Campaign Brainstorming: "The New Abbey"

[travellerne]

Re: Campaign Brainstorming: "The New Abbey"

 

I hope you don't mine me countering your thought on this' date=' but here is is anyway.[/quote']

 

I don't mind at all. That's why I titled this thread "Brainstorming" to encourage different ideas. Eventually, I'll have to make decisions and put everything together into a coherent campaign package.

 

I guess if you wanted to go the rough of showing how the language has changed you could come up with new slang terms and pronunciations. That could be fun too.

 

I think there will be some slang, etc.. There should be a way that the players notice that they are in a different environment than the real world or a historical setting.

 

K.

[Guest Major Tom]

Re: The Big Question: Aliens?

 

Hi Phookz,

 

Thanks, I'm glad you like the campaign idea. Stay tuned to this thread for more development.

 

As for your thought on the campaign: Yes, that's where this is going. And yes, the church in this campaign will be very much like the early medieval church.

 

For your questions:

Tech levels will be very high. Low tech worlds will exist and will probably be in need of a mission (to bring "enlightenment" and technology).

 

I'm not sure about aliens yet. I'm trying to think what effects this would have on the campaign. What do you all think?

 

Thanks,

K.

 

I don't think that you would have to look far for examples of how contact with

alien cultures would affect a society ruled by a theocracy. There are, without

a doubt, sufficient examples in Earth's past history (particularly during the Dark

Ages and immediately afterwards during the Age of Exploration) that you could

apply to your campaign. Depending on how said alien cultures were contacted

by the advance missionairies/scouts of the Church, and the inherent cultural

bias of the cultures themselves, you could either wind up with:

 

A.) A brand-new flock of the Faithful, or

B.) An interstellar jihad aimed at driving off or destroying the Infidel Unbelievers

(You remember the Crusades, don't you? You know, what folks back then had

to entertain themselves before the WWF was invented?).

 

Contact with alien cultures (whether they're converts or not) could also be a

source of needed income or raw materials for the Church (as was the case in

real-world history, as shown by the trade between Europe and the Far East).

 

Now, as far as sending missionairies to relatively primitive, low-tech worlds to

bring them both enlightenment and technology, I agree that this is the kind of

mission that an interstellar theocracy would send its people on. I also think

that there would also be missions geared towards doing good works for those

in need; specifically, the sick and infirm. For this sort of mission, the Church

would have what would essentially be medical missionairies -- men and women

trained in the medical arts and provided with the necessary equipment to per-

form their duties (one thought I had while working on this post was that the

more-experienced members of this group would carry a version of the Agolum

Refugio, which would be known as the Agolum Succurro, or "Staff of Succor".

The Agolum Succurro would, in essence, be designed as an Aid that would

allow the user to restore points lost to disease or injury).

This order of medical missionairies would probably be known as the Missionairia

Remediatoria.

 

Well, that's my (somewhat more than) two cents on this topic.

 

Major Tom

[travellerne]

Sect: Thanks Givers

 

Hi All,

 

I've designed a human sect for the campaign called "The Thanks Givers." Their origins are lost in antiquity and the group has origins on several different worlds. Essentially they are optimistic people that gather in large groups about once a year to eat a big feast and celebrate their good fortune (sound familiar?). It's a very minor sect and only added for some background flavor.

 

For characters I've designed a Thanks Giver's package that includes:

Life Support: Diminished Eating (once per week)

Social Limitation: Can Only Eat Meat That Is Poultry

 

What else would a group like this have? Most of them aren't priests (but some priest come from Thanks Giver cultures); I don't think they'd have a distinctive appearance (their mostly regular people from several different cultures).

 

Anyway, I just need a jolt to the head to get the creativity going again.

Thanks,

K

[Guest Major Tom]

Re: Campaign Brainstorming: "The New Abbey"

 

If the founders/members of this group are anything like their ancient forebears

(or were reputed to be), they'll probably have a rather austere lifestyle regard-

less of whatever profession they're in, and probably strike most others as being

a humorless bunch for the most part.

