Kieselstein

A wargame of social spectacles

**A Broken Spoke Production**

 Kieselstein
A wargame of social spectacles

History of the Game

It all began one frightful night. I had been preparing a Napoleonic wargame
scenario set around the fictional island of Kieselstein- an old abandoned Dutch
colony turned military fort and harbor with strategic significance to the trade
routes in the Mediterranean.

I had wanted this game to be different from your typical two sided engagement.
So, I included a number of additional roles that other players could fill. Of the
French there was Admiral Pluies on board the Iphegenia. The fort on Kieselstein
was in possession of Major Boutonniere's, one of Buonaparte's finest. The English
were led by Commodore Aubrey in command of the Boadicea. He was to assist
Colonel Keating in landing his redcoat’s and taking the fort. Of additional aid
was Dr. Maturin, the ship’s surgeon and secretly an intelligence officer. I
eagerly added a few more factions of civilians- Chief Mukki Mukki and his tribe
of natives, Jupedo the head of the winery works, and Lady Melody with her party
of whores. There were other’s which could be added if more players should show
such as Governor-in-waiting Farquhar, competing Post-captians Clonfert and Pym,
and the Catholic Priest Father Mersenne. All of these had their own unique
objectives and motivations within the scenario.

My intention was for all player’s to have limited information. They were to come
to me, one at a time, with their orders for the current turn and I would debrief
them. Unbeknownst to me, players were double dealing and forming alliances at
every opportunity while I attempted to maintain a semblance of order. I found
myself constantly intervening to make judgments not covered in any rules. In all
appearances the game was rapidly devolving into pandemonium. I did my best to
keep on top of it all, to no avail. It turned out to be like nothing I had
intended it to be. By my assessment it was a complete flop. No military
confrontation had even occurred. By all accounts, considering the elaborate point
system I constructed for determining a victor, Lady Melody and her company of
whores won! I was beside myself and most apologetic. But to my chagrin, the
player’s loved the game and were requesting another Kieselstein the following
week.
Thus, the Kieselsteins began. They would continue to evolve over time and take
on wider areas of interest. Other gamer’s offered to referee their own
Kieselsteins. I welcomed the reprieve. We played horror themed Kieselsteins,
westerns, and intrigue, to name a few. It was only limited by our own
imagination.

Rules of Play

Introduction
Kieselstein is a game intended to be adaptable to three or more players and a
referee. The more players the better. It adds to the entertainment. The referee
sets up the scenario and officiates the game, making any rulings necessary. He
must be fair and quick witted. He will also conclude the session with a synopsis
of how things turned out and determine a winner. Players will be given a role
with objectives to fill. Each player is free to decide what is necessary for their
character to reach their goals. This usually involves negotiation and coalitions
with other players. They must be creative and open minded individuals to succeed.
Game time should be played as closely to real time as possible. A normal game
can take 4 or more hours to conclude.

Optional Equipment
A map, game board, or other playing surface
Miniature figures and terrain
Dice or playing cards
Paper and pencils

Suggestions for the budding Referee

Realize that your role is essential to the game’s success in encouraging the
social aspect of play and maintaining the pace. Besides this, you are the one who
will create the scenario and the numerous characters with their factions. Your
judgment will be the final authority during play. What’s to follow is some
methods that might make your job easier. You will notice that some of these
methods are commonly used in other war games.

Scenarios:
First, pick a subject of interest to develop your scenario around. This could be
from any period of history. It could also be any genre of cinema or literature,
be it science fiction, horror, westerns, or cloak and dagger. The only limit is
your imagination.

You must further develop this theme so that it allows plenty of social
interaction. Mull it over for a bit and start thinking about a setting. The
setting might be a town, a castle, a country side, a battle torn city block, or
something similar. Perhaps it’s a border town that sits between a strict
government with closed borders and another rival country intent on upsetting
it’s power. Start to picture it in your mind.

Once you are set on the theme and setting you should create a rough drawing of
the map. This can be done by hand on a normal sheet of paper. Here you can start
to think about whether you want to use a pre-existing game board, map, table
with three dimensional terrain, or a simple representation drawn on butcher
paper for the actual game. Whatever you decide you will still want to make a
rough drawing of the playing area.

