs. I can attack the imperial tax collectors 
  and drive them from my town. I can defame the emperor in public. I can write 
  manifestos about the downfall of the empire.
  For the fire Belief, I can use fire to light my way. I can build fires to keep us 
  warm when it rains. I can boil water. I can sterilize my medical implements. I can 
  speak in mystical terms about the fire when I make decisions. All of this counts 
  toward playing a Belief, even though there is nothing to ultimately accomplish.
  These are acceptable Beliefs. In fact, I recommend writing one for your charac-
  ter. We call them, rather baldly, *fate mines*. You work them into play to provide 
  characterization and are rewarded with fate points.
  -Earning Fate for Instincts-
  Instincts are often their own reward. They can grant a mechanical advantage. If 
  that mechanic is invoked, and you benefit from it, you don’t get an artha award. If 
  the Instinct mechanic is invoked and you suffer for it, then you’re rewarded with 
  a fate point.
  
  No one can trigger your Instincts but you. If you don’t invoke the Instinct, 
  you cannot benefit from it. If you don’t call for its mechanical aspect to aid you, 
  then the Instinct remains inert. If you don’t invoke the Instinct in a problematic 
  circumstance, then you won’t be rewarded. This reward is very much dependent on 
  your own behavior at the table.
  Good Instinct play requires a proactive player. A GM can certainly remind a 
  player about his Instincts, but playing Instincts is voluntary. A player can choose 
  to ignore his Instincts. Of course we frown upon this type of play. We hope that 
  the two-fold reward for Instinct is enough to encourage their use.
  -Earning Fate for Traits-
  Trait awards are very important, but they are less frequent than rewards for 
  Beliefs. The criteria for the reward is that the story must head in an unexpected 
  direction due to the invocation of the trait.
  At Burning Wheel HQ we’ve drifted the conditions of this award slightly. We 
  only give out trait awards for character traits. On a rare occasion, we’ll grant the 
  award for another type of trait. Why? We feel that using a die trait or call-on is 
  reward enough.
  Using a character trait is purely a way to embellish performance and color deci-
  sions. This is a noble thing and it should be rewarded.
  At the end of the session, we quickly scan our trait lists and make a case for any 
  character traits that were brought into play in a meaningful light. We try to cite 
  the moment of decision or change. If the group agrees, we take the award. And, in 
  general, you earn one fate per session for playing character traits. Otherwise play 
  becomes trait-bingo rather than meaningful roleplay.
  -Earning Fate for Your Mom-
  I earn a fate point every time I answer your mom’s questions on our forum.
  -Earning Fate for Humor-
  In some of our games, the humor point is a nightly award. In other campaigns, 
  it’s rare. Burning Wheel is, by its nature, a rather heavy game. It’s an intense experi-
  ence, fighting for what you believe! But in this context, we value comedic relief. If 
  that in-character remark makes us all laugh--from humor, joy or excitement--we 
  want to reward you.
  However, comedic moments pass quickly and in the final end-of-session tally, 
  they’re easy to forget. To make sure just rewards are distributed, some of us will 
  
  make a note of what was said if we think it’s humor-worthy. My notebooks and 
  character sheets are littered with incongruous quotes that are just bizarre out of 
  context but were spit-take hilarious in the moment.
  -Earning Fate for Skills-
  Right Skill, Right Time is the rarest of the fate point rewards. It’s meant to 
  award clever character builds or diligent practice. It is only disbursed when the 
  group is at an impasse and the GM calls for an obscure or unlikely skill to bypass 
  the obstacle. A player unexpectedly chimes in, “I have that!” The game rolls on and 
  he’s rewarded in the end.
  The best example I can remember is a group who needed to sneak into a well-
  guarded citadel tower. One player chimed in, “I have Architecture. I want to use 
  my knowledge to find us a secret entrance.” That player was the absolute hero for 
  that session. I think he got MVP and Right Skill, Right Time award. 
  You cannot earn this award more than once per skill, ever. Once we know you 
  have that skill, there’s no more magic to it. Once we start to rely on your clutch 
  skills, you’re in the running for Workhorse, not Right Skill, Right Time.
  --Artha Bloat--
  If you play Burning Wheel over a long period of time, you may experience 
  artha bloat. An excess of fate and persona builds up. This happens for a number 
  of reasons.
  If you’re too lenient rewarding fate for Beliefs, Instincts and traits, it’s easy to 
  •	
  build up a hefty reserve.
  If you’re not challenging players with difficult obstacles, they have less incen-
  •	
  tive to spend artha. Thus if you see a character with eight or more fate points, 
  you should be sure to hit them with some steep obstacles.
  And if you’re not using the extended conflict mechanics enough, players tend 
  •	
  to build up a fat reserve.
  -Conflicts Soak Artha-
  Duel of Wits, Range and Cover and Fight! require lots of little rolls that all 
  carry significant consequences--in these conflicts you’re always pushing for just 
  one more success. Thus a player can easily invest a lot of artha in just one conflict. 
  And, conversely, if you’re not using these mechanics, players are missing out on an 
  opportunity to invest in their abilities.
  
  The game awards artha at a rate that is not easily modified. And the rate of 
  awards assumes that the extended conflict mechanics will be used at least once 
  per session. Thus if you rely solely on versus tests in your game, you’re skewing the 
  risk/reward balance of the game. In long-term games, the rate of reward and use 
  can balance over time--you might have a mellow session one week, and a hectic 
  one the next. But if you’re using versus tests extensively, then you risk building up 
  ridiculous reservoirs of artha. If players are accumulating stockpiles of artha, that’s 
  a red flag it’s time to put the spurs to them.
  --Artha for NPCs--
  Page 73 of the Burning Wheel recommends starting your antagonists with the 
  same amount of artha as your players: usually one or two fate points and a persona 
  point. This is reasonable for named, important antagonists.
  Don’t give your mooks any artha, no matter how bad-ass they are. It’s just 
  rude.
  If you spent time burning up a creature or character to oppose the group and 
  you don’t want to see him punked, then give him a fate and a persona. Otherwise, 
  let your bad guys’ dice fall where they may.
  On the other hand, the Big Bads should start with a nice reserve of three fate 
  and three persona.
  -Allied NPCs and Artha-
  I try to deemphasize artha for allied NPCs. The players, not the supporting 
  cast, are the focus of the game. On occasion, however, it is appropriate for these 
  characters to start with, earn and spend artha as per the guidelines presented here 
  and in the Burning Wheel.
  -NPCs Can Earn Artha-
  Page 65 of the Burning Wheel states that NPCs can earn artha. It’s up to the 
  players to nominate the character--for Embodiment, Personal Goals, etc. However, 
  in practice, I’ve found that this acknowledgment is very rare. Thus I shamelessly 
  pester the players if I feel like I’ve done a good job with an NPC. “Did you enjoy 
  that performance? Can I have an Embodiment point?” Don’t be shy. They’re not 
  going to give you anything unless you ask.
  
  Trait Vote
  Trait votes are an overlooked part of Burning Wheel’s grand currency cycle. 
  In a trait vote, the group provides feedback about the character play in the most 
  recent arc of the campaign. The vote highlights the evocation of Beliefs, Instincts 
  and traits and the group’s own self-perception. The process is both a capstone of 
  the currency cycle and a safety valve for the system--we get final say over the char-
  acters after all is said and done.
  The basic mechanic of the trait vote is very simple, but the procedure is left 
  rather vague.
  --When to Trait Vote?--
  There’s no perfect time for a trait vote. Try to perform the vote after a major 
  event or accomplishment in the campaign. I like a vote every six to 12 sessions. The 
  exact timing is up to the events ant flow of your game.
  If you run a trait vote too soon, the players don’t have a sense of each other’s 
  characters. The votes are strained. If you wait too long to vote, then the precipitat-
  ing events of the campaign are forgotten and lots of good trait opportunities are 
  missed.
  --Trait Vote Procedure--
  At BWHQ, we’ve developed a procedure for our trait votes. We devote a whole 
  session to the process, with any extra time put toward smaller “interim” procedures 
  like practice, copying over characters and single-player wrap-up events.
  At the start of the vote, we review the period upon which we’re voting. We try 
  to recall a major event at the beginning of the eligibility period to mark it in our 
  minds. Then we agree on how many traits we’re eligible for in the vote. This usually 
  
  takes one of three forms: one character trait only, one character trait and one other 
  trait, or two traits of any type. We almost always break this limit, but it’s good to 
  set a guideline.
  We go around the table in turn and read out our current traits. The GM and the 
  owning player make cases for and against losing traits. We vote to keep or lose any 
  traits that are so identified. Traits are lost if they are unplayed, unused or actively 
  played against. This is a small but vital part of this process. This is your chance to 
  get rid of those humiliating lifepath traits.
  Once we’ve voted off any traits, we then pick a character. Each player in turn 
  nominates that character for a trait. One player takes the role of secretary and 
  writes down the nominations. Trait nominations can be based on traits from the 
  lifepaths, the special list, the general list or traits that you develop on the spot dur-
  ing the vote using the Monster Burner’s Trait Burner.
  When you nominate, tell the group the name of the trait and why you think 
  the character should have that trait. Don’t give a speech, but a short comment is 
  in order.
  If we have a group of four players and a GM, at the end of the nominating pro-
  cess each player should have five possible traits next to his name: one nomination 
  from each player, including himself, and the GM.
  Once all of the nominations are in order, starting with the first character nomi-
  nated, read out the list of traits one at a time. The player who nominated the trait 
  should make a case for the trait and why he thinks it is appropriate. Decide on the 
  type of trait--character, dis or call-on--at this point. If there is a question about 
  what the trait does, use another trait as a model or trait burn it according to the 
  rules in the Monster Burner. Vote on each nomination according to the procedure 
  in the Burning Wheel. In our house rule, as presented in the Rules Appendix of 
  this book, the owning player does not vote.
  If a player is voted for more traits than he is eligible, review the deadlocked 
  traits. Make cases for or against them. Revote until a decision is reached or you 
  decide to break up the eligibility discussion.
  Following this procedure should lead you to shiny new traits in a reasonable 
  amount of time.
  -Beliefs, Instincts and Trait Voting-
  The character sheets have a place in which you can note whether you’ve spent 
  artha using a Belief or Instinct. This note is to help remind us of moments in which 
  we’ve invested. Ant the amount of investment is a good benchmark forh the types 
  
  of traits for which the character is eligible.
  This process is problematic in games with high Belief turnover. It becomes all 
  but impossible to log your investments without keeping another separate record. 
  I do not want to encourage more bookkeeping, so use this rule lightly. Use it to 
  inform your decisions about the trait vote rather than as a strict measure.
  -Evolving Traits-
  Using the trait vote rules, you can neatly transform a character trait into 
  something more potent and useful--a die or call-on trait. So when you’re voting, 
  examine traits that have been played well. Can they be evolved into a new form 
  with more benefit to reflect how the character has been played? If so, propose their 
  evolution rather than proposing a whole new trait.
  Take care that you don’t forget character traits. In our games, sometimes we get 
  so caught up in developing traits, we lose our character traits as they get promoted 
  to other levels. As you evolve character traits, be sure to vote on new ones that 
  accurately reflect changes in the character.
  --Reputation Votes--
  A trait vote is just one of two ways to vote to change your character in Burning 
  Wheel. You also vote to change, increas, decrease, add or remove reputation, 
  not traits. The process is essentially the same as a trait vote, but you’re looking at 
  reputations, not traits. Reputation votes can come at the end of any scenario, but 
  they’re usually lumped into the trait vote process. Don’t overlook the reputation 
  vote. It’s very useful.
  
