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Let me be up front with my goals: this review covers the Revised version of Burning Wheel. I try to note what makes Burning Wheel a good game in its own right to help show people unfamiliar with the game why I like it. Also, I discuss the changes from the original version to the Revised version to help those that own the original version make up their minds about purchasing the new edition (long story short: do it). There’s a lot to cover, so forgive me if I ramble a bit.
Overall, I think of Burning Wheel as a game that takes the best parts of other systems, Earthdawn, WHFRP, nWoD, and a few others… adds in some totally new mechanics and rolls it all up into a new and coherent new system.
What is the Burning Wheel Revised?
The Burning Wheel (I will occasionally refer to it simply as “BW”) is an indie rpg that was originally released a few years ago. It met the community to rave reviews and the first print run sold out (quite an accomplishment for an in-print indie rpg). The Burning Wheel was comprised of two books, the Burning Wheel proper and the Character Burner. The Burning Wheel (“master burner” in my little gaming circle) holds all the core rules and gives copious examples. The Character Burner holds the racial rules, the lifepath rules, magic, and the really engaging stuff.
Burning Wheel Revised took the really good parts of the original Burning Wheel, cut the superfluous stuff out, and added in a few new mechanics to help make gaming with the system even more exciting and useful. The end result is a version of Burning Wheel that is better than the first.
The Burning Wheel (both versions) does not have a setting attached to the rules. Instead, the rules are made to be modular and flexible, allowing for a GM and players to use whatever setting they most like to adventure in. I have heard of successful uses of Burning Wheel for games like Midnight, Iron Kingdoms, Middle Earth and, of course, homebrews. Personally, I have toyed with doing a Dragera game as well as run a short series of adventures set in the Dune universe using the Burning Wheel (first the original version, and in the last few weeks, Revised). The system that is Burning Wheel is very flexible.
So, what makes the Burning Wheel Revised special?
The Burning Wheel Revised is an rpg that focuses on making mechanics fast and fun. It is not a rules-lite game, at least not in the traditional sense. Though calling it rules-heavy is doing the game a disservice. The Burning Wheel’s mechanics lie firmly in that area between lite and heavy- with an emphasis on playability and a core mechanic that is used throughout the system, but with a number of mechanics add-ons to allow for the system to account for a whole range of situations.
What makes the Burning Wheel stand out from a lot of other rpg systems is the way that the game is both fun and realistic. Therein lies the rub for a lot of games, fun and realism are usually an either/or proposition. To get realism you normally get lots of tables and conflicting die mechanics that are cumbersome to use. To get fun you usually end up with a gimmicky game. Moreover, it is a very rare rpg that can honestly boast its rules are enjoyable to use. Burning Wheel is just that, the mechanics are an absolute dream to tinker with and, more importantly, are engaging to utilize. Part of the reason I really enjoy the Burning Wheel so much is that I honestly look forward to encounters that utilize the mechanics of the game, if only to see how different players and different styles of play utilize the mechanics. For me, the Burning Wheel Revised mechanics are a lot like the Unknown Armies mechanics- not in the way they play, but in the way that the Unknown Armies mechanics are a joy to play with. Both systems have little unique quirks and promote particular styles of play that are enjoyable in their own right. Add in a good plot and some good players, and you have a great evening ahead of you.
One other area that Burning Wheel excels is in its ability to emulate some really great fictional worlds. Not only can Burning Wheel handle homebrew settings with aplomb, but the game feels like it was especially geared at recreating the worlds of Tolkien, Le Guin, Goodkind, and Brust. I am constantly startled by how many different fantasy books I ave read that would be a breeze to run with Burning Wheel. In particular, Middle Earth was the inspiration for the four core races in Burning Wheel Revised (humans, orcs, dwarves and elves). More than any other game out there, BW really captures the feel of Tolkien’s creations and can be applied to a number of tohers with minimal work.
