"Since we've gone into questioning how the game actually plays, I'd like to share the story of the game I'm running right now.

I've been running a weekly game of Song of Swords for the past couple of months, and it's one of the best campaigns I've run for a while. I think it really goes to show how the lethal nature of the game can force players to get into the heads of their characters, and act like reasonable human beings. It's also great to get such a good game out of a full historical setting, rather than fantasy.

The premise was relatively simple. The year is 1655, and Poland is being carved up between the Swedes and Russians. Life is hard, winter is hard, everything is terrible. The players were summoned by an aging Polish nobleman in Swedish-occupied Krakow. He was an old guy, with one request: bring the head of one of the mercenaries working for the Swedes to him. The Dutch mercenary was called The Boar, and he was a true bastard. He had fought for the Poles during the beginnings of the Cossack Rebellions, where he committed numerous atrocities against the local Ruthenians. But all of a sudden, he switched sides, fought for the Cossacks. His greatest sin, though, was killing the Polish nobleman's son at Batih. The Boar sent a ransom for the lad and when he got the money, sent a shrunken head.

The party was rather absurdly diverse.

There was Anime Man, a young Swiss mercenary who had personal revenge on his mind after the Boar killed his brother.

The Prussian, a weird nostalgic warlord who tried to fight as a classic knight and uphold chivalry despite that being an anachronism in the horrors of the Thirty Years War and Deluge.

The Cossack, an older guy who had seen too much, and just wanted to settle down.

Ahnold, actually an Englishman, who was drawn along for the ride looking for his brother.

And the English noble, a jolly fellow who's player never could make it after the first session.

They had one lead. The Boar was in Czestochowa, helping the occupation of the city while the Swedes delt with a certain unruly monestary. They set out. Some conflict started early, as most of the party wanted to kill the bastard with a cannon, while the Prussian wanted to fight him on the field.

They were almost robbed by hungry peasants on the road, but some quick talking and the renown of the Prussian helped diffuse the situation. They learned a bit about the upsurge of Polish nationalism, despite the flight of the king, then continued on their way.

They arrived at Czestochowa to find it in a relatively sorry state. It wasn't destroyed, but the Swedes and their german troops were busy laying seige to the town's monestary and everyone was under martial law. The people controling the town were determined to be the men of The Boar himself. Mostly unruly mercenaries. They guessed this one by all of the boar flags flying under the Swedish ones.

After sweet talking the guards, they checked into an inn in one of the nicer bits of town. It was nice but empty, and the owner was happy to tell everyone about how the mercenaries had searched his house multiple times. The Boar's men set up shop in the nicest tavern in town, which was now home only to drunk soldiers. The party decided to check it out, and sent Anime Man and the Cossack over to check things out. It was, of course, a ruined shithole, but they learned some interesting things. The Cossack pumped a Russian mercenary over some backgammon, got some money, and learned that most of the Boar's best troops weren't in town. Anime Man sat in a corner brooding over how much he didn't like rapists (the soldiers were harassing some bar girls), and overheard some soldiers talking about local Poles being caught with gunpowder and being taken to the basement for later.

All this time, the Prussian waxed philosophically with the owner of the bar the party was staying at, and Ahnold slept in his room because the player wasn't there.

So, a plot was set up. The party would sneak into the inn that night and try to find the Boar, or any intelligence, starting with those locals in the basement. They snuck up fairly well, bot botched the sneaking roll near the cellar door out behind the inn. A young guard went to investigate, and Anime Man was forced to stab him in the neck repeatedly. Thus began the first of many Grit checks.

They next broke into the basement, only to find several soldiers keeping a Polish husband and wife tied up while a Tatar mercenary oversaw the application of a hot iron. This spurred the party into action, and a tense duel broke out in the basement. Two guards were killed, and the Tatar was slain after an extended fencing match where he used a red hot poker as a parrying weapon against the Cossack. The Cossack pocketed his nice Ottoman-made yataghan and a letter addressed to the Boar on his person, while the Prussian helped the civilians back to the inn they were staying in.