 

Major Tom

[travellerne]

Re: Campaign Brainstorming: "The New Abbey"

 

If the founders/members of this group are anything like their ancient forebears

(or were reputed to be), they'll probably have a rather austere lifestyle

 

Kudos on catching the original origins of this group. But I'm going to write them up as a happier bunch. Since the pilgrim origins are lost in antiquity the origins that are remembered in this campaign are more the Hallmark-like holiday Thanksgiving has become.

 

Still, it's a big universe and I'm sure there will be some dour Thanks Givers somewhere.

 

K.

[Guest Major Tom]

Re: Campaign Brainstorming: "The New Abbey"

 

The really weird part about this particular item was a memory that crossed my

mind when I first read the bit about the Thanks Givers. Remember a comedy

film called Love At Stake? Well, on the cover of the storage box, there's

the following caption:

 

They had a name for filthy, raunchy party animals back in

the 17th Century:

 

PURITANS.

 

(At least, that's the way I remember reading it when I first saw the box.)

 

BTW, what did you think of the last couple of ideas I tossed your way?

 

Major Tom

[travellerne]

BTW: Back to You In A Few

 

BTW' date=' what did you think of the last couple of ideas I tossed your way?[/quote']

 

Hi MT,

 

I've only gotten to glance at them and I'm thinking about them. I don't get much Star Hero work one when I'm off work and this is my week off. I do most of my ruminating at work and type up my progress when I get home. My week on starts Thursday so I'll get back to you this weekend.

 

Thanks,

K.

[travellerne]

Missionaria Remediatoria

 

This order of medical missionairies would probably be known as the Missionairia

Remediatoria.

 

BTW, this one I took ahold of right away. I've written down the name, added the order to the growing list of orders, but I haven't had time to design them yet. In other words, this one's a hit.

 

Thanks,

K.

[travellerne]

Update: DunDraCon Premiere

 

Hi All,

 

I haven't had as much time to work on this during my recent shift--actually had to do some work.

 

I'll still have it ready for DunDraCon (http://www.dundracon.com/) for a premiere there.

 

Cheers,

K.

[Drakkenkin]

Re: Campaign Brainstorming: "The New Abbey"

 

Do you plan on running a game in this world durring DDCon?

 

Drakkenkin

[travellerne]

Re: Campaign Brainstorming: "The New Abbey"

 

Do you plan on running a game in this world durring DDCon?

 

Hi Drakkenkin,

 

Good to hear from you.

 

Yes, this is a commitment to run the game at DunDracon in 2005. (A self-imposed deadline is a great motivator.) If they don't put the game on the schedule, I'll run it in open gaming.

 

K.

[Guest Major Tom]

Re: Campaign Brainstorming: "The New Abbey"

 

Hi, Travellerne,

 

Just had a thought here. On the off chance that aliens are found to exist in

your campaign universe, and that some of them are both inimical to the

Faithful and telepathic to boot, would a case of hostile and unwanted tele-

pathic contact be dealt with in much the same fashion as a case of demonic

possession -- in other words, by means of an exorcism?

 

Another thought that recently came to mind was about the status of Earth in

the campaign. If evidence suggesting the existence of an origin world for the

human race were to emerge somewhere, is it likely that the search for said

world would be the campaign's version of the Quest for the Holy Grail? And

what about the PCs' role in such a search -- would they be trying to find

proof of Earth's existence, or would they be trying to make certain that said

proof is never found?

 

Major Tom

[travellerne]

The Alien Question & Telepathy

 

Just had a thought here. On the off chance that aliens are found to exist in

your campaign universe, and that some of them are both inimical to the

Faithful and telepathic to boot, would a case of hostile and unwanted tele-

pathic contact be dealt with in much the same fashion as a case of demonic

possession -- in other words, by means of an exorcism?

 

Hi Major Tom,

 

I've thought of this one and my take so far that telepathy is already seen as a blessing by the church. A few of the priests already have it and use it to (allegedly) only good ends.

 

If the aliens are openly hostile to the Faithful then various armies, including the Church's, would have to respond.

