Wanderlust

[Brian]

Set to begin after Starfarers ends, whenever that is.

The premise is in a world not entirely unlike feudal China, pre-unification.  The game is meant to be very stylistic, and dramatic, and not focus too much on combat.

Ironically, all of the PCs should be masters of their favored combat arts.  I'm going for a heavily wuxia feel, and am planning on using a somewhat customized version of the Storyteller system.

The game should be much like Exalted, but we all know that Soulriders can't support Exalted games, so it is not, in fact, exalted.

Theme: You are a child of an era where strife and war are a rule, and peace is the exception.  It's difficult to find places untouched by battle, save the rare isolated hamlet, or less rare but substantially more isolated monastary full of aesthetics.  For whatever reason, perhaps for vengeance over some transgression in your youth, perhaps simply for lack of something better to do, or maybe it was just an ingrained destiny you were born with, you have set yourself upon the path to martial perfection.

All of you will be playing butt-kicking wuxia dudes of whatever style and type you think will be fun.  The world you're in will provide you with nearly any kind of background and originating culture you want -- from the refined city-dwellers in the verdant south, to the uncouth barabians in the western deserts.

System: No, seriously.  It'll be Storyteller system, with no charms.  No magic, but appropriate wuxia-based powers are availible.  I'm going to create a system of 'mastery' to simulate appropriate wuxia-ish abilities in eight specific 'schools'.

Kinetics - the ability to bounce off of water, stick to a wall or ceiling, and of course, pull off those awesomely amazing aerial battles.

Speed - how quickly you can do stuff.  Speed is a bit limited because of its power -- one dot of it is ONE THING YOU CAN DO SPEEDILY.  One dot can give you quickdraw, while another could give you a special defensive dodge bonus, and another could allow you to perform menial-tasks with god-like celerity.  Don't expect this one to be allowed to have too much combat potential, but expect it to make you look really cool.  (Which, BTW, is kind of what the game is about, but more on that later.)

Power - how much extra damage you do to things and people when you hit.  This is separate from your normal strength, insofar as it applies it to an area of effect.  So yes, your sword blows could leave craters in walls when your sword is deflected into them.

Toughness - how much extra damage you are able to take before going down.  Effectively, one -0 health level per dot, and +1 soak die per every two.  Handy!

Presence - how much badassness you radiate when walking around.  Useful for letting the army know that they're in your way without having to kill all 10,000 soldiers who oppose you.

Insight - how englightened you are.  This lets you know where not to be when the bad guy moves, as well as lending you that handy mystical aura.

Ceremony - when it's time to gear up for a big brawl, you know what to do.  Maybe you make tea, and maybe you compose a poem about the destruction you're sorry you're going to have to wreak.  Creativity is encouraged, but this is the one that lets the little people know that you can handle some of them without breaking them in half.

Gear - in this game, you're striving to be a master of your art.  You've probably already got some unbreakable and relatively famous weapon.  It may be more well known and feared than you are.  That's just the way a lot of Wuxia works.  But putting points into this means you can have more than one ... and other stuff besides.  Maybe a horse, or a weapons-caddy.  Maybe some really awesome armor.  As a rule, things that are bought with Gear instead of Resources are considered to be innate to your character, and the GM respects that he shouldn't take it away ... except as a potential plot element (be warned!).

As far as ability in these goes, you'll get five points to spend on your masteries, only one of them can be three points, none of them can be higher (at character creation).  They're all rated 1-10, so you've all got a long way before you truly become masters.

Since this game is intended to be dramatic, don't expect a lot of die-rolling.  We'll be using the diceless WW rules in most situations to speed things up, unless it's dramatically appropriate.  This means that your rating in a skill, talent, or knowledge is HOW GOOD YOU ARE.  They go between 1 and 5, and can't be higher than 3 at character creation.

