Introduction

Braunstein was an experimental game invented by David

Wesely in the late 60s, and it was an important and
influential element in the history of role-playing games (just
think that, when Dave Arneson developed his first
version of Blackmoor in 1971, he described it like a
"Medieval Braunstein with mythical creatures").

In this game, Wesely assigned specific roles to each player

(including non-military roles such as mayor, banker, and
university president). What made Braunstein unique was
that players didn't just move armies, they acted as their
characters within the city. The first game had an unexpected
narrative development as players began to interact with
each other through their characters, challenging each other
to duels and improvising actions outside the predefined
rules, forcing Wesley to improvise rules to solve the
actions.

Brownstone on the other hand was a game by Duane

Jenkins based on Braunstein and set in the far west. This
game added further elements to the structure introduced by
David Wesely, it introduced the concept of providing
characters with a history and traits that could be
developed and maintained from game to game. Effectively
laying the foundations of what we now call a "role-playing
campaign".
Although there are many game reports of Braunstein, as
well as the fact that there are some games that claim to be
inspired by its mechanics (such as, for example, Barons
of Braunstein), to date there are no precise rules
describing how to play Braunstein or Brownstone. This is
probably since the game itself was initially experimental and
based on improvisation and the Referee experience (I would
say: as in the Free Kriegsspiel).

For this reason, what you have in your hands is a simple

treatise that tries to reconstruct how (perhaps) Brownstone
was played. However, despite its extreme simplicity, it must
be specified that this treatise derives from hours of study of
all the available material on Braunstein that I have managed
to find.

Even though the rules may not be exact copies of the

original ones due to a lack of more data and the fluid and
improvisational nature of the game, the project still aims to
capture its essence and provide a structure that allows
players to immerse themselves in a similar experience.

Albeit through a different reasoning, there is an involuntarily

(but inevitably) very similar game to this one. I'm referring
to Arneson Gaming by Matt Jackson, a little game made
with a nod in acknowledgment to Dave Arneson.
Brownstone Redux, despite the huge similarities, is not
based on Arneson Gaming, but the two games are based on
the same principles (FKR) and probably the same reference
work (Braunstein). However, I strongly recommend you try
Arneson Gaming because it's a beautiful game and it fits in
just two pages.
Brownstone Redux
Brownstone Redux is an experimental project born with the
pure informative intent of replicating the Brownstone
gaming experience (and consequently the Braunstein
games). In this document it is assumed that the reader
knows what a role-playing game is; therefore, no
information will be provided on how to play, but simply on
which rules determine the game.

Since one of Braunstein's foundations was the concept of

"Free Kriegsspiel" (where the impartial judgment of the
Referee is the supreme authority and not a set of written
rules), Brownstone Redux refers to the principles of the
Free Kriegsspiel Revolution (which we can summarize in
way: the game world is a real place, the
players/characters can act in any way that interacts
reasonably with the fictional environment, and that
narrative concepts prevail over numbers and abstraction).

The original setting of Brownstone was western and for this

reason it is recommended to set your sessions in the old
west, but in fact you are free to play the setting you want
most (the important thing is that this is known by all the
players and that it is clear what is allowed by the setting
and what is not).
Basic rules
Characters and Roles: Each player plays a character
characterized only by his name, his background and 4
specific Traits that describe what he does best (for
example: good at riding; can cheat with cards; can use
the lasso; good at pistol duels).
The character's background doesn't have to be defined, it
can also be outlined by playing, just having a vague idea is
enough (example: the character could be a tough
gunslinger, a skilled bartender, or a cunning outlaw).

Action Resolution: When the consequences of actions

are uncertain, roll 2d6 (two six-sided dice). To be
successful, roll an 8 or higher. If a character Trait helps,
roll 3d6 and choose the two highest dice.

Definite Challenges: Before deciding whether to roll the

dice to resolve an action, the consequences of failing must
be clarified by the Referee. There are no hit points on
Brownstone (in its basic rules), and every lethal outcome is
made explicit (this rule can be ignored if you decide to
apply the proposed optional rules for Luck Points or Hit
Points).

Character Progression: During the game sessions, the

characters grow and develop, for this reason the Referee
can decide to assign them new Traits.
Advanced rules
There are many optional and advanced rules that you can
apply to the game. Basically, we can say that if the players
agree on the functioning of a certain event or on the
management of a given situation, then that becomes the rule
to follow. What I list below are some rules that I deduced
have been used in different games of Braunstein, you decide
how and whether to apply them:

Luck Points: each character has 10 Luck Points which,

once spent, cannot be recovered (unless the Referee
decides otherwise). A luck point can be spent to avoid a
negative consequence.

Hit Points: Basically Brownstone (as far as I know) did not

have Hit Points or similar mechanics, but it’s clear that
Arneson introduced this feature in his Blackmoor. In case
you wanted to introduce Hit Points then: each character has
as many Hit Points as he has Traits of him and when hit he
loses one Hit Point. Losing a hit point also causes the
momentary loss of a trait (player's choice) until the character
is healed.

Weapons: If you use the Hit Points rule then it is

recommended that you assign damage bonuses for
weapons. Basically, an attack always does damage, but the
weapon could add extra damage (example: a knife could
give +1 to damage, a pistol could give +2, a rifle +3).