QUICK START GUIDE

A tabletop roleplaying game about the Dark

Britannia under High King Mordred’s iron rule

for the ESTIRPE game system

DESIGNED AND WRITTEN BY

Tomás Sendarrubias
Enrique Camino

EDITING
Marta de la Serna and Francisco Javier Valverde

PROOFREADING
Marta de la Serna

TRANSLATION
Benjamin Rhys Palmer

LAYOUT
Laura Faílde

ILLUSTRATIONS
Juan Alberto Hernández
Andrés Sáez «Marlock»
Alberto Martínez «Kisama»

March 2024
 A Twenty-Year Winter
remember as if it were yesterday. We
departed
Camelot in full knowledge of what awa
ited us at
Camlann. It would be far more than
just another
battle, a struggle for dominion ove
r land. Our
king had brought the Kingdom of Sum
mer to Bri-
tannia. He was the embodiment of pro
phecy, the
once and future king, and he had tran
sformed Ca-
melot into a bastion of light, a beacon
of hope for a
world sliding into darkness after the fall
of Rome.
But Camelot had been wounded by hat
trayal and was teetering on the brink red and be-
of collapse. Merlin was no longer wit
were Galahad and Perceval. Many h us, nor
of the Knights of the Round Table –
brave dragons – had perished or wer Arthur’s
e lost in their eternal pursuit of the Hol
And yet, as we marched into battle, we y Grail.
drew strength from the knowledge tha
of the greatest warriors to set foot in t many
Britannia were still by our side.

On that fateful day, as Camelot’s arm

ies advanced through the Kingdom of
Summer towards the place our enemies
had gathered, we beheld Gawain, his red
flowing, the torc of Orkney around his hair
neck and the colours of the old North
cloak. There was Kay, the king’s step on his
brother and Britannia’s finest horsem
brothers Lucan and Bedivere rode fort an. The
h too, alongside Aglovale, Geraint, and
– the sole survivor of the Grail que Bors
st. Leading us were our resplendent
queen. And riding at the king’s right king and
hand was Lancelot, the greatest of us
presence stirred our hearts, although all. His
we knew that in some ways it was
he who had brought us to the edge of the
precipice. His love for the queen
had caused the death of young Gareth
and unleashed war between the
Benoic clan and the Orkney clan. Tha
t war was behind us now, thank
God. Gawain and Lancelot had made
peace and sworn – by the old gods
and the new – to fight shoulder to sho
ulder against the Traitor.
In those days, no one spoke his nam
e. He was simply the
Traitor. He had been one of us, our
brother in many
ways. The king’s firstborn son, born
of what the
 old religion deemed sacred but the new religion called sin. Mordred, offspring of
the king and his sister, the accursed Morgawse, whose malevolence had inflicted
such suffering upon the kingdom. But the serpent turned upon itself, with Mor-
dred murdering his own mother. May God forgive me, but many in Britannia re-
joiced at the demise of Morgawse. We knew there was a special place in Annwn for
the Queen of the Orkneys, a place where she would suffer immeasurable torments
for the evils she had caused. But her venom lived on in Mordred. He was our enemy
now. He laid claim to the crown of Britannia, bolstered by those who had thrived
in Camelot’s shadow, allying himself with the barbarous Saxons, the cruel Angles,
and the tenacious Cruithni. Frankish, Vandal and Goth mercenaries had also joi-
ned him to plunder Britannia.
And yet, as I have stated, our struggle transcended territorial disputes. We
were fighting for a dream, for the dream, for Arthur and
Merlin’s vision of Camelot. They had brought the Kingdom
of Summer to Britannia, and we were not ready to lose it.
Ahead of us, Mordred’s forces assembled on the coast, be-
tween the Kingdom of Summer, the wilds of Cymru, and the
lands of the Cornovii.
That place was called Camlann.
The songs recount how the battle commenced, how, for
three days, Arthur and Mordred measured the strength of
their forces, and how the Traitor brought forth the old druid
Blaise –Merlin’s mentor and a grandfather to all – and had
him brutally dismembered before our eyes. Oh, the stories
tell how one of Mordred’s men raised his sword to kill a snake,
but what had the Romans and Christians called druids if not
snakes? This savagery was more than Arthur could bear,
even from his own son, and so the battle began in earnest.
The king led the charge, Excalibur ablaze like lightning
in a thunderstorm. The queen rode beside him – Boudicca
reborn – leading her people into battle. Lancelot, Gawain,
Bors, and the last of Arthur’s Dragons thundered behind
them. Their power was such that not even the Saxon berser-
kers could withstand their onslaught. The enemy’s lines co-
llapsed and soon our horses waded through their blood.
 I will not retell the battle in its entirety
, for much has been said and sung of
the heroics that transpired. How Gaw
ain put the northern tribes to flight befo
re succumbing to a poisoned javelin thro -
ugh his neck; how Bors and Kay sav
the king from certain death at the han ed
ds of Bretwalda Cerdic’s soldiers; and
Queen Guinevere fought in single com how
bat against the Goth chieftain whose
ghter at having to face a mere woman lau-
was cut short when his severed head tum
bled to the ground. Yes, much has alre -
ady been said about Camlann.
And yet, there are still some truths unt
old. Nobody has been able to express
the depths of our terror when we real
ised that we had been deceived, that it
all been a ruse, a trap more terrible had
than we could ever have imagined. Bec
se there, among Mordred’s ranks, lurk au-
ed entities not of this world. No, I do
mean the denizens of the Otherworld not
, nor those with the blood of the fair
Nor do I speak of the Saxon valdaerm ies.
en, savage Pictish sorcerers, or renegad
druids who had fallen under Mordred’ e
s control. I speak instead of beings of
terrible magic; the magic of the ancient dar k,
gods who roamed these lands long befo
the Tuatha Dé Danann had set foot in re
Ierne. Dead warriors rose again to con
nue fighting. Creatures made of darkne ti-
ss, fire and blood wreaked havoc on our
ranks. Kay fell, as did Lucan and Agl
ovale… only to rise again under Mordre
banner. Despite it all, Arthur, wieldin d’s
g Excalibur, fought his way to his son
world held its breath as they came face . The
to face – the Summer King and the Win
ter Prince, the Lord of Light and the -
Herald of Darkness. Arthur of Britan
Arthur the Great. Arthur Pendragon nia.
. Arthyr ap Uthyr, Ard Reigh de Prydein
There, before our anguished eyes, Art .
hur fell by his own son’s hand. Exca-
libur shattering beneath his body as
he fell. The sun vanished from the sky
the truth revealed itself: Queen Morga and
wse was still alive. She was there too,
wielding her dark magic – the Queen
of Air and Darkness. All this time, whi
we had thought her dead, she had been le
delving deeper into dark, forbidden mag
She had deceived Nimue, just as she had ic.
once deceived Merlin; and now she had
attained ancient, dreadful powers. She
unleashed a desiccating, poisonous win
that reduced the last of Camelot’s forc d
es to ash. Thus perished Bors of Gan
Lancelot of the Lake, and Queen Gui is,
nevere. Only the timely arrival of Art
hur’s
other sister, Morgan le Fay, from Avalon prevented our
utter annihilation.
The power of Avalon had waned, but Morgan’s ma-
gic was still powerful enough to disperse Morgawse’s
malevolent wind, allowing Bedivere and the remaining Knights of the Round
Table to retrieve Arthur’s body and retreat to the Isle of Apples in Avalon, be-
yond Morgawse’s reach. As we departed, we knew we were leaving behind a land
that had fallen into shadow. For there, at Camlann, Mordred became Ard Reigh of
Britannia – the Winter King.
Some of Arthur’s followers chose to remain in Avalon with Morgan le Fay.
Others yielded to the rule of King Mordred.
Some of us vanished, going into hiding because we knew that Mordred would never
stop hunting us. Even today, the Winter King will not rest until he has murdered us all:
the few survivors of Camlann, the sons and daughters of the Knights of the Round Table,
and the druids and bards who remember that time and who whisper of the Storm King to
come.
Some of us sought refuge in a new life, wandering the roads under the banner of
Christ, living under false names. Weathered by age and adversity, we now find solace
in the belief that martyrdom leads to salvation. We recognise that the world today has a
greater need for love and comfort than it does for the warrior gods of old.
But each of us remembers.
We shall never forget.
And we know that one day…
One day, King Arthur will return.

