And What Rough Beast…? (M20—Classic World of Darkness) (QuILTBAG friendly)

[Rook Seidhr]

Game cancelled

Reality is what you make of it…

As promised, an M20 group system game. Yeah, I know M20 isn't even out as an advance PDF yet, I read the weekly status updates with as much anticipation as you do. Still, most of the fluff (except the metaplot—fucking metaplot, I'll dance on its grave) will not change, nor will the broad outlines of the mechanics. Therefore, if you know Mage: the Ascension at all, especially Revised Edition, we can go a long way toward character generation and preludes beforehand.

If you are interested, PM me or reply to this thread with a general character concept: a short paragraph or three about your character's history, attitudes and paradigm.

Before I go to the laundry list of my expectations for players and PCs, let me tell you why you should put up with an exigent bastard like me as a GM. I've been running Mage: the Ascension tabletop for more than 15 years, including one game that lasted more than 11 years with almost all the same players from beginning to end. I know the Classic World of Darkness back and forth and inside-out, and I'm not afraid to change it up to surprise you. I know a lot about real-world beliefs in ceremonial magic, shamanism, techno-magic and so forth and I'll research what I don't know. I will show you a good time, baby.

As suggested by Moraline, here are some details about the game:

• This is a group system game. My current intention is to place it in Non-Con Exotic to give players who are inclined to smut it up with werewolves or zombies or tentacled monsters from the furthest depths of the Umbra room to do so, but I am open to suggestions for a different placement. As GM, I am unlikely to run sex scenes with NPCs; see below.
• Admission is not first-come-first-served. Even if only the people who voted for the game in my poll were to play, that would still be more players than I can handle, and several people who did not vote have also expressed interest privately.
• The game is open to all genders and orientations, whether they match those of the writer or not. That said, Lords clogging up the game with lesbian stripper ninjas will be scowled at by the GM. I want balance.
• PCs will be Tradition mages, members of a single cabal. Do not ask for an exception, as not only will the answer be "no," asking will disqualify you from playing.
• The game is set in the present day, starting in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan, USA. Do not assume that canon setting details are correct, though the broad outlines will be.
• Characters will be created at the standard starting power level, except that Arete 3 will be given for free (and cannot be raised further with freebie points), and no Spheres can start at higher than 2. Flerits will be available on a case-by-case basis.
• You will need the 20th Anniversary Edition Mage: the Ascension core rules (once they become available). Other books from the M20 line may prove handy (again, once they become available), but should not be necessary.
• The pace of the game will allow for a good amount of dialogue, byplay and personal subplots, because if you don't take a break to sit around and discuss metaphysics every once in a while, you're not playing Mage.
• Smut should serve plot or characterization, not drive it. If it doesn't slow down the game, go for it. If it does, I'll ask you to take it to PM. That means, honestly, that I will almost always prefer you to take it to PM. I don't have time or enthusiasm to play out sex scenes on the forum or in PM, I'm afraid; you can sex up my NPCs as much as you want, but I will probably discuss the outline of the scene with you in PM and move on. (IM/chat play may also be offered as an option, at my discretion.)
• Tagging: if the group is split up, put some indication of where your character is and what time it is in-game at the top of your post. More formal tagging, I consider unnecessary unless the group becomes larger than I intend it to be.
• People have called my style of GMing "reactive" or "rubber room." I have a general notion of where the story is headed, but the details will largely be determined by what the players seem to think is cool, as revealed by who and what their characters choose to interact with. This calls for active players—you will not be spoon-fed the plot.
• Players will not generally be permitted to improvise setting details without checking with me via PM before posting them IC.
• I will handle all NPCs. I don't like talking to myself, so there will be a limit to how many NPCs a PC can designate on their character sheet via Backgrounds, Flerits, etc.
• I am an active GM and will be posting at least daily (barring sickness, etc.).
• There will be one main OOC thread; others may be added for specific purposes as we find useful.
• To approach me with questions, use the OOC thread if you believe the answer will have broad applicability to other players/characters; PM me if it's about you, your character or your character's secrets.
• PvP is frowned upon but not quite banned outright. After all, characters do get possessed, fall to the Nephandi, etc., on occasion. (Such things must be discussed OOC beforehand!)
• You don't necessarily have to take "The Oath of the Drake," but it's a very good set of guidelines for player responsibility in group games. Follow them. Don't be that guy.
• You will respect the Offs and triggers of other players. You will not do anything non-consensual or dubiously consensual IC without explicit OOC permission from all involved.
• Players are expected to keep up with the pace of the game as it develops. A good minimum is one post per week, though more is expected. Drop below that and I will start poking you; ignore my pokes for a month and your character will be converted to an NPC and potentially written out. This pace of posting probably rules out walls of IC text! I'm OK with that; you should be too if you want to join this game.
• New players, if I allow any, will wait until the opportunity exists IC to bring their characters on stage.
• Writing style is 3rd person past omniscient. Slip into present tense and I will PM you to edit your post; likewise, if I err, you are welcome to point it out politely in PM. Not a threat or warning or whatever—it's a promise that I will gently remind you rather than getting all butthurt. I may be pedantic about my own spelling, grammar, punctuation and usage, but I strive to live and let live where others' words are concerned.

