Fallen Empires (dark fantasy Apocalypse World, started, still accepting)

Started by ZincStandard, October 07, 2018, 07:36:57 PM

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ZincStandard



Something is wrong with the world and I don't know what it is.

It was better once, of course it was.  In the golden age of legend, when there was enough to eat and enough hope, when the great empires carried the word of their gods across the land and people could lift their eyes and see beyond the horizon, beyond the day.  When children were born happy and grew up rich.

The oldest living still remember it.  A childhood time of terror, the great cities of empire thrashing, burning, falling.  Thousands of years of culture, the greatest achievements of civilization, lost in dust and smoke and hate.  Now that's not what we've got.  Now we've got this.  Strongholders stand against the screaming elements and all comers, keeping safe as many as they can.  Bonepickers wage a constant battle against
there's not enough and blood spills and everything dies.  Hocuses gather people around them, and are they protectors, saviors, visionaries, or just wishful thinkers?  The wolfsheads, the sword masters, and the children of battle carve out what they can and defend it with murder and blood.  Nightshades dare to remember beauty, or invent beauty anew, cup it in their hands and whisper come and see, and don't worry now about what it will cost you.

And there's something else.  Close your eyes and grasp out, open the doors in your soul, and you'll feel it, there in the spaces where you can't see, all around.  The Maelstrom.  The thing that killed the gods, or the thing that rushed in to fill the void the gods left when they died, or the unsheathed sword of the gods' judgment when they turned their backs on us.  The terrible desperation and hate pressing in at the edge of all perception, it is the world now.

And you, who are you? This is what we've
got, yes. What are you going to make of it?




So Fallen Empires is a dark fantasy reskin of Apocalypse World, which to me is like putting the cherry on top of another cherry ;D  I've played the system before and loved it, and I want to run a game of it here.

Ideally, I'd like to find players who are familiar with Powered by the Apocalypse games--they can be kind of hard to learn, less because of the actual rules and more because they run on some assumptions that are very different from most RPGs.  However, what's more important to me is that you're a skilled and enthusiastic writer who wants to participate, so I'm happy to help people learn if they want this to be their first experience with the system.  All the necessary materials for Fallen Empires can be found here...

http://apocalypse-world.com/AW2ndEdFallenEmpiresPreview.pdf

I can't say too much about the setting right now, because it's supposed to be largely collaborative, and developed through play--for that reason, if you're going to join the game, I need you to be comfortable independently just throwing out ideas for the world as they come up, and trusting that the rest of the group will roll with them.  However, to give some general structure, I want this game to center around a particular stronghold or community, and the role the PCs play in its function and survival--typical Apocalypse World stuff.  While it's expected that everyone's characters will be at least cordial with one another to start with, this isn't necessarily a cooperative game, and it's entirely possible that conflict or outright PvP might arise.

This is not meant to be mainly a smut game.  That said, there's plenty of sexy stuff suggested by various player options (every playbook has a sex move, just to start with), and if people want to emphasize that with their characters and bring it into the game, I encourage it.  However, characters should be people, with more to them than sex, and capable of setting that stuff aside when necessary.  As we learn about the community and culture the characters belong to, we'll learn about their attitudes toward sex, which might be liberal, conservative, or whatever we decide, within practical bounds.

So, if you want to play, pick a playbook and submit with the following template (the character is purely an example).  No doubling up on playbooks if one is taken.  Images are optional if you prefer not to have one.  If you have any questions, please let me know.  Can't wait to see what you come up with!

Character sheet example/template
Introducing Hawk, a child of battle.

[Image if used]

Man, dark skin, plain clothing, striking face, frosty eyes, muscular body.

Cool +3, Hard 0, Hot +1, Sharp +1, Weird -1

History: [Leave blank until later]

Ice cold: when you fly at an NPC, roll+cool instead of +hard.  When you fly at another PC, roll+history instead.  When you make a battle move that calls for you to roll+hard, you can roll+cool instead.

Perfect instincts: when you’ve read a charged situation and you’re acting on the MC’s answers, take +2 to the roll instead of +1.

Child of battle special: if you and another character have sex, you annul their special move. Whatever it is, it doesn’t happen.

Gear: a distinctive 2-handed sword (deadly: on the field), a magical spell that strikes down your enemies with blades of darkness (thrown, area, ignores armor), distinctive chainmail of unusual metal (2 armor), 4 keep

Harm: O O O   O O O   O

Experience: O O O O O

Improvements: [Leave blank until later]

CeruleanSerenity

I was pointed to this game... I don't know much about Apocalypse World at all, but I'm curious about it and interested in seeing how this game develops.