There was one prisoner, another Russian, who claimed he was just a guard, and begged to be let go. He promised that he'd show the party where some treasure was buried. Anime Man struggled with the decision, as prisoners would be hard to deal with and control, and in the end the old veteran Cossack was forced to slit the man's throat. Another grit check for Anime Man and the beginning of some great back and forth over the next few sessions between the idealistic Swiss soldier and the hardened, cynical Cossack. It's a joy to witness.

The Cossack then tried to burn down the inn with all the boar's soldiers in it, having correctly ascertained that the Boar wasn't there. He didn't start a good enough fire, though, and only served to alert the whole damn town. Leaving the tortured couple in the care of the innkeeper, the party fled into the night on their horses, barely making it past the gate guards. They only had the letter to go on. It was written by an unknown figure, but it made reference to the various royal combatants of the Deluge and provided instructions to “remind them why they are fueding” near Russian-occupied Lublin. The party set off to meet one of the Prussian's old friends in town there, to find out more about the Boar and to determine his current location.

It's getting pretty late, and I have class early in the morning. This is about half way of the campaign we've done so far, and I'll try and write some more after class. This game really, really works when you get into it and get into the right mindset. That duel in the torture basement was great, both in its back and forth nature and in the general horror of the killing that happened. It's really done a lot to create a great war story, with a lot of back and forth interaction about the nature of warfare and the morality of all the killing. One of the best games I've played in a very long time, and I'm looking forward to carrying it forward to The Boar and possibly beyond.

Now, I can return to the tale of The Cossack, The Swiss Anime Man, Ahnold, and The Prussian and their hunt for a mercenary, The Boar, in the ruins of Poland.

They had just escaped the city of Czestochowa and the Siege of Jasna Gora after turning up that the Boar had fled, and trying to burn down The Boar's hideout. Their only lead was a letter, reproduced here.

Dear Femme,

It is pleasing to hear of your great successes. I knew you were so reliable in persuasion. Cousin Louis and Aunt Anne send their regards as well. It fills me with pride to know that you are accomplishing such great things, and bringing this foolish conflict with The Family ever closer to its completion. God smiles on you!

I write this to you as a personal appeal. I have also sent a runner directly to you, to explain in more detail, This letter may not find you at all, if you act immediately upon that message. The day of John crying for his friends is near, but has hit a snag.

I have heard tell that Alexis is growing nervous about how much of old John's inheritance Charles stands to gain. He's thinking of trying to reconcile with John before he goes to our Maker. The Old Man is, of course, angry, but he is always angry. His friends need no encouragement. Perhaps, though, you could go remind some friends of John and Alexis why they are feuding so. Perhaps start around Lublin. It is beautiful in winter, I hear.

The embroidery that Aunt Anne sent a few months ago should come in handy.

obody in the party was particularly political, but anyone could see that John, Alexis, and Charles were the monarchs of Poland-Lithuania, Moscow, and Sweden respectively. They decided to head over to Lublin, where The Prussian had an old comrade. They set out, intent on finding their prey.

And they promptly got lost. Wandering around Poland in the dead of winter was intensely unpleasant, and by the time they actually found the city their coats were practically frozen. It is now December, 1655.

In Lublin, they found a city ready to burst. Their troubles started when the fully armed and armored Prussian strutted up to the gate, manned by Russian troops, and tried to cheerfully strike up a conversation in Polish. He almost got shot. Only the presence of the Cossack calmed them down enough to not arrest everyone in the party. They learned of some nasty raids on the roads in the last few weeks. Apparently Poles were killing the few people traveling the roads during this time.

Once they got in the city, the Prussian went to go find his old friend.

Sadislaw Poleski was, strangely enough, a Scotsman. He had served as a mercenary captain with the Poles during the Great War in the 1640's, and had earned enough money and fame to retire in the country and put on airs as a nobleman. Even took on a Polish name. Sadie (his daughter, the Pox took her, bless her), -slaw (glory), and the name of his new homeland. Sort of a gruff fellow, since not all of him was there. He left an eye and a hand back in Bohemia, and a leg in Ukraine. The old Scotsman invited the band to dinner, and told them all he could tell.