Brother Athelred
Formerly known as Gwydre ap Arthyr
 quickstart guide

8
 WHAT IS THE WINTER KING?

What Is The Winter King?

t is an epic alternate history, drawing inspi- dred did not die alongside Arthur. Instead, he is alive and

I
ration from millennia of Arthurian myths. well and wearing the crown that once belonged to his father.
Camelot has fallen. Mordred reigns as king. Mordred now rules Britannia as High King from his throne
Excalibur has been shattered into pieces, and in the city of Venta Belgarum. His is a Kingdom of Winter.
the Knights of the Round Table have all pe- Mordred’s mother, Queen Morgawse, has forged a te-
rished or vanished. Every ideal that our High King – Arthur rrible pact with long-forgotten gods, bolstering her son’s
Pendragon – once championed has been extinguished in this rule with her formidable dark magic, earning her the title of
Dark Britannia. Queen of Air and Darkness. And so the Otherworld seeps
But you will battle to achieve victory against the odds. into Britannia, spawning an array of monstrosities – the
You embody the next generation, inheriting the bloodline undead, spectres, and other nightmarish creatures roam the
and bravery of the old heroes and heroines of the Round island. With Queen Morgawse ruling the north, Mordred
Table. You will defy the tyranny and oppression of Mordred dominating the south, the Saxons wreaking havoc in the east,
and his mother, Morgawse – Queen of Air and Darkness. and the Welsh chieftains at each other’s throats in the war-
You are warriors, scholars, sorcerers, druids, bards… Mi- torn west, this is Dark Britannia.
ght you one day earn the privilege to call yourselves knights? As the title suggests, this is a game of dark fantasy. It is
fantasy because while it is grounded in historical reality – the
collapse of the Roman Empire – the narrative intertwines
with folklore and legend. Saxon warriors, Brythonic priests,
WHAT IS A ROLEPLAYING GAME? and Welsh hunters cross paths with fairies, enchanted forests,
A roleplaying game (RPG), such as The Winter King, bridges made of swords, castles rooted in the Otherworld,
is an immersive exercise in collective imagination. It horned deities, and even dragons. And it is dark because the
entails embarking on adventures with companions, co- world forged by Mordred and Morgawse is steeped in shad-
llaboratively shaping the narrative through shared deci- ows, where the dead rise from their graves to serve their for-
sion-making. One participant assumes the role of game mer foes; where creatures of blood and lightning roam the
master, while the others play as protagonists. When skies and punish any who stray from safety; where sacred
confronted with uncertainty, the roll of dice, coupled sanctuaries dwindle amidst encroaching peril. Dark Bri-
with a character’s Abilities, determines the outcome. tannia teeters on the brink of eternal darkness, as both the
The best way to understand how it works is to simply High King and the Queen of Air and Darkness harbour a
play a game. However, for those who would like to get a singular ambition: to obliterate Arthur’s legacy – Camelot,
better idea beforehand, there are plenty of sample games the Round Table, Avalon, the champions of the Kingdom
to watch on the Shadowlands YouTube channel. of Summer and their descendants. Those erstwhile paladins
of light must now adopt disguises and conceal themselves to
stay alive.
Ultimately, the extent of the fantasy’s darkness is de-
termined by the collective narrative forged by those seated
The Stories in The Winter King around the gaming table. Some tables may tread a sinister
Welcome to Dark Britannia. Arthur has fallen, and the King- and macabre path, where characters are beset by storms,
dom of Summer has died with him, marking the end of a uto- haunted by spectres, bereft of refuge. Conversely, others may
pian era. Under the rule of the High King, the Isle of the revel in the epic grandeur of the world, where heroes engage
Mighty had stood as a beacon in the chaos that followed the in titanic struggles, surmount divine challenges, and uphold
collapse of the Roman Empire. Arthur, Guinevere, Merlin, the beacon of light against encroaching darkness. The spirit
and the Knights of the Round Table had established a realm of The Winter King is that of a lost utopia, a world lamenting
of justice and tranquillity, warding off war and affliction, the fact that any point in the past was better than this terrible
yielding bountiful harvests. present. And indeed, nothing could be truer.
Alas, the Kingdom of Summer lies in ruins. As the tra-
ditional stories recount, Arthur met his end fighting his son
Mordred in Camlann. But in this version of the legend, Mor-

