Murder Ballad Blackjack http://murderballadblackjack.pbwiki.com/ RecentChanges for Murder Ballad Blackjack en http://murderballadblackjack.pbwiki.com/feedlogo.gif PBwiki http://pbwiki.com/ PBwiki 1.3.8 support@pbwiki.com Bea and Elliot's Version of The Black Fox http://murderballadblackjack.pbwiki.com/Bea+and+Elliot%27s+Version+of+The+Black+Fox email.hidden@example.com (Julia Ellingboe) Julia Ellingboe edited Bea and Elliot's Version of The Black Fox Bea and Elliot's Version of The Black Fox
I culled got it from The Book of Ballads. Bea did not want to play a game with romance, and while it had no ninjas or pirates (another of her criteria), and it wasn't Parchesi, it made for an acceptable alternative.
As Bard/Dealer, I asked them more questions and laid out the conflicts for them. Bea has never really played a role playing game with dice or cards, but she's quite familliar with free form pretend. In fact, Bea, Elliot, his brother Sebastian, and Bea's friend Loreena played pretend all day. In the evening, I cornered them with food and said, "want to play a game with me?"
First I read through the song. We named possible characters, then Bea and Elliot picked and fleshed out their characters. Bea played the Fox/Devil. She named him "Death". When not in the form of a fox, Death had horns, was all black, surrounded by flames, and wore a cape. Elliot was the lead huntsman, named "The Chaser". He ca]]> Mon, 12 Nov 2007 21:32:40 +0000 mod Bea and Elliot's Version of The Black Fox http://murderballadblackjack.pbwiki.com/Bea+and+Elliot%27s+Version+of+The+Black+Fox email.hidden@example.com (Julia Ellingboe) Julia Ellingboe edited Bea and Elliot's Version of The Black Fox Bea and Elliot's Version of The Black Fox
of "The The Black Fox". Fox (Hunting the Devil). While not a murder ballad, it's a fine contemporary ballad based on a Yokshire folktale. I culled it from The Book of Ballads. Bea did not want to play a game with romance, and while it had no ninjas or pirates (another of her criteria), and it wasn't Parchesi, it made for an acceptable alternative.
As Bard/Dealer, I asked them more questions and laid out the conflicts for them. Bea has never really played a role playing game with dice or cards, but she's quite familliar with free form pretend. In fact, Bea, Elliot, his brother Sebastian, and Bea's friend Loreena played pretend all day. In the evening, I cornered them with food and said, "want to play a game with me?"
First I read through the song. We named possible characters, then Bea and Elliot picked and fleshed out t]]> Mon, 12 Nov 2007 21:21:57 +0000 mod Playtests http://murderballadblackjack.pbwiki.com/Playtests email.hidden@example.com (Julia Ellingboe) Julia Ellingboe edited Playtests Barbara Allen and the Coughing Corpse. The very first playtest!
Lady Margaret (more corpsey lips). An experiment in two player MBBJ.
Bea and Elliot's Version of The Black Fox (Hunting the Devil) Not a murder ballad, but a ballad all the same. Murder Ballad Blackjack plays well with children!
]]> Mon, 12 Nov 2007 21:19:47 +0000 mod The Black Fox (Hunting the Devil) http://murderballadblackjack.pbwiki.com/The+Black+Fox+%28Hunting+the+Devil%29 email.hidden@example.com (Julia Ellingboe) Julia Ellingboe edited The Black Fox (Hunting the Devil) And the men looked up in wonder and the hounds ran back to hide,
For the fox had changed to the Devil himself as he stood at the other side.
horses Went went flying back to town
And hard on their heels was the devil himself, laughing as he ran.
"Ride on!, ye gallant huntsmen. When must I come again?
]]> Mon, 12 Nov 2007 21:16:05 +0000 mod The Black Fox (Hunting the Devil) http://murderballadblackjack.pbwiki.com/The+Black+Fox+%28Hunting+the+Devil%29 email.hidden@example.com (Julia Ellingboe) Julia Ellingboe added The Black Fox (Hunting the Devil)

The Black Fox (Hunting the Devil)




Graham Pratt 1980



As we were out a-hunting One morning in the Spring,


Both the hounds and the horses running well made the hills and valleys ring.