  Advancement
  I rant on and on about advancement in the Burning Wheel--”advancement is 
  lifeblood” and all that. Advancement is a fundamental gear in the Burning Wheel 
  currency cycle. As a player, you’re supposed to want to improve your character’s 
  abilities.
  Advancement shapes your behavior in play. To advance, you must have your 
  character attempt a variety of tasks. You can’t do the same thing over and over again 
  to advance your ability. You need to attempt a combination of easy and difficult 
  tasks. Furthermore, you need to attempt tasks that are statistically impossible.
  Advancement also paces the campaign. The hard coded system--how many rolls 
  per session toward advancement--determines how long it’s going to take you to 
  master that sword so you can confront your rival.
  --The Rate of Advancement--
  Most abilities don’t advance in a single session of play. In our games, we see 
  advancements pop three or four sessions into a campaign.
  It’s possible to advance sooner, but you have to be slavishly devoted to the abil-
  ity’s progress and a bit of a test-monger or start with very low exponents.
  This is part of the design. Burning Wheel is a game for campaigns. It really 
  starts to shine six, eight, or even 12 sessions into a campaign.
  --The Behavior of Routine Tests--
  When you need a routine test for advancement, the incentive is to use FoRKs, 
  lobby for advantage, linked tests and, most important, accept help to get as many 
  dice into your hand as possible.
  
  Help for routine tests is key in a group situation. The routine test you are ben-
  efiting from is often a difficult or even challenging test for the helper. So by helping 
  one another, the group can earn a broad spectrum of advancements in a single 
  session--or even a single roll if you’re clever.
  --Behavior of Difficult Tests--
  Difficult tests require a bit of dice optimization. You want to gather the precise 
  amount of dice so that the test counts as difficult and not routine for advance-
  ment. But you don’t want to take too few dice, either! If you have a skill of B4 for 
  an Ob 4 test, it’s difficult whether or not you roll four dice or five. My first impulse 
  in that situation is to get help. If no help is on offer, I root around for a FoRK or 
  advantage die. I can afford to take that extra die and still log the difficult test.
  -Earning Difficult Tests Through Help-
  You can also earn difficult tests by helping another player. To gain this benefit, 
  you must be attentive to the action. You must involve yourself in your friends’ 
  scenes. Place yourself in danger with them. Thus when time comes for a test, you 
  can justify your help. You give them helping dice to help overcome the obstacle 
  while you compare the obstacle of the test to your raw exponent and log the ap-
  propriate test for advancement. Using this method, you can ensure that people 
  who need routine tests get them--by piling on helping dice--and people who need 
  difficult tests get them--by providing help.
  --Behavior of Challenging Tests--
  Challenging tests are a win-win situation. On one hand, you can be confident 
  that you will fail a challenging test. You can grab your dice, toss them down dif-
  fidently and grin at the GM, “I fail.”
  Or, you can dig in, muster your traits, gather your artha, blow on your dice, 
  mutter your imprecations to the gods and roll. You just might get lucky with some 
  6s and pull it off.
  It’s exhilarating!
  -Earning Challenging Tests Through Help-
  There’s another way to earn challenging tests that isn’t quite so invigorating. 
  You can help another player in need. If your friend is making a test that’s higher 
  than your exponent, try to devise a way to help. He’ll get a test relative to the 
  
  number of dice he’s rolling. You’ll get a challenging test for advancement.
  The hitch is that if your friend needs a challenging test for his exponent, he 
  might not be able to accept help. Taking the extra dice will usually change the type 
  of test. Thus you might need to set up the test differently--taking action yourself so 
  your friend can help you and get the test he needs.
  --Balancing Success Against 
  Advancement--
  Sometimes you want to succeed. And sometimes you want to hurl yourself 
  against impossible odds and fail. Once you start playing the advancement game, 
  you quickly run into a juicy decision. Do you muster dice and pass the test with 
  little risk of failure and no benefit to advancement, or do you risk failing the test 
  by using fewer dice and logging a needed test for advancement? It’s a simple matter 
  to get enough help from your mates to turn any difficult test to a routine. But 
  without the difficult tests, you won’t advance. You must make a decision: Do you 
  opt for short-term gain and pass the test or do you risk failure for a chance at long-
  term gain?
  There’s no right answer. Sometimes you’ll need to choose one way--a goal will 
  be too important to risk failure--and sometimes you’ll go in another direction--
  you’re just one test away from advancing an ability. The best moments are when it 
  is crucial for you to pass a test, but you also need the test for advancement--so you 
  can’t add too many dice. The tension between the two priorities--success against 
  advancement--adds a lot to the game. If you are not sure which to take, check your 
  Beliefs.
  --Beginner’s Luck--
  Beginner’s Luck imposes a double obstacle penalty on tests by unskilled char-
  acters. This is probably my favorite rule mathematically in the game. I find it 
  simulates very well--easy stuff is still accomplishable without too much fuss; mod-
  erately complex stuff is possible to achieve, but not a sure thing; and difficult tasks 
  are all but impossible for the unskilled. Simple, elegant, beautiful.
  Of course, this simple, elegant and beautiful rule causes all sorts of headaches. 
  Namely, how do you deal with a double obstacle penalty when you’re making a 
  versus test, skilled against unskilled?
  
  At BWHQ, we halve the successes of the unskilled and round down. We 
  compare that total to the skilled successes. If I’m skilled and roll five successes, 
  that means your unskilled test needs 10 or 11 successes to tie me. 12 successes are 
  needed to break the tie in your favor.
  -Beginner’s Luck, Helping and Advancement-
  Unskilled characters may help one another with a test. The primary character 
  tests using Beginner’s Luck rules. The helping character can earn a difficult or 
  challenging test toward advancing his *stat*. Helpers do not gain skill tests applied 
  to their aptitude.
  When using Beginner’s Luck rules in a versus test against a skilled opponent, it’s 
  best to count the unskilled successes as half successes--so two successes are needed 
  to equal one skilled success. This makes factoring advancement easier. Discard any 
  remaining half-successes.
  -Factoring Beginner’s Luck Obstacles With Disadvantage 
  and Tools-
  When making a test using Beginner’s Luck and disadvantage, the testing ob-
  stacle is double the base plus the disadvantage. The advancement obstacle is just 
  the base obstacle plus the disadvantage.
  When making a Beginner’s Luck test without required tools, the testing ob-
  stacle is double the double obstacle! But the advancement obstacle is merely double 
  the base obstacle--the obstacle for the test without tools.
  
  Practice
  Practice is a subset of Advancement, but we broke it into its own chapter so we 
  can take a deeper look at the rules and their application.
  The Burning Wheel is explicit about the purpose of practice: It exists so you 
  can acquire tests needed for advancement that you otherwise missed while out on 
  campaign.
  The hitch is that practice requires a substantial investment in game time. Your 
  character spends a lot of time practicing. That time is not spent adventuring, work-
  ing, or recovering.
  The practice cycles help set the pace of play. In fact, they are part of a suite 
  of longer-term mechanics--working, recovering, research--that are all scoped to 
  produce a sense of the passage of time. You play hard, down in the shit for a while, 
  then you crawl up out of the muck, rest, recuperate and reequip. Once you’re ready, 
  you head back into the fray and begin the cycle anew. This process creates a sense 
  of ongoing life for the characters.
  --Pressure--
  The adventure-rest-practice-reequip-adventure cycle is the natural pace of the 
  game. However, it’s the GM’s job to keep up the pressure for as long as he can with-
  out breaking the players. Don’t give them a moment of peace. Throw challenges 
  at them. When they stop for rest, move your pieces in the Big Picture. Make them 
  say, “Uh oh...” Force the players to create their peace by accomplishing their goals 
  or by spending themselves utterly. When they’re wounded, broke and ragged, let 
  them go to ground but let them know that their enemies will not rest.
  --Squeezing in Practice--
  
  Practice doesn’t only have to happen during downtime. Certain elements 
  of campaign life are meant to be noted as practice, rather than tests. You’re not 
  supposed to test to forage, cook and mend every night you’re out on the trail, for 
  instance. You test when it’s important. Otherwise, you mark the time spent as 
  practice.
  In less adventurous lifestyles, you can practice Reading, Writing, Composition, 
  Doctrine, History, Etiquette and a variety of other skills as part of your daily 
  routine.
  I prefer to limit this type of practice to stuff you do when you get up and stuff 
  you do before you bed down for the night. For example, I play an Elf who keeps a 
  journal of his travels. He makes his entries when his companions are resting. I use 
  the journal to practice his Elven Script.
  -Practice Log-
  When squeezing practice between other events, it’s important to keep a log. 
  You can practice piecemeal--a day here, a day there. For example, I’ve noted in my 
  Elf’s practice log that he has 14 weeks toward his Elven Script skill. Elven Script is 
  an academic skill, so I need six months--24 weeks--before I can notch a test.
  -Practice Instincts-
  A great way to squeeze practice into your character’s routine is via an Instinct. 
  My aforementioned Elf has an Instinct, “Always keep a journal of my travels.” Such 
  an Instinct leaves no doubt as to your character’s behavior. So you can be confident 
  that when you explain that you’ve been practicing your Elven Script skill for the 
  past year, your fellow players can see it in your Instinct.
  --Practice and Recovery--
  Can you rest and recover while practicing? I once heard a tale of a pneumoniac 
  scholar who refused to rest and subsequently worked himself to death. Was he 
  practicing while recovering?
  Technically, according to the rules, you cannot practice while recovering. 
  However, we play this situationally. If the nature of the injury permits, we allow 
  light practice: routine tests for Reading, Research, languages, wises or similar.
  However, you can practice while your friends are nursing their wounds. They’re 
  laid up in bed, pissing and moaning. You’re out in the world, sharpening your 
  skills and preparing for the next adventure.
  
  --Practice and Passage of Time--
  The practice rules are meant to allow for the passage of long stretches of time in 
  your game. Let five years pass! You don’t get to practice for all of those five years--
  you need to eat, sleep and work, too, right? But set aside a portion of that time that 
  you feel is appropriate. Let the players practice and beef up their abilities. And let 
  the setting and situation evolve and change meanwhile.
  --Practical Limits of Practice--
  The practice rules are very loose and meant to smooth over wrinkles between 
  the advancement system and the game fiction. However, they can be too loose. 
  The GM can and should impose intent/task limits on the practice cycle. If, for 
  example, a player wants to practice his Sword skill but he has no sword because he 
  is, in fact, locked in a prison, then he may not practice that ability.
  The literal time allotment for practice is too liberal--16 hours of potential prac-
  tice for a Will of B4 is too much. No one has that much free time and willpower! 
  The GM can and should also limit the amount of time available. Characters must 
  maintain their lives--they must sleep, eat and pay their bills. If a player wishes to 
  push his character beyond reasonable tolerances, the GM may call for Will and 
  Health tests to maintain his focus and dedication on his travails. Failure not only 
  impedes his practice, but can also make him sick or crazy.
  --Practical Instruction--
  Instruction is a much more efficient way to gain tests for advancement than 
  practice--possibly even more efficient than adventuring. Instructors can typically 
  be found with Circles and hired with Resources. The Circles test obstacle is vari-
  able, but the Resources test obstacle is 4. By subjecting their availability to those 
  two types of tests, you ensure that finding an instructor is also subject to the intent 
  and task rules. Thus if it’s not appropriate to search for an instructor, the GM can 
  inform the player that his intent is inappropriate and so on.
  
