|
The Gods Above and the Gods Below were very very bored. For something to do they decided to make something out of the void they were floating in, but they couldn't agree on how to make the mortals! One side thought that they should be made to reach for the stars and try to accomplish great things, the other believed they should be strictly ruled over by the Gods. After deciding a fight between them would destroy the world they were creating, they chose to let the mortals figure it out themselves. Good vs Evil in an everlasting pissing match on behalf of the Gods Above and Below. And so was born Creation To help things along, the Gods created people like you fine folks, the Named. So sure, Fate itself is trying to force you into a role to play in some grand story, but at least when you're delivering your huge heroic speech/villainous monologue you can walk the walk. Not only are you just generally harder, better, faster, stronger, and other Daft Punk songs more than an average person, you also have Aspects. A fated imperative, something your Name can do time and time again to Arrive to save the damsel in distress or Raise the army of zombie rhinos to crush your enemies. You're a character in Fate's grand narrative, acting out your part as best you can. Try not to get offed in the first act, okay?  Welcome to The Name Game, a game of Strike! based on the web serial Practical Guide To Evil! As has been mentioned, your character's are to be (perhaps unwilling) dramatic actors in the ancient scene that is the battle of Good versus Evil, though which side each character falls on I want to leave up to the decisions of the players. Since the game is based so strongly on the individual Named and their narratives, tropes, and cliches, I have opted to hold off on sharing the ideas I have until I get a hold on the what both you and your characters want (or what Fate wants from them). I want to collaboratively design aspects of the world and goals you want to set for your characters, the general narratives you want to play with and fight against. This will be played in the Strike! system over Discord (server) whenever is convenient for the players, possibly asymmetrically for convenience. I will be accepting as many players as I think would be dramatically most interesting, probably 3-5. Character Fluff My criteria for character creation is simple. You are all relatively newly acquired Named, and you all only have unlocked your first Aspect. Aside from that you have complete creative license so long as it's inside the scope of the ideas of the setting. You wanna be really over the top melodramatic villain? Go for it. Want to be gritty and hardcore hero? Fair game. A few questions I would like answered are: What's your character's Name and first Aspect? What general tropes or cliches are most true about your character? (I won't tell anyone to subject themselves to TVTropes, but I will definitely be referring to it myself.) Who is your character without the Name? How did your character come into their Name? How does your character internally perceive their Name? To elaborate, most Named have an innate sense of the role Fate is trying to force them down, some describe their Name's influence as a monster they try to control, or a great clockwork machine they try to understand. Its entirely subjective and just gives insight to how the character views the world. What kind of story do you want the game to generally follow? Character Crunch As for character creation crunch, plan on using Tactical Combat for more important fights between other Named or things on par with your power, but I may opt to forgo that if it would seem more fitting for it to be a skill challenge or other option. Kits are currently on the table and can be reskinned as needed. Finally, skills and tricks will be a tad different. Design your background and origin as normal on page 16 of the rulebook, but the Personalize section will be replaced by your Name, with both the skill and trick being your first Aspect, and the complication bring a dramatic flaw your character is predisposed towards because of your Name. As mentioned above, your Aspect is a single imperative verb, capitalized and bolded. For example Struggle or Guide. When used as a skill it is versatile, doing anything dramatically appropriate to the Name and the Aspect and being rolled using the Heroic Skill optional rule on page 71 of the core book. When used as a Trick, select one thing it does best, maybe you Mimic a guards appearance so perfectly even his mother can't tell you apart. Your Aspect does not cost an Action Point to use, but can only be used once per "scene" or whatever narrative break is most appropriate. You can roll to attempt what would seem like appropriate skills to your Name untrained using the normal rules for that without relying on an Aspect. Any skills learned this way will still be narrow and use normal rules for rolling them. Combat relevant Aspects can be reskinned as Encounter Powers in tactical combat and will not count against your use of an Aspect as in the rules above. If you have any questions, you can PM me, post in the thread, or @me on Discord! Jade Mage fucked around with this message at 00:18 on Jun 22, 2018 |
#
?