Burning Wheel is very readable. For an rpg that is almost entirely mechanics and explanations on how those mechanics work the book(s) are amazingly easy to read. The writer, Luke Crane, took special effort to make sure there are a number of examples included throughout the text and that the tone of the writing makes it more like you are in a conversation with the writer rather than reading bone-dry text. Luke spends the time to also add in a few (well labeled) rants, and advice on how to tailor the Burning Wheel mechanics to make them your own. All in all, Burning Wheel is easy to read and is as much a great system as it is an education on game design (and a window into the designer’s brain).
Also, for those of you who care, Burning Wheel Revised has a useful set of Indexes (wonder of wonders).
So, About Those Mechanics?
Burning Wheel’s core mechanic can be summed up as this:
Roll a number of d6s, 4s or better are successes.
That’s it. If you sat down at a table with nothing more than that knowledge, you would be able to play in a game of Burning Wheel (with a fair bit of on-the-spot advice from other players and the GM, naturally). Burning Wheel uses “shades” and obstacles to help make certain actions harder or easier than the norm. Shades indicate the natural ability of the thing doing the action and primarily modifies attributes. Black Shade is the default for just about anything in or around the human norm. Black shade needs 4s for successes. Something with a Grey Shade is something well above normal- giant strength, impressive magical weapons, a truly valuable painting… that sort of stuff. Something with a Grey Shade attribute only needs 3s for a success. White Shade attributes, the truly legendary stuff, only need 2s.
Obstacles are the number of successes one needs to accomplish the task. While Shade rarely changes, obstacles change for each and every task. Obstacles are set by the GM (and, occasionally, are dictated by the rules, such as in some magic) and help easily modify the effort needed to accomplish the task. One thing I especially like about Burning Wheel is that it relies almost exclusively on shifting obstacles to help make things easier or harder- making the task for the GM to set realistic in-game goals and for the players to quickly know how hard those goals are- a fairly easy task. A few minutes into a BW game, and you quickly find out just how easy an obstacle 2 task is for your character to accomplish versus an obstacle 7. Easy peasy.
Another part of the mechanics that stand out is combat. Combat is scripted. There are a number of actions that a character can take. The players select from that list, take the time to write out what each of those actions are (which is broken up in a 3-step turn) and combat is resolved as the players (and GM) simultaneously reveal their characters’ actions. The combat system really is elegant, and a good portion of why the mechanics are so much fun. Players take a bit of time to plot their next few actions, try to anticipate what their foes will do, and see if it comes out as they planned (it rarely ever does, just like in real combat). There are, of course, extenuating issues like if a character bids for initiative, or has to change their action mid-round (usually in a desperate effort to counter-act a particularly lucky or prescient move by their enemy), but that is all window-dressing. The core mechanic is simple, easy, and fun. The social combat mechanic (effectively a debate) is resolved in a similar manner. Burning Wheel combat rewards players that think quick and have a feel for their opponent. Of all the mechanics in BW that stand out, it is combat that really takes the cake as something worth using. (I talk a bit more about why I like scripted combat, below)
Of particular note are the Beliefs and Instincts mechanics. These mechanics, along with scripted combat, really form the heart and soul of the Burning Wheel and make it such a good game. Beliefs and Instincts enable players to mechanically reflect the personality of their characters. Beliefs drive a character. Where those Beliefs drive the character (for good or ill) is up to the player and are a direct result of what types of Beliefs they want their character to have (Belief example: “My noble bearing will get me out of any trouble”). Advice in Burning Wheel Revised is to promote the opportunity for beliefs to get characters into hot water- that is where the character really gets to shine! Instincts are subtle ways for characters to break the rules. Instincts are expressed as Boolean statements; “if/then” and whatnot. A character with the Instinct “Draw my sword at the earliest sign of combat” (to borrow a common Instinct) is allowed to always have their sword ready- even when other players need to spend an action getting their weapons ready and even when the player forgets to say they have their sword ready.