This drawing should be broken into several equal sized grids that will establish
the zones where the various factions will start the game. The grids can also be
used as a basic means of establishing distance. The actual playing surface will
not need need them. Though, you should feel free to use a gridded playing surface
if you like. The rough drawing might look something like below.
While you are creating your map begin thinking about the back story for the
game. The theme should open the door to a wide number of possibilities. Scribble
a few down in a notebook. The back story will help create the overall mood of
the game for the players. It’s the big idea behind the game. Kieselstein’s
original backstory was that it was a strategic location for the Mediterranean
trade routes during the war period of the early 1800’s. A different type of back
story might include the discovery of the lost treasure of Montezuma or first
contact with life on Mars.

Characters and Factions:

In a conventional war game you would have two sides. Kieselstein is different in
that it is an “n-player” design. This means it is meant to be entertaining and
playable with any number of players. The only limits are playing space and what
the referee believes he can reasonably handle. Generally the more the merrier.
But, keep in mind that you do not want to allow the number of players to distract
or slow down the pace of play. An ideal number seems to be from 4-8 players in
most cases. Less than four limits the need for negotiations and more than eight
may allow too much down time during the turn.

Since the game can have any number of players, you must prepare plenty of
characters for them to fill. There will always be a couple key figures involved.
The referee should make a list of names and who they are. Break out that
notebook once more and give them a brief history and/or description. This will be
information known to everyone. Add to this at least two objectives, one
motivation, and possibly a special ability. This will be limited or secret
information.

Objectives will be the characters goals in the game. They are a competitive
element. You can give each character a primary and one or more secondary goals.
These should be specific to the scenario. There can be open objectives for
everyone involved. But, there needs to be objectives that are secret and only
disclosed to the player of the character. Though, the player’s are free to share
them with others if they think it beneficial. Also, some characters may
unknowingly have the same objective if the referee chooses to do so. Achieving a
characters objectives will go a long way in helping the referee determine who
the winner is. Objectives will often be imperative sentences that begin with a
verb.
Some examples are:
Escort President Wilson to the safety of the White House.
Gain and maintain control of the Humphrey railroad junction.
Discover the lost key to Count Gilberts tomb and unlock the crypt.
Stop the Martians from teleporting Captain Kirk on board their spacecraft.
Gather $5000 in donations for the Hall of Ancient Strange Fellows.

Motivations are different in that they establish some psychology behind the
character. They can be virtues or vices. They are meant to be an aid in playing
the role. But they can effect how a referee might judge a winner of the scenario.
Extra points should be awarded for excellent role play. Characters acting counter
to their motivation should also be a consideration in this. Motivations can be
expressed with simple words or phrases. A referee should feel free to impose
additional rewards or consequences during the game should a characters
motivation come into play.

Some examples are:

Adores men in uniform.
Hidden drug addiction
Greedy
Polygamist who is looking for another wife
Foodie
Benevolent
Will never tell a lie
Patriotic

Special abilities are anything that can benefit a character in achieving their
objectives that the other characters don’t have. These are heavily influenced by
the theme of the Kieselstein. A character should not have more than one special
ability, if any. They are often, but not necessarily, secret.

Some examples are:

Printing press- can print money.
Has spy cameras set up in Zimble’s parking lot.
Character has x-ray vision.
Has a secret stash of ammo buried in the park.
Can decipher ancient Sumerian cuneiform.
Here is a character card from the first Kieselstein:

Commodore Jack Aubrey

A distinguished officer in the service of the British Royal Navy. He is a superb navigator
and tactician. Those closest refer to him as “Lucky Jack”.

You will have one figure representing Aubrey and eight more figures representing his
supporting staff and sailors. They are armed with cutlass, boarding ax, and pistol.

Objectives:
1. Aid Colonel Keating in successfully landing his soldiers at Kieselstein.
2. Find a vintage port wine of exquisite flavor, share it with a friend, and make a toast.
3. Avoid the lost of any of your ships.

Motivation:
Prize money earned through the taking of French ships.

Special: He’s Lucky. Remind the judge whenever chance is at play.

Non-Player Characters (NPC’s):

NPC’s are characters or factions that are controlled by the referee. They will be
written up exactly like normal characters, except they do not have objectives.
Instead they are free to act in a way that supports the scenario. Sometimes they
will be activated by a character’s actions. If a character does a predetermined
thing it can cause NPC’s to respond. They can also have specific roles to play in
a scenario. Mostly, they are at the referee’s whim. Have fun creating them.