Jun 7, 2018 06:59
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 25, 2024 07:04 |
|
|
Is there still any interest in running this? Would like to come up with something but I just wanted to check. (also the Discord link appears to have expired)
|
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2018 03:49
|
|
|
I'd still be thrilled to run this if we could find a few other players. Updated the Discord link too
|
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2018 17:06
|
|
|
Interested, will check in a bit later with some more thoughts when I’m less occupied!
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2018 02:44
|
|
|
Been a while since I read Practical Guide and I wasn't caught up even then, but I'll try and put together an app.
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2018 23:27
|
|
|
Fixed the other discord link because I forgot there was two
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2018 00:20
|
|
|
Having never played strike - or board games, I suppose, can someone tell me what sort of game it's like?
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2018 02:12
|
|
|
I almost certainly will not have the capacity to play a game like this in the immediate future but you can bet I'll be watching and reading, because it's a really cool system. Good luck getting people together for it.
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2018 02:15
|
|
|
Tentatively interested! I'm not really current with PGtE, but I do like Strike.
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2018 04:16
|
|
|
tithin posted:Having never played strike - or board games, I suppose, can someone tell me what sort of game it's like? Countblanc did a really nice OP in the Strike! thread. The simplest gist of it is when your character's skills would determine the outcome of an action you're taking, roll a 6-sided die. On a high number you do the thing (and maybe even learn a skill to more consistently do the thing), on a low roll the story takes a Twist, maybe you pickpocket the target and steal his wallet but a person near you on the street notices and calls you out. There's some other systems in the book but they're all very simple.
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2018 12:50
|
|
|
Tentatively interested! I'm a fan of Practical Guide and know a BIT about Strike, have never actually played it but I have the book. I followed the link you posted in the Web Novel thread.
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2018 15:28
|
|
|
If anyone has questions you can always discord me (now that I've fixed the links), I have faster access to that on the go than I would checking the forums. Also would let you guys brainstorm ideas off each other!
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2018 15:31
|
|
|
I'm not acquainted at all with the practical series but I love Strike. Is that a problem?
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2018 15:33
|
|
|
Not at all! The game's only based on it in that I like the way the world works in it, so if you are cool with the concept we should be good to go!
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2018 15:38
|
|
|
Nasir Arganon  Nasir in his formal priest robes on the left, wielding the ancient technology on the right. What's your character's Name and first Aspect? Heretic, first aspect is Conceal, which he’s been using in order to hide the few bits of advanced technology that he’s found. What general tropes or cliches are most true about your character? The only thing keeping Nasir from being the stereotypical scholar is he doesn’t need glasses. He’ll drop into a lecture on history at the slightest provocation, and loses himself in research when he finds notable artifacts or ruins. A giant nerd. Who is your character without the Name? More than anything Nasir has a natural curiosity. Growing up in the temple he would find any excuse to sneak off to the library and read its sizable collection of tomes. When he had read through all of those, he sought more, trading favors for books with traveling merchants or badgering a visiting priest to tell him stories of far-off cities and lands. Academia was a natural transition for him, although he still struggled when interacting with his fellow students socially. There weren’t many people around his age in the isolated temple he grew up and combined with his introvert tendencies he’s not great with tact. His favorite thing to do is go on trips to ancient ruins and just soak in the scenery. How did your character come into their Name? While looking through some ruins, Nasir stumbled on a secret room filled with papers in a language he couldn’t read, and a coffin that was magically sealed. It was like nothing he had ever recognized. He never told anyone that he found this room. He spent months pouring over these boxes of papers and diagrams, translating this language all by himself. He learned two things: One, these were all instructions on building technologies far beyond what is currently possible, or at least what Nasir thought was impossible. Two, the advancement of technology was being suppressed by a race of beings known as “Gnomes.” Nasir was angry, in a way he’d never felt before. Indignant that some cretins from another continent had the gall to decide they were the arbitrators of progress. With just the knowledge he had found in this room alone, it would be possible to end starvation, decimate the death toll from disease, and elevate the average quality of life beyond what it’s ever been! At that moment, he felt a tug in his head. The coffin that he had set aside until he read all these papers. That he could not open. He moved without thinking and with a single touch, it opened itself. He knew his path, even if the world screamed at him and claimed he would only ever bring ruin, even if history would remember him as a Heretic, he could not, would not look away. How does your character internally perceive their Name? To elaborate, most Named have an innate sense of the role Fate is trying to force them down, some describe their Name's influence as a monster they try to control, or a great clockwork machine they try to understand. Its entirely subjective and just gives insight to how the character views the world. For Nasir, it feels like his Name is an inscrutable force that he nonetheless needs to try to understand. If he described the sensation to one of the priests at his temple, he would say Nasir is receiving revelations from The Gods Above. What kind of story do you want the game to generally follow? Political intrigue, power struggles and upending social hierarchies as we travel the lands is more or less what I’m down for. Rent-a-Bot fucked around with this message at 00:53 on Jun 24, 2018 |
|
#
?