9
 quickstart guide

A New Generation of Heroes THE BLOODLINE OF BENOIC

Following the clash at Camlann, those who defied Mor- Hailing from the lost Armorican kingdom of Benoic,
dred, who remained faithful to Arthur and became the royal lineage of Benoic found sanctuary in Britannia
stewards of the Kingdom of Summer’s memory, were after their homeland fell to the Franks, portending the
relentlessly tracked down and slaughtered. The few who fall of Britannia to the Saxons. This bloodline included
survived have vanished, their names – Bors, Tristan, Lancelot, prince of Benoic, who would come to embody
Aneurin, Morgan le Fay, and Nimue – mere whispers, Arthur’s government and the Kingdom of Summer.
for revealing their whereabouts could spell a fate wor- His bastard brother, Hector, and his cousins, Bors
se than death. and Lionel, also became pillars of support for the
And yet, despite all their efforts, Mor- High King. The family’s distrust of Mor-
dred and Morgawse have not managed to dred and Morgawse long predated Bri-
extinguish the light of Britannia comple- tannia’s descent into darkness. After the
tely. Hiding in remote regions, wandering calamity of Camlann, the family decided
the wilds of the west or the north, or holed to remain in Britannia and preserve the me-
up in distant monasteries, the descendants of the mory of Camelot. Their blood is intertwined with
warriors who served the Kingdom of Summer bide the fairies of the Broceliande Forest and they excel
their time, ready to rise up and lift their swords – or as minstrels, leaders, noble lords, prophets and sor-
their voices in spell and song – to confront the dar- cerers. Members of the Benoic bloodline relish the
kness. pleasure of company and the adoration of admirers.
These heroes shall be your characters – the chil-
dren, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and allies of THE BLOODLINE OF WALES
Arthur’s champions. They carry within them the Descended from King Pellinore of Gwynedd, Lord of
bloodlines of Lancelot, Perceval, Gawain, Culhwch, Cymru, who was one of Arthur’s most loyal support-
Kay, and even the Lady of the Lake. From their midst ers from the moment he pulled Uther Pendragon’s
shall emerge heroes, anointed by destiny, will, or di- sword from the stone into which Merlin had sunk it
vine providence. Thus, the player characters in The years before. Pellinore’s sons, Lamorak, Aglovale and
Winter King shall always be hailed as The Heroes. For Percival, and his daughter, Dindrane, became some
that is what they are: the courageous few who have of the High King’s closest allies. All knew that their
chosen to fight against fear and damnation, who hold destinies were entwined with Arthur’s. Even before
the seeds of the Kingdom of Summer in their hearts, the Battle of Camlann, they had crossed swords with
even if many are too young to have experienced it for Morgawse, and her subsequent actions only fanned
themselves. the flames of their hatred. The Welsh clan’s fervent
And maybe, just maybe, they are Britannia’s grea- desire to defeat the Queen of Air and Darkness – and
test hope. her accursed son – borders on obsession. Bound by
Among these heroes, four primary bloodlines blood to the kings of the Holy Grail and to their quest
stand resolute, driven by an unyielding determination for that sacred object, the minds of the Welsh clan
to confront and defeat Mordred and Morgawse. have always flirted with madness, and so it continues
to this day as they strive against the turmoil of Dark
THE BLOODLINE OF LOTHIAN Britannia.
Descended from the once formidable King Lot of Lo-
thian and the Orkneys, whose sons defied their father THE BLOODLINE OF AELLE
to take their places at the Round Table and fight besi- Not all Arthur’s allies were Britons. Not all Saxons
de Arthur, this bloodline embodies the noble virtues fought for Cerdic at Camlann. Years earlier, after Ar-
of the Kingdom of Summer. The names of each of the thur had defeated the Saxons at the Battle of Mount
four princes of Lothian – Gawain, Agravain, Gaheris Badon, many of the barbarian tribes who had come
and Gareth – are etched in history and legend. While from the continent – including Angles, Saxons, Jutes,
their descendants share blood ties with Morgawse and and Frisians – took up the banner of Bretwalda Aelle
Mordred, their allegiance to the light fuels their re- and pledged their allegiance to the Kingdom of Sum-
lentless opposition to the encroaching darkness. From mer. There were Saxons on both sides at Camlann,
warriors to priests, bards to hunters, the descendants of but to this day, many still bear the banner of Aelle and
Lothian stand among the fiercest adversaries to the evil remain steadfast in their opposition to King Mordred
forces of Dark Britannia. and his Saxon ally, Cerdic. Above all else, they detest