Random Events:
Another tool at the referees disposal are random events. These are things that
can add a new twist to your Kieselstein. They can take many shapes and forms.
Often they are triggered on a certain turn. Sometimes they are triggered by the
actions of a character or by a random roll of a die. Jot a few down in your
notebook. You don’t have to use them. It’s at your discretion. Keep in mind that
they are intended to add to the fun of playing a Kieselstein. They can be
expressed as “if, then” statements.
Some examples are:
If the sacred hunting ground is entered, then a party of cannibal priests will
attack.
If the helicopter pad is reached by turn seven, then a sudden thunderstorm will
cause a power outage until turn ten. No landing lights.
If Professor Witmyer is located in his lab, then he will offer a formula for the
zombie plague. The contents must still be procured.
If two rival gangs enter the town square, then the police will be dispatched the
following turn.

Making Rulings:
Kieselsteins may be played as a typical miniature wargame in some ways. But, it
is important that the rules for combat, morale, and movement do not become the
focus. Every effort should be made to emphasize resolving problems through role
play. Remember that the player’s can try anything. When a ruling must be made, a
referee can fall back on any method he prefers. Resolve the conflict quickly so
not to bog down the pace of the game.

Below I have included a Combat Odds Table. The use of odds was very popular in
early war games, such as Totten’s Strategos and Avalon Hills Tactics II. It
continues to be an efficient means of random determination in many games. Do not
allow it’s use to become a crutch for simple problem solving.

Die roll Odds

1:3 1:2 1:1 2:1 3:1 4:1 5:1
1 EX EX DL DL DL DL DL
2 NE EX EX DL DL DL DL
3 NE NE EX EX DL DL DL
4 AL NE NE EX EX DL DL
5 AL AL NE NE EX EX DL
6 AL AL AL AL NE EX EX

AL: Aggressors loss

DL: Defenders loss
EX: Exchange
NE: No effect
To use the Combat Odds Table the referee must first decide what the odds are
based on. Are you considering the number and quality of troops? The various
factors of persuasion? Influences of observation? Or some other factor that is
dependent on circumstance and need.

For example, Madame Montique wants to persuade Inspector Collins to give her two
of his officers as an escort in meeting one of her objectives. The Inspector is an
NPC played by the referee. Normally the referee would want this situation to be
resolved by role play. But, he does not want to give the impression of partiality
so he turns to the Combat Odds Table. Madame Montique offers her argument and
adds in a lovely gift of a plum pudding. She has also brought two of her ruffians
to add a little intimidation. In order to determine the odds of persuasiveness the
referee works out in his head- Is Collins weak willed? Does he find Madame
Montique convincing? Does he even like plum pudding? Can he be intimidated,
bribed, or is he a principled man? The referee quickly concludes, based on Collins
NPC information card, that “yes” he can be bribed, he does find the Madame
convincing, and he is weak willed. He determines the odds 3:1 and rolls a d6. The
result is a “4” EX. The referee concludes that the Inspector will accept the plum
pudding and is willing to offer her the service of two of his officers in
exchange for two more plum puddings. It seems they are his favorite. And off
Madame Montique goes in search of a source for getting two more plum puddings.

The Turn:
Finally, I will offer a little guidance on the sequence of the turn in
Kieselstein. This is an outline offered to give some structure to the flow of the
game. Avoid being too rigid in it’s execution. Kieselsteins are meant to be a
loose style of play. Let the game unfold naturally and don’t worry if you miss a
step. Keep the game moving. Remember, you’re the referee. What you say goes.

Turn Sequence
1. Referee presents current situation
2. All written orders are presented to referee
3. Referee makes any announcements/ special events
4. Determine initiative order for those who can act
5. Make any moves
6. Resolve any conflicts
7. *Players determine their next orders
*negotiations and alliances may take place at any time during the turn.
Conclusion
It is hard to capture the essence of a true Kieselstein within just a few short
pages of a rule book. It cannot be stressed enough that in a Kieselstein player’s
can and will try anything. With that in mind, if it was necessary to reduce these
instructions into only a few words it would be, create a social spectacle for all
to enjoy.

-AbschluB-