Young Gods stride Creation Campiagns?

[Hermit]

Thou knowest, brethren, of the first age, the dawn of the world, when our master, and so many others first became aware of their godhead. How strange it must have been for each of them, to stand upon creation, and realize they were divine. How lonely at first when they thought they were the only ones, and then, how frustrating when they discovered that the other gods were not always to be friends, but rivals and foes as well.

 

No doubt, this is why they began to create, shape, and lead the mortal races that would one day become the great kingdoms we know and live in today. I seek now, to find out more of those times. How did they come to be? How did they carve the world up and each seem to take a portion of power? Any assistance, any records you might uncover would be most welcome...-Diamedes the Historian

 

Has anyone ever run an extremely high point game where the characters were nascent gods? Possibly at the birth of the world? Obviously RPing omniscience would be out, and omnipotence would be boring, but in various legends and myths most deities have their limits, and if nothing else, are held in check by even greater deities or rival gods of their own power level. I'm curious if anyone ever decided to play a setting where the PCs were gods and each had a great deal of power to use (for good or ill) over the centuries.

 

What starting points would you reccommend, what restrictions?

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Young Gods stride Creation Campiagns?

 

Hmm... interesting idea, and the subject of one of the possible future setting books in the official Hero Universe ("Fantasy Primeval"). I've played in a "PC gods" game in the past, but that was using the Dungeons and Dragons Immortals rules and setting, so we were all part of a well-defined and circumscribed cosmology and hierarchy that was fairly restrictive. What you're suggesting is far more open.

 

The points would depend on how you define a god in terms of abilities. In mythology gods often possessed fantastic magical abilities of a non-combat nature, but in actual battle weren't necessarily much more formidable than exceptional mortals. I know that "The Hero Universe" document describes gods as being 2500 points and up, but that strikes me as excessive for gods at the dawn of time.

 

If I were running this, I'd probably start PCs as though they were Cosmic Superheroes, at around 700 points. That would give them plenty to work with without making them worldbeaters (or worldbreakers). Some major figures, especially potential foes, could start at 1000 or more points.

[Hermit]

Re: Young Gods stride Creation Campiagns?

 

If I were running this, I'd probably start PCs as though they were Cosmic Superheroes, at around 700 points. That would give them plenty to work with without making them worldbeaters (or worldbreakers). Some major figures, especially potential foes, could start at 1000 or more points.

 

That's along the line I was thinking myself point wise as well. I admit my Galactic Champions idea in another area is what got me thinking about this in other areas (Fantasy).

 

I would go as far to probably restrict VPPs, or at least make them highly specialized. A 75 point plus multipower full of weird godly stuff and liberal use of Megascale could make some true earth shapers if that was part of a character's concept.

[caris]

Re: Young Gods stride Creation Campiagns?

 

Has anyone ever run an extremely high point game where the characters were nascent gods? Possibly at the birth of the world? Obviously RPing omniscience would be out, and omnipotence would be boring, but in various legends and myths most deities have their limits, and if nothing else, are held in check by even greater deities or rival gods of their own power level. I'm curious if anyone ever decided to play a setting where the PCs were gods and each had a great deal of power to use (for good or ill) over the centuries.

 

What starting points would you reccommend, what restrictions?

 

The closest I ever came was an Amber Diceless game.

[Steve]

Re: Young Gods stride Creation Campiagns?

 

One thing to consider about gods is how they affect the world. Can a PC create a new race or modify an existing race? Create new creatures? Build a fortress that can withstand godly might?

[Hermit]

Re: Young Gods stride Creation Campiagns?

 

One thing to consider about gods is how they affect the world. Can a PC create a new race or modify an existing race? Create new creatures? Build a fortress that can withstand godly might?

 

While I doubt a god PC could automatically make anything they touch immune to messing up from other gods, the rest sounds appropriate for a dawn of the gods campaign. One could certainly shape cultures, and yeah, if you are allowing non human races to begin with, why not let them shape some.

 

This is a game that would eventually be really heavy on Perks imo.

[sbarron]

Re: Young Gods stride Creation Campiagns?

 

How do you imagine a session going? What would a story arc look like? I'm having trouble getting my brain around RPing this power level/setting.

 

I can see "gods as supers, dealing with other god/supers" idea. But gods actually "shaping races over time" seems to be too far a departure from standard role play for me to "get" it.

 

Can you describe how you envision the game going?

[Steve]

Re: Young Gods stride Creation Campiagns?

 

One of the campaign ground rules to think about is how worshippers affect the gods. Do the gods have powers that are independent of the number and faith of their worshippers? If so, you can build a young godling more straight up as far as powers go. If worship strengthens a god, perhaps all gods receive a freebie Aid of some kind to reflect that, or they could buy their powers with Limitations to reflect the strength of the worship received.

