Echoes and Remorse

[Arclite]

I see the place has shriveled since I saw it last. I feel like a traveler returning to a place long loved to find nothing but echoes and remorse. Perhaps this is how a Roman would feel standing on the arena floor of the Coliseum.

This is my version of a distress call; one part Charlemagne's unification of France, one part funeral dirge for a fallen nation.

Is anyone still out there?

[at]

It's been very quiet, only moonhaven made it into the new year and even that appears to have gone dead.
A few lurkers left, but no spark of activity to kick anything off.

[Arclite]

So how about a game then? ;D

In one corner, I've got the FFG Warhammer 40,000 line with appropriate experience and supplements to make a bang up crusade. Basically it's composed of ...

Dark Heresy (Favorite by far)
Rogue Trader (Merchant princes in space)
and Deathwatch (Murder-romp)

And in the other corner, I've got White Wolf's Storytelling System in the form of the New World of Darkness. That comes complete with ...

Vampire: the Requiem (limited interest and supplements)
Mage: the Awakening (oh, the power)
Promethean: the Created (The WHOLE set)
Changeling: the Lost (Also the whole set)
and Hunter: the Vigil (Freshly bought, but tried and true)
... and add Exalted 1st ed core rulebook in there too for anyone who wants to channel their inner anime superhero.

The other unspoken option is a 3.5 D&D classic ran from the Hypertext d20 SRD.

So what do you guys have and want to play? I'm willing to run a one on one or full group game with any folk out a'lurkin.

Have Dice, Will Travel,
Arc

[at]

May 18, 2011 23:21:45 GMT -5 Arclite said:

So how about a game then? ;D

Sure, i'm always around.
My distinct preference is for a group game though - harknail is still active so that's a start.

In one corner - Dark Heresy, Rogue Trader, Deathwatch

I'm very familiar with this system, and agree that vanilla dark heresy is the most sensible for online games. Do you have the inquisitor's handbook?

And in the other corner, I've got White Wolf's Storytelling System

Less familiar, particularly with all the political/power structures. I do know a bit more about the exalted mythos but i'm used to playing the notably improved 2nd edition rules.

The other unspoken option is a 3.5 D&D classic ran from the Hypertext d20 SRD.

An old favourite, even if my builds tended to be somewhat ... eccentric at times. The last time I ran a pure SRD character it was a gnomish mage in slippers and a smoking jacket, accompanied by a meerkat familiar who would loot coins from fallen enemies and dig through his backpack for wands and similar on demand.

[Arclite]

May 19, 2011 3:55:02 GMT -5 at said:

I'm very familiar with this system, and agree that vanilla dark heresy is the most sensible for online games. Do you have the inquisitor's handbook?

I do indeed. The best investments that I ever made in DH line. That book is incredible. I also have Creatures Anathema and the Xeno Generator for some extra baddies.

I should also mention that I'm a bit of a fanatic about the Warhammer universes, both 40k and fantasy. Ive read almost 100 novels set in these worlds and have a real grasp on the setting. Should make for some interesting games, but I can't help but be a bit picky about the details sometimes. It's just who I am.

An old favourite, even if my builds tended to be somewhat ... eccentric at times. The last time I ran a pure SRD character it was a gnomish mage in slippers and a smoking jacket, accompanied by a meerkat familiar who would loot coins from fallen enemies and dig through his backpack for wands and similar on demand.

I know what you mean. The last time I partook of the SRD, I had a Half-elf Druid with a miniature bonsai tree as a companion. Somebody made a mistake of sitting on it and he had to beat the other PC to within an inch of his life. Followed by healing him of course.

[at]

Just a matter of digging out a few more players I guess - fingers crossed there is still a little life in the site.

[harknail]

As has been pointed out it looks like Moonhaven is finally dying as well. So I'm up for another game.

I've never played Warhammer. The only White Wolf game I've played is their SuperHero game (Aberrant), and I wasn't much impressed.

On the other hand, I have played D&D 3.0 and 3.5 for many years. I prefer 4th Edition (especially as GM), but don't mind 3.5 as long as we're below the level where "Save or Die" is common. So my vote is for D&D.

