zippercomics

Hi all! Once again, I bow to the omnipresent opinions of the great and powerful Hero boards for opinions on a topic at hand. Today, I'm inquiring about the creation of a Fantasy world, and what it means to the players and the campaign. First, some very light background information. Morwold is a world of conflict and unexplored danger. Morwold (or, the "MOdern WOrLD", as it's sometimes called) has quite the list of races and species, of cultures and advancements. It's "high fantasy" as defined by the genre, but with a bit of a darker edge. It's a world where conflicts and wars have all but elimintated a few of the races from the planet, and threaten to do so to more should conflicts not be set aside. Blah blah blah. In other words, it's nothing terribly new. The catch is, I'm trying to write a history of the Morwoldian times, as broken down by "times". In doing so, I want to level the realism of real world history with the energy and fantasy of a, well, fantasy setting. And therein lies my biggest hurdle. Obviously, we have no proof of how the world came to be. Just theories. It makes sense to me that Morwold would operate in much the same manner. But when I try to write an oblique and generally non-commital manner of world generation, I find myself stymied to a few contrived conventions. Mainly, two: either the world was created by the Gods, or by some act of super-science. Most races in a Fantasy setting, if not all of them, I would think would subscribe to Godly aspirations when it comes to how the world came to be. In Morwold, the Gnomes are incredibly science-minded and refuse to leave their creation in the hands of an immutable and untouchable "higher power", so they'll take the science route ... Is that enough though? Does anyone have any suggestions on "world creation" or "how it came to be" mythos that I can touch on? I'm trying to be original without being "wierd" (and it's tough, when I see source material like Killer Shrike or Kieth Curtis' pages) enough to scare away potential players. More than anything, though, I want to make the world unique enough to warrant existing. After all, if I'm just pumping out a Fantasy World to play in, the Turakian Age does that for me, right? I know I'm not giving a lot to go on, but the last two times I've asked for help here, the best questions have come from the questions of the people involved. So, to reiterate, here's where I stand: Theory a) The Tens create The Three Morwold is a world of tens, not unlike our own. Ten is an easily divisible number, it's a staple of math since we can count it on our own hands, and it's just plain handy. Morwoldian faith points to "the Ten Who Cannot Be Named"; ten Gods who created three planes of existence - The World That Is (Earth), the World That Was (the Afterlife), and the World That Cannot Be (Heaven / Hell / Extra Planes). In doing so, life was created for the same reasons that a painter paints - simply to create. Some of the Gods grew tired of us, some didn't, blah blah blah, and the Ten disappeared. Since then, the troubles have begun. Theory The Gnomish "Large Kaboom" theory Gnomes were the first race to largely abandon concepts of mass religion in favor of scientific reasoning. When they did so, they started to postulate that large enough quantities of raw materials, if given the right conditions, would've created a Large Kaboom, big enough to solidify rock, dust, and other inanimates into a single form, vis a vis, Morwold. Since Magic is an undisputed form of energy, the Gnomes believe that Arcanite (Mana) created the Large Kaboom through simple collisions. "Like two drunken Dwarves, banging together so much that invariably, a third and unexpected young Dwarfling will soon appear". Any ideas? Thoughts? I'd love to have a "theory c" and "theory d" (with full due credit where it's due). Thanks!

Re: Bases and Places I'm about to start running a campaign where the base is an old farmstead outside of the city proper. I've tried a lot of different kinds of base locations, and since this one was plausible and new, I thought I'd give it a shot. Standard stuff, really, but I like the idea - for some reason - of a hero team sitting around a small oak table, having coffee and working out battle plans with salt shakers and cow figurines. Okay, maybe not THAT rustic, but just something lower tech. Comic wise, I like the Ultimates' Shield base that sort of hovers in the sky. It just doesn't seem pratical to me in a lot of situations, though. Not like it's hard to see, and if it gets shot down, there's three dimensions of geometric horror as the thing comes crashing down. Say what you will about underground bases, but generally, destroying one of those doesn't run a big risk to the community at large.

Re: Simple power I need help with: "Low Pitch Thrum" I'd rather it didn't do any damage; I'd rather it just knocked them down.

Re: Hyper Intelligence Ya know, it might seem trite, but I've always liked the "supreme combat analyst" angle. I mean, in theory, a smart person could figure out how someone fights pretty quickly. And if they did, maybe they'd be able to start REALLY cutting through those defenses. Maybe like a DCV bonus or something that goes up while they scrap. Sorta like the Clock King from the Batman cartoon, although he isn't really "hyper intelligent". But that's probably a cheapo power.

