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[shanshan310]

I still need to figure out a character but I am keeeen.

 

[Jintor]

I'm gonna go get on plane and cross an ocean or two so can you guys throw out stuff your like to see in a world?

I have a few ideas about an empire, senate, various houses playing off one another, but that's just one nation. And I need some idea of the kind of fantastic stuff you guys want you see in this game.

Don't worry about treading on one another's toes, it's just throwing ideas around until we actually encounter it in game

 

[Tubobutts]

Ok here is a list of some of the stuff we've mentioned that we can use as a base to expand on or something. I probably missed or misunderstood some stuff.

Crusader Order of Torin, God of Justice (Dwarven God?)
Thieves Guild
Collegium Arcanum
Some sort of Farmland near a forest
A village called Dalindosh that experienced a plague
Steppe lands far away from "The City"


Also I really like the idea Austin and Vinny came up with during the Devil's Third quick look of a mercenary group called The Iron Bar.

 

[sproutella]

Try and figure out a trigger based off his feeling towards "policing" magic perhaps?

Let me know what you think of:
DRIVE: Infernal Affairs - Root out magical corruption and sway authorities to regulate magical use.

Ok here is a list of some of the stuff we've mentioned that we can use as a base to expand on or something. I probably missed or misunderstood some stuff.

Crusader Order of Torin, God of Justice (Dwarven God?)
Thieves Guild
Collegium Arcanum
Some sort of Farmland near a forest
A village called Dalindosh that experienced a plague
Steppe lands far away from "The City"

Also I really like the idea Austin and Vinny came up with during the Devil's Third quick look of a mercenary group called The Iron Bar.

Nice start, I agree The Iron Bar sounds like a top tier Merc outfit. They sound like Big Beefy dudes/ladies who get shit done.

Grabbing some 'things that sound cool' from that Dwarf Fortress list

- Parent Civ: The Enchanted Empire, humans - could be a weird cool thing if people are interested in a high magic Civilization. Or they could be lying liars who call themselves that to sound cool/ project dominance.

- Parent Civ: The Confederation of Abbeys - I'm down for a collective of Monk-run states. Could be ripe for political intrigue, religious tension.

- Xokngerxung, "Takewicked", dark pits, Owner: The Faint Omens, humans, 7 humans - These could either be a bunch of bad guys sitting in high thrones laughing maniacally at their schemes, or a bunch of oracles gathered that people go to for wisdom. Or something else entirely, I just got a kick out of 7 people hanging out in pits calling themselves The Dark Omens. Wait. Typing that makes me realize they are totally a metal and/or emo band.

- Mirrors of Cooperation, dwarves - sound to me like a mining corporation, that does some brainwashing?

Also I think before we get to into the weeds with Worldbuilding it would be a good idea to get everyone's general input with regard to the basics of the world we want to build. Just so when we do come up with stuff and improvise it's within a little bit of a framework. Just so stuff like expectations regarding involvement of Gods, tech/magic level, social structures, etc could be set. From the stuff from our character's backgrounds, there is only pretty minor presuppositions (that some have created guilds/Colleges/crusader orders), so we can go in a whole lot of directions.


*Also please feel free to completely change the direction/ suggest alternatives for any of the worldbuilding stuff I put down.

 

[Tubobutts]

Also I think before we get to into the weeds with Worldbuilding it would be a good idea to get everyone's general input with regard to the basics of the world we want to build. Just so when we do come up with stuff and improvise it's within a little bit of a framework. Just so stuff like expectations regarding involvement of Gods, tech/magic level, social structures, etc could be set. From the stuff from our character's backgrounds, there is only pretty minor presuppositions (that some have created guilds/Colleges/crusader orders), so we can go in a whole lot of directions.

I agree with this. I generally like lower magic and tech levels, but if people want the opposite I've got no problem with it. It could also be interesting if there are wildly disparate levels of magic, technology, divine involvement, etc in different places. I also think it would be helpful if we had some sort of rough map. I'm not really familiar with how Dwarf Fortress generates stuff because the only time I played it was when GB was doing Dave Fortress.

I'm going to go re-listen the first episode of Friends at the Table to see how they did it to maybe get an idea of how to start.

Also I like the idea of a collective of Monk run states.

 

[Bowlie]

I still need to figure out a character but I am keeeen.

come!

----

I don't have issues with levels of magic or tech either, but I wanted at least to have different levels of acceptance and availability (otherwise, Serrick wouldn't be afraid to change his form in his homeland).

Like in one region magic is something believed as divine by some religious organization, and any kind of magic that doesn't come from their god(s) is treated by them as unworthy; in another region, magic is widely used and accepted by folks; and in another people have studied so much over the ages that they tend to prefer science over beliefs unsupported by evidence.

I know I've only given three examples, but we're doing this slowly c:

Also, merry christmas everyone!

 

[Tubobutts]

One idea I came up with is that for Thrakdur's people all magic is considered divine. It may not necessarily be true from a meta perspective, but they believe that all sorts of magic come from the gods. So he would view Serrick, Hamur, and Deken as all doing the same thing in different ways.