First, after looking at the letter, he confirmed what Ahold had feared: The Louis and Anne in the letter were likely King Louis XIV of France and his mother, Anne. Outsiders were meddling in the country. Who exactly was unknown, but they had at least royal backing.

The second was a story about the Boar, and why he got his name. Apparently he was a somewhat crazy bastard who once led a pike charge against emplaced artillery. During a battle in Bohemia, Poleski witnessed the Boar ignore his orders and allow some cavalry he was supposed to fix in place to fall in and and slaughter some other pikemen. Instead, he charged. Uphill. At cannons. The Swedes on the top of the hill panicked fired, killing a bunch of the Boar's men immediately. When this didn't slow them down, the artillerymen panicked and missed their next few shots, hitting only air and pikes. They fled when they weren't able to depress their guns any lower, abandoning their guns and losing the fight for their side. The Boar got bonus pay and his nickname, for the way he charged directly at the enemy. Poleski emphasized just how damn loyal this mercenary's men were, to be able to charge artillery like that.

As dinner wound down, people began to hear commotion in the streets. Poles in the streets, seemingly thronging around one of the buildings staffed by Russians. They were armed, and demanding “Justice” for Poles killed by Russian raids on the roads. The Cossack and the Swiss boy went to investigate.

Anime Man realized immediately that a riot was brewing, and that whoever was in that house was about to be lynched. With the Cossack hot on his heels and trying to convince him to stay out of it, Anime Man scaled a back wall and lept into the back yard, only to be held up by a Russian musketeer. Some sweet talking convinced the Russian that the pair was there to help, and he agreed to take them to the Colonel in charge of the house. Just then, Russians fired into the crowd. The riot exploded.

The Prussian and Ahnold prepared for the storm. Accompanied by one of Poleski's mercenary guard, a giant Scotsman with a maul (who was a player who had only just joined) and ten musketeers of his own. In the streets, the Prussian used his booming voice to try and calm the crowd while the Scotsman quietly told his men to lock and load and help storm the Russian manor if needed.

The Prussian implored their better judgement. He asked them to calm themselves, realize that there was only going to be reprisals and that more would die, and that they didn't need to die in this street on this day. His words calmed them slightly, but in the end hot passions prevailed. The riot continued. The Scotsman demanded to know what the Prussian wanted, whether he would act or not. Paralyzed by indecision, the Prussian could only watch as the Scotsman ordered his men to fire on the Russians and move in to storm the house.

Meanwhile, Ahold stood slightly back and munched on popcorn.

In the house, the Cossack and Anime Man were in the basement, waiting for their soldier friend to fetch the Colonel. They mused about the brutality of mob rule and debated about how smart it was for Anime Man to get involved, the morality of bystanders, and how much the Cossack thought this was all a bad idea, while a couple of half-drunk Russians stood nearby cleaning bayonets, loading muskets, and musing about how close to animals Poles are.

By the time the Colonel appeared, the other half of the party had hopped the back fence themselves, killed some Russians, and chased the Colonel to the cellar door. Everyone had guns aimed at each other. The Russians, Anime Man, and the Cossack in the cellar, and the Scotsman and all his men up above. For a few moments, it looked like the party was going to end in a storm of bullets. The Prussian demanded the Colonel as a sacrifice to appease the mob and end the fighting, and Anime Man stood by to defend him. The Scotsman even volunteered to charge first, reasoning that everyone would shoot him and that his armor gave him a slight chance of survival. The Cossack, who was far too old for this shit, pressed himself up against the wall next to the door and furiously whispered through the door, tried to find some middle ground.

Again, Ahnold stood by, eating popcorn and watching the drama unfold.

I seriously thought that the party would kill each other at this moment. Everyone was dead set on their path, and the campaign seemed like it would end in blood and smoke in a dirty cellar. However, a compromise was reached, and death avoided. A dead Russian soldier would be dressed in the clothing of the Colonel and thrown to the mob. This was preferable to everyone dying, so the Colonel agreed if they would help him escape. A body was dressed thusly, and the Scotsman mutilated the head with his maul to obscure his identity and cause of death.