I'm not sure how much of this game's tone and setting are already planned (though I know they're open to collaborative development), but when thinking about a post-apocalyptic dark fantasy sort of setting, I had an idea for a character I might enjoy playing. I imagined her as part of a special caste or group that serves a sexual role, trained in the arts of pleasure and tattooed with a symbol in an aphrodisiac ink that enhances her libido and makes her purpose clear to all.

But... like I said, I don't know much about this system or how it's meant to be played. Maybe it's too early to be coming up with ideas, and I still need to learn how all this works.

ZincStandard

Hi Cerulean!  (Is that the right abbreviation?)  Glad to see you take an interest.

So, about your character.  That concept could totally fit, and if you want to contribute the existence of such a caste as part of the central community's culture, that's totally fine by me.  However, in creating your character, I'd strongly advise you to choose your playbook first.  It's sort of like your class, except it has even more of an effect on who your character ends up being, since it suggests a lot of the fiction for them (rather than the way D&D does it, where, for example, the fighter class is just a bunch of mechanics that can be fluffed however you want, your playbook in AW/FE comes with a lot of its fluff built in).  Now, for the kind of character you're describing, I might recommend the nightshade--sort of like a bard, meant to represent an artist or performer (possibly of a sexual nature), very much a social character rather than a combative one.  Or, depending on the social role you want your character to have, she might be a hocus, a religious leader with their own dedicated following.  Generally, player characters in FE are meant to be powerful, exceptional people, so if you wanted to play someone like a slave, that part might not be the best fit.

Anyway, I'd recommend you pick a playbook and pick from the required options before you do anything else (note that when choosing gender, look, name, and so on, the listed options are just examples--you can come up with your own, and feel free to get a little more detailed with your look than just a list of single words).  Feel free to keep your concept in mind when picking from said options, though.

CeruleanSerenity

Quote from: ZincStandard on October 09, 2018, 11:04:42 PM
Hi Cerulean!  (Is that the right abbreviation?)
I don't think I have a right abbreviation... that's what most people use, though, and that's fine. (At least, I think that's what most people use. I... haven't really been keeping track...)

Nightshade is the playbook I had in mind for this character; I don't know a lot about the system, but when I was looking through the options, that one stood out to me as most fitting for the kind of character I wanted to play. So if you think that's a good fit too, I will go with that.

I didn't imagine my character as being a slave, exactly, so I think it's fine if she's exceptional. So if it's okay to elaborate more on what I was planning, with that in mind...

I see my character's type as a rare thing (I'll call them Sylvani for now, just for sake of a name - that can change if someone comes up with something better). Maybe ingredients to make the ink are rare and valuable, or maybe few people are suited for the role, but whatever the reason, Sylvani are few and valued. If they're seen as subservient, it's only because they're known to be possessed by an overwhelming lust, and common knowledge holds that they are always ready and willing to practice their arts.  Sylvani are an oasis of pleasure and sexual relief in a harsh world. The presence of a single Sylvani can hold a colony together, keeping its inhabitants loyal and content and tempting its enemies to compromise for just one more taste. But while they might seem like little more than fancy sex toys to a casual observer, Sylvani are highly skilled at what they do, and that unquenchable lust means they have desires of their own - and intense desires and a talent for getting what they want can be a dangerous combination.

Does that sound like an appropriate concept for a Nightshade in this game?

ZincStandard

I like it!  Another teaching moment here, though--while that kind of fiction is excellent, I'd say it's the kind of thing that's better kept back initially, and revealed during the game as it comes up.  Think of it like a well-written fantasy TV show, where exposition is kept to a minimum; we aren't told much of anything about the world initially, and are left to piece it together from the characters talking about it organically, keeping in mind that they already know how everything works and won't need to explain it to one another (except for times when they do).  That holds as true for us players as it does for the characters--if you think this is your character's background, you don't have to ask me or anyone else for permission for it to exist, you can just say that it does as soon as it becomes relevant.  That's why it's important not to have too many preconceptions, though, because while you might have one set of ideas that you're waiting to bring in, everyone else has their own, and often, someone else will get to elaborate on something in their own way before you have the chance to touch it and make it like you wanted.  Which is part of the fun, because it means we're all constantly learning new and unexpected things about the world.

Anyway, again, I like everything you've come up with so far.  Whether it ends up becoming canon or not, I'd encourage you to keep it in mind as you create your nightshade.

