[Fantasy World] Class Blurb

#1

I am revising the text for the final version and would like some feedback :slight_smile:

Each Class (Playbook) in the rulebook is introduced by:

  1. a single sentence, mostly evocative of the core concept of the Class
  2. a short text of a couple of lines, more practical, that explains what playing the Class involves
  3. a list of 3 themes central to the Class

I’d like to focus on point 2.
Do you think they are all written in a “balanced” way? Or do some read better than others? Are some lacking in text, impact, explanation, something?
Give me feedback pleaZ :smiley:

UPDATED VERSION HERE
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Knight
Play the Knight if you want your Protagonist to be a commanding leader and a paragon of virtue. You are part of an institution of power and renown, bearing its insignia as both a blessing and a cross. You will work with the World to explore both its politics and morality. What is the meaning of honour?

Occultist
Play the Occultist if you want your Protagonist to be an exotic scholar of lost and forbidden knowledge. You deal in miracles and magic and sorcery: what is their real price? You will work with the World to bring at the table a touch of occult and arcane, exploring its limits, perils and consequences.

Priest
Play the Priest if you want your Protagonist to be the herald of a fantasy religion you will define and discover through play. In a world full of magic, what does your faith mean? Will your beliefs be challenged or will they bestow you power?

Scoundrel
Play the Scoundrel if you want your Protagonist to be a roguish and sly character. You will work with the World to define the criminal underground of the places you visit. Who’s who among the shadows?

Troubadour
Play the Troubadour if you want your Protagonist to be a traveller and an explorer. You have been around, you have seen places, you have met people… and you draw art and power from it all. You will work with the World to say a lot of things about your “past” whenever you encounter something “new” on your path.

Veteran
Play the Veteran if you want your Protagonist to deal with violence and the scars it leaves behind. You saw your share of battles, you paid the price and learned their harsh lessons. You will work with the World to define past events that left a mark on you, along with the enemies that opposed you and the allies who stood beside you.

Wayfarer
Play the Wayfarer if you want your Protagonist to be a traveller and a hunter. You are the expert, the one who knows stuff about plants and wildlife and survival, be it outdoors or on the streets. You are not alone in this, as your animal companion will tag along for the ride. You will work with the World to define and develop the relationship with your companion, and to explore the setting and its many environments.

Wildcaller
Play the Wildcaller if you want your Protagonist to test the possibilities of shape shifting. You will explore the boundaries between nature and civilisation, between mindless beast and sentient person. You will work with the World to define the landscapes, flora, fauna and biomes of your fantasy setting.

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#2

I miss a moral or professional interrogation for the Scoundrel.

1 Like
#3

Based on the various feedbacks received, here is a new go at these blurbs. Let me know what you think about them :smiley:

Knight

  • Play the Knight if you want your Protagonist to be a commanding leader and a paragon of virtue.
  • You are part of an institution of power and renown, bearing its insignia as both a blessing and a burden.
  • What is the meaning of honour?

Occultist

  • Play the Occultist if you want your Protagonist to be an exotic scholar of lost and forbidden knowledge.
  • You deal in occult and arcane forces, exploring their limits, perils and the impact they have on nature and society.
  • What is the price of knowledge?

Priest

  • Play the Priest if you want your Protagonist to be a beacon for the faithful, the herald of a religion.
  • Your beliefs will be challenged and your morality tested as you forge your own path in a world of myths and legends.
  • What does your faith mean to you?

Scoundrel

  • Play the Scoundrel if you want your Protagonist to be a resourceful and connected denizen of the criminal realm.
  • You are a shadow moving between worlds: from seedy streets to royal halls, from blades to whispers, from outlaw to champion.
  • To which unwritten laws do you hold true?

Troubadour

  • Play the Troubadour if you want your Protagonist to be a creative adventurer with an artistic streak that is so good it’s actually magic.
  • You have heard stories, you have seen things, you have met people and it all fuels your ability to touch hearts… or to break them.
  • What inspires you and drives you towards adventure?

Veteran

  • Play the Veteran if you want your Protagonist to deal with violence and the scars it leaves behind.
  • You have seen your share of battles, fought enemies, tended to allies and have tasted the bitter price of it all.
  • How has this violence shaped you?

