I could set a small campaign in Upstate New York (Albany), or Small Town Utah (Ephraim). I was thinking of the Urban Arcana campaign. But I won't think hard on it unless there's some interest.
This isn't a recruitment thread.
Races will be the same as in d20 Modern and Urban Arcana, so you might want to take a look at those.
Man, anytime I see a 'D20 Modern' interest check, I'm like, of course there's interest. I was really surprised more people didn't jump on this. The reason I waited so long is because I'm in 18 games and not sure I need to be in another one. But, six of them haven't posted since before Christmas, maybe by the time you put it together EltonJ I'll have a little extra space.
Well, maybe. I lived in two Metroplexes: New York, and Salt Lake City. I've been to San Francisco, and Northern California. I can set the game either in New York, or Utah.
I'm still in the process of deciding which. Both cities would be good to set a game in.
I'll be allowing the following books:
* d20 Modern
* Weapons Locker
* Urban Arcana
I was thinking of Upstate New York, or small town Utah as locations still. FX would include the spells in d20 Modern.
I'm surprised that only three people has expressed interest. But I'm no stranger to Urban Fantasy, since I run a beautiful Shadowrun game and play in one.
I am interested in playing in a Modern campaign.
Looking to being either a Golfer or Slumlord. Dex, Int, and Chr as strong stats.
Albany, NY on Zillow and Loopnet.com shows the housing market more desperate. More homes available. Plenty of Golf Courses. Hidden Gem Golf Course is par 3 and sounds wonderfully awful by the reviews.
Ephraim, UT has less available land and businesses to purchase. Most things in the area are $3M plots of land. (There is an $80k Gas Station that is non-compliant on gas tanks that parallels a route to the West of Ephraim). The State Park has Palisade Golf nearby, which has spiritually beautiful scenery. Can picture golfing with Outsider Devas, Saints, and Alcoholics at this place.
So the location will dictate the tone of campaign. Desperate, Urban decay area vs elitists/Spiritual area looking to restore Nature's harmony.
I am interested in playing in a Modern campaign.
Looking to being either a Golfer or Slumlord. Dex, Int, and Chr as strong stats.
Albany, NY on Zillow and Loopnet.com shows the housing market more desperate. More homes available. Plenty of Golf Courses. Hidden Gem Golf Course is par 3 and sounds wonderfully awful by the reviews.
Ephraim, UT has less available land and businesses to purchase. Most things in the area are $3M plots of land. (There is an $80k Gas Station that is non-compliant on gas tanks that parallels a route to the West of Ephraim). The State Park has Palisade Golf nearby, which has spiritually beautiful scenery. Can picture golfing with Outsider Devas, Saints, and Alcoholics at this place.
So the location will dictate the tone of campaign. Desperate, Urban decay area vs elitists/Spiritual area looking to restore Nature's harmony.
It's a good thing, doing your research.
Colleges:
Ephraim, UT has Snow College. Kinda creepy how it is scattered around town. Snow College Business Building off S Main, Snow College Comm Music/Trades off W 100 N... Looks to be a bunch of safe houses.
Surf Shack. No Reviews. How is this a college? Very suspicious. I imagine it to be a legal pot growers thinking they were Oceanside.
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Hey Brett, are you going for a 'Declan Ashton' type character again?
EltonJ, I'm thinking about a fast character headed into Shadow hunter/gunslinger. How prominent will the "Urban Arcana' be? Will there be organizations that explore/utilize it, like a branch of the CIA or MI6? I'd do his occupation as 'Investigative' with a brief stint in the military then pulled into a government agency. Also, how dark is the overall tone?
If it matters any, I think I'd prefer upstate New York, but I don't think it will matter to the character, he'll initially be from Scotland.
Hey Brett, are you going for a 'Declan Ashton' type character again?
EltonJ, I'm thinking about a fast character headed into Shadow hunter/gunslinger. How prominent will the "Urban Arcana' be? Will there be organizations that explore/utilize it, like a branch of the CIA or MI6? I'd do his occupation as 'Investigative' with a brief stint in the military then pulled into a government agency. Also, how dark is the overall tone?
