Author Topic: "a thief, a reaver, a slayer" (Conan-RP, VAN, perhaps light BDSM) (Read 5785 times)

Marlow · « **on:** March 26, 2009, 07:03:08 pm »

So yea, this is my first RP idea here, and it's just a general interest check. I grew up reading REH's stories, and love Conan and his world. The world is so dark, ancient, and so rich that it's simply impossible not to appreciate the work Howard put into creating a living, breathing Hyboria.

So, anyway, on to the idea. I think it would be good to have it set shortly after the Hour of the Dragon, where Conan is King of Aquilonia and all of Howard's other stories have happened, and we've got a blank slate to work with. One of the great things about Conan stories are the stories have no major impact on the world. In the Tower of the Elephant, for example, Conan infiltrates the gleaming Tower of the Elephant, defeats its traps, and saves an ancient extra-solar being, and defeats the evil sorcerer (albeit indirectly). Yet, really, that doesn't have a major impact on the world. As such, we can do many great things without changing Hyboria greatly.

My idea is that a small group of adventurers (us) travel the lands, slaying, stealing, and generally getting in to trouble for our own gains. Sex would be a part of it, of course. You can't have a Conan story without bar wenches and lusty whores, but plot and conflict would be of equal merit.

Beyond that, it's all up in the air. That being said, I'll post some possible character ideas for your benefit:

- The brash barbarian youth still getting used to the 'civilized' world.
- The conniving sorceress who uses her charms to control and get what she desires.
- The amateur thief dreaming of glory among the City of Thieves.
- The whore with a sharp tongue and sharper blade trying to build a better life for herself.
- and so on and so forth

Any body interested?

GrinningHound · « **Reply #1 on:** March 26, 2009, 07:09:05 pm »

I think I may certainly be able to get into a Conan RP.

Marlow · « **Reply #2 on:** March 26, 2009, 07:11:00 pm »

Quote from: GrinningHound on March 26, 2009, 07:09:05 pm

I think I may certainly be able to get into a Conan RP.

This is good.

I have no preference as to gender played and gender lived. That being said, I think I'm going to stick playing male here. Beyond that my character is a blank slate.

Schwarzepard · « **Reply #3 on:** March 26, 2009, 08:41:20 pm »

I'm interested also.

Muse · « **Reply #4 on:** March 28, 2009, 07:08:36 am »

This sounds like great fun.

Were you going to use a system, such as that Conan d20 RPG 2nd Edition from Mongoose Publishing? I'd enjoy that a great deal more than freeform, and it seems fairly true to howard's original.

Marlow · « **Reply #5 on:** March 28, 2009, 01:13:35 pm »

Quote from: Muse on March 28, 2009, 07:08:36 am

Were you going to use a system, such as that Conan d20 RPG 2nd Edition from Mongoose Publishing? I'd enjoy that a great deal more than freeform, and it seems fairly true to howard's original.

I have the Mongoose books, but I was planning on using them only for setting information and the like. I'm not too big of a fan running system games over the net, as I find it rather difficult to organize.

Erin · « **Reply #6 on:** March 28, 2009, 01:51:55 pm »

*pokes the thread with an imaginary stick and not-so-imaginary curiosity*

Starfox · « **Reply #7 on:** March 28, 2009, 03:02:03 pm »

I am interested, but it depends on the frequency of posting - I already have a few games going.

Marlow · « **Reply #8 on:** March 28, 2009, 03:12:51 pm »

I can go for multiple daily posts personally, but I understand that probably isn't viable for others. I suppose that a post every one to two days would be ideal (so like... three to four posts a week would be the probable medium), but it all depends on everyone's availability.

Since it looks like there is good interest, maybe we should move on to details. What type of characters are people interested in, ect...

Muse · « **Reply #9 on:** March 28, 2009, 04:16:33 pm »

Pitty about the freeformness, but I'm game either way.

I'm more the three to four posts a week type.

My favorite two concepts would be Cael the Cimmerian, the brash young barbarian with the big axe archetype, or an aprentice wise woman, perhaps Brythunian. :)

Athem · « **Reply #10 on:** March 28, 2009, 04:59:21 pm »

It sounds like fun!

I like the original Conan stories, but my guilty pleasure are the ones written by Robert Jordan - trashy, sexy fun. So my preferred character type would be a Jordanesque heroine, feisty yet prone to embarrassing predicaments, often sans clothing :)

I have the Mongoose rules, but I don't think they're great for the setting - they're a bit too DnDish. For example, armor is much more important than it appears to be in the stories :)

Marlow · « **Reply #11 on:** March 28, 2009, 05:19:42 pm »

Quote from: Achmed the Mad on March 28, 2009, 04:59:21 pm

It sounds like fun!

