- unknown elf bard, some time after the arrival of the human tribes in Cerilia
Welcome to the Dungeons & Dragons Birthright PbeM campaign "Ruins of Empire II" (RoE II for short). RoE II is the highly anticipated (?) successor of the "Ruins of Empire" PbeM - the longest-running and most successful Birthright PbeM of all time!
The original Ruins of Empire PbeM ran between October 2000 and April/May 2008. The first 50 turns under the control of myself, and after that by a former player. The game ended on the 53rd turn due to real life interference on the new DM's part (it was supposed to have run for a full 60 turns - 15 years). During that time the game covered more than 12 years in the campaign world, making Ruins of Empire a game of truly dynastic and epic proportions.
Ruins of Empire II picks up two years after the end of RoE – starting on turn 61 (we use continuous numbering – to avoid any confusion with old turns). RoE II is a brand new game, based upon the original RoE, but not merely an extension of the old game.
A word of warning The RoE game has a far steeper learning curve than most other BR PbeMs – there are numerous new rules and a vast amount of background information to digest.I know this puts of some players – and to put it bluntly, that’s just fine with me. If a new player can’t be bothered to put a little effort into learning the game, they’re probably not that interested in the first place.
And the game is difficult as well – to some players it is a victory to hand on to what you’ve got, let along make any gains. So if you’re out to conquer the world you’ll be disappointed. But that’s fine too – because we want the game to be difficult. No pain, no gain, and all that. And we really aren’t interested in power-gamers who care nothing for role-playing.
So if you still want in, then read on…
If you are unfamiliar with the Birthright (BR for short) setting, here is a very brief description of the concept – the player characters, called "regents", are all great nobles, guild-lords, high priest or archmages, each controlling a "domain", which is a catchall for all the trappings and holdings of either a kingdom or a powerful organization. The setting was originally created by TSR for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition, which means that these days it belongs to Wizards of the Coast. You can find out more about the setting on the Birthright.net fansite - they have a community form there, as well as a BIRTHRIGHT wiki.
As the player in a BR game you get to direct the actions of your regent and your domain - the two are closely intertwined, almost to the level where the regent is the personification of the domain he rules. So the question is: Do you have what it takes to grow strong and prosper, or will your enemies drag you and your kingdom down to ruin?
PbeM is an abbreviation for "Play By e-Mail". Most PbeMs (this one included) is run by each player submitting a turn sheet (called a "Domain Order" or "DO" in RoE) that lists his actions and his assets for a given period of time (in RoE one turn covers 1 season – Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter – of 3 months/12 weeks).
The turn sheet is handed in by e-mail on a regular basis (every 6 weeks or so for RoE) and based on the input from the turn sheets, the DM will then determine the outcome of your actions, and how other players' action affect you.
In short, a PBeM is a turn-based strategy game, run by e-mail. We run a website and a forum as well, where you can find information and interact with the rest of the player group. And we try to interject as much role-playing as possible, to differentiate the game from a simple boardgame.
The game is based on the original Birthright (BR) rules and material by TSR (published in the mid-90s), and does not use any of the rules or material from the Birthright Campaign Setting (BRCS) or brwiki available at BIRTHRIGHT.net.
RoE is, however, a far cry from the original 2E AD&D BR game. It is based on DnD v.3.5 and the domain rules have also been altered extensively. The learning curve is a bit steep, but if a new player doesn’t try to manage everything perfectly from the start, it usually works itself out over a few turns.
The campaign original campaign started in 1520 HC, or 547 MR for those who are more familiar with that reckoning. That is 4 years before the “official start date” of the TSR Birthright setting (which is 1524 HC/551 MR). It lasted 53 turns, ending on the spring turn of 1532 HC/559 MR (8 years after the TSR setting’s start date). If you are really interested you can find some more info about the original game at the old RoE forum and on (the even older) Yahoo! Groups site.
RoE II is based upon the events and characters of the original game. Two more years have passed, adding several new developments and bringing the turn count to 61 – RoE II starts in spring 1535 HC.
In addition to just changing the start date, I have added a lot of new stuff, including new domains and major characters, and I have also altered many existing domains and regents to a lesser or greater degree.
This was primarily done to give the game a fresh feeling – many BR players know the setting a bit too well. So while you will find a Prince Darien Avan in RoE, just don’t expect him to be the same old geezer you’ve grown used to. You will also find some entirely new domains, like the Wardens of the Erebannien.
The game actually started out covering only the South Coast of Anuire, but expanded to include the Eastern Marches and half of the Heartlands as well. I believe it is preferable to start small and then expand, rather than try to cover everything immediately. A limited play area also ensures that most of the domains are filled, which encourages player interaction.
The first part of the campaign (Gathering Shadows), spanning turns 1 – 20, focused on the mounting conflict between Diemed on one side and the three realms of Ilien, Medoere and Roesone on the other, culminating in a great war between the four realms. Further to the east, Aerenwe and her allies became engaged in a war against the evil usurper Duke Jaison Raenech of Osoerde. In addition, the enigmatic and terrible Black Galley Raiders returned to harass the coasts of Anuire.
The second part of the campaign (Fire and Darkness) covered turns 21 to 40, starting in the spring of 1525 HC (552 MR) and running through the winter of 1529 HC (556 MR). The themes from the first part continued to be important, but something sinister and evil began to stir…throughout Anuire there was much unrest and strife, and to the north the Gorgon started gathering his armies. The chapter ended in the death of now-King Raenech at the hands of the Gorgon, and the stage was set for much internal unrest in Anuire.
The third part of the campaign (Before the Storm) was supposed to cover turn 41 – 60, starting in the spring of 1530 HC (557 MR) and running through to the end of winter in 1534 HC (561 MR). The game actually halted on turn 53, so the part was cut a bit short...
By the start of part three it was becoming quite apparent that dark forces were afoot, and that they were plotting the destruction of Cerilia! Could the regents of Anuire put aside their differences long enough to prevent the spawn of darkness from overrunning everything? As it turned out, they did, and were able to prevent the Lost from resurrecting Azrai – after a fashion at least – preventing the beginning of the Apocalypse.
The moment this threat was ended – actually it began well before victory was certain – the regents of Anuire resumed their plotting and bickering. As the game ended, Anuire stood on the brink of another round of internal strife and war…and in the two gap years between RoE and RoE II there has been a lot of just that – strife and conflict.
The next phase is RoE II’s first part (Old Hatreds, New Beginnings), beginning on turn 61. Nothing has been settled by the previous two years of plotting, bickering and name-calling. Will the regents of Anuire be able to put their differences aside and resolve their disputes differences with words instead of fire and steel? History tells us this is unlikely…but only time will tell…