Hi, Another simple power I need a good build for. I love message boards. I have a character named Orpheus, leader of the Argonauts. His powers are Bardic, in so much that through tones and sound he has power. Catch is, he has no ability to control the tone or power of his voice, and as a result, he has to wear a "squakbox" that controls his tone and keeps it in check. But I digress. One of his powers, "Low Pitch Thrum" is an AoE power that radiates in a cone and causes disconcerting vibrations in the bones of his target's inner ears; as a result, they become dizzy (as I understand can happen), and they fall down. But that's all it does; it makes standing targets fall down. I've seen this done as an EB that has a lim "only to cause knockdown". I've also done it as a Transform "Standing target into prone target". But is there a better way I'm missing? Any help is much appreciated. Thank you.

Hey guys, Okay, so I'm building my version of the Brotherhood for an online game. As all of the players are participants on this board (or will be when it starts), I don't want to spoil any surprises by going into too much detail. But I'm stumped on something. Here's what I'm trying to achieve: The character is a teleporter. More than that, he is actually a portal creator. And he does it quickly and reflexively. So much so that he can create a portal in front of him a split second before a punch lands, and then create an alternate portal somewhere else, to kinda "misplace" the punch. ie: brick goes to punch him in the face, and a second before impact, takes his own fist in the back of his own head. Now, with ranged attacks, this seems pretty easy: Missile Deflection Reflection, any target. No problem. But how do you do that for hand to hand combat attacks? My only request is it's as simple and straightforward as possible. I don't want things to get too crazy. Thanks!

Re: Campaign Ideas: Why are they on this ship? Too true. So what good positions are there on a ship, for PC's? The Firefly formula seems to work well. Captain, First Mate, Mechanic, Soldier, Pilot, Doctor, Civilian. In keeping that I don't want the tech to be important, I see teh ship as being greasy and grubby. So the mechanic is more akin to a car mechanic of our age then an engineer of the Trek age.

Re: Campaign Ideas: Why are they on this ship? Nice. I'm planning on having major, galaxy wide implications to this game, and one of those plots is the coming of a physically brutal opponent who's scouring the galaxy for war. They just launch their ships in a direction and hope to run into opposition. I'd have to be careful not to make it a war game, but it could work well.

Re: Campaign Ideas: Why are they on this ship? These are both really interesting ideas. I like the first one a lot, especially because it evokes more of a feeling about the characters being the core of the story, rather than just plugging them into a universe and asking them to really blend in. The second one's unique as well. I guess my main question, in regards to the first question, is how do I get them on their own ship? I'm toying with the idea of having the Captain be an NPC at first, as it'll be easier to move the PCs into plots. Is this a no-no? Keeping in mind, again, that the majority of my star-based rp'ing is Trek oriented.

Hey all, I'm just toying around with some Star Hero ideas right now, and I'm trying to think of a good backdrop for a campaign. I really like the Terran Empire books, and I'll likely go with a lot of those, but I'm thinking of "flavouring" the text in one direction to give the campaign a specific feel. the thing is, I need help just bouncing ideas and coming up with the 'why's. The biggest, of course, being "why is this crew on this ship"? Now, here's what I have so far: a) I don't want a tech driven game, but I do want a lot of action. Therefore, the galaxy is seen as a more dangerous place where basic knowledge of which end of a blaster pistol to hold is required. I'm a Trekkie (or was, I guess), and I've always liked the "positional" crew, where everyone serves a purpose. The ship (tentatively called the Starline) is a smaller ship that crews only the PCs. But why? What's a neat and interesting reason for a crew to man a ship? I don't want them to be rogues or mercenaries if I can avoid it. I was thinking of making it a colony ship that gets lost when the "big bad event" happens, but honestly, why would the crew of a colony ship stick with it when their mission fails and they march back home with their tails between their legs? I also thought of making it a science ship that's out there doing nerdy stuff, but then I think the tech aspect would factor back in. Any thoughts? I know it's not much to go on, but I'm just looking to bounce ideas (and I'll post the Starline's stats when I can. All I have right now is a pic, and I'm proud of it's very basic, "pontoon" style... even though the discerning eye could tell I hacked it to pieces from a trek ship).

Re: Brooklyn Superhero Supply Company - Omigod... A heroic "carp", no less. That's some cool stuff, man. What a sweet idea!

Re: Greatest Western Movies of all Time Just as a toss in, I'm wondering if "Last of the Mohicans" would apply. I really liked that movie, even if it was a bit "predictable". It strikes me that LotM, along with Quigley, are really the only good westerns to have been made in some time. Even though the genre is still being made, most of what comes out now is poop. It seems.

