MUs That We Would Love To Make (But Won't)
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@misterboring said in MUs That We Would Love To Make (But Won't):
Ooh. I got another one.
A small town Unknown Armies game where hokey small time magic users in the early 1980s fight over control of the mundane population like feudal lords.
I've been doing some research into Unknown Armies 3e for game development. Are you aware of any MUs that have used it?
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I am not aware of any MUs that have used any edition of UA. I would suggest researching 2e over 3e for a MU because character generation in 3e is done as a group and some of the mechanics in 3e would fall apart rapidly due to character turnover that MUs usually experience.
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Agreed with the above. 2nd Edition is probably the most MU* friendly version of the system, by far.
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@reimesu said in MUs That We Would Love To Make (But Won't):
Although, the book covers 5 different eras: Kyoshi, Roku, the Hundred Years War, the Aang era (post show,) and Korra era.
I really only want to play in the Korra era because, c'mon.
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@rucket said in MUs That We Would Love To Make (But Won't):
... Mummy 2E
I didn't bring it up! And haven't for ages! But since someone else did... just pointing out that my copy of the 2e Mummy book from the Kickstarter literally arrived at my house TODAY. Lets gooooooo.
And while we're talking about Mummies, and because MUs mean fucking, I give you this gem: Twilight, but Mummies
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I would never run a mush because I lack the skills to be staff let alone run a game! But if I did make a mush it would be...
An original fantasy Lord and Ladies style game in which a large Kingdom has been pushed back by an evil blight onto a smaller and smaller area of land over time and no longer has the resources needed to maintain their population and must find a way to reclaim some of their own lands fallen to darkness once again if they have hope of providing for everyone eventually.
So a large group was gathered up to travel into the blighted lands and to try and bring it back. Some where volunteers who did such out of honor, some joined for money, some to pay off debt, some to feed a family the left behind and etc. Some are nobles some are commoners. Some are fighters, rangers, healers, mystics, survivalists, hunters, priests , weapon smiths, armorers and etc. But everyone has a skill that might be useful while on a survivalist mission fighting the darkness.
And the game takes the group (all the pcs) as they travel through the blight, make camps, fight over the course of years trying to restore the land for their kingdom. New people can come from the Kingdom and volunteer later (allowing new characters to join up later) and sometimes the party might return the Kingdom at times. People can leave (stop playing) and leave the adventuring group for the kingdom.
Lots of characters die fighting. Battles, ranging scenes are pretty regular and prps are encouraged.
People can go on side missions away from the main group. Sometimes they camp in one area for extended period of time, but no perm homes are made at the start anyways.
The Grid would be each character having a a camping tent, a group camp/fort (multi rooms) and various sides rooms for adventures and prps.
Characters can get married while on the adventure, but they all know they might die and marriage and children is not typically their goal of those who volunteered. That is for nobles who stayed at home.
Eventually as the story progresses some areas they reclaimed might be settled and built up and the grid expanded and some characters might stay behind in those places if they wish, turning into more of a settled Lords and Ladies game. But the blight must be always be watched for and fought back against.
This came would basically have lots of battles with blight trolls and lots of survivalist type scenes, tracking, hunting, finding edible plants and etc.
The everyone having a tent build would allow people to have a place for private scenes even on a game that is focused on the game being largely together while on a mission. And the side missions, scouting, skirmishes etc allow people do prps that don't involve /everyone/.
The volunteers who stop fighting for a while and return to the kingdom or volunteer after the mission started and join later allow people to come and go from the game as needed.
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One thing that sometimes annoys me about plot based/adventure/fighting the big bad games can be the gate keeping that sometimes happens.
Instead of a kingdom filled with people who will fight, politic, try to kiss staff ass to get on or to be allowed to go on the adventure/join the plot
I would rather start with a premise that everyone is on the adventure. That certain prps related to going off scouting, fighting and etc while on that adventure are very easy to make happen. Allowing players who might be in the right /ooc social group/ to still do their side adventures.
And the people waiting back in the Kingdom are mostly npcs or inactive pcs - but the pcs are the adventurers and heroes.
I sometimes think games have the pcs as the masses waiting back in the kingdom and the /special/ pcs doing the adventures.
And would love a game that totally breaks that mold. Every pc is an adventurer. Doesn't mean they are all fighters - they could have came along to fix the armor or heal the wounded and etc or even socially charm when such is needed - but they are all on the mission to speak.
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In my opinion there are two things with any 'adventure'-based MU* which need to be addressed at a game-design level:
- Who runs the adventures?
- What do characters do while not adventuring?
The answer to (1) has to address facts such as that PrP-runners don't grow on trees, that timezones exist, etc.
The answer to (2) is where most sandbox games fail. It's actually harder to do this than to come up with "well, see, there are these orcs that need killing"-type answers for (1).
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I am sure you are right. Sometimes it is way more easy to dream about what one would like to see than to make it happen. Like I would love that game, but I wouldn't be capable of making it happen and I am sure it much easier said than done!
But you make a point - you would need prp runners to make it work and the prps would be need more interesting than always just fighting more blight trolls...hehe.
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There's also a tension between two motivations for creating a MU* - One, that you get to do lots of fun things and feel powerful/impactful/meaningful in a persistent setting...and Two, that your character is imbedded in a persistent setting that maintains itself over time.
