Fire from the Mount

Okay, I want to make a game about (fantastical, not real) early Christiandom.

You've got competing Acolytes, each with an agenda. They spread the word of Christ (modified to suit said agenda) throughout the land.

You'd have stats like Charisma, Clarity (how much your words and writing make sense to the common people), Miracle-working (either fake or real) and so on.

But Christianity as a whole would have a stat of Coherence. If anyone's teachings stray too far from another's, people notice and are less likely to convert. Or, alternatively, you have feuding and infighting. Either way, not good.

So you have a constant balance between pushing your agenda and staying close to what has already been established.

Furthermore, as the game continues and teachings are fleshed out, it becomes more and more likely that any given teaching will contradict another (I imagine this might give an advantage to anyone who had a high "initiative" or something).

Sounds pretty interesting so far...
What do you all think?

Graceful Wicked Masques: The Magic Storytelling Game

Ok. So here's how it works. The characters are Fair Folk out in the Wyld, competing through dream-stories created out of the Wyld's essence.

The players create Magic decks, but change the flavor and names of the cards ahead of time. The flavor must match the mechanics and color of the card, but is otherwise open.

Then you play a game of Magic. After each turn, the player who's turn it was describes what happens in the story based on the events of the turn.

Creatures are actual creatures that can come into play, but spells (such as enchantments, sorceries, and instants) can either represent A) Magic used by characters in the story, B) Spontaneous magic in the story, or C) Other events that match the story.

At the end of the game, the winner narrates the ending.

Oh, and at the start of the game everyone agrees on starting points (such as premise) for the story and states the goals of their Fair Folk.

Cool, huh?

The Great and Secret Game

"Damn it!" cried the long-bearded man in simple linen cloth as he ran through the jungle. He clutches a book covered in runes tightly to his chest. Cries in a mixture of English and Pashto come from a group of lean, muscular teenagers following him. The man turns and raises his hands, snarling at the boys, and begins to chant in rural-accented Russian. The line between dream and reality blurs psychedelically as he says - "Sons of Kim? Prepare to die!".

I want to make a game based on the secret war between Russia and England fought in India and parts of the middle east. Ideally, it'd contain spying, adventure, intrigue, and so on. I also want to add a twist of the supernatural - Russia and England are competing over mystical energies surrounding India, here considered the seat of the world.

Rasputin's (above) death was faked, and he was sent to India as a Russian agent. He and his followers face off against the psychically trained Indian street urchins known as the "Sons of Kim", as well as British Mages.

Hacker, Slacker, Phreak, Crook

(Apologies to John le Carre)

So, yeah. Listening to professors talk about computer security and such...

I wanna play a game about a group of underground punk slacker/hackers...

A sort of "heist" movie, you know? Like "Ocean's Eleven" meets "Clerks" meets "What We Do Is Secret", except behind computer screens.

Fund it!

(All ideas and suggestions and so on welcome! Please?)

Pickup Gaming / Dedicated Gaming

Okay.
I've been thinking.

I need to have two groups.

Group One will be the pickup group. This will be a "loose"-er group, in the sense that it's not critical whether people show up or not. It'd probably be dungeon-crawling D&D 4 game. Everyone knows the rules, so if you feel like coming any given week, just right up a character and come. It'd be more just hanging out, playing the game for the game. For the folks that don't really care or just want to play a game.

Group Two will be the dedicated group. They're the ones who are interested in trying new games, discussing games, and flexing their play styles and ways of thinking. They want to help develop and test games, think critically about their games, and be more involved.

I think this'd be a fine way of things for everything. Here are the problems I see.

A) Not enough people for Group Two, right now. I know of one definitely, and maybe another one or two maybes.
B) Scheduling. There's probably one or two people interested in both, but maybe too busy to work both into a schedule. I've got about enough time for it, but...
C) People have too-high expectations of D&D. Essentially the game would be what it is (a game about exploring areas, combat, interesting tactical encounters)... Not anything else (Especially not making a story! No, no, no!).

Well, there are some problems. But assuming more people can be found for Group Two, I think this is close to an ideal solution.

Any ideas, please?

Howling Wolf Rages at Moon

So, yeah.

This guy wants a game based around fighting an inner beast
The "flavor" will be vampires, maybe, or werewolves, he says.
I hear Rob Bohl is working on one (a werewolf game) called Obvious Monstrosities...

But I have a few ideas for my own, so...