  Intent and Task
  The intent-and-task procedure is a simple, vital part of Burning Wheel. It exists 
  so we can clearly discuss how to interact with an obstacle. It is not a negotiation. 
  Either the GM presents an obstacle and describes the options for testing to over-
  come it, or a player states an action for his character and the GM asks for the 
  underlying reason--the intent--so he can judge the correct task.
  Note that task and action are slightly askew in this scheme. As a player, you’re 
  telling us about what your character is doing. The GM (and usually the rest of the 
  group), then need to translate that action into the system.
  This makes the operation of the rules pretty simple. It boils down to “describe 
  cool things for your guy and we’ll figure out what it means in the rules and make a 
  roll for it!” This philosophy stands at the core of the resolution system and bubbles 
  up all the way into Duel of Wits, Range and Cover, and Fight!
  --Intent--
  Intent--what do you want out of this roll? What are you trying to get from this 
  situation? What are you trying to accomplish here? Intent addresses the player 
  behind the character. Often, intent is implied by the situation. You’re hunting 
  for your enemy’s hideout and you encounter a sentry. You want to sneak past the 
  sentry. The GM calls for a Stealthy test. The underpinnings of that exchange are 
  obvious to us--you want to sneak past; you are going to do it by being quiet and 
  sneaky.
  But that’s not the only option. You can choose to alter the vector of your intent. 
  You could choose to capture the sentry, trail him back to his observation post or 
  even murder the sentry. Three different intents with three different outcomes for 
  one obstacle.
  
  You could also announce that you want to convince the sentry that you’re on 
  guard with him. Wait, the obstacle was to sneak past the sentry. You say, “What? 
  You were sneaking through the woods and now you want to saunter up and talk 
  to this guy?”
  “Sure!”
  “No, way. That’s not an appropriate task for this obstacle.”
  The GM vetoes that intent. Why? Because it’s inappropriate for the situation. 
  It doesn’t make sense in the fiction. You’re not dressed like one of them. You’re 
  sneaking through the woods. They’re on patrol. You can’t just pop up out of no-
  where, start a conversation and expect it to go well. That intent is no good for 
  getting past the sentry.
  So what happens? Usually, the player reframes his intent to something more 
  appropriate for the situation. Or the player can press his case and describe how he 
  will accomplish his intent--his task.
  --Task--
  Task describes how you accomplish your intent both mechanically and descrip-
  tively: “I pull off my boots and creep along the rocks quietly. I’m testing Stealthy 
  plus Sentry-wise and Forest-wise.”
  Task must dovetail with intent. What you’re doing must make sense as a way to 
  get what you’re after. The GM arbitrates this (usually backed up by the rest of the 
  group). If it doesn’t make sense to him, it doesn’t fly.
  So to return to our previous example, being sneaky and passing the sentry 
  makes sense. What about the other intents?
  To capture the sentry: “I sneak up behind him, muzzle him and choke off his 
  windpipe.” Test Stealthy plus Brawling (or Martial Arts) plus appropriate wises.
  To follow him back to his observation post: “I keep my distance and trail him 
  on his rounds. Where does he go?” Stealthy plus Observation or Tracking, maybe 
  even Hunting.
  To murder him: “ I hurl my knife into his neck, slicing his windpipe, killing 
  him before he can make any sound.” Throwing plus Stealthy, Knives and any ap-
  propriate wises.
  Note how merging the intent with the task changes what skill is tested and 
  what FoRKs are appropriate.
  
  Divining the implications of intent and task--what abilities can be used--is a 
  huge space in the game. You are meant to enter that space creatively and suggest 
  interesting, unexpected combinations. But to do so, you have to back it up in the 
  fiction. The process points right back to the top: It’s got to make sense to the people 
  at the table.
  Now, what about our waggish actor? He wants to impersonate another sentry 
  to deceive this one. When we squint at it, the intent doesn’t seem like that bad of 
  an idea. So we ask him, “How would you do it?”
  “Easy, I roll around in the mud and get good and dirty. Then I move off a good 
  hundred yards or so in the direction he came. I call out loudly, ‘Damn it!’ Then I 
  come staggering down the trail, cursing and muttering. ‘Fell in the damned mud! 
  Hey, friend! You’re wanted back at the post. Damned mud. I slipped in it. Can you 
  believe it? Anyway, yeah, you’re wanted back at the post.’ “
  Hm. Well, it sounds unlikely, but it certainly is intriguing. The GM can still 
  veto, but the player is clearly on to something. In this case, the GM can grant the 
  test. “Fine, test your Acting, plus FoRK in Disguise and Falsehood. Obstacle is 
  his Will and I’m going to give you a +1 Ob disadvantage because this is utterly 
  outlandish. But I’ll also give you a +1D advantage because it’s pretty funny.”
  Note that he’s changed his intent from the original example. He’s not trying to 
  sneak past, per se. He’s trying to trick the sentry into leaving his post. The task is 
  appropriate for such an outlandish attempt. If he succeeds, the player deserves the 
  fruits of his labor. Fortune flavors the bold and failure is fun.
  By the way, my absolute favorite part of these moments is when the player re-
  sponds to the GM’s outline for his task saying, “Wait, I don’t have Acting!” Well, 
  that’s why we have rules for Beginner’s Luck. Don’t let them weasel out of the 
  test.
  -What Skills or Ability for the Task-
  Assigning skills for tasks takes some fluency with the game. The best way to 
  learn is to let the player suggest a skill from his character. “I want to test to bypass 
  this sentry.”
  “What skill would you use?”
  “Falsehood.”
  Does his suggestion make sense? If it doesn’t, produce your own suggestion. Go 
  with your gut. Don’t flip through the book looking for an appropriate skill.
  You’ll gain an intuitive understanding of the skills after making calls like this 
  during your games.
  
  Tasks are a major part of the setting. They provide information about how this 
  place works. So when you make a call on a skill for a task, be firm and consistent. 
  That’s how it works here!
  -No Weasels-
  In Mouse Guard, we wrote a rule called No Weasels. It says that once a GM 
  sets an obstacle, you must engage it. This rule isn’t entirely applicable to Burning 
  Wheel, but it’s a good guideline. Once you’ve stated your intent and task, once 
  your character is in motion and the obstacle has been presented, you’re expected to 
  roll the dice. Even if it’s too hard!
  -No Fishing-
  Any negotiation about the appropriateness of the action should be handled 
  when you first state your intent. Any questions about rules clarifications and ob-
  stacles should be handled before you get to the intent stage. You can ask questions 
  about rules and look up stuff in the rule books. We want you to be informed when 
  you boldly declare your actions. We don’t want you fishing. “What’s the obstacle 
  to convince him? That’s too high. What if I intimidate him? What if I use a wise 
  to know what he knows?”
  An obstacle isn’t a physical thing. It’s a metaphor. Once it’s presented, you need 
  to confront it.
  --Roll the Dice or Say Yes--
  The Say Yes rule is difficult to adjudicate, yet it’s one of the most vital elements 
  of the system. It grants the GM the authorial power to cut right to the important 
  stuff and skip extraneous or tiresome action.
  In a recent campaign, our characters were crossing a narrow span over a chasm. 
  The GM, Pete, described the bridge in vivid detail. One of the players, Rich, de-
  scribed his character hopping up to the railing and capering along. Should Pete 
  have called for a Speed test for Rich’s character to keep his balance? No. Never. 
  Why? Certainly “in real life” there’s a chance of falling, but in the story, it just 
  didn’t matter. Rich was roleplaying. He was embellishing, interacting with Pete’s 
  description. Rich made the scene better.
  And what would the test have accomplished? He would have succeeded and 
  stayed on the bridge. Success would have kept him at the same point. Or he would 
  have fallen and we would have had to save him. It would have turned out like a 
  false note in a bad action movie. There would have been quick cuts and close-ups 
  
  but nothing really would have happened.
  Thus, Pete could Say Yes to this action. Rich wanted his character to look cool 
  crossing the bridge. Great! Move on.
  Later, these same characters needed to cross a narrow ledge to gain entry to a 
  lost tomb. Pete described a wind whipping along the cliff walls. We would have to 
  make Speed tests to cross and get in. This was a totally legit test. The tomb was the 
  goal of a long quest. Would we get there unscathed? Or would this cost us? In this 
  case, it wasn’t about us in particular, but about our gear and an NPC friend. If we 
  failed, we’d lose our precious resources!
  In another recent game, our previous session ended with Thor’s summoner 
  making a pact with a revenant to lead the group across endless plains. At the be-
  ginning of the next session, I had to resist every bad GM impulse. I wanted to call 
  for Orienteering tests, Survival tests, Foraging tests. I wanted to dig right into 
  that journey and make it real with dice rolls. But it would have been too much 
  and unnecessary--and breaking the intent of the deal Thor made in the previous 
  session. Thus I simply described the arduous journey and cut right into the good 
  stuff--the group of travellers on the banks of the river that borders the Land of the 
  Dead. Though I did not explicitly Say Yes, the idea is the same.
  -Don’t Be a Wet Blanket, Mr. GM-
  Don’t call for a test just to see a character fail. If you feel this impulse--”Well, 
  he’s walking down the street, but there’s a chance he could fail and get lost!”--resist. 
  Take a deep breath and describe the next obstacle.
  If a player asks for a test or describes something simple and cool for his charac-
  ter, don’t call for punitive tests. Ask yourself, “Is anything really at stake here?” A 
  good measure for important tests is whether or not they actively challenge or build 
  into a challenge for a Belief or Instinct. If not, just roleplay through it. If they do, 
  negotiate an intent and task and roll some dice!
  --Success--
  Success in Burning Wheel is rather straightforward, almost rigid. You get what 
  you asked for. Neither the GM nor the other players can impede or negate that 
  result.
  Since a successful player has earned his intent, we often turn to him to put the 
  finishing touches on the test. He stated what he wants and and how he’s doing it. 
  He gathered dice and rolled. He picks up the thread again and embellishes a bit on 
  