CeruleanSerenity

I worried that might be too much detail at this stage... I'll keep that in mind, and try not to get my mind set on any details. It's not the way I'm used to doing things, but I'll learn (and it's certainly easier than planning a lot of detail in advance).

What should we submit for our characters at this stage? Just a character sheet like the example you posted?

ZincStandard

Yeah, that, exactly.  Again, if you want to add an image and/or describe your character's look in a bit more detail, go right ahead.

Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it.  I know it's tricky at first--sure was for me.

Cold Heritage

I might throw in for a Mesmerast. Wish the Lumpster put the Faceless into this because that is my favourite playbook ever.

But! I have a somewhat more noble purpose. You may, or may not, be interested in what I believe is a somewhat updated version of Fallen Empires, available equally freely: http://apocalypse-world.com/AWFallenEmpires-playtestFeb2018.pdf

It's got some extra playbooks and rules tweaks, I think.
Thank you, fellow Elliquiyan, and have a wonderful day.

ZincStandard

Huh, interesting!  Thanks for bringing that to my attention.  However, I'd feel more comfortable sticking to the edition I've played and am familiar with.  As for the extra playbooks, I'd be open to including the anointed if someone wants to play one; the necromancer, though, I feel kind of steps on the bonepicker's toes as the resident death magician, and the archwizard is...well, you know.

Anyway, I'd love to see you join with a mesmerast, if you feel so inclined :-)

Cold Heritage

Yeah, of course. Sorry, I just got a little excited at getting to share to PbtA goodness. Didn't mean it in an all caps command to use it instead.
Thank you, fellow Elliquiyan, and have a wonderful day.

Chanticleer

AW Fallen Empires? Glee!

I haven't played AW2 previously, so I may need a bit of guidance on the places where it diverges from AW standard, but I've played AW standard quite a few times, as well as several other PbtAs.
My current O/os (need work)

CeruleanSerenity

Is there a certain style of image you would like us to use for our characters, Zinc? I wanted to include one with my sheet, but I'm not sure what to go for.

ZincStandard

I don't want to make any hard rules about images, but personally, I tend to prefer artwork to photography for fantasy characters.  Given the game's tone, I might be hesitant about manga/anime-style art, but I know there's plenty of dark, weird stuff under that umbrella, so if you find something you think fits that isn't too cartoony, more power to you.

If you have your character ready except for an image, feel free to post the sheet and add the image later.  I usually only include images when the whole character was inspired by a particular one, but that's just me.

Edit: Some examples, just in case anyone wants to see more of the kind of stuff I personally had in mind.

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide









CeruleanSerenity

My character sheet isn't quite ready, but I'm getting closer. I mainly need to choose gear and decide on appearance, and not being sure about an image is why I was hesitating on the latter... there's one I thought might work:

(NSFW) https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/6/6e/0d48c942f81e9c77ddcf7f599cd85b00.jpg

Not as realistic as the examples you posted, but I felt it might be appropriate for a highly seductive and sexual character in a dark fantasy setting... I thought I should post it here to get opinions on that, though. I can certainly find others.

ZincStandard

Well, I've got no problem with it, although the lingerie might not be accurate.

CeruleanSerenity

If you're all right with it, I could use that image and just assume the clothing isn't exactly what she wears... I imagine she's likely to end up with different outfits at different times anyway, or nothing at all.

Also, I think I understand how advancement works, but why are some options below a line? Are they different from the others somehow?

ZincStandard

Yeah, makes sense.  Oh, and I guess that's not explained in the PDF--the options below the line only unlock after you've already advanced 5 times.

Chanticleer

I'm drifting back and forth between the Bonepicker, the Hocus, and the Strongholder.

It feels like we need a Strongholder, but so far we've only three (possibly?) players, and no one's shown interest so far in being the Strongholder.

I'm a little curious about the Bonepicker and the Still-room. I'm getting a very Frankenstein/Dr. Moreau vivisectionist vibe from that phrase
QuoteBring your patients into it and you can contemplate, understand, and transform them like a mystic can contemplate and transform reality.

The Mystic has similar language but doesn't really talk about how, it just sets out a framework for the MC to assign costs/penalties to do 'the thing.'

