M20 Game idea

[marauder13]

G'Day everyone,

Thank you for stopping by to find out more about this rather vague initial idea.

I am scratching a little itch that has developed to run a Mage game, and I found some people who had been looking for someone to run one. So, here I am and let's see what happens.

As a brief overview, I have played Mage since the first book came out, and I have played it in a table top environment, run it in a table top environment and run it as an ongoing LARP. M20 is one that I have not had much experience with, but I am willing to work around the few areas that I am lacking, and provide what is hopefully a fun environment for folks to take part in.

This will be the second time I have tried to run a group game on Elliquiy, so I may be a little rusty in some regards. I am also dealing with a number of ongoing family "challenges" which are a little compounded by the current Covid excitement. I will do my best to be a regular poster of info, but there may be times when I may not be available for much over a day or two. Longer outages will come with some form of notification.

Anyone showing interest in this game, I would like for the potential player to tell me about anything in particular you would want to do in the game. Do you like Mysteries? Action? Danger? Searching for hidden treasures? I hope you get the idea. Also, please ask any questions you may have and I will get back to you on that.

[marauder13]

What is the game about?

Well, how about a little IC like teaser to give you a taste?

In the year 1999, the Tapestry was rent in a way no Mage had ever seen before. Much was lost, and what was left was damaged to the point of not being repairable. Knowledge was forever removed from the Mages, Wonders were broken, Nodes were snuffed out like candles, entire realms were beyond reach, along with the elders who resided there. The Ascension War was over.

By 2001, it was on again as the shattered remnants tried to take advantage of the confusion after licking their wounds. The fighting was just as fierce, and just as wasteful as the previous phase of the war.

By 2016, both sides had given up, as there was not the willpower, nor the prize to be gained by the fighting. Neither side had a central leadership to coordinate the resources required to continue waging war, so all the various hotspots and flash points quietened down until only a diehard few kept trying with the limit resources available.
By then, others started seeing something else that required their attention, something more dangerous than Technocrats or Reality Deviants. A darkness was growing, one that did not care for the petty wars of the Mages.


Well, as stated above, this is system game of Mage the Ascension, using the 20th Anniversary Edition rule set, and any of the Revised addition supplements that I feel are useful. It is highly recommended that you have access to a copy of the M20 rules, and these, along with a few ‘house rules’ shall be in full effect.

The game will commence on January 1st, 2020, in a city yet to be determined (this will be edited to an actual place when I figure it out). It will be mostly a sandbox game, but there will be an overarching plot that will impact the game as time goes on. This will manifest in the form of specific events that the characters can react to, or ignore. The events will have consequences if there is no interaction, to reflect the continuing flow of the world about them. Below is a little check list of key aspects of the game.

• The base rule set will be the V20 Mage the Ascension. All characters will be starting level, as per the core rules. A character sheet will be supplied, and all accepted characters will have a sheet. So, yes, this will be a system game.


• The game will be starting on January 1, 2018. Unless otherwise stated, all real-world events have occurred in the game world, as of that date. Subsequent real-world events may or may not occur in the game.


• This game will have a maximum of 6 players, each with one character only, mainly due to my wanting to make sure that everything goes smoothly, and having more than that will make life a little too difficult for me.


• All player characters will be mages belonging to one of the Nine Traditions.


• Characters may know one another before the start of the game, but this is not necessary.


• It will be mostly a sandbox game, but there will be an overall story arc that will progress through the game, which PCs are invited to participate in. Players are more than welcome to come up with their own ideas to be included. Character histories will be utilised, and used in the game, as well as those elements being brought in by the GM.


• This will be a LGBTIQA friendly game. Your character must be a human being born into the modern world. Beyond that, shape them as you wish. They cane be any Physical gender you want them to be, have any gender identity, sexual choice, ethnic background, etc, etc, etc. It is not a concern if your character does not align with the player in any aspect.


• Smut may happen, but it is not an aspect that is essential to the game. You may not engage at all, fade to black, or make use of the smut only thread to go as detailed as you want. Please be respectful of other player’s declared Ons & Offs when you do so. All posts will have a tag at the beginning, so any triggers & declarations will be listed there for people to know if it is something they wish to avoid.


