Trols Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 Knuckles – For Star Wars A Completely Imaginary Board-Game for Roleplayers Foreword Once upon a time, I met one of the best roleplayers in the world. A being who had sought to topple Kings, been killed in the process, sought to bring freedom to outlands, and liberate a land of angry puppies & zombies led by a Banshee *****. He failed at every turn. The only thing, aside from drunken surgery, he has done successfully was playing (and inventing) the Completely Imaginary Board-Game Knuckles (Technically Mage's Knuckles) But, where did this eternally obscure Knuckles come from? In its creator's own words: "One summer, when my character left Azeroth to explore Outland, he invited a group of his friends and colleagues to Booty Bay for the last party. At this gathering, we needed something to play, and quickly conceived a simple game called Knuckles. It was a ludicrous creature, full of excitement and warfare, crazy rules and hilarious consequences, and I have since played it in many locations and contexts; now I want to share it. This document outlines its rules and quirks. The name 'knuckles' comes from a quest text in Booty Bay. Perhaps it was meant to refer to some fantasy card game similar to poker, or even euphemistically to the art of fighting, but I imagined something different. In any case, I have never been able to find the original reference to "knuckles", and I can only conclude either that it has been edited out of the game, or that it actually never existed and I made the whole thing up." A.J.Barlowe The following outlines the rules (or lack of) and quirks for the SW adaptation. This first part will explain how Knuckles works in bare terms. Both in character and out of character. If you want to play knuckles in an 'unpolluted' way, building a take on it that's entirely your own, read only the first part; 'So, what is Knuckles'. The second and third parts named respectively; 'Elements of Knuckles' and 'Some recurring Motifs' will talk about the idea of Knuckles that has been built up in roleplay so far. * So, what is Knuckles? 'Galactic Knuckles' or just 'Knuckles' as the game is commonly known across the galaxy, is a game of strategy, imagination, decision, diplomacy, opportunity, creativity, chance, and destiny; a game of controlled savagery, polite betrayal, and consummate use of weapons. The origins of Knuckles are shrouded in the nebulae of time, and its origin varies from species to species, planet to planet, though it seems to have wormed its way into every conceivable place and time, yet despite variations, it remains the one and same game across the entire Galaxy. Various cultural elements of Knuckles and origins(maybe?) The Jedi can trace the use of Knuckles back to the origin of the first Jedi. Originally used as a means to assess the will of Padawans and test their abilities to make the 'correct' choice in accordance with Jedi teachings. The Sith, of course, brought it with them as they fled, and adopted it to their own uses. The Zakuul people have played the game for as long as they can remember, and their games often revolve around their mythology. On Coruscant, the game is said to have been invented to mimic the political infighting and always tend to include backroom dealings between players, and political backstabbing, and interestingly enough it tends to be played exactly the same way within the Empire. The Mandalorians claim it started as a type of wargame, where real combatants and armies would play the part of 'pieces', or that it was used to plan and consider variations of strategies to employ. The Mandalorian variant is often very focused on war, and oft incorporate elements of their warrior culture. The Zabrak claim that Knuckles was used on Iridonia long before they achieved spaceflight, and insist their game 'Kaz Knuckles' is the original. Like the Mandalorians, they tend to use it as a prelude to Clan Warfare, or as part of it, or as a planning tool with regional variations. A variation of the game is called Revan's Knuckles, and this variant seems very focused on a single great hero, or that of a small party of heroes. Most Twi'leks on Ryloth don't fully adopt Knuckles in its Galactic form but play a game with many interchangeable elements. It focuses heavily on the art and practice of seduction to attain a specific goal. In the corporate culture of Czerka, the game is often called Innovative Knuckles and is often used as a coaching platform for budding Czerka researchers and directors of all levels to test and challenge their own and others ideas (and steal them if allowed the chance). Their strategies often rely on innovative new theories or constructs, or weapons, or similar, and corporate espionage if possible. Over time the racial rules have been added to the Galactic Knuckles, yet many directly contradict one another, adding to the sheer complexity of the game. A new generation of players has risen in the last century which does not adhere as firmly to the racial traditions, making it a very interesting time to play the game. A short overview of the framework that makes the game is as follows: Two or more players are gathered around an imaginary board (four seems a good number). One player is chosen by vote or by dice roll, or other means as the starter and the game proceeds around the circle in a direction of the starter's choice. Each player takes it in turn to announce her move and other players must respond to her in a way that seems to make sense. When moves are announced, they should be properly detailed, and moves can be disputed by other players on 'legal' grounds. To prevent this, players often support their moves by citing precedents from famous historical games. There are more rules to mention here, but they can be found in the massive compendium NF Stovold’s Galactic Knuckles: Rules and Origins". The original data was sadly lost when the Jedi Temple on Coruscant was attacked. A conspiracy theory suggests that Darth Malgus, a renowned Knuckles player, intentionally had the data deleted, and have actively tried to hunt down and destroy any full copies of NF Stovold's compendium across the known galaxy. Traditionally, one player must be eliminated or drop out for every round that passes after the first one or two. In consequence, the game is won where there is only a single player remaining. This rule ensures a swift and decisive match but players can agree to suspend it or the game itself can distort that rule. Today, the game is played as a holographic game, similar to Dejarik. OOC, however, Knuckles is really anything you want it to be. It is, in fact, a game of pure freewheeling improvisation: there are no rules, and all new players are told they'll "pick it up as they go along". As a 'rule', new players are encouraged to pretend their characters have some IC knowledge of the game and its concepts, despite player shortcomings in that department – you will pick up eventually. Who drops out, and when, is a matter for the players to settle amongst themselves, either by rolling, common agreement, or some other mechanism. In my experience, people often volunteer to drop out because they feel it's the right thing to happen or because they have to go. So far, so good: but how does the rest of the game actually -work?