Work is finally letting up a bit and both my Throne of Night games are slowing down some, so I'm thinking about starting up another game. And I'm thinking - wait, let's get something out of the way first: Do not submit characters yet. Feel free to speculate about ideas and concepts, but I absolutely do not want to see crunch at all.
Okay, so I'm thinking of running some things in the world of Kaidan. Rite Publishing has a three-part Adventure Path and two standalone adventures set in this world. It's supposed to be heavily influenced by Japanese culture, as well as having some good horror elements.
I only started considering this idea today, so there is a lot that I have up in the air. For instance, I'm not entirely sure how much I'll use from the books, what order I'd do them in, or what level players would start at.
The idea for running something eastern came to me last week as I was rewriting the entire Tengu culture for a game I submitted an application for. I managed to make a Tengu Inquisitor into something of a Ronin. It sparked the idea to do something Eastern, because I quite like the idea of running something that encourages those classes and archetypes and character concepts that don't necessarily get a lot of use. The Samurai, the Kensai Magus, a Bard Geisha, the Ninja.
However, the setting also lends itself to the players at least starting as outsiders. Likely, this would mean that I might have you start off with a level or two of an NPC class - or even encourage a degree of multiclassing (eg: Take 2 levels of something Western and then have more things open later). It would of course be entirely story-driven. If you decided to dip into Ninja, you'd have to find someone to train you. If you wanted to be a Samurai, you'd have to learn the ways. I mean, all within reason of course. But if we're going to be having your characters change over time, they should change, ya dig?
On the subject of classes, I'd certainly allow anything from the new ACG book, any other Paizo material - likely except for the Summoner. It's also entirely likely that I'd allow one player to play as a Psion. I also would prefer a fairly low-magic party for this one, I think. Horror isn't horror if you have enough spells to fell a dragon.
Obviously there's still a lot for me to work out, but before I dove into that process, I wanted to at least see if there would be interest in this kind of game. I was hoping that their Campaign Setting Book would be out before I started this, but it isn't looking good on that front. But who knows, I'm probably a month or two away from being ready all the same.
Anyway, yes. Thoughts?
This seems interesting.
Concept wise I could envision someone who's a survivor of sorts with some things that had thus far forced him to be alone. Focus on improvised weapons and the like as he was rarely given a chance to use normal weaponry. Maybe he was forced to be a survivor as when he was a kid he was lured into the woods by... something not right and was unable to find his way back to his parents.
Eastern Horror does sound cool, despite me not knowing much about their creatures save or the Jianshi and maybe a few other vague ones.
Not sure if I'll be able to play or not in a month or two, those months being a month or two away. But If I can, I'd be interested for sure.
Mine as well :)
More rp en talk than actual combat?
I am absolutely interested. I just finished a research project on Shintoism and am finishing a year-long study abroad in Japan so perfect timing.
More rp en talk than actual combat?
At least for me, it's the point of PBP to focus on roleplay rather than combat. There are a number of ways to have interactions in RealTime(tm) that lend themselves better to combat-heavy games - whereas the speed of PBP can sometimes make combat kind of a drag.
Mostly, though, the combat in this game won't be something like 'slaughtering a group of goblins'. It'll be much more dangerous. I won't be going so far in the direction of a Cthulhu game that one combat encounter will kill you or anything like that - but enough to encourage characters to think outside the box a bit. Swinging a sword at a spirit does not always yield the desired results, after all.
Essentially, I want to play up the idea that the players are rather minor. There's a lot happening here that's considerably larger than they are.
Sweet. Cause I want to make a face character. An exiled kitsune who has returned to try and make amends for his wrong doings. Kitsune trickster
It'd be a great setting for an Oni-Spawn Tiefling. :)
Funny, I waz thinking about a reflavoured Shaman Samsaran just yesterday (the spirits are echoes of his previous incarnations)...
Funny, I waz thinking about a reflavoured Shaman Samsaran just yesterday (the spirits are echoes of his previous incarnations)...
Oh man that's a very cool idea.
Okay, great! I'm glad that there's some interest here. :) I'll get going on actually seeing what I can do with it, and tentatively plan for a recruitment in late August.
Wow, this is an intriguing setting. I love the kitsune race, though I could easily envision a human rogue learning the art of avoidance. (~_^)
Looking forward to the beginning of recruitment, whenever it may be! (^_^)
Wait, I just realized that Rite Publishing are the guys who did Up From Darkness!*Squeal with joy*
Hmm. I've never played a monk in PF and this seems like a perfect place to play one. A Zen Archer, traveling the world seeking perfection in the arc of the arrow, universal connection in the link between bow and target. An outsider for his rejection of the social hierarchy, a wanderer in a world of peasant farmers tied to their fields.