I even have a very nice 3.5 character sheet done in Excel that I could dust off. I have had a couple of interesting characters 3.0 characters that I didn't play enough that I could convert over. One is a Bard archer, the other was a Druid who was more agile than wise (melee combatant in party of spell casters). Or I might make a new character. All I have from 3.5 is the PHB, so it won't be too exotic, though I tend to weird characters.

[at]

Actually - when was the last time a mod was around? Can Deekin create new subforums?, otherwise we'd have to use the shorts board or the like.



harknail - dark heresy isn't too bad, rules wise it's a % based system (roll under target to succeed, increments of 10 for level of sucess). Hitpoint-like heath system.
Fluff wise it's a group of investigators working for a far more powerful individual. Certain character types would know very little about the world they live in (at least at the start) as the populace is heavily indoctrinated and class conscious.

[harknail]

I once was in a Champions game where the group were all superpowered detectives. It was fun, but frustrating. Each case took several sessions of us beating our heads against the wall till the wall started cracking.

My problem is that I don't have much free time (too many other commitments, including DMing 2 face-to-face games that are still going strong). So I don't have the time to learn a new system, and even more so a detailed new setting

[Arclite]

Eh, its not all that hard though. The Dark Heresy system is a cinch to learn. Here's an example of play and a starter copy of the rules.

As for the setting, I can point you in the direction of all sorts of info or even type it up and bring to you.

There's even a random character generator if you don't feel like tooling up a character.

Or we could just do a 3.5 game since thats what you know, and I'd be good with that if at is. But with the resources available, Dark Heresy is a peach to pick up on.

Edit: On a slightly related note, I think this is the most activity that this board has seen in a long time. I think we actually had four or five posts just over the course of today.

[harknail]

Dark Heresy looks like it's a SF game, which I like but haven't had much success with last time I tried those (decades ago).

On the other hand, it also looks like a dark setting, which I don't care for. I like stories (and games) with upbeat endings. Looking over the pdf, this game reminds me of paranoia more than anything else. Though I get the feeling that we'll actually be working together to achieve our assigned goals.

On the gripping hand, a GM is more likely to continue with a game they are really interested in, and it sounds like you are much more interested in Dark Heresy than a generic D&D setting.

[at]

I'm fine for both DH and 3.5

[Arclite]

May 20, 2011 18:10:29 GMT -5 harknail said:

On the gripping hand, a GM is more likely to continue with a game they are really interested in, and it sounds like you are much more interested in Dark Heresy than a generic D&D setting.

Yeah we could do Dark Heresy, but I can tell for a lot of reasons that it’s not your cup of tea, so we’ll do a D&D 3.5 installment on the shorts board for now. I'll just jazz up the setting a bit. ;D

at, if you want we could do a one on one DH game in addition to the 3.5 arc and try to draw in more players at a later time? Whatever works out, any game can be a good one in my opinion.

Speaking of which, as for our 3.5, I’ve already brewed up a setting and story, I just need characters. We’re going to start at level 1 and work our way up the ladder. Let’s do a 32 point buy for simplicity’s sake. As I’ve mentioned before, I only have the SRD, which roughly equates to the core books plus psionics(and no psionics please; it’s a total game breaker). I’m not precisely prepared for a bunch of strange packages from books I’ve ever even heard of so let’s keep the builds simple. Go ahead and start with max starting gold and hp. We should probably keep to the good side of the alignment scale also, but on very rare occasions I have been known to accept Lawful Evil characters into my games. Your characters are most likely going to be travelers in the setting area so nearly any build goes, but you can make locals too using the setting info below.

As for background information, the game is going to be set in a series of small villages in the middle of disputed territory between two rival empires. Specifically, your characters are going to be based in Clearwater, the largest and most successful of the three notable settlements. Here is a hastily thrown together map drawn in Microsoft Paint. Don’t judge…



The area at large is known as The Steadlands and lies on the northernmost border between two large nations, Woldegard and Merebas. Woldegard is modeled after the medieval Holy Roman Empire, which is now modern day Germany. They are ruled by an Emperor and have a bone to pick with their neighbors, Merebas. Merebas is sort of like medieval France, and is has leadership in the form of an aristocratic oligarchy. Steadland really has no strategic or sentimental value to either of these powers, but as it lies between the two, it is fought over none the less.