[Muse]

  I'm still very interested Riveda. 

  (Hope I can keep it in present tense.) 

  Hm...  I'll have to give some thought to who I'd want to play.  (I'd also like to know a bit about the gender spread of the applicants.)  I've already done an akashic with you, but she didn't get as far as she could. 

  But Sons of Ether and Virtual Adepts are very fun too. 

[Meliai]

Wheeeeeeeee~!

Since Riveda isn't going first-come-first serve I'm not sure how super helpful a role call will be, but for the curious I'm currently tinkering away on a female Dreamspeaker.

[Rook Seidhr]

Melíai, not very useful for you since we've already discussed your character idea extensively by IM, but for everyone else, I'd like to get an idea of what people are kicking around in their heads as early as possible.

[Meliai]

Oh, I meant particularly wrt Muse's comment since the gender ratio of applicant characters isn't necessarily going to reflect that of the final cabal~

I would also, just out of curiosity, really like to hear what ideas other folks are bouncing around though! Turns out Mage is right up my alley theme-wise, I'm sad I'd never looked into it before now.

[Re Z L]

Oh, I meant particularly wrt Muse's comment since the gender ratio of applicant characters isn't necessarily going to reflect that of the final cabal~

I would also, just out of curiosity, really like to hear what ideas other folks are bouncing around though! Turns out Mage is right up my alley theme-wise, I'm sad I'd never looked into it before now.

I've always adored M:tA, the themes in it are just wonderful to me, though I've rarely ever been able to play it--nice to hear other people have discovered it and love it just as much 

I've always loved the Hollowers, maybe I'll try something with them again, who knows!

[AndyZ]

Going to have to think on this.  My initial plan was a Hollow One, but if we have to have one of the Traditions, that's out.  I'll keep thinking, and people can say when they grab something.

I do tend to have fun with the Euthanatos...

[Rook Seidhr]

Yeah, Hollow Ones and other Disparates are out, unless you want to play an ex-Hollower who joined a Tradition.

[AndyZ]

Probably Euthanatos ^_^

[VonDoom]

Present tense will be a struggle, but I'll see if anything comes to mind.

Is there any interest in organized crime floating around? I might look into reviving a previous character who was basically middle management, to put it in generic terms, for the local mob.

[Rook Seidhr]

Friggin'… Nobody likes present tense but me, huh?

Informal poll: change that to 3rd person past omniscient?

[Caehlim]

Friggin'… Nobody likes present tense but me, huh?

Informal poll: change that to 3rd person past omniscient?

I actually hadn't posted interest yet because of the present tense requirement.

My purple mage books are creaking with dust when I open them and my memory is in even worse shape. Classic WoD is a strange strange beast now that I'm no longer used to it. However I do have some ideas for a Cultist of Ecstasy that I'm developing.