One of the things I really like in fantasy stuff is that in universe scholars and historians may not be right. Not as a conspiracy thing, but just as way to show a variety of different beliefs and opinions that may contradict each other. Elder Scrolls does this really well.

 

[Bowlie]

Could you guys give examples of inserting technology in a fantasy world? I fail to think of something nice.



off-topic: hell yeah; a few months ago I went deep into TES lore and there are at least 6 ways people believe the world was created, and none are wrong. Took me some weeks to get used to that kind of thought. And the Creation is the easiest part to grasp.

 

[Tubobutts]

Off the top of my head:

Eberron: Magitech stuff like trains, airships, and robots. I think generally magic replaces technology

Warhammer: There are different levels of technology in different places, but the Empire has guns and steam powered tanks, dwarfs have submarines and helicopters. Warcraft is similar, but in some cases more advanced.

Discworld: Technology and magic coexist although technology is in some ways easier and less dangerous than magic. Technology takes over as you get into the later books.

Like I said, I'm not a huge fan of steampunk/Magitech so I'm not going to be good at coming up with ideas of how to incorporate that stuff. I've got no problem with it existing in the world, but I don't think I'll be much help.

Maybe the best approach is for each of us to create the society/ area our characters are from and then try to make contradictory ideas work and mix and match interesting ones? I don't know if Jintor is still around, but it would be helpful to know what sort of information we should provide which is why I'm kind of waiting for someone else to do something first.

Also I'm really bad at coming up with names for stuff so that's delaying me a bit.

 

[justjim89]

While Thief is a bit more steampunk, it's still fantasy and I think it's elements of competing factions representing the power of man's ability to build vs. the inherent power of nature is a compelling idea at it's core. I'm not saying we copy it altogether, but I think a conflict between two factions representing opposing ideals for the world could be some good fodder for a group of adventurers to find themselves caught up in.

 

[Tubobutts]

Ok I decide to use a D&D book as a template. All names are placeholders and some stuff is copied because I've got nothing. I'm willing to change pretty much everything:

The Steppe

Capitol: Nothing Formal, Maybe there is a religious site various tribes gather at occasionally
Population: I have no clue (Mostly Humans?)
Governmant: Tribal
Religions: Elemental Shamanism
Imports/Exports: No idea

It's a steppe, lots of open grassy plains, probably some mountains somewhere. There are various tribes of Steppe Nomads of which the Yizmaht are one. Tribes have various rivalries and allegiances that change often. They are nomadic, moving to new places within their territories as the seasons change in order to feed the (Fantasy? animal) they herd.

The locals have been known to both raid and trade with nearby civilizations. They tend to view outsiders with a degree of distrust, but can be friendly with those they get to know. Some people say that the Steppe Nomads are oath breakers, but the truth is that oath making is a complicated process that outsiders don't understand.

Life and Society
Life on the steppe is harsh, with little farmland and frequent storms. The nomads depend on their horses for transport, herding, warfare, and occasionally food. The Nomads are egalitarian and meritocratic, an outsider that proves themselves can rise to a respected position. Men and women are both expected to be able to ride and fight, the one exception being that after having children women are expected to give up raiding and stay behind to defend their homes. This is not a hard and fast rule and if a women is a great enough warrior she will continue to raid while her husband is charged with defending the homestead.

Religion
The Nomads follow a sort of elemental shamanism in which there are a variety of spirits inhabiting the land. There are four spirits that could be equated to the gods of other cultures.

Shandur, the Skyfather: The most powerful of the gods, it is believed that everything came from him. It is believed that he communicates with Shamans through storms.

Unod: God of Life and Fertility, the nomads bury the dead in the Earth believing they will later be reborn

Arkahz: Born of the Sun, the Fire God cares the most for humanity. Most rituals involve some sort of fire as a result. There is a taboo against important events taking place during the night (Births, marriages, funerals) as it is when the Fire God is not watching.

Shorn: The God of death, Corruption of Rain. Although rain is a gift from Shandur, large bodies of water are believed to be portals to the underworld. As a result any water drawn from these sources must be purified by the divine fire before being used. The bodies of traitors and kinslayers are drowned, going to the underworld with no chance of reincarnation.

Major Geographical Sites
Some sort of tall mountain that Shaman climb to receive visions from Shandur.


Fun fact: Steppe Nomads will under no circumstances eat any sort of fish.

 

[Jintor]

As I mentioned above, btw, I love discworld, especially the semi-industrial revolution it's going through.

I got off the plane just a little while ago, but i had some vague ideas about a city kinda like 1920s Hong Kong or Shanghai - a trade city on reluctant foreign shores, controlled by a colonial outreach administration in stark divide to the various native populace. I'll write something up later.

 

[sproutella]

As I mentioned above, btw, I love discworld, especially the semi-industrial revolution it's going through.

I got off the plane just a little while ago, but i had some vague ideas about a city kinda like 1920s Hong Kong or Shanghai - a trade city on reluctant foreign shores, controlled by a colonial outreach administration in stark divide to the various native populace. I'll write something up later.