But to our great misfortune No fox there could be found


The huntsmen cursed and swore, but still No fox moved over the ground.



Then up spoke our master huntsman, At the head of hounds rode he,


"Well lo we have ridden for a full three hours But no fox have we seen"


"And there his scents did lead me And I shall have my chase


And if only the Devil himself come by I'd run him such a race".



Then up there sprang like lightning A fox from out his hole


His fur was the colour of a starless night His eyes like bu

]]> Mon, 12 Nov 2007 21:14:53 +0000 add Bea and Elliot's Version of The Black Fox http://murderballadblackjack.pbwiki.com/Bea+and+Elliot%27s+Version+of+The+Black+Fox email.hidden@example.com (Julia Ellingboe) Julia Ellingboe edited Bea and Elliot's Version of The Black Fox We followed the ballad pretty closely until the end. They enjoyed acting out the story and throwing cards to answer their initial questions.
And then we came to the end: the interaction between The Chaser and Death. I gave very little guidance here. I set it up that they were face to face and Bea and Elliot came up with this together. All the hunters and hounds run off in the other direction when the Black Fox transforms herself into a Devil. Everyone except The Chaser. He finally understands that he's facing Death. She is immune to his magic arrows. And she is not evil. She is a merely the demon who protects the forest. She tells The Chaser that he may walk into the forest but he may not harm or use anything in it. If he kills an animal, all the other animals will attack him. If he picks a flower, he'll never see anything beautiful. If he takes any water from the forest, he'll never find water anywhere. The Chaser, the most powerful hunter ever, agrees never to harm anything in Death's forest. He leaves. ]]> Mon, 12 Nov 2007 21:08:08 +0000 mod Bea and Elliot's Version of The Black Fox http://murderballadblackjack.pbwiki.com/Bea+and+Elliot%27s+Version+of+The+Black+Fox email.hidden@example.com (Julia Ellingboe) Julia Ellingboe added Bea and Elliot's Version of The Black Fox

Bea and Elliot's Version of The Black Fox


 


My daughter Bea, age 8 and her friend and neighbor Elliot, age 7, told the true story of "The Black Fox". While not a murder ballad, it's a fine contemporary ballad based on a Yokshire folktale. I culled it from The Book of Ballads. Bea did not want to play a game with romance, and while it had no ninjas or pirates (another of her criteria), it made for an acceptable alternative.


 


As Bard/Dealer, I asked them more questions and laid out the conflicts for them. Bea has never really played a role playing game with dice or cards, but she's quite familliar with free form pretend. In fact, Bea, Elliot, his brother Sebastian, and Bea's friend Loreena played pretend all day. In the evening, I

]]> Mon, 12 Nov 2007 21:04:30 +0000 add The Evolving Rules http://murderballadblackjack.pbwiki.com/The+Evolving+Rules email.hidden@example.com (Julia Ellingboe) Julia Ellingboe edited The Evolving Rules If it's a question (i.e., "how long have they been courting?", or "is Polly the only woman he's courting?), the Bard gives an answer (again, it should be one with which any character will vehemently disagree), and so continues playing blackjack to win conflicts, and characters take turns acting out what really happened.
If a character refutes a fact ("We were in bed together and he simply turned to me and asked her for a cigarette.") Same thing.
Don't Read the Song Line by Line
The actual song is a guideline for the story you're about to tell as a group. The main actions and ideas (i.e. Pretty Polly is murdered, and Sweet William did it) are irrefuteable. However new NPCs not mentioned in the story may appear and help tell the story. (i.e. "Mitch" in the Barbara Allen playtest.) After that first line or verse, treat the song as a loose telling of the story. The Bard may ask about details of the song, and characters should use their list of questions to propel t]]> Sat, 10 Nov 2007 13:43:15 +0000 mod FrontPage http://murderballadblackjack.pbwiki.com/FrontPage email.hidden@example.com (Julia) Julia edited FrontPage Ballad Blackjack
Folk BlackjackFolk Songs & Gambling Collide
Murder Ballad Blackjack is a game in development from StoneBabyGames. This wiki houses the evolving rules, links to songs, inspirations, playtest reports, and other developments. The Rules here are ready to be tested, so please playtest and report on how your game went.
Please went.Please e-mail me (see sidebar) if you'd like the password to leave comments and post playtests.
Like playtests.Like many murder ballads, "Tom Dula" (or Dooley) is based on actualevents.
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Lady Margaret


