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Here's an exploration of the Lions of Judah premise, using the subject of a Mouse Guard hack to surface my thoughts.
Per the hacking guide on the Mouse Guard forum, a hack must meet the following criteria to be viable:
The characters are Old Testament Israelite soldiers-come-prophets of the Lord God. They are of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, but they are set apart to do the Will of the Lord God of the Israelites.
They are the Lions of Judah.
They travel from tribe to tribe, from land to land, across searing deserts and high mountains, to share the Word of the Lord God with His Chosen People, to smite His enemies with furious purpose, and to make sacrifice to the Lord God. It is a hard life and a hard road to walk. That is why no man walks it alone. Long months and sometimes years may pass between visits to the seats of the Twelve Tribes.
The Lions of Judah are opposed by the enemies of the Chosen People: the Egyptians, the Assyrians, and the Hittites. The Lions must also contend with the weakness of the Israelites, for whom it is all too easy to turn away from worship of the Lord God. Every step on this road of faith and service is also ensnared with the devices of the Adversary, who seeks to destroy the Lions of Judah from within with temptation and doubt. The Lord God is often wont to test the hearts of the Lions of Judah.
Check out the sample Mission - The Exodus - for one example of what the characters do.
Survival in a harsh world as the Chosen People of the Lord God. Though they are grievously assailed, obedience to the will of their Lord God will see them triumph over their Enemies and claim the Earth for their children and their children's children.
The implacable force is the Lord God. His ways are not the ways of the Israelites. His divine plan is inscrutable and made manifest using the following Hazards:
The Adversary manifests his trials and tribulations through the other Hazards described above.
Animals are uninteresting in a game that is squarely about a Chosen People and their Lord God. Though animals are present in the setting, I've dropped the Animal Hazard in favour of Enemies. Israelites fighting dinosaurs sounds very cool colour-wise, but it's not central to the overarching conflict.
Pretty much the same kind of Missions as regular Mouse Guard, coloured somewhat by the setting.
The Middle East of the Old Testament, specifically Canaan.
The peoples of the Middle East at the time of the Old Testament. The Israelites are the Chosen People of the one true God. Other peoples of the region such as the Hittites are Enemies of the Israelites. They worship false gods.
The Adversary stalks the lands, tempting and tormenting the most faithful of the Israelites. He is a friend to the Enemies of the Israelites. None of the Adversary's many faces is fairer than that known as Satan. The Adversary is an agent of the Lord God, and does His Will in all things.
Naturally, the Lord God plays an active role in the lives of his Chosen People.
The Nature is Israelite.
The Israelites are hard bloody workers. It's why the Pharaohs so loved the bricks made by the Israelites while they were in captivity. They toil like no other people, hence Toiling.
The Israelites naturally are a Fearful people. Their desire to be rid of their fear after Moses walked up the mountain to receive the Ten Commandments led to the creation of the Golden Calf; their fear of the Giants in the Land of Canaan as reported by the Twelve Spies led directly to their wandering in the desert for 40 years.
The Israelites are the Chosen People of the Lord God, but the Old Testament is littered with their sins. They are really good at turning their face away from the Lord God, and so Sinning is another key aspect of the Israelite Nature.
If an Israelite wishes to do something that is at odds with the will of the Lord God, then it is done at the full Nature Exponent. David pursuing Bathsheba is an example of such.
A Nature value of 7 is total submission to the Lord God. The character is favoured by the Lord God above all other men. Abraham is a compelling example of a figure with a Nature of 7. A Nature value of 0 represents total alienation from the Lord God.
These are the new Traits.
These Traits are renamed versions of existing Traits.
These Traits are no longer in the game.
The following Skills are new.
The following Skills have new names.
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