It's been a while since I've run something on the boards, and I've got the itch again. The only problem is, I'm not sure what I want to run, or rather, I've got too many ideas for what to run. I'm hoping that the good folks here can help me narrow things down. Basically, I'm fishing to see what gets a bite, hence the name of the thread. These are just ideas and may not be exactly like the game I wind up running. Mostly, it's me brainstorming and trying to get my thoughts in writing. Systems are the options I have to run the game in and are listed no particular order.
So, here's what I'm mulling over.
You're a group of people that have been touched by the strange, the fantastic, and the dark. You solve mysteries, protect that and those which need it, and put down monsters. Adventures would be a mix of exploration, social interactions, combat, and mystery. You could all be part of a larger organization, an independent company, freelance, or some combination of any of these. Inspiration would be from the Dresden Files, The Ancient Magus' Bride, and various bits of myth, legend, and folklore.
Systems:
- Fate Core
- Monster of the Week
- Savage Worlds - Adventurer's Edition (SWADE)
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You're students, faculty, or staff at the Imperial Academy. Between classes you'll have to deal with bureaucrats building vest-pocket empires, nobles seeking advantages in court or just trying to get you kicked out, Mad scholars who've spent too long looking at forbidden tomes, and lab accidents that produce sentient slimes, just to name a few of the challenges you can expect. Inspiration would be from Harry Potter, various shows and comics that feature magic schools, and some things that I've learned over the years about how universities and schools function.
Systems:
- Pathfinder 1e
- Dungeons and Dragons 5e
- Fate Core
- Savage Worlds - Adventurer's Edition (SWADE)
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The OG, the granddaddy of 'em all, the one, the only Dungeon Crawl! You're adventurers seeking fame, fortune, and perhaps some lost and currently single royalty. Fair warning, I tend to be silly running these. Inspiration would be from various adventures, shows, novels, and whatever wild hair I get from looking over character backstories.
Systems:
- Pathfinder 1e
- Dungeons and Dragons 5e
- Fate Core
- Savage Worlds - Adventurer's Edition (SWADE)
- Dungeon World
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You're a band of mercenaries, bounty hunters, outlaws, or perhaps some other form of rapscallion. You're looking for fame, fortune, and enough credits to pay off that slugman you botched one job for. Inspiration would be from Star Wars, Firefly, Cowboy Bebop, Outlaw Star, with some stuff I've had banging around in my head since middle school.
Systems:
- Fate Core
- Mindjammer
- Savage Worlds - Adventurer's Edition (SWADE)
- Dungeon Planet/Dungeon World
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This is by no means an exhaustive list. If you've got a character looking for that perfect game, or you've got ideas for a setting you've always wanted to play in, lay them out here. I'm brainstorming here, trying to settle on an idea. If you have something you're interested in, let me know. Sometimes things just spark and ideas combine and flow to make something that's better than what I would have come up with on my own.
Systems:
- Pretty much everything listed above.
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A note on length. At the moment, I'm planning on running an adventure and seeing where it goes after that. While I can't promise anything beyond that, I can promise we will reach a good conclusion before I end the game.
So, with all of that said, I'm looking forward to hearing from all of you. I'll leave this open for at least two weeks. Any longer than that depends on how things go.
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Dotting for interest in any 1E Pathfinder game you might run, that being said, there are 16 sad adventurers who werent chosen to be colonists for the Ruins of Azlant AP if you are interested in salvaging some of us from Another recruiting thread
I've got enough time for a new adventure. I'm quite unfamiliar with non-DND, non-Pathfinder systems, but can adapt if given the time and resources to learn. I've never tried a game in space -it could be fun!
If you want to run an AP, I'm interested in Ruins of Azlant for the same reason as friendly sauce. Don't feel pressured into anything if you'd rather keep it homebrew, though.
Out of the options listed above, the one that most interests me is the Imperial Academy. For that, the only systems I'm familiar with are Pathfinder & 5e, but my gut tells me that those systems are combat-centric enough that using them would risk pulling the game more into combat & less into political intrigue.
