Thank you for your interest in running a Hero’s Banner demo. Although Hero’s Banner is of course designed for extended play, I believe that it also fairs well in the short run. Whether you just want to experience the basic mechanics of Hero’s Banner or else have a desire to prime your creativity for long-term play, it’s my hope that this demo pack will act as your guide.
If perchance you would prefer to download and read the demo pack offline, you may do so by grabbing the complete pack as a zip archive. The archive contains these guidelines as well as all of the characters in pdf format.
Unfortunately, this demo pack does not stand alone. You will need to either own a copy of the Hero’s Banner rulebook, or at least be familiar enough with the play of Hero’s Banner to run a game on your own. Lucky for you, however, Hero’s Banner is readily available via Indie Press Revolution and other fine retailers for a mere $16 plus shipping and handling. That said, let’s get started.
The Hero’s Banner Demo Pack contains guidelines for three separate demonstrations. Each of these demos is meant to cater to groups with either different time restrictions or else a desire to see different parts of the Hero’s Banner rules in action.
First, the Hero’s Banner 15 Minute Demo is the most basic and takes the least amount of time. The demo is meant for use with 1-3 (perhaps even 4) players plus a game-master. The rules have been stripped down to exhibit only the basics, without any breakdowns, connections, or generational mechanics. What’s more, each group of players will only control a single character by working together and taking turns. If you want to teach the game to a group of new players in a very short amount of time, the 15 Minute Demo is your best bet.
Second, building off of the 15 Minute Demo is the Hero’s Banner Extended Demo. The Extended Demo is really a full-blown episode of Hero’s Banner, but includes sample characters to get things moving very quickly. It’s meant to be played with 1-4 players plus a game-master, and with 4 players takes roughly 5 hours to complete (although rules to shorten this time are included). Finally, the Extended Demo is ready-made to introduce some of the more nuanced mechanics slowly so that everyone can learn as they go.
Third and finally, the Hero’s Banner Multi-Generational Demo is something that I’ve been working on to show off the game’s generation spanning potential in no more time than it takes to run the Extended Demo. The focus of the Multi-Generational Demo is on speeding up play so that everyone will have the opportunity to create and play though two characters – the second building on the first.
Included in the Demo Pack are five pre-generated and partially pre-generated characters, blank character sheets, and a list of sample influences – all of which have seen actual play. With a little luck you should be able to deliver a satisfying Hero’s Banner experience, but if you do run into trouble or have any questions, please feel free to write me. I’d be happy to lend additional assistance.
T. C. K.
tim@tckroleplaying.com
http://tckroleplaying.com/
The Hero’s Banner 15 Minute Demo is intended for play with one GM and anywhere from one to three players. The players will all take on the role of Silviu Ryeic, Prince of the Kingdom of Ryeic on the western spoke of the realm. While in normal Hero’s Banner play each player would create and direct a character of his own, here, for the sake of time and leaning, everyone will contribute to the same character.
I’ll be assuming from here on out that you, the person running this demo, will be serving as game-master. I’m also assuming that you have at least a general knowledge of the Hero’s Banner rules. Speaking of rules, let me suggest a few variations that you should use for this demo only. First, no breakdowns. Second, no player may take less than three passion checks following a re-roll. Third, connections should be used for color only. The idea is to show off the core mechanics of Hero’s Banner. Nevertheless, I think you’ll find that even the core mechanics alone can lead to some very rewarding play in a very short amount of time.
To begin, show all of your players the included character sheet and introduce Sir Silviu generally. Talk a bit about life on The Cross (the realm). Explain to the players what an influence is and how influences are usually transformed from simple paragraphs into numbers and other statistics (e.g. ideals, goals, passion). This is also a perfect time to introduce the core theme of Hero’s Banner – namely that while a character begins with three possible directions in which to take his life, in the end he can only have one.
After everyone has become familiar with Silviu in a broad sense, assign everyone a turn. The first player will have control of Silviu for the first scene, the second player for the second scene, and the third for the final scene. Explain that while everyone is always welcome to contribute to the current scene throughout the demo, it’s the player whose turn it is that is given final say in what actually transpires. Pass the dice and the pencil to the first player; you’re ready for the opening scene!
The Hero’s Banner 15 Minute Demo is only meant to last – you guessed it – 15 minutes. Therefore, it will also only last a number of scenes equal to the number of players you have participating. And to make your job easier, the first scene is always the same.
Turn to the first player and in your own words describe the following situation. Sure, this opening scene involves some pretty heavy-handed framing. Then again, you only have 15 minutes and you really need to grab everyone’s attention.