Disgusted, the Colonel asked them what the Boar wanted, since he thought that brutal men such as themselves could only belong to his company. The party had found a lead. The Boar had come in just two weeks prior, demanding supplies before vanishing.

That's where we left off. We're breaking for Independence Day this week, and continuing next week. Things are coming to a head, and the next time I post may be the end of the tale. It's been a great game with a great group, and I hope that the end of the tale is just as fun as the journey so far.

Okay. It's been a long time, but it's time. Time for Poland. Apologies for no images, and if the story is a little bit incoherent. It's stupid late and I've got class in the morning. I also apologize to the group for anything I forgot or fucked up in the telling.

We left the party in their plan to kill The Boar, the terroristic mercenary of 17th century Poland. Our heroes were Ahnold, a giant beast of an Englishman with a nasty looking greatsword, Anime Man, the pretty-boy Swiss with a bad case of White Knight Syndrome, a Prussian who still thought it was the 14th century, a giant Scotsman with a maul and a small squad of musketeers, a world-weary Cossack who was starting to have some paternalistic feelings toward Anime Man, and an extravagantly wealthy English noble who appeared at the beginning of the campaign and rejoined near the end. Together, they fought war crimes.

The party had secured the help of a Russian colonel, a horde of peasants angry about being raided gathered by the Prussian in a rousing speech, and a small cadre of mercenary troops drawn from allies and their own personal retinues. They had a veritable army.

The next day, they woke up to find freshly painted handbills asking for whoever was seeking The Boar to find him at the town's market that day. The symbol they would know him by would be a sword, matching one that the Cossack had captured from one of The Boar's officers. Suspicious of an ambush and hopeful for an assassination, they set up some muskets on some roofs and sent out the Switzer and Prussian to meet the boar in his incredibly ostentatious carriage, flying a heavily decorated yataghan on a pole.

The Boar turned out to be a fairly stocky, somewhat tall man with a Polish haircut and manor of dress. He was in fact Dutch, and he was able to converse with his two charges in German. He started out immediately by letting everyone know that he had some men in the nearby church, ready to light some barrels of gunpowder in the undercroft if they saw harm come to their boss. Talking it is, then.

They talked for a short while. The Boar wanted to know why they were chasing him. It's a question of honor, they answered. He got that. He had a job to do and wanted to do it as quickly as possible. There's honor in that, right? Yes, the party replies, as long as you aren't being a complete bastard. So, the Boar gives them a choice. Accept the party's heaviest sword's weight in gold, or be killed the next time they interferred. They elected to continue to pursue him. The Switzer offered to try and call off his comrades if the Boar removed all the gunpowder in the church, but the Boar just laughed him off. “Take it, I'm leaving tomorrow anyway.”

Now that they had come to an understanding, the Boar told the party to fuck off and go lick the boots of their Hapsburg overlords, slightly more politely, and everyone parted ways. A job had to be done.

So, the party planned. A few people sent out to comb the streets, some went out to buy supplies. After some wooed maidens and old friends called up, it was discovered that a bunch of foreign horsemen were swaggering around the city, that they seemed to be holed up in the old Jewish quarter, now abandoned after some angry Cossacks burned it out, and that prostitutes had been going missing lately. A likely location to plan. Meanwhile, the Scotsman went out and bought some Turkish abus guns and schemed.

The next morning, the day that the Boar was supposedly leaving, dawned. Contacts in the city warned of a massive horde of soldiers marching out of the city. The allies were gathered. An ambush was set near a city gate. Everything was ready. Lines of musketeers and peasants led by the Scotsman and English noble, a few Russian horsemen led by the Prussian, the Cossack in a window with the abus gun, and the Switzer and Ahnold in the side with a few more heavy footmen.

Around the corner came the Boar's men. Ranks of pikemen, currently armed just with their swords for the march out of town. A mass of reiters, armed and ready. A carriage, dragging a small cannon and flanked by men with saber-halberds (fuck you I found a chance to use them). The Boar wasn't in the open, but the party guessed he was in the carriage.