If it matters any, I think I'd prefer upstate New York, but I don't think it will matter to the character, he'll initially be from Scotland.
Part of the Kingsmen? Or something like the Kingsmen? Perhaps Interpol? I'm suddenly intrigued, since my paternal ancestors came from Scotland.
And about you asking about organizations: why yes.
Colleges:
Ephraim, UT has Snow College. Kinda creepy how it is scattered around town. Snow College Business Building off S Main, Snow College Comm Music/Trades off W 100 N... Looks to be a bunch of safe houses.
Surf Shack. No Reviews. How is this a college? Very suspicious. I imagine it to be a legal pot growers thinking they were Oceanside.
Most Old World Universities are scattered around town.
EltonJ, I'm thinking about a fast character headed into Shadow hunter/gunslinger. How prominent will the "Urban Arcana' be? Will there be organizations that explore/utilize it, like a branch of the CIA or MI6? I'd do his occupation as 'Investigative' with a brief stint in the military then pulled into a government agency. Also, how dark is the overall tone?If it matters any, I think I'd prefer upstate New York, but I don't think it will matter to the character, he'll initially be from Scotland.
Part of the Kingsmen? Or something like the Kingsmen? Perhaps Interpol? I'm suddenly intrigued, since my paternal ancestors came from Scotland.
And about you asking about organizations: why yes.
The short answer, he'd like to be part of one as the basis for his 'investigative' background.
Lately, the last couple of years, I've learned that I enjoy playing personalities that I've developed who seem to have a start, but not a satisfying ending. Angus is one of those characters. For this game, his backstory would change to fit the times and the role of 'nobility' in Great Britian. I've always assumed that Elphinston Tower was near one of the dimensional portholes, thus the name. With that in mind I'd have him half-elf. His father a second born son of a lesser lord, his mother an elf who came from a dark dimension. His father during a military campaign would come up missing, his mother would go looking for him. Neither would be seen again. He would be raised by his aunt And join the military at 18 to follow in his father's footsteps. Skilled, he'd be selected by the SAS, then MI6 or their 'arcane' equivilant. The story would pick back up, he would see combat, take severe injuries, and either be on sabbatical or washed out, depending on what would serve the overarching plot.
I put him at twenty-five, and possibly (depending on the level you have us start at) Relearning skills due to his injuries. Or something like that. The details of his backstory would depend on what decade you put us in (ie that would determine what war his father was in). How organized the governments are in dealing with the arcane. As well as how gritty the setting is.
If the organizations are familiar with the arcane world, then they'd figure out he was half elf and that would be part of the reason he was selected. If not, then because of the skills he demonstrated. That's why the very specific question about organizations. Sorry it took four paragraphs for that answer, but I did call it the long one :)
That's the general idea on the character, I look forward to seeing more of your ideas and figuring out how Angus may fit in your world.
I look forward to do some world building. Since Urban Arcana talks about Shadow interacting with our world, bringing over some beings from another world (Oerth, perhaps) then I can build on that.
I think d20 Modern is an underrated and brilliant game. Just like the Macross II RPG is underrated and brilliant. I think d20 Modern has some potential still, although I admit, I haven't started thinking about d20 Modern until one person set up a recruitment for it.
Robert, glad you remember Declan Ashton. Can see Angus Elphinstone meeting up with Declan, playing a round of golf while each has their own objective... years later realizing they came so close to "Buddy Cop Movie" Stardom...
Let's suppose I say Yes to your question. Declan needs to come alive. If his birth is already foretold, he could fulfill the Chosen One trope. I kinda see him as the Bruce Campbell "boomstick" motif but with a golf club.
A golfer in Utah works better than Albany NY.
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Yep. Golfing in the mountains of Utah is better (although you can try that golf course in Edinborough some time.)
Sounds like there is a Road Trip to Scotland in the future.
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Well, maybe. I lived in two Metroplexes: New York, and Salt Lake City. I've been to San Francisco, and Northern California. I can set the game either in New York, or Utah.
I'm still in the process of deciding which. Both cities would be good to set a game in.
