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[Ashodin]

What is Final Fantasy: Retribution?

It's a Play by Post game starring YOU as the characters in a story of my own making. Utilizing the Final Fantasy D6 system, you create characters with your own backstories and weave them into the tale as you uncover mysteries, battle fierce foes, and make powerful allies.

I have some experience with running D&D and Pathfinder games, but this is my first time doing a Play by Post thing. I basically want a campaign I can run as a side-project to keep my creative juices flowing.

Currently taking signups for the game, I need about 5 or 6 players total.

Once I have enough players, I'll take character sheets, then we'll start the game!

HOW WILL THIS WORK?

Using this dice roller, I'll be able to look up rolls and confirm hits and misses quite easily. For now, I want to gauge interest, then I'll go over some more house rules as we get people.

What class, race can I be?

ANYTHING! Subject still to my approval, of course, but have at it. You can post backstories here or PM them to me.

Anything else I should know?

At the beginning of the game, your class is ADVENTURER. You will not have anything of the class you chose until a certain event in the game. This is done for flavor and story purposes.

BACKSTORY FOR THE WORLD OF ATRAVA

Atrava. The land of dreams. In this world, the crystals have been long forgotten; powers of light and darkness have meddled in affairs of the people for far too long, and the people have removed them. Lives are lived out in peace, monsters nearly non-existent. The Time of Banishment, a reckoning that removed all magic and destroyed all good and evil beings on the planet, has left a lasting legacy with the world. This resulted in the current standard of dating, known as "After Reckoning" (AR).

The Time of Banishment was 0 AR.

The current date is 29th Sol(Day), 2nd Luna (month), 1563 AR. There are 13 Lunas in a year, and 30 Sols in a Luna.

At the end of the 2nd Luna, a cataclysmic event is going to occur. It has been foreseen by most of the world's divination artists, fortune tellers who paint the future. This information has been spread through most of the major cities and is generally dismissed as lunacy, but there have been stirrings through the land that lead some to believe otherwise...

A world with no bastions of good
And no depths of darkness
Will see the rise of both
Under starry skies

The end has come for us
But this is not the end for you
For our lives are intertwined
From now on until eternity.

WIll you step forth and avert this cataclysm?

CHARACTERS IN THE FANTASY:

Kawl - Android Adventurer 1
Cecium - Hume Adventurer 1
Lumas Gelvast - Hume Adventurer 1
Veer - Hume Adventurer 1
Olebel Fy Cinnosy - Viera Adventurer 1

 

[Ashodin]

THE NATIONS OF ATRAVA

Lead by the infamous Duchess Gardenia, a Viera with no equal on the battlefield, the Duchy of Flowers cultivates the brightest and best that would be suited as reconnaissance and wandering fighters. Residents of the Duchy are encouraged to learn the skills of the land, subscribe to the Faith of the Lilac, and spread the world of the Duchy to the far corners of the globe, so more many journey to its splendor and learn. In this way, the Duchy serves as the knowledge center for Atrava, taking care of its citizens and supporting bright young minds.

A loosely formed democracy of hamlets and towns in the Makinde Highlands, Moogles and Lalafell live here, with Humes constantly roaming the treacherous highlands, searching for new and exciting treasures lost from beyond the Time of Banishment. The enigmatic and unusual android SVO-36-X, known just as X, leads as the President of the states. Rumors stated that the android was created by an incredible scientist in the Duchy of Flowers and escaped, wanting to live its own life. Seeming to be older than nearly everyone, the prevailing theory is that X started the States of the Wind himself.

A monarchy ruled by Hume King Grehan and his Queen Mayferia. Grehan and Mayferia have recently taken up their positions, as part of an arranged marriage between Grehan of the Kingdom of the Blade and Mayferia of the Lesser Kingdom of Souls. Doing so has increased the Kingdom's overall reach, allowing it to start to rival that of the Duchy of Flowers. An alliance between the Duchy and the Kingdom is what Grehan strives for in his lifetime with his Queen. Legend has it that an artifact blade before the Time of Banishment has been passed down from generation to generation, to mark who is the rightful heir of the Kingdom, but no one has seen the sword outside of the royalty during secret coronation ceremonies.

 

[OceanicAir]

Hey, I am down for this. Sad that I missed it when it was originally made. Nothing like a phoenix down for a thread though.