With a cry and a volley of muskets, the Russian cavalry charged. The Reiters counter charged and took ground, actually managing to push back the Russians despite the good command and great horsemanship of the Prussian. The musketeers did their bloody work, while the confused pikemen tried to form up. Meanwhile, the characters hiding in the flanks spotted some women in the carriage and signaled for the Cossack to not shoot directly into the carriage. He made due with tossing some lantern oil and fire on some poor pikemen.

The battle was long (in real time and game) and fierce. Russians and Reiters clashed, peasants ran up and tried to drag men off of horses, and musketeers picked off men. Confused pikemen tried to rally, and the rich Englishman gleefully used his ornate gun to fuck people up at a distance. The Scotsman led it all, directing the peasants and musketeers.

The flankers moved behind the carriage. The Switzer looked inside and saw frightened trollops, but also a saber-halberdeer that had noticed him. I use a weird homebrew version of Arc in my game called Passions and Pitfalls, kind of like Passions in Runequest, where I can entice players to act according to their flaws by bribing them with Spiritual Attribute-style rerolls. Anime Man took my offer and acted on his White Knight flaw, ignoring the officer to open the door. He found an armored man inside, surrounded by these frightened women. The Switzer had a gun. The armored man had a gun. Red/Red. They shot each other, the armored man in the throat (this was mostly stopped by armor) and the Switzer right in his exposed face. He fell back in a pool of blood, with a really nasty wound to the face. Meanwhile, Ahnold snuck up behind another guard and shot him point blank in the back as the poor man tried to figure out what the fuck was going on. Meanwhile, the man he had sworn to the Cossack he would protect fell back, defeated.

The Cossack saw this happen, and made a snap decision. He shot through the carriage. The man in the armor fell with a giant hole in his chest, as did one of the women. Up front, the peasants and the musketeers and now a bunch of flanking heavy footmen made the Boar's men start to crack. They looked back, expecting their leader to exit the carriage and rally them. There was nobody there.

They broke. Panicked men fled back through the streets, pursued by the Party's small army. Meanwhile, everyone rushed to the poor Switzer's side as he bled to death on the street.

A fucking amazing first aid roll from the Prussian kept him from death's door. He was rushed back to their base of operations, where a Russian surgeon waited for the inevitable flood of wounded. A fantastic roll from the surgeon and an even more fantastic assist roll from the Prussian actually saved his life. Anime Man, called such by me because of his shounen attitude and bishounen looks, was left permanantly disfigured. Meanwhile, the rest of the party identified the armored corpse as The Boar and beheaded him to take to their employer. They found his armor stuffed with political and religious tracts from the Thirty Years War, and concluded that he had been an incredibly superstitious man who believed religion, any religion, would save him. They weren't far from the truth.

After some weeks of recovery, the party returned to their imployer as the calender slipped to 1656. The old man who had hired them to kill the bastard actually smiled when he was presented the pickled head. His last wealth was split between the party, though a few refused and he even offered to adopt any of the party as nobility and pass on his title. I asked the players to describe their character's lives after this great bloody event in Poland.

The Prussian refused the money and the title, being noble as well. He died of syphilis only a year and a half later, and was buried next to his wife and child. His line died with him.

The English Noble continued his hunting in Russia, married his ladyfriend who had accompanied him for most of the travels of hunting down the party, and settled down to help his new, very large Scottish friend open a gunsmithy in Scotland. Both turned down the title, instead using the money for other things.

The Switzer went home with the money and no title, having avenged his brother's death and hailed as something of a hero by the rest of the party. After making a small monument for his brother, he locked away his sword and worked for his father's print shop, married, and had a son that he named after the old Cossack who once traveled with him and looked out for him.

The Cossack, meanwhile, refused the title as well and took the money to Constantinople. He opened a sweet shop, freed a young Christian girl to marry him, and spent his time and money buying and freeing Orthodox slaves to help them return home.

Ahnold took the money and title and continued the life of an adventurer. He retired years later, distinguished but maimed. He rules over a good plot of land and dies thirty years after the game, fairly content with his life.

Thus ended one of the best games I've ever played in or run. I'm looking to try and make another game at some point, but it'll be hard to top this one.