This can be kind of unfair in some ways, but means that power-gaming will not help you win a fight.  Because it's dramatic, your weapon doesn't have a damage rating, and adjustment to initiative, or a lower difficulty.  It should, however, be well described, and most importantly, be cool.

A little bit about the theme here, since it's been touched on so heavily: The game is, on the surface, very much style over substance.  Deeper than that, it's about the power of will being what ultimately determines the outcome of a battle.  And of course, the game should constantly explore the foundation of that will, and the philosphy that your character embraces.  The beliefs and ideals of the character should shape him/her, and in turn, the world around them.

Statistics: Your physical stats are all going to be five.  Why?  Because they don't matter.  You have six points to spend on mental or social, and five points to spend on social or mental.  Other than that, you've got a melee OR brawl rating of three, and one dot of whichever you did not choose.  Specializations cost 1 CP each, but you get one free for your weapon (or lack of weapon) of choice.

Most of you will have noticed that weapons don't matter, so why bother choosing one at all?  I'll say it again: STYLE.

More on this later.

[Carthrat]

I call spot. >_>

[Bjorn]

As do I.

[Brian]

In the beginning, there was strife.  As far back as all the peoples of Kalim can remember, there has been war and destruction.

   Legend, of course, tells of a unified people, in a world where man merely had to wish for a thing, and it was done.  But legend tells of gods, in the times of genesis, when mankind was young yet, and walked the world past spires of metal and glass.

   And in the words of the elders, and the ancient fragments of history that can still be found, it is often thought that there were five gods.

   Ashe, the god of all the world.

   Marilee, the wife of Ashe.

   Kalash, the covetous minister.

   Serina, beauteous sorceress and builder of the ancient cities.

   And noble Toth, faithful servant of Ashe.

   This play ends as one suspects it must.  Kalash desired for himself Marilee, and through her, to be the ruler of the world.  His clever ploys and lies convinced Toth that Serina was not to be trusted -- for she wove the threads of lightning and sunlight into stone and sand to build the cities that all of mankind lived in.  It was she who caused the barren earth to erupt in furious storms of crops, and the skies of cruel lands to weep merciful tears upon the populous who prayed for her aid.

   At Kalash's bidding, it is known that Toth battled with Serina.  A noble warrior, and well armed he was ... but no match for the goddess of construction and creation.  In a rage, Serina tore Toth asunder, rending him into motes too small for a man to see, and then confining each in a stone separate across the world.  In her fury, she turned against Ashe, for surely none but Ashe could convince Toth to attack her....

   ...but Ashe was not without his own defenses, so in a howling fit of devastation that lasted for ten years Serina denied thirsty lands water, and rained nothing but bolts of lightning on those lands that had never wished for more water.  Grounds became fallow, and men died by the thousands, unused to living in the harsh world that Serina left them.  Seas boiled, and mountains sank into swamps.

   When the ten years ended, Serina subsided, impotent, but furious.  It was then that Kalash approached her, and offered to aid her where Serina herself could not strike Ashe.  But Ashe knew to suspect Kalash, and so his attempt to assasinate the king of all the world went awry -- the two were locked in a battle neither could win, and with Serina unable to aid Kalash, the scales could not be tipped.

   ...but for Marilee.  The wife of Ashe had no power of her own, for she was no sorceress, and no warrior.  But she was wise in the ways of women, and knew that Serina longed to be a loving mother.  Only treachery could have altered her course.  And then, Marilee knew too that Kalash must have been the one who coveted her, and corrupted Serina.  Yet ... the only thing she could do in the battle of Ashe and Kalash was to deny herself to Kalash with ultimate finality.  And so she threw herself upon his sword, and Kalash froze in shock.

   In that moment of denial, Ashe slew him ... and himself was undone by the grief of his loss.  Alone, and with the lifeblood of her brethren diminishing, Serina subsided, and over time, simply was no more.  But that was then....

   ...and this is now.