 

To promote player harmony, it is probably best to have them be part of the same pantheon or deific "family." I have done godling campaigns involving lower-power deific beings from different groups like valkyries and greek demigods, but it takes more work to get everyone cooperating.

[Coyotecloudchas]

Re: Young Gods stride Creation Campiagns?

 

Obviously at those point levels, it will be very hard to balance the campaign and make it interesting. You will have to constantly create rules that will keep the players from accidentally blowing up the planet or annihilating a species (...I killed ALL or going back in time and changing your world to their benefit. In addition, just imagine how easily they could wipe out a fellow godling that didn't have the appropriate defense against a tactic? Mysteries wouldn't be possible unless you outlaw powers like Telepathy and Clairsentience. Things like the weather ("was that lightning that just hit me?"), travel distance ("I can Superleap between planets."), and other details of the environment just won't matter.

 

I could go on, but you see the point. Just doesn't sound like the campaign would be much fun to me unless what the characters could do was very limited.

 

"...in a brief but overwhelmingly intense moment of insane rage, he lashed out with his mind and destroyed the attackers with a mere thought — not just the one Husnock ship that had attacked the colony and killed Rishon, but the entire Husnock species, all 50 billion of them, everywhere, all at once"

 

- "The Survivors" is a third season episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation first broadcast on October 9, 1989

[Curufea]

Re: Young Gods stride Creation Campiagns?

 

I ran a game where some of the character were gods. It was based of FUDGE but actually fairly systemless. I wouldn't dream of using Hero for that kind of game.

[Hermit]

Re: Young Gods stride Creation Campiagns?

 

How do you imagine a session going? What would a story arc look like? I'm having trouble getting my brain around RPing this power level/setting.

 

I can see "gods as supers, dealing with other god/supers" idea. But gods actually "shaping races over time" seems to be too far a departure from standard role play for me to "get" it.

 

Can you describe how you envision the game going?

 

Well, I imagine that you'd play many sessions in an 'age' (Bronze, Iron, etc) before starting up a century or so later. Bluebooking the interims might be the best way to go, that, and the PCs might not know the full ramifications of their actions. Leave one tribe for a century after saying a few things, "slumber" for a bit, then peek in on them again and you might discover your last visit is now somewhat skewed and they've drawn messages from it you never intended.

[Hermit]

Re: Young Gods stride Creation Campiagns?

 

One of the campaign ground rules to think about is how worshipers affect the gods. Do the gods have powers that are independent of the number and faith of their worshipers? If so' date=' you can build a young godling more straight up as far as powers go. If worship strengthens a god, perhaps all gods receive a freebie Aid of some kind to reflect that, or they could buy their powers with Limitations to reflect the strength of the worship received.[/quote']

I wondered about that myself. I think it might make sense to have a sort of 'linked to worshiper' Aid as you suggest.

 

To promote player harmony, it is probably best to have them be part of the same pantheon or deific "family." I have done godling campaigns involving lower-power deific beings from different groups like valkyries and greek demigods, but it takes more work to get everyone cooperating.

 

Agreed, the idea of other pantheons gives more rivals/enemies out there on the players same level as well.

[McCoy]

Re: Young Gods stride Creation Campiagns?

 

Yavanna spoke before the Valar, saying: "The Light of the Trees has passed away, and lives now only in the Silmarils of Feanor. Foresighted was he! Even for those who are mightiest under Iluvatar there is some work that they may accomplish once, and once only. The Light of the Trees I brought into being, and within Ea I can do so never again. Yet had I but a little of that light I could recall life to the trees, ere their roots decay; and then our hurt should be healed, and the malice of Melkor be confounded."

 

But Feanor spoke then, and cried bitterly: "For the less even as for the greater there is some deed that he may accomplish but once only; and in that deed his heart shall rest. It may be that I can unlock my jewels, but never again shall I make their like; and if I break them, I shall break my heart, and I shall be slain; first of all Eldar in Aman. This thing I will not do of free will. But if the Valar will constrain me, then shall I know indeed that Melkor is of their kindred."

Somehow I see a lot of "Independent" and "One charge, never recovers" limitations being used in this campagine.

 

Start the players with a set number of points, say a thousand, and the featurless Godplain. First thing is to create the world. How many points is each player willing to put into creating a land (buy as a base)? Is it going to have plants? Game and domesticateable animals? A sentient species? Is this going to be Paradise for your sapients, or should you put in other preditors to compete with them?

 

Then the GM stitches the lands together. I'm thinking something like a ring around a central sea, simular to the ancient Known World around the Meterrainian. (If no one has created a land that is mostly sea the central sea may be the provance of an NPC.)