• Character death may occur, but only with the express permission of the owning player. If a death dealing event occurs, and the player is unwilling for their character to die at that time, something will happen to them to explain why they didn’t die. But, they may still suffer some setback, or possibly owe someone, or something, big time for saving their life. This will be looked at on a case by case basis.


• Dicebot, or some equivalent, will be (ab)used to make character’s lives more exciting when rolls are made. Sacrifices to Dicebot will be highly recommended.


• Any sphere combinations, spell effects, paradox backlashes, quiet, and other associated occurrences and outcomes will be determined by the GM, and if they are disallowed, please accept it gracefully and move on. Feedback will be accepted, but the GM’s rules on these matters will be final. Also, the GM may make some mistakes, and those will be rectified ASAP. Any changes to rulings will not be retroactive, as this creates an admin headache of epic proportions.


• Some backgrounds will be denied, unless there is a great explanation for them to be included, which will automatically gain a drawback as compensation. (See FAQ for a more precise list) It is highly advised that in your character’s backstory, when it is supplied, that explanations of how those backgrounds came to be are to be supplied.


• With the character backstory, you must include the original mentor, or the one with the biggest impact on your character’s development as a Mage. To what depth you go is up to you, but at least a name and a short piece about them will be required.


• Because of the Dark aspect of this game, there will be IC views of certain subject material that will not be kind. Current issues will exist in the game, and will be magnified to some extent. Some negative view points may surface as a part of the game, and they are not meant to be viewed as how the GM thinks of these matters, nor are they meant as personal attacks on anyone sharing those views. They will not be thrown about constantly, nor used as shock value, but they will reflect the society’s views within the game. I am open to discussing ways to not have them triggering people, or causing any offence. For most of the time, these will be subtle, pervasive aspects. Naturally, if characters wish to combat those in game, they are most welcome to do so.


• I will make use of any flaws people have with their characters, and I will ensure that they come into play often enough for them to be flaws.


• If there are more than six people who show interest, I will review everyone and select who I will invite into the game. I will look at those who play well together, are good writers and have good concepts/ideas. It helps if you have played the game before, but that will not be counted against you. Any players who are new to the system, or need any assistance, will receive it from myself, or from some other player if I chose them to assist.

[marauder13]

FAQs

Permitted backgrounds at the start of the Campaign.

Allies, Arcane, Avatar, Backup, Certification(*), Chantry(**), Contacts, Cult(*), Destiny(*), Dream, Fame, Familiar, Influence, Library, Mentor, Node(**), Past Lives, Patron, Rank(*), Resources, Retainers, Sanctum(**), Spies(*), Status, Wonder(*)

Non-permitted backgrounds
Blessing, Demense, Enhancements, Legend, Totem

* You are permitted to have this background, if there is a good back story associated with it, and there may be a limit to how high you may have this background at the start of play.

** You are permitted to have this background if, and only if, you are a part of an established cabal in the city, and these will be pooled together to reflect the investment made by the characters into these specific background. Also, some limits on how many points in each may apply.

Q: Can we pool backgrounds?
A: Yes, you can. At the beginning, though, you may put background points to one side for pooling purposes. Any backgrounds your character has at the start of play will remain personal, even if there is a pooled version of that background.

Q: Can backgrounds be increased through play?
A: Yes. If circumstances provide a good reason, the GM may award backgrounds, or increases in backgrounds. Also, backgrounds may also decrease through play, by player actions or by events in game. If a background is lost, there will not be any XP refunded for that loss, or similar.

Q: Can I play a Technocratic Union character?
A: No.

Q: Can I play a disparate, or character from Supplement X?
A: No.

Q: Is the Avatar Storm in effect?
A: Yes. Crossing the gauntlet is a dangerous exercise, but there are ways of getting across for those with a need to do so.