Sounds awesome, same with the Steppe background detail

One idea I came up with is that for Thrakdur's people all magic is considered divine. It may not necessarily be true from a meta perspective, but they believe that all sorts of magic come from the gods. So he would view Serrick, Hamur, and Deken as all doing the same thing in different ways.

One of the things I really like in fantasy stuff is that in universe scholars and historians may not be right. Not as a conspiracy thing, but just as way to show a variety of different beliefs and opinions that may contradict each other. Elder Scrolls does this really well.

I'm definitely in on so called authorities being wrong about history, science, whatever

 

[Tubobutts]

As I mentioned above, btw, I love discworld, especially the semi-industrial revolution it's going through.

I got off the plane just a little while ago, but i had some vague ideas about a city kinda like 1920s Hong Kong or Shanghai - a trade city on reluctant foreign shores, controlled by a colonial outreach administration in stark divide to the various native populace. I'll write something up later.

Sounds like it could be interesting. I like the idea of my dude being seen as a barbarian by both the the colonialists and natives. Do you have any sort of map in mind?

 

[Jintor]

yeah but i left it in another country, lol

let me generate some Dwarf Fortress maps. (These will be a little hard to read, so bear with me)

 

[Jintor]

this map took like 3 hours to generate lol

 

[Tubobutts]

Here is what's probably a dumb question, What kind of scale is that map in? I'm not very familiar with Dwarf Fortress.

 

[Xamtheking]

Hey Jintor, I won't be able to make it to a computer until Jan 1st, is that ok? I can make a sheet quickly once i get back

 

[Jintor]

That's cool, I think we're probably just gonna be tooling around worldbuilding and sorta talking out the expectations for this kinda campaign until then I think.

I want to throw out some quick inspirations while we're here... think Avatar The Last Airbender/Legend of Korra, Discworld, a dash of Princess Bride... that kind of fun fantasy with serious bits.

Don't worry about map scale, that's just maybe an idea for what continents are like, the layout of countries, etc. We're not bound to anything until we write about it in our adventures anyway. Heck we might just ball up and throw away that map if we feel like it. Sure looks pretty though!

 

[Tubobutts]

I was mainly wondering how big the island in the lower left is. It seems like a cool place for the monk collective that was mentioned earlier, but if it's supposed to be like Australia sized that's probably too big.

Also you mentioned three of my most favorite things so I'm way on board.

 

[Jintor]

Everything's mutable! We can scale up/down as you like.

In person actually the optimal way imho to play this is to just have a stack of index cards, write a location on it as someone invents it in story, and work out where to put it in relation to other cards so you're like "oh it's four days west of here" *puts index card on the right of whatever here is at the moment*

the map's not really important so much as ideas are really

 

[Jintor]

I've got some ideas in mind for the City, but for a moment, let's take a look at our character relationships.

By the way, you're not actually locked to the relationships written on your bond sheet. If you want to make an extra one or change an existing one, go ahead. Two things - your bonds are one-way, that is to say, they're how YOUR character feels about another character. The second is you shouldn't go past more than four bonds when we start.

Here's a quick mindmap of what we've got now (Hamur yet to post bonds):

Here's some interesting things you see at a glance:

• Waymore and Ein have worked together before, apparently - hell, they're running some kind of con, right now!
• Serrick and Dekan also have past history - hell, Serrick saved Dekan's life (and apparently they've "shared blood" - this doesn't have to be literal. But is it?)
• Thrakdur told Ein a secret, and Dekan thinks Ein's keeping a secret - weird!
• Serrick has incriminating evidence about Waymore but doesn't have a current bond with him. Does he know he has the evidence? Or does Waymore just think Serrick has evidence?

Worldbuilding might be more interesting with a bit of direction, so:

• Dekan, tell me either of the Collegium Arcanum or whatever country Dalindosh is in.
• Serrick, tell me of the country surrounding your farm or is it the same country that Dalindosh is in? If so, tell me of the spirits that whisper words in your dreams
• Waymore, tell me of the city you grew up in or of a famous prison you escaped or were released from
• Ein, tell me of a myth or legend you sing about or a memorable place you performed
• Hamur, when you read this, tell me of Dwarves or of Torin and his fellow pantheon
• Thrakdur you've already made the Steppes, but if you'd like, you could also tell me of the roads to The City or How You Lost Your Horse

 

[Bowlie]

I want to throw out some quick inspirations while we're here... think Avatar The Last Airbender/Legend of Korra, Discworld, a dash of Princess Bride... that kind of fun fantasy with serious bits.

I'm so into this.

Worldbuilding might be more interesting with a bit of direction, so:

• Serrick, tell me of the country surrounding your farm or is it the same country that Dalindosh is in? If so, tell me of the spirits that whisper words in your dreams

Huh, Dalindosh? I don't recall by name, but perhaps it's down the Falls. Not much nature there, and the trip's perilous, so I don't go that way often. My country, the country of Noshee, is a small, relatively young country. I live in the northern part, almost entirely composed of villages, farms, little towns, and forests between them. It is divided from the southern part by a mountain range called Chesed, where the Falls are located. Down there is where you want to go if you're looking for large cities, commerce, travelers and passage to the other countries.

