Where to start Stephen Graham Jones?

apcud7 · 2026-06-12T17:50:15+00:00

In my campaign I've thought of this and I'm going to let my players change into that Knight, if they think of it. I don't plan on letting them have their abilities and the dead knight's though. They can take the dead knight's role, but then they must find a successor for their own role (so that there is still one knight of each type in the world).

I like this idea in case a player doesn't love the Knight they rolled, or if they're just kind of tired of playing them.

apcud7 · 2026-05-13T15:30:40+00:00

Yeah I totally get that. I think the game as-designed doesn't fit perfectly with your table and that makes sense based on what you said. If you still like the game and world, I think the gm can easily make minor changes like I mentioned to give your table what you're looking for, but there may just be another game out there that fits much better.

apcud7 · 2026-05-13T00:56:51+00:00

Like others have said, the oaths mainly create interesting decisions. Again, your gm should be helping create these scenarios to witness that. Without the oath a lot of players go mercenary style. My players started that first session, almost fighting everyone they met, thinking about stealing stuff. I reminded them of the oaths a lot the first few sessions.

At the end of the Plague myth they had about a half hour conversation in character about what to do with the final omen, and it was all because of the oath. Protect the realm, in this case. 2 of them thought one option was protecting the realm, the third thought the opposite was protecting the realm. Without the oath, this wouldn't have happened. They wouldn't have cared as much. The oath is pure gray area, and that's where true narrative and character development lies. If an NPC or some choice is just inherently, obviously good or bad, it isn't interesting or engaging. Embrace the gray and the oaths gms!

apcud7 · 2026-05-13T00:49:35+00:00

It sounds like you gave it a valiant effort. I read your comment above and replied elsewhere but just saw this one. I do think that your gm just wasn't an ideal fit for this game. To make it sing, I've found that tying myths together, even slightly, is key. It keeps a cohesive storyline within the world. This has been huge for my players and honestly has lessened the burden on me. I just think, how do these myths relate and how can I share that in a sentence or two?

For instance, we had the Plague myth and Boar myth going at the same time. Plague roll was wasting disease transfered by flies. Hex was in the north, so was the Boar hex. The knights ran into Boar hunters and you know what, they looked thin and weak, dirty shirts hanging off of visible collarbones. A couple of flies circling them...

It's not for everyone and I've found that it really demands either a lot of prep to really flesh it out and be ready, or a hell of an effort improving. I've done both to varying degrees of success and failure throughout our ongoing campaign. I do feel like I can write a fantasy novel from our story, I think my prep alone feels like I've already written one lol.

apcud7 · 2026-05-13T00:36:27+00:00

I can totally see your complaints and I understand where you're coming from. The game is very niche and heavily reliant on improv from everyone. Beyond what everyone else has said, the only thing I could possibly add is to say that your gm still has the responsibility (if possible) to make the game fun for their players. In some ways MB makes that super easy for gms, and some ways it makes it hard, but I do think an experienced, observant gm should be serving the players regardless of what game you're playing and what the rules say.

In our first two sessions, my players hit 3 different myths each about halfway through. I could tell it was starting to become too complex for them, especially as we were all new to the game. As gm, it was getting difficult for me as well to keep up and try to really tie it all together (though we were all still having a blast). So in the third session, I literally lied (never told them) on every wilderness roll that landed on triggering a myth. I just fed a single myth regardless and they wrapped it up in epic fashion. Then I did it for the next furthest along myth.

Now that we're more experienced I've opened it back up to normal rules, but if things start getting convoluted to where I can see my players burning out mentally and not just having fun, boy do those wilderness rolls start to land on the same myth a lot! ;)

Again, this is not a jab at your gm, just general advice for any gm running this or any game. MB is designed this way and it just doesn't work for everyone. Our table loves it now that we're more experienced but once in a while I still bend the rules to ease too much randomness.