Edit: More specifically thinking someone along the line of the Klubwerks whose paradigm embraces the paradoxical idea that in order to manipulate time you have to be living truly in the present and so be unaware of time. Drugs, partying, dance, ordeals, etc are all means to an end to distract yourself enough to achieve this impossible state and open a brief window of opportunity for magic. However he believes that a more enlightened mind and soul might be able to manage it without the distractions. It all comes down to the magic being so natural and so inherent to yourself, that you can do it without thinking about it.

[Muse]

  *Chuckles* 

  I do prefer past tense omniscient.  It fits with my normal writing style much better. 

[AndyZ]

Much prefer past.  I'd have tried to do present, but you'd be reminding me a lot.

[Crash]

It could be fun to do present tense for a change but I am good with whatever. 

I like Order of Hermes and Akashic Brotherhood, though Correspondance is my favorite sphere.

As for character gender/sexuality I play hetero men and can play any sexuality of female character though lean towards bi/lesbian female characters.  It really depends on the concept I end up with.

[Rook Seidhr]

Right…past it is.

[Hephaestus]

I would have been fine with either past or present third person omniscient. First person seems sloppy and doesn't recognize myself as a separate entity to my character! Now that I have chimed in on that....

Thanks for the link guys. Didn't realize there was a board up yet. I am happy to play in this game. Riveda rocks! I am personally interested in playing a bi-sexual male since there is at least one person interested so far in male/male scenes and several who could play girls attracted to men. It will give a chance to interact with more of the player characters. But if no one wants to play a guy or girl interested in guys (Something that is a curse upon me.) I will play a female only interested in males.

  I am interest in playing one of three traditions. Akashic Brotherhood, Celestial Chorus, or Verbena. Narrowing it down. Waiting to decide until I can see if anyone wants to make characters together.

[Muse]

In one of the older mage tradition books, there was a hedge-magic tradition.  They used vibrations, weird machines, and a resonant alien language to perform hedge magic. 

Some of them would awaken and sometimes be taken in to the Sons of Ether.  Eventually the Technocracy came down hard on them, and the survivors were sheltered by the Ethereits. 

I'd be interested in playing one of this group, if it would fit? 

[Rook Seidhr]

I would have been fine with either past or present third person omniscient. First person seems sloppy and doesn't recognize myself as a separate entity to my character! Now that I have chimed in on that....

Er…?

It's now third person past, as everyone seems to have requested. Not first person anything.

[Muse]

  He knowes.  He was just commenting.  :) 

[Muse]

Annabelle Juliana Renton

Concept   Vibromancer
Tradition   Son of Ether (Thal'hun)

History:   Annabelle was a child musical prodigy interested in computers, astronomy and science. At college, she fell in with a group of fringe scientists claiming to be able to replicate alien technology through crystals and music. She Awakened under fire from a Technocratic death squad, and joined the Sons of Ether with the other survivors of her group.  Since regaining a mundane identity, Annabelle has pursued work as a remix artist, a DJ, or even possibly part of a band if other awakened are interested. 

Possible Spheres:  Forces 2, Matter 2, Prime 2

Inspirational Music

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eab_beh07HU
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYbfQ2nuqKQ

Image: Emilie Nereng

[Muse]

*pounce* 

So when does the book come out? 

[Rook Seidhr]

Ask Satyros Phil Brucato. I can't read his mind. I've never even met the guy.

It's been in second proof for a couple weeks, according to the Onyx Path status updates. It can't stay there forever; there are only so many "page XX" references to hunt down. After that it will go to DriveThruRPG as an advance PDF, for fans to spot and correct any lingering typos; a week or so later they'll put up the final PDF (free update for those who bought the advance PDF) and send the files to the Print-On-Demand shop to start proofing the hardcopy. A couple weeks after that, it will be possible to buy Print-On-Demand hardcopy, and a while later, the deluxe version will ship to Kickstarter backers.

If the advance PDF, at least, isn't out by mid-May, I will be severely astonished. It could be out next week. It could be out tomorrow.

[Muse]

Do you know of some way I can prepay? 

^_^;;  Money has a tendency to r un through my fingers, and I want to order this month. 

[Rook Seidhr]

Game cancelled on account of GM leaving Elliquiy temporarily or permanently.