 

Anybody pay for a Sun? A moon? If not, NPC time again. If more than one, maybe divide the real cost of the Sun among them, and have multiple moons.

[Captain Obvious]

Re: Young Gods stride Creation Campiagns?

 

Doing something similar to Ars Magica, where one or two players play their mages and everyone else plays minions for the session, would work for this sort of campaign, at least after things get rolling. Have a couple of guys acting as gods and everyone else as heroes of the people. That way, the cultures can compete (through the players) and the gods can take sides, or get pissed off at them, or what have you.

[Thia Halmades]

Re: Young Gods stride Creation Campiagns?

 

Brain hurt. No comprende, amigo! What are you trying to accomplish here? Let's start over, so you can put this in Thia terms:

 

What's the PREMISE of the story you're telling?

What ROLE will the characters play in the story?

What ACTIVITIES do you see the characters performing?

[caris]

Re: Young Gods stride Creation Campiagns?

 

Brain hurt. No comprende, amigo! What are you trying to accomplish here? Let's start over, so you can put this in Thia terms:

 

What's the PREMISE of the story you're telling?

What ROLE will the characters play in the story?

What ACTIVITIES do you see the characters performing?

 

Thia, I’m going to be very presumptuous and give what would be my answers to your questions based on what Hermit posted.

 

What's the PREMISE of the story you're telling? Simply put, the creation myth cycle. The most basic most primal of all stories. “How the world come to be.” You will have the standard Zues slays Chronos aspect, but you will also have stories like “How leopard got his spots” or “Sif’s golden hair.” Effectively, Hermit and his players will be setting out to create the myths of the world.

 

What ROLE will the characters play in the story? They will be the movers and the shakers of the world. They will be the ones change and shaping the whole world.

 

What ACTIVITIES do you see the characters performing? Mmmm…. These are just examples of possible types of things: Creating/changing animals or people; entering into contests with other gods; traveling to the land of the end; delivering swift and sometimes arbitrary judgement on mortals; having affairs with mortals and attempting to hide those affairs from their spouses; etc. etc. pick up any collection of myths. You’ll get some ideas. (OK, yeah, I’m mainly into Greek mythology.)

[Hermit]

Re: Young Gods stride Creation Campiagns?

 

Thia, I’m going to be very presumptuous and give what would be my answers to your questions based on what Hermit posted.

 

What's the PREMISE of the story you're telling? Simply put, the creation myth cycle. The most basic most primal of all stories. “How the world come to be.” You will have the standard Zues slays Chronos aspect, but you will also have stories like “How leopard got his spots” or “Sif’s golden hair.” Effectively, Hermit and his players will be setting out to create the myths of the world.

 

What ROLE will the characters play in the story? They will be the movers and the shakers of the world. They will be the ones change and shaping the whole world.

 

What ACTIVITIES do you see the characters performing? Mmmm…. These are just examples of possible types of things: Creating/changing animals or people; entering into contests with other gods; traveling to the land of the end; delivering swift and sometimes arbitrary judgement on mortals; having affairs with mortals and attempting to hide those affairs from their spouses; etc. etc. pick up any collection of myths. You’ll get some ideas. (OK, yeah, I’m mainly into Greek mythology.)

 

"You must spread some rep... etc etc"

 

That pretty much sums it up nicely. Though the first half was just asking if anyone had already done a 'PCs as Gods' campaign and how it worked out; you seem to have gotten the second half in a nutshell right there.

 

Heck, one intriguing thing is the idea that later on, when going back to 'regular fantasy', you could have the players start another campaign where they play mortal adventurers in the world their last campaign created.

[teh bunneh]

Re: Young Gods stride Creation Campiagns?

 

Several myths also have a "Gods vs. Some Big Baddie," which gives you a lot of room for conflict. Marduk vs. Tiamat, the Olympians vs. the Titans, Odin vs. Ymir. Say there's a couple of pantheons of "good" gods, and a great big group of "evil" gods (demons, "outsiders," whatever) who want to wreck/take over what the gods have built. You can have conflict between the pantheons as the different gods vie for power, and you can also have an overarching meta-villain in the form of the demons/monsters.

 

Or, howzabout every time the young gods kill one of the Primordial Monsters, they can then create part of the world out of its carcass (like Marduk did with Tiamat, or the Norse gods did with Ymir).

[Hermit]

Re: Young Gods stride Creation Campiagns?

 

Several myths also have a "Gods vs. Some Big Baddie," which gives you a lot of room for conflict. Marduk vs. Tiamat, the Olympians vs. the Titans, Odin vs. Ymir. Say there's a couple of pantheons of "good" gods, and a great big group of "evil" gods (demons, "outsiders," whatever) who want to wreck/take over what the gods have built. You can have conflict between the pantheons as the different gods vie for power, and you can also have an overarching meta-villain in the form of the demons/monsters.