Nighttime. It is the middle of winter and your father’s kingdom is frigid. Not only is the snow wisping against the fallow fields, but your people are also starving. You have climbed to the ramparts of your father’s keep so that you might better take in the mood of the people. From up high, you can see dim lanterns and a group of peasants enjoying the celebration below. Your father has decided to hold a festival. Opening up his treasury to gift even the lowliest class, there is both food and drink to be had.
While contemplating the fate of the kingdom in the months to come, the great door that leads from within the keep to the ramparts swings open. Baron Nicu strides into the cold air and his boots scrape against the stone as he approaches you.
“Good evening Prince. Are you so troubled that even a festival won’t bolster your mood? No matter; I have something much more important to discuss.”
With a gleam he continues, “Join me good Prince! Your father has grown weak. You know it to be true. I can sense your discontent. The cold has made him forget his duties. Let us truly care for these people. They starve and your father only thinks to waste his money on parties.
“But together we can put a stop to his madness. I need coin. You have access to the king’s treasury. I beg of you, take what is by right yours. Fund me and I will be able to command an army great enough to invade the south. The king’s guard is already with me. Now I need only your support. What say you?”
As GM, you should pose the same question to the active player: “What do you do?” The active player has many options open to him. For example, he could push the Baron off the Ramparts, he could confront his father, he could join with the Baron and attempt to steal the money from his father’s treasury. No matter what the active player chooses to have Silviu do, your goal as the GM is the push the scene towards a conflict as soon as possible. If the player wants to see the Baron flung from the Ramparts, then explain the conflict system and have the active player roll the dice. There is no need to dawdle. Of course, depending on the outcome of the conflict, you’ll also want to make sure that you deal with passion increases and other mechanical consequences.
With the first scene completed, pass the dice to the next player in line and begin again. This time, you should set a new scene of your own creation. Either continue the conflicts from the previous scene or perhaps switch to a conflict involving a different influence altogether. As GM, you have the power to frame whatever scene you find most appropriate or most dramatic. Don’t feel obligated to follow the same plot-line throughout.
You might also consider asking the next player which of the three influences on Silviu’s sheet he or she is most interested in exploring. Then, simply frame a scene using whatever influence the player chooses. As the demo only lasts 15 minutes, it’s important that each player has a chance to experience the fun of the game. Scene-framing can go a long way towards making sure that everyone has something interesting to do.
Every time a scene concludes, you should quickly wrap things up and start a new scene with the next player in line. Keep in mind that previous players can still participate by giving suggestions. If the group if feeling more collaborative, then encourage everyone to contribute to each agonizing decision. Just be sure to keep the pace fast and the action dramatic.
If you need examples of the type of scenes that might follow the first, try these:
If Silviu pushes the Baron off the Ramparts, follow up by describing the reaction of the peasants. Remember the Baron can’t die because he’s one of Silviu’s connections. Perhaps the Baron has now falsely accused Silviu of both plotting a coup and trying to kill the Baron for getting in the way. Can Silviu defend himself in the eyes of his people? In the eyes of his father?
Silviu has a love interest, Bogdana. On the other hand, Silviu’s mother has been attempting to arrange a marriage between her son and a princess from house Uran. Will Silviu’s mother intercept Silviu as he steals away to see Bogdana in the middle of the night? What consequences will he face if he is caught?
War. Silviu wants revenge against the Prodans. As the king’s son he is expected to display great military prowess. Can he live up to his family’s expectations and push back the Prodans on the field of battle?
Of course all of the above are just kernels of scenes. You’ll want to flesh each out with descriptive details. What does the battlefield smell like? What is the political situation surrounding the arranged marriage Silviu’s mother is attempting to orchestrate? What insults do the people sling in response to the Baron’s accusations?
That’s it! You just keep framing new scenes and playing them out until the active player has to roll some dice. When each player has had a chance to control Silviu through a scene, the demo ends. It just ends. There is no conclusion to wrap things up. You, as GM, just leave them wanting more. I’d humbly suggest that you explain where the game could take off from the ending point. What scene could come next, what could Silviu end up doing with his life, and finally, what hero could take up the banner after Silviu dies? Unfortunately, the Hero’s Banner 15 Minute Demo doesn’t show off the system’s generational mechanics. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t entice the players with a short rundown of what could be. With a bit of embellishment you might just leave the players clamoring for more, which could in turn mean that you’ve hooked them for a longer and more rewarding session in the future.