I particularly like the Instinct mechanic. It allows players to have control of their characters even when situations are spiraling out of control (as they are wont to do). Instincts allow players who like having combat-capable characters ready for dangerous situations and simultaneously allows social or mentally focused characters to deal with the requisite problems of those areas. In short, Instincts do a great job of giving players control of their character.
Along with Beliefs and Instincts are Traits. Traits are a bit like the nature and demeanor from the WoD. Single adjectives that describe the type of personality a character exhibits are what comprise Traits. In situations where Traits can be used to augment a roll (such as a “driven” character in an attempt to resist a charm) the character can use their Trait to enhance the result of their roll. Beliefs, Instincts and Traits do an admirable job reflecting the personality of a character through the game mechanics. Moreover, in my experience, they do a great job of enhancing and encouraging roleplaying (the single best con game I have ever played was in a BW game).
Generating a character in the Burning Wheel is as enjoyable as playing the game. Burning Wheel uses a hybrid lifepath/point buy system. Where players select the various lifepaths they want their character to have (which are basically different types of careers) and then getting access to the skills and abilities that come along with the lifepath. If you are familiar with Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay and the career system, you have a good feel for the Burning Wheel lifepath system.
Magic is driven by attribute rolls against an obstacle set by the GM (but dictated by the type and scope of the spell the player chooses to cast). Magic uses a set spell list, but allows the player to decide if they want to push the boundaries of what the standard spell can do. In this way, the player has a good amount of control over how big and flashy they want their spell to be. There are different forms of magic, most of which reflect the race that uses that magic (such as spell songs for Elves). Magic is taxing, and if a mage pushes too hard to create an especially large spell or is wounded when casting, they may end up blacking out as a consequence of channeling too much power. One especially interesting aspect of magic is when there is a miscast. Using a diagram and with a few simple rolls, miscasts take on a personality of their own.
Realistically, I can’t hit every mechanic and tell you why I like it, but hopefully this has given you a general feel for how the Burning Wheel works and why it works so well.
What’s New in Revised?
If you already have the original version of the Burning Wheel, I think it is still a great idea to invest in Revised. While art is not the real selling point of BW, there is new (and better) art in Revised. The overall presentation is slicker and more refined, giving a better product overall. Revised is well laid out, easy to read, has a number of indices and the art reflects the text (a big plus in my book).
That said- what’s changed?
Counting Paces in combat have been removed. The original Burning Wheel used paces as an arbitrary measuring mechanic to see how close a character was to an enemy and if they were in reach of their weapon. While I liked this mechanic, it really stood out as a measuring mechanic only useful in combat. In an effort to streamline and “universalize” the combat mechanic it seems Luke removed paces and has abstracted distance into easier to grasp chunks. The overall impact is to speed up combat and make it easier for new players to grasp how close their character is to their foe.
Lifepaths have been expanded and reworked. The various races have been redesigned. While they are certainly still recognizable from the previous edition, and emotional attributes (Grief for Elves, Greed for Dwarves, Hatred for Orcs) are clarified. Since the emotional attributes are really what set BW races apart from other games’ versions of Orcs, Dwarves and Elves, this is a very good thing. Quite honestly, the new rules for emotions and the revised lifepaths are worth the price of admission for old owners of the Burning Wheel. In fact, the new lifepaths are so useful and important, they are available for purchase as .pdfs:
http://www.key20.com/catalog/index.php?manufacturers_id=11
I think that purchasing the lifepath .pdfs would be good for people looking to quickly bridge the gap between the original version and Revised. It is also a boon for those really cheap players who just need the rules for character creation.
The Revision has new social mechanics. Specifically, Duel of Wits allows anyone that has a basic feel for standard combat to participate in debates and social contests. I am a big fan of social combat mechanics since I first saw them in Earthdawn. Burning Wheel Revised has done a great job of making social interactions potentially as exciting as crossing swords.