One idea that touched my interest in recent days would be a Pathfinder game representing the Quest for Sky.
Sadly I don't have the Ruins of Azlant AP, though I do have all of them up to Giantslayer. The only thing is that I don't think I'm up for that kind of a commitment, which is one of the reasons I didn't mention them as options.
The good news is that Fate Core, Savage Worlds, and any of the Powered by the Apocalypse systems are designed to be easy to pick up. Fate can be a bit of a bear to wrap your heard around at first if you've never played it, but I think I can help out. The nice thing is that Fate does have an SRD if you want to start reading through it.
Fate Core SRD
Handy comic laying out the core concepts by the folks at Up to Four Players
There's also a test drive PDF available for Savage Worlds. Note, that I won't be using the Deadlands stuff, so it may not be as useful as a more general one would have been.
SWADE Test Drive
Another handy comic laying out Savage Worlds' core concepts by the folks at Up to Four Players. Note that this was released before the current edition, but unlike DnD, the editions are more refinements than complete rewrites, so all of the information is still relevant.
Hope that helps settle any questions about the rules we might be using.
@Darkest Doomed: Is there anything in particular you want to explore in either of those settings?
@Darkest Doomed: Is there anything in particular you want to explore in either of those settings?
Not particularly. Right now I'm only at the 'tgey sound kind of interesting' phase.
Hey DM-Salsa, it's good to see a familiar face!
I'm not super familiar with the games on your list. Obviously I've playe PF1, but other than that I've been in one "Powered by the Apocalypse systems" and it was an 'apocalyptic' game. But I'd consider learning a new system. Of the Ideas you've listed I'd be most interested in the Urban Fantasy and then the Games in spaaaace.
If were to go for something 'Completely Different' Id request "Urban Fantasy Monster Hunting" but set it in an alt-earth world in the early 20th century ie: The mummy, Indian Jones, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Penny Dreadful. But I have no idea what system would be best, I'm sure one of them would fit nicely.
Upvote for The Imperial Academy. Sounds like fun hilarity. I have some interest in dungeon crawl and monster hunter (both urban and Robert Henry’s suggestion).
@Robert Henry: Hello! Good see ya too! Hopefully it was the system and not the group that was apocalyptic.
@friendly sauce and Ythiel: Are you interested in just anything run in PF1e?
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So looks like two for the Imperial Academy setting, two for possibly an AP using PF1e, Two for something in space, and sounds like RH wants to do some monster hunting if space isn't an option.
Thinking about it some more, I was thinking that the Academy setting would be in a world that is roughly equivalent to where we were around the enlightenment and later industrial revolution, c. 1700-1890. I was also thinking about taking a world concept I had and using that for the basis of this world. The idea was what if the geocentric model was the right one? The world is made up of shells of floating islands rotating about different sets of axes. Each set of poles is marked by gigantic floating towers. Travel is facilitated by skyships. The gods have taken up residence in the various celestial bodies (Sun, moons, planets, and stars.) Given how huge the world is, a lot of it is still unknown and expeditions often find new cultures and peoples to trade and interact with.
The Academy itself would be the prestige school of whatever empire it winds up being in. It would be responsible for training the next generation of leaders, scholars, mages, clergy, and high bureaucrats of the empire. Given the chance to elevate one's position, competition for the limited number of seats is cutthroat as is the competition for positions on the faculty and staff. Given its prestige, the academy also has a fair number of foreign students and professors on the rolls as other nations seek to establish links with the empire and give their own scions a leg up on their competition back home.
Given that the world is still largely wild and untamed, full of ruins and strange, unknown beings and magics, I would say that we could throw in some elements of monster hunting in here, especially if an adventure takes you out of the academy on a field trip to help some professor or as a learning experience in diplomacy and civic leadership. There could even be things, dark and dangerous things, within the academy itself that have slipped loose or were let out.
