The birth of a class - NIGHT DESCENDS ON UR devlog
In the process of writing classes for a side-project I'm slowly nibbling at - a post-apocalypse game set in the wake of the Bronze Age Collapse - I've been experimenting ways to deliver basic setting lore/info through character creation. I've landed on this: the existence of each adventurer class can be chalked up to one specific event in the world's recent history.
Let me make an example: all fighter-adventurers in the setting are soldiers of the city of Uruk who fleed during the decade-long siege laid upon it by Hittites. The siege failed, the city fell, the soldiers ran from the burning walls into the night, and bam, now there are a bunch of wayward soldiers roaming the lands. Barbarians are instead nomads from the north, who were driven south by hunger, as the repeated raids of enemy armies left them without cattle to raise. Each of these events still has repercussions today: Uruk is still burning, the people in the the mountains are still hungry, and this gives players info to act upon.
All the events of the setting, in this framework, are meant to be tied to The Central Conflict™ of the campaign - in this case, the brutal war between the city-states of Mesopotamia following the arrival of the Sea-People. The idea here is that players can join one another in understanding the world's problem(s) but can still have differing backstories and perspectives that involve it, thus making the party as a whole more knowledgeable about it without increasing burden. Not everyone has to know how the siege of Uruk played out, but the fighter does, and even they don't have the full story. (It's also a way to let everyone at the table have a moment to shine on their own.)
But I've written enough theory. Here's some actual content.
Class - Fighter
You fled the walls of Uruk as the enemy rushed upon them once more, as the army grew wearied and hopeless. You ran into the wilderness, made barren by the torch-fire of raids; your skin was saved, but your honor forever tarnished in the eyes of the few who didn’t die.
Take the Warfare skill, a bronze hatchet and a breastplate.
WHAT LOSING BATTLE DID YOU FLEE? (d6)
The enemy’s guards caught you while sneaking into their camp at night. Take the Stealth skill, an oil lantern and a dagger.
Your chariot-horses froze at the sight of the enemy’s war elephants in the field. Take the Riding skill, a whip and an old bow.
The walls of the Kubbur mountain-keep were trapped. The ruinous fall injured many. Take the Mountaineering skill, some heavy furs and a pickaxe.
The last stand at the Gorge of the Dead. Take the Courage skill, a large shield and a spear.
Your river-barges sank as you boarded the enemy’s in a cramped and bloody melee. Take the Swimming skill, a rope and a wooden shield.
Houses and barns burned hot as your squad tried saving the farmers in the village of En-Nun. Take the Alert skill, a sack of flour and a donkey.