Terra Fey

[Onyx Rose]

Call to anyone who can help. I have recently been asked to GM for my group, but I have only been playing Champions for about a year. My usual way of preparing is just to have some plot in mind and stack of possible crunchies next to me for use. I also have a big villian in mind, with the character sheet also next to me. The last one of us to GM reminds me often that the best plans never survive contact with the players. Having this in mind I play off the top of my head for the most part, but feel that I should do more to prepare for the next session. I feel like I am not giving my players my all.

 

My world is based off of fairy tales. The characters and other people in the world come out of fairy tales and some liturature such as Peter Pan. Only one person is playing an extremely well known character (Robin Hood). The others have created characters such as the last lost boy to leave Neverland. Right now they are trying to stop Blue Beard from marrying The Beast's betrothed (whom he kidnapped). They need to stop the wedding before Blue Beard kills the woman who happens to be the daughter of Sleeping Beauty and her Prince Charming.

 

Please help, I am open to suggestions.

[Curufea]

Re: Terra Fey

 

Ah - so these are Disney fairy tales? With some Shrek thrown in?

 

I recommend having a look at the Steven Sondheim musical "Into the Woods" if you can

 

Hmm...

Magic items are always a good solution/complication/McGuffin. Potion of love, dust of dissappearance, clock of timestop, feather of tickling - that kind of thing. If time, you can have it as a side quest, otherwise you have a powerful NPC offer it to them as long as they owe them a favour later...

[Michael Hopcroft]

Re: Terra Fey

 

Another idea (it may not be in your campaign, but it might be interesting) is to comine fairy-tale themes with urban fantasy. In other words, fairy-tale like events taking place today. A serial murderer ala Bluebeard. The Beast is a reclusive billioinaire whose curse has deformed him to the point that he believes he cannot interact with humans. Magic is everywhere, but keeps to itself when its aims are not threatened.

 

And there is an ever-present threat to the world known as The Big Bad Wolf. If the innocent are careless, if they let their naivete get the better of them, if they let their guard down, the Wolf will devour their souls. He can take a nearly infinite variety of forms. His true nature and goals are a mystery. And even when you destroy him, he goes on. Some say he is Satan himself. Others say he is something far older and more alien.

[greymankle]

Re: Terra Fey

 

Well I think, preperation wise, your ok. You have stats ready for what "you" want the players to do, but aren't afraid to go with what the players want to do. Good improv skills help. If you want to make improv easier on you, have a good basis of knowledge about the world you game in. Be able to reference fairy tales and mix your world in with the PC's.

 

But if you want the best advice for a new gm "Never let the players know when they have deviated from 'your' plan. Everything they do, you expected." It gives the players confidence in the game/you and they are less likely to snip at things. "Well last night was a bust since we didn't do what Ms. Rose wanted us to do." Even the friendliest groups complain once in a while.

 

but it sounds like you should be good to go. Just keep with it.

[Onyx Rose]

Re: Terra Fey

 

Thank you for all the ideas. I have seen Into the Woods and I love it. I'm an avid fan of fairy tales and Disney as evidence of my world. I'm trying to keep the Disney to a minimum though as most of those movies depart from the actual tale/story. Just look at Pochahontas (sp). Eventually the characters will venture out into the real world. Right now Hanssel and Grettle are missing and the witch promises that she didn't eat them. What no one knows is that they stumbled out a pathway into the real world. After playing a bit more and getting used to the characters, they will be asked to find the children or will trip into the real world themselves.

I really like the idea of magic items. One of my players used points to have an enchanted sword that sings when it is not in its scabbard. What is most interesting is that it plays modern music. The King's Man (the character's name) absolutely hated the disco era. Apparently not a fan of the Bare Naked Ladies either. I have a list of MP3s that I play at random when the sword is unsheathed. But other magic items could be introduced.

 

"And there is an ever-present threat to the world known as The Big Bad Wolf. If the innocent are careless, if they let their naivete get the better of them, if they let their guard down, the Wolf will devour their souls. He can take a nearly infinite variety of forms. His true nature and goals are a mystery. And even when you destroy him, he goes on. Some say he is Satan himself. Others say he is something far older and more alien."