   Legends of gods are regarded as fanciful fluff -- stories for children and entertainers.  The truth of the gods may never be known, but is hardly important.

   Of more concern is the council of Magi.  There were, at a time, two mystic Ur-Lords and one Ur-Lady.  These three were wise in the ways of men, and peace, and attempted to still the people of Kalim.  They showed the path to prosperity, but the blood of the men of Kalim bore too much hatred from the gods that spawned them to ever truly become tranquil.

   Kesh, Varlen, and Maya were the Ur-Lords and Ur-Lady, and when they could no longer bear the suffering that those around them subjected themselves to, they convened to discuss what must be done.  The rulers of all lands were brought there, willing or not, to try and sue for peace.

   The queen of Sashala finally proposed the only solution that the rulers could all accept.  The Magi must go beyond the spheres, and find an answer that can restore sanity to the minds of mankind.  It was only years after the Magi departed that the queen Sashala was revealed to truly be the assassin queen, Honey-Tongued Adder.  By then, of course, it was too late.  The gods had been silent and dead for ages, and none could follow where the Magi departed, ascending to Heaven upon ladders of fire.

   ...and even then, that was a hundred years ago.

   Now, however, things are changing.  Everyone can feel it, and even the eldest agree that something in the world is stirring.  Something that's never happened before is getting ready to, and rumor spreads like wildfire:

   -- In the lands of Sashala, it is said that Honey-Tongued Adder's grave shifts from time to time ... as though something beneath it was preparing to emerge, and walk the world again.  But none living know where that grave is....

   -- In the northern reaches, at the misty borders of the worlds-edge, it is said that a man calling himself the king of the dead raises an army in the name of a kingdom long lost to memory ... one whose name causes madness in all who hear it.

   -- Beneath the great desert of the barbarian tribes, something is said to move ... shifting sand dunes around like waves upon the ocean, sometimes swallowing whole tribes, and destroying all witnesses.  But how could this be known, if all witnesses are dead?

   -- The seas of the east now glow red at night.  Some say that the true emperor of Eastmoore was slain, and it is his blood that taints the waters.  But the Exalted Son of Heaven yet sits upon his throne.

   Believable or not, tension is in the air, and even the small kingdoms which enjoy relative peace are bound to be embroiled in at least one border dispute, if not outright war.  Some say the world is finally ending, simply grown tired of supporting the strife on its surface.

   What is known to be truth, and not rumor, is this:

   -- There is a disease, prevalent among soldiers of grand armies, and rare among the guards of smaller forces.  When a man or woman is stricken with this sickness, he or she simply discards their weapons and refuses to fight, having no memory of being a soldier.

   -- A cult called the Acolytes of Redemption rallies people to its cause, their promises of eternal happiness an easy lure to beggars, and those traumatized by war.  They encourage the pursuits of aestheticism, and decry all forms of violence.

   -- Farmers are fewer with more and more young men being called for military service ... but even with that considered, food is growing scarcer by the season.

   -- The weather of Kalim has always been mild, but now this is changing, growing numbers of storms, and increasingly bad weather prevalent across the entirety of the world ... even in the great desert.

[Celisasu]

I'll give this one a shot as well.

[Brian]

Woah.  Unexpected reply volume.  O_o

Okay, four people seems like a good number, so there's room for one more.

Do keep in mind though that this might not take off for a month or three, dependant on how Starfarers lasts.  Don't want to run two games at the same time.

I mean, on top of the one I run off of the forums.

Oh no.  I've become a geek! >_<

[Carthrat]

Oh no. I've become a geek! >_<

One does not become a geek, my son. It is inherent from birth...

[Dracos]

I expect that one of those slots be mine, Holder of the Flame. =)

Dracos

[Jon]

I call a slot, if one's still open, and if my massive inexperience is not an insurmountable barrier.

