Iron Kingdoms sandbox interest check

[Crash]

Dhi - In general or anything specific?

[Dhi]

Of all the nonhuman races trollkin seem the most unique and well liked, so I go back and forth on giving them a writeup. As the only trollkin player I know of here, what's your feeling on featuring them? Are they a good fit?

[Ollumhammersong]

Personally I wish privateer press would do more with the dwarves in this setting. They could make a cool faction in their own. They would probably work for this rp as well.

[Crash]

If anything I would give them a small write up so people unfamiliar would know what they are, but I don't think they are big in Khador/Llael if you are focusing on a city/town game.  There would be a few kicking around but I don't think that have  major population in the cities.

[Ollumhammersong]

Well I was more thinking because of their penchant for being mercenaries in human wars. I would imagine mercenary companies would be flocking to a powder keg like this one and all sides invovled would probably be trying to secure what extra firepower they could for the inevitable conflict.

[DoYouLikeCurves]

Love the fiction int his setting, I would love to be involved here!

[Crash]

Well I was more thinking because of their penchant for being mercenaries in human wars. I would imagine mercenary companies would be flocking to a powder keg like this one and all sides invovled would probably be trying to secure what extra firepower they could for the inevitable conflict.

I was referring to Trollkin.  I think Dwarves were slated for Core book 4 for the RPG.  I think Dwarfs are the largest non-human race in Khador, but I could be wrong.

[Dhi]

Mechanika

Though many innovations came with the advent of blasting powder and Immoren's industrial revolution, true mechanika is a synthesis of magic and technology. The creation of clockwork-and-piston golems, given life through rudimentary magical brains called cortexes, began in secret under Orgoth occupation. The first such mechanika were towering monstrosities known as Colossals, created to lay siege to the Orgoth enemy. Over centuries of advancement, cortexes have become small enough to hold in the palm of the hand, and most modern mechanika- called steamjacks- have settled at a comfortable size of about nine to twelve feet and three to eight tons.

While these iron giants are expensive to manufacture, their industrial applications are so varied that all the nations of western Immoren consider them indispensable. Laborjacks are the backbone of logging, freight yards, docks, and construction throughout western Immoren, and every citizen of the Iron Kingdoms is familiar with the fearsome warjacks- steamjacks armed with dedicated military weaponry and possessing the highest grade of cortexes.

In Khador, the tireless creations work in massive forges pounding metal plates and other parts for locomotives, steamjack manufacture, and other heavy industry. While the Protectorate has prioritized producing warjacks over laborjacks, the latter can still be found assisting in construction efforts and other heavy tasks.

The artificial mind of a cortex can give life to a steamjack, allowing it to respond to commands, respond to visual and auditory stimuli, and slowly learn over time. But for military applications, unleashing a mechanikal behemoth with the mind of an infant is nearly useless; tighter control is demanded. For this reason the militaries of western Immoren prize a highly sought type of arcanist called a warcaster. These rare few are born with an innate ability to mentally contact and control the cortexes within steamjacks. While not all who have this ability are eager to join the military, warcasters enjoy a revered station in any army. The militaries of the Iron Kingdoms expend considerable resources to equip their warcasters with steam-powered and mechanically augmented armor, which affords them far better protection than most soldiers.

[Dhi]

Town of Bexlyfe (pop. 30,000)

The Llaelese town of Bexlyfe, located on the northwestern edge of the Territory of the Northern Crusade, was until recently a prosperous township with strong prospects in both mining and river trade. Now locked in a stranglehold by Protectorate occupation and contested by Khador, Bexlyfe is in the midst of a downward spiral marked by widespread unemployment and escalating civil unrest. The town's tenuous economic position has, at least for now, also led to an increase in petty crime despite the Protectorate's harsh policies against thievery.

Weather for the second week of Tempes (April):
8th: Cloudy, a chilly morning with drizzling rain until afternoon. First day of Tempenfest.
9th: Cloudy, thunderstorms overnight; minor flooding and fog dockside.
10th: Cloudy, scattered showers throughout the day, hot and humid evening.
11th: Clear sun with a high wind.
12th: Clear, hot and humid; Vernal Equinox and first bloom of Spring wildflowers.
13th: Clear, warm, final day of Tempenfest.
14th: Clear, cool; Calder and Artis moons are not visible, but red Laris moon is prominent in the sky by afternoon. Night of Laris eve.

*Tempenfest: The second week in the month of Tempes is a six-day celebration called the Festival of Tempes, or more commonly Tempenfest, observed by hundreds of communities and cities across Immoren. It is a celebration of winter's end and a time for revelry, crafts, song, dance, and feasting. Colorful cavalcades, dance, and theatre performances, wedding feasts, and banquet parties are commonplace throughout the week.

*Night of Laris: On the eve of the 14th when the red moon Laris is full and menacing, the Night of Laris begins. Participants don masks and wear blood red outfits, women often wear veils of dark lace or satin. Revelers prowl in shadows, tell somber tales, drink dark spirits, have illicit meetings, keep trysts, and generally comport themselves like beasts. In troubled places like Bexlyfe, arson is a problematic tradition.

[Kythia]

It looks really good, but my availability is limited for a while.  How open is the game likely to be for late arrivals?

Either way, have fun with it all.

[Dhi]

Currently there's not enough interest to launch.

If I can inspire some ideas with these posts and draw in new people to IK, that would be awesome. If I can't, unfortunately this won't float. Half of players drop out of a group game almost immediately. At the two month mark, half again have dropped out. What you have left is pretty much your core, but everybody is just human so things happen regardless of what anybody plans.

But if we can't get it rolling for this summer, I'd like to try again in the future. Sometimes it's just a matter of timing, and I'm already putting in the work, so why not?