  his victory, describing it with a detail or two.
  This isn’t a canon procedure, but neither does it drift the rules. It simply stretches 
  the application of intent and task from before the roll to before and after the roll. It 
  has a pleasant side effect: It helps us keep the thread of the narrative. Occasionally, 
  we’ll get bogged down in helping and FoRKing. The post-roll description reminds 
  us where we left off.
  --Failure--
  You fail a lot in this game. You roll the dice quite often, and frequently the dif-
  ficulty is rather steep. This is a design feature. Success isn’t a given, it’s something to 
  strive for. And failure isn’t a roadblock, it’s a twist or a complication.
  In fact, Burning Wheel advocates that a protagonist must fail en route to his 
  climax. We think that failure makes a character much more interesting. How do 
  you deal with the unexpected? What choices do you make when you don’t get 
  what you want? The answers to those questions deepen your character.
  Success is the province of the player. He gets to pick a direction in the story and 
  push for it. If he passes his test, he moves in that direction. Failure is the province 
  of the GM. If the player does not overcome that obstacle, then the GM nudges the 
  narrative in a direction of his choice.
  Failure isn’t a dead stop, it’s an opportunity for a new, unexpected turn of 
  events--more penalties, more tests, more conflicts and more situations. Failure also 
  typically provides opportunities for advancement. And failure is rewarded with 
  artha when you bring your Beliefs into play. You don’t have to be successful, you 
  merely engage with your goals in the fiction and be rewarded.
  -Announcing Risk of Failure Before the Roll-
  According to the Burning Wheel (page 34), when a test is made, the player an-
  nounces intent and task and the GM announces the results of a potential failure. 
  It’s a good habit to get into, and a valid rule, but I confess that I do not explicitly 
  announce the terms of each test. Why? Two reasons: I find the results of failure 
  implicit in most tests. If I’m doing my job correctly as the GM, the situation is so 
  charged that the player knows he’s going to get dragged into a world of shit if he 
  fails. We project the consequences into the fiction as we’re talking in-character 
  and jockeying before the test.
  At the climax of a night of play, my players attempted to intimidate a giant 
  goblin king to reveal the location of a lost artifact. I didn’t announce the failure 
  
  result prior to the roll. I invited them to toss the dice. They failed. I paused and 
  smiled, then described the giant goblin king placing his captive princess safely on 
  his throne while he took up his spear and said simply, “Now I am going to kill 
  you.”
  The second reason I don’t announce failure results is a bad habit at BWHQ. 
  My players trust me. They know I have a devious GM-brain that will take their 
  interests into heart and screw them gently but firmly. I can’t write rules about this 
  kind of trust and, frankly, I think basing a game solely on trust is awful. It leads 
  to all sorts of other bad habits. However, it does have a positive side. Withholding 
  some failure results allows the game to move a little faster. It varies the monotony 
  of the testing structure and provides room for the occasional inspired surprise.
  And you know, sometimes the surprise is on me--sometimes I’m so caught up in 
  my players’ successes that I forget they can fail.
  When I do announce failures before a roll, it’s often after getting explicit intent 
  and task from the players--we get everything clear about what’s being rolled for. 
  Even then, I’ll keep my failure results vague, “If you fail this, you’re going to be 
  lost.” If the failure comes up, then I embellish with details. Otherwise, I leave it 
  unspoken.
  So why do I have the rule to announce failure conditions prior to the roll in 
  Burning Wheel? Do I still support it? Announcing the risks of failure before a roll 
  is absolutely a good rule and practice to follow. It forms good habits. It adds a new 
  dynamic to the game--knowing that failure isn’t arbitrary when you roll the dice. 
  I’m a poor role model, so absolutely follow what’s written in the book.
  -Protesting Failure Results-
  On occasion, one of my players will protest a failure result. He’ll claim that I’ve 
  gone too far or even broken a rule. It’s perfectly valid for a player to call foul in 
  Burning Wheel if he thinks he’s been wronged.
  If I’ve made a call that breaks a rule or is against the spirit of the game, I apol-
  ogize and offer something else. The GM is as bound to the rules as the player. 
  Sometimes I get carried away in the heat of the moment and I honestly appreciate 
  it when my players pull me back down to Earth.
  If I’ve made a call that offends, I apologize and retract it. That’s not my aim at 
  all.
  If I’ve made a call that seems to go to far--that provokes protest or incredulity-
  -I reconsider it. Is the player turtling up and failing to engage a Belief? If I feel 
  like my failure result appropriately, if forcefully, challenges a Belief, I let it stand. 
  
  Protests be damned. If I’ve simply made a bad call, I attempt to retcon it and take 
  a step back into the narrative.
  -Separate Intent and Task-
  When adjudicating the result of a failed test, we find it’s a useful exercise to look 
  at the intent and task separately. You wanted to assassinate the duchess quietly in 
  a crowded room and implicate your enemy. A daring plan. The intent is to lay the 
  blame of the duchess’s murder upon your enemy’s shoulders. The task is her secret 
  murder by stiletto. The obvious failure result is that you do not murder your target 
  and are caught. But that’s a bit of a roadblock and it leads to rather trite situations 
  that lack nuance--fighting your way out or pleading innocence. A less obvious op-
  tion has you succeed in the assassination, but you are caught. It’s certainly much 
  harder to plead innocence when the blood is running down your hand. In this 
  circumstance, the action is reframed: The duchess is dead and everyone knows 
  you’re guilty. A still less obvious and more devious turn has you succeed, but your 
  dear friend is wrongly blamed for the act and is carted off to the gallows. Your 
  actions have dragged an innocent soul down. What will you do?
  But which direction to choose? Each is serviceable. The key is in the character’s 
  Beliefs (or to a lesser extent, an Instinct). Which option presents an interesting 
  and difficult choice for the player based on his Beliefs? If the player has a Belief 
  about never fighting in the open, then the first option is quite valid. If the player 
  has a Belief about maintaining his pristine reputation, then the second option is a 
  strong challenge to that Belief. If the player has a Belief about using the duchess’s 
  murder as pretext to propel his friend to power, then a twist like the third option 
  isn’t an option, it’s a necessity.
  Directing failures is a matter of observation and practice. The best guideline I’ve 
  found as a GM is that if the option seems boring to me, it’s going to be boring for 
  the group. But if the imagined turn of events makes me squirm or get butterflies 
  in my stomach, it’s probably the way to go. Listen to your gut!
  -The Light Touch Versus the Heavy Touch-
  Slamming your players with earth-shattering failures at every turn is exhaust-
  ing. Your players will burn out, become frustrated, or, worse, grow gun-shy. Be 
  sensitive to the situation. Build up from smaller missteps to bigger disasters over 
  the course of a session. It’s even better if you can build up prom minor inconve-
  niences to true catastrophe across multiple sessions.
  If a test isn’t directly in service of a Belief or Instinct, use a light touch on the 
  failure. Apply a minor inconvenience and move on. If a linked test, a test to make 
  
  tools for a job or a test of similar caliber becomes too onerous, the cost outweighs 
  the benefit and players will quickly disengage from the system. 
  However, if a test is directly related to a Belief or Instinct, use failure to shock 
  or surprise your players. Change the situation. Turn matters on their head. Shake 
  them up. And then sit back and watch them scramble. Players will care about these 
  twists because their Beliefs are on the line!
  -Failure Timing-
  Hold off on applying the results of a failure until dramatically appropriate. 
  Delaying the inevitable can add to the tension. Just be sure not to wait so long that 
  you forget.
  If you are handling multiple, simultaneous actions, hold off for a beat. Resolve 
  the rolls for as many of the players as plausible and then combine the failure result 
  into a cascade of disaster!
  --Practical Success--
  Failure gets a lot of discussion, but what about poor old success? What can it 
  do? In addition to having a noticeable effect on the fiction of your game, success 
  can also be used to generate mechanical benefit.
  Make Stuff. You can make items. Items can be for one use or built to last. 
  •	
  You can also make items of a particular quality--poor, run of the mill, or 
  superior.
  Acquire Gear. You can use your skills to acquire useful gear!
  •	
  Find Cash. Success can produce cash dice! This effect isn’t just from 
  •	
  Resources, you can use a variety of abilities to squeeze cash out of a person or 
  location.
  Make a Friend. You can use social skills to build temporary alliances and 
  •	
  induce NPCs to take action for you.
  Alleviate the pain. You can concoct solutions to alleviate penalties--whether 
  •	
  medicinal, social, physical, or otherwise.
  -Embellishing Success-
  The player’s intent is made manifest and he describes his character’s actions. I 
  turn to my players, “Tell us what happened!” When they complete their inevitably 
  entertaining description, I try to embellish a little. I try to add in reactions or other 
  details. Adding a small detail can really help. It makes great success even more 
  
  vivid and memorable. There’s something special about collaborating to describe a 
  brilliant victory.
  If I’m unsure of where a player is going with his description of success, I’ll 
  back off and ask a few quick questions, “And then what? What happens next?” 
  Rather than stepping on his victorious toes, I try to create room for him to make 
  a statement.
  -Honor Success, Challenge Assumptions-
  Sometimes I react badly to success. “Fine, you get what you want.” And play 
  stalls on that point. Don’t fall into this bad habit. The player accomplishes his 
  intent. Describe the result. Honor it with an engaging illumination. Make it 
  special.
  Once the success is out there, solidly in the minds of the players, it’s time to 
  introduce new information, new problems. These aren’t failure results. This infor-
  mation is stuff the players can see coming. Unlike a failure result, the players get to 
  choose how they’ll deal with this new information.
  -Advantage-
  Success technically can’t produce advantage dice unless the player or GM stated 
  it was a linked test before the dice were rolled. This is due to the failure condition-
  -+1 Ob--for linked tests. It’s bad form to screw players with unforeseen penalties 
  after a die roll. Hence, the reverse is true: It’s bad form to give out advantage dice 
  without risk.
  -Duel of Wits Results-
  Success in a Duel of Wits is one of the most powerful results in the game. Using 
  this system, you can make another character do almost anything! Of course, to get 
  what you want, you need to state your own goal beforehand or incorporate it into 
  your argument.
  However, Duel of Wits results are flexible and variable: You can get paid, cause 
  people to take your side, gain reputations, add affiliations, cement relationships or 
  push another character into an action he wouldn’t otherwise take.
  Go ahead, next time you’re in a Duel of Wits, ask for a little bit more than you 
  would have otherwise. Once you have an agreement, you’re going to get what you 
  want. Just be careful what you ask for.
  
  --Practical Failure--
  Burning Wheel is an effects-based game (mostly). The system provides a host 
  of mechanical options that one can apply in a variety of situations. This section 
  describes how you can use mechanical effects as failure results.
  -New Test-
  The most basic mechanical result of failure is a new test. Rather than getting 
  what he wants, the player is shunted down another course in which he must make 
  an additional test to get back on track.
  A failed Climbing test that leaves your character dangling from a precipice--now 
  •	
  you must pass an Agility test to scramble to safety.
  A failed Persuasion test results in a soldier demanding a bribe and thus a 
  •	
  Resources test.
  A failed Orienteering test can lead to a trapped corridor. You must pass a Speed 
  •	
  test to avoid the trap.
  -Full-Blown Conflict-
  When failure causes a new test to be made, it can lead to a single test or a full-
  blown conflict: Duel of Wits, Range and Cover or Fight!
  You jump a musketeer and attempt to clout him with a single blow. You fail, so 
  now you must draw swords and duel with him. The Fight! rules are then brought into 
  play.
  -Unexpected Encounter-
  When a test is failed, place a character or monster in the group’s path. Usually 
  a series of tests are needed to bypass this type of encounter. Also, you have a new 
  enemy who can be reincorporated into future obstacles.
  Traveling through a wild wood, the ranger fails his Orienteering test and inadver-
  tently leads his companions into the lair of the Doom Serpent.
  A failed Intimidation test summons forth the peddler’s cousin, who is ironically 
  called “Tiny.”
  -Obstacle Penalties-
  The GM can impose a +1 or +2 obstacle penalty on a future, related test.
  You fail to surprise your opponent with a Stealthy test. You’re in a bad situation; 
  you now have +1 Ob to your initial positioning test.
  