Anyway, this is just me spitballin' here. What do y'all think?
@Robert Henry: Hello! Good see ya too! Hopefully it was the system and not the group that was apocalyptic.
Actually a little of both :)
Your Imperial Academy idea sounds interesting as does your world building. But I'd hate to learn both a new world and a new system. Would it be possible to use PF1 if you go that route? Pathfinder's rudimentary firearms system would work well enough for late industrial age.
Would all the characters be young students or would professors, staff, staff family members be available?
What I like the most about the era I described is the world still had some mystery. Stories had been heard and some folks had done some exploring, but no one really knew what was true. It sounds like that still may be true in your world.
Faculty, staff, and family are all viable options for PCs, as is being someone's servant or bodyguard.
As far as the world goes, y'all know as much about the world as I do at the moment. I wanted a world where all of the map hadn't been filled in yet, and this is what I came up with for a concept, so yeah, there's still lots to explore.
As far as using PF1e, well, I can, but it's not really my favorite system. The biggest pain point for me in running it is combat. Even if I limit myself to having to run one or two enemies, there's still a lot to keep track of and it's far too easy to make things too easy, too hard, or just a plain slog. There are other issues, but I can work around them for the most part.
I'll still run it if that's what everyone wants, but it's definitely not my first choice, even if it's the one that I've played the longest and have the most experience in.
I guess I should mention I'm in a similar way with DND5e. I know it, I can run it. Combat's just a bear and it's not my first choice.
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That's a cool concept for a grand academy game! I'd throw in a dot if you ran something in that vein.
Clearly, I'm intrigued by all of your propositions. Whether what you want to present will be my cup of tea would obviously be the trick. Of all the ideas so far, the Academy has definitely been the most fleshed out, so I can say for sure, I'm onboard for that one.
Regarding systems: I’m always up for trying something new. Any system which you think is more narrative, PbP friendly is my jam. Otherwise, I’ll use any system as long as storytelling and long-winded character posts are allowed. :)
Interest!
The Imperial Academy -
Dungeon Crawl, Classic -
Games in SPAAAACE! -
Run what you like as they are all awesome ideas!!
Dungeon Crawl classics hit a nostalgic itch no others can.
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@Robert Henry: Hello! Good see ya too! Hopefully it was the system and not the group that was apocalyptic.
@friendly sauce and Ythiel: Are you interested in just anything run in PF1e?
I am only interested in PF1, I just don't care to try to learn another system. I'll keep an eye on the thread as I am interested in PF1 and the Imperial Academy sounds best to me out of the options presented.
I'm interested in all the PF1e options.
Seems like I'll need to brush up on the Pathfinder gun rules. I'll work on fleshing things out for the Academy setting since that's the one that is sparking interest and ideas.
I may be interested in the Imperial Academy Concept or the Dungeon Crawler using the Pathfinder 1e system. (I am kind of partial to it honestly) Would definitely not mind brushing off some mage builds been a while since I have gotten to play one. What medium would you be using for this possible game? Play by post or live? What VTT if live?
Seems like I'll need to brush up on the Pathfinder gun rules. I'll work on fleshing things out for the Academy setting since that's the one that is sparking interest and ideas.
If you need any help let me know, are you still on discord?
For a late industrial era I'd recommend 'Guns ever where' and Advanced Firearms.
You're students, faculty, or staff at the Imperial Academy. Between classes you'll have to deal with bureaucrats building vest-pocket empires, nobles seeking advantages in court or just trying to get you kicked out, Mad scholars who've spent too long looking at forbidden tomes, and lab accidents that produce sentient slimes, just to name a few of the challenges you can expect. Inspiration would be from Harry Potter, various shows and comics that feature magic schools, and some things that I've learned over the years about how universities and schools function.
Systems:
- Pathfinder 1e
"You're a sorcerer, Boss" - Radovan
caster4life, I'd love to play another campaign with you!!
I've been thinking about using Pathfinder for the Imperial Academy game. The more I think about the less I think it'll work out.