But that's not really the point. Vampirism or lycanthropy are just metaphors, like.

So, I want to base it on Sorcerer. This is easy, I think. Sorcerer is all about having access to power. What are you willing to do to gain power, and what do you do with it?
Power costs you humanity. Power also has requirements.

Power thirsts.
And you've got to feed it to stay strong.

Or you can choose to hang on to your humanity.

But here's what I want:

To base the "good"-ish werewolves on them using The Law of the Jungle as some sort of creed or something.

"

Now this is the Law of the Jungle -- as old and as true as the sky;
And the Wolf that shall keep it may prosper, but the Wolf that shall break it must die.
As the creeper that girdles the tree-trunk the Law runneth forward and back --
For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.


Wash daily from nose-tip to tail-tip; drink deeply, but never too deep;
And remember the night is for hunting, and forget not the day is for sleep.
The Jackal may follow the Tiger, but, Cub, when thy whiskers are grown,
Remember the Wolf is a Hunter -- go forth and get food of thine own.
Keep peace withe Lords of the Jungle -- the Tiger, the Panther, and Bear.
And trouble not Hathi the Silent, and mock not the Boar in his lair.
When Pack meets with Pack in the Jungle, and neither will go from the trail,
Lie down till the leaders have spoken -- it may be fair words shall prevail.
When ye fight with a Wolf of the Pack, ye must fight him alone and afar,
Lest others take part in the quarrel, and the Pack be diminished by war.
The Lair of the Wolf is his refuge, and where he has made him his home,
Not even the Head Wolf may enter, not even the Council may come.
The Lair of the Wolf is his refuge, but where he has digged it too plain,
The Council shall send him a message, and so he shall change it again.
If ye kill before midnight, be silent, and wake not the woods with your bay,
Lest ye frighten the deer from the crop, and your brothers go empty away.
Ye may kill for yourselves, and your mates, and your cubs as they need, and ye can;
But kill not for pleasure of killing, and seven times never kill Man!
If ye plunder his Kill from a weaker, devour not all in thy pride;
Pack-Right is the right of the meanest; so leave him the head and the hide.
The Kill of the Pack is the meat of the Pack. Ye must eat where it lies;
And no one may carry away of that meat to his lair, or he dies.
The Kill of the Wolf is the meat of the Wolf. He may do what he will;
But, till he has given permission, the Pack may not eat of that Kill.
Cub-Right is the right of the Yearling. From all of his Pack he may claim
Full-gorge when the killer has eaten; and none may refuse him the same.
Lair-Right is the right of the Mother. From all of her year she may claim
One haunch of each kill for her litter, and none may deny her the same.
Cave-Right is the right of the Father -- to hunt by himself for his own:
He is freed of all calls to the Pack; he is judged by the Council alone.
Because of his age and his cunning, because of his gripe and his paw,
In all that the Law leaveth open, the word of your Head Wolf is Law.
Now these are the Laws of the Jungle, and many and mighty are they;"
But the head and the hoof of the Law and the haunch and the hump is -- Obey!

Quite a few things here work; primarily I have this vision in my head.
A "heroic" werewolf attacks a "villainous" one after the "villainous" one kills a human.

The "hero" growls "But kill not for pleasure of killing, and seven times never kill man!"
And as he says that, he scratches twice across the "villains" face diagonally, then once straight down.
Leaving seven scars, representing the "seven times never".

The "hero" then throws the "villain" against the wall, and storms out.

I think it sounds cool. Maybe it's just me. Any comments/ideas, folks?

Megaman: The RPG

So, here's a cool idea.

What if, instead of one GM and many heroes, what if you had one hero and many villian/GMs.

And set it as Megaman, with the GMs being the boss monsters and controlling/designing a level.
Granted, I don't see much actual roleplaying happening, but it could be cool as a "challenge game".

Also, biggest problem is: What do the extra BMPs (Boss Monster Players) do on off levels?
They'd have to contribute somehow....

I'VE GOT A NEW BLOG!

Well, I'm starting up a new blog.

It's not for the faint of heart or those who don't give a fuck what I think.
But for everyone else, it's a place to get a bit of insight into my mind.
It should also be considered an open discussion ground, so feel free to say absolutely anything in a comment to any of my posts.

So far, I've talked a lot about poetry (especially Kipling) and a little about how crappy my life is.
I plan to expand the topics somewhat, soon.

Get there here: Disaster-Lysander.