True. I was thinking of having demons of sorts scattered about, trying to steal mortal souls (which rightfully belong to the gods, in the gods opinions, of course). I could use something like that as 'minor but many' while pulling out a bigger bad.

 

Or, howzabout every time the young gods kill one of the Primordial Monsters, they can then create part of the world out of its carcass (like Marduk did with Tiamat, or the Norse gods did with Ymir).

 

I like it. "The great Scorpion Vanderosh is dead... Summerhome!"

 

[Gadodel]

Re: Young Gods stride Creation Campiagns?

 

 

Has anyone ever run an extremely high point game where the characters were nascent gods? Possibly at the birth of the world?

 

 

Yes and Yes.

 

I've done it several times and each time was a lot of fun. This is my method:

1. A list of Archetypes. Each archetype is written on its own index card. Archetypes for people, places and things-to narrow the list down to start off with. Examples:

A. People: Artists, Engineers, Pranksters, Thieves, Warlords etc.

B. Places: Forests, Mountains, Oceans, Rivers etc.

C. Things: Dancing, Family, Farming, Magic, Martial Arts etc.

 

2. Each player gets to select three cards at a time until all of the cards are gone. Normally, I have around 300 cards; so the process can take awhile. The process has a 'board game' feel to it.

 

3. Each player divides up his or her cards among the Character Deities they are playing. Yes, each player essentially creates their own Pantheon. Each with as many Deities as the player wishes to create.

 

4. If a player wants to challenge another player's domain over an Archetype, they must create another 'Race' to do so. Since everyone starts out with only Human Deities, the list of races can expand quite quickly. Example: Player 1 picked the Archetype of 'Magic'. Player 2 really wanted that area, so they call for a challenge. Whomever rolls the lowest gets to pick the first race outside of humans that they control. Using this example, assume player 1 wins the challenge and selects 'Dragons'. Player 2 can then pick any other race, say; 'Elves' for example. If more than one player wants to make the challenge, again, lowest rolls pick first...Oh, I consider 'Animals' to be other races. Sometimes they can be competed over more than anything else...Cats and Dogs etc.

[Gadodel]

Re: Young Gods stride Creation Campiagns?

 

 

What starting points would you reccommend, what restrictions?

Assuming that they are the first living beings on the world in which they are creating, I should think that starting CP should be around 500 or more. As the players role play and roll play through it, the should gain quite a bit of experience points fairly quickly. Perhaps 7-10 per session, maybe higher depending on how busy they really are.

[Markdoc]

Re: Young Gods stride Creation Campiagns?

 

Or alternatively, don't give experience points per session at all. Give 'em 1 XP for every thousand worshippers they gain, and prorate the experience if the worshippers worship a pantheon

 

For example, if your pantheon has 12 dieties, they get 1 XP each for every 12,000 worshippers. You may wish to divide it differently so major deities get more than minor ones and "head of the pantheon" gets the biggest share to spark some intrapantheon rivalry

 

If you lose points when your worship goes down, that could lead to some diety detente - if both sides lose too many worshippers they lose power - so taking out your rival by a spectacular series of meteor strikes on his major cities may not be the preferred method if he immediately retaliates in a similar vein while pumped up with divine worship power.

 

cheers, Mark

[Gadodel]

Re: Young Gods stride Creation Campiagns?

 

Or alternatively, don't give experience points per session at all. Give 'em 1 XP for every thousand worshippers they gain, and prorate the experience if the worshippers worship a pantheon

 

For example, if your pantheon has 12 dieties, they get 1 XP each for every 12,000 worshippers. You may wish to divide it differently so major deities get more than minor ones and "head of the pantheon" gets the biggest share to spark some intrapantheon rivalry

 

If you lose points when your worship goes down, that could lead to some diety detente - if both sides lose too many worshippers they lose power - so taking out your rival by a spectacular series of meteor strikes on his major cities may not be the preferred method if he immediately retaliates in a similar vein while pumped up with divine worship power.

 

cheers, Mark

 

Oh, excellent suggestion! I think I'll start using something similar IMC.

 

[Hermit]

Re: Young Gods stride Creation Campiagns?

 

Okay, good suggestions all around, and special thanks to Gadodel. Nice to hear from someone who has done it

[Gadodel]

Re: Young Gods stride Creation Campiagns?

 

Okay' date=' good suggestions all around, and special thanks to Gadodel. Nice to hear from someone who has done it[/quote']

No problem.

 

It can be a lot fun. In fact, I've been craving to do it again a lot lately. I am working on yet another campaign setting and I always start with 'in the beginning...'