Aetherpunk! (Steampunk, Alt History, LGBTQ Friendly)

[Crash]

I'm gonna need to read up on the lore, but I have been looking for a group game, and I have always wanted to, but never really been able to do something with steampunk

We would be happy to have you Geeklet.

[Crash]

I have added to the Outside the City section of World Building for those that are interested.

Game Threads
Character Sheets
World Building
OOC Thread

[Deamonbane]

Tentatively interested, thinking a psychotic crime boss with Brendon Urie as a face claim.

[Karma]

Welcome!

[Crash]

Tentatively interested, thinking a psychotic crime boss with Brendon Urie as a face claim.

My only concern is will you have people interested in writing across from a psychotic? I honestly don’t know the answer to that.

[Deamonbane]

I can write him as a villain, if people want to play off of him like that. :)

[Crash]

I can write him as a villain, if people want to play off of him like that. :)

Go ahead and submit him when you get him written up.  I always just voice that concern.  Sometimes it works out great and other times not so much. ;)

A good villain is awesome to have.

[Dhi]

After thinking about this, 17 years is too long to bring back an existing character. Such a time skip expects a generational change to take place, and trying to justify squeezing an old faithful into a space intended for fresh new ideas has proven problematic, not to mention against the spirit of the thing.

I'd like to draw a bit of inspiration from Ken Liu's Silkpunk with a character inspired by the kind of influence Meow might've had on Chinatown, but who doesn't share her old world traditions.

[Crash]

After thinking about this, 17 years is too long to bring back an existing character. Such a time skip expects a generational change to take place, and trying to justify squeezing an old faithful into a space intended for fresh new ideas has proven problematic, not to mention against the spirit of the thing.

I'd like to draw a bit of inspiration from Ken Liu's Silkpunk with a character inspired by the kind of influence Meow might've had on Chinatown, but who doesn't share her old world traditions.

That sounds like fun Dhi.

[Dhi]

After the rebellion of Soap Street and the fires of Stouts Alley, a number of demons bound up in talismans were released into the neighborhoods of Chinatown.

One such demon fell into the care of a young woman (played by Kim Jung Hoon) with a heart full of compassion for the destitute and deprived. This demon taught her the pronunciations of Zhou, said to influence the mortal senses. Together, they set out to realize a vision of justice and liberty for the oppressed multitudes of Chinatown.

Another such demon was discovered by a second young woman (played by Ngyuen Le Minh Truc) with a head full of worry for the future. This demon taught her the script of Fulu, said to hold the power to banish unseen evils. Together, they set out to realize a vision of harmony and prosperity for the shattered community of Chinatown.

Ultimately, the Rivalry of Roses would shatter the friendship between these two women, and spill onto the streets of greater San Francisco in a race for the remaining demons of Stouts Alley and secrets of the Dadong Zhenjing.

[Karma]

IN
TO
IT

[Crash]

After the rebellion of Soap Street and the fires of Stouts Alley, a number of demons bound up in talismans were released into the neighborhoods of Chinatown.

One such demon fell into the care of a young woman (played by Kim Jung Hoon) with a heart full of compassion for the destitute and deprived. This demon taught her the pronunciations of Zhou, said to influence the mortal senses. Together, they set out to realize a vision of justice and liberty for the oppressed multitudes of Chinatown.

Another such demon was discovered by a second young woman (played by Ngyuen Le Minh Truc) with a head full of worry for the future. This demon taught her the script of Fulu, said to hold the power to banish unseen evils. Together, they set out to realize a vision of harmony and prosperity for the shattered community of Chinatown.

Ultimately, the Rivalry of Roses would shatter the friendship between these two women, and spill onto the streets of greater San Francisco in a race for the remaining demons of Stouts Alley and secrets of the Dadong Zhenjing.

Sounds awesome!

[Dhi]

Working on the Magic entry for rose #1, The Speaker. This is the short version.

Magic:
Through the pronunciations of Zhou, Emma is able to speak to a particular part of a person's soul. Although listeners believe themselves fully aware of the words, these coded sounds are registered only by certain aspects of the sanhunqipo, or three hun and seven po, of the human spirit. The result is a nigh undetectable dog-whistle which stimulates certain emotional responses or ways of thinking.

Should I detail all the sanhunqipo, or is that a sufficient description?

[Crash]

Working on the Magic entry for rose #1, The Speaker. This is the short version.

Should I detail all the sanhunqipo, or is that a sufficient description?

I am fine with it.  Check in with players first if you plan on using this powers on their characters to make sure they are okay with it.  I know you know this, but I feel I still have to be all GM-y and say it. 😁

[Crash]

If anyone needs help with character please feel free to let me know. 