Q: How will Arete be raised?
A: Good question. Firstly, raising Arete will not cost any XP. Yes, you read that right, 0 XP. However, your character will have to go through a seeking, which will be a ST run event when the ST feels that your character has learned enough to go through that event. There is no guarantee of success, and depending on the outcome, there may be setbacks that occur.

Q: Does a familiar automatically eat Paradox?
A: No. The Mage must make the request of the Familiar to consume the paradox point. Once it has, it will need some time to 'digest' it before it is able to eat more. It will only ever consume one point at a time. A Mage does not have to have their familiar eat paradox.

Q: My Familiar needs Quintessence. How do I feed it? When do I need to feed it?
A: Each calendar month, the familiar needs to be fed their allotted amount of Quintessence. Normally, I would do this per lunar month, but I am keeping it simple. They can be fed any amount throughout the month, and as long as they get the fill by the last day, all is good for the following month. On the first day of the month, all familiars will have empty quintessence stomachs that will need to be filled again by the end of the month. Yes, that includes January, 2018.

Q: I didn't feed my familiar properly the previous month. What happens?
A: You will have once rather pissed off familiar, until such time as their belly is filled, as per normal. During that time, any in game mechanical benefits you would get from the familiar will not be available. Also, they will not be very happy with their bonded mage.

Q: I missed out feeding them again, making it two months in a row. What happens?
A: Your familiar packs its bags and goes on a break. Any approach with less than twice the required quintessence they require will be met with open hostility, and a willingness to do damage to the best of its capabilities. If you manage to feed it enough to restore the bond, you will get the mechanical benefits once more, but the familiar will be wary of their mage.

Q: Three months?
A: Familiar? What familiar? They will depart, the bond broken, and that specific spirit will not make a return - ever. Any attempts to call another will be met with resistance, and any spirit that agrees will exact a higher price to start with, and with good behaviour, will be able to be haggled down to the normal pay/benefits.


Player & Interested Parties Questions
Q: Is it required to use that sheet template?  Or could I use my google drive template?
A: The layout presented below is one for people can use if they don't have one of their own. As long as the layout used is easy to read, and not too terribly laid out, then I will probably accept that.

Q: I see your template doesn't include the secondary abilities?  I hope we can ad those as appropriate?  I for one would find it very strange to play an Akashic without Do.
A: Those can be add at ST discretion. Some of them are valid & sensible (Do is one good example) but some are a bit of overkill. Run them past me, and I will say yay or nay.

Q: I notice there's no place on your sheet for Paradigm, Practice, and focuses.  (I also noticed some things hinting that this is a repurposed Vampire sheet.)  Will those be added?
A: Well, that was a mistake on my part. Yes, the sheet will be adjust to include those missing options. Yes, I do believe at one point in its ancestory, or previous reincarnation, it was a VtM sheet.

Q: You mentioned that Arate can be raised without spending experience.  You also mentioned that character creation will be rules as written?  By far and away the most common character generation house rule I've ever seen is that players tart with Arate 3 at no cost.  I'm puzzled by raising Arate at no experience point cost but full bonus point cost.  Can you elaborate please?
A: This is my way of getting away from the Arete XP sink. During character creation, all the costs remain the same and all the procedures for making the character are unchanged. All other XP costs will remain the same. But, rather than spending huge amounts of XP to raise Arete, I will decide that the character will have a seeking. This will be played out, and if the I feel that the character has learned what the seeking was trying to teach, then the character gains a point of Arete with all the benefits associated. If not, then they will suffer the consequences of their choices, and get to have another shot at it later.

So, yes, you can have a character with an Arete greater than 1 by spending bonus points, but once the character goes live, then the character's avatar will make the call.

During character creation, the standard rules apply for raising Arete. But once that stage is past, then the Arete can only be raised through a roleplayed seeking. You play the seeking well enough, then the Arete will be increased by a point, with no XP spent. Arete is normally a huge XP sink


Dice Bot Information
Yes, as you all know, I will be using the much loved Dice Bot for all of your randomness needs. When using it, please make sure you link my ID with the roll, UID = 41126. As listed in the dot points further up this list, sacrifices to Dice Bot are highly recommended if you are looking for favourable outcomes. We all know just how fickle Dice Bot is.