Is there a better 'how' somewhere? Or is it really 'imagine whatever crazy madness you care to propagate and find out how much the MC is going to screw with you if you try it'?
My current O/os (need work)

ZincStandard

It's basically the last thing, yeah ;D As for your choice of playbook, seriously, follow your heart.  We don't need a strongholder--if we don't have one, that just means it's up to me to play whoever's in charge of the place you all live (or the group you're all part of, if you don't have a permanent home).  If you want that power for yourself, then by all means, play a strongholder--or a wolfshead, and then everyone might be attached to your warband, maybe.  But no pressure at all.

For what it's worth, having played a bonepicker myself, I can attest that they're tons of fun.  I played mine as something in between a doctor, an undertaker, and an abhorsen, and he's still one of my all-time favorite characters.  But it's entirely your choice.

Chanticleer

Okay, last question: what does 'deadly' mean in AW2? It doesn't seem to exist in the list of weapon tags (neither do infighting and brawling, but those are clearly ranges. I guess brawling is 'hand' and infighting is 'intimate'? But then what's 'hand-to-hand'? Does that just mean it can't ever be a projectile?).
My current O/os (need work)

ZincStandard

Oh yeah, FE uses slightly different combat rules than AW, since guns aren't a thing.  They're explained in the PDF under Harm & Healing, but basically, weapons are either at range, thrown, or within reach (if it's not tagged otherwise, it's within reach); within reach is further divided into on the field, hand-to-hand, infighting, brawling, and intimate, from greatest distance to least.  All within reach weapons can be brought to bear at any sub-range, but will be tagged as deadly for specific ones.  When fighting in melee, the person with the longest deadly reach on their weapon gets to fight at that reach, unless the terrain forces you closer.  A normal weapon attack is 2-harm, a deadly attack is 3-harm, and an unarmed attack is 1-harm (minus armor in all cases).  If a weapon is tagged deadly in some other circumstance, like deadly: ambush, it means exactly what it sounds like.

Does that clear it up?  The doc has more details.

Chanticleer

Quote from: ZincStandard on October 10, 2018, 04:36:23 PM
Oh yeah, FE uses slightly different combat rules than AW, since guns aren't a thing.  They're explained in the PDF under Harm & Healing, but basically, weapons are either at range, thrown, or within reach (if it's not tagged otherwise, it's within reach); within reach is further divided into on the field, hand-to-hand, infighting, brawling, and intimate, from greatest distance to least.  All within reach weapons can be brought to bear at any sub-range, but will be tagged as deadly for specific ones.  When fighting in melee, the person with the longest deadly reach on their weapon gets to fight at that reach, unless the terrain forces you closer.  A normal weapon attack is 2-harm, a deadly attack is 3-harm, and an unarmed attack is 1-harm (minus armor in all cases).  If a weapon is tagged deadly in some other circumstance, like deadly: ambush, it means exactly what it sounds like.

Does that clear it up?  The doc has more details.

I guess I should've read further down in the pdf instead of trying to find tags in my AW2 book. :)

Sorry about that. Thanks for explaining it.

The idea that Infighting is a longer range than Brawling feels a bit bizarre though. The reach thing is also a little odd, as it's hard to use a polearm or a sword on someone who's wrestling with you, while a dagger or brass knuckles or cestus becomes far more useful. Eh, it's a game! They're all broken somewhere.
My current O/os (need work)

CeruleanSerenity

Okay... I think I did this all right. Let me know if there's anything I need to change.

Character Sheet
Introducing Leah, a nightshade.

https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/6/6e/0d48c942f81e9c77ddcf7f599cd85b00.jpg

Woman, light skin, minimal clothing, beautiful face, arresting eyes, quick hands, erotic body.

Cool +1, Hard -1, Hot +3, Sharp +1, Weird 0

History:

Breathtaking: you get +1 hot (to hot+3).

Artful & gracious: when you perform your chosen art—any act of expression or culture—or when you put your chosen art before an audience, roll+hot. On a 10+, spend 3. On a 7-9, spend 1. Spend 1 to name an NPC member of your audience and choose one:
This person must meet me.
This person must have my services.
This person loves me.
This person must give me a gift.
This person admires my patron.

On a miss, you gain no benefit, but suffer no harm or lost opportunity. You simply perform very well

Nightshade special: if you and another character have sex, choose 1:
• You take +1 forward and so do they.
• You take +1 forward, but they take -1 forward.
• They must give you a gift worth at least 1 keep.
• You get +1 history with them; at your choice, they get +1 history with you.
• You can hypnotize them as though you’d rolled a 10+, even if you haven’t chosen to get the move.