 

Comments and feedback are welcome.

TNE

[travellerne]

The Lost Earth

 

Another thought that recently came to mind was about the status of Earth in

the campaign. If evidence suggesting the existence of an origin world for the

human race were to emerge somewhere, is it likely that the search for said

world would be the campaign's version of the Quest for the Holy Grail? And

what about the PCs' role in such a search -- would they be trying to find

proof of Earth's existence, or would they be trying to make certain that said

proof is never found?

 

Hi MT,

 

So far, I am going with the following handling of Earth in my campaign:

 

1) Most people including clergy don't care much about it. It would be like the search for Noah's Ark--an important element of the faith but no real effort to find (except for History Channel specials).

 

2) Some scholarly clergy might devote time to finding it for the sake of history or to build a new cult within the Church.

 

3) Some clergy, especially those who have profitable cults, might oppose finding Earth as pilgrims might then be diverted from visiting their holy sites. They could respond like the cult of St. Thomas Becket responded to the renewal of the cult of St. Cuthbert in the 12th century: with more advertising. For a more serious plot, a powerful clergyman might succumb to greed and try more violent means to thwart an expedition to find Earth.

 

Thanks for the great input, MT! As usual, anyone is free to add more or suggest a different view. I'm open to it (and this forum has some really good ideas!).

 

TNE

[Guest Major Tom]

Re: Campaign Brainstorming: "The New Abbey"

 

Say, Travellerne,

 

I just had an idea for a group for in your campaign. Recently, I had the chance

to read one of the novels set in the WH40K universe (Execution Hour, to be

exact), in which the law-enforcement arm of the Imperium -- the Adeptus Arbites --

have a part. These guys, from what I've read, are a lot like the Judges of the

Judge Dredd universe, with powers of summary judgement and execution.

Now from what I've read about your intended campaign, things aren't quite that

bad in your game universe. I would imagine, though, that at some point in time

your PCs could wind up on the wrong side of the law for whatever reason --

at which point they're going to find themselves confronted by the custodians

of said law.

 

So, with that in mind, I hereby submit for your perusal the following:

 

The Fidelis Judex ("Judges of the Faithful")

 

This arm of Church authority is a sub-unit of the Vigilia Ecclesiasticus, and is

essentially a paramilitary police force. They are tasked with the responsibility

of enforcing both religious and secular law throughout Ecclesiasty space, and

are also empowered to try those accused of criminal activities, and to execute

sentence upon the accused if found guilty. They can also pass a sentence of

death upon a convicted criminal if the crime is a particularly heinous one. How-

ever, any sentence of death must first be reviewed by an Ecclesiastical Tribunal.

If, upon examination of the evidence used in the trial of the accused, the Tri-

bunal finds that the evidence is insufficient to justify a verdict of death, they

can recommend a lesser sentence for the convicted (life imprisonment without

the possibility of parole, for example). The Tribunal is, essentially, the Church's

safeguard against the possibility of wrongful execution -- either of those whose

crimes do not merit death, or of those who have been wrongfully accused, con-

victed and condemned to death for crimes they have not committed.

 

So, what do you think of this one?

 

Major Tom

[Guest Major Tom]

Re: Campaign Brainstorming: "The New Abbey"

 

Here's a follow-up to the previous post:

 

Not everyone in the Fidelis Judex carries the rank of Judge. The bulk of the unit's

membership is made up of those holding the rank of Peacekeeper or Peacekeeper

Junior Grade, and above them are the men and women who hold the rank of

Marshal. There is also a Chief Marshal whose job it is to establish and enforce

operational policy for the unit's lower rank and file. The Chief Marshal also serves

as the intermediary between the lower ranks and the Judges who preside over

the cases that come to their attention.

 

Major Tom

[travellerne]

New Sects & Orders

 

Feedback is appreciated on these ideas.

 

Lately I'm working on cultures, sects and a few orders to flesh out the universe around the Church. Here's some ideas. What do you think?

 

Sect: Jihadists - people from this culture/sect believe that the only good way to die is in the service of The Church. They tend to join the Fidei Defensoris and the sect character package has some weapons and demolition skills.

