BROWNMOOR

Rules for Fantastic Medieval Wargames

BROWNMOOR
Rules for Fantastic Medieval Wargames

Written by
Michele Pavani

Illustrations by
Breaglor Crumwaller

Cover by
Michele Pavani

A special thanks to
Alessio Persichetti
Matt Jackson
Roberto Bisceglie

Dedicated to
Dave Arneson
David Wesley
Duane Jenkins

This game is free of known copyright restrictions.

Introduction
Brownmoor is an homage to Dave Arneson and his work
attempting to replicate his early experiment of a Medieval
Braunstein featuring mythical creatures, based on what
little we know about their early gaming experiences and
what Dave later wrote about his original game setting.

In his experiment Arneson had brought together ideas

from sources as disparate as the Lord of the Rings novels
and horror soap opera Dark Shadows, as well as sci-fi
elements and creatures as disparate as monsters from
Greek mythology to vampires and werewolves.

The setting was therefore poorly defined and perhaps

confusing, it was a Barony composed mainly of a small
castle (inspired by the Castel Branzoll in Italy) immersed in
a hostile and unexplored environment, dotted with
dungeons infested with monstrous creatures and
ancient treasures.

Brownmoor therefore represents the intent to reconstruct

that original setting with the blurred outlines of Arneson's
pioneering experiment. Of course, we made some name
changes as our goal is to make a tribute and not infringe
copyrights.
This rulebook is based on Brownstone Redux (which tries
to reconstruct the few rules of a Braunstein western),
taking into consideration the information we have about
Braunstein's first fantasy gaming experiment and what
Arneson shared in The First Fantasy Campaign and
Adventures in Fantasy, with the aim of creating a game
that seeks to emulate his extraordinary vision. The graphic
design itself is a tribute to the second supplement of the
original edition of the most famous tabletop role-
playing game in the world.

Obviously, this game can't be perfect because we're not

Dave Arneson and we didn't play his original experiment;
furthermore, this game is not meant to be a clone of
what the Arneson setting has become over time.
Brownmoor only wants to replicate the first fantasy game
experiment, nothing more.
What is a TTRPG?
TTRPG stands for "Tabletop Roleplaying Game" and is a
game where players immerse themselves completely in an
imaginary world. A player called a Referee leads the game
session, creating game situations through narration. Each
other player controls a Character and declares the actions
he intends him to perform, describing them or acting them
out. The Referee then decides the outcome of these actions,
consistent with the setting and the rules of the game.
Brownmoor
In the vast and mysterious Wild Lands, the Barony of
Brownmoor emerges as a pearl of civilization and hope.
The capital Brownmoor was founded many years ago at
the behest of David Lance, King of The Southern
Marches, initially as a frontier castle which had the task of
rising as the last bulwark of the kingdom in what is in fact
the most unexplored territory ever.

Under the regency of Archbaron Mitch Brown the town

of Brownmoor grew and many villages grew up around it,
bringing the Barony to house an eclectic population of
around 10,000, coming from a wide range of Races and
cultures. Elves, Dwarves, Humans, and many other Races
coexist and collaborate, creating a society full of diversity
and opportunities. This intermingling of peoples has
resulted in a vibrant and multicultural city where knowledge
and learning are highly valued.
Wild lands
The Wild Lands are so large and dangerous that, even
though exploration expeditions have been carried out for
years and several Noble Knights have erected their castles
in these lands, it has still not been possible to obtain a
reliable map that explains its real size and its conformation.

What is known is that east of Brownmoor lie the Cursed

Marshes, a dark and dangerous territory, in which stagnant
waters hide deadly creatures (such as frogmen) and ancient
alien technologies buried under a layer of persistent fog.
West of Brownmoor, on the other hand, stretch the Dry
Deserts, a landscape characterized by salt dunes that rise like
undulating hills. These deserts hide ancient lizardmen ruins
and hidden oases that are vital for travelers.

To the north and south of Brownmoor, dense forests

dominate the landscape. Giant trees rise into the sky,
creating a green roof that blocks out the sunlight. Wild and
mysterious creatures lurk in the trees, including Fauns,
Centaurs, and other creatures who have made their homes
among the vegetation.

To the southwest, mountain ranges with broken peaks and

steep slopes create a rugged landscape where harpies or hill
giants are not uncommon. These mountains are rich in
minerals and hide caves and secret passages leading to vast
valleys inhabited by dinosaurs and often cannibal indigenous
peoples.
Character Creation
Each player Character is Characterized only by its name,
its Class and 4 Traits (consistent with his Class) that
describe what it does best.
Example: a Magic User cannot have as a Trait "Can use 2-handed weapons”
but will instead have traits such as "Can throw a fireball", or "Can heal
wounds using magic".

The main Classes are Assassin (example of an Assassin

Trait: "backstabbing"), Cleric (Trait example: "turn the
undead"), Fighter (Trait example: "swordsmanship"),
Magic-User (Trait example: "fireball spell"), Monk (Trait
example: "unarmed combat"), and Thief (Trait example:
"moving in the shadows"). However, with the approval of
the Referee, you can invent a custom Class for your
Character (example: “Blue Knight”).