[Levi]

I've made a character that runs a small time crew called The Four Fingers if anyone wants to create a gang member then feel free!

[Crash]

*Raises hand to show interest*

I need to read over the worldbuilding more to get an idea for a character. But I'm also waiting to see if the roster fills with some more males. I am interested in making a female O/C, and y'all are female heavy atm. So I'll wait to see if it balances out a bit before I make it even more lopsided.

I would encourage you to write up your lady anyway.  This game doesn't really revolve around smut.  I am sure it will happen but in every previous game I have run plot was way more important that smut to the players.  Besides the more players we have the more likely will will attract new players so I do hope to see you submit something and hopefully we can continue to grow.

[Crash]

It wasn't really for smut purposes more so than just an overall gender balance that I was gonna wait for more male characters. I actually don't focus a lot on smut, tbh. Like, if it makes sense, sure. But I don't steer hard into it.

I can work on her a bit. but for the sake of not having to make a ton of revisions, could I have a bit of expounding on some lore? I was thinking of making a character that is a badlands racer/skimmer. maybe from a background of out-of-town, but has a proclivity for flying rigs fast and hard. The big city has met her with a drug addiction that got her mixed up in the wrong crowd and now she finds herself incorporated into underworld dealings. She's not the brightest lamp on the street, but has natural skills that make up for it. Oh, and I was hoping to play her as a young woman. By young, I mean 16 years old. I usually play characters in their late twenties to mid thirties. But I'm kinda getting bored with that and want to change it up.

So is there anything about the races not mentioned in the lore that I should know about? Are there brackets of competition? How and where do they function? Anyone in particular that she would need to be associated with in order to exist in these social circles? Would she have a handler or anyone that she needs as a go-between? Are the flying rigs owned by the racers themselves or the organizers?

First thing is I only allow characters 18 years old and older. I won't budge on that number.  So if you want to make her 18 that is fine.

An out of towner new to The City is perfectly fine.  The races are run by the group called the Gentlemen's Marque.  They are a criminal organization that deals in gambling, drugs and smuggling.  They often use racers they "control" in the dangerous endeavor of skimming off the haze, which is years of aether byproduct that is like a fog that never leaves between The Above and Below.  They process this haze to make a drug.  The racers are sometimes sponsored and sometimes independent.  Flitter rigs are not cheap though so if you want to be independent you should include how you afford the constant modifications and repairs that are necessary to keep your flitter in tip-top shape.

As the races are illegal you won't see businesses sponsor racers, but you will see gangs or wealthy individuals sponsor them.  The betting and the races themselves are watched by all strata of citizen and the betting is fierce.  The only thing you need to be in a race is a flitter and enough money to pay the buy in and a whole lot of crazy.  All of the racers race at the same time because it makes it more dangerous and fun to watch.  Cheating is technically frowned upon but it abounds and particularly clever and discrete forms of cheating end up being admired.

Races are sort of declared by the Gentlemen and people hear about them by word of mouth.  They are popular enough that word travels very fast.
The buy in is done through one of the Gentlemen's proxies.  If you have any connections in the racing community you will know who in your area takes the cash.  Once you have entered you will get the route that morning when you arrive.  There is a lot of shenanigans that take place trying to find out what the route is before hand to get an advantage.  Basically the route is made up of checkpoints you have to reach in order before getting to the finish line location.  Most of the race is in and around the city and usually in the Below or Steam.  There is an old mine north of the city that gets used sometimes too when The City cracks down on it.  Routes will lead in and through buildings and tunnels and pathways to force flitters into close proximity to one another throughout the race.

Oh and any racer taking part in a race not sanctioned by the Gentlemen's Marque is blackballed from all races.  Usually they end up being beaten and their flitters destroyed for good measure, too.

[Dhi]

Also, if I wanted to include a picture of said flitters in her profile, is there a reference of what y'all had in mind for them conceptually?

One possible concept is on the sheet for one of my very old characters, Rajya Panda:
https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=281993.msg13866479#msg13866479
That character represented an early sketch of the Aetherpunk racing scene, and things could very well have changed in the 18 years since. I look forward to seeing your take on it.

[Crash]

I will try to get to all of the questions when I can.  Busy week and weekend here!

[Crash]

She looks great and is approved

[Vael the Destroyer]

I am potentially interested. Thinking of a MtF Trans Assassin.

[Karma]

Hello Symphonic! Glad to have you!

[Vael the Destroyer]

Hello Symphonic! Glad to have you!

Thank you.

[Karma]

Let us know if there's anything we can help with!