[Brian]

Well, I did say 'four' and Jon is the fifth ... but I was hoping to game with some new people this time around, and to that end, Jon is in, and enrolment is closed at 5.  I could argue that 4 = 5, and if you asked me to prove it, I would call in Skysaber.  Instead, I'll just claim I always meant five people, regardless of the logs I haven't even bothered trying to edit.

Those of you who are familiar with my GMing style should know that I ruthlessly bastardize whatever system I use anyway, so ... no worries! :D

[Brian]

An update to the bastardization I expect to be doing:

Generally speaking, since this is a forum game and all, this is going to be pretty much the opposite end of the spectrum from the HERO games I've run so far.  For those of you who aren't familiar with the Storyteller system, there's a few basic, important things you need to know.

First and foremost, as the name implies, the game is very much about telling a story, and much less about being a traditional game.  There's still a 'Storyteller' (GM, DM, Referee, Computer, etc.), but generally speaking, you've got a lot more freedom with your character and environment than you might in a traditional game.

Slight segue: The schools of mastery I described don't neccesarily need to be taken at face value.  There are other ways to interpet them, and they don't neccesarily need to define the character.  Just because you have a high Force doesn't mean you're a hulking brute.  Just because you have a high Insight doesn't mean you've got a shaved head and wear prayer beads.  It can mean that, but each player is welcome (and encouraged!) to find their own interpetation of how these things all work together to be defined by the character.

Also, White Wolf inclues a system of Virtues, which define a character's morality.  I've decided to be lenient, and not actually use the virtue system.  Even though it can add depth, in this game it may be a very inhibiting mechanic, and I've decided to trust the players with their own morality and virtue (or vice).

Willpower is an important element of all White Wolf games.  You're all going to start the game with 5 permanent willpower, and the same number of temporary.  It's a bit unusual, but I've described will as being one of the most important aspects of the game -- so you can't start higher than five.  The main reason for this is the fact that WW relies on a system where you roll as many dice for a given task as you have dots in relevant attributes and abilities.  Say, Intelligence and Medicine.  Each die that is over a 'difficulty' value (in this game, all difficulties are '8', and what changes are the number of successes required) is considered a 'success'.  Each 1 that is rolled subtracts one success.  If there are no successes, it's a failure.  If there are no successes, and one or more 1s, it's a botch.  Why is this important?  Because you can spend temporary willpower for an automatic success when you make a roll.

You recover willpower by roleplaying your nature and demeanor.  Even though this game isn't going to be using a lot of die-rolls, I will allow (and in many situations, obviously encourage) the usage of willpower points to achieve goals.

Another important aspect of the Storyteller system is how time runs.  Generally speaking, time in the system runs in (at the lowest non-combat level) 'scenes'.  Oftentimes, when you establish an effect (presense, for example, to impress someone), the effect will last for a 'scene', not a set duration of time like 'twenty minutes'.  Scenes are largely arbitrary, but allows us the option of simply glossing over dull or unimportant moments in the story.

It's my own personal request that the PCs don't infight too much.  If it adds to the game, then great, but if it tears the game apart, I will make very sad smileys at all of you.  ;_;

So.  Now that you know this, you've got your chance to flee. ;)

[Jon]

Hah! As if I could be scared off by anything less than Faceless's gaping eyesockets!
One question, though...  Have you any idea, as of yet, about gaming schedules, etc?

[Brian]

Forum based, Jon.  Forum based.

Not IRC.

[Dracos]

Just a random suggestion to the other players(in public so the GM can veto of he chooses):

Once you guys have your concept and backstory setup, why don't we all get together and talk and make sure we don't have anything that, at start, would push two players towards in-fighting.  This way we can try and reduce the situations of "We're both role playing well, but in role playing well, we're destroying the game because we didn't communicate out of it."

Dracos

[Jon]

Forum based, Jon.  Forum based.

Not IRC.

Yeah, I'm aware. But even forum-based, there are certain expectations... Number of posts per day, general posting times (post from work? post from home after work?), and length and included smilies and and and and.