For the extended demo, the most important thing that you can familiarize yourself with is the sample characters and the initial situation surrounding those characters. Each player will choose one of the sample characters at the start of the session. Then, as each sample character has only two of his three influences filled in, you’ll have to guide the players through a small sampling of character creation. I also suggest having a few sample influences handy. If players are having difficulty coming up with a third influences of their own, show them the samples either as a springboard to create new influences or else simply as a menu from which to choose. Make sure, however, that if players are choosing sample influences, that they also customize the influences to better suit their particular character.
It’s your job as game-master to help the players along during character creation. Be careful, though, because it’s easy to spend too much time worrying about a character’s third influences and not enough time playing. If things are dragging, I suggest choosing an influence for the stumped player and moving on as quickly as possible.
As far as actual play goes, the Extended Demo should play out as any normal Hero’s Banner episode from start to finish. The only modifications you should make to the rules are as follows. First, only allow breakdowns once a player reaches 50 passion. Second, only allow a player to use his connections to stave off passion increases in the later stages (50-75 passion) of the game if at all. These modifications will speed up play and allow new players the chance to get a feel for the basic game before introducing some of the more nuanced rules.
Although most of the characters are somewhat self-explanatory, in that their basic motivations and abilities are already listed on the pre-generated character sheets, it’s important that you be familiar with the setting and situation that these characters exist within. The setting, first of all, is the basic setting as described in Chapter 1 of Hero’s Banner. Specially, the Extended Demo takes place within two of the major realms on The Cross: Ryeic and Uran.
Ryeician troops are pushing north into Uranian lands and have already managed to stoke the fires of rebellian in the border-town of Nahrie. King Uran is of course unwilling to stand for outright rebellion. More importantly, he is generally unwilling to risk losing any honor to the much older and well-established kingdoms, Ryeic included.
On the other hand, Uran is also faced with growing unrest to the far north in the frontier lands known as the outreaches. The ousted King Yinosh fled after Uran successfully invaded. Now, Yinosh is facing another long winter without proper land or food to shelter and feed his decimated household and followers. He may yet find refuge by forming an alliance with the Baron of Carna Woods. The King, though, still has a heart to march his army south and retake the homeland from Uran.
Turning to specific characters, let’s start with Anca Ryeic. She’s basically a warrior princess. Her primary method of influence is through force. She has spent her life fighting in her father’s army and has the skill to lead an army to victory against even the most hardened of foes. On the other hand, she also has a wealth of regret. With all of the blood that she has spilt over her short life to date, Anca harbors a secret desire to retire to a life more traditional.
Next, Razvan Lockreen is a nobleman of Uran. Although he has none of the royal bloodline flowing in his veins, he does have a cruel nature unparalleled in the realm. Now that the people of Nahrie have chosen to ally themselves with Ryeic, Razvan has the perfect opportunity to claim control of an influential city in the kingdom. Paula, King Uran’s chief strategist, supports Razvan’s plan to lay waste to any and all opposition in Nahrie. In contrast to his war campaign, Razvan also idolizes the fallen King Yinosh. Nurturing a loving relationship with the former Yinoshian peasant, Ioana, Razvan sympathizes with the exiles to the north.
Third, we have Fane Touriac. Fane is a diplomat hailing from the kingdom of Ryeic. His mission is to negotiate a treaty with King Uran for control of the southwest border. Under the impression that Uran’s chief strategist, Paula Uran, is a great diplomat and lover of peace, Fane wants to end the conflict between Ryeic and Uran. Still, Fane’s diplomatic mission is somewhat undercut by his love for King Uran’s daughter, Ruxana. While he does love her, he also hopes that any marriage between them will ultimately lead to a lasting political alliance.
Finally, Marian Yinosh is the prince of the exiled King Yinosh. Marian, along with his father and what’s left of his father’s army, are currently living in exile north of Uran in the borderland outreaches. Marian is torn between his desire to seek revenge against the usurper Uran and simply putting an end to what has been a lifetime of fighting. Kropin is the capitol city of what is now Uran’s kingdom. Marian houses a deep desire to retake the city. Turning away from war, though, the Baron of Carna Woods rules over a dilapidated keep in the deep winterlands. Even though Marian would have to swallow his pride, the Baron has wealth and land sufficient to feed Marian’s people. Perhaps letting his legacy slip slowly into the Baron’s realm is best after all?
Of course the descriptions above only represent two-thirds of each completed character. The remaining influence that each individual player will bring to the table can go a long way towards changing the ultimate direction of the demo. Don’t be afraid to help the players find a third influence that both takes their character in a new direction and further complicates the political situation. But if the players are stalled, you can also feel free to suggest an influence or two.
