In addition, I've been enjoying Alison Weir's The Six Wives of Henry VIII, which is full of Tudor intrigue and scandal and plenty of period flavour. I'd also recommend Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall. Those with knowledge of The Sorcerers Crusade (White Wolf, 1998) will know the 'official' setting is Europe around 1466, but I'm nudging it forward in time to 1540.
I may provide further colour on a party of pre-gens, not all of whom will be magi, as I'm a believer in using pre-generated characters with a new system when players are time poor and you don't want to sacrifice a gaming session on character generation. It also helps me to learn about the system as I put the party together.
This first character is not a magus as such, but is intended to be the bodyguard of one I'll create later. He is a tough customer, a Scottish mercenary who has cut his teeth fighting in Italy and France. His job is to provide security to the covenant of the magi. He's the muscle. He has no magical powers to speak of. It may be I only create a single mage for this game, with the rest of the party forming his retainers and allies.
Robert Westlyn, Ex-Mercenary, age 40 (born 1500)
Robert is the Guardian of the covenant. He is a seasoned warrior who has campaigned on the continent, but now chooses to use his Strength (Nature) to protect others from violence and the depredations of an uncertain era. Robert is a 'gallowglass', an elite Highland warrior who has trained to use a massive sword in hand to hand combat.
A staunch Catholic, he is disturbed by the way in which Thomas Cromwell has been despoiling the monasteries and is enjoying Cromwell's downfall. Robert is quick-tempered (Rage Demeanour) and frequently argumentative. He sometimes resents those he tries to protect. Robert regains a point of Willpower when he successfully shields a worthy party from great harm.
As a former mercenary, Robert is well-travelled. He has not had much experience of anything supernatural, but he has good contacts within military circles in England and in Europe, and knows "a fair few interesting people." He can't return to Scotland, however, as he fears the consequences of a blood feud from his youth.
Attributes
Strength 4 (Massive), Dexterity 3, Stamina 3, Charisma 2, Manipulation 2, Appearance 4 (Roguish), Perception 3, Intelligence 2, Wits 2.
Abilities
Alertness 2, Athletics 2, Brawl 2, Dodge 2, Intimidation 2, Larceny 1, Archery 1, Leadership 2, Melee 2, Riding 1, Stealth 1, Investigation 1, Linguistics 2 (French, Italian), Medicine 1, Fencing 3, Firearms 2, Torture 2.
Backgrounds
Influence 1 (known around military circles in Britain and further afield), Resources 2, Spies 2
Merits and Flaws
Loyalty (1pt merit): Robert is devoted to the covenant and easily resists attempts to persuade him away from it. He receives 1D bonus to resist any supernatural attempts to turn him against the covenant.
Daredevil (3pt merit): Robert loves taking risks; -2 difficulty on dangerous feats, ignores a single 1 result on the roll.
Well-travelled (3pt merit): Having served in armies all over Europe, Robert gains one automatic success on any non-magical roll once per session to gain a piece of information.
Gallowglass Blade (2pt merit): Add 1D to attack or damage when using this mighty sword in a melee.
Blood Feud (2pt flaw): Robert left Scotland under a cloud as a result of a blood feud he sparked off in his youth. He has not heard much about it since returning from France a couple of years ago, but in the highlands, memories are long. Word may have got back there that he has returned to Britain...
Willpower 8
I'm thinking of adapting Unknown Armies over to Storyteller (i.e. running Storyteller games with the UA background and magic system), but first I need to get my head round Storyteller as a system. I've played it before many years ago in a couple of Vampire campaigns, but nothing since really.
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