Alright everyone, I'm going to compile my different ideas here and you're free to discuss, consider, or suggest anything to me. Hell, suggest entirely different campaign ideas for all I care. It might inspire me with something interesting.
1) Anime of the Dead
As you can probably guess, this is the first idea I mentioned about a zombie apocalypse. I fully intend for it to be a campy, splatterfest fun time as opposed to anything serious or dramatic. And as it's loosely based on High School of the Dead, I have special background edges. Everyone gets one for free at character creation to give them a benefit for the archetype they fit into in the party as well as custom arcane backgrounds that should fit the setting relatively well.
Requirements: Agility D6+, Strength D6+
The hero is a member of one of the schools many sports teams and has a talent for athletics. Their pace increases by +2 and they gain a +1 to one skill appropriate to their club (discuss with the GM).
Class Representative
Requirements: Smarts D6+
The hero is a leader of their class and known for being reliable. They grants all allies within 5” a +1 on their Spirit rolls to recover from being Shaken and gain a +1 to aid anyone else with a task.
Delinquent
Requirements: Strength D6+, Intimidate D6+
The hero is a known delinquent and has a reputation for causing trouble. They gain a +2 on Intimidate and Taunt rolls and a +1 on attack rolls with melee weapons.
Dojo Heir
Requirements: Agility D6+, Fighting D6+
The hero is the heir to a famous marital arts tradition and has trained in it their whole life. They are eligible for the Arcane Background (Martial Arts) edge at character creation.
Family Shrine
Requirements: Spirit D6+
The hero’s family runs a local shrine, and they are well-versed in rituals and traditions. They are eligible to take the Arcane Background (Miracles) edge at character creation.
Foreign Exchange Student
Requirements: Non-Japanese
The hero is an exchange student from another country. They are fluent in their home country’s language and gain a +2 on one skill appropriate for someone of their nationality (discuss with the GM).
Honors Student
Requirements: Smart D8+
The hero is an honors student and one of the brightest in the whole school. They gain a +2 on Investigation and Notice checks due to their studious nature.
Idol
Requirements: Spirit D6+, Perform D6+
The hero is a teen idol of some sort, by they a model, singer, or actor. They gain a +2 to Charisma due to their popularity and natural charm.
Occult Club Member
Requirements: Smarts D6+
The hero is a member of the school’s occult club and has studied magical arts and occult books. They are eligible to take the Arcane Background (Magic) edge at character creation.
Ordinary Student
Requirements: None
The hero is a remarkably ordinary, unimpressive person on the surface, but possesses some useful talents. They gain a +2 to any skill of their choice.
Otaku
Requirements: Smarts D6+
The hero is a geek, plain and simple, but that means they have time to learn unusual things. They gain a +2 on any two Knowledge checks, or Repair, as chosen by the player.
Sensei
Requirements: Smarts D6+
The hero is a teacher or faculty member of the school instead of a student. They 15 skill points instead of 12 to represent their greater life experience.
Arcane Skill: Spellcasting (Smarts)
Starting Power Points: 10
Start Powers: 3
Backlash: When a magician rolls a 1 on their Spellcasting die (regardless of the Wild die), they are automatically Shaken.
Available Powers: Barrier, Beast Friend, Blast, Blind, Bolt, Burst, Confusion, Darksight, Deflection, Detect/Conceal Arcana, Disguise, Drain Power Points, Elemental Manipulation, Entangle, Fear, Havoc, Invisibility, Light/Obscure, Mind Reading, Slumber, Summon Ally, Telekinesis
Arcane Background (Martial Arts)
Arcane Skill: Mastery (Agility)
Starting Power Points: 15
Starting Powers: 1
Available Powers: Armor, Bolt, Boost/Lower Trait, Burst, Deflection, Detect/Conceal Arcana, Healing (self only), Pummel, Quickness, Smite, Succor (self only), Wall Walker, Warrior’s Gift (self only)
Arcane Background (Miracles)
Arcane Skill: Faith (Spirit)
Starting Power Points: 10
Starting Powers: 3
Backlash: When a spiritualist rolls a 1 on their Faith die (regardless of the Wild die), they suffer a -2 on all Faith rolls for the next 24 hours.