  During an argument, you so insult your friend that the GM applies a +2 Ob pen-
  alty to a future social skill test against him.
  -Gear Loss-
  One of my favorite failure results is to apply an effect against gear or property. 
  Gear can be lost so that it’s completely gone or so the character must test to recover 
  it. Gear can be damaged--made poor-quality or assigned an obstacle penalty until 
  it is repaired. Gear can be broken--made unavailable until repaired. Broken gear 
  can require a simple Mending test to repair or something even more substantial 
  like a craftsman skill.
  Gear loss is often best used in physical tests.
  Swept away down a river, you fail your Speed test. Not only are you far from shore, 
  but your arrows have spilled from their quiver. They sail off into the current.
  You fail to pick that lock and your lockpicks are jammed in the mechanism. It’ll 
  take a Mending test to extract them. Failure this time will trigger the trap mecha-
  nism for sure.
  A failed Seduction test at the ball prompts the young lady to spill her goblet of wine 
  over your finery. Your outfit is ruined and you have an obstacle penalty to any other 
  test at the ball until you change.
  Drastic failure results can see gear ruined--destroyed unless refigured with 
  magic.
  You jam your steel-gauntleted hand into a doomsday mechanism to halt its prog-
  ress. You fail your Power test. Your gauntlet and greaves are sucked into the machine 
  and crushed. The machine rumbles on.
  -Injury-
  Failure in physical tasks often results in an injury. You can assign a wound 
  grade, rather than a coordinate, or you can assign a wound coordinate using the 
  standard rules.
  Assigning a wound grade gives me more control over the result. “You fall and 
  take a Midi,” rather than “You fall and take a B7.”
  Using wound coordinates is more abstract, but it’s a natural evocation of the 
  system--PTGS coordinates are built into the mechanics! Wound coordinates are 
  generally more fair, as well, since they let players use traits like Iron Skin to reduce 
  their impact. 
  Injury is a great failure effect for martial versus tests--you are defeated and you 
  take a wound. Brutal!
  
  Superficial and Light wounds are assigned if the pressure is on the characters 
  to succeed in the next scene and there’s no time to rest. Typically, players can take 
  care of these wounds rather easily if given a moment’s rest, therefore they are of 
  limited values as penalties.
  Midi wounds are appropriate results for a fall, near-drowning, poisoning, an 
  explosive or a trap. They’re tough to treat, but they’re not fatal. They leave a nice, 
  lasting sting.
  Severe and Traumatic wounds will take out all but the most powerful of char-
  acters. These are great results for a terrible fall, brutal trap, deadly poison or similar 
  accident, but they should be used sparingly. Only the most dire of failures results 
  in a Severe or Traumatic wound.
  I don’t like to use Mortal wounds as test failure results for anything but fights, 
  and even then only in the most extreme circumstances. You can use the effect as 
  you see fit, but be careful.
  -Turning a Relationship-
  The nature of a relationship can change as the result of a failed test. Just like a 
  character can turn from ill-disposed to favorably-minded due to a successful test, 
  a character can turn from friendly to inimical.
  A relationship can change temporarily--you’re feuding with your lover, so for 
  the time being, she’s your enemy. Or the change can be permanent--too much 
  damage has been dune to her heart and she swears eternal vengeance upon you.
  These changes can come as a result of a Duel of Wits compromise, but they 
  can also emerge as the result of a failed Persuasion test against Will. They are also 
  born of other kinds of failure--losing a fight, stealing something from someone, 
  failing to pay back a loan--but be sure to telegraph these changes to the player. 
  Set up the relationship as volatile. Play the character into the situation. Give the 
  player no doubt as to what’s at stake. Not merely because you stated future failure 
  consequences blt because the character you are portraying is so vivid.
  -Destroying a Reputation-
  Page 117 of the Burning Wheel briefly notes that reputation can be destroyed as 
  the result of a failed test. This is a failure result that even I overlook. It’s too good to 
  forget, though. Apply this result to any test in which the character’s failure is visible 
  and public: a duel, an argument, a battle or even a comically failed Conspicuous 
  Test. The failure results in a die subtracted from the relevant reputation.
  A reputation reduced to zero is lost. It can be re-earned in play.
  
  -Damaging an Affiliation-
  Affiliations can be damaged as the results of a failed test. This is a brilliant fail-
  ure result for a failed Accounting or Estate Management. Resources and Circles 
  can be used as well, but they’re the obvious choices. A battle lost might cause sup-
  porters to withdraw investments. Or poor conduct in court might cause business 
  to dry up.
  As in the case of reputations, this effect reduces the affiliation by one die. An 
  affiliation reduced to zero is lost. It must be repurchased in play as described in the 
  rules on pages 118-119 of the Burning Wheel.
  -Apply Traits-
  You may also apply traits as the result of a failed test. This is a rather drastic 
  condition, so use it sparingly. This result changes a character fundamentally in 
  ways that other failure results to not. Once assigned, a trait is hard to get rid of!
  Character traits can be assigned for a variety of failure conditions: Characters 
  can be scarred, branded or stigmatized; die traits that add obstacle penalties, re-
  duce stats or skills or lower stat caps are appropriate for tests that carry the risk of 
  dire physical consequences.
  Die traits that provide particularly infamous reputations are also excellent de-
  vices to tack onto particularly brutal social situations.
  Do not assign call-on traits as the result of failure since they are only good.
  -Use Failure to Trigger Instincts-
  As we’ve demonstrated, a failed test provides many opportunities! In addition 
  to all that we’ve mentioned, you can also use failure results to trigger a player’s 
  Instinct. 
  If you have the Instinct “Never let them forget that you’re a noble,” and you fail 
  an Etiquette test, I’m going to use this chance to ride you. Your interlocutor responds, 
  “Oh. Yes. I don’t mean to be rude, but I don’t recognize your name. Or your face. Your 
  family is one of...good breeding, I presume?”
  Or if you have the Instinct “Never accept an insult,” I’m going to use nearly every 
  social skill failure result to insult you.
  Or if you have the Instinct “Never wear shoes,”  a failed Stealthy test is going to 
  land you on some sharp rocks or broken glass.
  This may seem mean, but it’s not. You’re showing the player that you care, that 
  you’re paying attention. And you’re providing him a chance to earn artha. See 
  what a great GM you are?
  
  Shades
  Ability shading is an interesting, somewhat problematic aspect of the Burning 
  Wheel system. The game is weighted heavily toward the default black/mundane 
  shade. If used superficially, shading can appear superfluous to the system--perhaps 
  it even looks like cruft.
  If you’re playing gritty one-offs, you really don’t need these rules. However, if 
  you’re playing an extended campaign, or a shorter, higher-powered game, then 
  these rules are entertaining and add a lot to the game.
  --Starting Shades--
  I’ll be frank. At BWHQ, we don’t like starting grays. We prefer that a gray be 
  earned in play. We like the sweat, tears and blood that such a feat requires. We like 
  long games. 
  We do not think it is appropriate to dump a stat down to 2 to purchase a gray 
  shade. Now do we like to see a wasteland of B2 skills topped by a single G5 Knives 
  or Sword skill. Such play is bad form in our eyes.
  -Are Starting Grays Ever Acceptable?-
  Starting grays are appropriate in high-powered games--characters with six or 
  more starting lifepaths. In the point distribution, Elves and Dwarves are most 
  likely to have the points to pull this off. Eight-lifepath Humans and Orcs can pull 
  off a starting gray without crippling themselves. Trolls can field a gray Power at 
  five or six lifepaths without too much jiggering. Roden, Wolves and Spiders don’t 
  usually get enough points to comfortably shade shift an ability during character 
  burning.
  Starting grays require the approval of the whole group. The person buying the 
  
  gray should fess up, “I’m powergaming. Is that okay?”
  --Shade Shifting In Play--
  Shade shifting an ability in play is one of my favorite aspects of this system. The 
  process requires discipline, determination and luck, but when you shade shift, it’s 
  just about the greatest gaming feeling ever--even better than pulling off a Feint in 
  Fight!
  Shade shifting is the longest arm of Burning Wheel’s grand currency cycle. It 
  happens far less frequently than trait votes or deeds point awards. In fact, it only 
  happens after multiple deeds points are earned and a series of trait votes have trans-
  pired in the game. Using the epiphany rules, shade shifting requires 20 fate, 10 
  persona and 3 deeds points. The shade shift cycle is a beautiful, slow-moving gear 
  that clicks into place with a sublime noise.
  Personally, when I start a character, I don’t focus on any one path for him. I let 
  the character’s nature emerge in play. After I spend a deeds point or two, I start 
  thinking about graying out a stat or skill. I assess the direction the character has 
  been heading in and where I’ve been spending artha. Once I see a path, I’m as 
  diligent as possible, pushing artha into that ability as often as I can.
  On your quest for a gray-shaded ability in play, you must game the system and 
  slavishly focus your artha expenditure on one ability. Invest something on every 
  test if you can. Spend a persona point, use fate to open the 6s. And when you 
  have a chance to spend a deeds point, dive into the situation and don’t miss your 
  opportunity. Shade shifting takes a long time in play. You don’t always get the 
  opportunities you need when you want them, so you need to take what you can 
  when you get it!
  Shade shifting can be a bit unnerving. Earning a gray-shaded ability changes 
  the game. Your character’s power in the now gray area increases exponentially. The 
  GM must present new types of obstacles to make them more challenging. He must 
  test you more stridently, lest your new power becomes boring.
  -Shade Shift From Traits-
  It is possible to earn, via a trait vote, a trait that shade shifts an ability. This 
  doesn’t require the artha expense of the epiphany. And, so long as the character 
  retains the trait, he benefits from the gray or white shade ability.
  Shade shifting via traits is controversial in my opinion. I don’t like circumvent-
  ing the epiphany cycle. However, I can see it being appropriate in two cases: For 
  
  shorter, epic campaigns the trait vote cycle can replace the epiphany cycle. For 
  truly long-running “challenge the gods” style games, trait votes can be used to earn 
  white-shade abilities.
  -Aristeia Shade Shift-
  After playing in some bad-ass campaigns during which each player shade shifted 
  at least one ability with an epiphany, I feel that the Aristeia Minor Epiphany is too 
  expensive. It’s incredibly useful, but two deeds points is still too costly. If I had my 
  druthers, I’d reduce the cost to to one deeds point, three persona and five fate.
  -Gray Faith, Perception, Sorcery, and Other Nightmares-
  It’s very easy to shade shift Faith, Perception and Sorcery. Faith and Sorcery 
  almost always need an extra success. Since they are open-ended abilities, you can 
  spend a fate point to throw another die, even if you haven’t rolled any 6s. Perception 
  is used as a root for most of the skills in the game and it’s open-ended. Therefore, 
  it’s generally easy to fabricate a Perception test and dump a point of fate into it.
  I’ve found that players like to abuse these loopholes even further by spamming 
  the GM with low-grade, low-risk tests. They ask seemingly innocent, interesting 
  questions of the GM, then beg for a wise test (which they don’t have) to get the 
  information. For Faith or Sorcery, they cast spells without consequence that don’t 
  have impact or risk, but they dump artha into them
  There’s an easy tool you can use to curb this bad behavior from the players. As 
  the GM, simply Say Yes to the low-grade, low-risk requests. “I cast Magesense...” 
  Just Say Yes to the spell. “I ask for guidance...” Just provide the holy vision. Am I 
  recommending adversarial behavior? No. I am recommending that the GM use 
  the tools at his disposal to challenge the players across the longest arc of the game, 
  so that their grand achievement--the shade shift--is fulfilling and rewarding, not 
  cheap.
  -Gray Sorcery and Black Will; Black Sorcery and Gray Will-
  When you build your dice pool for traditional Sorcery and one of your abilities 
  is gray, you should use two different colored pools of dice to represent the differ-
  ently shaded abilities. I know it’s much easier to count the pool as all one shade, but 
  that either gimps the gray shade or provides too much power at too little a cost.
  
