Getting Started with Burning Wheel

Burning Wheel. It could be argued it is the ultimate ttrpg. I previously wrote an article that featured BW, and it took the top spot for what I was analyzing. It’s got a lot going for it. It takes dedication and a sincere willingness of everyone at the table to really learn and understand this system that is not easy to learn. It can be intimidating.

I’ve taken it upon myself to devise a way to help both GMs and players get started playing this colossus of a game in a simple, straightforward way, just as I did previously with GURPS. Some of the biggest complaints about teaching and learning BW are “The book is a brick. I don’t know where to start or what’s essential.” “It feels like I have to learn the entire system before I can play.” Finally, players don’t realize they are supposed to drive the story. I have a plan that will sidestep the biggest issues and present information in a way that won’t overwhelm the players or the GM.

What’s the most important thing to know about Burning Wheel? Players write down what their characters want and believe in. The game gives players points for pursuing these wants. This creates the story and is how the whole game works. This is the essence of the game. That leads me to the second most important thing to know: When you fail at something, the story gets more interesting instead of stopping. Stop thinking that you need to succeed all the time to be successful. Hopefully by the end of this article you’ll know if BW is right for you or your group, and how to get started.

Finally, heads up—I earn a small commission if you buy anything through my links. No extra cost to you, and it helps support the site!

Step 1:  Learn the Essentials

As a prospective GM, don’t start by reading the whole 600+ pages, that’s nuts. Just read the Hub section. Then read it a second time focusing on dice rolls, Intent/Task/Consequence, Beliefs, Let It Ride and basic Artha. Those five things. Don’t try to memorize it, just write a cheat sheet and include guidance for writing beliefs. Think about how to explain it to your players. Be patient with yourself, you’re not devouring this like it’s McDonald’s food, it is more like a seven-course meal. One thing that BW has going for it is its elegant mechanics, which will serve you well.

Next prepare a little scenario–a situation, not a plot. Write a short paragraph that sets up a tense situation with stakes. So, for example: “The village’s food stores are missing. Winter is two weeks away. The mayor blames the outcast hunter” or “Millhaven’s harvest failed. The lord demands taxes. Merchants stopped coming. Granaries are half-empty. You return to a desperate village.” If you are struggling, you can also head to burningwheel.com for a free sample adventure, called The Sword. It’s meant for learning. Later on you could look at Twilight in the Duchy Verdorben, also free.

If it’s feasible let your players read the Hub chapter too so they have an idea of what to expect.

Step 2:  The First Session

Once you’ve drafted a short scenario you are ready for session one. Tell your players that you’ll throw situations as them but they decide what their characters care about and what they do. Say that you won’t plan a plot, your job is to react to the player’s choices. Also important is something about how success and failure work: “In Burning Wheel, failure isn’t the end. When you fail, the story gets more interesting. We’ll always talk about what happens next, not just say ‘you can’t.’”

Character creation comes next. Use the lifepath system, guide your players through each choice explaining how lifepaths, skills, traits work. This is when you introduce the four classic fantasy races and their unique lifepath options. Expect this to take 3-4 hours. Importantly each player will write three Beliefs. Here are four questions to ask: “What drives you? What action will you take? What do you risk? Who might oppose you?” The keys here are they are about the situation, about another PC, and about something in the world that intrigues them. They have to be actionable, remember. Then walk them through picking an Instinct and a couple of Traits. “What’s something your character always does automatically? And what’s a word that describes how you act under pressure?”

At this point put the Fate, Persona, and Deeds tokens on the table. Talk briefly about it, something like “Fate is for acting on Beliefs, instincts, or when your traits complicate your life in an interesting way. Persona is for hitting big character moments—when you use a Trait in a meaningful way during a roll, or achieve a major goal. Deeds are rare—moments where you risk everything or shake the whole story.” You don’t need to explain every rule. Just start awarding Artha right away, as positive feedback keeps players motivated.

Start playing with the most urgent belief. “Who wants to act on their Belief first?” Then for every action, use Intent/Task/Consequence. Award Fate for Belief challenges, acting on Instincts, or when Traits complicate things. Award Persona when Traits are used to enhance a roll in a strong, character-defining way, or when major goals are achieved. Deeds are for game-changing moments. You can do this in the moment, but Fate is usually given at session end. One example could be, “If your Stubborn trait leads you to make things worse—like refusing to compromise when it would help—you might earn a Fate point. If you use it to justify a bonus on a roll and it reflects your character in a big way, you could earn a Persona point. If you do something that truly shakes up the story—like slaying the dragon—take a Deed.” When you do finish, encourage your players to revise Beliefs that didn’t come up or didn’t feel fun. Again, be patient with yourself and with them.

Step 3:  Deepening Play

Over the next couple of months encourage your players to change or update their Beliefs once per session. If they find their character isn’t built in a way they like, let them change it. Keep tracking Artha as a kind of success indicator. Only add rules such as FoRKs, Circles, Duel of Wits, Fight! when they are needed. For instance, “You want to combine skills? That’s a FoRK—add a die. Need a contact? Let’s roll Circles.” Keep your focus on Intent/Task/Consequence and you’re doing most of the job you need to do. Just stay with Hub-centric stuff, and read about the Spokes and later Rim stuff at a reasonable pace (Hub = dice pools, Let It Ride, Intent/Task/Consequence, Beliefs, and basic Artha).

You’ll know it’s time to go beyond the Hub as soon as your table starts asking for, or stumbling over, rules that the Hub alone doesn’t cover–this may take 2-3 sessions, but it’s more likely to take 5-10 sessions. For example when players ask “How do I get better at this skill?” read Advancement. Again, you do NOT need to know all the rules when you start playing, and make that clear so you take pressure off yourself and off them. By delaying each chunk of reading until the group actually needs it, you avoid book paralysis and only learn the parts that matter at that moment.

Your overall goal as the GM is to support a long-term belief culture. That means continuing to encourage players to revise their Beliefs, work with the player-led conflicts, and encourage curiosity about deeper mechanics such as Emotional Attributes, Faith, Sorcery, etc. when they are ready. Keep tracking Artha regularly, and remember you don’t need to prep plots, just situations. Your job is to challenge Beliefs, not reward them being passive. Always ask: “What do you want? How? What’s at risk?” Let failure cause motion, not dead ends.

Step 4: Use Community Resources

It’s almost always a good idea to get some help. Here are some great places to go. First, look at the Burning Wheel Official Forums, at forums.burningwheel.com. It’s got decades of posts from the creator/designer Luke Crane and long-term players. All kinds of good stuff. Also check out customrpgfiles.wikidot.com/burning-wheel which has GM quick reference sheets, player cheat sheets, advancement charts, and other useful tools for you. Consider heading to the r/BurningWheel subReddit to get advice on practically anything. Gamingbrouhaha.wordpress.com has some useful resources, including key rules and explanations.

Hopefully this guide has been helpful in providing a framework in how to approach learning Burning Wheel. I worked hard on it. It’s great for both GM’s and players. At the very least I hope this was useful in helping you see that this is a very manageable game to learn if you are interested. If you are, get Burning Wheel Gold Revised.

Tabletop RPG Hub