Posts made by Wizz

@Ominous

This is probably a good place to mention that if the write up didn't make it clear, rape and pillaging and other war crimes are gonna be a hard no when it comes to "things PCs can do."

I am not interested in having them explicitly on-screen as a storyteller/GM either, I think the implication of those things happening is dark enough for my dark fantasy pretendy funtimes.

Just in case that was a concern.

@Ominous

I've never actually read a Black Company novel but like, I've learned enough about it through geek osmosis and wikis that that's an accurate influence!

As for Battle Brothers, I haven't played that either, haha, but at a glance -- sure. In terms of the mood and feel of the world and a video game reference I'm actually trying for Shadow of the Horned Rat tho.

@thesuntsar

So, the way it's working in my mind at the moment is pretty highly variable.

Nobility are obviously not all mustache-twirling evil, but they do rule by divine right according to the Church. Many are feverishly faithful while others are basically only adherents because they're required to be, and more lax as to who they'll associate with behind closed doors.

Some nobles will refuse to hire a regiment not led by former nobility or knights, or at least be incredibly difficult to work with, and may even threaten not to honor the terms of a contract if they learn non-humans were involved -- but again, that might be entirely a public spectacle that characters have to withstand through gritted teeth until payment is delivered later in private.

Basically it will be advantageous to play a former noble or knight when contracting with nobility, but not being one is not always some enormous social barrier you can't overcome. The Company presents you as a leader and gives you the right to negotiate and for the most part, at this point nobles are desperate enough for the help.

Nobility are also not the only NPCs with authority; villages have elders or mayors or councils and the exact opposite dynamic might turn out to be in play.

ETA: SPEAKING OF THE CHURCH, have a look-see at the first draft and let me know what you think.

Also ignore the double post plz

@tek said in The Celebrated Company of Mongrels:

@Wizz i love you and i love this

@Derp said in The Celebrated Company of Mongrels:

This sounds neat.

So I have a pitch and I'm looking for feedback before I start seriously investing time and effort. Feel free to make comments and suggestions!

--

The Celebrated Company of Mongrels is a game in an original dark fantasy setting, and also the name of the organization the game will revolve around.

Taking place in the ancient kingdom of Goëtika, society is extremely rigid and (on the surface) honor-based, with no upward mobility between classes and a lot of corruption in the court; this is compounded by both its relationship with the Church of the Crimson God, a fanatical religion that was elevated to the official faith of the realm by a devout king hundreds of years ago, and the subjugation of non-humans that happened nearly concurrently.

Getting denobled, defrocked/excommunicated, stripped of knighthood, etc is fairly easy in the current atmosphere of the kingdom and tensions in all corners are high given that the last king allowed his vassal lords the freedom to openly war on one another, and several small to middling conflicts have burned across the land for a generation.

All players are former nobles/knights/priests/priestesses, non-humans, or commoners who have been disenfranchised or left the service of a noble army to join the Mongrel Company, an extremely egalitarian group of independent contractors where rank is granted based on merit and the past hierarchy is largely ignored.

The themes of the game are unrest, determination in the face of despair, and uncommon or unexpected fellowship. The focus will be on how the Company as a whole will survive/thrive as the kingdom grows closer to outright civil war and other possible conflicts, including the brewing prospect of a commoner revolution in the face of an inept monarchy and religious persecution -- and the growing threat of a neighboring assortment of barbarian clans to the north waiting for a moment of weakness.

Players can take contracts on behalf of the Company, politick with local villages and nobles for support, and generally adventure -- the kingdom is full of old ruins to explore, monsters to hunt, etc.

Because we'll be using Fate, each PC starts on pretty equal ground -- the system's premise is that everyone is competent at what they do and should expect to make a difference.

--

And, a peek at the org itself:

The Celebrated Company of Mongrels

Banner: Several hounds of different coats and colors, pulling a scrap of meat from different corners, on a field of yellow.

Nicknames: Nobles of the court have referred to the company disparagingly as "Nikolev's Dogs," even though the former Captain Nikolev has been dead for several years now; this is said to be due to the fact a commoner -- and rumored half-elf -- is the current Captain Lillian, so it is meant to be dismissive and insulting of her command and the Company all at once. Members of the Company, however, are proud to call themselves Mongrels or "Lillian's Dogs" interchangeably.

Organization: The Company consists of roughly a dozen regiments each under a lieutenant, every three reporting to a Commander, who then serves under the Company Captain. Founded some fifty years ago out of the surviving remnants of several other bands and smaller companies, however, new recruits are often surprised to learn that rank is a somewhat informal affair. While the Captain and then her Commanders collectively have final say in any given dispute, and can give general orders that are expected to be obeyed and/or call the entire Company to battle, each regiment is largely autonomous and free to pursue whatever contract or interest they please -- with the friendly but non-negotiable understanding that the Company will take its cut of any profits.

Culture & Law: While each regiment has a variety of expectations in regards to behavior, and many different traditions and oaths that have survived the test of time, the one consistent and unbreakable oath across the Company can be summed up in a common saying among them -- "We Do Not Harbor Rabid Hounds." This means that any member of the Company regardless of seniority, service, or rank found guilty of abhorrent crimes (especially against one another or the common folk) will be swiftly and unceremoniously put to death.