10
 WHAT IS THE WINTER KING?

the darkness imposed on the land by Queen Morgawse. The the ruins of Dinas Emrys are just some of the locations
songs might not remember Arthur’s Saxon warriors, but even that the heroes might visit in Wales. Yet, beneath its sur-
today, there are Saxon shamans, warriors and explorers who face lies a simmering conflict, as factions vie for control
remain faithful to the memory of Aelle. They are ready to and the memory of a lost kingdom drives some to rebel
take up arms to defend the ideals of Camelot – against their against Mordred’s tyranny.
fellow Saxons if need be – no matter how much blood must
be shed. LOTHIAN AND THE ORKNEYS
Many claim that King Lot was a Pict from the Orkneys
who gained control of Lothian (the land formerly known
Kingdoms of Winter as Gododdin, realm of the Votadini) through cunning
Dark Britannia has fallen into shadow. From the cliffs of and betrayal. The kingdom of Lothian, its capital in Dun
the Saxon shore in the east to the rugged wilds of Wales in Eidyn, encompasses the land between the two Roman
the west; and from the wide southern plains to the craggy bulwarks – Hadrian’s Wall and the Antonine Wall. It in-
northern coasts. But the Darkness extends beyond earthly cludes the ancient and magical Celyddon Forest, where
Britannia, reaching into the realms of the Otherworld. At Merlin sought refuge after the death of his beloved Ga-
places like the Hanging Stones, Avalon, Celyddon Forest, nieda, and where Arthur fought the Great Boar, Twrch
the peaks of Eryri, and other mysterious sites where an- Trwyth. The Orkneys are a group of islands off the coast.
cient stone monuments stand as silent witnesses to for- To some, they are merely stone crags; to others, they are
gotten times, the boundaries between worlds blur. The sacred. After Lot’s death, Gawain chose to keep his place
wise tread carefully amidst mushroom circles and enchan- at the Round Table, so Agravain ruled these lands as stew-
ted streams, wary of the reflections of willows, oaks, and ard. The Orkneys now serve as the personal domain of
hazels in the calm waters of lakes. The brave may seek aid Lot’s wife, Queen Morgawse. The mound of Maes Howe
from gods and kings who dwell in the Otherworld, but is her centre of power, and no one in their right mind
they must beware, for allies of the Queen of Air and Dar- would approach it unless they intended to kneel before
kness lurk in those shadowed realms as well. the queen. Some say that the true power of Britannia has
always been found in Lothian and Wales, and perhaps
VENTA BELGARUM there is some truth to that claim.
Located in the south, it was a vital hub of trade during
Roman times when its privileged position gave it domin- CAMELOT
ion over land and sea routes. Today, it is the capital and Once the heart of the Summer Kingdom, Camelot has
stronghold of Mordred, the usurper king determined to been reduced to a haunted wasteland, testament to the
erase the memory of Camelot. Here, Mordred gathers his triumph of darkness over light. King Arthur’s Palace,
forces – loyal Britons, Saxon guards, and fierce Pictish St. Stephen’s Cathedral, the Forest of the Ancient Gods,
warriors from beyond The Antonine Wall. Probably the the Great Hall of the Round Table… all lie in ruins. The
most important city in Britannia, Venta Belgarum may Queen of Air and Darkness cast the most terrible of curses
also be the only one that recalls what Rome once meant on this place, and the dead of Camlann who fell fighting
to the Isles of Britannia. But it is also the icy heart of the for Arthur have risen from the blighted ground to become
Kingdom of Winter, and the second most dangerous the malevolent guardians of this desolate place, under the
place for the descendants of Arthur’s warriors to venture. command of the undead King Rience. In an insult to the
memory of the Summer Kingdom and the Round Table,
WALES many of the warriors who gave rise to Britannia’s most
A land unto itself. Arthur never actually defeated the noble bloodlines now stalk Camelot’s thorny wasteland
Welsh in battle. Instead, from the times of Pellinore, as servants of Darkness, alongside all manner of undead
they had accepted his rule. Today, many lords of Wales creatures and malicious spectres.
claim that they had never kneeled before the High King,
although others would remark that they never stood RHEGED
against him either. Wales is a mosaic of small kingdoms Amidst the chaos of Dark Britannia, the realm of Rheged
and realms where pre-Roman and pagan traditions per- stands as a beacon of resistance against Mordred’s tyran-
sist. From the fertile lands of Dyfed to the pirate-infested ny. Once, this kingdom counted itself among Arthur’s
Demetian Coast and the snow-capped highlands of Eryri enemies. King Urien fought alongside Lot of Lothian
in Gwynedd, Wales is a land of diverse landscapes and against the High King. But Urien came to accept Arthur,
hidden wonders. Magical places like the Grail Castle and marrying his sister, Morgan le Fay. Urien has long since