Sub-humans: A player might decide to play a non-human

Character. In this case he will have 3 Traits instead of 4,
but the race will offer him the possibility to learn Traits that
would not normally be allowed to his Class.

Other than humans, the most common Races are Halflings

(may have Thief traits despite not being their class), Elf
(may have Trait spells despite not being a Magic User),
and Dwarves (may have warrior traits despite their class
is not Fighter). However, being the Wild Lands very large,
the Races are innumerable and for this reason a player can
(with the approval of the Master) invent a custom Race for
his Character.
Basic rules
Action Resolution: When the consequences of an
action are uncertain, roll 2d6 (two six-sided dice) and
compare the result with the table below:

2-3 You fail in the worst possible way.

4-6 You fail.
You fail but you do not suffer the
7
consequences of your failure.
You are successful but in the worst
8
possible way.
9-11 You are successful.
You are successful in the best possible
12+
way and gain unexpected benefits.

If a Character's Trait can help resolve the action, roll 3d6

and choose the two highest dice.
Combat: In combat, getting a success on the dice roll
corresponds to killing the enemy immediately, while any
failure (except for a 7 on the dice roll) corresponds to
being killed. In practice: your failure is equivalent to your
opponent's success and vice versa.

Luck Points: Each Character has as many Luck Points as

he has Traits (this means that he starts with 4). It is
possible to spend a Luck Point to change the result of
one's dice roll, immediately obtaining a 7 (that is, a failure
that does not, however, have any consequences).

The Referee, if possible, never rolls the dice. Both player

Characters and Monsters (which are the Characters
played by the Referee) have Luck Points and these are
mainly used to avoid death in combat (this means that
the Referee can spend a Monster's Luck Points to make
a Character's attack fail).

The only time the Referee should roll the dice is if two
Monsters are fighting each other. Otherwise, if a Monster
attacks a Character, then the player controlling the
Character must roll the dice (either by using a Trait to fight,
or by rolling just two dice).
Advanced Rules
Everything you read from this chapter on should be treated
as optional rules. You can play Brownmoor very well using
only the Basic Rules, and if the Referee and the players
agree on how a certain event or situation works, then that
becomes the rule to follow.

The following are only notes and advice to bring

Brownmoor as close as possible to the game experiment
that took place between 1971 and 1972.
Magical artifacts
In Brownmoor it is not difficult to find magical artifacts, but
these are very often actually mysterious advanced
technologies (from an ancient civilization now extinct),
and their correct use (usually) grants a +1 to the roll for the
relevant actions.

Examples of magical artifacts that can be found in

Brownmoor:

Wand of Destruction (Laser Pistol): When a character

uses this to shoot at a target, he gets +1 to the dice roll.

Projector of Illusions: Can create an image of anything

and animate that image.

Tricorder: Provides comprehensive information on any

object aimed at.

Healing Serum: A strange bottle fitted with a needle

capable of injecting a liquid that instantly restores strength
(returns all spent Luck Points).

Magic Sword: A powerful sword that helps its user strike

opponents, almost as if it had life of its own (+1 to dice rolls
in combat).
Brownmoor spells
Magic on Blackmoor is a highly structured system based on
practice and preparation of reagents. The reagents
needed to cast spells can range from rare powders to exotic
herbs or even specific magical items. Preparation can
require significant time and resources, so the Magic User
must plan carefully before embarking on any magical
endeavor.

Reagents prepared for a spell are single-use and lose

their potency after being used. This limits the number of
spells a Magic User can cast, as he must continually stock
up on reagents. Furthermore, in addition to having to have
the appropriate reagents, to cast a spell it is necessary to
have the Trait of that specific spell (example: to cast a
fireball you must have the "fireball" Trait and some sulfur
as a reagent).

Optional Rule: Instead of having your players score

individual reagents, you can say that they have a bag of
generic reagents with them with a predefined number of
times that they can be used before they run out.
Character progression
Character Progression: During the game sessions, the
Characters grow and develop, for this reason the Referee
can decide to assign them new Traits.

The new Traits must be consistent with what the Characters

have done during the sessions and, above all, must be
consistent with their Class and/or Race.
Final notes
This game is yours and you can do with it what you want.

This rulebook has been designed to be printed, for this

reason it is all in black and white and I have tried to reduce
the number of useful pages as much as possible (remaining
in multiples of 8 to allow staple binding).

Print, play and spread the word!

 Travel back in time and experience role-playing in
its early, pioneering days. Brownmoor is an homage
to Dave Arneson's original medieval Braunstein
experiment, the starting point of an entire era of
fantasy adventure.

Brownmoor may not be a faithful clone of how it

was played in 1972, because it is based on what we
know from the stories that have come down to us,
but it is the closest we have been able to achieve
with passion and dedication.