  Obstacles
  Obstacles are problems that must be overcome. They can seem like they are a 
  drag and imposing them can feel like punishment by the GM. This couldn’t be 
  further from the truth. Obstacles are love.
  Burning Wheel thrives on its currency cycle. And while obstacles may seem 
  like roadblocks, they’re actually one of the building blocks of the cycle.
  When a player wants to perform a task, the GM is obligated to set an obstacle. 
  The GM can refer to the skill, spell or trait list in most cases. Some tasks are deter-
  mined systematically--like the base obstacle to Strike in a Fight! And some tasks 
  ask the GM to determine an appropriate obstacle using the rather loose guidelines 
  on page 17 of The Burning Wheel.
  Obstacles come in two forms--base and modifiers. Your base obstacle is the 
  basic difficulty of accomplishing your task. Base obstacles are listed with skills, for 
  example. And base obstacles are agnostic to your ability exponent. Ob 1 is Ob 1 
  whether you’ve got a skill of 2 or 8.
  Modifiers are thrown on top of base obstacles to make a task more difficult. 
  Modifiers come from incidental effects like injury, working conditions, magic 
  and other in-game effects. The system hands out plenty of obstacle penalties on its 
  own, but the GM can distribute disadvantage as he sees fit.
  What is not obvious behind this system is that these obstacles create setting. 
  When a player acts in the game, he needs a difficulty for his test. The obstacle is 
  the number, but it’s also the object of adversity in the fiction. Obstacles, over time, 
  create a sense of space and logic in the game world. When a player repeatedly meets 
  the same obstacle for the same task, he knows what to expect and he knows how 
  to set up his character to best overcome this problem, or he knows enough to find 
  another way around.
  
  If the obstacle for the same task varies each time the player attempts it--with 
  the same intent--it destabilizes the game world. The solidity and consistency of the 
  world becomes confusing. It’s harder for players to care. Rolls seem arbitrary.
  Conversely, changing the obstacle for the same intent and task can be a powerful 
  signal that something has changed. It can be a signifier of magic or otherworldly 
  forces at work. But this only works if the obstacle has been used consistently up to 
  a point before the mysterious change is presented.
  And sometimes, you can change your task and use a different skill and get a 
  whole different obstacle!
  --Punishment!--
  Obstacle modifiers seem punitive, a negative reinforcement. They make it 
  harder for a player to succeed at a task. I know I often flinch when I assess a steep 
  penalty. I don’t like punishing anyone for trying to be heroic. However, there’s a 
  massively positive side to obstacle modifiers. In design parlance, they are feedback. 
  You perform an action and the player gives you feedback about that action. In 
  this case, the feedback lets the player know about the difficulties and limits of 
  the environment and his character. This is important. The game only exists as an 
  exchange between our imaginations and the rules. The penalties give us a scale and 
  a structure for our imagination.
  --Obstacles and Advancement--
  Furthermore, at a certain level of play, obstacle penalties are necessary to keep 
  the advancement system running. Tests become too easy. Characters need big-
  ger challenges to advance. Obstacle penalties (among other elements) provide this 
  opportunity. So what was punishing with a Stealthy B2 is a nice perk at Stealthy 
  B6. It’s a satisfying transformation for both player and GM to watch near-insur-
  mountable problems become mere bumps in the road for our heroes.
  --Obstacles and Artha--
  In addition to advancement, obstacles provide opportunities to spend artha 
  (and thereby earn epiphanies) and an incentive for other players to help (and earn 
  their own necessary advancements). They may seem punitive or obstructionist, but 
  obstacles are a vital, productive fundament of the game.
  
  --Practical Obstacles--
  The Character Burner skill list provides numerous obstacles for tests. Versus 
  tests are probably half of the obstacles in the game. The Hub provides a brief over-
  view of obstacles. Even the trait list contains a handful of obstacles. And character 
  stats make up the remainder. 
  Most of those obstacles are purely mechanical executions--you consult the skill, 
  it tells you the difficulty. How do you, as the GM, judge an obstacle on the fly?
  -My Favorite Obstacle-
  The GM sets the obstacles for tests. They are his prime tool for challenging the 
  players. Some players cry foul that the GM can seemingly set an arbitrary difficulty 
  for their goals. Well, tough luck. Someone has got to make these challenges hard. 
  In this game, the GM does that heavy lifting. His role is to challenge the players--
  setting obstacles is fundamental to that opposition.
  My favorite obstacle is 3. It’s great. Let me explain why. Ob 2 is easy. Even a 
  character with a skill of 2 is likely to pass an Ob 2 test. On the other hand, obsta-
  cles of 4 or 5 are just darn hard. It takes a character with 6 or 8 dice at his disposal 
  to have a good shot at an Ob 4 or 5. But Ob 3 sits right in the middle there. It’s 
  achievable with three, four or five dice, but there’s a reasonable risk of failure even 
  when rolling eight or nine dice. It’s a nice, comfy statistical zone in the system. 
  When in doubt, set your obstacle at 3!
  Of course you need Ob 2 (or even Ob 1) tests to make the world go round. Not 
  every action is difficult; routine tests are needed for advancement. So, if an action 
  is perfunctory or dead easy, don’t hesitate to hand out an Ob 1 or 2 test. It’s easy 
  to think that you should Say Yes to low-obstacle tests. This is not the case! You 
  should Say Yes when there’s nothing at stake, no conflict. You should call for Ob 
  1 and Ob 2 tests in situations of risk, even if it’s small. These tests often produce 
  beautiful, unexpected results.
  Obstacle 4 and higher tests are equally vital, but they’re dangerous. When set-
  ting a high obstacle, you’re saying, “Hey, this stuff is important! But you’re probably 
  not going to get what you want.” High obstacles are the sharp means by which the 
  GM confronts the players. They make players sit up and take notice. Be clear about 
  what the player gets if he succeeds. Let him know just how important the test is. 
  That way he can spend artha, use FoRKs and get help according to his priorities.
  -Social Skills Against Will-
  Simple social skill tests are very difficult in Burning Wheel. To use most social 
  
  skills, you must meet an obstacle equal to the target’s Will exponent. For char-
  acters with low skills--exponent 2 or 3--or unskilled characters, it makes the test 
  seem impossible.
  Social skill tests are designed to be very difficult. Talking your way out of (or 
  into) a situation is a powerful weapon. It’s perhaps the easiest thing for us, at the 
  table, to do. But this ease isn’t representative of the difficulty of actually convinc-
  ing or intimidating someone. That’s hard to do.
  The high obstacle provides a bit of insurance that characters can’t simply run 
  around shooting their mouth off, gathering a horde of thralls behind them. The 
  high obstacle encourages use of the Duel of Wits mechanic. If you’re afraid of out-
  right failure, initiate a Duel of Wits. Not only can you gun for a compromise if 
  you’re losing, but you can log juicy Will and skill tests during the conflict.
  Finally, and most importantly, the high obstacle encourages a player to invest 
  in the test. Such an obstacle requires you to use all the FoRKs at your disposal, to 
  get help from your friends and to spend artha. This additional investment makes 
  the end result--the enhanced roleplay, the more nuanced argument--much more 
  satisfying.
  -Traps as Obstacles-
  How do you set a trap in Burning Wheel? First, determine the effect of the 
  trap. What does it do? Does it cause an injury? Does it lock off a section of ye olde 
  dungeon? Does it cast a spell? Release poison? Design an effect for your trap.
  Next, set an obstacle to spot or avoid the trap. Observation can be used to spot 
  traps before they’re triggered. But too much looking for traps makes for a boring 
  game. You can walk characters into traps and then have the players make Speed 
  tests to dodge out of the way, Agility tests to get their hands free or Power tests to 
  stop the mechanism, etc.
  The effect of the trap is the result of the failed test. For easy, not-too-deadly 
  traps, I’ll allow a Perception/Observation test to spot the mechanism. If that fails, 
  I’ll force a second test to avoid the effects of the trap. For deadly traps, I’ll describe 
  the trap triggered and call for tests against the trap’s obstacle. I make sure the 
  players know the severity of the situation so they can gather help and spend artha 
  appropriately. I try not to get into spot-disarm mode as I find it tedious. It’s much 
  more interesting to have characters leaping nimbly from the jaws of death.
  -Weather-
  Weather can be used as an obstacle during play--not just as an obstacle modifier. 
  
  You can use weather to invoke Navigation, Piloting, Orienteering, Climbing or 
  other skill tests, or Perception, Speed or Forte tests.
  The actual obstacle depends on your setting. In one of our home brew settings, 
  winter and summer are calm, fall and spring are very volatile. Therefore, high 
  weather obstacles are more appropriate in the spring and fall.
  Weather is an excellent excuse to use outsized obstacles. Obstacles 1 to 3 are too 
  weak for the force of nature. Obstacles 4 to 10 are much more appropriate!
  Squalls and storms are good excuses for Navigation, Piloting and Orienteering 
  tests. Rain provides a pretext for a Speed test for leaping a precipice. Snow is good 
  ground for Forte and Speed tests. Ice and wind make fine friends for Climbing 
  tests. 
  You can frame these tests like so: “Normally, this wouldn’t be a problem, but 
  the gods are angry and the weather is blowing. You need to test...”
  Failure blows you off course to uncharted lands, causes injury, causes gear to be 
  swept away, etc. There’s lots of room for good, adventurey stuff.
  -Wilderness-
  Wilderness is similar to weather; it’s a massive, implacable obstacle. Perhaps 
  not quite so overpowering as weather, wilderness nonetheless provides excellent 
  action. Swamps, steep ravines, rushing rivers, crumbling glaciers, and so on. If your 
  game involves travel, be sure to present interesting terrain features as obstacles that 
  the characters must thread through.
  Wilderness obstacles most often test Orienteering and Speed--to stay on the 
  path and to stay out of harm’s way. Power can be used to move boulders or debris, 
  or to haul people to safety. Ditch Digging is a fun and useful skill for carving 
  trenches around dangerous terrain. Song of Arbors can be used to safely traverse 
  an ancient forest.
  Trapping, Foraging and Hunting tests can often lead to wilderness encoun-
  ters. A failed test might lead a character into a sucking swamp or entangling 
  vines. Prospecting can lead to dangerous rock slides or collapsing holes. Animal 
  Husbandry can lead to a character chasing his herd through clinging brambles. 
  Wilderness obstacles are best set in the range of 2 to 6. The lower the obstacle, 
  the more of a nuisance the challenge is--which can be good for the atmosphere. 
  The higher obstacle, the more dangerous this land is.
  