11
 quickstart guide

died, and Morgan le Fay went on to become Lady of the

Lake after Vivienne’s death, but Rheged has remained
faithful to the Summer Kingdom. After Camlann, Urien
and Morgan le Fay’s son Owain – known as the Knight of
the Lion – withdrew to Caer Lial. There, with the aid of
his wife, Lady Lawdys, and the sorceress Lunette, Owain
rallied his forces to defend Rheged against Mordred’s re-
lentless onslaught. Owain then relocated his capital to
Eboracum. During the last twenty years, Owain has made
Rheged one of the few places where those loyal to Arthur
can find refuge. It is known to all that Lord Bedivere, one
of the warriors closest to Arthur – and he who cast Ex-
calibur’s remains into the lake to keep it from Mordred
and Morgawse – now rules Caer Lial, keeping watch over
Hadrian’s Wall. There may be other survivors of Camlann
guarding the kingdom’s borders… for much vigilance is
needed. Everyone knows that Rheged is a realm under
siege, caught between Mordred’s anvil and Morgawse’s
hammer. Only time will tell if Rheged can withstand the
darkness that threatens to consume Britannia.

12
 QUICK REFERENCE RULES

Quick Reference Rules

ere you’ll find a quick reference guide to the ru- × DEDUCTION: Drawing conclusions from data (Spe-

H
les of The Winter King. It doesn’t cover all the cialities: Archives, Orientation, Tracking…).
mechanics included in the Corebook, but it will
help you play your first games. Combat
× FIGHTING: Melee fighting, armed or unarmed.
× RANGED WEAPONS: Use of bows or thrown wea-
Task Resolution pons.
A player character (PC) in The Winter King is defined by five
General Abilities and two Combat Abilities, which will Difficulties
determine most of the rolls in the game. If the game master decides that there are external factors that
When there is uncertainty about the outcome of what could alter the chance of success, they may add or subtract
you’re trying to do, roll the dice to test one of these Abili- dice from the player’s roll. Factors to consider include time
ties. In The Winter King, only six-sided dice (referred to as ‘d’ constraints, the difficulty of the action, the attitude of the
from now on) are used. Roll the number of dice indicated by person the character is interacting with, and so on.
your Ability. Don’t add up the results; read each die indivi- If the difficulty reduces the dice to 0d, the player can still
dually. Each 5 counts as a success, and each 6 counts as two try but will need a lot of luck. In such cases, roll 2d and keep
successes. If you have at least one success, you achieve what the worst result.
you set out to do. Each additional success can enhance the
result of your action.
Additionally, each of the five General Abilities may have Difficulty Roll
associated Specialities; these are actions that your character Easy Task Roll +1d / +2d
excels at. If what you’re trying to do falls within one of your Difficult task Roll -1d / -2d
Specialities, you can roll any dice that did not yield successes Extremely difficult task Roll -4d
one more time.
Combat Abilities do not have Specialities. Instead, they
have Masteries, which unlock special mechanics for your PC.
These are included in the Corebook. EXAMPLE ROLL
Gwendolen tries to convince one of Mordred’s guards
THE SEVEN ABILITIES that she is not the rebel they seek. Her Charisma is level 3,
These are the Abilities that define your character. In paren- so she rolls 3d and gets 1, 4 and 5. One success is enough
theses, we indicate some of the most common Specialities for to make the guard leave her alone, although he might re-
each, if they have them: member her face later.
The game master may determine that, since there is an
General active search for Gwendolen underway, the guard has been
× STRENGTH: Physical power, endurance, stamina, and given a description of her, making her task more difficult
anything related to pushing your body (Specialities: Feats and reducing her Charisma roll by 2d. Left with just one
of strength, Resistance, Climbing, Speed…). die, she rolls a 3: failure.
× DEXTERITY: Balance, stealth, hand-eye coordination If Gwendolen has the Deception Speciality, she can re-
(Specialities: Discretion, Acrobatics, Lockpicking, Sleight roll. If she does so and gets a 6, she’s achieved two successes
of hand…). and the guard will walk away without giving her a second
× WISDOM: Knowledge accumulated by the character glance.
(Specialities: Detecting lies, Streetwise, Cartography, Po-
litics, Religion…).
× CHARISMA: Anything that involves influencing other
people or beings (Specialities: Oratory, Persuasion, De-
ception, Intimidation...).