Wayfarer

  • Play the Wayfarer if you want your Protagonist to be an expert traveller and skilled hunter.
  • You know about plants, wildlife, tacking and survival. With you is a trusty animal companion, an individual with its own wants and needs that shares a deep bond with you.
  • What are you looking for beyond the horizon?

Wildcaller

  • Play the Wildcaller if you want your Protagonist to bargain with the spirits of leaf and claw, exploring the shapes they can grant you.
  • You can transcend the limits of mortal flesh and feel beyond what most people can perceive, dealing with entities familiar as a warm wind and terrible as the quaking earth.
  • What does it mean to thread the twilight between sentience and bestiality?
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#4

Nice changes.

I would rearrange the order, cut some of the text and change some styling:

Wayfarer
What are you looking for beyond the horizon?

  • Your Protagonist is an expert traveller and skilled hunter.
  • You know about plants, wildlife, tacking and survival. With you is a trusty animal companion, an individual with its own wants and needs that shares a deep bond with you.
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#5

when I look at these class blurbs I can’t stop thinking that maybe they are too leading.

if I play a knight it means, according to the text,it feel like: play this if you want this mode of play, but you won’t get this mode of play in the end because [conflict].

  • play to be a paragon of virtue and a leader

but

  • your leaderness and paragoness will actually be the main source of your personal conflict and you might not get it to be paragon-ish.

what if you offered questions and avenues of conflict instead of supposing what the players want?

  • what does being a part of an institution of power means when their paragon ideals clash with the morality of ground level decisions?
  • do you question your privilege?

stuff along those lines

#6

Thanks for the feedback, it helps me reason things “out loud”, checking if they still make sense in the face of questions, doubts, criticism and alternative options :heart:
So, my “out loud” reasoning would be this…

I’m not :slight_smile:
I tell the player what the Class will give them. So if they want it, that’s what they’ll get.

In the case of the Knight, the 2 core moves literally define the PC as being (at least potentially) a commanding leader and a paragon of virtue. And then all the other Class moves also toy around with the same themes.

So… if the Player doesn’t care about those elements, maybe the Knight is not the class for them. Or they will have an interesting BUT challenging and atypical experience out of it. Which is not only fine, but also encouraged :smiley:

Why? :face_with_raised_eyebrow:
What gives you this idea?

Sure, if what the Player wants is an uncritically comfortable power fantasy, then no, they won’t get that. But no Class in FW ever offers this. It’s why the game is labelled as dramatic fantasy :stuck_out_tongue:

Instead, the game immediately delivers on its promises.
“Play the Knight if you want your Protagonist to be a commanding leader and a paragon of virtue.”

The PC starts the game being literally so virtuous (in the form of adhering to a life-changing oath) that they get supernatural powers out of it.
And they start the game being literally so commanding that people just can’t ignore their orders; they speak, and people listen, and take them into account. No one puts Baby in a corner! :wink:
Plus, all the other Class moves also highlighting the Knight’s qualities and empower them based on those.

Promise kept. Mode of play delivered.

You just are never allowed to take it for granted. :upside_down_face:
You are faced with questions and consequences and asked to determine, by yourself and for yourself, the meaning of it all.
It’s never a “trap” to make the Knight feel like an a-hole when they feel virtuous.
It’s always a “mirror” to make the Knight (and their Player) ponder on it all, no inherent judgement from the game mechanics. Now, if that makes them feel unhappy with their personal brand of “virtue”, well, cool, it means they are on a journey :slight_smile:

The [conflict], as you put it, never deprives the PC of the things promised by the Class blurb.

Makes sense?

Also, for context, this is what people see in the rulebook.

First, a one-liner colour description of the class:
A bastion of virtue, bestowing guidance, judgement and retribution upon an imperfect world.

Then the Class section offers again the same one-liner, plus the 3 points blurb:

  • Play the Knight if you want your Protagonist to be a commanding leader and a paragon of virtue.
  • You are part of an institution of power and renown, bearing its insignia as both a blessing and a burden.
  • What is the meaning of honour?

Then immediately there is also a short list of 3 obvious themes the Class will somehow touch upon:

  • duty and obligation
  • necessity and morality
  • state and people

Only then, the moves are presented.

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