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Berserk-esque horror/Dark-fantasy RP?

Started by Vonandi, March 24, 2017, 06:43:32 PM

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Vonandi

Hello, I'm not sure really how to put this, But as I said in the title I'm looking for a group to play a horror-dark fantasy game. The type that's full of both the horror's of humanity as well as horrors of the non-human kind. I own the manual for LotFP which seems to fit the bill somewhat but seeing as I've yet to play it I don't know for sure. I'm also hoping to join a system game instead of a free form one, and one where sex is allowed (and likely common given the setting) but not the sole point.




wander

Just wondering what LotFP stands for?

I'd love a Berserk styled game myself. I'm not a great GM, I'd prefer to play, though I could do something with Dungeon World.

Vonandi

Hey, LotFP stands for Lamentations of the Flame Princess. Supposedly a game that blends "weird horror" and fantasy, but as I said I don't know for sure if that's quite what i'm looking for since yet since I've only skimmed though it. I'd prefer to play as well, but I'm starting to wonder if this idea is something someone can just come in and GM, unless a setting like this already exists I don't see how someone is going to want come in and just build a game for everyone to play unless they already have something like that kicking around.... Maybe I should redo this and try to GM myself.

1SAZ

While I haven't heard of the system you mentioned, I am definitely interested in the setting and concept here. In all honesty, any system could be adapted to the setting provided the GM is a bit of a sadist to the party, but if there are systems designed for this concept, even better.

I am curious how far into the Berserk mentality you wish to go? Giant swords and enchanted armor with maimed heroes that somehow still come out alive despite all odds or "We're all gonna die, but we're gonna die swinging and trying to take down one dude, hopefully." All that said, always a fan of monsters that actually pose a threat to the heroes instead of "Oh, it's a scary spooky skeleton. Let's whack it down and take that sweet loot."

wander

Another system that I think does Berserk well (I have done two Berserk style games with Dungeon World and it very much can do those really well) is Nights of the Crusades.

You can find it for free on drivethru. It's a pretty simple system though off-memory has rules for sanity and also wounds that are realistic without being bogged down in crunch, notable that getting heavily injured enough or cutting through enemies enough is damaging to mental health.
It has a real grim-dark feel (as the fluff of the setting in the pdf is based off the RL Crusades with all the horrors of that, with added demons!), the big pro is that it also happens to be free.

Yet to actually find a game for it, though mechanically on paper it's very Berserk.

You could probably also run Wulfsmund with it (the set in RL pre-Switzerland manga done by one of Miura's assistants, which has a real-horror Berserk feel, made all the worse as it's a historical manga with no demons, all the villians are humans that do things that'd make Ramsay Bolton tell them to chill the fuck out... ^^; ).

Vonandi

#5
If any of you blokes are still around I'm still very much interested in this idea. I'm not too held up on the system as much as the theming and tone, which in retrospect would be more like Wulfsmund (Thank you for turning me on to that btw I wasn't aware of it before but after berserk it was exactly the type of manga I was trying to find) than berserk, but I still very much appreciate supernatural horror elements in my fantasy even if they are very grounded and understated. I looked through nights of the crusades and liked what I saw quite a bit, as long as the people joining wouldn't mind reading though it if they aren't already aware of the rule set. The idea of taking sanity damage and sustaining wounds is very much the sort of thing I'm looking for.

wander

Ooh, I'd be still interested for sure!

Also Nights of the Crusades is Pay What you Want here;

http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/103825/Nights-of-the-Crusades

So those who want to just check it out could download it for free.

Vonandi

#7
That's great! I was worried that my long hiatus would scare everyone off. Now we just need to find someone to willing and able to GM and to hammer out the particulars like the setting and sexual content or lack thereof.

Personally I was hoping for something that somewhat mirrors the latter half of Berserk's golden arc, in the sense that that is is still very focused on human horror and political forces but otherworldly monsters exist and are appearing more and more frequently. That and the monsters that do appear are veritable demi-gods and killing them is generally no small task for a normal human, or even a well trained force. It doesn't necessarily need to be set in any particular universe in fact I would kind of like if it was it's own separate entity so it wouldn't need to be tied the and pre-set rules or lore. The horrific ordeal of living in the medieval era would need to play a large part in the game as that is one of the major factors that draws me to the idea, the game would likely need to be extreme even if it's low or optional sexual content.

Do you have any other ideas you would like to see implemented? I'm willing to bend quite a bit long as the general idea is still intact.

wander

I'm good with that. I'm just hoping someone shows the interest to GM.

Vonandi

Yes, well, I'm getting ahead of myself. If no one comes along who is willing and able to GM I suppose and brainstorming on how the game will be run will be for naught, and I guess the specifics would be up to them any ways. :-X

Vonandi

#10
I'd be willing to participate in any sort of dark fantasy or even a straight fantasy rp at this point, the forums are currently a bit slow in that regard and I'm still not entirely comfortable gming anything myself.

mayovagn

All hail Eris! Kallisti! All Hail Discordia!

