Spies, diplomats and other liars | Intrigue in the 17th Century
Spies and diplomats during the 17th century in Europe. Fast, fun, free sandbox play. Make your own fate, good or bad in dangerous spy intrigues.
TYPE
SYSTEM
LANGUAGE
EXPERIENCE
AGE
$25.00
/ Session
Details
1 player following this game
Weekly / Thursday - 7:00 PM UTC
Session Duration / 2–3 hours
0 / 5 Seats Filled
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About the adventure
You are secretly a spy and officially a diplomat on a secret mission in Europe at war, in the 17th century. Adventures on the road or at sea, and courtly intrigue at the time of the powerful Cardinal Richelieu. "All's fair in love and war", as the saying goes. You are a secret agent and your role is to figure out what activities enemies (and allies) are up to abroad and report back home. You may meet elegant ladies and gentlemen of the courts of Europe, lurk in dark alleys watching shady dealings, stake out inns with questionable reputations, or even make your way through the muddy fields of war. At the start of our story you find yourself somewhere in Europe, employed as an agent of the King of Sweden, Gustav II. Sweden is a rapidly rising power at the start of the 17th century. King Gustav is a brilliant military commander, and the genius Chancellor Axel Oxenstierna built an efficient central government to fund and sustain continuous military campaigns. You may be of any European nationality, or even from the colonies of the Americas, or elsewhere, but recruited by the Swedish state. Maybe you are only in it for the money, or for thrills, or maybe you are very loyal to the Swedish Crown for reasons of your own? You might even be a double agent or switch loyalities along the road, although that would come at an even higher risk to your well-being. It is a time when Cardinal Richelieu rules in the name of King Louis XIII of France, the time when The Three Musketeers have their famous adventures. What will be your adventures? A collaborate story where your choices matter and have consequences, good or bad. --- Note: This is a fictional story, based on a turbulent period in history, but not history lessons. There will be errors and inaccurate facts, please keep that in mind. The goal is entertainment, not education.
Game style
Roleplay Heavy
Rule of Cool (RoC)
Sandbox / Open World
Theater of the Mind
Combat Lite
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
1 year on StartPlaying
Highly rated for: Storytelling, Inclusive, World Builder
About me
Hi, I'm Greg. I've been a player, a Storyteller and a GM since the viking age. Laid-back, fun, friendly, easy to get along with! Been running events at cons, in gaming clubs, and with friends for forever, it's what I love doing most of all! To do that for a living would be a dream come true!
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
CHARACTER CREATION Quick and easy character generation. Will be done in session 0, with possible adjustments after in discord. Also possible to tweak when we start playing if needed, no worries. We are here to have fun! Rules: FATE Accelerated. Don't worry if you don't have the book or PDF, we'll make it work. Or you can pick it up att DriveThruRPG for $2.75. Link: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/114902/fate-accelerated-edition-a-fate-core-build I will also help out with suggestions for characters, if you are new to the game. It's really easy and fun to make a character.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
You will need an account on Discord and Roll20, both are free to sign up to. Let me know if you need any assistance in setting it up. (It should be rather easy.) https://discord.com/ https://roll20.net/ Also a working headset or mic/speaker. We will NOT play on camera.
What Viking Skald | Greg brings to the table
WHAT TO EXPECT: * Alternative stories in a "historical" setting, open-ended (not history lessons, just entertainment, there will be inaccuracies, it's fiction). * An experienced, flexible and open-minded Game Master. * Theatre of the Mind. * Rule of Cool. Better a flowing game than rules layer. * RP heavy, sometimes silly, sometimes exciting or even scary (hopefully). * Jokes and fun and a light mood around the table. * It is a no magic setting, meaning no playable wizards or other magic users. Supposedly historical setting, though a fiction. * Immersion when the stars are right. * Intrigue, mystery, social RP, trouble, even comical at times. * 15 minutes of fame - each character around the table will have moments to shine, so please let them. Your moments will also come! Meaning respect others RP as you would like them to respect yours. * Combat lite - the tension and excitement is important, the mechanics not quite so much, but are needed naturally. * Sometimes the horror of war, murder and other violence. * Player choices that matter and get consequences, good or bad. * A living world where NPCs do have their own ideas and plans. * A world that adapts and changes by your actions. * Lots of room for improvisation and ideas. * Unexpected outcomes. * Some mysteries may not be solved right away or at all, as in life. * The journey and the moments is the fun! * My first language is not English, although I get by pretty well, so I may miss references or misunderstand something at times, do feel free to advice me, I like to learn. --- DO NOT EXPECT: - Not many combat heavy stories, it is mostly about cloak and dagger with the occasional duels. Depends on player choices too naturally. - Not lots of hack and slash and gory details, it fades to black. - Different horrors will certainly be implied but mostly not described in very much detail, most of the time. (Suggestions may be more scary.) - I'm no voice actor, but I do silly attempts at times.
Homebrew rules
I sometimes improves rulings on the fly, to keep the game running smoothly. Rule of cool.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Viking Skald | Greg creates a safe table
SESSION ZERO I will send a link to my Lines and Veils document before session zero. We will talk about: * Safety around the table, lines and veils and cards. * Open door. * Debriefing and aftercare.
Content warnings
Safety tools used