Gear:
A dagger with a worked-gold hilt and golden blade inlay (deadly: infighting).
A magical spell that turns your enemy’s blade aside at the last instant (1 armor).
A magical spell that, cast in a high and exposed place, calls to you the spirit of its wild wind. Ask the spirit three questions about what it has touched.
A polished silver mirror, backed with cavorting figures in inlaid gold.
A silken sash, from which to hang pouches and belongings without obscuring the body.
2 keep

Harm: O O O   O O O   O

Experience: O O O O O

Improvements:

ZincStandard

Quote from: Chanticleer on October 10, 2018, 04:48:30 PMThe idea that Infighting is a longer range than Brawling feels a bit bizarre though. The reach thing is also a little odd, as it's hard to use a polearm or a sword on someone who's wrestling with you, while a dagger or brass knuckles or cestus becomes far more useful. Eh, it's a game! They're all broken somewhere.

Yeah, it's far from a perfect simulation ::)  Though to be fair, a dagger or caestus is more effective at grappling range than a spear, by the rules--it's just that, if you want to get that far inside a spear-user's reach, you'll have to a) be fighting in a closet, or b) take specific action to close the distance and make sure they can't withdraw again, which means making moves to that effect.

Quote from: CeruleanSerenity on October 10, 2018, 04:49:21 PM
Okay... I think I did this all right. Let me know if there's anything I need to change.

Character Sheet
Introducing Leah, a nightshade.

https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/6/6e/0d48c942f81e9c77ddcf7f599cd85b00.jpg

Woman, light skin, minimal clothing, beautiful face, arresting eyes, quick hands, erotic body.

Cool +1, Hard -1, Hot +3, Sharp +1, Weird 0

History:

Breathtaking: you get +1 hot (to hot+3).

Artful & gracious: when you perform your chosen art—any act of expression or culture—or when you put your chosen art before an audience, roll+hot. On a 10+, spend 3. On a 7-9, spend 1. Spend 1 to name an NPC member of your audience and choose one:
This person must meet me.
This person must have my services.
This person loves me.
This person must give me a gift.
This person admires my patron.

On a miss, you gain no benefit, but suffer no harm or lost opportunity. You simply perform very well

Nightshade special: if you and another character have sex, choose 1:
• You take +1 forward and so do they.
• You take +1 forward, but they take -1 forward.
• They must give you a gift worth at least 1 keep.
• You get +1 history with them; at your choice, they get +1 history with you.
• You can hypnotize them as though you’d rolled a 10+, even if you haven’t chosen to get the move.


Gear:
A dagger with a worked-gold hilt and golden blade inlay (deadly: infighting).
A magical spell that turns your enemy’s blade aside at the last instant (1 armor).
A magical spell that, cast in a high and exposed place, calls to you the spirit of its wild wind. Ask the spirit three questions about what it has touched.
A polished silver mirror, backed with cavorting figures in inlaid gold.
A silken sash, from which to hang pouches and belongings without obscuring the body.
2 keep

Harm: O O O   O O O   O

Experience: O O O O O

Improvements:

Looks great!  You should be good to go for now, unless there's anything else you need from me :-)

Assuming all three interested parties do end up submitting characters, we can play the game with that many; however, it'd be nice to get one more.  No one really seems to be doing a combat-focused character yet, so that's something I'd be happy to see from a fourth applicant if they feel so inclined, but no pressure.  If we don't have one, it'll just be a more social, political game.

Chanticleer

Quote from: ZincStandard on October 10, 2018, 05:55:08 PM
Yeah, it's far from a perfect simulation ::)  Though to be fair, a dagger or caestus is more effective at grappling range than a spear, by the rules--it's just that, if you want to get that far inside a spear-user's reach, you'll have to a) be fighting in a closet, or b) take specific action to close the distance and make sure they can't withdraw again, which means making moves to that effect.

Ah, I see!

Quote from: ZincStandard on October 10, 2018, 05:55:08 PMAssuming all three interested parties do end up submitting characters, we can play the game with that many; however, it'd be nice to get one more.  No one really seems to be doing a combat-focused character yet, so that's something I'd be happy to see from a fourth applicant if they feel so inclined, but no pressure.  If we don't have one, it'll just be a more social, political game.

Which is another reason I'm contemplating the Strongholder. The Strongholder may not be personally the most combative, but he has a gang and his management of it is less of a balancing act than the Chopper-equivalent's version.
My current O/os (need work)

ZincStandard

I'm lowkey hoping for a sword master or child of battle to get into cool fights, but hey, if you want to go for the strongholder for that reason, by all means ;D

pdragon

sword master
Introducing Hilde, a Sword Master.
Herm, light skin, immaculate armor, worn face, cunning eyes, hard body.