Jun 23, 2018 23:58
|
|
|
The Lady Hiyosunga Wu, Usurper And her Valet, Mang Lu What's your character's Name and first Aspect? Usurper, with the corresponding aspect Overthrow. What general tropes or cliches are most true about your character? Hiyosunga is never one to suffer second place. If you give her an opening, she's going to try to take what she came for, and send you tumbling down. But actually being number 1 in public is uncomfortable, and leads to too much awkward work, so inevitably she'll end up in the background again... until the next opening. Who is your character without the Name? The 3rd daughter of an agnatic primogeniture based dynasty, Hiyosunga was never expected to do anything except look pretty and marry the appropriate barbarian. She found this rather objectionable, and began consolidating background power as soon as she could communicate in complete sentences. She is polite, pleasant, erudite, and informed, which only means she has more ways of surprising and attacking you when weakness is sensed. A very pleasant friend, as long as you are careful never to take any authority she desires, or if you're particularly skilled at avoiding daggers in the dark. How did your character come into their Name? How does your character internally perceive their Name? "Killing siblings is a step too far, even for here, Mang," I said then. "I arranged matters otherwise." "Of course, my lady. If I was not your humble servant, I would argue that arranging for their demotions to commoner is hardly better than killing them." "Your dissent is noted and ignored, Mang," I said. "Very good milady." It was around that moment; a brief period of triumph in an otherwise horrendous dinner party, that I felt it. Something nasty was coming over me. Was I poisoned? "Make my excuses, please. I need to head into the quiet red room for a moment." A codephrase, meaning something's wrong. Move me somewhere safe. A gesture, some movement, and I was safely on a cushion in a side room. Or my body was. I, on the other hand, was staring up at a shrine at the top of a hill. Ahead of me on the steps was someone who looked much like me, except with horrible fashion sense. Obviously, it was not me. I was right there. The lie tried to say something but I stabbed her in the throat immediately. Where did I even get this dagger? I remember thinking, briefly. Then I threw her gasping body aside and stepped onward. The shrine seemed no closer, despite my efforts, but it could not be that far. I could see inside. To the throne. "It will never be yours," said a voice to my side. "You know that. You don't even want it." I swung blindly, whirling, and found my wrist grabbed by yet another ridiculous fake. "Making other people suffer won't make you any more deserving." I looked myself in the eye. "What does deserve have to do with anything?" Her brows, far less carefully plucked than mine, furrowed. Her grip tightened- I wasn't escaping it with my muscles, that's for sure. "Then why are you climbing?" "Isn't the climb itself the point?" And I threw us both down the stairs. My eyes snapped open to a very worried valet. "Oh, praises to fortune. I have called for the doctor-" "Cancel the doctor! Begin packing for a journey!" "A journey, milady? To where?" "Anywhere but here for a while," I said, feeling the rhythm of feet climbing stairs in my chest. "I think I will be very unpopular quite shortly." What kind of story do you want the game to generally follow? Wisecracking, backstabbing, general blasphemy, and a whole lot of evading of narrative consequences. K Prime fucked around with this message at 21:01 on Jul 20, 2018 |
|
#
?