This is a point of extreme pride in the Company considering some other mercenary companies in the kingdom are hardly better than brigands, and any member who questions or tests this oath quickly learns better or dies.

--

What I'm imagining with this is that while the highest ranks (the Captain and Commanders) will be NPCs, players are free to lead individual regiments as basically sub-orgs with loose internal rankings, and come up with their own cool backstories, uniforms, etc. Every regiment is assumed to have a large number of NPC troops so that players can play as leaders or grunts, whichever they please.

Thoughts? Questions? Concerns?

Having "grown up" with both MU*ing and PbP forums in pretty nearly equal measure, I am unbothered by the prospect of a much slower scene, but they really do need a little something more to keep the momentum going or they tend to fizzle out. Find some sort of tension for them that keeps them on your mind while you're not actively writing your turn and busy doing other stuff. Action scenes, weirdly enough, always worked the best for me. (Or save the interpersonal drama you've got cooking for them, whatever toots your whistle.)

@buttercup

Yeah, that was a really subtle and clever reference (to something horrific) and that is the writers at their best. I hope they do more of that!

@Selira

Yeah, I can see it. It's gonna be more "Lovecraft Monster Of The Week, Only The Real Monster Is Racism" and that is totally fine. I was thrown a little because I thought the whole season was going to be a much slower burn adaptation of the plot of the book and we're getting this instead, but I'll stick with it.

(Even if the giant ghost head coming out of the floor was the cheesiest thing I've seen on TV in quite a while.)

@Lemon-Fox

That would absolutely be a dealbreaker for me. That has to be the strictest activity policy I've seen in years.

I dunno why but this is enough to have me snort-laughing every time I see it.

@Ghost

I've been poking around at different systems for either that seem really fun, and they both really get the itch for a game going for me, so I'm curious!

Would people be more interested in a MU* revolving around a dark fantasy mercenary company or a scifi Mecha-operating mercenary company?

If you absolutely had to choose one or the other?

I had no idea he had cancer. That is really sad.

@Paradox

Venture City! It's an original theme, I think, not Marvel or DC.

ETA: Haha misunderstood, there was a MU* that used Venture City for their system that was Marvel-based. Had a decent run if I recall!

I just don't really see what the Shadowrun setting brings to the table for a superhero game, especially one set in Marvel/DC canon. Shadowrun is cynical, dystopic, and generally speaking pretty low-powered and street level in focus.

Toss supers into the mix and all of that stops making sense. Why would the Justice League/Avengers even allow some of the biggest events of Shadowrun to occur without intervention, like the rise of the dragons and megacorps? Wouldn't Doctor Fate/Doctor Strange be working to stop or reverse goblinization as soon as it started?

Completely handwaving all of that and just splicing the setting together, what place would your typical shadowrunner have in a world where even as a team they are frankly outclassed by even a single lowest tier super? Why would you play as anything else?

The scales and themes are just so mismatched to me that I have a hard time seeing what the appeal is, as opposed to using like a blend of the Legion of Superheroes and Marvel 2099 if you want a far-future high tech setting?

That strikes me as a downright bizarre mashup, with a lot of inherent conflict, but I'll be fascinated to see how you make it work!

@reversed said in Spitballing for a supers Mush:

@Runescryer said in Spitballing for a supers Mush:

@reversed said in Spitballing for a supers Mush:

Also, if anyone ever does show up on your superhero game wanting to play Uncle Ben, you should probably ban them on principle, because nothing good is ever going to come from keeping around a person who thinks playing Uncle Ben sounds cool and fun.

Actually...

With the comics retcon that Peter's parents were government agents who died on a mission, it's possible that Ben Parker could have been an agent as well. Specifically, a SHIELD agent. One who helped gather evidence and smash a HYDRA cell. After Peter is orphaned, Ben retires from SHIELD to help raise his nephew. Years later, SHIELD uncovers a plot by HYDRA to get revenge on some ex-agents and replaces Ben Parker with an LMD for his protection. The LMD Ben Parker is the one that gets killed, and Ben, realizing that his family is safe from retaliation so long as HYDRA thinks he's dead, stays hidden away.

no

"Pete, Pete it's me. They didn't kill me, Petey. I'm outta hiding and it's time to really put the screws to these HYDRA fucks, buddy. Let's get 'em, let's really-- remember what I said, Peter? With great power comes the great responsibility to fuck shit up." * Cocks shotgun*

@Coin said in Spitballing for a supers Mush:

Though honestly, at this point, there could be a dozen Batgirls, Robins, Nightwings, whatever. Shit, just have everyone play Logan and put a number after their name, who gives a fuck.

This was how Project Infinity handled it. IIRC, there had been like five different Spider-Mans, but they maintained a continuity at the same time to a degree, so even a freshly-bitten Peter Parker pulled through the wormhole right out of high school had to be aware and at least acknowledge that another much older dude calling himself Spider-Man had already been webslinging around and that people would recognize the costume.

And honestly that was pretty fun. It gave you something really different to navigate, not that you were forced to play out the same exact relationships or storylines but that someone who was essentially you had at one point.