13
 quickstart guide

OTHER RELEVANT RULES FOR TASK RESOLUTION if the character receives the information and to what extent,
Opposed Rolls always adhering to logic and rewarding clever ideas.
Each contender rolls as many dice as their level in the Ability
they are using, potentially rerolling if they have Specialities.
Whoever gets more successes wins, with a tie resulting in nei- Combat
ther side achieving their goal. A conflict in The Winter King unfolds as a series of combat
turns where two or more sides pursue competing interests.
Extended Rolls Each player character (PC) acts once per turn, with timing
A task may not be able to be accomplished “all at once”, due determined by their Initiative score, as detailed below (the
to its magnitude or complexity. In this case, the game master values of which will already be noted in your Character
must determine how many separate successful rolls are nee- Sheet):
ded to consider this task completed. Any “extra successes”
will allow this task to be completed faster than previously
assumed.
If it makes it easier, you may think of extended rolls in What are you attempting? Initiative
terms of “it requires X number of successes”, and make the Engaging in melee combat? Initiative = Dexterity
player roll as many successive turns as may be needed in order + Fighting
to achieve that number of successes. Opting for ranged combat? Initiative = Dexterity
+ Ranged Weapons
Chain Rolls
You can make one action influence another in a variety of Was your ranged weapon Initiative = Dexterity
ready at the start of the + Ranged Weapons
ways, depending on the goal you seek. There are three ways turn? +2
to invest the extra successes in a roll (i.e. all successful rolls
beyond the first) to boost the next roll: Performing a non-combat Initiative = Dexterity x 2
action?
× QUALITY: Any successes from the first action
are added as extra dice in the second. For example, Casting magic? Initiative = Dexterity x 2
examining armour with Wisdom before repairing it In case of a tie? PCs always act before
with Dexterity. NPCs
× SPEED: The first roll’s successes set the maximum
number of dice you can roll for the second. For exam-
ple, when combining two actions in a single combat
turn, like leaping behind cover with Dexterity before COMBAT CHOREOGRAPHY
shooting your bow with Ranged Weapons. A combat sequence initiates when one character attacks ano-
× HINDRANCE: The first roll’s successes subtract ther. On a combatant’s Initiative turn, they may take a delibe-
dice from the second. For example, distracting a rate action and move up to 7 metres. They can do this in any
soldier with Charisma to hinder his Combat action order they choose: moving and then performing the action,
against your ally. performing the action and then moving, or performing the
action while moving.
PERCEPTION ROLLS A combatant targeted by an opponent’s Melee Attack
In traditional roleplaying games, characters possess scores in (see next section) must choose how to react, effectively ta-
‘passive skills’, which are not triggered by the character but by king their Initiative turn at that moment. Consequently,
the game master. These skills primarily serve for player cha- characters with low Initiative are often limited to reacting to
racters to gather information, with examples like Perception faster opponents.
or Listen.
In The Winter King, we prefer these situations not to rely
on dice rolls but rather on the game master’s discretion based
on the narrative’s value. The decision of whether characters
hear a noise or not hinges on what makes more sense or adds
greater dramatic impact to the story.
If a player attempts to use one of these passive skills (e.g.,
‘I approach the door, put my ear to it, and listen to what’s
happening inside’), it is up to the game master to determine

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WHAT IS THE WINTER KING?

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 quickstart guide

MELEE ATTACKS by another opponent) rolls 2d fewer in each successive en-

A combatant within 7 metres of an opponent can opt for a gagement, cumulatively. This means that in the second en-
melee attack as their deliberate action. The target responds gagement of the same turn they would roll 2d fewer, in the
with an opposed roll. Both choose from the following ma- third they would roll 4d fewer, and so on. If this results in 0
noeuvres: dice or a negative number, refer to the ‘Difficulties’ section.
× DAMAGE: Fight roll. If you succeed, you deal the However, regardless of how many engagements a character
Damage indicated by your weapon. may have, they can only choose the Damage manoeuvre once
× DEFEND: Can only be used as a reaction to aggres- per turn.
sion. Fight roll and, if desired, reroll as many dice
as your Fighting value. If you succeed, you take no ADVANTAGE POINTS
Damage. If you outperform your opponent in an opposed combat roll,
× SHOVE: Fight roll. If you succeed, you displace the you will cause the intended effect, according to your chosen
target a distance (in metres) equal to half your Stren- manoeuvre. And what are additional successes used for? Ad-
gth. If the target collides with something solid, it ditional successes in opposed combat rolls grant Advantage
takes half your Strength value in non-lethal Damage Points, which can be used as follows:
(see ‘Damage’ section).
× INCAPACITATE: Fight roll –1d. If you succeed,
roll for non-lethal Damage. Reroll odd-numbered USE 1 ADVANTAGE POINT TO:
dice. Only mark Incapacitation (see ‘Damage’ sec- × Gain Initiative against the same opponent
tion). next turn.
× Add 1d to the next opposed Fight roll against
MULTIPLE ATTACKS the same opponent.
A character who has more than one engagement per turn × Allow an ally to add 1d to their Fight roll
(e.g., they have attacked an enemy and then been attacked against the same enemy.
× Add ½ metre to a successful Shove result.
× Add 1 die to the Damage roll.

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 QUICK REFERENCE RULES

RANGED ATTACKS pacitation box is filled, non-lethal Damage can render a cha-
Upon reaching their Initiative turn, a combatant more than racter unconscious, but it won’t kill them unless odd-num-
5 metres away from any opponent can opt for a ranged at- bered Vitality boxes are already marked off from Damage
tack. They select a target and roll dice equal to their Ranged received previously.
Weapons value.
The game master may add or subtract dice based on fac- INCAPACITATION TRACK
tors such as distance, cover, and visibility (see the ‘Difficul- This track contains four unnumbered boxes.
ties’ section above). The Incapacitation Track doesn’t measure how close
If at least one roll is successful, the Damage indicated by you are to dying, but rather your ability to keep fighting and
the weapon is dealt. Every additional success aside from the enduring. Mark off one box for each even number on the
first one will allow you to add 1d to the Damage value. Damage dice. If all boxes are marked, the character is inca-
pacitated.
Shooting at a Target Engaged in Melee Combat
When shooting at multiple individuals grappling, the player VITALITY AND INCAPACITATION FOR NPCS
should roll to hit as normal. If successful, randomly deter- Some adversaries in The Lay of the Green Knight have Vitality
mine who suffers the Damage, with equal chances for all. If multipliers. The weakest may have a Vitality of x0.5, meaning
any combatant is Massive (see next page), each point of Mas- that they only have four Vitality boxes (1-2, 3-4, 5 and 6)
siveness increases their chances of being hit. For example, if and two Incapacitation boxes, while the most formidable
a human PC is grappling with a Massive 1 creature, there’s a may have a Vitality of x1.5, totalling twelve Vitality boxes
two in three chance that the creature will be hit, and a one in and six Incapacitation boxes. In the corebook you will find
three chance that the human will be hit. even tougher monsters, with a Vitality of x2 or higher.