They - are "they" even countable? - are benevolent, nameless spirits. They used to come to me as the leaves rustled words of teaching (sorry, best way I can describe) that helped me focus that new-found ability. Just as I was getting the hang of it, they went away; and then they came back, but now in "person". Sometimes I don't see them, more like feel them, but we talk, sing, laugh and share tales. Me from the present, them from the past.
(But they don't tell me everything: I don't know why did they choose to talk to me, or why did I receive this gift. I want to find someone who knows them.)

 

[sproutella]

Worldbuilding might be more interesting with a bit of direction, so:

• Dekan, tell me either of the Collegium Arcanum or whatever country Dalindosh is in.

• 
  
  

  That's cool, I think we're probably just gonna be tooling around worldbuilding and sorta talking out the expectations for this kinda campaign until then I think.
  
  I want to throw out some quick inspirations while we're here... think Avatar The Last Airbender/Legend of Korra, Discworld, a dash of Princess Bride... that kind of fun fantasy with serious bits.
  
  Don't worry about map scale, that's just maybe an idea for what continents are like, the layout of countries, etc. We're not bound to anything until we write about it in our adventures anyway. Heck we might just ball up and throw away that map if we feel like it. Sure looks pretty though!

  
  Those directions for the world sound perfect, haven't read any Discworld (just Good Omens), but I get the tone of it.
  
  Will post about Dalindosh later...

 

[Tubobutts]

I've got an idea for the story of how Thrakdur lost his Horse, but I've got two questions;

Jintor: Do you have a name for the country/kingdom/etc that is being occupied by the Empire? If so what would you call a person from there? Wanted to check before I tried making something up.

Sproutella: I don't know what you have in mind, but would you approve of me using the suffix "-dosh" to mean something like town or village? I was thinking there would be some so of loose conglomeration where all the names of all the towns end in dosh. And then having the Steppe Nomads know them as Doshii, or Doshmen, or something.

 

[sproutella]

I've got an idea for the story of how Thrakdur lost his Horse, but I've got two questions;

Jintor: Do you have a name for the country/kingdom/etc that is being occupied by the Empire? If so what would you call a person from there? Wanted to check before I tried making something up.

Sproutella: I don't know what you have in mind, but would you approve of me using the suffix "-dosh" to mean something like town or village? I was thinking there would be some so of loose conglomeration where all the names of all the towns end in dosh. And then having the Steppe Nomads know them as Doshii, or Doshmen, or something.

That sounds great, I like how doshii sounds.

 

[Jintor]

Jintor: Do you have a name for the country/kingdom/etc that is being occupied by the Empire? If so what would you call a person from there? Wanted to check before I tried making something up.

The City of Xingchu is a trade hub on the edge of a huge continent. Said continent is divided into a number of different nation-states, a few of which are nominally bound together into the Chuu Kingdoms, which comprise most of the nations of the mainland. (Noshee and the -Doshlands are likely adjacent to or an actual part of the Chuu Kingdoms)

The way I see it, the Imperium is from... over the sea, and the City of Xingchu is a relatively newly established trading post (probably a mere 50-100 years or so - again, more Hong Kong - very unlike Dejima, Nagasaki, where the native government remained in control) administrated by the Imperium. They're assholes, sure, and they basically forced the Chuu kingdoms somehow to allow them a trading post by which they would have access to this region, but they've a gift for trade and the location is extremely good for ships plying the seas or the nearby archipelagos, so the City has grown far beyond what anybody really anticipated. As a technically separate political entity, those seeking political asylum also flock towards Xingchu, which doesn't help matters - and it's not as if the Imperium welcomes them with open arms, either.

Note that the Imperium doesn't appear to be interested in conquering the rest of the Chuu kingdoms, for whatever reason; they're content (or perhaps far too busy) with merely administrating Xingchu. For what reason total war is off the cards. On the part of the Chuu, they're far too busy trying to keep everything together as it is - their political situation was likely screwy enough without the Imperium butting in on their land.

As far what the populace might be called - if you're speaking Chuu, you'd say a general inhabitant of the Kingdoms would be Chuu-ren or maybe Chuu-jin. I don't know what the Imperium calls them, but it's probably just the Chuu - other names are not fit for polite company. Things from Chuu are Chuunian. Of course, each Kingdom within the Chuu has their own name and their own relevant designation. As for natives of Xingchu, they're probably Xingese (chu being a suffix as well, though in this case it means Harbor).

 

[justjim89]

[*]Waymore, tell me of the city you grew up in or of a famous prison you escaped or were released from

I've been locked up my fair share of times, though typically not for very long. Perhaps my most notable escape was from the infamous Hangman's Harbor Prison Ship. Hangman's Harbor is an unassuming nothing of a town that serves only as a port for that dreaded iron monstrosity. It's far to the Southwest, and thankfully far from my concern at this point.

But about nine years ago I was down in that neck of the woods to escape some heat I'd garnered myself up here. That's a story for another time, my friends, but let's just say there's a very good reason that I keep business and pleasure separate. You know how youth creates delusions of superiority, though. You always think you're elusive enough to avoid the complications your libido creates. Oh, sometimes even I myself am impressed by the fact that I'm still here.