 


Lady Margaret is less of a murder ballad and more of a ghost story. There are several versions, and sometimes the song is called "Sweet William and Lady Margaret". I first heard a version on the Cold Mountain soundtrack, sung by Cassie Franklin. Then I heard a longer rendition of "Sweet William and Lady Margaret" by Jean Ritchie.


 


Lady Margaret was standing in her own room door


A combin' her long yellow hair


When who did she spy but sweet William and his Bride]]> Sat, 27 Oct 2007 13:32:05 +0000 add Playtests http://murderballadblackjack.pbwiki.com/Playtests email.hidden@example.com (Julia) Julia edited Playtests Playtests
Here's a list of playtests. If you play this game, send an AP report to stonebabygames at gmail dot net.
Allen (and and the Coughing Corpse). Corpse. The very first playtest! playtest!
Lady Margaret (more corpsey lips). An experiment in two player MBBJ.
]]> Sat, 27 Oct 2007 12:44:55 +0000 mod SideBar http://murderballadblackjack.pbwiki.com/SideBar email.hidden@example.com (Julia) Julia edited SideBar Stuff I'm working on
List of Ballads
InfluencesInfluences, Inspiration and Inspiration Where to Find Ballads
stonebabygames@gmail.com
]]> Sat, 27 Oct 2007 12:43:12 +0000 mod Influences and Inspiration http://murderballadblackjack.pbwiki.com/Influences+and+Inspiration email.hidden@example.com (Julia) Julia edited Influences and Inspiration InfluencesInfluences, Inspiration and Inspiration Where to Find Good Ballads
This is a hodgepodge of musician websites, public domain clearinghouses for music, and books of ballads in the public domain. You don't really need encyclopedic knowledge of murder ballads, broadside ballads, or poetry to play
Charles Vess'The Book of Ballads, which I read so many times on vacation last year that I almost wore it out.
Those antique books of English and Spanish folk ballads that I bought on the same vacation
Bluegrass
All the ot]]> Sat, 27 Oct 2007 12:30:14 +0000 mod List of Ballads http://murderballadblackjack.pbwiki.com/List+of+Ballads email.hidden@example.com (Julia) Julia edited List of Ballads Bruton Town
Hangman
or Banks Shores of Waterloo Waterloo and all the hybrids
False Sir John
Eppie Morrie
Tam Lin(my favorite is the Anne Briggs version)
Fair Margaret and Sweet William
The Digital Traditionis an awesome place to find the lyrics to these songs!
]]> Fri, 26 Oct 2007 22:24:29 +0000 mod The Evolving Rules http://murderballadblackjack.pbwiki.com/The+Evolving+Rules email.hidden@example.com (Julia) Julia edited The Evolving Rules The Child Ballads (TheEnglishandScottishPopularBallads,compiledbyFrancisJamesChild), a similar compilation of ballads from somewhere else, a similar compilation of English/Scottish/American ballads, or just a bunch of your favorite murder ballads, ancient, old, or contemporary. Gillian Welsh's "CalebMeyer" is a perfect example of a contemporary murder ballad, as is "OneMorning". Lefty Frizzell's "LongBlackVeil", isn't so much a murder ballad, but it's a perfect ballad to play in this game.
It has been suggested that this game would be fun to play using pop power ballads, and cheesy ballads from the 80's.
(optional), or other instrument, and someone who is willing to sing (singing talent optional).
Objective and Preparation
per song. This game song, and is fast and easy enough to play with people not familliar with role playing games. games, murder]]> Thu, 25 Oct 2007 14:35:18 +0000 mod FrontPage http://murderballadblackjack.pbwiki.com/FrontPage email.hidden@example.com (Julia Ellingboe) Julia Ellingboe edited FrontPage Ballad BlackjackFolk Blackjack
Folk Songs & Gambling Collide