I think this is more an issue in large games or non-original games - if you want to play in X game/tv/book setting, then for many people, part of the appeal is that the game is going to continue to look like that setting. Which becomes less and less likely the more 'protagonist level' PCs that are involved, because part of being a protagonist is changing the world and being an integral part of resolving whatever plots there are. Which is even a problem in original settings once they get large enough that the immediately visible 'protagonist roles' seem to be filled: see Arx and the number of PCs who immediately jumped in with the idea of 'reforming' various parts of the setting, or those who immediately tried to figure out who had 'the right secrets'.
Which isn't to say that 'every PC a protagonist' isn't something to strive for. But as mentioned, it takes a tremendous amount of work, and would also probably work best in an original setting with no more than 20 regular PCs, along with a fair amount of OOC niche protection so the inevitable super active people can't dominate the whole thing. I'd suggest a large amount of OOC communication, being very explicit about expectations/theme, and possibly even a sort of metacurrency that could be used to help people moderate their spotlight time according to their desires and RL commitments.
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Oh, for sure, I agree. It is def easier for me to sit here as someone who never even staffed before and go this is what I would like!
It take mad skills to make a mush happen, let alone a mush that has lots of action and includes most players
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@kk Hmm, something like your idea is in the works.
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Ooooooh! excited.
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Okay...
Two new pitches...
Stargate Command- With the purchase of MGM by Amazon, there's fan rumblings about a possible return of Stargate. True or not, there's a renewed interest in the franchise, so how about getting back to adventures with SG-1 through 9?
Star Wars: Fury of Haldren- Classic D6 Star Wars, set 10 BBY (Same time frame as Solo and Rebels), focusing on the crew of the Alliance Frigate 'Fury of Haldren' as they fight to free their home sector from the Empire.
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@runescryer said in MUs That We Would Love To Make (But Won't):
Star Wars: Fury of Haldren- Classic D6 Star Wars, set 10 BBY (Same time frame as Solo and Rebels), focusing on the crew of the Alliance Frigate 'Fury of Haldren' as they fight to free their home sector from the Empire.
I mentioned Star Wars but more like Rogue Squadron/Solo'ish last page in the thread (a month+ ago); but rogue syndicate/former gangsters/mercs/bounty hunters/etc. like the group solo meets at the end of Solo. Just curious for those of us not well versed in the EU, is the Fury of Haldren something those more versed would or should know? Does this imply any other context or is that a random name and idea to fight in a random sector against the Empire?
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@lotherio Nope. Just made the name up. The general idea is that it's a sort of 'Air Force One', that managed to get the survivors of a Royal Family out as a rival House enacted a coup with Imperial backing. The ship itself is a Nebulon-B (the Medical Frigate at the end of Empire Strikes Back), so it's a decent sized ship with lots of crew/character possibilities without being so huge to become unwieldy, like a MC-80 (the Rebel cruisers from Return of the Jedi). Also has facilities for a couple shuttles or Stock Light Freighters, and carries 2 squadrons of starfighters (12 fighters to a squadron). So, a manageable size to build a game around.
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@lotherio I would be more inclined towards a Mandalorian/Book of Boba Fett era type one, small scale, just Tattooine (or other single planet), with factions of warlords or politically at odds cities or something working together to keep the Empire off their world. No Jedi.
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@runescryer @BetterNow Just making sure. Yeah, that's similar, the frigate I was pondering for the syndicate crew gone rogue/anti-empire was a munificent-class frigate (used by separatists mostly in Clone Wars, it has enough hangers for several shuttles and a couple squadrons of fighters as well).
I think both or a combination could work too. Keep empire out, the Mandalorian/Boba Fett era could work too as the Empire recedes (its what, 7 years after RotJ?). Could be a singular system and its struggles with remnants of the Empire still trying to maintain a hold. Could be some criminal elements that don't work together but are in uneasy truce to get the yoke off so to speak. I like bothseries, I also like Solo, its showing there is plenty of room in SW to have SW feel without being Luke's wingman, a Jedi, or having missions onto the Death Star before its blown up.
One planet/setting could be good but I think it needs some ships in some context. Even Mando/Boba Fett have their various ships that make it into the story, from Mando loosing his and then making the modified Naboo fighter to Boba piloting the Slave One practically into the Sarlacc pit. Something to easily zip off for PrP that doesn't affect meta and gives liberation to some story tellers.
Course its still wishful thinking just thoughts.
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@betternow said in MUs That We Would Love To Make (But Won't):
No Jedi.
Actually, the secret to Star Wars MUs is to say 'you can earn a force user character, impress us' and then watch as everyone trips over themselves to get one of the limited space-wiznerd slots. And of course, only give them out to the people whomst are lewd instead.
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@jennkryst said in MUs That We Would Love To Make (But Won't):
@betternow said in MUs That We Would Love To Make (But Won't):
No Jedi.
Actually, the secret to Star Wars MUs is to say 'you can earn a force user character, impress us' and then watch as everyone trips over themselves to get one of the limited space-wiznerd slots. And of course, only give them out to the people whomst are lewd instead.
Because as we all know, the most important attribute for a Force-user, next to a high midi-chlorian count, is a high lewd count.