Cool -1 Hard +2 Hot -2 Sharp +1 Weird +2

History:

Knight-killer: in battle, you count as a mounted warrior even on foot (+1 harm, +1 armor against non-mounted enemies; mounted enemies get no advantage against you).

Battle-hardened: when you go into danger, roll+hard instead of roll+cool. When you make a battle move that calls for you to roll+cool, you can roll+hard instead

Sword Master special: If you and another character have sex, you take+1 forward. At your option, they take +1 forward too

Gear: Staff-sword (deadly: on the field & vs mounted)
Cat-gutter [short sword] (deadly:hand-to-hand & in fighting)
Battle pick (pierces armor)
Fighting knife (deadly: brawling)
Breastplate, helmet, boots (2 armor)
2 keep

Harm: O O O   O O O   O

Experience: O O O O O

Improvements:
What a thrill...with silence and darkness through the night....

Request Thread

Chanticleer

Quote from: pdragon on October 10, 2018, 08:52:35 PM
sword master
Introducing Hilde, a Sword Master.
Herm, light skin, immaculate armor, worn face, cunning eyes, hard body.

Cool -1 Hard +2 Hot -2 Sharp +1 Weird +2

History:

Knight-killer: in battle, you count as a mounted warrior even on foot (+1 harm, +1 armor against non-mounted enemies; mounted enemies get no advantage against you).

Battle-hardened: when you go into danger, roll+hard instead of roll+cool. When you make a battle move that calls for you to roll+cool, you can roll+hard instead

Sword Master special: If you and another character have sex, you take+1 forward. At your option, they take +1 forward too

Gear: Staff-sword (deadly: on the field & vs mounted)
Cat-gutter [short sword] (deadly:hand-to-hand & in fighting)
Battle pick (pierces armor)
Fighting knife (deadly: brawling)
Breastplate, helmet, boots (2 armor)
2 keep

Harm: O O O   O O O   O

Experience: O O O O O

Improvements:

Positively

Oh.
My.

Unexpected but certainly interesting!
My current O/os (need work)

ZincStandard

Yeah, I'm...not sure I'm comfortable with someone playing a cat-taur character.  I don't think the game is really meant to support it.  Would you by any chance still be interested with a human sword master?  Or at least human-shaped?

Chanticleer

Quote from: ZincStandard on October 10, 2018, 08:59:50 PM
Yeah, I'm...not sure I'm comfortable with someone playing a cat-taur character.  I don't think the game is really meant to support it.  Would you by any chance still be interested with a human sword master?  Or at least human-shaped?

Apocalypse World isn't meant for playing a bunch of mutant rats in the rubble of humanity, either, although I've seen it done. I've also seen some very un-deserty AW games which is intriguing, but we'll have a chat about the world soon I am sure.

It doesn't bother me if it doesn't bother anyone else. But you do say you're not comfortable with it, and everybody being comfortable is very important.

I'm going to go ahead and put my finger on the Strongholder after all. Should have something up tomorrow (human, fear not, indeed probably more human than what I was considering for a bonepicker).
My current O/os (need work)

pdragon

If you're against it that's fine, though I'll be withdrawing my interest then.
What a thrill...with silence and darkness through the night....

Request Thread

ZincStandard

Well, you know, on second thought, I guess there's really no reason it can't work, as long as it's kept consistent with the tone of the game.  If you haven't gone anywhere yet, pdragon, welcome aboard :-)

CeruleanSerenity

That's fine with me, too. I don't mind having some unusual non-human characters in the group, and considered playing one myself (though probably more human-shaped in appearance).

pdragon

Thanks for reconsidering. I figured a fantasy based apocalypse game would be more interesting if there were actually other races involved, instead of just all human/humanoid races like every other post-apocalypse setting. I tried to keep her consistent with the mechanics, like taking knight-killer to account for the fact that she's inherently a "mounted" fighter, and I have no intention of going against the overall tone of the game. If anything I would think being a pseudo-monstrous creature in a settlement of mostly humans/elves would lead to more interesting interactions and conflicts: forced cooperation, racial distrust/paranoia, feelings of isolation, etc. etc.
What a thrill...with silence and darkness through the night....

