Guilty Before God: Insults, Honor & Judicial Dueling

[Paka]

The research has begun.

The vomitting has ended. My face is wiped up and my notes have been looked over.

Step 1

Choose a historical period

Colonial America, a young republic having just gained its independence.

Step 2

Accuser - We will go around until everyone has accused someone or other of a crime.

Companion - Choosing a second will be an important part of the game.

Invincible - justice renders you invicible...right?

Wine - a toast before one takes the field, possibly your last drink among friends will be a part of the game's stages.


Step 3

*Resolution system must use colors.

Colored cups in which players will place their dice will be a key part of the conflict resolution system.


*There is no character sheet.

This option might very well be used also. We'll see how the design process goes.

Step ten paces, turn and fire on your second's mark.

-One-

-Two-

-Three-
*FIRE*

[Doug Ruff]

[Paka]

[Eggo von Eggo]

[Paka]

I am going to change the time period to 19th century. That is where most of the information I'm uncovering is from.


I've got a quote from Jim Bowie out of a book I got from the library that's going to be a doozie of an opener.

When I recalled the two rather rare books I could find on judicial dueling in America, both books were out. I recalled them, which I knew as a library employee would mean the books would be due back in 9 days.

NINE DAYS!!!

The competition would have been over.

Whoever had them, the mensch, returned the books the next day.

Fantastic.

More to come.

Ready!

One!

Two!

Three!
-FIRE!-

Stop!

[Paka]

“We are murderers, a nation of murderers”
- Reverend Lyman Beecher

Introduction

Guilty Before God is a game of judicial dueling. Duels took place for a great many reasons in American history. Ultimately, someone’s honor was besmirched and the only answer left to them was to resort to violence. Dueling pistols were kept in wooden cases, lined in velvet. Knives and swords were also good and honorable dueling weapons. Shotguns and rifles were also used, sometimes at a range that would shock these gentle game readers.

There is a tale of a sailor challenged and he asked his captain to be his second. The captain, not wanting to lose a valuable crewman, proposed they duel with barbed harpoons. When the challenger, a landlubber, saw the weapon, he withdrew his challenge. Moral of this story as it relates to this game? If the pistol, knife or sword doesn’t work for your duel, use your imagination. (Thanks to Pete Kautz for telling me this wonderful tale that he uncovered while reading about 18th century New Orleans and its bloodthirsty dueling oak.)

The gentleman in GBG duels with three cups: Blue, Red and Crystal. The Blue Cup is where one puts their dice that will be rolled for one’s defense. The Red Cup is where one puts their dice that will be rolled to strike down one’s foe, displaying their guilt for the world to see. The Crystal Cup is for control of the story. The story is the wrongdoing that led to the duel. The duelist’s companions who they declare as their seconds manage the story’s currency.

Step 1 Character Creation

The Duelists gather around a table. They should envision the kind of history they want their persona to come from. This persona will be given life through dice. Before dice are picked up, the duelists should talk about and consider the kind of persona they will seek to build.

The d12’s represent Honor and are thusly called Honor Dice. The d4’s represent Heart and are thusly called Heart Dice. The d20’s represent Steel and are thusly called Steel Dice. Each of these kinds of dice have different implications in play that will be gone into later on, and summed up on a table in the Appendix.

For each Duelist at the table, numbering at least three, there should be 5d20, 5d12 and 3d4. Duelists take turns, the eldest going first. If there are two of the same ages, the tiebreaker should go to she who has survived the most duels. If there is an equal amount any gentlemen or lady should be able to come to an agreement. If not, perhaps the evening’s first duel is in order, to happen first after the dice are allocated.

The duelists go around the table clockwise, starting from the afore mentioned eldest. They take an Honor, Heart or Steel die as they see fit, announcing to the table why they are choosing said die. They should go around the table until none are left

Example: “I am picking up this Steel die because I went to a reputable fencing academie in Exchange Alley, where I gained notable credentials.”

“I am picking up a Heart die because I never yield, stubborn not unlike a mule.”

“I am picking up an Honor die because when I take the field, it is not just me that is going forth but all of my righteous ancestors who fought to gain and keep my station in life.”

There is a fourth type of die. This is the Pain die and it is represented by a d6. The Pain Die is put into a cup when a duelist takes a wound. It is also taken whenever a duelist takes two of the same types of dice twice in a row. Pain Dice must be defined as a shortcoming in the duelist’s persona, just as Honor, Steel and Heart are defined, so are the Pain Dice.

When all of the dice are gone, the duelists should have defined their personas and have a fine pile of polyhedral dice before them, representing their Honor, Heart, Steel and perhaps some Pain.

If a duelist has no Pain Dice in front of them, another Duelist may assign them one. The duelist accepting it must define this Pain Die, even if said duelist accepts it through gritted teeth. One could hand a fellow duelist a die in this manner with a gracious manner or they may point to their pile of Dice, with no d6’s to speak of any say, “Nay, trollop, none may have a life without pain!”

Once the duelists have their dice before them, character creation is over. One does not write down information on paper, as the duelist’s life is a fleeting thing and paper is far too permanent a record. The only memory the world holds for a duelist will be their victories or defeat on the proving fields and their righteous honor with which they comport themselves.

If the duelists wish to play historical figures, this is entirely possible. One only needs to gather a list of facts about said figure and when gathering Steel, Honor and Heart, reading aloud said facts. This can be a good way for history to be learned. Aaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton, Jim Bowie and many more historical figures are available for personas in this period of history.

[Paka]

Step 2 – The Challenge is Issued, Seconds are Declared

If anyone has no Honor Dice at all, they must declare a duel first. If all have Honor Dice, she with the least Honor Dice must declare a duel first. If there is an equal distribution of Honor Dice, the player who came to the game latest, putting their fellow players at the most inconvenience must declare a duel first. If all players arrived at the same moment, by some miracle, the player who neglected to bring food to the table must declare a duel first. If none meet this standard or all do, the host can decide who will declare first.

If the players are vagrants, playing at a local brothel or the like, then the youngest will declare a duel first.

In order to declare a duel, one must point at the accused and let the know, in full view of all, what their grievance with the player is. This grievance is not declared to the offender but to the table. Then the accuser names another player his second. The second goes to the offender and asks that restitution is made and suggests recompense, usually in the form of dice, although food, picking up refreshments or the loan of a new game book are all viable ways to give the accuser satisfaction. If satisfaction is in fact met, the accuser’s second gains an extra Honor Die for brokering peace. If not, the offender must declare her own second, so that an honorable duel can be had.

The seconds must take a moment and confer with their companions, in full view and hearing of everyone at the table. There are no secrets in polite gaming society! Once those ensconced in the duel have told their seconds of their noble intentions, the seconds must then confer with one another.

It is among the seconds that the time and place of the duel will be decided. At this point, the weapons and stakes of the duel will be decided. First blood, death, or just until satisfaction is declared by the accuser are all honorable stakes for a duel.

[Paka]

I sent mine in as an attached Word file.

It can be found at: