I really like the Oath from Mythic Bastionland:
These are the statements the PC knights live and die by. It’s how they move through the world. The group has instant pursuits. Do any one of these things next and something interesting is basically guaranteed to happen. It’s the equivalent of all that session-zero-nonsense (”Are we a team? What’s our goal? What do we DO?”) boiled down in three statements (of three words each, the artistry here makes me cry tears of joy). What’s your alignment? THE OATH. Why are we together? THE OATH. What are we here to do? FULFILL THE OATH. What if we were to apply this to other games? Specifically, what does this look like for Electric Bastionland? Is there any social contract that can keep these rag-tag hooligans together? Something more than treasures? Debt might be the starting point, but there needs to be some transcendent purpose besides loot, something we can criticise D&D for all day. That, and murder, I suppose. So tackling debt is still the main obejctive in EB, just as seeking the myths is the cornerstone of MB. As knights, you’re there to be part of the story of the world. As treasure hunters, you’re after the treasure, the stuff that can set you free. But after that? There’s still more treasure to get, I suppose... But what beyond that? By word of McDowall, the debt is only a starting point after which the adventure is fueled by the entanglements we made along the way. That’s the intent anyway. In practice, my players stop caring once they check that big, big box (i cri). I think this is the experience of most playgroups in EB. And yet in Mythic Bastionland, there’s no checkbox. You keep going. There are more myths to seek, seers to honour, realms to protect. And if you don’t like it, you’re not playing MB anymore, go play something else. Mythic IS the Oath. While think about how this could work in Electric Bastionland, I’ve also been reading Stephen Lawhead’s retelling of Robin Hood. In his telling, the protagonist prince Bran (the soon-to-be titular Hood) suffers calamity: his king-father is murdered and he is sent on the run by invaders. His only way back to reclaim his throne is to BUY the title for more money than he’s ever seen. He transforms into the leader of renegades, King Raven, and loots the invaders to work off this debt. Along the way, he gifts necessities to his impoverished people and explores the forest wilderness, making it his new home. I see themes from this version of Hood and our treasure hunting PCs of Bastion. So here are the three “Oaths” I came to, with explanations to follow:
GET THE GOODSThe first oath. I like ‘goods’ more than ‘loot’ or ‘treasure’ because alliteration and it feels more thematic to city weirdos than dungeon dwellers. Plus it’s fun to shout across a battlefield. Do it right now and tell me that doesn’t feel... goooood. It’s a command, an imperative, a repetitious phrase and it just gels well. It aligns with the original purpose of EB (clear your debt) but goes beyond that after the debt is cleared. ‘Get the goods’ may be what the hunters tell each other after a successful mission as reminder to grab some grub. Or yelled when a precious orb clatters across the planks of a pirate ship. Or said mirthfully before diving into a den of vice. It’s the pursuit of value, beauty, and dopamine.
Not much else to say as it doesn’t deviate far from the intent of the source material. AID THE UNLUCKYServe others. This is the purpose beyond clearing debt that adventurers can latch on to. Because my inversion stated earlier about what we made along the way is about FRIENDS, not entanglements. It’s something I was grasping at with the Happy Helpers supplement: connection, relationships, community. Being there to help others is EB’s version of ‘Protect the Realm’. Because no PC has an attachment to the city of Bastion itself, but its PEOPLE. I like ‘unlucky’ more than ‘poor’ or ‘downtrodden’ because EB is more about struggling circumstances than struggling classes. See the failed careers that are noticeably bourgeois. So the reason you’re an adventurer is due to a setback (or series of setbacks) and doesn’t directly dictate the contacts or resources you have access to. You’re not (explicitly) oppressed either. This isn’t like Skorne where you’re rebelling against big bad tyrant or freeing slaves from some Conan-style cult. So you are, like many others in this overgrown town, unlucky. But you’re getting back on your feet. (The dirty secret is that everyone is unlucky is some way due to thrownness, but it’s up to the group to act on that how they see fit.)
This oath is about being basically kind and investing in the world (ie its folks). You’re not beating up homeless people. You might target snobby people in high position to give to the poor (and help yourself, why not). This is stopping the treasure hunt to help some little guy with their little person problems. Old man can’t stand the racket going on upstairs? Aid the unlucky. Oh, it’s a gang of drug dealers make havoc? Aid the unlucky (whatever that means here). Oh, the leader is a BIG jerk with dad problems and a hard upbringing? Aid the unlucky. Did you give the old man a pair of noise-cancelling headphones? Or help him move to another borough? Or destroy the gang so they stop bothering the old guy? Or help the gang leader with his issues? I dunno, but sounds like you’ll have a story to tell after all this aiding unlucky people. Can this oath be in tension with the first oath? You bet your Malcolm Reynolds. In Firefly, the crew is faced several times with the decision to get paid or do the right thing and help someone in an unlucky rut. And they’re big damn heroes for it.
So rather than hoping you’ve fallen in love with the world after you’ve picked it clean, why not get invested early? People are the key. EXPLORE THE UNKNOWNThe third oath. The catch-all. The one where you ask, “Wait, where haven’t we gone yet? What’s out there?” Where MB has many hexes to explore, EB has a few location groups with BIG depths to explore: Bastion, Deep Country, The Underground, and (somewhat) the Living Stars. With the exception of the last one listed, these areas have principles and mapping procedures that make them so unique in feel. These DEMAND to be explored. This oath then taps into that curiosity factor that fuels those self-starter adventurers. We don’t want hobbits that settle their debts, strike it rich, and then stay indoors with their new Bastionite friends. We want the treasure hunter Tooks with that streak of restlessness. “Yeah, what the HECK is out there?” This oath is about going to dangerous places and getting into trouble. Sure, we’ll get stuff in those places and help people along the way, but don’t you want to see it all? And this isn’t limited to places, but knowledge and discovery too: “This Oddity does strangeness, let’s explore its limits!” “Alright, there’re Aliens out here and NO ONE has STUDIED THEM?” “That machine said something about a Queen Motherboard and I can’t let a name like that drop unpursued.” This is honouring the idea of Seers and the knowledge they keep but in a more Enlightenment “God helps those who help themselves” kind of way. “I want to see for myself.” Very romanticism, very Frankenstein, very swashbuckling, very Indiana Jones.
“Adventure is OUT THERE!” “Allons y!” “The road goes ever on and on!” Lastly,I’ve been calling these oaths, but let’s hone in on that. Oaths are sworn in front God and witnesses, something that binds you to your word. And words ARE actions in the middle ages, so saying something is just as though you did it. There’s no “it was just a prank” as we see lived out today. Oaths aren’t modern. But Codes are. “Keep to the Code!” The Treasure Hunter’s Code, the Explorer’s Code, the Adventurer’s Code, the Trailblazer’s Code. I haven’t landed on which one yet (ideas welcome below), but the idea is there: “these are principles we live by even if we don’t measure up.” PCs act in accordance as part of the setting buy-in. Now, for the reminder to act these out... In MB, you have the Seers who in-universe remind you of the oaths you swore. Rulers are also likely knights themselves and therefore know the oath you’ve be called to. But in EB? There’s no Mr. Boss or some other unifying character coded into the world of Bastion. No seers, saints or churches or rulers that codified the Code. So honestly this is where have a club or guild could be very useful to the DNA of the game. Something like a Treasure Hunter Guild where members abide by the Code and thereby promise to look after each other. Then you have the old granny leader or the jerk rival or the blushing fans or fellow outcasts. Found family kind of stuff. At the very least, the Code is something printed or written on the character sheet. Then when players are at a loss for what to do, simply state in your best pirate-y accent: “Keep to the Code!” Basically, do one of those things and you’ll get unstuck. But hey, do what you want at your table, ignore any advice you don’t like. They’re more like guidelines anyway.
Post-Script:I chose to discuss Electric Bastionland because it’s my go-to trad game when the adult players number more than three. Three or less? Mythic Bastionland. Children? Labyrinth Adventure Game using Adventure Hour! rules and character creation. I lead a simple life. Nowadays I play EB but for these changes from MB: Gambits, Critical Damage change (half of current VIG/STR to go down in a fight), and rolled Scars. Then I just grab an NSR/OSR-style dungeon and go for it. By the way, how RARE is it that a later entry in a series makes you go back to older entries but carry over the rules from the latest game? Speaks to the variety of flavours and ever-evolving ruleset at play here. I dig. Oh, what’s this? The Code applies to basically every heart-of-gold swashbuckling adventure story? Dungeons and Dragons session zero SOLVED? Oh, fancy that. The Story Games Sojourn blog is FREE to all. If you wanna support this work, browse my itch.io page so you also get a game out of your generosity. Contact me directly here if you have any questions or want to tell me something cool. :)
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Friday, 13 February 2026
Eliminating Session Zero with Nine Words and Swearing
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Eliminating Session Zero with Nine Words and Swearing
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