Barrows

A Game of Treasure and The People Who Steal It

The Game

Introduction

The Setting

The game of Barrows is a tabletop game about treasure-hunters and their adventures. In order to play, you need ! A referee ! One or (preferably) more players ! Pen and paper ! Two six-sided dice Each of the players describes the actions and thoughts of a single character, using the dice to determine if they succeed or fail on difficult tasks. Over the course of the game, players will steal treasure, fight monsters, and explore ruins. The referee controls the actions of villains and minor characters, tells players what is happening, describes where they are, offers them interesting choices, and tells them when to roll the dice.

The game takes in perfidious Albion, a gleefully ahistorical Briton where Napoleon marauds, the Romans never left, the Celts never lost, and everyone fears the Queen. To the west rises Londinium, the oldest, grandest, and most horrible city in the world; to the east waits the Barrow, filled with the treasure and wicked kings of antiquity. But these places are far away, seperated from you by many miles of blasted heath. You are in Greyshire, a provinvial little town known for the restlessness of its dead, the diligence of its bandits, and a small but robust dairy industry. Barrows is a game of adventure, and Albion is a dangerous place. Though your characters are capable, they are certainly not immune to its hazards. Remember that trickery, diplomacy, and invention will serve you just as well, if not better, than violence.

Cast the Dice

The Rules

Rolling Scores

When you try something risky, sum two six-sided dice (roll 2d6) and add an attribute based on the action you are taking. Your success is determined by the total of your dice roll. ! A 10+ is a full success ! A 7-9 is a partial success; you succeed, but there is a cost or complication ! 6- is a miss; things go wrong

Your have six attributes. When creating a character, roll 2d6 for each attribute. ! On a 6-, the value is 0. ! On a 7-9, the value is +1. ! On a 10 or 11, the value is +2. ! On a 12, the value is +3.

Attributes
Physique (Phy)
Capacity for brute force, physical violence, as well as resisting bodily harm, poison, and disease.

Life and Death

You have Hit Die (HD) equal to 1+Phy. Whenever you rest, re-roll your HD to determine your maximum Hit Points. At 0 HP, you die.

Dexterity (Dex)
Aptitude for agility, grace, coordination, speed, and dodging blows in combat.

Skills
Skills represent special abilities and expert knowledge. Pick 1 when creating a character. ! Burglary: disable locks and traps and pick pockets ! Bushcraft: hunt, track, identify flora and fauna ! Occultism: cast spells ! Medicine: treat wounds and disease ! Warfare: use martial weaponry and difficult combat maneuvers

Spirit (Spi)
Affinity for the magical, spiritual, and uncanny; strength of spirit, quantity of soul, and force of personality

Perception (Per)
Keenness and sensitivity of the five senses

On Knowledge
If there is a question on whether or not you are knowledgeable about a subject based on your background and experience, you may ask the GM d6 questions about the topic.

Equipment
You can pick 1+Spi items from the following list. Note that some items require certain skills to use.

Odds and Ends

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 1. 1 pound lard Bag of marbles Sack with live beehive Spyglass Choice cut of meat Box of matches

Martial Weapons
Require the Warfare skill to use. 1. Gladius, 1 hand, d6+1 damage 2. Mace, 1 hand, d6+1 damage 3. Halberd, 2 hands, d6+1 damage, reach range 4. Greataxe, 2 hands, d6+2 damage 5. Rifle, 2 hands, d6+2 damage, 8 bullets, loud 6. Longbow, 2 hands, d6+2 damage

Basic Weapons
Cricket bat, 1 hand, d6 damage 2. Pitchfork, 2 hands, d6 damage, reach range 3. Felling axe, 2 hands, d6+1 damage 4. Hunting bow, 2 hands, d6 damage, with 10 arrows 5. Pepperbox gun, 1 hand, d6 damage, 6 bullets, very loud 6. Blunderbuss, 2 hands, d6+2 damage, fires anything very loud

Armor
Armor is heavy. You each piece reduces damage taken by 1. 1. Dented helmet, -1 damage 1. Rusted cuirass, - damage 2. Dull Bracers, -1 damage 3. Cracked greaves, -1 damage 4. Shield, 1 hand, -1 damage 5. Heavy cloak, -1 damage

Dubious Goods
1. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. A cask of gunpowder Vial of virulent poison Flask of fire oil A glass cutter Flask of acid A collapsible knife, 1 hand, d6 damage

Spells
Require the Occultism skill to use 1. A spell to animate effigies 2. A spell to watch ones foes 3. A spell to shed light 4. A spell to grow plants 5. A spell to create false visions 6. A spell to summon water