Re: Western / Steampunk Hero Idea Bouncing: "Bone Falls" Heh. Funny thing is, I came in here to say "what the hell are you guys talking about? Deadlands doesn't seem that great". But, I think it's cause I'm reading the d20 version. Silly me. No harm, no foul. I'll have to try to dig up the other stuff. To be honest, though, I won't be using the system proper as much as I'll be taking inspiration from it. I love building worlds like this, and really, I think that they're easier to run games in. Harder to introduce players to, absolutely, but still a joy to create. I'll try to dig those other books up.

Re: Western / Steampunk Hero Idea Bouncing: "Bone Falls" Heh. I found the d20 Deadlands book, but that's the only one I could find. Limited locations being what they are. I'll give it a read.

Re: Your "2005" Pet Gaming Projects I'm working on "Bone Falls", a Western Steampunk campaign. I can't really say I've accomplished much though, and with my track record, who knows how far I'll get. lol.

Re: Western / Steampunk Hero Idea Bouncing: "Bone Falls" Ironically, I've never heard much beyond Deadlands as a name; I know nothing of the system, but it will definately warrant looking in to for setting flavour and materials. Plus, I'm surprised that I never thought of the Native slant to this; I mean, I have a very binary view of war and conflict, and I generally tend to see it as an "A vs B" type situation. But it could be quite interesting to make it an "A vs. B vs. C" conflict where the aligned states are fighting the independent states, and the independents are fighting back. They, in turn, however, are doing on a much smaller scale to the natives what's being done to them by the aligned. So it's a bit of a three way conflict. Interesting stuff! This is why I like brainstorming! What would population densities be like in this era? I mean, when we say "city" in modern times, we could be talking millions of people. I wonder what a "city" would be back then, however? I mean, population overcrowding wouldn't lead to a need for land, so it's really not a drive for conflict. But having free land might be. Also (and I could look this up, but I'm lazy), what's the agricultural cross section of the United States like? Is there farmland everywhere, or would land in one part of the country be considered more valuable than somewhere else? Thanks!

Re: Western / Steampunk Hero Idea Bouncing: "Bone Falls" I like that! It puts a lot of options on my plate, as a GM, for plot hooks. And since I intend on painting the Unification Front in a relatively poor light, it'll give them something much more grand, more exciting, to battle for. Neat! Speaking of which, and on a much more visceral level, I need a name for said Unification Front. The ... well ... Unification Front sounds too "Borg"-ish. Any ideas? Something that, when a politician says it in a speech, just begs for the thumbs up and the trumpets playing. I was thinking simply of the Alligned States, as it sounds nice and "buddy buddy". As I have more questions, too, I'd like to keep bouncing them off you guys here. Always easier to figure things out when you're discussing them than when you're just milling them over in your mind.

Re: Western / Steampunk Hero Idea Bouncing: "Bone Falls" Alrighty. You've mentioned a lot of things I'll have to research here, but that's what I wanted. Gracias!

Re: Western / Steampunk Hero Idea Bouncing: "Bone Falls" Good questions, all. As far as communications goes, I don't see there being much more beyond standard messanger services and the like. Transportation isn't impossible between the States, with a train network already heavily employed, and carriages and caravans commonly moving about. I'm not sure what would really cause such a conflict besides the fact that there was a unified financial force trying to impose a governmental system that someone else wouldn't want. I would've figured that would be reason enough for "war", especially if it wasn't an overt one that drew a lot of attention. I mean, what about this as a thought; there's two distinctions of States (east and west, north and south, inner and outer, whatever ...). Group A is part of the unification front, and they're the ones who've collected all of the wealth, all of the power, and the army. They started marching armies out on the frontier cities and lands where settlers and vagabonds had more or less drifted, in search of land or wealth they could freely call their own. So, naturally, when the unification front starts coming up to their doors, commenting on how it's a "join or die" situation, the independents wouldn't listen. But, since these are smaller frontier lands, and not major cities or hubs, a lot of little "crimes" could be overlooked. It seems reasonable to me, but I might be skewed. Does it seem reasonable to you guys? Also, as a note, I'm not sure if I was clear that this campaign wouldn't take place in the "United States", but rather a home-brew country that mirrors the setting of the Western genre as it appears in popular medium.