Aside from the smattering of influences included in the Hero’s Banner rulebook, you and your group can adapt any of the influences on Silviu Ryeic’s sheet or the short list below for use in the Extended Demo.
I idolize my father as a leader. Although I may be forced to live a life in exile, my sister deserves better. Her delicate nature and keen intellect would be wasted if she were to deny the people, any people, her royal heritage.
Ideal: Pride
Goal: Properly marry my sister off to a king.
I have already killed the greatest warrior of my time. While he fell in battle, there is no erasing the memory of his bravery. No one of my own family has shown such dedication.
Ideal: Courage
Goal: Defect to the Kingdom of Uran.
I can only stand to see bloodshed for so long. While I seem to revel in war, the Almighty comes to me in dreams. He tells me that I should feel guilty; I want to follow the voice of compromise.
Ideal: Diplomacy
Goal: Bring my house and all of its enemies to the table for peace talks.
“Love is merely an ideal, but the bonds created by a true marital alliance can last for generations,” so my mother reminds me. She would have me marry the Duke’s daughter. Who am I to question my elders?
Ideal: Obedience
Goal: Enter into an arranged marriage with the daughter of Duke Ion of Ryeic.
Finally, for an example of how the Extended Demo might play out, you can browse my actual play report from the Chicago GameDay Convention in October of 2006. You should notice some similarities between the influences listed above and those used in my actual play report.
The key to multi-generational play in 4-5 hours is speed. Unfortunately, you simply won’t have time to develop fully realized characters. But you will have time to show off the potential of Hero’s Banner to support rewarding long-term play. When everyone at the table knows exactly what the previous generation struggled with to become the idols that they are, you’ll have a glimpse of what’s possible over the course of many sessions.
Start with the pre-generated characters from the Extended Demo. You might even consider plugging in a third influence for each character so that you can get right to play without any character creation delays. Either use your own creativity or else mine the sample influences above. As this is a multi-generation demo, the players will eventually have to come up with new characters of their own, but for now don’t spend too much time explaining the character creation process.
Next, you’ll need to significantly speed up the pace of an average Hero’s Banner game in order to run through two generations. To gain this speed, change the normal passion rules as follows.
First, every time the players role for passion increases double the end result. For example, if a player rolls three passion checks and comes up with a total of 5 + 4 + 9 = 18, double that total to 36. Even though this change seems extreme, I’ve found that players tend to react enthusiastically to rapid passion increases. Too quick for normal play, doubled passion increases certainly up the ante in the course of single session. Suddenly every decision becomes one of life and death.
Second, if you’re playing the demo with a full four players, you may need even more speed. I suggest (1) not allowing for less than three passion checks on a re-roll and (2) either ignoring breakdowns completely or at least requiring the players to roll a full set of three passion checks regardless of whether or not they roll a breakdown. And as with the Extended Demo, you should also introduce the concept of breakdowns slowly: ignoring the breakdown rules until the characters reach at least 50 passion.
You also need to be aware of a character’s connections. With doubled passion increases, the rate at which a character can gain and lose connections also goes up. Keeping track of connections may seem a bit arbitrary with so many dramatic swings. Just remember that the key to a successful demo is that the players understand that there are consequences to every choice. If the players realize mid-episode that they should have either lost or gained a connection along the way, do not try to reconstruct the course of events. Instead, evaluate the situation as it stands, and just move on.
After making it through the first generation of charcters in the Multi-Generational Demo, I suggest first of all taking a five minute break. When everyone returns to the table, you’ll have to begin by explaining character creation. Start with the Hero influcence. Remind the players that their previous characters will indeed live on in the memory of the next generation. The first order of business should be to create a new set of characters based around each player’s previous Hero influence.
Allow the players to revel in the memories of what their previous characters have just accomplished (or failed to accomplish). The creation of the next generation is part of the fun of Hero’s Banner and even if you have to sacrifice play time from the latter half of the demo, let the players fashion a second group of characters that they care about.
At some point, however, you’ll probably have to move things along. If character creation is taking too long, again point the players to sample influences. Offer suggestions yourself and field assistance from other players at the table who have already completed their own characters.
Character creation complete, your task is the same as it’s always been. Look to the first player and push him into a scene that seriously implicates whatever influence catches your fancy.
For more suggestions on multi-generation play in a short timeframe, take a look at Polaris author Ben Lehman’s Hero’s Banner demo discussion. And if you have any suggestions on this demo pack or any of the individual demos, feel free to start a new thread over at The Forge, or else write me an email. I’d love to hear from you. But you have my thanks merely for playing.