I like this idea too, I wanted to do something with the Big Bad Wolf, but wasn't sure what. If any of you read the comic "Fables" I like what they did with the character there, but didn't want to copy it. I'm not sure about devouring souls. I don't want to go that dark, not yet anyway. I like the changing forms and tricking those that are naive, though. The "coming back from the dead" part plays into something we have already established in that every so often the stories reset. Even though Robin Hood has killed the Sheriff of Nottingham several times he seems to come back after a period of time.

Thanks for all the input.

[tkdguy]

Re: Terra Fey

 

There is a Castle Falkenstein sourcebook called The Memoirs of Auberon of Faerie. If you can find a copy, you'll probably find it very useful. It portrays the Faerie in a more traditional light than most rpgs do.

[Lethosos]

Re: Terra Fey

 

The Big Bad Wolf idea feels a lot like the legends of Coyote, the Trickster spirit of the Soutwest. What if he has a vested interest in Terra Fey? It may explain a few things like resetting the stories and such, to see what might happen.

[Sketchpad]

Re: Terra Fey

 

I would also recommend chasing down some trades of DC Comics/Vertigo's "Fables" written by Bill Willingham ... all about the faerie tale characters in our world ... great fun

[Onyx Rose]

Re: Terra Fey

 

I would also recommend chasing down some trades of DC Comics/Vertigo's "Fables" written by Bill Willingham ... all about the faerie tale characters in our world ... great fun

 

I have the first, third, fourth, and fifth trade paper backs of Fables. That is kind of where I got the idea for Terra Fey. The characters will eventually venture into the real world. Thanks though.

[madgoblin]

Re: Terra Fey

 

If you want to use a more Adult series, I would also recommend something by Bill willingham called Iron Wood. It incorporates fantasy elements with Modern society and is alot more gritty and fatal.

Do a web search for Ironwood and look specifically for the suppliment written for another RPG. the conversion should be easy to fudge.

[RDU Neil]

Re: Terra Fey

 

If you want to use a more Adult series, I would also recommend something by Bill willingham called Iron Wood. It incorporates fantasy elements with Modern society and is alot more gritty and fatal.

Do a web search for Ironwood and look specifically for the suppliment written for another RPG. the conversion should be easy to fudge.

 

You should be a little more specific before suggesting something like this. Iron Wood is fantasy porn. Graphic sexuality, etc., which you didn't mention at all. I've got no problems with that kind of thing in concept... but you shouldn't try to hide what this stuff is really all about when suggesting it to someone.

[Lethosos]

Re: Terra Fey

 

Yep. You'd be better off working with the books from The SIERRAted Edge series--it's urban fantasy right there. Elves do feature in them, but it's not an entirely central theme.

[Michael Hopcroft]

Re: Terra Fey

 

Where can I find reprints of Fables?

 

I am also wondering whether the new Guaridans of Order Tri-Stat release Dreaming Cities has anything that could be lifted for this purpose?

 

Finally, I am wondering how you would re-cast some of the more infamous tales in modern terms. Perhaps there are ways around the spomewhat classist paradigm of many of the stories (where noble birth was just about all that mattered as far as what person's place was in society).

[Sketchpad]

Re: Terra Fey

 

Where can I find reprints of Fables?

 

Check your local book & comic stores ... also you can check amazon.com or DCcomics.com as well

[Michael Hopcroft]

Re: Terra Fey

 

Well, I was lucky enough to find a copy of Fables at Powell's (on the same day I picked up some other goodies like Yotsuba&! and a couple of classic Doctor Who DVDs).

 

It is a very strong piece of work -- combining some good character bits with a lovely little bit of alternate history. I wonder if Willingham actually meant to create any parallels between the Fables and any of the real-life refugee communities in America (the Cuban exiles come to mind -- the mysterious Adversary does seem to bear some resembalnce to the way the Cuban exiles view Castro -- as evil incarnate).

[AmadanNaBriona]

Re: Terra Fey

 

If you haven't read it yet, you might also pick up a copy of American Gods by Neil Gaiman and give it a read. It goes down quick and smooth and might inspire quite a few ideas, at least about setting and style.