Back to the matter at hand, though. I was down in that region in one of the larger trading towns, trying to get a lay of the land before making any significant heists. A few coin purses from the merchants, a few fruits from the stands. The kind of things I could take in my sleep. But after a few months of living lean, the old itch started to get the better of me. It'd been too long since I made a big score. So I planned one, just one, to tide me over until I could move back north. It was a good, old-fashioned bank heist. I made contact with a local fence who managed to snag me a hastily-drawn floorplan of the place that some sucker had drawn up in a previous attempt. It wasn't exactly a blueprint, but it gave me a good approximation of the places I couldn't see in my scouting trips during business hours. So I went about planning it for a week or so, ordered some custom arrows from the fletcher and got my armor patched up at the tanner's. But it was screwed before I even picked the lock on the front door. A day before I made my attempt, the fence got busted by the local guards after he tried to sell a woman her own gold earrings, and gave up everything he knew. By the time I got in, they had no less than two dozen men waiting for me. I hope I get to see that bastard again someday.

So after I'm taken in and beaten half to death, they ship me off to Hangman's Harbor. No trial, no theatrics, they had me dead to rights. The ship, at the time, was a day's row from shore, though it seemed like seven since my escorts there made me row with a broken arm and a few broken fingers. By the time I was aboard, I was actually thankful. That is, until I was chained up alongside a hundred and some-odd other lads in the bowels of the ship. Sweltering, starving, and stinking of an odor that surpasses any other I've experienced in my days, that iron tub was hell. After a month aboard, I'd given up hope on a window for escape. After three months, the fellow next to me died, either of starvation or dehydration, and they left his carcass there to mock us until the rats ate all they wanted of his flesh. After six months, I'd resigned that I was going to die there. My muscles were gone, my dexterity eroded, and my sharp eyes now dull in the perpetual stinking darkness. But it only takes one opportunity, dear friends, to turn even the most dire of circumstances around.

One early morning, the ship was rocking furiously. The waves that crashed against the sides of ship sounded like roaring thunder. The thunder, as it were, also sounded like thunder. It was a hell of a storm, to be sure. The first of it's kind I'd seen in the region. Roderick, about twelve men down from me, commented that they only see a tempest like that once every decade or so. The last time one struck the coast, he'd apparently been holed up tight with his wife and baby daughter. No one really talked about they were in for, but Roderick seemed like the innocent type. Not the type that says they're innocent, mind you, but the type that truly didn't belong on there. But as the storm rocked us all the over the sea, Roderick began to try and rouse up the men. A few voices from the crowd spoke up in encouragement, but the rest of the living dead around us could only groan with sea sickness. I spoke up hoarsely, and we began to devise a plan.

The plan wasn't terribly complicated, as most good plans aren't, but it was still incredibly risky. I'd resigned to put my life on the line, but I was in no position to condemn the lot of us to death, as would surely be the case if the guards quelled a breakout attempt. Still, it was the most hope I'd had in too long a time. It'd been two days since we'd last gotten food or water, so today they were bound to come down to our deck and feed us. When they did, it was always in groups of four. One guard with food, one guard with water, and two more to hit random prisoners with the hilt of their swords, lest we gave them an excuse to use the sharp end. We'd have to move quick to disable to the latter two, as the ones with food and water would only need a moment longer to draw their own blades. Any other day, the second any one of us moved even a toe an inch too close to them, we'd be run through in a moment and that would be that. But the storming and the shaking of the ship was just enough of a chance we needed to catch them off balance. And the deafening noise would hopefully conceal any screams for backup.

It seemed as though an eternity, but eventually the hatch opened up, the stairs folded down, and in walked the lunch crew. And luck was on our side that day, for one of the backup swordsmen wasn't wearing his armor! His undershirt was smeared in vomit, his face looked green, and that was all I needed to bolster my confidence. I shot a knowing look at Roderick, and he smiled with me. A cup of water and bowl of gruel was set before me, and I let them spit on me and pass. They were about even with Roderick when the sick one was passing in front of my feet. A rock of the ship sent him stumbling towards me, and with all the strength I could muster, I kicked his legs out from under him. He fell backwards on top of me, and wrapped my arm chains around his throat. The rest of the din I could barely hear or perceive: Roderick breaking a hand loose and pummeling the man with water, the three men across from me ravenously kicking and tearing at the other swordsman, the crack of the thunder, I barely noticed any of it. All that mattered was my chain wrapped around that sow's throat, and as he gurgled and groaned and struggled for breath I could hear myself cackling and growling at him. By the time his arms fell limp and the life left his body, it was over. Four men dead. But it all would have been for nothing if the man with the gruel hadn't had a set of keys on him. The rest was easy by comparison. A stampede through the ship, a wave of malnourished fury sweeping over the whole crew, and a torrential downpour of bodies over sides of the ship, swimming for freedom.