I'll be allowing the following books:
* d20 Modern
* Weapons Locker
* Urban ArcanaI was thinking of Upstate New York, or small town Utah as locations still. FX would include the spells in d20 Modern.
I'm surprised that only three people has expressed interest. But I'm no stranger to Urban Fantasy, since I run a beautiful Shadowrun game and play in one.
THAT was the game i couldn't think of! SHADOWRUN
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My vote would be for NYC ... if for no other reason than when the monsters & mages go to a bar and find out they can only get 1oz of alcohol, trust me, they will leave. I consulted in SLC for a week, wow.
New York on the other hand; New York lends itself to mayhem, and also to people ignoring it. Lived in NYC for quite a while, and I am from back east.
Would put together a CHA character who would eventually become a Telepath.
Neat.
Any particular theme or feel? Seems like a lot of folks are not looking toward the arcana end so I might start work-shopping some magically oriented ideas.
Any particular theme or feel? Seems like a lot of folks are not looking toward the arcana end so I might start work-shopping some magically oriented ideas.
I haven't thought about a theme (or feel) yet. I'm just drumming up interest.
Sounds like there is some good interest. Will have to dig my D20 modern book out tonight. :)
Sounds nice.
I might have an idea for an academic with an interest in the occult eventually going actual arcane spellcaster.
Or a "street shaman" gnome type, likely more divine spellcasting.
I might have an idea for an academic with an interest in the occult eventually going actual arcane spellcaster.
Or a "street shaman" gnome type, likely more divine spellcasting.
Both sound intriguing.
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I am ok with NY area... The people ignoring what is going on as they live their lives is kinda appealing.
The theme of escapism strikes me... Escape into the virtual by hacking the Dark Web, to escaping the cityscape to a golf course, to even escaping one's own mind to visit others.
If you're still collecting interested souls, I too would be interested. (Sorry for the late post, I confused this with the other d20 Modern interest thread which I had already looked at.) Concept might be something like a "magic detective," someone who investigates missing persons, objects, etc. that have disappeared under mysterious circumstances. They could travel anywhere to pursue a case.
I really like d20 Modern. I only ever briefly got a chance to play it but I have several of the books. This said, the way base and advanced classes stack, you're looking at a subtle, lower power progression. Takes a lot of levels sometime to fully flesh out a concept. This is fine, just important to set expectations after being used to, say, Pathfinder which amped things up slightly. If you're using Modern's mass damage rules it can at the same time be more deadly--although using it is the best way to reflect how deadly firearms could be.
FWIW, personally I'd rather *not* a setting in NYC--everyone always uses NYC for contemporary-world based games (I'm in another NYC-based campaign already), and being in such a large, cramped city dramatically affects the flavor of what you do. I really like the original propositions of upstate NY or Utah. Lesser known, relatively smaller places your characters have a place to shine because they are more unique--but also risk drawing more attention for the same reason, which feels appropriate to an urban magic game. Places that are more spread out, with more options for supernatural shenanigans and themes in old abandoned fields, barns, mines, outside down etc. (I know Albany is a large town/small city and doesn't have fields, but NYC games tend to be bottles--you don't leave the city--whereas you can move around more in other setings.) GM also has more options for keying the place to their needs without conflicting with player expectations, whose real world knowledge of a place doesn't become a metagaming hassle. My two cents.
If you're still collecting interested souls, I too would be interested. (Sorry for the late post, I confused this with the other d20 Modern interest thread which I had already looked at.) Concept might be something like a "magic detective," someone who investigates missing persons, objects, etc. that have disappeared under mysterious circumstances. They could travel anywhere to pursue a case.
I really like d20 Modern. I only ever briefly got a chance to play it but I have several of the books. This said, the way base and advanced classes stack, you're looking at a subtle, lower power progression. Takes a lot of levels sometime to fully flesh out a concept. This is fine, just important to set expectations after being used to, say, Pathfinder which amped things up slightly. If you're using Modern's mass damage rules it can at the same time be more deadly--although using it is the best way to reflect how deadly firearms could be.