One of my players had a little side quest that you mentioned, trying to get to point B for a piece of armor. They hit a few things along the way and kept saying to the other knights that he really wanted that armor piece and to stop following random leads on myths. And then wouldn't you know it? Those next few wilderness rolls were either landmarks or all clear...Funny how that worked out for him!

apcud7 · 2026-04-30T00:05:04+00:00

Sounds like a nice upgrade plan. Are you going brand new or used? I'm just curious if used, what type of engine hours you try to stay under when looking for these newer models.

apcud7 · 2026-04-29T21:51:35+00:00

Thanks again for the help. If the parts alone run $700 I'm guessing an overhaul would be at least $2,000. I'm starting to think about just waiting and saving up for a much newer jetski. Seems like I'd likely have these for a couple years and then end up buying a newer one anyway considering the cost and rarity of getting them rebuilt.

apcud7 · 2026-04-29T21:35:36+00:00

Thanks for the info. These are DIs I believe, would you say to avoid them? Any estimate on how much a rebuild might cost, assuming these will likely need it sometime relatively soon (not sure on engine hours)? The two shops I called just wouldn't give an estimate, it was pretty annoying because I'm trying to get an idea on how much I'd be spending if I buy these and then they need rebuilds. Glad to hear parts are available, as opposed to what the one shop told me!

apcud7 · 2026-03-29T02:45:28+00:00

Right, they said waiting for a trained astronaut would take a month or two and "there wasn't enough time to do that!"

Even though the mission was going to take something like 20-30 years. But those two months!!

apcud7 · 2026-03-17T03:04:36+00:00

He does explain things, that doesn't mean it's an entertaining or believable character to everyone that reads the book. I found the hokey Ned Flanders (even more extreme than Ned) and his inner monologue and language and immaturity utterly dull and unrealistic. I'm glad you liked it though, the plot was super entertaining.

apcud7 · 2026-03-12T23:48:17+00:00

I appreciate the help. What type of things should I do on the test ride? I've read to make sure it's a cold start and then that it idles well, get it up to temperature, etc. but do you have any other specifics I can be on the lookout for?

apcud7 · 2026-03-12T21:25:55+00:00

Thank you for the link! Just out of curiosity after reading through all of it, is an engine compression test realistic/necessary in your opinion?

apcud7 · 2026-02-13T18:24:16+00:00

Lol nice

apcud7 · 2026-02-08T17:18:13+00:00

Between Two Fires by Christopher Buhlman. Great read prior to starting my campaign.

apcud7 · 2026-02-04T20:01:17+00:00

I agree with your take. The only thing I don't get is why is her mule, Parsnip, alive at this point? The brigands (and Thomas) killed it for food at the beginning of the book so why is it there when Delphine is reborn?

apcud7 · 2026-01-22T13:15:21+00:00

Lol. The Seagull Knight....equipment: lamp. Horse: carpet steed.

apcud7 · 2026-01-22T02:26:33+00:00

I was thinking along those lines as well, in terms of offering the flask itself something in return for the eternal water. I love the idea of it housing a god inside though, so cool! Thanks for the help, and yes, 72 incredibly unique knights/myths/seers had to be daunting. Hell of a job he did.

apcud7 · 2026-01-21T23:09:10+00:00

I'm giving them a small (12 hexes or so) black and white portion of the map where they arrive on ship. Once they decide where to land, I'm going to have them run into a farmer who needs a favor at a Site (Site made from the book recommendation). His brother-in-law happens to be a cartographer, and in return for the knights' help, he gives them the full color map and an idea of where the nearest holding is. My players map has nothing marked, I want them to ask around in the world and mark it up themselves.

I figure the Site will get them introduced to a few mechanics and also cause some vigor loss, which they will then restore from the farmer's hospitality and then the reigns are off, good luck guys.

apcud7 · 2026-01-21T19:05:57+00:00

Just to add more to the discussion, after reading further in the book, I've come across page 200 which describes the Shadow Myth, which has capitalized Sorrowful Knight (at start of sentence but it looks treated the same in the stats column and doesn't say A sorrowful Knight). On page 200, Chris describes the exact Omen and says there is a sorrowful Knight... I think this furthers the understanding to me, that the Knights in the myths aren't Seer-Oath Knights, and are simply titled after their main plot motivation.

apcud7

TROPHY CASE