There are two main reasons for the land’s unimportance. The first is the Fell, a miles long stretch of bog filled with dark creatures and teeming with tribal Lizardmen. Very few outsiders who enter this cursed place return and those that do come back… changed. The second is a range of relatively unimpressive mountains known as the rust hills. Something there causes metal to lose its luster and over a just a few days rust into uselessness. Legends claim that it is the effect of the elusive Rust Dwarves, cursed by a forgotten god to be forever forbidden from using their race’s skill at metal working. Both of these places make the place an unappealing battle ground or war prize, and no major battle has ever been fought anywhere near the Steadlands, nor are any soldiers posted in the area.

The steadholders, as they are called, exist mostly on their own. However, the Steadlands have been held by Woldegard for almost 30 years now without any real challenge, leading most of the newer generation of steadholders to identify with the country from the propaganda brought in on a monthly basis from the Woldegard Caravans. The three towns of Clearwater, Burr Town and Deviln’s Hollow live in relative harmony, despite the various mindsets brought about by the locations and status of their inhabitants.

Clearwater is the most prominent of the three with the only viable farmland in the entire Steadlands. The town is named for the clear, sweet water that wells up for purified underground streams. Before the town was founded, a mysterious magic user named Bertram lived in the area, presumably studying and counteracting the entropy and decay of the Fell. He vanished soon after the first settlers arrived to make a living for themselves, but he left his mark in the form of a magical fresh water spring that combats the putrefaction and allows a handful of farms to prosper. Clearwater PCs are strong upstanding characters who are proud of their many gifts.

Burr Town is not so lucky. Barely scratching out a living on the edge of the Fell, Burr Town only survives by trading goods from Woldegard with the other towns deeper in the Stead. These business deals are not always fair, causing the other towns in the area to view their inhabitants in a suspicious light. “Check your rear for burrs” is a common saying in the Stead, referring to an average Burrtownsman’s ability to both pick pockets and shadow individuals. Nearly every person from Burr Town can tell the price of an item with just a look and make some other poor sap believe it’s worth twice that. Burr Town PCs are shifty and opportunistic, but resourceful with agile fingers and honed senses.

Deviln’s Hollow is the most mysterious of the three towns and has almost no outside contact with the other two. What is known about those that survive closest to the wasting powers of the Fell is that they are some of the toughest people on the continent. They survive off of the few edible floras and fauna of the Fell and it’s even whispered that they trade with the tribes of Lizardmen who roam through the swamp. Their connection with the earth is unrivaled. The Hollow counts many experienced barbarians, rangers and druids among its inhabitants. Deviln’s Hollow PCs are tough as nails silent types with well earned reputations as savages.

Tell me what you think? Will it work for our game? If not, I can mothball this and dream up another one in a day or so.

Edit: Map Updated

[harknail]

Works for me. Some comments on the map:
The Steadlands have been part of Woldegard for 30 years and most of the caravans are from there, but the only road out of the area leads to Merebas.

Burr Town survives by trading with Woldegard and then with the other towns (except that Deviln’s Hollow keeps to itself), but the road from outside to Clearwater looks shorter and stays further from the fell.

Some characters that might work:
Half Elf Bard, daughter of a human bard who settled down in Clear Water to raise his twin children. He owns an Inn in town (maybe the only one in town). Trained to use her mothers bow, not strong enough to use a sword effectively.

Wild Elf Druid, orphan raised by a human druid. The human cared for the elf child, the as the human aged, the elf cared for her aging mentor. Now he has passed on and she's alone again. Agile enough to be a rogue, but not as wise as most druids.

If those don't work, I can come up with others. These are old characters that didn't get much play.

[at]

May 21, 2011 23:47:15 GMT -5 Arclite said:

at, if you want we could do a one on one DH game

Probably better to wait on players - it's easier for everyone to start at 0xp and learn the setting.