Available Powers: Armor, Banish, Barrier, Blast, Bolt, Boost/Lower Trait, Darksight, Deflection, Detect/Conceal Arcana, Dispel, Divination, Entangle, Farseeing, Greater Healing, Healing, Light/Obscure, Slow, Smite, Succor
2) We Be Pirates Now!
Here's the second idea, a classic adventure story on the high seas. You would be a small crew of pirates trying to reach some legendary treasure or city of gold or magic power or something. I don't really know yet. This one's taking inspiration from Pirates of the Caribbean and One Piece, so it's going to be a fun, island hopping adventure. Each island would probably be a self-contained pulpy adventure before moving on to the next one in your path. I'm not sure if I want to do a fantasy world or an alternative version of our world, but I definitely want to include magic and possible some other races to play as. And I'm talking fish people, not elves and dwarves. Sundaken also mentioned the possibility of outright doing a One Piece RP, which I wouldn't be opposed to if people were interested in that.
I'd be down for either of these concepts. I lean slightly toward the Anime of the Dead, since a good campy zombie game is even rarer than fun with pirates, but I'd be perfectly happy either way--and I can well imagine zombie pirates in a world with mysticism.
For the zombie game I'd probably play a delinquent, probably to the tune of Joey Wheeler (more from the original manga than the show). Not sure on the pirates, it'd probably depend on what others are doing.
I thought it might be interesting to do pirates and zombies at the same time.
World is dead, only safe places are boats, except not even really.
Idea mostly came about because you mentioned voodoo, and voodoo magic zombie aren't done enough any more.
But all in all pirate adventure in one form or another sounds fun to me. Zombies are a bit played out IMO but I think the seafaring aspect would add a twist that I can't remember seeing before.
I like what I see. Zombie's are a favourite of mine and as such I'd be happy with that game.
Sundakan's idea of boats and zombies sounds nice too. Akin to Dead Island except it is Dead Islands and scavenging gets pretty much necessary as you may have hydroponics and stuff on a boat but spare parts and other basic necessities need to be supplied from time to time.
As I said back at Discussion if we go Magical Pirates I would probably go with Diego Hernando de Toledo, sanctioned corsair and pious christian... as pious as a spanish corsair can get, though.
If we end with the High School of the Dead I maintain my idea of japoamerican son of an american soldier stationed in Japan. Both the athlete and delinquent backgrounds appeal to me, more interested in the latter. I can't help but picture a youth gang compossed only by halfjapenese and strangers. The Gaijins or a simmilar name.
I thought something similar might be fun for the HSotD game. Everybody is a delinquent, part of a school gang, and the only ones to survive or something.
I had this idea for a game I won't ever run.
It would be set on the modern day, with the players being members of a bikers' gang ala Sons of Anarchy.
Thing is the club is but the latest iteration of an older group. Before being a bikers' club it was a Travelling Gentlemen's Club and even prior to that it was a Knightly Order.
The order, club and gang share the same objective: their members are monster hunters, working together to protect the unwary common folk from the things that lurk in the darkness.
I'm just spitting it out because I thought someone may use it for their amusement or maybe it sparks something for this future game.
Now that I think of it, bikers' gangs are a staple of Japan's anime so we could do that too: japanese zombie slaying bikers.
So I'm hearing a lot of love for a zombie game. I don't particularly mind everyone wanting to play delinquents, but I'm probably going to drop the custom backgrounds stuff if you want to do a full gang as PCs. It kind of defeats the point of the bonus edge if everyone takes the same one.
I vaguely dig Sun's pirate zombie idea, that'd be pretty chill. Otherwise, I'm more in favor of pirates but I can do something with a Japanese biker gang.
I'm going to be honest. I'm not really sold on the idea of mixing the two up. I like the idea of doing a modern day zombie splatter thing, but I want to be able to set it in a setting where it's not only expected, but encouraged to pull a Dead Rising/Dawn of the Dead and strap random things from the nearest mall together to murder as many zombies as possible. Confining the party to a boat in an effort to stay safe from the zombies takes away from that and adds a dramatic or depressing feel that I don't want.
