Quote from: cranebump;793787I can see that. That's what appeals to me. Looks like it would work very well for sandbox play. I wonder, though, how it handles the long term. Seems like you can get some powerful characters pretty quickly.

Depends how often you give out advancement points. I give them out very sparingly. It's up to the GM how quickly PCs advance, after all.

Quote from: Simon W;793811Depends how often you give out advancement points. I give them out very sparingly. It's up to the GM how quickly PCs advance, after all.

I ran a fairly long campaign and found that doling out XP at a low rate made advancement not an issue at my table. It probably helped than neither I or my players consider mechanical character advancement that important for an enjoyable game. The characters advanced in the world by leaps and bounds - rag tag sell swords ending up as a general and a nobleman over the course of the campaign. But the numbers on their sheets changed just a little.

If your players value advancement as a major part of the game, they might be put off by you issuing XP in a stingy manner. But remind them that BoL PCs start out very head and shoulders above most people in the game world, which is how they are able to mow down hoards of rabble in the best Conan tradition - from the first session. It's not a zero to hero game.

And it's my favourite system, so be aware that the above is a fanboy speaking - YMMV and all that.

Now back to prepping my BoL Firefly game that I'll be running on Sunday (it's so easy to hack!)

Quote from: cranebump;793787I can see that. That's what appeals to me. Looks like it would work very well for sandbox play. I wonder, though, how it handles the long term. Seems like you can get some powerful characters pretty quickly.

We've been playing Honor+Intrigue for 2.5 years. We play weekly for about 3.5 hours a session. I give out approximately 2 APs per session. After 2.5 years, the Advancement Point totals* for the six major PCs are as follows:

Guy........Lucien......Gaston...Gaétan....Norbert...Corsair
211.........126...........205........174..........123.........48

Typically only 4 of the PCs play at any one time. All the PCs are still quite playable vs. NPCs and with each other.

In fact, you can get some powerful characters right from the start. Norbert (Might 4, Brawl 3), for example, was far and away the best brawler of the group from the first moment he played despite being 80 or more APs behind some of the more experienced PCs. And by using Might-based melee attack like Moulinet he can be almost as devasting in melee as the best of the duelists.


* Only Guy and Gaston have played the entire 2.5 years. Other PCs have either dropped out or been added as time has gone on, which is the reason that the AP totals are so varied.

Quote from: Bren;793819We've been playing Honor+Intrigue for 2.5 years. We play weekly for about 3.5 hours a session. I give out approximately 2 APs per session. After 2.5 years, the Advancement Point totals* for the six major PCs are as follows:

Guy........Lucien......Gaston...Gaétan....Norbert...Corsair
211.........126...........205........174..........123.........48

Typically only 4 of the PCs play at any one time. All the PCs are still quite playable vs. NPCs and with each other.

In fact, you can get some powerful characters right from the start. Norbert (Might 4, Brawl 3), for example, was far and away the best brawler of the group from the first moment he played despite being 80 or more APs behind some of the more experienced PCs. And by using Might-based melee attack like Moulinet he can be almost as devasting in melee as the best of the duelists.


* Only Guy and Gaston have played the entire 2.5 years. Other PCs have either dropped out or been added as time has gone on, which is the reason that the AP totals are so varied.

About where do the characters stand, stat-wise, if I may ask?

As you wish...

Guy de Bourges   
Courtier and Spy (b. 1600), Lucien's and Fr. Signoret's cousin   SR 8
Motivation: Thrill Seeker   
Might 0,   Daring 2,   Savvy 3,   Flair 3
Brawl 0,   Melee 2,   Ranged 1,   Defense 2
Courtier 2,   Don Juan 1,   Traveler 1,   Spy 2
Lifeblood 10,   Composure 3,   Advantage 3,   Fortune 6
Languages: French(N), Italian(N), Spanish(F), Hand Signs(F)
Boons: Crack Shot, Devil's Own Luck, Good Etiquette, Master of Disguise, Savant, Spy Network (multiple Spy 0 agents), 2xTrusted Companions (Babar Fabré, Collette du Pré)
Flaws: Landlubber, Obsession (Finish the Mission)