Damage Protection
Once an attack has landed, it’s time to determine the wound ARMOUR
inflicted. Each weapon specifies the number of Damage dice Putting layers of protection between you and your enemy is a
to roll. If fighting unarmed, only 1d is rolled. good way to increase your chances of survival. The most com-
To interpret the Damage roll, consider each die sepa- mon type of armour in The Winter King is flexible armour,
rately and mark the corresponding boxes on the Character such as leather and chainmail, which directly subtracts Da-
Sheet’s two registers. mage from the opponent’s roll before it is made, typically -1d
or -2d.
VITALITY TRACK There is also rigid armour, which includes breastplates
This track contains eight numbered boxes: 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, and full armour. This type of armour reduces the strength of
5, 6. an attack while adding an extra Resistance Track, which wor-
When a Damage die matches a number, mark off the ks like Incapacitation. However, if all the armour’s Resistance
corresponding box. If it’s already marked, disregard it as a boxes are depleted, the protection will become a hindrance.
minor wound or a previously damaged area. When all boxes From then on, all Incapacitation Damage is doubled (Vitali-
are marked off, the character dies. ty Damage continues to function normally).
Penalty for Wounds: Once a character is injured, they
cannot roll any more dice than the highest unmarked num- SHIELDS
ber on the Vitality Track. For instance, if the 6 box is marked, Shields subtract -1d from incoming Damage, added to the
they cannot roll more than five dice, and so on. armour’s reduction. However, using a shield leaves the cha-
Trauma: Some weapons have a Trauma value, typically racter off balance. In their next turn, the PC may only choose
6, which means that they cause severe wounds. Attacks made the Defend manoeuvre.
with such weapons directly mark that Trauma number off
the Vitality Track, as well as one Incapacitation Track box (if
it is an even number). Since Trauma values act as extra Dama-
ge points, remember to mark Damage rolls as usual.
Non-Lethal Damage: Unarmed attacks cause non-le-
thal Damage. The Damage roll is carried out as usual, but
only even results are considered, marking both the Vitality
and Incapacitation boxes simultaneously. If the entire Inca-

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 Massive Opponents makes a ranged weapon more likely to hit it, so add as many
Any creatures significantly larger than humans possess the dice to the roll as the creature’s Massiveness value.
Massive characteristic, indicated by a numerical value. Sub- In melee combat, the creature adds as many dice to its
tract this value from Capacity, Manoeuvre, or Damage rolls Damage roll as its Massiveness value.
targeting the creature. You can use the following table as a reference:
The exception to this rule is when attempting to hit a
Massive creature with a ranged weapon. The target’s large size

MASSIVE OPPONENT TABLE

MASSIVENESS VALUE CREATURE/OBJECT

Non-Massive Person, wolf, door
Massive 1 Horse, bear, wardrobe
Massive 2 Giant boar, large wagon
Massive 3 Twrch Trwyth, the Howling Beast, peasant’s hut
Massive 4 Dragon, giant, wealthy merchant’s house

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 QUICK REFERENCE RULES

EXAMPLE OF COMBAT
Selwyn, a seasoned warrior, and Deochan, a skilled hunter, are up against two undead knights corrupted by Morgawse’s dark
magic. The companions’ quest hangs in the balance as they fight for their survival.