First, It's not a system that really rewards non-combat focused characters or games. Everything about how the system is built shows it's heritage in wargames, and while that's not a bad thing, it's not something that's great for this kind of game.
Second, Firearms, especially at the level I'm looking at, change the system to such an extent, I wouldn't be confident in balancing things.
Third, while it isn't going to be a focus, I do plan on some combat, and PBP combat using Pathfinder is one of those things that has been scaring me off of running something. I thought I might be able to power through it, but the more I think about it, the more I dread it.
Forth, It's just not the right system for the game or for the play style I use. I'm a narrative GM. I focus on stories, characters, and settings, not mechanics, and given all of that, it just makes more sense to run it in a narrative system.
Part of me feels terrible because I feel like I've just yanked your chains, but the reason I started this thread was to help me figure out what I wanted to run. Part of that includes figuring out what I don't want to run, and I don't want to run a PF1e game. I don't know how else to put it whenever I think about doing just that and I feel dread about about much it's going to suck to setup and run any combat or create NPCs that need to have stats beyond a name and a flavor text blurb.
Apologies to everyone who wanted a PF1e game. I'm not the GM you're looking for, it turns out.
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No worries, GM. You have fun the way you have fun.
Waskally: Would be fun! We'll find a shared game again eventually.
Hi DM-Salsa, I guess it was not mentioned in your list, but since you asked for feedback I am dropping also some ideas/suggestions. Of course these are mainly the things I am looking for personally, but like you said 'Sometimes things just spark and ideas combine and flow'.
I have played lots of Pathfinder 1e, but now am looking for 'simpler' games, so anything along the lines of Old School Essentials or BECMI, Basic Fantasy RPG, OSRIC, Labyrinth Lord, Dungeon Crawl Classics, or AD&D2e would be a perfect match for me.
I have heard great things about SWADE, but never really got to know it - what kind of system is it? More/Less complex than PF1? Just different?
I know they may be a bit out of left field, but these are my two cents.
Given the chance to elevate one's position, competition for the limited number of seats is cutthroat as is the competition for positions on the faculty and staff.
As a PhD student, this hits very close to home!
So far, I'm thinking "why not". Depends on the system you intend to use, and what world you want to set the story in.
My worry is that it will turn out to be a little too complicated to learn, especially if we go with a cosmic-like scale to build the world while retaining the idea that a lot of the story will take place in an academic setting. How would that work? Are we starting on the equivalent of Earth, and then move on to space exploration? Are gods faraway or nearby, and how would the fact that they can be visited affect religion? Do they have an entire planet for themselves -I assume it would still be inhabited? What would be the end goal of an Empire, and how cohesive would it be if it is constituted of independent celestial bodies with their own culture? What would be the purpose of a magical academy in a world where technology is advanced enough to make a lot of spells irrelevant (like travelling using ships rather than spells of greater teleport)?
I'm intrigued by the world-building, and maybe you have a very clear idea of how you want everything to fit together. I'm only asking these questions because I agree with Robert Henry: if I (and the other players) must learn a new system and a new world with its own rules, then the simpler it is the better.
The imperial academy might work better with spheres of power. This would allow the characters a little more room to specialize when everybody is a caster.
Or gestalt where everybody has one casting class and one non-casting class.
I’d love to play in your game, but I cannot do Pathfinder 1e anymore. And that seems where you’re headed. I would prefer 5e and the Academy setting seems fun.
Cheers
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Apologies to everyone who wanted a PF1e game. I'm not the GM you're looking for, it turns out.
Dude, nothing to apologize for, I was only expressing a desire not to learn too much too quick. Put together the game/system/world you're interested in. If you're not having fun, then there's no point in doing it.
I know the "Powered by the Apocalypse systems" has exploded since I played Apocalypse World Do they have a viable system that would work for your imperial academy idea?
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@Jubal Breakbottle: I think you missed my last post. I'm not doing Pathfinder, and for a lot of the same reasons, I'm not going to be doing 5e. It's really the right system for this.