Truth be told, it's a wonder I'm not dead. Between the storm and the lack of strength, I think only a dozen or so, including myself, made it to shore. I hope Roderick got back to his wife and child. I hope someday I can buy him a round.

 

[Abusement Park]

Gonna peruse this thread later, I'm wowed by the amount of stuff that's already being talked about. I still need to put a character idea together but I'm definitely on board.

Edit: Reading through, it seems we may already be full on players. Let me know if that's the case and I'll happily read along rather than play with you all.

 

[Jintor]

if you can put together a char concept and sheet together by Jan 1st your time I'll see whether we have enough extra players to make a new party, since others have expressed interest but haven't started posting yet

 

[Tubobutts]

Thrakdur you've already made the Steppes, but if you'd like, you could also tell me of the roads to The City or How You Lost Your Horse

Thrakdur rak Yizmaht was riding to Xingchu, where there was wealth and glory to be found. Passing through the lands of the Doshii, he could feel the stares and hear the murmurs of the farmers and merchants, the Doshii ever wary of a man on a horse. In need of rest and with pelts to sell, Thrakdur rak Yizmaht dismounted in front of the villages lone inn. The tavern-master refused the pelts and scoffed at the foreign coins the horseman had gathered in his travels. Grim men with sickles and hooks had gathered at the entrance to the inn and Thrakdur rak Yizmaht knew that in great enough numbers, even goats could kill a wolf.

Thrakdur rak Yizmaht had spent many nights beneath the open sky and this one would be no different. Shandur spoke, and the horseman knew he would have to find shelter soon. Spotting caves in the distance Thrakdur rak Yizmaht smiled and rode towards them. Suddenly, he was knocked from his horse, a great beast of gnashing teeth and rending claws upon him. Thrakdur rak Yizmaht growled back at the beast and muscles straining, held it away. Although his strength was great, He knew he was no match for the beast. Yet this was not the day Thrakdur rak Yizmaht would die, and the beast was thrown from on top of him. His horse, a true horse, a horse of the Yizmaht, equal to three Chuu-ren warriors in battle, had joined the fight sending the beast flying with a mighty kick. The nomad scrambled for his axe as his horse rained hooves upon the beast. But this was a mighty beast and it was not so easily cowed. The beast lept upon the horse, biting and clawing before being thrown from its back. Seeing his chance, Thrakdur rak Yizmaht took up hi axe and with a scream, slayed the beast. The rage of battle subsiding, Thrakdur rak Yizmaht saw that the beast was not the only casualty. His horse had been gravely wounded in the struggle and would not survive. Thrakdur rak Yizmaht did what was correct and in accordance with tradition. He gave the horse a quick death and went to work. The Nomad butchered and skinned the horse. In the skin he gathered the organs and meat of the horse, setting aside a small portion to sustain him on his journey. He braided the horse's mane, and taking a rib from the horse made a necklace. The rest of the bones were buried in the earth, so that it might be reborn. On top of this he built a fire and into it placed the skin containing the meat and organs so that the horse's spirit would ride with Shandur. Thrakdur rak Yizmaht skinned the beast to make a cloak, and knowing his journey would be all the harder without a horse, continued on his way.

 

[Sawneeks]

if you can put together a char concept and sheet together by Jan 1st your time I'll see whether we have enough extra players to make a new party, since others have expressed interest but haven't started posting yet

If you do decide to start an extra side group I would gladly join in. It's been a while since I played in Dungeon World but it's a ton of fun and I would love to give it another go!

 

[Jintor]

I think we might have enough here to start very soon, so I'll pm each of the current party when I wake up tomorrow. The best way to really start building is to play, anyway

 

[Jintor]

Alright friends, let's learn how to play the game.



General Concepts

As always, we start at the guide for our examples and running you through things, with a few modifications since we're playing Play By Post and our ability to simply talk things out (in the improv sense) is somewhat hampered.

What we are going to do is something like this:

1. I will post a starting point, a situation.
2. After linking your name and other relevant info at the top of your post, you tell me what your character wants to do in the fiction.
3. Normally, at this point I would make some judgement calls and narrow that down to a move, but since we're doing PbP, I want you guys to look at your own move lists and see whether whatever it is you want to do triggers either a basic move or a class move. More on those later.
4. If your actions trigger a move, roll for the move and report your results. If your move involves dealing damage, additionally roll for damage.
5. At this point, your turn ends, and you wait for me to decide how your situation resolves and bring up a new situation, or offer, or whatever.

That's pretty much the basics. Obviously there will be a lot of OOC talk, asking how to resolve things and so on, but this formula will probably be alright

Moves

Aside from the moves on your own character sheets, every character has access to basic moves. Moves have two main components aside from the roll, a trigger and the effect. To put it another way, you don't select a move like you would in a MMO or tactics game - "I use Hack and Slash" or "I use Defend". Instead, you tell me - fictionally - what you are doing ("I'm going to run up to the elf and try and recklessly try to stab him", "I grab the shield off the floor and plant myself behind it as the fire cascades around me") and that action will trigger the move.