Jun 24, 2018 02:34
|
|
|
 Allegra Lufit, Dashing Rogue What's your character's Name and first Aspect? Allegra is the Dashing Rogue, with the aspect Seize. What general tropes or cliches are most true about your character? Fundamentally, she is completely in the school of the affable rogue with the heart of gold. She enjoys life's finer pleasures, for sure, and also has more than a bit of drive to dominate the attention of the crowd. There may well be moments where she's torn between personal profit and doing the right thing, but the choice is always clear... even if she grumbles about it a bit along the way. She is also entirely too flirtatious for her own good and prone to causing problems for herself through that. Who is your character without the Name? Allegra Lufit, before coming into her name, was a traveling minstrel. She's been just about everywhere worth going and has the nigh-encyclopedic collection of songs and stories to prove it. She'd be hard pressed to call a specific kingdom or other her home, and if pressed would express her cultural affiliation as being a member of The Sororal Order of the Wandering Muse. While it is, largely, an informal organization, the brothers and sisters of the order are bound by a shared appreciation of the finer arts and sacred vows to aid other members in need. Some whisper that the Order is, secretly, one of the most widespread spy organizations in the known world, but surely those are just stories. How did your character come into their Name? There's no small amount of overlap in the life of a minstrel and the story of the Dashing Rogue. The impetus came with Allegra's witnessing of some intensely abhorrent behavior by the rich, powerful patriarch of a town she was passing through recently. While making her usual performances in the taverns and other disreputable places of drinking and entertainment, Allegra saw the patriarch's men snatching people off the streets. She didn't know for what end, but it didn't really matter. Someone needed to do something. And if a hero wasn't going to show up... well, she'd do in a pinch. As she gathered information about the patriarch's plots, planning her daring raid all the while, a song began to grow in the back of her mind. She knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that all she needed to do to succeed was to be what she had been born to be: an utter spectacle, one who commanded attention by her very presence. The feeling drove her to make her plans more and more audacious, til the point where she wasn't simply freeing unfortunate people from a hard life in the salt mines... she was going to Seize everything that made the patriarch what he was. She'd leave him penniless, powerless, and at the mercy of the very people he'd ruled with fear. And, as it happens, that's exactly what she did. She was the Dashing Rogue. Beloved and bouyed by the people, able to take what she pleased. How could temporal power compare? How does your character internally perceive their Name? The Name's call is something of the backing song of Allegra's life. When she's in touch with the narrative? The dramatic swells of the song harmonize with her action. When she's not? The angry, discordant tones make that most evident. What kind of story do you want the game to generally follow? High-flying, swashbuckling, romantic adventure. Admittedly Allegra will bolt this on to whatever we're doing, mostly by existing but by force if necessary, so basically I'm looking for a framework where that's not at cross-purposes to the intended tone. Tricky fucked around with this message at 19:44 on Jun 24, 2018 |
|
#
?
Jun 24, 2018 06:09
|
|
|
Ekaterina von Luxenstein Combat and General Services Maid Squadron #1  What's your character's Name and first Aspect? Duchess, with the obvious aspect to Rule What general tropes or cliches are most true about your character? Whatever reasons that people may have to be resentful of nobility and the place they take at society are not only true on Ekaterina but also completely amplified. To call her a tyrant that has no sense of humility would be a complete understatement. Who is your character without the Name? The daughter of an ancestral dynasty that controlled the great mountain castle of Hargite since times immemorial, Ekaterina was brought up in luxury and lack of consequence by her parents who yet neglected to stay near her during her upbringing, instead giving this task to a large list of tutors and preceptors who tried their best with dealing with the turbulent and spoiled behavior of their student, whose loneliness brought upon a lingering resentment and the desire to prove herself to the figures that barely had time for her. Unfortunately the chance of this happening never came to pass, as the Duke perished in an ill-advised war started by his liege lord, and with the Duchess soon succumbing to grief, the young Ekaterina was left in charge of the Luxenstein domains by herself, a task which not only she was unsuited to deal with, but also hampered by a massive debt brought by her liege lord's need to pay the war efforts and reparations. How did your character come into their Name? When things seemed to be at their lowest point and the threat of having her ancestral domain confiscated by the crown, the young lady Luxenstein withdrew to her room, lying on a lethargic state while her servants