I was planning to do an island or port where the main bad guy for the story arc is a voodoo priest with an army of voodoo zombies if we ran the pirate thing though. That's kind of too good to pass up if I'm doing a Caribbean pirates story.
That's fine. I'm good with either, but if I have to cast a vote for one or the other it's definitely pirate game.
That puts it at two people favoring each... in a group of four. Not going to make this easy on me, are you?
How about this? We start doing one, play until we start to feel tired of it or want to try something else, then switch to the other. And we can swap between them between story arcs or something. I have the pirate thing loosely planned to be a bunch of self contained adventures heading toward one overall goal at the end, so it would have plenty of cut off points and the zombie one can have a cut off or break point at different safe zones or rest areas.
Does that sound possible, or too complicated to work?
On the interest of keeping things simple, and because I dug both ideas, I will swap my vote to pirates and magic!
Gotta say the voodooist sold me on it in the end.
Plus we always can do a zombie arc or try zombie survival if we decide so, don't we?
Prepare to meet Diego Hernando de Toledo!
Hmmm, okay then. I'll be using a magical version of our world in the year 1716, at the very beginning of the final great pirate era. The War of Spanish Succession has just ended, leaving thousands of well trained military sailors and marines without a job or prospects and the trans-Atlantic trade routes are booming, carrying gold, crops, and slaves across the seas, making them ripe for pirates to make their fortune.
The Arcane Backgrounds for Magic and Miracles are available to anyone. Voodooists fall under Miracles, and you can take any powers as long as you have a good reason why it makes sense.
Additionally, there's a second race available if you don't want to play a human. When explorers first discovered the West Indies, they discovered that the shores off of many of the islands were inhabited by strange aquatic humanoids who looked like an unholy fusion of man and sea creature. These creatures had a civil, if distant, relationship with the natives, trading crops grown on land and materials hard to obtain beneath the waves for the treasures of the deep and bountiful fish harvests.
Fishmen are Aquatic (they can breath under water and have a D6 in swimming for free) and gain a +1 Toughness (due to their bodies being more durable due to the pressures of the deep), but are uncomfortable around land dwellers (giving them the Outsider hindrance). Fishmen have their own language that is meant to be spoken underwater. It sounds like gurgling and strange clicks and pops to most land dwellers, but it can be learned with time and practice.
Additionally, Fishmen may take the Super Powers Arcane Background, representing that some of them possess unique super human abilities because of the traits they share with marine life. This uses the Blood Skill, which is based off of Vigor, representing how strong their bloodline is and how powerful their skills are. Training can increase this connection and help them figure out new ways to use their natural gifts.
They also may have some other custom edges or hindrances, but I haven't gotten around to designing any more details yet.
Actually... I'm not sure I want to do a new skill for super powers. But I think I'd still make all the powers skill Vigor linked so you can get them a bit easier. Thoughts?
Not sure on the thing for Fishmen, but I dig the idea. I have an interesting idea I'd love to try out that kind of delves into the politics of the time, but I don't know if that'd be a little much for this game. He'd still be lighthearted and fun, just also be a more complex idea. I'm thinking perhaps a Brit who sailed as a Spanish privateer in the war (mostly because f~#* France), and grew up as a ward of the church; now as an adult he sails with what he believes to be the blessing of God at his back and has decided to turn to piracy to make a living. He's not a bad person, but uses the fact that he feels this divine power as a mandate to state that whatever he does must be right morally since God would not gift him power if he were transgressing against Him.
He'd be a Blessed and probably go for being a good talker.
I completely lost track of this thread after I had to restart my computer. Sorry about that.
Maybe make it a straight Vigor check?
Add a couple of Edges that improve Powers Vigor checks specifically or do something else?
I'm still making a voodooist of some kind most likely. I always liked the Witch Doctor in Diablo 3, so that's going to be somewhat of a model for powers. Less with the undead summoning and more with the spooky save or suck and damage powers.
That is a lot of Blessed in various forms. Nothing wrong with that, but I'll have to take that into account when planning stuff.