Murder Ballad Blackjack is a game in development from StoneBabyGames. This wiki houses the evolving rules, links to songs, inspirations, playtest reports, and other developments. The Rules here are ready to be tested, so please playtest and report on how your game went.Like went.
Please e-mail me (see sidebar) if you'd like the password to leave comments and post playtests.
Like many murder ballads, "Tom Dula" (or Dooley) is based on actualevents.
_uacct = "UA-1168003-3";
urchinTracker();
]]> Wed, 24 Oct 2007 10:26:49 +0000 mod The Evolving Rules http://murderballadblackjack.pbwiki.com/The+Evolving+Rules email.hidden@example.com (Julia Ellingboe) Julia Ellingboe edited The Evolving Rules The Child Ballads (TheEnglishandScottishPopularBallads,compiledbyFrancisJamesChild), a similar compilation of ballads from somewhere else, a similar compilation of English/Scottish/American ballads, or just a bunch of your favorite murder ballads, ancient, old, or contemporary. Gillian Welsh's "CalebMeyer" is a perfect example of a contemporary murder ballad, as is "OneMorning". Lefty Frizzell's "LongBlackVeil", isn't so much a murder ballad, but it's a perfect ballad to play in this game.
It has been suggested that this game would be fun to play using pop power ballads, and cheesy ballads from the 80's.
who can is willing to sing (singing talent optional).
Objective and Preparation
Tell the true story behind a folk/murder ballad (or other song or poem!). Each character has a stake in how the true story is told. This game doesn't take more than an hour per song. This game is fast and easy enough to play with people not fam]]> Tue, 23 Oct 2007 19:27:31 +0000 mod Barbara Allen (and the Coughing Corpse) http://murderballadblackjack.pbwiki.com/Barbara+Allen+%28and+the+Coughing+Corpse%29 email.hidden@example.com (Julia Ellingboe) Julia Ellingboe edited Barbara Allen (and the Coughing Corpse) Barbara Allen and the Coughing Corpse
So this was the first playtest. I think it went well. The game works, it's simple, it's fast, it's fun. What more could you ask for?
questions below.
I in the next section.
We didn't sing, unfortunately. I opened with the following statement: Barbara Allen slighted young William because she was really into his friend.
"Mitch." Vincent called him.
The players declared theur challeneges to that statement. I think Vincent and Chris both disagreed. There was no Mitch. We played a round of blackjack, and the dealer won. Barbara Allen had a thing for William's friend Mitch.
]]> Tue, 23 Oct 2007 19:21:32 +0000 mod FrontPage http://murderballadblackjack.pbwiki.com/FrontPage email.hidden@example.com (Julia Ellingboe) Julia Ellingboe edited FrontPage Ballad Blackjack
Folk BlackjackFolk Songs & Gambling Collide
Murder Ballad Blackjack is a game in development from StoneBabyGames. This wiki houses the evolving rules, links to songs, inspirations, playtest reports, and other developments. The Rules here are ready to be tested, so please playtest and report on how your game went.
Like went.Like many murder ballads, "Tom Dula" (or Dooley) is based on actualevents.
_uacct = "UA-1168003-3";
urchinTracker();
]]> Tue, 23 Oct 2007 19:07:22 +0000 mod FrontPage http://murderballadblackjack.pbwiki.com/FrontPage email.hidden@example.com (Julia Ellingboe) Julia Ellingboe edited FrontPage Ballad BlackjackFolk Blackjack
Folk Songs & Gambling Collide
Murder Ballad Blackjack is a game in development from StoneBabyGames. This wiki houses the evolving rules, links to songs, inspirations, playtest reports, and other developments. The Rules here are ready to be tested, so please playtest and report on how your game went.Like went.
Like many murder ballads, "Tom Dula" (or Dooley) is based on actualevents.
_uacct = "UA-1168003-3";
urchinTracker();
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