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dadeennbsv

Burning Coal

RPG system: Amber
Participants: 3-5 players

By

✏️Vivek D

Description

It is the turn of the 19th century: The great imperial powers vie for dominance, fuelled by coal and steered by the industrial combines and their brass-and-steel difference engines:

But not all their conflicts are played out in the open, by displays of military might or commercial conflicts – there are other, more shadowy arenas where the Great Game is also played.

At the heart of the British Empire we find The Ministry (it has a name, officially, on paper – but never speak it. It is always just The Ministry).

Home to the freak, the monster, the superhuman, the undead, the spy, the assassin and the mad scientist* and those simply… less trammeled by ordinary moral considerations.

This means you.

* The Society of Hypercognisant Artisans and Master Engineers prefers “Enlightened Engineer” over the vulgar and somewhat pejorative “Mad Scientist”.

Characters:

Players should pick an archetype or template to build their character on – Mad Scientist*, Monster, Super-spy, Werewolf, Golem, Demon-ridden Sorceress – feel free to plunder any and all of Pulp, Sci-Fi, Fantasy for an idea (or even come up with your own).

That’s who your character is. In addition there should be a reason the ministry would want to employ you some extraordinary ability, power or skill-set.

A reason you work for the ministry:
* They might have stayed your execution for a crime (real or framed)
* Maybe they pay you vast sums of money.
* Perhaps they are the only source of a drug you need.
* Possibly you’re just the right mix of patriotic and amoral that you want to.

One superhumanly strong stat or trait, eg:
* Strong / Agile / Dextrous / Strong-willed / Perceptive / etc

0 or more additional strengths, each balanced by a weakness, eg:
* Weak / Aged / Clumsy / Weak-willed / Vulnerable to iron / Berserk / etc

To be clear – your first strength is free. Only additional ones must be paid for.

Organiser’s Note: Both burning coal games happen in the same universe but the stories are neither repeats nor are they continuations. Due to popularity, you’ll probably not get into both.

Played at

AmberCon NI (2024)


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