I do have one minor quibble with Duel of Wits though, while I think it is a fun way to resolve social conflicts, of all the things in BW I find it the least realistic. Debates often involve quickly reacting and responding to the very last statement that your opponent has given, but the scripting aspect of Duel of Wits makes it so you are locked into a particular mode of argument. While I think this does do a good job of emulating the need to think ahead and often being doggedly glued to a particular argument, it does restrict the fluid nature of debate in some ways that my small group has house ruled. I should note, just like in standard combat, there is a chance to change your action if you need to- even then, scripting Duel of Wits somehow just does not quite match my feel for how real social confrontations.
That said I do not have the same issue with combat. Combat is usually a series of quick decisions that carry into one another (at least in my limited experience in paintball and NERO- yeah, yeah, I know). Decisions are made even before the first punch is thrown to follow-through with a particular action. As standards BW combat reflects something like 4-6 seconds of real time, I think the scripting mechanic does an absolutely wonderful job of reflecting the way combat unfolds. The longer in-game time involved with Duel of Wits just doesn’t quite sit right. Still, my players and I use Duel of Wits (slightly modified) and we particularly like social combat (a testament to the fun and utility of the combat mechanic). I find it odd that the one mechanic that I am least fond of in terms of realism is also the one I have utilized the most in the couple of games of Revised I have run with my players. The reason I still use it so much when it is my least favorite piece of BW is because the mechanic is still a blast to play with. Any other option for social combat involves me choosing a mechanic that we would not utilize nearly as much. Since I like the idea behind Duel of Wits and only need a few small tweaks, the overall mechanic remains an integral part of my game.
Alright, back to what’s new in Revised…
The Revision has a new resource mechanic. These rules allow a character to become an economic force in the setting as well as control their financial destiny (a really nifty idea, IMO). This is the mechanic I have has the least experience thus far, so I can’t comment on it much. However, it looks like Luke and the other writers took care to make Burning Wheel a gaming system suitbale for all types of games.
Along with social combat and resources, the new Circles attribute adds a way to interact with the setting’s social networks. Circles allows a character to build up a reputation in a particular group (underworld, academia, wizardy, samurai-guilds, whatever) and utilize those social contacts to help the character along. Along with calling in favors and getting access to equipment, the player can also introduce new NPCs. Overall, the Circles mechanic goes a long way in helping make sure players have a hand in the creation of the campaign… aiding their characters as well as taking some of the burden off the GM. I really like this add-on from the original Burning Wheel. Coupled with the Duel of Wits mechanic and the resources checks, there has been an obvious (and successful) attempt to make BW more than a rules-set to use for fists and sword combat. Burning Wheel Revised has opened up even more setting possibilities- especially if things like courtly intrigue or merchant wars appeal to you.
Conclusion
I like Burning Wheel. A lot.
Reading the rules for BW makes me want to run all sorts of games and adventures. I can’t say that about any other rules system. Usually, for me, rules are merely the way to interact with a setting and are a necessary evil (of sorts). I greatly prefer reading about settings and characters and adventures than dealing with the rules. The Burning Wheel is the only game where I have discovered rules that were as exciting and inspiring as the settings I love to read. That’s high praise from me.
Is Burning Wheel innovative? Yes. I think a lot of the new mechanics introduced in the game are going to spawn similar mechanics in their own right. Is it revolutionary? Probably not. While I do think the Burning Wheel is the best rules-set on the market right now, it is probably not going to take the rpg world by storm the way D&D did when it first came out or the way Vampire: the Masquerade did in the early 90s. Is it a great game? Unequivocally, yes. I think it deserves a spot on every roleplayer’s game shelf.
Finally, if all this has not convinced you to drop $25 on an original and fun new rpg, I would suggest going to the Burning Wheel website (www.burningwheel.org) and checking out the downloads to sample some parts of the core book and the Character Burner. Maybe that will convince ‘ya… I’ve certainly done all I could.
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