 

Order: Kabalists - an order of The Church that really focuses on The Proof. The character package for this order is heavy in SS: The Proof, SS: Mathematics, and SS: Science(s).

 

What do you think?

TNE

[travellerne]

Character Development: Packages

 

I'm starting to design my character packages.

 

Here's a thought I have for making character design of Church members easy. A character would choose a package defining their order (Cohors, Kabalist, Medicia Rem., Inquisition, etc.). Then they would pick a package that would specify their position/rank (priest, monk, abbot, layperson, bishop, etc.). Sect and culture packages would be optional.

 

Examples:

A person from the militant culture of Jihadists, who joins the Church's guards as a soldier could choose the Jihadist package (and get some martial skills), be a layperson (as the priests and monks don't join the guards), choose the Cohors package (and get more martial skill, ceremonial armor and the energy pike).

 

A Thanks Giver who wanted to spent his life studying The Proof but not ministering could pick the Thanks Giver sect package (and get food preparation skills), choose the Monk professional package (with PS's but not many miraculous Powers), and pick the Kabalist order package (with lots of SS, PS and KS).

 

Suggestions?

TNE

[Guest Major Tom]

Re: New Sects & Orders

 

Feedback is appreciated on these ideas.

 

Lately I'm working on cultures, sects and a few orders to flesh out the universe around the Church. Here's some ideas. What do you think?

 

Sect: Jihadists - people from this culture/sect believe that the only good way to die is in the service of The Church. They tend to join the Fidei Defensoris and the sect character package has some weapons and demolition skills.

 

Order: Kabalists - an order of The Church that really focuses on The Proof. The character package for this order is heavy in SS: The Proof, SS: Mathematics, and SS: Science(s).

 

What do you think?

TNE

 

OK, for starters, I think that it would be far more likely that a Jihadist would

become a member of the Vigilia Ecclesiasticus, as it is far likelier that this unit

would be in the front lines of any conflict -- whereas the Fidei Defensori are

more of the "Confess and Repent, you heretic sinner" persuasion.

 

For all I know, though, there might very well be some seriously bada$$ heretics

running around your campaign universe wreaking havoc...

 

For the Kabalists, the only thing that I'd suggest adding to the skill package

would be LS: Symbolic Languages.

 

Major Tom

[travellerne]

Re: New Sects & Orders

 

OK, for starters, I think that it would be far more likely that a Jihadist would

become a member of the Vigilia Ecclesiasticus, as it is far likelier that this unit

would be in the front lines of any conflict

 

Oh, of course! It was a busy night at work and I didn't have my notes or time to review the posts. In short, temporary disorientation.

 

For all I know, though, there might very well be some seriously bada$$ heretics

running around your campaign universe wreaking havoc...

 

Hmm. Hadn't really thought of that yet...

 

For the Kabalists, the only thing that I'd suggest adding to the skill package

would be LS: Symbolic Languages.

 

Great idea. Thanks!

 

TNE

[Guest Major Tom]

Re: Campaign Brainstorming: "The New Abbey"

 

Say, Travellerne,

 

Since I've already given you some ideas for the (more or less) good guys, I

thought I'd go ahead and try to come up with an idea for some bad guys.

And so, without further ado...

 

The Rejectionists

 

This group has long been a thorn in the side of the Church, primarily due to

their doctrinal position that, quote, "the existence of God is not a matter

that can or should be proven by means of mathematical equations or theo-

rems; rather, it is a matter of faith which every intelligent being must deal

with within the confines of their own souls", unquote. Needless to say, this

moral position did not sit well with the highest levels of the Church hierarchy,

and as a result, it was declared to be heresy of the most abomidable sort.

Those who supported it were likewise declared to be heretics of the most

dangerous kind, and were subsequently excommunicated from the Church.

Although a sizeable number of Rejectionist supporters were dealt with in this

fashion, the Church leadership believed that there still remained a consider-

able number of Rejectionists who had managed to avoid discovery. The Church

therefore took the step of charging the Fidei Defensori with the task of root-

ing out and destroying the Rejectionist heretics.