@Daniel Stewart: I have a good number of the GURPS books, and I didn't include it as an option because, if I'm being honest, the thought of running something in that system scares me. It doesn't have to be a big, complex beast like some people thing, but it requires a lot of work on the GM's end before hand to make it something easy to use, and it intimidates me, to be frank.
@All: I'll be putting together a post explaining my thoughts behind the setting at large and going over Fate, which I think is the best system for this game after some consideration. It'll take me a bit, and I want to make sure I answer as many questions as possible, so please, ask away.
Salsa Verde? Or dancing the Salsa?
ponders
I'll give you a hint, I can't dance to save my life.
I’m all about the FATE system. I’m about “fantasy-ed” out, but anything else would go great. I ran a few sessions of this FATE game a while back.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starblazer_Adventures
Any thoughts on starfinder?
Just wondering
Anyway hi all, been a while since I've been to the boards
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Don't have Delta Green, though I've heard it's good.
I also don't have Starfinder, but from what I have seen and know of the system, It's going to have the same issues with combat that PF and D&D have in PBP.
Also, Hi Ed! Long time no see!
I'm planning on just the one game and seeing how that goes, and I've pretty much decided on doing the imperial academy idea in Fate. I'll try to have that post I mentioned earlier up tomorrow evening (CDT, UTC-05:00) and hopefully that will clarify some things.
Should we be looking for a different recruitment, or do you have a link to the new post?
Sorry for the delay, I wound up being more tired than I thought and slept through most of Sunday.
Ythiel's questions made me realize that I probably should give a better idea of the world and the scope of the game. The game will take place in the academy and in parts of the capital city near the academy's grounds, at least at first. While you could visit the planets and the stars, it's not easy and the gods are jealous of their secrets, so no planet hopping or crashing a deity's house party. Most of what I'm about to go into is mainly for flavor as far as the game is concerned.
The universe is centered on the world. The world consists of layers of floating islands that form layers around a central point. The biggest islands are the size of continental plates, dozens of miles thick and stretching thousands of miles in all directions. Some hold vast oceans while are others are arid with small enclaves of life at the edges. One layer of islands forms most of a shell around the the common center of the universe. Above this layer, the islands are mostly smaller and less dense. Below, the islands are more dense and tend to be larger. Layers rotate around one of four axes. At each of these points are towers that reach up into the sky, broken where other layers pass through them. (Take a cube, have the North and South poles pass through opposite corners, the other three axes pass through the remaining pairs of corners)
The empire's core territory is situated on one of the islands that is rich in resources, which allowed it to flourish. The capital is located on the rim of the sea dominating the center of the island. While the academy has courses on magic practice and theory, it isn't just a school for mages. It is a place that prepares the elite of the empire, the cream of the crop, for lives as leaders, scholars, and innovators.
As for how magic and technology work and have affected each other, that's something that I need to work out.
Having said all of that, I see the setting as more of a framework that will be used to help spark ideas and give some structure to that can be used to give characters history and life or to support something that slots into one of the gaps. Basically, I'll have enough that there's something to use for character creation, but leave plenty of places for players to get creative.
Fate is a narrative system that is designed to focus in on a characters key aspects and facilitate quick play with light-weight rules. The core mechanic is to roll four dice that have an equal chance of rolling -1, 0, or +1 and adding any modifiers. This can be done here on the boards by rolling 4d3-8+modifiers.
Modifiers can come from skills, stunts, or aspects. PCs start with 10 skills. 1 at +4, 2 at +3, 3 at +2, and 4 at +1. Stunts are similar to Feats in that they are activated under certain conditions. A general rule of thumb for stunts is that ones with a narrow application, say like a +2 to Dance while dancing off against Dracula under the light of a full moon, won't cost anything to invoke. More general stunts, like a +2 to Shoot while in shadows, can cost a fate point to invoke. Aspects can also be invoked for a bonus if they fit the situation.