I like the original Conan stories, but my guilty pleasure are the ones written by Robert Jordan - trashy, sexy fun. So my preferred character type would be a Jordanesque heroine, feisty yet prone to embarrassing predicaments, often sans clothing :)

I have the Mongoose rules, but I don't think they're great for the setting - they're a bit too DnDish. For example, armor is much more important than it appears to be in the stories :)

I'm a Howard purest, but Jordan's stories are alright. How knowledgeable are you of the Jordan stories? I'm very well versed with Howard's, so that's why I was figuring we should keep only with his stories in Conan lore, but if you know a lot of Jordan stories, then we could probably incorporate them in to it.

And a Red Sonja-esque character, I can dig it.

Athem · « **Reply #12 on:** March 28, 2009, 06:57:17 pm »

I've read all his Conan stories (oddly, I couldn't get into any of his non-Conan stuff like the Wheel of Time). His prose was entertainingly purple (lots of 'callimastian curves' :), but I don't think he really added anything to the Conan mythos - a lot of his plots read like re-hashed versions of Howard ones. His only memorable recurring character was Karela, the Red Hawk, who pursued a definite love-hate relationship with Conan :)

http://www.amrathelion.com/images/1karela.html

Starfox · « **Reply #13 on:** March 28, 2009, 07:07:35 pm »

I read all or most of Howard's stories, but none of the other authors' (apart from the comics). I also own the first ed of mongoose's conan RPG and a few splatbooks. Wouldn't mind playing a thief, probably female, or a sorcereress.

Marlow · « **Reply #14 on:** March 28, 2009, 07:15:48 pm »

Alright, then lets just draw from Howard stories, and if you want, Achmed, you can mention things from Jordan stories. Also, for races, I'll allow any one from 'civilized' nations. IE no picts. Everything is open through Stygian to Zamorean to Aquilonian and Hyrkanian, and so on and so forth. Basically if it's in the source book, it's good. And this is an adventuring group, so it's quite easy to bring vastly different characters together, but I think a central theme should be 'self gratification'. We're all in a group because we want something, whether that be knowledge for a sorceress, wealth and renown for a thief, etc.

Starfox · « **Reply #15 on:** March 28, 2009, 07:26:25 pm »

With regards to character generation, are there any guidelines in freeform?

Marlow · « **Reply #16 on:** March 28, 2009, 07:28:05 pm »

Don't be uber powerful, I suppose. Be realistic. We're all young, and have only been adventuring together for say... three months. Before then we wouldn't have had much experience in the wider world.

Starfox · « **Reply #17 on:** March 28, 2009, 07:32:43 pm »

That works. What about party dynamics/conflict?

Marlow · « **Reply #18 on:** March 28, 2009, 07:36:18 pm »

That seems very likely considering the possible variety of characters. I guess it all depends on what we want. I mean, there's the possibility for racial tensions, general distrust, etc. Any ideas?

Starfox · « **Reply #19 on:** March 28, 2009, 07:40:16 pm »

Well, that depends on the characters. I am mostly asking what kind of party conflict and consequences are expected/accepted. Bickering, plotting, brawling, killing etc.

Marlow · « **Reply #20 on:** March 28, 2009, 07:41:39 pm »

I'd say no killing, but the others yea. If you got a score to settle, it may very well get physical.

Starfox · « **Reply #21 on:** March 28, 2009, 07:45:12 pm »

What about consequences that are not killing, but split the party? Like knocking the thief out in a brawl, then cashing in the reward for his capture, or selling the unconscious foe into slavery?

Marlow · « **Reply #22 on:** March 28, 2009, 07:49:03 pm »

Hmm... well, I dunno about that. You'd, of course, need the consent of the player playing the thief.

I'll revise. You can kill another player's character, or do what you said, with the player's consent. The player would just make a new character afterword. That being said, it'd probably be good if you didn't have it out for another player's character.

Starfox · « **Reply #23 on:** March 28, 2009, 07:51:18 pm »

Yeah. I meant is a character that was split from the party in such a fashion out as well?

Marlow · « **Reply #24 on:** March 28, 2009, 07:53:35 pm »

I'd think so. The player would create a new character to join the group, and, say, if the thief escapes or whatever, and comes back for revenge, the player could again control him along with the other character, considering the thief then becomes more of a plot element.