FWIW, personally I'd rather *not* a setting in NYC--everyone always uses NYC for contemporary-world based games (I'm in another NYC-based campaign already), and being in such a large, cramped city dramatically affects the flavor of what you do. I really like the original propositions of upstate NY or Utah. Lesser known, relatively smaller places your characters have a place to shine because they are more unique--but also risk drawing more attention for the same reason, which feels appropriate to an urban magic game. Places that are more spread out, with more options for supernatural shenanigans and themes in old abandoned fields, barns, mines, outside down etc. (I know Albany is a large town/small city and doesn't have fields, but NYC games tend to be bottles--you don't leave the city--whereas you can move around more in other setings.) GM also has more options for keying the place to their needs without conflicting with player expectations, whose real world knowledge of a place doesn't become a metagaming hassle. My two cents.
Ah. So everyone uses New York City. Setting it someplace different would be a boon. I chose New York City as a possible place to set a game because I used to live and work there. I didn't know it's "overused."
An odd suggestion? Well, unless you're John Waters of David Simon...
What about Baltimore, MD? Charm City, as they call it, is a pretty big city with a major port on the Chesapeake Bay. It is about a 30 mins car ride to rural areas, and a little under an hour to the DMV (DC metro region) along I95, which is itself a great location for a modern game for the same reasons. It is not very far from NYC and Philly.
Yeah, like I said, David Simon: watch a few episodes of "The Wire" and you'll get an idea how the rough parts are. But it's also got a lot of military contractors and civilian companies, so some classy and wealthy parts as well.
The nice thing about a Modern era game in the Information Age is that it is super easy to get tons of data on all sorts of cities.
dickie... Baltimore, MD has a wonderful touristy bay area that connects to Washington DC via a toll road.
Toll roads could be used strategically to separate wealthy areas from impoverished areas.
Being close to DC means characters could have FBI contacts or background.
"A Death of a Senator" sounds like a great Chapter 3, Eltonj
dickie... Baltimore, MD has a wonderful touristy bay area that connects to Washington DC via a toll road.
Toll roads could be used strategically to separate wealthy areas from impoverished areas.
Being close to DC means characters could have FBI contacts or background.
"A Death of a Senator" sounds like a great Chapter 3, Eltonj
Sounds like a mystery chapter. Also, Baltimore was used as Metropolis in one Superman movie.
Perhaps it would be better put that I've seen a lot of games take place in NYC. "Everyone" is hyperbole, admittedly. It was just a thought. The general gist was to suggest a setting not quite so hyper urban and well known. At the same time, whatever gets the GM most excited should always be a priority.
As for Baltimore, I am intensely biased toward liking the city itself at least as I live there. This said, dickie is right: it's a less-used setting and isn't used for stories often outside of, as mentioned, either high crime drama or camp, but the terrain (mountains to the west, giant estuary right there, federal territory to the south, etc.) and the various types of concerns (old U.S. history for hauntings to the port allowing for all kinds of trade, legitimate and black market). Were I to apply to a recruitment and be invited to play, I'd need to point out the concern that I'd have distinct advantage as a player for knowing the terrain, though of course fictional takes can have their own unique features and generally I try not to metagame, and of course it could be in my character to know the town.
dickie... Baltimore, MD has a wonderful touristy bay area that connects to Washington DC via a toll road. Toll roads could be used strategically to separate wealthy areas from impoverished areas.
The city itself used to do that simply via real estate redlining, the effects of which still dramatically, negatively impact the city. A couple historically white neighborhoods famously have walls around their edges where they share a border with a black neighborhood, particularly along York Road.
This said, on the toll road, with apologies for nitpicking: the only road that I can think of that directly connects from the Inner Harbor specifically to DC is the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, and that is not a toll road. Totally free to drive. If you live in Baltimore City itself, you'd have to go out of your way to actually find a toll to pay and drive to DC. This said, any sane person takes the $8 commuter train and avoids the highway traffic (there are not many sane people, hence the traffic). The two tolls (a bridge and a tunnel) separate Baltimore from the east/northeast part of Maryland, not heading south, and of course there are some fairly easy alternate routes heading in those directions if one was fine with avoiding I-95/895. There is also a toll road in southern Maryland (as in south of Baltimore COunty/City) called the Intercounty Connector, but it is not a direct line to DC. There are some "express tolls" further south on 95 in DC for those wanting to drive in the express lanes.