 

Until that time, the Rejectionists had been an entirely non-violent group, but

after a Fidei Defensori operation resulted in the capture and subsequent exe-

cution of over a hundred Rejectionist followers, the leaders of the group made

the decision to fight fire with fire. The Rejectionists gradually organized them-

selves along the lines of a revolutionary movement, dividing themselves into

cells of no more than seven members apiece, with communication between

cells carried out by means of numerous cutouts and dead-drops. They also

found individuals -- mercenaries, retired soldiers, etc. -- who were willing to

provide instruction in the use of arms and explosives, as well as unarmed

combat for a price. To avoid arousing the citizenry against them, the decision

was made by the Rejectionist leadership to avoid operations that would result

in either massive collateral damage or civilian fatalities. Instead, only military

facilities and personnel (in other words, the FD) would be considered legitimate

targets.

 

The ongoing conflict between the Rejectionists and the Fidei Defensori is the

closest thing to a war currently being fought in Church-controlled space. At

first glance, the Fidei Defensori would appear to be the superior of the two

groups, with virtually unlimited logistical support from the Church; however,

the Rejectionists are not without allies and support of its own. With contacts

amongst the anti-tech factions and the interstellar black market, they have

access to a similar level of support. The end result, for the most part, has

been a stalemate that has lasted for several centuries now, with no signs of

changing any time soon.

 

So, what do you think of this latest brainstorm?

 

Major Tom

[travellerne]

Re: Campaign Brainstorming: "The New Abbey"

 

The Rejectionists

 

This group has long been a thorn in the side of the Church, primarily due to

...

So, what do you think of this latest brainstorm?

 

I'll certainly use them as one of the heresies. I don't know how violent I would make them out to be, but it is a very big universe and different subgroups would take different stands on violence.

 

TNE

[Guest Major Tom]

Re: Campaign Brainstorming: "The New Abbey"

 

True enough. In fact, I was thinking that one of the group's other activities

(aside from blowing the bejesus out of the FD) would be to rescue other en-

dangered heretics from the FD and transport them to worlds far removed

from Church control (sort of an interstellar Underground Railroad with a touch

of the Scarlet Pimpernel tossed in for good measure). At the time, though, I

was trying not to put too much into the writeup, since you're probably going

to be putting your own personal touches on it (which I have absolutely no

problems at all with; after all, it does have to fit into the framework of your

game universe).

 

Of course, there was also the fact that, having managed to post what I did

after having been exorcised twice by the Accursed Mechanism, I wasn't

about to take a chance on trying to include anything else...

 

Major Tom

[travellerne]

Diluting The Latin Influence

 

Hi All,

 

I just got back from Kublacon and got some local feedback from Hero players there. One of the things mentioned was that The Church seemed so Latin that it must be the Roman Catholic Church. I would like to dilute the Latin influence to make The Church still seem like a human church but not have too much flavor from one modern church. Frank Herbert did that well in Dune but it's been a long time since I've read it (better start I guess).

 

Are there any other good sources of futuristic churches out there? Particularly with an Eastern, Islamic or Jewish influence?

 

I haven't forgotten zippercomics' suggestion of The Calculating God. I still need to order it.

 

Thanks,

TNE

[Guest Major Tom]

Re: Campaign Brainstorming: "The New Abbey"

 

Oooo... Now that's going to be a somewhat difficult problem to solve,

considering that the subject material that comes closest to doing the job

comes from a non-Hero Games source: GURPS Alternate Earths 2 and

GURPS Religion. As to your setting seeming to be so Latin as to be the

Roman Catholic Church to your con players, my guess would be that that was

due to the Latin-type names used to describe several of the Church's branch-

es. When you consider that Latin was (and still is, to some extent) the lan-

guage of the Church in medieval times -- along with Attic Greek, unless I'm

seriously mistaken -- it shouldn't be too much of a surprise to find that it, or

some version thereof, would have managed to survive down through the centuries.

 

Major Tom