Turn 1 The spectral knight rolls 5d: three for his sword’s base
Selwyn is unyielding. Her Dexterity value of 3 and Fighting Damage value, and two for his Advantage Points. He could
value of 4 combine to give her an Initiative of 7. She acts use the Advantage Points for another purpose, like gaining
first, choosing to move and strike one of the undead with her Initiative, but the undead are not known for their strategic
sword in a Damage manoeuvre. She rolls 4d – correspon- thinking. Selwyn is protected by rigid armour, so -2d are
ding with her Fighting value – but is not too lucky this time, subtracted from the roll. Result: 2, 3 and 6. Selwyn marks
getting 1,3,3 and 5: just one success. Her elusive opponent off three boxes on her Vitality Track, including the 6, mea-
rolls 2d for his Fighting value and gets a 4 and 5, meaning ning that she won’t be able to roll more than 5 dice until she
that they tie. Their weapons clash, with neither fighter pre- has healed. And, because she obtained two even numbers,
vailing. she must also mark off two boxes on her armour’s Resistance
Deochan has a Dexterity value of 2 and a Ranged Wea- Track (though thanks to her armour she won’t have to mark
pons value of 2, but he readied one of his javelins before the off any Incapacitation boxes).
fight, so he can add +2 to his Initiative for a total of 6. He
sets his sights on the opponent, who has not yet engaged, and Turn 2
hurls his javelin. He can roll 2d for his Ranged Weapons va- Once again, Selwyn is the first to act. Determined to finish
lue, and the game master allows him to add another 1d as off her wounded foe, she opts for the Shove manoeuvre. She
his target is out in the open and running in a straight line rolls her Fighting 4d and gets 3 successes (and 3 Advantage
(showing the disregard for self-preservation typical of the un- Points) against 0 from the enemy. She displaces the oppo-
dead). Deochan gets a result of 2,5 and 6: a very good hit of nent 1.5 metres (half Selwyn’s Strength value). She decides
three successes. to save the Advantage Points for later.
It’s time to roll for Damage. 2d are rolled for the weapon’s Deochan is out of javelins, so he takes his spear and
base Damage value. Another 2d are added for the two ad- charges into melee combat. He uses a Damage manoeuvre
ditional successes achieved. The result is 1,5,5 and 6. Three against the undead knight who was just pushed by Selwyn,
of the opponent’s Vitality boxes are marked off (discounting rolling 2d for his Fighting value. Selwyn uses her 2 Advan-
the repeated 5), as is one Incapacitation box (since there’s only tage Points to aid her companion, adding 2d to their attack
one even number, the 6). The being is wounded but remains against their unbalanced opponent. The hunter gets two
a threat. successes, while his opponent, who responds with -2d due to
The undead knights have a Dexterity value of 2 and a it being his second encounter of the turn, again gets 0 succes-
Fighting value of 2, making their Initiative value 4. The first ses. The Damage roll yields an even number, so the undead
has already used his deliberate action to react to Selwyn, so warrior’s second Incapacitation box is marked off. Since he
cannot act. The second undead knight charges at Selwyn with is a minor enemy with 0.5 Vitality he is now out of the fight.
a Damage manoeuvre. Since Selwyn has already acted this Deochan’s spear pierces the creature’s corrupted flesh, doing
turn, she must opt to Defend, subtracting -2d from her roll. severe damage.
The undead gets 3 and 6 (two successes) and Selwyn gets 1 One undead warrior remains standing, but his chances
and 4 (no successes). Our PC must prepare to receive Dama- against these heroic opponents are slim indeed…
ge, while her opponent generates two Advantage Points in
Melee Attacks (one for each roll, unlike with Ranged Attacks).

19
 nitude, the more powerful the magic, and the higher the toll
on the spellcaster’s body (see next section).
The Winter King: Corebook includes rules for crafting
your own spells on the fly by combining Actions and Targets.

MAGIC FATIGUE TRACK

This track contains six unnumbered boxes.
Manipulating the energies required to perform mag-
ic takes a toll on the body. This is represented in the Magic
Magic Fatigue Track. Each time a magic practitioner rolls a 5 or 6
Magic exists in Dark Britannia, with diverse cultures harnes- when casting a spell, they must mark off a box in their Magic
sing it in a variety of ways. There are Welsh druids, Saxon Fatigue Track. Some Scholars or magic creatures only cross
shamans, Christian miracle workers, sorcerers of high magic, out boxes when they roll a 6, but such cases are rare.
and so on. Each magic tradition yields distinct effects, but all If you should mark off a Magic Fatigue box, but can’t,
magicians essentially derive their powers from similar sour- mark off the box with the lowest value still available in your
ces. Every magical effect results from performing an Arcane Vitality Track instead. If that box is an even number, mark
Action and directing it towards a Target. off a box in your Incapacitation Track as well.
On the pre-generated Character Sheets you’ll find a list When all your Magic Fatigue boxes have been marked
of spells and their effects, including the number of dice that off, you can no longer invoke magic. All boxes are recovered
must be rolled for each spell, as well as their Action and Tar- at dawn after a night’s rest.
get values. As with Ability rolls, a 5 indicates success, while Overexertion: You can voluntarily mark off Magic Fa-
a 6 indicates two successes. The number of successes in a roll tigue boxes to enhance a spell. Add one die to cast the spell
determines the Magnitude of the spell. The greater the Mag- for each box marked off.

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 rules you’ll find in the corebook

Rules You’ll Find

in the Corebook
In this Quick Start Guide we’ve outlined the basics of The Winter King system. This should be enough for your first test games.
However, in the Corebook you’ll find advanced game mechanics for resolving complex situations and adding greater richness
to your adventures, including:

× BLOODLINE POWERS: The protagonists of The × JOUSTING RULES: What would a story of chivalry
Winter King have inherited abilities from the heroes of be without the spectacle of two worthy contenders test-
yore, meaning they can invoke powers beyond the reach ing their skills with a lance? We’ve created detailed me-
of normal humans. To do so, however, they must adhere chanics for replicating a jousting tournament, including
to the code of conduct of their bloodline. rules for determining which way the crowd’s favour is
× MASTERIES: These are skills associated with different leaning.
types of weapons, marking the difference between an ac- × RULES FOR BIG BATTLES: Relentless sieges,
complished warrior and someone wielding a sword for pitched battles, and charging armies. These are all an es-
the first time. sential part of the Arthurian myth and play a prominent
× NEW USES FOR ADVANTAGE POINTS: Make role in The Winter King, which uses a system designed to
your successes more spectacular with special manoeuvres give prominence to the Heroes while the conflict rages
that require 2, 3, or 4 Advantage Points. around them.
× LIMITLESS MAGIC: More spells, more examples,
and a magic system that allows you to craft your own
spells on the fly… assuming your body can pay the price.

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