hurried around, despairing at the prospect of losing their jobs if the situation got worse were she to commit suicide. Yet what finally emerged from her chambers was not a suicidal, depressed girl, but an energetic and crafty woman who knew the correct way to save her castle and her place in society. By bleeding everyone other than herself down. Leading her guard of a specially hand-picked squadron of trained Maids, she rampaged through her own domains, collecting heavy taxes from her subjects, extracting massive tariffs from foreign traders and taking every possession not boarded up to the Luxenstein castle in order to sell them, while not bothering to reduce her pampered lifestyle for a single penny. And while the peasants moaned at this forceful show of the power of their overlord, they couldn't help but notice that the various bandits that plagued the countryside since the war were completely crushed by Ekaterina's troops. Unfortunately for them, however, the loot was taken by her instead of being returned, but that kind of small relief is welcomed in trying times. Still, the deadline for Ekaterina to pay her father's debt is coming, and while the power to rule her homeland has increased more than tenfold, she now is starting to believe that perhaps she deserves to control a larger parcel of land, and that perhaps she has more right to reign than the King who has pushed the burden of his failures upon her... How does your character internally perceive their Name? The proof of power and the mark of superiority. No amount of wealth, power and land can even compare to this when it comes to legitimize her claims towards the entire world! What kind of story do you want the game to generally follow? A story that has a beginning, a middle and an end. Extra Details from sheet posted:Crew Complication: Lack of Initiative. The staff of the Luxenstein castle is so used to Ekaterina's demands that without her continuing directives their ability to do their job suffers. Plutonis fucked around with this message at 15:30 on Jun 26, 2018 |
|
#
?
Jun 24, 2018 20:30
|
|
|
Duelist What's your character's Name and first Aspect? Duelist, Challenge What general tropes or cliches are most true about your character? Always seeking new foes to test himself against. Prefers to showboat if he can help it. Who is your character without the Name? Romeo Salazar is the second son of an impoverished family of Tirani descent living on the docks in Lison, one of the larger port cities of the Kingdom of Auvassin (one of the more benevolent successor states of the Empire of Tirar). Growing up on the docks lead the young Romeo to work on the piers, eventually "graduating" into the role of a guard for merchant vessels. This lasted until he started getting into fights off vessels... and found that he rather enjoyed being able to do so on his own terms, particularly if it could keep him fed. A friendly, rather informal individual, perhaps a little too quick with a joke or quip. The only exception to this is in a truly involved fight, where Romeo becomes much more focused – if still rather lively and energetic. How did your character come into their Name? It was a nasty scrap this one, Romeo thought as he brought up his left hand to wipe away the blood from his mouth, at the worst possible time. Michel was by far the largest man he'd ever had the misfortune of fighting against and he wasn't quite running on full steam. In fact, Romeo had taken this wager despite being hopelessly outmatched precisely because this was the only way he was guaranteed a chance at making the money for a meal in the next day. Stupid. Stupid. STUPID! Could have tried looking around for someone in need of a day laborer, but no, had to try an... The thought cut off as a fist smashed into Romeo's stomach and sent him to the floor. Pain filled entire body and nearly caused him to black out. Made him started hearing things that weren't there – about how while facing such a great Challenge he couldn't back down. How all of his problems would vanish if he could just get one good shot. Though Romeo Salazar tumbled to the floor, it was the Duelist that got back up. And indeed, one good right hook was all it took. How does your character internally perceive their Name? A shortcut. Anyone could do the things that Named could do if they trained long enough and hard enough, but the truly dramatic stuff would take longer than a human lifetime to accomplish. This way, the gods provide a shortcut. An opportunity for a person to prove what they can accomplish as the best possible version of themselves. What kind of story do you want the game to generally follow? Something in between a traditional swashbuckling adventure and a plot of high politics and intrigue. Jossar fucked around with this message at 20:48 on Jun 24, 2018 |
|
#
?
Jun 24, 2018 20:38
|
|
|
I will be closing apps this Friday 29/06, if you're interested at least have a concept ready by then.
|
|
#
?
Jun 25, 2018 18:37
|
|
|
This game looks really cool, but I think I'd better withdraw my tentative application. I don't think the kind of Named I want to play would mesh well with Strike's tactical combat engine. But I hope everyone has a great time with it!
|
|
#
?
Jun 27, 2018 00:43
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 25, 2024 07:04 |
|
|
Is this dead?
|
|
#
?
Jul 14, 2018 10:11
|
|