Character Sheet Template-Needs to be fixed

Name:
Tradition:
Gender/Sex:
Nature:
Demeanor:
Essence:

Attributes

Strength: *
Dexterity: *
Stamina: *

Charisma: *
Manipulation: *
Appearance: *

Perception: *
Intelligence: *
Wits: *

Abilities

Talents:
Alertness:
Art:
Athletics:
Awareness:
Brawl:
Empathy: 
Expression:
Intimidation:
Leadership:
Streetwise:
Subterfuge:

Skills:
Crafts:
Drive:
Etiquette:
Firearms:
Martial Arts:
Meditation:
Melee:
Research:
Stealth:
Survival:
Technology:

Knowledges:
Academics:
Computer:
Cosmology:
Enigmas:
Esoterica:
Investigation:
Law:
Medicine:
Occult:
Politics:
Science:

Advantages

Spheres:
Correspondence
Entropy
Forces
Matter
Mind
Life
Prime
Spirit
Time

Backgrounds:



Arete:

Willpower:

Quintessence:

Paradox:



~Health!~
- Bruised
- Hurt  (-1)
- Injured  (-1)
- Wounded  (-2)
- Mauled  (-2)
- Crippled  (-5)
- Incapacitated (X)

Merits/Flaws

Merits: (list cost!)

Flaws: (list points!)

Personality: Describe a bit about your character's personality--this can just be a list of general personality traits they show, or you can go in-depth to talk about why they behave they way they do!

History: What was life like for your character before the Embrace? Talk a bit about their lives then, and talk a little bit about their actual Embrace and the time just after. Does not have to be super detailed--perhaps a paragraph or two.

Your O/Os for this character: Link to your O/O thread or the E matrix. If there are any O/O exceptions that aren't mentioned in your thread for your character, be sure the mention them here.

NOTE: For statistics, be sure to include how you spent your Freebie points & your EXP.

[AndyZ]

I think I kind of like all of the above for themes ^_^ I've got a Virtual Adept concept I might use for this if there's room.

[Muse]

  I'm very excited to try this! 

*  *  *

  A few questions:   

  I hope I can ask this without it causing stress, it's not my intention.  I'm curious why you banned the Legend background?  I think it's really neat. 

*  *  *
Character Sheet Questions: 

  Is it required to use that sheet template?  Or could i use my google drive template? 

  I see your template doesn't include the secondary abilities?  I hope we can ad those as appropriate?  I for one would find it very strange to play an Akashic without Do. 

  I notice there's no place on your sheet for Paradigm, Practice, and focuses.  (I also noticed some things hinting that this is a repurposed Vampire sheet.)  Will those be added? 

*  *  *

Character generation and advancement questions: 

  You mentioned that Arate can be raised without spending experience.  You also mentioned that character creation will be rules as written?  By far and away the most common character generation house rule I've ever seen is that players tart with Arate 3 at no cost.  I'm puzzled by raising Arate at no experience point cost but full bonus point cost.  Can you elaborate please? 

*   *   *

I applaud you for making full use of the rules and the rolls!   


*   *   *

Some general concepts that interest me.  Does anyone have opinions or feedback or preferences?: 

A young woman from the Akashic Brotherhood, devoted to both the martial arts and the journey to enlightenment.  Though not in any way bloodthirsty, her compassion and her strength drive her to protect those weaker than herself and seek worthy causes to fight for.  Though a virgin, her mentor was married to an Ecstatic and their traditions had somewhat mingled.  As such, she has learned certain sexually charged foci for her magic.  The most distinctive of these is a sexual ordeal of edging.  Some advanced spells require her to hold herslef on the edge of orgasam but deny herself for minutes, hours, or even days. 

