Interest Check: Alternate Supernatural (TV) Game

Insomnia · Apr 21, 2018, 8:46 PM

Based off the TV show Supernatural, in an alternative universe where Sam said yes, and the virus is out and making things all apocalyptically. Using the Cortex system books / lore from the show. (Season 5, Episode 4, In game time of August, 2014).

Set in Nova Scotia, the virus is spreading through the Americas, but with the global society we have it's a matter of time before it takes over the world, unless it can be stopped?

Will be allowing Humans, Hunters, "Monsters", and Men of Letters.

PvP will be allowed, but kills must be justified and hopefully morally grey. So if you make a vampire, who only ever feeds on cows, and Hunters find out about you, they can kill you that's what Hunters do. But one Hunter might let you go, another just sees you as a monster. If you make a vampire who feeds from people but don't kill them, again, it's a grey area, depending on the Hunter. If you make a vampire who kills for fun leaving bodies everywhere? Expect to die. If you are a Hunter going after any of the vampires, expect to die.

No TV show characters will be playable.

Aside from the Apocalypse, the game would shoot more for the monster of the week format of the first few seasons, with the metaplot being the whole virus thing going on in the background.

Strax · Apr 21, 2018, 8:53 PM

I'd be interested in this. Haven't ever seen a Supernatural game and always thought it would make a good theme.

Doozer · Apr 21, 2018, 8:55 PM

You said two of my favorite things: Supernatural & apocalypticallyishism

Arkandel · Apr 21, 2018, 10:49 PM

@insomnia I always liked the idea of Supernatural as the setting for a MUSH.

Here's a question for you: How (and if) would you intend to tackle one of Hunter-based games which is essentially what this one would be in its heart, namely the reliance on plots for things to happen?

Insomnia · Apr 21, 2018, 11:01 PM

Pretty much by having +events code in, and allowing people to go nuts with PrPs. So long as they aren't stopping the apocalypse in a PrP, or blowing up the grid without pre-approval, (I mean, if someone wants to run a PrP where they blow something up, as long as they provide a destroyed desc for the building, or whatever, go for it.) But also I don't want to focus just on MotW but also throw in a bit of Warehouse 13, and SCP Foundation, to get cursed artifacts and objects.

There will be a meta plot, but it'll be in the background. Hunters aren't supposed to have a long shelf life. If the game manages to stick and is around for years, I want new people to be able to jump in with what's going on and not have to worry about everything that happened in the past. Most plots will have a limited time as well, but if people can play only on Tuesdays hopefully they can do something to whether it's running something for other people, or going out on a hunt themselves.

I don't expect it to be a huge game and am going to look at it more like an online tabletop, so hopefully keeping people busy when they would like to be, will be doable.

Arkandel · Apr 21, 2018, 11:10 PM

@insomnia Supernatural is so rich and it's so easy to cross it over with other pop culture genres and add tropes to it, it's probably ideal for a MUSH. My caveat above was pretty much the only hiccup I can think of.

Insomnia · Apr 21, 2018, 11:51 PM

@arkandel Right? The whole lone wolf, or pair traveling around the country makes it difficult for a static Mu* setting, but set it on top of a Hellmouth, or have an apocalypse going on, and you're golden!

Teto · Apr 22, 2018, 12:08 AM

Oh man, I'd be super interested. I actually just started rewatching the series and was thinking how much I'd like to play in the setting.

surreality · Apr 22, 2018, 12:11 AM

@insomnia They do have that episode or two in the 'alternate future' where something like this happened -- it may make for a good template. From what I recall, people were set up in encampments, etc. and traded resources a lot, similar to something in The Walking Dead vein from what could be gleaned of it.

(I mentally refer to this as the Stoner Castiel episode, if that helps pin down which one I mean.)

Arkandel · Apr 22, 2018, 12:29 AM

@surreality This full season's Big Bad is an alternate reality where things went preeeetyy apocalyptic. Not saying it's the best setting for a game, but it's right there and very current.

surreality · Apr 22, 2018, 12:37 AM

@arkandel True enough. There's a specific ep much like she's describing (and I think it's the one she mentioned even but I don't remember seasons or numbers, just whatever I nicknamed things mentally).

Insomnia · Apr 22, 2018, 12:45 AM

@surreality Yep, I mentioned it in the first post.

Although it probably wouldn't be 2014 in game RL time seems pretty weird to put in there.

Catsnake · Apr 22, 2018, 1:51 AM

Would all/any of the various monsters featured in the show be up for play? Or will availability be restricted or something else?

Crawfish · Apr 22, 2018, 1:32 AM

furiously raises hand

Insomnia · Apr 22, 2018, 1:53 AM

@catsnake They'd be allowed, depending on the lore they might be restricted to the lore....maybe. Some things by the lore of the show (Dad's Journal, other books, heck even the anime) say some things are solitary or regional. Probably a case by case basis.