We are using basic creation (5 attribute, 15 skill) just in case anyone was wondering. I realized that I didn't actually specify that.
@JD: Getting into politics a bit is fine, and I don't really see anything wrong with the concept. You're not obligated to blow up innocent people or anything, so it's not all that hard to be a pious pirate. You can stick to robbing other pirates, or ships from 'enemy' nations, or even just be seafaring treasure hunters.
@Sundakan: Maybe. I like the idea of using Super Powers because it doesn't require a lot of tweaking to fit. Creepy witch doctor sounds cool though, so go for it.
Starting at 0 Advances, I assume?
Character's probably going to be from either Nassau or someone in Barbados.
Edit: Are we rolling Throwing and Shooting together, or are they separate skills?
Edit 2: Would you be willing to allow material from other sourcebooks? In particular I'm looking at the Deadlands Reloaded books and these two Hindrances:
Whether your hero is an Indian or he’s gone native, he’s decided to forego modern technology to honor the spirits. As a Minor Hindrance, he will travel in modern conveyances such as trains or steam wagons, but won’t use any modern device himself (including guns, steel knives/tomahawks, etc.). As a Major Hindrance, he won’t even passively use such devices, refusing to ride in anything more complex than a horse-drawn wagon (and unhappy to do even that).
Your hero’s a killer. His family’s probably pushing daisies, his enemies are worm food, and even a few of his friends have holes in them that are suspiciously the same caliber as his very own shootin’ iron.
Only Wild Cards can take this Hindrance, and you shouldn’t do it lightly, amigo. The good news is your hombre adds +1 to every damage roll he ever makes, whether it’s from Fighting, Shooting, Spellcasting, or even Throwing things at people in a most inhospitable manner. The downside is that your hero winds up in the hoosegow or on the run a lot.
But there’s more than that, amigo. Any Shooting or Throwing attack roll that comes up 1 on the skill die (regardless of the result of any Wild Die) automatically hits the nearest friendly character in sight—whether they’re in the line of fire or not. Other players’ characters are always first choice, but an allied Extra will do in a pinch. Even hand-to-hand attacks hit allies when that mean old 1 comes up. This may require a little imagination, but either the weapon flies out of the hero’s hand and strikes his friend, or the hero must move adjacent to his erstwhile comrade and “accidentally” whack him. In either case, snake eyes on the attack roll adds an additional d6 to the damage (as if the cowpoke hit with a raise).
I also know that there's an Ultimate Privateers, Pirates, and Plunder Guide for Savage Worlds which might be useful.
0 Advances. I'm not sure exactly where I'm going to be starting the game yet, but I know that I don't want you to be all that experiences as actual pirates yet.
I'm using Loup and JD's rule and rolling Throwing into Fighting.
The hindrances are fine. I would normally warn you to be careful not to create a character who might refuse to ride on a modern (for the time) sailing vessel, but I trust you guys to be good with character creation.
Also, didn't know that book was a thing, but will definitely be taking a look.
I always read it (at least as far as the Minor version) that it was more modern technology all around. My character wouldn't touch a gun or wield a sword, but he's fine with a boat.
Not married to that one either way, but I like to have the option.
How would you stat a blowgun? And would you allow poisons (and the making of them)?
I'd say that a blowgun would probably be 2d4 damage plus the effects of anything on the dart. I think that I'm okay with poisons, since Savage Worlds combat is generally supposed to be quick and decisive.
Forget that. I just found official stats for a blowgun in the new Deadlands campaign. It does 1d6+1 damage plus the effect of the dart as long as you at least Shake the target.
Any details on the darts or available poisons there? I don't remember seeing that in mine, I must have an outdated Deadlands book.
What would be the skill for making them? Medicine?
Actually, nix that pirate suggestion up above. THat's soem 3rd party company I've never heard of.
Pirates of the Spanish Main is the official Pirate based Savage Worlds game.
I don't see rules for specific darts, but you could realistically create any kind of poison from the standard poison selection. Medicine also seems like a logical skill for making poisons, though I would add the caveat that stronger poisons require unique ingredients that may require money or a small side quest to obtain.