Ah. So everyone uses New York City. Setting it someplace different would be a boon. I chose New York City as a possible place to set a game because I used to live and work there. I didn't know it's "overused."
I don't doubt that New York is used frequently in movies. I've only spent a couple weeks there and I certainly wouldn't say I'm familiar with it. Besides, it doesn't have to be Our New York. Might be fun to play in a game where things aren't exactly what we'd expect.
Either way EltonJ, run the game where you'd like. If it makes it easier on you to use a city that your familiar with, please do that.
Ah. So everyone uses New York City. Setting it someplace different would be a boon. I chose New York City as a possible place to set a game because I used to live and work there. I didn't know it's "overused."I don't doubt that New York is used frequently in movies. I've only spent a couple weeks there and I certainly wouldn't say I'm familiar with it. Besides, it doesn't have to be Our New York. Might be fun to play in a game where things aren't exactly what we'd expect.
Either way EltonJ, run the game where you'd like. If it makes it easier on you to use a city that your familiar with, please do that.
Ah, thanks. I would be happy to set it in a familiar area. Both SLC and Manhattan are familiar to me.
Per www.golflink.com
Baltimore, Maryland Golf Courses
There are 7 golf courses in Baltimore, Maryland and 4 are municipal courses. There are also another 42 golf courses within 20 miles of Baltimore, including 14 public, 6 municipal and 19 private courses. The oldest course in the Baltimore area is the Green Spring Valley Hunt Club which was designed by Robert Trent Jones, ASGCA and opened in 1892. The longest course is Compass Pointe Golf Courses, which is 7,134 yards. Waverly Woods Golf Course is rated the best course near Baltimore.
As for tournaments there is the Baltimore Classic 5. This is played at 5 local Baltimore, MD. I can see Declan scrambling between supernatural events to get to the course on time, having to drink a Red Bull in order to deal with potential sponsors.
Realizing after defeating a few monsters that his share of the loot could allow him to golf "Full Time". Thus creating a fake business to be his sponsor.
Nitpicking is wonderful.
Going off a trip to DC @ ten or so years ago. Remember the wife and I traveled from DC to Baltimore... The Toll Road the GPS took us to get into the touristy Bay part of Baltimore was odd. Always stuck with me how Financial Weaponization affects the most mundane of things.
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Dang, Brett. Seems like the GPS screwed you over and sent you a really weird route. Should've been able to get on 295 and driven straight into the Inner Harbor (which is the "touristy Bay part") and never paid a dime.
This said, certainly yes there is always shenanigans with cordoning off access via roads in all kinds of ways, and with all kinds of costs.
EltonJ, what's SLC?
This said, certainly yes there is always shenanigans with cordoning off access via roads in all kinds of ways, and with all kinds of costs.
EltonJ, what's SLC?
Salt Lake City? I assume it's the only metropolis in Utah?
Ah! I knew it was obvious and my brain was doing everything it could to not think of it. :)
Salt Lake is beautiful actually ... and my character could try to help people conjure strong drinks from across the Shadow
Salt Lake City? I assume it's the only metropolis in Utah?This said, certainly yes there is always shenanigans with cordoning off access via roads in all kinds of ways, and with all kinds of costs.
EltonJ, what's SLC?
Not quite, Saint George is growing into a metropolis.
For comparison:
SLC has a pop of like 1.3 million
Provo is at about 625,000
St Gerorge: ~175,000
Anyone able to glamour a sword so it looks to be a golf club?
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If they can put a 'sword cane' in an umbrella they could probably fit a golf club for one...
Sword Cane: This is a lightweight, concealed sword that hides its blade in the shaft of a walking stick or umbrella. Because of this special construction, a sword cane is always considered to be concealed; it is noticed only with a Spot check (DC 18). (The walking stick or umbrella is not concealed, only the blade within.)
Of course you could always just whack them with the golf club itself.
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