Member in good standing but poor sitting and terrible leaning of the Most Secret Order of the Stone Bonker of the Kakapo

wander


Vonandi

I'm still holding out hope, even if it take a while.

Thufir Hawat

I don't have the time to GM anything more, but have you considered Crimson Blades as well?
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Vonandi

Quote from: Thufir Hawat on August 23, 2017, 05:28:53 PM
I don't have the time to GM anything more, but have you considered Crimson Blades as well?

It seems a bit too high-magic for what I'm looking for, plus it's hard to beat free. What makes you recommend it?

Thufir Hawat

There's two parts to my reply.
First, no, it's not hard to beat free. You just have to compete on things that aren't price.

Second, and more important, why I feel Crimson Blades would be a great choice?
Well, there's the combat system...
Spoiler Alert
First, Guts and his sword are the best option for killing demons or armoured soldiers. One of those armoured soldiers is likely going to die on every swing.
Second, Griffith can defeat Guts, especially if both are unarmoured (as happened in the anime).

Third, you just remove the Wizard class, and make Griffith a Dendrelissy. He looked elf-like in the anime, so that fits even better! (Dendrelissy are obviously Melnibonean-analogues).
Then, his main skill is going to be summoning demons, not spells. And he has a reason to betray everyone - summoning demons often requires a sacrifice. If you want to summon Greater Demons and get ultimate power, it might take a nasty sacrifice.
Personally, I like it when the system makes it likely stuff would go as expected.

And of course, I'm not saying you can't do that with Barbarians of Lemuria, Nights of the Crusades, or other systems! In fact, I own and like those, too >:)!
I just like discussing what is better, is all.
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Vonandi

#17
Berserk was just one of the general inspirations for the type of RP I wanted, I don't want to recreate it scene by scene or anything. Preferably everyone would have normal weapons and armour, and magic would be practically nonexistent. The berserk inspiration would be more in tone than anything else.

Thufir Hawat

Yeah, and it's unlikely Crimson Blades would recreate Berserk scene by scene. But my point it, it makes some elements of it more likely to happen``.
Nights of the Crusades is geared more towards a 1001 nights/Chansons de geste setting than the dark fantasy we know.
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Bernardo Hoagie

If you're still interested in running something, I've been wanting to run a hybrid freeform RP. Half the RP would be faction-based nation building, and the other half would be mercenary-type adventure. In game terms, imagine a Warcraft 3 game going on, and in the middle of it are World of Warcraft players who are doing quests that are created by the Warcraft 3 players in an attempt to gain an advantage over the other players.

My faction is one under perpetual eclipse. In the daytime, it's under a black sun, and in the nighttime, it's under a blood moon. Its heroes would look like vampires, and probably act like them too, even though they are technically living.

mayovagn

If this was competitive with people jostling for advantage, it would need someone in charge who is not directly involved who can be objective. Without that it wouldn't really work right.

All hail Eris! Kallisti! All Hail Discordia!

Member in good standing but poor sitting and terrible leaning of the Most Secret Order of the Stone Bonker of the Kakapo

Bernardo Hoagie

#21
Quote from: mayovagn on October 02, 2017, 09:26:38 AM
If this was competitive with people jostling for advantage, it would need someone in charge who is not directly involved who can be objective. Without that it wouldn't really work right.

I will run a dying empire that the rest of the people can fight over. I'm guaranteed to lose, so I have no stakes, other than being an obstacle for the rest to get over.

As for the mercenary group, I'll make laws in the group that disincentize favoritism towards a group. If someone starts doing that, then they will be kicked out of the mercenary group so that they can be a soldier for their preferred faction.

Thufir Hawat

Well, I'm going to sit that out, but have fun 8-)!
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Talhar

Just wanted to drop by and show interest in a grim/dark & 'realistic' fantasy RP setting, with or without a system implemented.

I always enjoyed a realistic vibe along with a low-fantasy in a grim and dark world.
à la Kingstown Town in The Secret World for example, so if this idea is still ongoing and in the works, feel free keep me in the loop.

Cheers.

Vonandi

Quote from: Bernardo Hoagie on October 02, 2017, 07:48:53 AM
If you're still interested in running something, I've been wanting to run a hybrid freeform RP. Half the RP would be faction-based nation building, and the other half would be mercenary-type adventure. In game terms, imagine a Warcraft 3 game going on, and in the middle of it are World of Warcraft players who are doing quests that are created by the Warcraft 3 players in an attempt to gain an advantage over the other players.

My faction is one under perpetual eclipse. In the daytime, it's under a black sun, and in the nighttime, it's under a blood moon. Its heroes would look like vampires, and probably act like them too, even though they are technically living.

I'm not sure if I completely understand, but that seems a bit more like the framework for a game than the actual tone. Them being mercenaries isn't necessarily a given, and I rather it be a small group of tightly nit characters rather than entire nations going at it, as I would like for it to focus on their interactions and experiences under overwhelming circumstances. That is, I would like for it to be more "party based" than some sort of grand strategy affair.