Request Thread

ZincStandard

Actually, pdragon, you bring up something I really do want to nail down right now: no elves.  Or any stereotypical fantasy races.  Fallen Empires thrives on the weird and crazy and unexpected, and bringing Tolkien into the mix just kills that whole vibe instantly.  If you want to play a character who isn't entirely human, come up with something original and unique, give it its own name and background.  A cat-taur character is okay, but I want to know about how these cat-taurs fit into this world, what they call themselves in their language, what different cultures they come from, what sets them apart from the default image any given reader might have of what a half-human-half-cat species would be like.  But yeah, no elf characters, please, or dwarves, or halflings, or orcs, or anything of that nature.

pdragon

What a thrill...with silence and darkness through the night....

Request Thread

ZincStandard

I've accepted a character with pointed ears.  That doesn't mean she's an elf.  And I don't even know if Cerulean wanted that part of the image to be accurate to the character anyway.

Cold Heritage

I'm going to back. I don't feel like I'd be a good fit for how this is shaping up. Happy trails.
Thank you, fellow Elliquiyan, and have a wonderful day.

ZincStandard

Sorry to hear that, Cold!  Well, in any case, with the three we've got, we'd have a totally functional group (once Chanticleer gets his character ready, that is).  Let's give it a little bit longer and see if we can get one more person, but either way, we should be good to go.

Chanticleer

The Trollbabe effect.

The Sword Master is the Battlebabe, right? That's a great character choice to be a bit of an outsider and something of a fox among the chickens. I'm quite okay with this.

I will note that adding nonhumans does change our worldbuilding a touch. Fallen Empires is kind of 'so far post apocalyptic that it wraps around into feudalism' more than it really is 'fantasy.' The medium of 'magic' is the same as in AW: the psychic maelstrom. If we run the full gamut of fantasy and add in 'real' magic and a lot of fantasy creatures that aren't relatively easily explainable as 'mutations that have stabilized' or some such, it changes the tenor of the game.

Not a criticism, just a point to think about when we come to worldbuilding, and in 'why is the Sword Master a cat taur?' What hand or eye framed, etc?

Hah. I wrote this and bam, 5 posts while I was writing it about roughly the same thing.

Fallen Empires (and AW) are far more gritty than general high fantasy, and part of that is that the desolation of the world is wrought by man, not magic.
My current O/os (need work)

ZincStandard

The sword master is the gunlugger analogue, actually--child of battle is the battlebabe (get it?)--but I don't think it works any less.  As for the past of the Fallen Empires setting, that's one way of looking at it, but not the only one.  The golden age might have been one of high technology that we now see as "magic", or it could've been a world of actual high fantasy.  It could've been all-human, or home to a plethora of sapient species, not even accounting for the new stuff that's appeared since the apocalypse.  In any case, I really don't think a character like pdragon's clashes with anything, though I agree it merits exploration.

"Gritty" is exactly the word to keep in mind, though, whatever kind of character you're playing.  Spot-on there.

Chanticleer

Quote from: ZincStandard on October 10, 2018, 10:18:26 PM
The sword master is the gunlugger analogue, actually--child of battle is the battlebabe (get it?)--but I don't think it works any less.  As for the past of the Fallen Empires setting, that's one way of looking at it, but not the only one.  The golden age might have been one of high technology that we now see as "magic", or it could've been a world of actual high fantasy.  It could've been all-human, or home to a plethora of sapient species, not even accounting for the new stuff that's appeared since the apocalypse.  In any case, I really don't think a character like pdragon's clashes with anything, though I agree it merits exploration.

"Gritty" is exactly the word to keep in mind, though, whatever kind of character you're playing.  Spot-on there.

Whups. I'll work this stuff out. It's been a while since I played AW1. Shame that we lost someone already.

I haven't found an image that sings to me yet for a character, but I'll keep at it.
My current O/os (need work)

CeruleanSerenity

Quote from: ZincStandard on October 10, 2018, 09:32:04 PM
I've accepted a character with pointed ears.  That doesn't mean she's an elf.  And I don't even know if Cerulean wanted that part of the image to be accurate to the character anyway.
I didn't even think about the ears when I chose that picture, to be honest... so I wasn't really thinking that she's an elf, or whether or not she has pointed ears.

Personally, I lean towards saying that she does have pointed ears and that trait is unusual, but why is something we can figure out later. It could be a mutation, a sign that she was touched by some magic or bears a trace of inhuman blood in her veins, or any number of things.

Chanticleer

Strongholder



Name: MacCrae

A man with weathered skin, practical clothing, and a stern face. His eyes are commanding, his body massive, and his weapons sharp.