 

[Fireblend]

I want in! I'd appreciate some help with character creation, and hope to be more readily available to play in the next couple of weeks, but I definitely want to give it a shot

 

[Bowlie]

I'm game too, but I've only played Dungeon World so I'd need help.

 

[Ashodin]

Hey all! I can definitely help in setting up your character, and we can make it a little more modified for the PbP experience as well, if that's your thing. (More akin to Dungeon World, maybe?)

I'll see what I can do, as well as let you know that I'm planning the game to be a neat mix of OC and images from the franchise to get you into the roleplay mood.

As of now, I have you three signed up so far, and I'll add you to the OP. Look for more info coming soon.

 

[Fireblend]

Awesome! I don't really have a preference for the system, but I have been listening to Friends at the Table recently and glanced with envious eyes at the Dungeon World PbP thread we have here, so I wouldn't mind if we decided to borrow some stuff from there and streamline the mechanics in the process - I'm way more interested in having a cool emerging narrative to be honest, but it's not like I dislike the RPG mechanics either. I'm sure I'll enjoy it regardless.

Looking forward to it! Thanks for setting it up Ashodin

 

[Blargonaut]

Sounds interesting, I'd love to sign up for this (although I'm unfamiliar with the system right now, I'll give the PDF a read)!

 

[Hyperactivity]

I'm going to be reading through the PDF as well, but I'm wondering about how time commitment would be like. obviously be regular, but just by post or with the players online at roughly the same time?

 

[Ashodin]

Time commitment would be generally check the thread every other day or so, and update with your post. I'll respond with my own, or we can have a big flurry of posts on Friday or Saturday if people are not busy those days.

 

[OceanicAir]

That sounds fine, I've been looking over the PDF for a bit and I think I have a somewhat solid idea of what I want for a character. When can I run it by you?

Edit: Actually I mean either sounds fine.

 

[Bowlie]

Also, and I feel like we would say that sooner or later Ashodin, we all know each other here I think this will be fun.

I'm reading the PDFs now too.

 

[Ashodin]

What I'm looking for in a character description (in post):

NAME | RACE JOB | LEVEL
HP | MP

Everyone starts at level 1.

POWER
DEXTERITY
MIND
FORCE
FINESSE

ACCURACY | AVOIDANCE

ARMOR | MAGIC ARMOR

Just your basic stat block. Once you've gotten all that together, post that with this:

CHARACTER DESCRIPTION
Include age, picture (if applicable)and what nation of Atrava you hail from.

MOTIVATION
What drives you? What do you want to accomplish in life?

---------

Example Character:

Ashodin Venteal | Human Paladin | 1
HP: 30 MP: 25

PWR: 6
DEX: 7
MND: 5
FOR: 4
FIN: 6

ACC: 5 | AVD: 7

ARM: 6 | MARM: 5

Description: Ashodin Venteal is the last of the Paladins of Atrava. With no one left to heft the light's work in the world, he trudges on without anyone else to help him thwart the evils of the land.

Motivation: Ashodin wants to stop evil at any cost, as well as help others find the way of the light.


Pretty simple, right?

You can run characters by me in thread or in PM, your choice.

And remember to make your class choice (adventurer) at first. Your real class won't be revealed until later in the campaign.

 

[OceanicAir]

Just to make sure, we are also using resolve (RES) right? Also, what's our equipment?

 

[Ashodin]

Whoops yep I left out Resolve lol!

Equipment is Weapon/Armor on the Tier 1 list. Note that it doesn't have to be "Practice Blade" but you can name it any type of weapon/armor you wish to use that makes sense for your Job.

So for example I would choose a Katana and Ninja Robes (Both Tier 1) for a Ninja.

 

[Fireblend]

And remember to make your class choice (adventurer) at first. Your real class won't be revealed until later in the campaign.

What does this mean? Is class the same thing as job in this context?

 

[Ashodin]

What does this mean? Is class the same thing as job in this context?

Erm yes. I'm used to regular games where class is the preferred nomenclature.

 

[SolVanderlyn]

I used to do this sort of thing all the time in high school. I don't have the time or energy to devote to this, but I wish you the best in creating an active community.

 

[Ashodin]

On second thought, please PM me your character sheets (and questions). I want Jobs to be secret until the game starts.