All characters have aspects. At the very least, a character will have a core concept. The character with the stunt that grants a +2 to Dance while dancing off against Dracula under the light of a full moon, could have the core concept of Vampiric Boogiemeister. Characters will also tend to have a Trouble. This is something that, more often than not, will cause trouble for the character. Continuing our example, the trouble for our dancing bloodsucker could be something like Wanted by the Necrodancers or Can't Stop Shaking the Moneymaker.
PCs will have a core concept, a trouble, three other aspects, three stunts, and the skills mentioned above. You can get by with just the core concept and the trouble to start with, but it's a good idea to try and come up with aspects that fit your character's personality as quickly as possible since they are the main things that define who your character is. Stunts can also be defined during play.
Good aspects will have both a positive and a negative side. The reason being is that other players and the narrator can compel an aspect, granting you a Fate Point. You can choose to resist the compel, but it's best if you don't do this too often. It's a part of your character, after all.
Speaking of Fate Points, they can be used to invoke aspects and stunts. Aspects are not limited to characters either. Equipment, vehicles, locations, organizations, and just about anything else can have an aspect. These aspects can be invoked by PCs and NPCs to gain bonuses on rolls, or compelled to give penalties to a character. Doing so costs a Fate Point.
Whenever you roll in Fate, your rolling to do one of four things.
- Attack
- Defend
- Overcome
- Create an Advantage
Attack is when you try to harm another character. Harm can be physical, but it can also be mental or social as well.
Defend is when you try to prevent harm to yourself or prevent someone from getting an advantage on you.
Overcome is when you try to get past some obstacle or negative consequence.
Create an Advantage is when you try to gain the upperhand. When you do this, you create an aspect that has a free invoke.
Note, that you can also create advantages for team mates. You can do this by rolling or spending a Fate Point.
The last thing to go over is stress and consequences. Stress is your character's ability to absorb harm. There are two stress tracks, physical and mental. Whenever you fail to defend against an attack, you take stress. Which track depends on the nature of the attack. Getting hit with a bat or slipping down the stairs would be physical stress while letting an insult get under your skin or having some dark secret revealed to everyone would be mental stress. All characters start with two stress. The Toughness skill grants 1 to 2 more physical stress while the Will skill grants 1 to 2 more mental stress depending on what you have in the skill (+1 to +2 is 1 more stress, +3 and up is two more stress.) Stress resets at the end of a scene.
Consequences are what you suffer if you run out of stress. You have a Mild(2), Moderate(4), and Severe(6) consequence. Note that unlike stress, consequences apply to both mental and physical. If you run out of stress, then you have to apply whatever excess damage to consequences. Which depends on how much and what you have open. If it's three damage after accounting for the damage stress mitigates, then you'll have to take a moderate or severe consequence. If you already have a moderate consequence, you'll have to take a severe consequence. If you take harm and have no consequences left that you can take, your character is incapacitated and out of the fight.
Unlike stress, consequences stick around until overcome. They are aspects that can be compelled to cause your character trouble.
And that's pretty much it. You can get more detail here: Fate SRD
Should we be looking for a different recruitment, or do you have a link to the new post?
Different. It's going to take a bit to get everything ready, so it's not going to be up for at least a couple of weeks. I'll post a link to the thread here when I get it up. I'll also PM anyone who wants a reminder. Just say you do and I'll send it to you when it's up.
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All characters have aspects. At the very least, a character will have a core concept. The character with the stunt that grants a +2 to Dance while dancing off against Dracula under the light of a full moon, could have the core concept of Vampiric Boogiemeister. Characters will also tend to have a Trouble. This is something that, more often than not, will cause trouble for the character. Continuing our example, the trouble for our dancing bloodsucker could be something like Wanted by the Necrodancers or Can't Stop Shaking the Moneymaker.
His name is Dr. Von Boogie, thank you very much. And this:
"Can't Stop Shaking the Moneymaker"I completely understand.