Most moves add a modifier of some kind, usually your stat modifier (CHA, STR etc) but occasionally other things like your Bond. As usual, 10+ is "Yes", 7-9 is "Yes, but..." and 2-6 is "Trouble and gain +1 XP".

First and foremost moves affect the fiction, but they also have a few mechanical properties:

• Deal damage - roll damage dice
• Take 1 forward - add +1 to your next (relevant) roll (not damage)
• Take 1 ongoing - add +1 to all move rolls until a condition is met
• Take 'hold' - Hold is a temporary resource you can spend to do things
• Present choices
• Let you say things
• Add 1 XP (Mark XP)

Basic Moves

Again, check the basic move list, but to summarise:

• Hack and Slash (+STR) - When attacking a prepared enemy in melee range who will definitely fight back.
• Volley (+DEX) - When firing at an enemy from range
• Defy Danger (+Varies) - When acting despite an imminent threat. Unlike most other moves, you can add whatever modifier you want so long as you can justify using that stat to defy the danger. Does not apply to 'trading blows' with an enemy - that's Hack and Slash - but might apply if, for instance, they are definitely going to get a shot in that you can't respond to.
• Defend (+CON) - When actively defending something, either by intercepting attacks or stopping others from getting near it
• Spout Lore (+INT) - When you're racking your brains to remember a fact or knowledge.
• Discern Realities (+WIS) - When you're closely examining a situation or person. For this move to trigger, you need to be taking some time to examine the thing in some way - not always possible in the middle of battle!
• Parlay (+CHA) - When you have leverage over a GM character in some way (promises or threats) and try and make them do what you want. Remember, you absolutely need leverage in some way, otherwise you're just talking.
• Aid or Interfere (+BOND) - If you want to help (or hinder) someone else with their roll. You can give +1 or -2, your choice. Normally you should post this before the other person makes their roll... and in order to keep PbP rolling smoothly, I think I'll stick to that rule: declare your Aid rolls before the other person rolls. This might mean they don't want to roll in the same post they declare their action, but that's okay.

That's it for normal play rolls. There's a few special ones but you can read about them on your own and I'll point them out when they come up in play.

Besides our Dwarven Crusader, are we all ready to start soon?

 

[Ultimate_Trainer]

Ein, tell me of a myth or legend you sing about or a memorable place you performed

As a child, I went to the east coast city of Lybster where I learned Seid, the legendary adventurer that saved a merchant ship from an unknown beast dragging the ship down. It still lives lurking the east coast ravaging ships that dared to sail close to its recent home (its nomadic). Lybster was a boring old fishing and trading village that only got lively during the celebration of Seid's legend. The old shacks were buried away by the colorful lights and decorations before showing itself again a day or two after. Traders had to avoid the deep waters of the west sea by sailing more southward and follow the coast to reach Lybster. Since the fishermen could only go so far out, they could only get the small fishes of 6 inches in length instead of the huge ones that could grow 2 or 3 feet out in the deeper waters.

 

[Tubobutts]

I'm ready to start whenever.

 

[justjim89]

I'm down to start anytime.

 

[Ultimate_Trainer]

I think I got it. Ready to start.

 

[Bowlie]

I'm down as well.

 

[sproutella]

Ready for launch captain

 

[Jintor]

Okay, Hamur can join us a little later. Let's begin. Remember to keep OOC distinguishable in some way - I prefer italics, though GM commands will probably be in bold.

---

It was supposed to be an easy job.

The setting sun shines a glorious purplish-orangey kind of light down on the bustling, busy, violently alive city of Xingchu, where an event such as a screaming man being thrown out of a second-floor teahouse window is not such an uncommon sight. In fact, it has only just recently occurred.

There are screaming servant girls and upturned food carts and shattered glass. You are all in the room, and negotiations have taken a turn for the worse.

To start with, answer one (set of) question(s) that hasn’t been answered by another player:

• Apart from you all, there’s three males and two females in this room with unmistakably hostile intent. Who are they, and why are they here?
• You came here to get something. What was it? What did you tell the others about it before you got here?
• Who got flung out the window? You? One of them? A random bystander? Why?
• The Lucky Koi is Xingchu’s third-most famous tea house – but it houses a secret. What is it? How do you know?
• Who are you working for? What leverage do they dangle over your head or heads?
• Brawls may be a common occurrence in Xingchu, but actually dying in the streets (or teahouses) is pretty rare. Why?

After that – What do you do?

 

[sproutella]

• Apart from you all, there’s three males and two females in this room with unmistakably hostile intent. Who are they, and why are they here?
• You came here to get something. What was it? What did you tell the others about it before you got here?
• Who got flung out the window? You? One of them? A random bystander? Why?
• The Lucky Koi is Xingchu’s third-most famous tea house – but it houses a secret. What is it? How do you know?
• Who are you working for? What leverage do they dangle over your head or heads?
• Brawls may be a common occurrence in Xingchu, but actually dying in the streets (or teahouses) is pretty rare. Why?