  Weather and Wilderness as Obstacle Modifiers-
  In addition to presenting its own obstacles, weather and wilderness can both 
  act as modifiers for other obstacles.
  If it’s raining while you’re tracking someone, your obstacle should be higher than 
  it would bf otherwise.
  If you’re fighting in a swamp, the obstacles for nearly all of your tests should be 
  higher than they would be if you were fighting on dry land.
  --Beginner’s Luck Obstacles--
  Beginner’s Luck obstacles can get a bit fussy. We hope this helps clarify them.
  -Disadvantage-
  When you test using Beginner’s Luck, you suffer a double obstacle penalty. 
  However, you do not double any modifiers or disadvantages.
  The GM calls for an Ob 3 Tomb Trap-wise to determine if this tomb is trapped. I 
  have a Superficial wound and I am testing my Perception unskilled. (3x2)+1=7. My 
  obstacle is 7.
  -Tools-
  When making a Beginner’s Luck test without required tools, the testing ob-
  stacle is double the double obstacle.
  I have to treat my friend’s Midi wound. Only problem is, I don’t have Field 
  Dressing. That’s Ob 4. I don’t have the skill, so double that to Ob 8. I also don’t have 
  any tools--bandages, salve, splints, needles, thread. So double that again and it’s an 
  Ob 16 test. Maybe I should spend some time scavenging for some medical supplies 
  before making matters worse than they need to be.
  
  Versus Tests
  Versus tests are the workhorse mechanic of the game. You use a versus test when 
  you want to compete with another character or entity in a simple, direct way.
  A versus test can resolve a situation in one throw of the dice or a series of versus 
  tests can be used to create an iterated resolution. In this chapter, I talk about these 
  tests specifically resolving situations in one roll. I’ll talk about “iterative resolu-
  tion” in the Fight!, Duel of Wits, and Range and Cover sections.
  --Versus Tests to Resolve Social 
  Interactions--
  Versus tests are used to resolve social situations only when both parties want 
  to move the other party. If you want to convince a mercenary to help you on your 
  quest and he wants to convince you to change your goals, you make a versus test.
  You do not use a versus test when you’re simply convincing another character 
  who does not want to be convinced, wants to merely do his job or just wants you 
  to go away. So if you’re trying to convince the mercenary to join your quest, but 
  he doesn’t have a counterpoint, then the test is a straight independent test, not a 
  versus test.
  -When to Use Versus Tests for 
  Social Interactions-
  If you want to stand up and reject the attempt at manipulation, you let the other 
  guy test his skill using your Will as the obstacle. And it’s worth noting that Let It 
  
  Ride will protect you from having to go through with it again unless something 
  changes, but Let It Ride also binds you to the result.
  If someone wants something from you and you want something from them, 
  you can resolve using a versus test. One of you is going to get what he wants. The 
  other is not.
  You can also escalate to a Duel of Wits, if you want something from the other 
  person but don’t want to risk a black-and-white, win/lose result. Even unskilled in 
  a Duel of Wits, you can often get a compromise from a skilled opponent.
  --Violence in the Versus Test--
  Violence is a serious business in Burning Wheel. Nothing trumps it. You can-
  not trump a blade and the will to use it with words. In fact, by default Burning 
  Wheel considers attempting to convince someone who is stabbing you a violation 
  of intent and task.
  “I run him through.”
  “I plead for my life.”
  There’s no contest in these two statements in Burning Wheel. The intent and 
  task system is not intended to make all skills equivalent, just the opposite. Using 
  intent and task, we hope you can clearly delineate appropriate actions in each cir-
  cumstance. And just know that by default, words don’t counter actions. When a 
  punch is thrown, it’s time to duck. After the scuffle, you can talk.
  --Versus Tests to Resolve Physical 
  Altercations--
  Versus tests are the best device for resolving physical contests. I have used 
  versus tests for races, wrestling matches and fist fights among other altercations. 
  Determine the appropriate ability, gather the dice and go.
  -Wounds in Versus Tests-
  Versus tests can be used to cause wounds. The simplest method is to declare 
  your intent to injure your opponent as a result of the confrontation. But what 
  wound is delivered upon such a result?
  You must declare before the roll whether the severity of the wound will be 
  determined by margin of success using the standard weapon mechanics or the 
  
  wound will be determined by specific intent. If determined by margin of success, 
  use the Add of the weapon to increase the damage as normal. Place the IMS on the 
  victim’s physical tolerances.
  If determined by intent, the process is more tricky. This is the more “story-
  based” solution. In an old demonstration game, Inheritance, players would declare 
  intents against each other like “I want to run him through” or “I want to take his 
  head in front of his wife” or “I want to put him down with a wound to the leg (to 
  preserve his honor).” These are all excellent declarations, but they do stretch the 
  limits of the rigid weapon and injury mechanics.
  In those cases, I was playing with people who had never played Burning Wheel 
  before. They didn’t know the wound mechanics. Therefore, I worked hard to in-
  terpret the intent and apply it as wounds to their targets. Obviously, some of these 
  tests involved death, whereas others involved adjudicating the appropriate wound 
  level. For nonlethal, nonmaiming stuff, I assigned a Midi. -2D is a harsh penalty, 
  but it doesn’t knock you out of the game.
  In the case of injury, I follow these guidelines: a Light wound is a bloody scratch 
  that ends the fight, but leaves no lasting effect; a Midi is a merciful wound that will 
  put your opponent down but allow him to to recover eventually; a Severe wound is 
  a dangerous, savage wound that cripples and could potentially kill your opponent; 
  a Traumatic wound is the equivalent of a Mortal wound, it just takes longer to die 
  from it. I rule that the intent of death is valid for a versus test. If that intent wins 
  the test, his opponent is killed.
  -Armor-
  Can you use armor after taking a wound as a result of a versus test? The system 
  is mute on this, but it implies that you can--that’s how armor works, right?
  Personally, I think it’s very bad form to test armor after a versus test in which the 
  intent was to injure. Doing so negates the winner’s intent. That’s unfair. Rather, I 
  prefer an armor advantage to be granted to the player with the best or most appro-
  priate armor for the situation: Battling in a field with swords? The heavier armor 
  gains the advantage. Wrestling atop rain-soaked crenellations? The armor with the 
  least Speed penalty grants the advantage.
  --Versus Tests for Competition--
  Versus tests are the best and simplest mechanic to resolve a competition be-
  tween two characters--a race, a test of strength, a display of knowledge, etc. Set the 
  stage, gather help and FoRKs and roll to determine who wins the contest. It’s even 
  
  possible to compete with three or more characters. Everyone rolls and the highest 
  amount of successes wins the day.
  --Versus Tests with Help--
  A versus test can be used by the whole group to overcome an opponent. One 
  player is designated as the primary actor and everyone else helps. The group suc-
  ceeds or fails together.
  This is an excellent method for resolving skirmishes, gang fights and shouting 
  matches.
  --What Versus What?--
  Versus tests are versatile. They don’t always have to be Power versus Power, 
  Speed versus Speed or Persuasion versus Persuasion. Let the players declare their 
  intent/task. Use the abilities appropriate to the situation. If I want to tackle you, 
  but you want to run away, we test Power versus Speed. If I want to convince you, 
  but you want to rile the crowd, we test Persuasion versus Oratory.
  Also, note that you must obey the skill versus stat paradigm--double obstacle 
  penalty for the stat tested against the skill.
  -Abilities Must Be in the Same Realm-
  There are limits to the feasibility of versus tests. The abilities tested must be in 
  the same realm. In Burning Wheel, it is not appropriate to test Persuasion versus 
  Brawling when someone is beating on you. Once the punch is thrown, it’s too late 
  for words. The words can’t physically stop the punch--and the situation is now very 
  physical--so you need to resort to other methods. Stop him with your Power, run 
  away with your Speed. Thwart him and then engage with the Persuasion.
  --Set My Obstacle--
  At BWHQ we have a bad habit picked up from playing Mouse Guard and 
  Burning Empires. We make the GM roll first in a versus test so the opposing player 
  can determine how much artha he needs to spend before rolling the dice. This is a 
  lazy, cowardly habit!
  In a versus test we gather our dice at the same time--everyone knows how many 
  dice the other side is rolling--and then we roll together and count up successes. 
  After the roll we can use our call-ons, and spend our fate and deeds points if need 
  be.
  
  --Ties--
  Versus tests can be quirky. How do you determine aggressor/defender? What 
  happens when a tie can’t be broken?
  -Aggressor/Defender-
  Ties in versus tests are determined by why is the aggressor and who is the defend-
  er. Ties go to the defender. The aggressor/defender tags aren’t literal. Aggressor is 
  analogous to the player who initiated--the player who wants something. Defender 
  is analogous to the player who wants to maintain the status quo.
  -Deadlocks-
  In the case of versus tests in which both parties want something--two Orcs try-
  ing to kill each other, two monks debating doctrine, etc.--a tie deadlocks them.
  What page 28 of the Burning Wheel does not say--though it is implied--is that 
  the conflict now moves on from the deadlock to another test in the same situa-
  tion. Combine the deadlock with the Let It Ride rule and you have a perfectly 
  functioning cycle. Two wrestlers attempt to best each other with their skill. They 
  tie. They cannot overcome each other with technique, so they surge back into the 
  fight and attempt to overpower their opponent--Power tests. This too results in a 
  tie. They are matched in skill and power, so now it’s a matter of endurance--Forte 
  tests. Who can outlast the other?
  That situation calls for three successive tests. What seemed like a simple versus 
  test has turned into a Herculean struggle. The unintended results created tension, 
  escalation and action.
  This methodology applies to all similar situations. If you’ve ever played The 
  Sword demonstration game with me, you’ll remember that I often use this tech-
  nique. Two characters rush for the sword. They tie on a Speed test. They get there 
  at the same time. They both grab for the sword. They tie on an Agility test. They 
  both grab it at the same time. They attempt to wrestle it out of each other’s hands. 
  They test Power and..
  It’s an effective technique and one of my favorite bits of interaction in the game. 
  It does require the GM to be on his toes. As the GM, you’ve got to be ready with 
  lightning-quick complications and descriptions so the players stay tightly focused 
  on this immediate, pernicious problem.
  