A young woman from the Etherite sect.  Very attractive and not particularly concerned with public option, she has a bad habit of dressing in revealing steam punk cosplay when she shouldn't be drawing attention to herself.  I have a lot of fun with etherites.  They understand the true meaning of science in a world where so many use the illusion of science as an instrument of control.  They also understand the great value of imagination.  Some etherite themes I enjoy are tesla coil beam weapons, miniaturize steam engines, manipulating time with specialty made clocks built into a corset, and unlocking telepathic abilities by attuning herself to vibrations through the ether. 

Another etherite concept i enjoy is an awakened survivor of the old Thal Hun hedge magic tradition who performs magic through vibromancy--singing, words in an alien language, resonant crystals and laser lights. She might well be a DJ as her day job. 

A young woman from the verbena who writes fantasy novels with a lot of romance and lechery.  Seemingly a gentle hearted granola girl, anger her or endanger those she loves at your peril! 

Or just in general a "modern merilin" kind of girl from the Order of Hermes.  She might have strong ambitions and big dreams of bringing the traditions back into power and functionality. 

[Marie Reynolds]

I would like to express my interest, I am looking at the Celestial Chorus.

[marauder13]

Character Sheet Questions: 

  Is it required to use that sheet template?  Or could i use my google drive template? 

  I see your template doesn't include the secondary abilities?  I hope we can ad those as appropriate?  I for one would find it very strange to play an Akashic without Do. 

  I notice there's no place on your sheet for Paradigm, Practice, and focuses.  (I also noticed some things hinting that this is a repurposed Vampire sheet.)  Will those be added? 

*  *  *

Character generation and advancement questions: 

  You mentioned that Arate can be raised without spending experience.  You also mentioned that character creation will be rules as written?  By far and away the most common character generation house rule I've ever seen is that players tart with Arate 3 at no cost.  I'm puzzled by raising Arate at no experience point cost but full bonus point cost.  Can you elaborate please? 

*   *   *

I applaud you for making full use of the rules and the rolls!   

Thank you. I want to make things as fun as possible for folks.

*   *   *

Some general concepts that interest me.  Does anyone have opinions or feedback or preferences?: 

A young woman from the Akashic Brotherhood, devoted to both the martial arts and the journey to enlightenment.  Though not in any way bloodthirsty, her compassion and her strength drive her to protect those weaker than herself and seek worthy causes to fight for.  Though a virgin, her mentor was married to an Ecstatic and their traditions had somewhat mingled.  As such, she has learned certain sexually charged foci for her magic.  The most distinctive of these is a sexual ordeal of edging.  Some advanced spells require her to hold herslef on the edge of orgasam but deny herself for minutes, hours, or even days. 

A young woman from the Etherite sect.  Very attractive and not particularly concerned with public option, she has a bad habit of dressing in revealing steam punk cosplay when she shouldn't be drawing attention to herself.  I have a lot of fun with etherites.  They understand the true meaning of science in a world where so many use the illusion of science as an instrument of control.  They also understand the great value of imagination.  Some etherite themes I enjoy are tesla coil beam weapons, miniaturize steam engines, manipulating time with specialty made clocks built into a corset, and unlocking telepathic abilities by attuning herself to vibrations through the ether. 

Another etherite concept i enjoy is an awakened survivor of the old Thal Hun hedge magic tradition who performs magic through vibromancy--singing, words in an alien language, resonant crystals and laser lights. She might well be a DJ as her day job. 

A young woman from the verbena who writes fantasy novels with a lot of romance and lechery.  Seemingly a gentle hearted granola girl, anger her or endanger those she loves at your peril! 

Or just in general a "modern merilin" kind of girl from the Order of Hermes.  She might have strong ambitions and big dreams of bringing the traditions back into power and functionality.

Quite the options list you have there. I have no problems with any of them, though if I had to choose a favourite, the Etherites are both equally appealing. But, if there is something that stands out for you more than the rest, run with that.

[wander]

Wow, this got active quick!

I did have some things to say. I happen to own all the M20 books, including 'How do you do that?' which goes into explaining more on Sphere combos and similar. It's actually the one book I've read most of past the core. It may come up, so I can look up what Spheres can do what and quote from my pdf directly if needs be.
One thing it does say is if you're trying to damage another person, you need a 3 in that Sphere.