As for DnD... first thought was in honour of rapture day - a monastic warrior/cleric trained since youth to protect some location / defeat some enemy / help fulfil some prophecy. The appointed hour came ... and then went without incident.
Fast forward a year or more and the brotherhood has disbanded, and the character has settled down as a smith in one of the towns unsure of what to do with his life.

Human, cleric, lawful or neutral good.
The original build was either cleric(5), exorcist or the silver flame(10), though that's straying somewhat from SRD.
Speaking of the SRD - do you use the realmshelps site?

[Arclite]

To harknail -
I see what you mean. I forgot to place the road leading to Woldegard from Burr Town and from Burr to Deviln's hollow. And people the Burrtownsmen do have periodical contact with the Hollow for trade, just never in the town itself. They always meet at a way point outside of town called the Moot. Also I should mention that Hollowers do occasionally leave their town after being exiled. They never speak of the wrongs they did, but one can tell that they're haunted by it.

Both of these characters would work great. The bard fits right into the setting, as you are correct in assuming that there is only one inn in Clearwater(There are a half dozen in Burr Town as it sees the most traffic between Woldegard and Merebas; hardly anyone but adventurers goes deeper into the Stead than they have to). The second could be from any of the towns, or from just outside them, as the Steadlands are still covered in wilderness. Not many try to make their way outside of the main towns, but your wild elf druid and her late master sound like just the type. I assume that now that she's alone, she'll try to find her path outside the Stead, with a stop in Clearwater for provisions where certain events draw her into the story. I like both of these equally, so you can choose either.

Thanks for your input on the map. I had all the stuff in my head, it just didn't translate onto the canvas very well.

Edit: Map Updated

[Arclite]

To at -
Sorry for the double post, just saw where at beat me to the post. In response to your character ideas, I like the idea of the cleric, but want to make sure you know were starting at level 1 so it might be a while before prestige classes are realized.

The idea of a monastic brotherhood dedicated to keeping track of the Fell had crossed my mind when brewing up the setting, but I dropped it for time's sake. We can reinstate it with your character background if you like?

The disowned cleric would probably end up in Clearwater, both for ease of storyline and practicality sake(Burr doesn't really smith their own goods, they barter or scrounge for them). Clerics have a real place in Clearwater, as it is closest to the typical fantasy ideal of a small farming town.

[harknail]

I started to convert both characters from 3.0 to 3.5. Both had used rolling methods for their stats and both had had very good rolls. But the druids rolls hadn't been as good as the bards, which means that I don't need to trim as much off the stats. Also the druid only had one high stat (Dex), where the Bard had 2 (Dex & Int). Neither had high stats in their primary ability stat. Based in part on the easier conversion, I've decided to go with the Druid. She's a flexible character who can fight on the front line if needed (though she won't be hitting often), but also has good ranged attacks. And she can provide additional healing for the group.

Here's the Druid's background (with slight modification to fit this setting):
Vadania was born with white skin and hair, very unusual for a Wild Elf. The other elves of the tribe rejected her, and thus her parents moved far away where there were none who knew how strange their daughter was, ending up in the Steadlands near Clearwater. While she was still a young child of 90, she and her parents were ambushed in what they thought was a safe area. She escaped, but only because her parents gave their lives to cover her running away. Still too young to be out on her own, she was taken in by a human druid, who raised her and taught her the druidic ways. As he aged the still young Vadania took care of him until he finally passed away. This left Vadania alone. Desperate for some company, Vadania has decided to visit Clearwater along with with her wolf Ylva. The problem is that Clearwater has far too much company! And "civilization" stinks! She's ready to jump at any opportunity that provides company and gets her out of town.

I assuming that Vadania has a small cabin in the wilderness that she's inherited, but that I don't have to pay starting gold for it. It's just a place she (and perhaps a few others) can stay while out of town, but it's small and only has two beds.

[harknail]

I've let the one player who was still active in Moonhaven know about this game starting up. I think he's interested. He's not fast on responding, but I have his phone number (we play face-to-face once a week) so I can prompt him as needed.

[harknail]

Valdania is based on a picture from the PHB. I found a copy online to show you what she looks like with the wolf. For 3.0 I was using a wolverine instead of a wolf, so I edited the image to remove the wolf. For 3.5, she might as well have a wolf.