  -Call-On Traits to Break Ties-
  You can use a call-on trait to break a tie or reroll failed dice. Doesn’t rerolling 
  failed dice break the tie?
  Usually, you’re going to want to use a call-on for the reroll, but there are circum-
  stances when you’ll simply want to break the tie in your favor rather than reroll: If 
  you’ve rolled all successes (no failed dice) and the roll is still tied; or if you do not 
  want to risk a re-roll and not get even a single success, when all you need is one. 
  Using the call-on to break the tie in this case is a guaranteed win.
  
  Help
  Help is a vital part of Burning Wheel. Not only is it useful for passing tests, it 
  binds the group together socially. It can make an otherwise-impossible test pos-
  sible. It lubricates the advancement system, providing opportunities for tests too 
  risky to attempt. It lets us resolve potentially complex scenarios involving lots of 
  players with a single roll of the dice.
  Burning Wheel is, by its nature, a group-oriented game. Players often act to-
  gether. Help facilitates this part of the game. Rather than sitting out, players who 
  are on the sidelines can participate by helping.
  --When to Use Help--
  Use help when the group is acting as a unit and failure for one member is the 
  equivalent of failure for the whole group.
  Sneaking about is a classic example. The group needs to sneak into a place to-
  gether. Individual Stealthy tests will result in some getting caught and some going 
  undetected. This is problematic and often renders the successful rolls moot. If the 
  loud, clumsy characters are caught, the sneaky players are going to turn around 
  and help their comrades. So why did they test in the first place? They were success-
  ful, but it didn’t matter.
  In those instances, we find it easier and more efficient to have the group test 
  together using the helping rules. If the test is passed, the group succeeds. If the test 
  is failed, the group fails.
  --Task of Help--
  When you help, you’re piggybacking onto the primary player’s intent--you agree 
  with it and you want it to be successful. However, to pass that helping die, you 
  
  must state your task--what you’re doing and how you’re doing it. That task must 
  be appropriate to the intent. If the task doesn’t fit, then the GM can veto your 
  helping die.
  -Coloring Help-
  The skill you use and the task you invoke become part of the test. These ele-
  ments color the success and failure of the event just like the primary player’s task 
  does.
  --Accepting Help--
  In the Advancement commentary, we discussed why you would accept or de-
  cline help. You might need a particular type of test to advance and taking extra 
  dice will change the type of test, etc.
  -Conditional Help-
  When we hand over helping dice, we’ll often make impromptu agreements. 
  Simply, I’ll help you now if you’ll help me later. They’re  nonbinding, but they can 
  be deliciously juicy when your fellow player has a Belief that runs counter to yours 
  and he really needs your help on a test.
  --Advancement for Helpers--
  Helpers earn tests for advancement. You get a test as if you’d used your raw 
  skill. So if your skill is B4 and you helped with an Ob 3 test, you get a difficult test 
  for advancement. It doesn’t matter how many dice the acting player rolled.
  Helping is vital to increasing your abilities. Helping one another pass Beginner’s 
  Luck tests is especially fun and useful. The primary acting player will usually get 
  a test toward his aptitude (unless the test was really hard) while you can rack up a 
  test for advancing the stat with which you helped.
  --Sharing the Spotlight With 
  Help--
  The help rules are an excellent device for sharing the spotlight. Imagine you’re 
  the best in the group for a job and everyone knows it. Rather than routinely testing 
  every time your niche comes into the story, you instead extend a hand to another 
  player who is learning or struggling in this area. You roleplay your offer to help 
  
  him learn. You hand him helping dice and say, “Go ahead, lead us through!”
  Maybe you earn a test for advancement, maybe you don’t. Maybe your fellow 
  player earns a test. What’s more important is that you have used the system to 
  support teamwork and action. 
  Sharing the spotlight like this takes a conscious decision. We want to demon-
  strate our skill and expertise. We want to succeed. You have to remind yourself to 
  back off. What immediate gain you sacrifice will pay off in the long run in terms 
  of overall enjoyment and satisfaction.
  --Succeeding and Failing With 
  Help--
  You all pile in on a test. Everyone helps the player of Mr. Bad-Ass Pants. The test 
  is passed. What does that mean for the helpers? It means you all pass the test too. 
  If you fail the test, all the helpers fail too.
  --The Many-Headed Beast--
  Helping creates a great dynamic at the table. It allows the group to participate 
  in moments dominated by a single player. However, this also engenders a problem 
  when the group acts as a many-headed beast, always helping. The game loses its 
  mechanical punch when the players are tossing dice into one pile for every test. 
  How do you prevent that without simply saying “No” all the time?
  As the GM, you must accept that not all tests are appropriate for the whole 
  group. Use the following guidelines: To participate in a test, each character must 
  act at the same time. Characters can act in sequence to provide help--I trigger the 
  mechanism, you run across the bridge--but characters may not help in a test and 
  then wander off into another test saying, “Meanwhile....”
  The characters must be physically in the same space or must be occupying the 
  correct place when the test is made. The whole group can sneak across a room 
  using Stealthy. The whole group can scour a city together using Circles. The whole 
  group cannot fit into the cardinal’s cabinet to convince him to take their side.
  The characters must be able to conceivably operate on the task at hand. You 
  cannot all make a watch--one watchmaker, one apprentice; that’s it. Five of you 
  can’t fit in the forge--one master smith, one apprentice smith and someone to chop 
  wood; that’s all I’d allow. You can’t all bend the king’s ear--it’s rude, so one of you 
  may speak.
  
  If this problem still persists after applying this wisdom, look at our new rule, 
  Too Many Cooks.
  --Pass the Dice--
  When helping, you must physically pass your die or dice to the player being 
  helped. This small gesture creates a visceral connection between you two. You are 
  now both bonded to this test. It seems like an unlikely thing, but you’ll have to 
  trust us. It’s very powerful.
  Also, at BWHQ we keep dice of an individual color so that when we hand over 
  helping dice, we can see whether or not we helped in the test. There’s no mechani-
  cal incentive for this act. It merely adds some fun to the helping rules, and creates 
  a nice simple ritual surrounding help. Everyone wants to watch the roll and see 
  how they did!
  
  Linked Tests
  Linked tests are a versatile way to bring players together to overcome an ob-
  stacle. The danger with a linked test is that rolls are called for and made purely for 
  the advantage rather than to make something happen in the fiction. 
  To make a test to provide a linked die, the linking player must have both a le-
  gitimate task and an intent that generates its own, appropriate result in the fiction. 
  “I want to give him +1D” isn’t a valid intent. “I want to help him by sharpening 
  his tools and cleaning the workspace,” is a valid intent and an excellent use of the 
  Mending skill.
  --How Many Links?--
  How many linked tests can be made? We often hear that question. Unfortunately, 
  our answer is rather lacking: It depends. Generally, we allow one linked test per 
  player, if appropriate. 
  I’ve found the best guideline to descriptively set the scene. Stop the action. Find 
  out who’s doing what. Ask the players what they’re doing and how they’re doing it. 
  If the players are involved in other matters at the time, then they can’t participate 
  with a linked test.
  --Link Intent and Task--
  It is vital that a linked test have its own intent and task--its own reason to be. 
  A linked test must create something more in the fiction than just +1D. If a linked 
  test doesn’t mean anything then you’re just rolling to generate a mechanical effect. 
  Boring! Just beg for an advantage die in that case.
  There are three possible results for a linked test: failure that passes a penalty 
  on to the linkee; success that creates a result like any other test, and success that 
  
  creates an exemplary result that grants the linkee +1D to his test.
  Be sure that your character is cooking dinner, sharpening weapons or raising 
  the troops’ morale. So no matter the result, what you’re doing makes sense in the 
  fiction.
  --Link versus Help--
  Linked tests are mechanically similar to help. Both give advantage dice. When 
  do you use a linked test as opposed to giving help?
  If the conditions for help cannot be met or if help is inappropriate, the player 
  can ask the GM if there is an action he can take that will link to the primary test.
  When a player wants to do something tangential, but possibly helpful to the 
  task at hand, a linked test should be used.
  Linked dice may also be generated far in advance of a test. They do not need to 
  be directly tied to the next test. You can prepare a bolt of cloth with your Weaving 
  skill. This preparation can be used as a linked test to a future Sewing skill test.
  And finally, some situations require the operation of a large mechanism--social, 
  cultural or physical. A party, a religious service or managing a caravan should all 
  be set up as a series of linked tests by the GM. Each test affects the next and, ulti-
  mately, the fate of the entire operation. In this case, the GM must determine what 
  the final test of the series will be. He then offers the players a handful of possible 
  skills they can use in the series. He tells them how many tests--and essentially how 
  the tasks--need to be accomplished before the final test is made. 
  Alternately, the GM can set an obstacle for an important test and invite the 
  players to link into it with tests of their own choosing.
  The final test in the series often determines the overall outcome, but that doesn’t 
  always have to be the case. Using this method, you can generate a series of results 
  that all color the final outcome.
  
  Let It Ride
  If we had to restate the rule, we’d say: You may not test the same ability re-
  peatedly to bypass the same obstacle. You only get one chance to overcome each 
  obstacle. Furthermore, your result--pass or fail--stands for all similar obstacles in 
  your path for the remainder of the session or until the in-game conditions signifi-
  cantly change.
  In some circles the Let It Ride rule is controversial. We think we muddied the 
  waters on the rule with a poor example in the Burning Wheel, but the core rule 
  itself is solid.
  --Why Let It Ride?--
  Let It Ride elevates the game from task resolution to conflict resolution, if those 
  terms mean anything to you. Let It Ride takes us from a fantastic medieval simula-
  tion to a game about creating character-driven narratives.
  --Let It Ride Duration--
  Let It Ride is meant to last for the remainder of a session. It should bridge ses-
  sions only rarely. If the group is on a long voyage and makes a Navigation test 
  during the first session, they don’t have to test again for the voyage as long as the 
  conditions stay the same. Or, if you fail to convince someone of your cause and as 
  part of the argument they vow to never speak to you again, you might have to deal 
  with this over multiple sessions.
  --Let It Ride Conditions--
  The Let It Ride rule states that your success or failure stands until 
  
  conditions “drastically or significantly change.” Here are some examples of chang-
  ing conditions:
  You discover new information; you’re deceived or betrayed; you lose your horse/
  ship/flying carpet; the weather takes a sudden, horrific turn for the worse; you’re 
  lost; you’re found; your finery is covered in shit/blood/mud; you learn a new spell 
  or school of magic; your precious possessions are stolen; you discover a powerful 
  artifact; you earn a new trait; a miracle happens.
  Conditions that don’t generally count as significant or drastic: you’re superfi-
  cially or lightly wounded; you change a Belief; you change an Instinct; you ask 
  “how about now?”; you fail another test.
  If you’re wounded so badly that the skill or ability with which you overcame 
  an obstacle is reduced to zero, then Let It Ride doesn’t apply. Otherwise, wounds 
  wouldn’t count as a change of conditions for Let It Ride.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Burning Wheel/Adventure Burner Transcript.pdf