(also if the GM is need of any document from M20, feel free to let me know)

Personally, I'd like to do as much rolling dice and fightin' as possible. I'm an unashamed roll-playing guy and I prefer rolling dice to writing essays. I'd also have liked Umbra shit, though with the Avatar Storm in effect, I guess my lust for Exploration will have to go elsewhere (unless I find a background that helps get through the Storm -I know they exist, though it's been an age since I read Mage-).

The rest I'm fine with.

Some concepts I'm leaning to are a Celestial Chorus as a Deus Vult Crusader (so very much like a Knight Templar), a Cult of Ecstacy time mage drugs-speedster (or pornomancer, or both...), a Euthanatos Assassin is something I've long wanted to play (cliche I know, though still...), and finally, a Verbena pagan Life user including body horror shit...

I can expand on one of these when I know what other people are doing more and what may fit well in the group. I can already see that I may have stepped on some toes with some of these though I'm looking to go with different Spheres and concepts so we can cover as much ground as we can in the Traditions.

[Marie Reynolds]

I am fine  with all the themes of mystery, action danger and treasure  hunting!

[wander]

I was looking at the Spheres too and pondering character concepts around them that fit a modern era.

Entropy seems cool for a con-artist character (playing games of chance and using Entropy to fudge results), Forces is stereotypically used as the 'FIREBALL' character, though I can see electricity use with a more techy character, Life is usually for a healer/doctor/surgeon character, though I love the potential for body horror, yet that usually comes in more from higher mastery than starting characters generally get.
Matter mages are alchemists, though it's always been my least favourite Tradition as I can never think much to do with it. Still, having an alchemist as a businessman with a literal Midas Touch seems pretty cool.
Mind is a great power with a lot of variety, including lucid dreamscape wandering and psychic mind-bullets at 3 dots.
I've yet to figure out a good concept for a Correspondence mage, though I dig the spacial/teleportation/area warding/shadow-clone stuff they can do. I know Virtual Adepts do a mathematical coordinate based level of calculation magic to relocate using it. A Quantum powered Naruto-style Ninja seems kinda fun, sure.

Personally, I kinda want to lean into Time, it seems really cool to contract/dilate time in comparison to everyone else, or rewind events back a few seconds using Time 3 (plus precog/postcog in Time 2).

I'm skipping over Spirit, as whilst I love the concept of the medium (and Wraith has long been my fave owod game), the Avatar Storm is in full swing. I'm unsure just what you can even do with it as a Sphere with the Avatar Storm in effect, though I never played Revised, it feels like a genuine concern for characters that may have invested in that Sphere.

Plus Prime fits with everything, it's the main lynchpin of doing magic, imo and you can pretty much anything in a limited capacity with it. I think a Mage character not putting at least 1 dot in Prime is kinda shooting themself in the foot really.

[ererruz]

I'd love to join in. I'm thinking about an Entropy-focused Euthanatos who's a member of the Lhaksmits -- a probability theory or quantum physics university professor and a con-artist, a 'mathemagician' if you will.

[marauder13]

Since there has been enough of a show of interest in the bare bones of the game, I have set up the formal information thread, and I will also set up an OOC thread as well for people to discuss matters in. Most of the content in the information thread is a rehash of what has been posted here, there is additional information, as well as a fixed up character sheet for those who don't have their own. As I clean up the ideas of people, places and other interesting bits, they will be added to the game information thread. Please do not post in that thread.

Game Information thread

OOC thread

Important Message to potential Players

If you want to be considered for the game, please post in the OOC thread, along with any concept ideas you have. Anyone who has posted here will have a slight leg up over others who come along later, but a post in the OOC will be considered a real intent to join the game.

[Captain America]

Wow I missed that you started the thread! I will get my guy ready to go. Reading the Q/As I thought I'd ask, will there be XP gain through the game? It seemed like maybe, but maybe not so figured I'd ask how it would work if it ended up being a thing.

Also where there be some kind of post rate/way to keep this shindig going for a distance?

*Grabs template*