And the rules are in a (relatively) new side book. They're part of the player's section in the fourth Deadlands Plot Point campaign, along with a bunch of other new stuff.
Lost track of this one, to be honest, but here I am again! I'm totally down for pirates. I'll probably play a fairly straightforward type since it sounds like people are going for Blessed and such. Maybe a Jack Sparrow sort like I played in our Skull and Shackles game--lucky more than necessarily truly skillful.
Can you make a gameplay thread we can dot into? That way we can keep track easier.
I have my character built, but I need a bit of time to craft a proper backstory. It's hard to straddle the line between cheesy and dark with a witch doctor.
It's taking all my will not to just name him TingTang.
Gameplay is good.
Gonna use this profile, haven't gotten around to building quite yet.
Hey guys. I just had a different idea for a game to play. There's a big GM Appreciation Sale on DriveThruRPG right now and I bought a few (translate: a lot) of books. Including the entirety of the Blood Drive campaign. It's a pre-written Deadlands campaign that, from my first look over, looks pretty damn awesome. It starts the party on the Texas/Mexico border and takes them on a massive cattle drive all the way to Wyoming in one big story. It's got a great feel and looks pretty interesting to play. Would you be interested in a little more Deadlands with Loup getting ready to head back into his game too? I really like the setting, but I don't want people to get bored or feel like we're doing too much of the same thing.
Could be fun. I wouldn't have to do much changing of my character, actually. Might make him easier to write.
Could either be a Mexican Santeria practitioner, or your more classic New Orleans Creole Voodoo practitioner.
Personally, I'm more interested in pirates at the moment; I'm already in one Western-themed game with Loup and with his Deadlands game coming back I'm afraid I might get a little tired of it.
This still a thing that's gonna happen, or are you still figuring what you'd rather run?
I'm willing to run whatever people like the idea of playing. I'm still done to do pirates and I got the updated 50 Fathoms and Pirates of the Spanish Main for all the stuff in them if that's what you guys are still interested in, or I can do something else if you like anything else I suggested.
I'm more waiting for you guys to decide what you want to do.
I'm down for either. I've got the crunch finished for my pirate--blessed by voodoo, although not a practitioner himself, indeed a Lucky Jack Sparrow type with more voodoo elements played up--but I also love Westerns and would be very happy playing in a Deadlands game. I don't lean strongly either way, but I'll admit I'd go slightly toward Deadlands if it's a tiebreaker.
EDIT: I realized, as I changed the TV back to a channel that's been playing nonstop Westerns and I've been watching pretty solidly for the past couple days, that I was lying to myself. I lean heavily towards Deadlands. I like pirates, but I love me some good old-fashioned six-shooting action.
Holy honey Batman, I'm a disaster...
With everything that's been going around I forgot about this for a while.
My deepest, most sincere apologies!
Regarding Deadlands or Pirates, both are fine to me. Deadlands would allow me to try a different character from Loup's game , and pirates with magic are hella fun.
So I'll restrict my vote to the last so y'all can try to bribe me into one option or the other.
Also, dotting gameplay.
Alright, so what I'm hearing is that Loup prefers Deadlands, JD prefers pirates, Sun is ambivalent, and Emissary is holding out to see who can talk him over to their side.
This is my best argument for pirates, but it's worked before:
We can name our ship the Naughty Nymph.
We could name something that in Deadlands. Like a carriage. Or a horse. Or a gun. Or our posse? We get some loot and buy a saloon and call it that.
You used the Naughty Nymph against me. How could you?
I would enjoy having a game on the high seas and such with a ship as a base, especially set in our world as opposed to something like Golarion. I think it presents some really great places for the game to go, and I've been itching to be a pirate somewhat. Of course, assuming I come up with a concept for Deadlands I won't be too beat up about it. I just don't know what I'd play.
I dunno if people will see this at all, but I've noticed that both myself and some other players in games I'm running have lost their dots on... pretty much every game they're in. I'm not sure why it happened, but I recommend checking all the games you're in and potentially shooting a message to your players if you don't hear from them at all. I figured I'd throw this out there to make people aware if they missed this or something like that.