- What are the rules? The trick is that it doesn't, and there aren't any. Rather like Mornington Crescent, a pretend game of humorous rule-negotiation, Knuckles is made up as you go along. It is highly recommended for players to check up on what Mornington Crescent is or perhaps rather isn't, to get the overall idea of what Knuckles is all about. The main goal of playing Knuckles is to play entertainingly off each other without actually knowing quite what's happening and create the illusion of a functioning if absurdly complicated board game of ancient pedigree on par with chess and Sid Meier's Civilisation. It is a lesson in roleplay collaboration and practice for emote-fights: can four people respond to each other in a way that's mutually fruitful? The answer is that Knuckles is as fun as the roleplayers who play it are willing to make it. But it does offer a consequence-free practice zone to hone your improvisational skills and practice the process of bouncing off other players that is central to roleplay. You can probably stop reading here if you like. The rest is detail and flavour. Elements of Knuckles That said, Knuckles is not completely formless and has a certain character. Its principle elements are: Tactical gameplay. Knuckles appears to be a game of civilisation and territorial control, albeit one where there are many indirect routes over and through the territory. Game-pieces in the past have included cities, armies, churches, cults, monsters, knights and magical schools; actions include harvesting, waging wars, burning or growing forests, engineering plagues, creating philosophical movements, reading the stars, road-building, invoking strange gods, getting drunk, and playing music. But almost anything is possible within the scope of Knuckles, and you shouldn't let these things limit you. Board, Cards, and Pieces. In most high-end variations, the game and its board is now holographic at heart. In these cases, the visible progress of the game on the board is usually maintained holographic projector, creating illusions of various nature for all players to see. In the Knuckles of the common man, these illusions are replaced with physical cards and pieces, although this is a trade between greater availablility and a resultant lower complexity. That being said, there are no one way for a Knuckles board to look. It has some kind of hidden element or inaccuracy built into it. Sometimes this means the board is comprised of squares which have vague information on one side and more accurate info, plus important symbols (e.g. ankh, circle, wheel) on the other side. These squares are flipped over and revealed as they are 'explored', creating a fog-of-war effect. A holographic board might simulate this with an illusion that is washed away. Cards seem to play a big part, and often cards are drawn and played during rounds for strange effects or as part of larger strategies. These cards often have wide-ranging effects that benefit some players and harm others, as well as hidden or unpredicted ramifications are visible only later. That said, mechanisms from almost any game can be integrated into Knuckles, and it is not impossible for dice, counters, suit cards, spinners, staring matches, rock-paper-scissors, thumb wars, blowing on the board, marble-flicking, marble bowls, or singing contests to enter the game. Weirdness. Knuckles is strange, and always surprising. It frequently reaches absurd heights of drama, or sometimes offers amusing anti-climaxes, but either way players should try and surprise each other with interesting moves or creative interpretations of each other's actions. Concepts from astrology, theology, siege warfare, gardening, theatre, mathematics, poetry, entomology, and any other discipline can all become relevant. On a holographic Knuckles board, player actions will be represented by illusions; rain storms shower the participants, black smoke drifts from tiny fires, faint singing comes from the pieces and the room darkens when someone accidentally triggers a solar eclipse (if holgraphic projector and gameconsole is linked with room lights). History and Precedent. Knuckles has a long, rich history, and almost everything you can do in it has already been done by someone else, or at the very least is rumoured in legend to be possible. You might 'Deport the Winds of Suramar', employ the 'Coxswain's Musical Gambit', execute the Pseudo-Marius Withdrawal, or even play the rare and almost impossible Eidolon. These are all 'real' strategies from the last game and the list of others is theoretically infinite. It is often good custom in a Knuckles game to cite a precedent for your move, citing, for example, the game that Darth Revan and Master Kreia played against each other on Malachor V. Complexity and Dispute. Knuckles is a game so complicated almost nobody fully understands it. There are so many different versions of the game, and so many variant rulesets, that you can play it any way you like simply by claiming to follow an obscure, forgotten or alternative rule. This complexity also creates potential for dispute: imaginary rules can be used to quibble with your oponent's moves, and, as in Mornington Crescent, a big part of the game is arguing about whether someone is actually allowed to do what they just did and why. As I mentioned at the beginning of this document, it's often proper to announce along with your move the rule and precedent that proves you can do it. Likewise, when other players dispute with you, they will often do the same. The upshot of all of this is that everything I've said can be thrown out the window because you're playing "Alderaan Court Rules" or "Nar Shaddaa Slop-house Variant", and rule disputes can be as much of a game as the game itself. Some recurring motifs: Of course Knuckles is whatever the players on hand wish it to be. I list below some recurring things which have repeatedly cropped up in my own games, as a kind of 'knuckles lore' slowly builds up around the whole thing. This lore, of course, should never be allowed to ossify and limit potential: as ancient Knuckles champion Katil Ala'far Gramasci the Wise once said, "in every game there lurks a big enough surprise to stop one's heart." A holy construction: This structure sits in a randomly determined location near the centre of the board and domination of it appears to be a central objective of the game. It is linked to the Eschaton and sometimes contains the Hydra. Scale models of it are often decorated with twisted faces and sanity-sapping murals, or possibly built out of tiny fake skulls and bones. The randomly named Apocalypse: An event taking place when some unspecified ritual is fulfilled at the Temple, or possibly when the Dreadful Being is released, or both. It changes the game rules considerably. Knip: Knip is a state the game sometimes enters due to a player's actions. It changes the rules, making some things impossible and other things possible. A player can be in knip, or the entire game, and it can be difficult to get out of. The Dreadful Being: This is a very dangerous and fickle monster whose appearance and subsequent rampage often accompanies The randomly named Apocalypse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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