Lucien de Bourges
King's Musketeer (b. 1601), Guy's cousin   SR 7
All for one and one for all   
Might 0,   Daring 3,   Savvy 1,   Flair 2*,   (Charm bonus in France)
Brawl 0,   Melee 3,   Ranged 1,   Defense 2
Don Juan 1,   Duelist 2,   Soldier 2,   Gentleman Farmer 0
Lifeblood 10,   Composure 3,   Advantage 5/6*,   Fortune 5
Languages: French (N), Italian, +1 slot
Boons: Daredevil, Dueling Style Mastery (French, Spanish), Military Order (King's Musketeers*), Trusted companion (Bertin)
Flaws: Active Duty (King's Musketeers), Haunted (Siege of Negripelisse)

Gaston Thibeault ⚜ (b. 1593)
Position: Lieutenant Picardy Regiment, Fencing Master, Norbert's cousin      SR 6
Motivation: Bravery, his own and other's   
Appearance: Tall and weathered with long mustaches and gray-green eyes under a battered hat.
Might 2,   Daring 3*,   Savvy 2,   Flair 0
Brawl 1,   Melee 4,   Ranged 0,   Defense 1
Soldier 3,   Ruffian 0,   Poet 2,   Duelist 2
Lifeblood 15,   Composure 3,   Advantage 6,   Fortune 3
Languages: French(N), Italian (F), German
Boons: Dueling Style Mastery (Italian, Old Style, Drake's), *Laugh-in-the-Face-of-Danger (Bonus Die vs. fear, intimidation, and social combat), Hard-to-Kill, The Look (Bonus Die to intimidation), Military Order (Marines: Sailor at Soldier-1, +1LB). Artistic (Bonus die creating or appraising art),
Flaws: Arrogant (disdain for non-soldiers); Hot-Tempered (proud and prickly about honor)

Father Gaétan Signoret   
Jesuit Priest & noble (b. 1601), Guy's cousin   SR 8
Motivation: True character is tempered by fire
Might 1,   Daring 3,   Savvy 2,   Flair 2
Brawl 0,   Melee 2,   Ranged 1,   Defense 2
Noble 1,   Duelist 2,   Hunter 1,   Clergy 1,   Scholar (History) 1,   Physician (Galenic) 1
Lifeblood 11,   Composure 3,   Advantage 5,   Fortune 7
Languages: French (N), Latin (F), Spanish (F), Hand Signs (B),
Boons: Born in the Saddle (Bonus Die), Dueling Style Mastery: (Spanish, French), Favored by Fortune, Friends in Low Places, Membership Secret Society (Society of Jesus)
Flaws: Incompetent Servant, Obligation (Society of Jesus)

Norbert Thibeault
Norbert of Picardy or Norbert the Giant (b. 1596), Gaston's cousin   SR 2
Motivation: Altruism
Might 4,   Daring 1,   Savvy 1,   Flair 1
Brawl 3,   Melee 1,   Ranged 1,   Defense 1
Farmboy 0,   Pugilist 1,   Brute 3,   Performer 1,   Soldier 0
Lifeblood 16,   Composure 3,   Advantage 3,   Fortune 3
Languages: French (N), Latin (B), Dutch (B)
Boons: Beast Friend (Hercule the Rat), Hard to Kill, Herculean Might, Strength Feat (Bonus Die), Thick-Skinned (1 Protection)
Flaws: Lumbering (penalty die balance), Unsettling (penalty die social situations)

The Foul Corsair - Hippolyte de Bouchard
Hippo-leet de Boo-chard
Privateer Captain, Owes his life and service to Norbert
Pirate – Motivation: The Code of the Pirates   SR 1/SR 7
Might 3,   Daring 1,   Savvy -1,   Flair 1
Brawl 3,   Melee 2,    Ranged -1,   Defense 0
Brute 2,   Prisoner 0,   Pirate 2,   Duelist 0
Lifeblood 15,   Composure 3,   Advantage 4,   Fortune 4
Languages: French (N), Lingua Franca (B) (doesn't know how to read any language)
Boons:    Hard to kill, Keen Hearing (Bonus Die for hearing checks), Thick-Skinned, Dueling Style (Mastery Drake's)
Flaws:    Absent Minded (GM may spring things on you that you forgot=+1FP),
   Missing Right Eye (Penalty Die for Ranged Attacks or spotting things)

Am I right in thinking the system is essentially a S&S version of Traveller?

Quote from: Bilharzia;794110Am I right in thinking the system is essentially a S&S version of Traveller?

Nope.

Much appreciated Bren.