Stats:
Cool +2, Hard +2, Hot=0, Sharp+2, Weird=0

Stronghold: Population about 150 (plenty: 2 keep, want: hunger/obligation/strangers/disease/savagery, +2 armor to defenders) The population survives by hunting, simple farming, and scavenging, but they are filthy and unwell. Mac receives tribute from local villages as well as taxes from the bustling market commons within his walls, but some of his keep is drained off by the need to keep happy a sybaritic cult which is widespread among his subjects. His stronghold is defended by concentric ditches and stone walls, and his warband is large, about 60 strong (large war-band, 3 harm, 1 armor), but he only has horses (fast +1, strong +1, hungry +1) for eight warriors, as well as some pack animals.

Stronghold Choices
Your  stronghold is home to around 150 souls who survive by hunting, simple farming, and scavenging (plenty: 1 keep, want: hunger)
You receive protection tribute from local villages (plenty: +1 keep, want: obligation)
Your stronghold includes a bustling market commons (plenty: +1 keep, want: strangers)
Your stronghold is defended by concentric ditches and stone walls (+2 armor to defenders instead of +1).
Your warband is large, 60 violent people or so (large war-band instead of medium).
Your subjects are filthy and unwell (want: disease).
Your subjects follow a sybaritic cult (plenty: -1 keep, want: savagery).

The strongholder doesn't get weapon choices, he just gets a list of specific things. Can I swap his sword for an axe? Just to fit the picture a bit better?
My current O/os (need work)

ZincStandard

Sure, go for it.

Well, let's give it until tomorrow evening to find someone else, and if no one shows up, we'll run with the three we have.

CeruleanSerenity

A couple of things I'm wondering about the rules...

If I'm not remembering wrong, forward adds to your next roll. But does it stack? Say, if my character had sex with pdragon's and we each chose the options to give each other and ourselves forward, would we each get +2 to our next rolls?

What is hold, and how does it work? One of the nightshade abilities references it, but I didn't see it explained anywhere in the rules.

From what I've read, history is used on rolls to help or interfere with someone, and gives experience when it gets high or low enough to reset. Does it have other roles in the system that I missed, or am I understanding it properly?

Does "character" (say, as used in the sex moves) mean any significant named character? Only player characters? Or does it include everyone, even minor background NPCs?

ZincStandard

A couple of those are edge cases that I've never been able to find a good answer for in the main AW rules, so I'll adjudicate them as follows.

Forward from different moves can stack, but not from the same move.  For example, if Leah and Hilde have sex and both choose to give themselves and each other +1 forward, they both take +2 forward.  However, if Leah has sex twice, she only benefits from her special move once until that +1 forward has been used, after which she can gain it again.

Hold isn't a generalized mechanic--it works specifically for the move that gives it to you.  So, if you have hypnotic and another move that gives you hold, they don't go to the same pool, they're separate currencies that only work for that particular move.  So, all the rules you need for a particular kind of hold are part of the related move.

History is only used for those two things in-game, yes.  During character creation, the person you have the highest history with also gets to highlight one of your stats, which gives you experience every time you roll with it (I also highlight another stat the same way).  This is an OOC way of encouraging you to play up certain parts of your character or have them do certain things the highlighting player thinks would be interesting, like if someone highlights Leah's hard, they probably like the idea of Leah having to get violent even though that's not really her thing, and you'd get rewarded for playing that way.

I'm gonna say that significant names NPCs do trigger your sex moves, though obviously you might not be able to use some of your options on them, since, for example, NPCs can't take forward.

CeruleanSerenity

That all makes sense, thank you.

But looking over things again, there's something else I'm not sure I understand in the nightshade moves...

QuoteArtful & gracious: when you perform your chosen art—any act of expression or culture—or when you put your chosen art before an audience, roll+hot. On a 10+, spend 3. On a 7-9, spend 1. Spend 1 to name an NPC member of your audience and choose one:

What does "spend" mean here? Does the roll basically let you trigger the effect 1 or 3 times? The wording confused me, but after thinking about it, that's the only interpretation I came up with that makes sense.

ZincStandard

Yeah, you've got it right.  The rules are sometimes written inconsistently that way, but near as I can tell, spend is different from hold in that you have to spend it right away, rather than being able to hold onto it for later.  Of course, in that case, I don't know why it's not just written as "pick 3" or "pick 1" like every other move that works that way, but whatever ???

ZincStandard

Alright, it doesn't look like we've got any other interest, so I'm gonna go ahead and move things over to the OOC thread.  I'll leave recruitment open if anyone else does come along.