Hi everybody. (no "hi, Doctor Nick", jokes, please). I just want to bounce some ideas off the community at large here, for a campaign setting that I'm writing up. To that end, I just kinda want some input, and a fairly generous helping of "directional guidance" if my ideas seem to derail one another. You see, I'm trying to make a campaign that is both a Western, and a Steampunk game. Generally, they're pretty easy to mix together, since the concept of "Steam powered technology that, while uncommon, does exist" can fit pretty easily into a Western game. The catch here is that I want to incorporate other ideas, as well. Stuff like very low level magic (no spells, but more things like hexes or voodoo or magic centered around cultural ideals that, while unlikely, could be real). So yeah, a melting pot of genres. But "Western" is the backbone of it all. It takes place in a decidely Western world, where a six shooter is still a man's best friend, where a horse is the most reliable mode of transporation, where prostitution is a "career choice", and where the lawmen could be just as reviled and evil as the men they pursued. Since I have the terrible "start from scratch" gene, I've decided to set the campaign in a homebrew "variant" on the United States. Not even sure I'll call it that, but that's where we all come in. I just need ideas. And I really don't know where to start. :smile: I've built worlds before, but they tend to be the kind that I haven't thought through all the way. I need to really crunch down and get some solid stuff documented, especially if I'm going to be introducing others to this world (PBeM, when the time comes). So I guess I should start with the areas in which I need help: History. I'm no history buff, and I don't care to be one. But i know what kinds of things I want in my world. I was thinking of setting it at the beginning of a civil war (many games are set during or near the end, if not just after). The war hasn't started, per se, but it's going to. And it'll be based off of - what I think - is a pretty standard cause of war in History: the assimilation of independent states into a unified government. Naturally, some states agree, some don't. Those that do agree form the (Insert suitable name here); an organization that puts nice, brown uniforms on all their young men, hands them rifles, and sends them out alongside horses and steam-powered tanks to force other states into alignment. Naturally, these guys will be the "bad guys". As for those who chose to remain independent, I don't have any thoughts on them. So there it is; can you guys help me add some flavour to this? Put some meat and potatoes onto the unified states, and the independents. Put some history into it that'll make it more believable? Muchos Merci's, dudes. Thanks!

Hey all, Quick question here. I've ogt a power set I'd like to try, but I gotta give it some thought as to how to go about building it. I was hoping someone here could give me some tips as to how to accomplish this goal. Notice that I want this power to subscribe to at least these one tenant: simple is better. If there's a way that works, and it doesn't involve a bunch of modifiers n' such, that'd be cool. Chances are, I'm missing a really obvious solution, I just can't seem to think of it. So here goes. A little robot. It's really a little mobile battery pack. It's very fragile, very slow, but what makes it unique is that it plugs into bigger, more dangerous robots. Ergo, these big dangerous robots roll around doing all this fighting. When they're destroyed, there's a chance (not 100% chance) that the power pack robot will unplug itself and rush over to another "empty" robot, thereby activating it. In theory, if the PCs don't deal with the "battery pack robots", they could be fighting big dangerous robots for quite some time. Seems like some form of Multiform to me, but I just don't know. Advice would be appreciated. Merci.

Re: Drizzt & Artemis Entreri What about Guen, his onyx cat (note how I didn't try to spell the full name ...)? I can't recall the FH rules on familiars, and I don't feel like reaching the 2 feet to pull the book off the shelf by my monitor, so I'll just propose that Mr. DoUrden has always fallen back on Guen. Based on the way he's "used" and what not, he seems like a slavishly loyal summon to me. Telepathic link. Really, in game terms, nothing more than a weapon. Just a thought. This is a neat idea though. I keep coming back to the newest series, thinking that it would be pretty easy to justify a lot of disadvantages on his character sheet from what we've seen there (not saying a thing, for spoilerific reasons).

Re: Developing Shadowrun Hero, could use some input! Very comprehensive. thanks. It'll take a while for most of this to sink in. Thankfully, I'm using a similar technique, except that I applied Gestures, Limitations, and Side Effect on all of the spells.

Re: Developing Shadowrun Hero, could use some input! Thanks man. I've checked into it, and there's some pretty useful stuff there. Much obliged.

Re: Developing Shadowrun Hero, could use some input! Word up, First off, I might throw out the differentiation between Mana and Physical magic, or at least perhaps define it as the difference between PD and ED. You're right, that's a hard nut to really crack. As for Drain, admittedly, I never gave it a ton of thought. What's the consensus on doing Drain as a Side Effect to each spell, rather than a Susceptibility, though? Since Drain was different on different spells, this would let me customize the amount of damage a Drain could potentially deal on a failure. I could (I think) set it up so that the Side Effect only occurs on a failed roll, right? Again, thanks for any input. Zippercomics