I mean if I got 4 apps, all unrelated who were say those Japanese drunken vengeance ghosts, I'd allow it and say a case came in on the boat.

For monsters if there are enough of them, to do something like what the failed back door pilot tried to do where the vampires and mages and werewolves were doing. It could have worked, but people wanted the Winchesters, I think. But with some magical Mcguffin that makes the monsters a little bit more human because the demon virus is taking over and they have to survive or something. Just so long as people are prepared that if they are a monster, good or no that you won't be a monster for long. The thing with that example, and ghosts in general are the visibility, and anchors. Even if you aren't all vengencey, you're only going to stay human enough not to be killed outright for so long.

The plan is for people to have fun. Yes, within reason. Starships would be great, and it's an alternate world, so maybe they developed without Eve. But Eve and all the Alpha's would be out. You could be an Angel, but not an Arch-Angel. I'd probably even let people be a god...so long as they didn't lord it over people. (Pun completely intended),

surreality · Apr 22, 2018, 2:51 AM

@insomnia Being a random, nearly forgotten entirely, specific-niche local god just scraping to get by would be amazing. (I'm getting flashbacks to Eddie Izzard's 'Jeff, the God of Biscuits' here, but that wouldn't be too horribly far off in terms of scale... )

If you stuck to stuff on that level, you could keep the power levels pretty easily in the range of the standard angel or demon easily, they'd just probably be less actually powerful due to being massively more specific. Like the god of some local creek's powers may allow them to heal someone or purify someone of illness or provide water-based foodstuffs or such, but only if they're standing in their creek and get somebody to chant some specific thing or another, if someone poisons their creek they'd take damage wherever they are, etc. It would be pretty easy to incorporate these as protagonist types or antagonist types, and the ever-more-popular 'sometimes they help, and sometimes they have their own agendas' type that the series is (wonderfully) full of.

Insomnia · Apr 22, 2018, 3:21 AM

@surreality Exactly. Or the ever popular: powered by followers. Used to be the shit, but were forgotten and now people don't give two shits. I just don't want people to think they are unkillable, because everything is. And also, depending on the thing or the intervention can come back too.

I mean, it wouldn't be supernatural without the ability to come back somehow. Probably not make a deal though, I mean the demons can probably get you easier with the virus. But if you're desperate enough... know the right people, who knows?

skew · Apr 22, 2018, 7:54 PM

Sounds like a fun idea! My concern(?) would be how much of the series was based on a particular town/building/location having a particular strange to it. If you're not drifting all over, you lose some of that. But I'm sure it can be worked around!

Insomnia · Apr 22, 2018, 8:29 PM

Well I mean, the virus is spreading, the world isn't completely gone yet all over. That's what temp rooms are for! The game itself would be a better fortified (and hopefully more fireproof) Roadhouse.

But also even though I figure it will be a small game alts will be allowed, if only because people will be out of town, hunting things, while the "monsters" are more likely to stay home. CoI shouldn't be too much of a problem because while "monsters" should have an interest in stopping the demonic stuff because if the demons win everyone is screwed, hunters should still be out...Hunting.

One thing that I hope will happen is people pay more attention to the news boards, or maybe have coded some sort of system like events, but for news where weird things happen that Hunters can pick up on weird things going on to hopefully limit +event hogging. Because I am fine running big scenes with people, and there are a few times in the show a group gets together, takes a picture, and goes off to fight some big bad, but most of the time Hunters hunter solo, or with a partner. So limiting an event to first come first served when I have time to run things won't be fair to anyone. But also, even though Sam and Dean hunt everything, most Hunters aren't like that. It makes sense for them as they are the stars or the show, most Hunters seek out a specific thing that made them Hunters in the first place, and take on other things if they come across it. The plan for every Hunter to have to choose a specialty. That's their thing. If someone needs information on that thing, they go to them. It could be something like vampires, or it could be something vague like the ghost where you have to be drunk. With the news stories it can be first come first served, but also can have it where multiple hunters show up and get in each other's way. People will have to decide if they want to do an event, or choose to be away when it happens.

The thing about away too is that I really do plan on it taking place in Nova Scotia, not just in the city. It's a teeny provence, really, you can get just about anywhere from one point to another in 6 to 8 hours. But at the same time with our whole global culture it's not hard to find out something is happening in Saskatchewan if someone really wanted to go there, although with things starting in Detroit and radiating out, going that far might not be the best idea. So while it may be one place, it's a big place with a common place that people can gravitate to and hold the fort down as well.

(I may have been thinking about this all long before I ever made the post to check on interest. >.>)

magee101 · Apr 22, 2018, 8:29 PM

Honestly I've always wanted to see the mechanics of HtV thrown into the theme and lore of Supernatural. Mostly just needs tweaks to the "monsters" more so than the powers, especially if you go for compactless hunters since they don't have anything that is "specific" to the monsters normally found in WoD.