Xingchu was built near a bay in which grows an undersea plant called Vace's herb, or just Vaces for short. This is one of few locations where Vaces is very naturally abundant, and attempts to cultivate it in other environments have been less than fruitful. Vace's herb contains powerful restorative properties even raw, and when brewed with the right ingredients, it provides potent healing from traumatic injuries. Seizing on the resource, industrious herbalists and alchemists have produced potions derived from Vaces in large quantities. The owners of the distilleries have worked with local clinics to provide the drug to any who need it, provided they can pay for it or sign a labor contract equal to the cost of the drug. The labor involves work in the underwater Vaces farms. Which are not pleasant believe it or not.

After that – What do you do?

I take nervous sip of my tea (a plain green) and give an expectant glance toward Thrakdur. I'll also scope out some possible exits or places to find cover.

 

[Ultimate_Trainer]

Who got flung out the window? You? One of them? A random bystander? Why?

Bareth a wandering merchant who comes up with unusual goods and services such as fireworks and other wondrous toys. He is a crude person and really annoying to deal with. He is dressed in exotic yet a bit dusty clothing. Bareth was thrown out by the owner of Lucky Koi since he was stubborn about selling the fireworks to draw up more business.

I uncomfortably tune my sitar, thinking of what tunes to play. Maybe a bit of music would calm everyone down.

 

[Tubobutts]

Apart from you all, there’s three males and two females in this room with unmistakably hostile intent. Who are they, and why are they here?

The City Guard tends to show up when a man is thrown out a window, although these five showed up remarkably fast. They are also usually suspicious of foreigners, especially after a man is thrown out a window.

I put my hand near my axe, ready to draw it if they cannot be convinced we weren't to blame.

 

[Bowlie]

The Lucky Koi is Xingchu’s third-most famous tea house – but it houses a secret. What is it? How do you know?

The Lucky Koi has not gained all its fame just by selling common Chuunian herb tea, I think. In the back of the house, behind the shoji doors, there are spots where people are drinking some kind of hot brew (you can see by the haze rising to the ceiling). Wouldn't expect this kind of establishment to have need of such privacy for a normal tea.

I'm about to do Discern Realities. My WIS modifier is +2, and I rolled a 5 and a 3, making the total 10. Please tell me if it's alright doing like this, Jintor.

Without losing mind of the ongoing negotiation at the table, I search my surroundings hoping to learn more about the haze and these guards.

 

[Blargonaut]

Oof, just saw this thread now, sounds intriguing. I'd love to sign up for a party, if you're still open for new players! Although, this would be my first time with this game, I think I can functionally grasp it within a day or two...

 

[Palmer_v1]

Oof, just saw this thread now, sounds intriguing. I'd love to sign up for a party, if you're still open for new players! Although, this would be my first time with this game, I think I can functionally grasp it within a day or two...

I can vouch for his creativeness(they know about GAFIA, Blarg!)

More seriously, I'm kind of interested as well, but wanted to watch the proceedings for a bit to get a better understanding.

 

[Blargonaut]

I can vouch for his creativeness(they know about GAFIA, Blarg!)

More seriously, I'm kind of interested as well, but wanted to watch the proceedings for a bit to get a better understanding.

See, my application even has references! Thanks, Palmer

I think I can come up with a character sheet by tomorrow, although, Jintor, if there are enough players for a second party, would that entail a second game/game thread running simultaneously with this one? Or just incorporate late joiners into this game at a certain point from now?

I can wait until the first game's over to join, if necessary. Don't want to clutter up the current proceedings too much...

 

[Jintor]

I'm about to do Discern Realities. My WIS modifier is +2, and I rolled a 5 and a 3, making the total 10. Please tell me if it's alright doing like this, Jintor.

Ask 3 questions from this list and take +1 forward when asking on the answers. (For all players: when using moves that result in players needing to make a choice, incorporate the choices into the same post; it speeds things up)

• What happened here recently?
• What is about to happen?
• What should I be on the lookout for?
• What here is useful or valuable to me?
• Who’s really in control here?
• What here is not what it appears to be?

To be honest with you, the answers will be a bit haphazard since the players are still in the process of establishing goal and scene. If you are merely asking for a better description of the room, you don't need to roll for that, and can just ask me.

I can vouch for his creativeness(they know about GAFIA, Blarg!)

More seriously, I'm kind of interested as well, but wanted to watch the proceedings for a bit to get a better understanding.

See, my application even has references! Thanks, Palmer

I think I can come up with a character sheet by tomorrow, although, Jintor, if there are enough players for a second party, would that entail a second game/game thread running simultaneously with this one? Or just incorporate late joiners into this game at a certain point from now?

I can wait until the first game's over to join, if necessary. Don't want to clutter up the current proceedings too much...

You're both 100% welcome to join, but I haven't decided how I will handle another game, probably keep you in waiting until I finish this session just to see how well it pans out first.

 

[Bowlie]

To be honest with you, the answers will be a bit haphazard since the players are still in the process of establishing goal and scene. If you are merely asking for a better description of the room, you don't need to roll for that, and can just ask me.

Oops, my bad; I didn't want to rush things! I'll save that for secret rooms and whatnot. Well, at least I learned something. I choose:

• What is about to happen?
• What should I be on the lookout for?
• Who’s really in control here?