 

[Kawl_USC]

You still want/need an extra person? Browsing the pdf this looks like it could be fun.

And I know the rest of these chumps unfortunately.

 

[Ashodin]

Yeah that would be fine. I'll take like 5 or 6 people.

 

[Bowlie]

My sheet's done, it's in that link I sent you before. Thanks for the help.

 

[Bowlie]

Ah, for curiosity's sake, since this is a play-by-post: what are your timezones? Mine's UTC/GMT -3.

 

[Kawl_USC]

GMT-5, at least as long as we are saving daylight. (US central)

 

[Fireblend]

GMT -6 for me.

 

[OceanicAir]

GMT -4 (US eastern) for now. In a some months will move to Central US.

 

[Ashodin]

US Eastern here as well. I'll be looking over the sheets and writing some stuff up soon. Thanks for sending them in!

 

[Blargonaut]

GMT+1 here, finishing up my char sheet, I'll PM it to you soon

 

[Hyperactivity]

GMT-5, at least as long as we are saving daylight. (US central)

same here

 

[Blargonaut]

hey Ashodin, (finally) PM'd you my char. sheet, thanks in advance (and sorry if it's a mess!)

 

[Ashodin]

I'll be breaking the gameplay into two parts for the campaign:

This is where the characters will interact with you before and after any sort of altercation occurs. When STORY MODE is enabled, all rolls and checks will come from your skills and such.

I'll be playing fast and loose with the rules, for storytelling purposes (ala Dungeon World). If something feels like you can't do it but you could possibly do it with the knowledge you have, I'll allow it for the most part.

Then when the game shifts into high gear and/or the wild enemies of the world find you, it's time for

When I post this, switch over to your combat statistics (Avoidance, Accuracy, etc) for checks, as well as damage rolls. I'll post combat-themed music to listen to while reading the combat posts, and you're encouraged to write in a fantastical fashion with spectacular strikes and hits with your weapons.

EX:

(9 + 5) = 13 ACC
Ashodin pauses for a moment, then takes out his greatsword, slicing into the enemy with a horizontal slash that deals 42 damage to the Marlboro.

Then I'd reply with what happens to the enemy, and we go back and forth between turns.

The Marlboro screams and squeals in pain, reeling back with its tentacles and lurches over dead from the intense strike. Without any sort of creature to fall back on, the random Summoner attempts to flee, summoning mist to cover their tracks.

And that's basically how I'll be doing things. Sounds good?

 

[Blargonaut]

SO READY

*cough*

Let's do this

 

[OceanicAir]

That sounds awesome Ashodin, can't wait to start!

 

[Ashodin]

So as a heads up, Blargonaut will be the only one who knows your Jobs before the game, but it's not a huge deal - you will all find out early enough.

 

[OceanicAir]

I don't mind that at all. Just wondering, do you have an estimated time you want to start this?

 

[Kawl_USC]

I'm not sure I trust this Blargonaut character.....

But alright, as you command Ashodin.

 

[Ashodin]

I don't mind that at all. Just wondering, do you have an estimated time you want to start this?

I'll be posting something tomorrow.

 

[Xamtheking]

I think it's funny that all the party members inexplicably know each other

Spoiler

Gafia represent

 

[Ashodin]

(Out of character in italics and parentheses, please)

MUSIC SELECT!: Crossing Those Hills, Final Fantasy 9

(This will be a little roleplay to start. I'm kinda busy lately, so things will be slow rolling at first. Rest assured, you will get your journey on! Reminder: you have no abilities of your chosen Job until you are given that Job.)

-----------POSTED IN YOUR CURRENT TOWN-----------

A Missive! Please, all those who are available! Come to

MATRONO, KINGDOM OF THE BLADE

We request any and all who are interested in:

• Ancient artifacts
• The history of this great land
• Expertise in escaping from ruins to collect said artifacts
• Weaponry! Using said weaponry!
• Did we mention artifacts?

Contact your local MOOGLE GUIDE today!

Standing not too far away from the posted missive near your respective town's message board is one of these creatures, a moogle. It softly floats in the air, willing to hand out more missives to any passersby.

(Please indicate which town you are exactly in for reference. You can make up the name if you wish. I will interact with each of you separately or together if you choose to be in the same town.)

 

[OceanicAir]

(Are we making this map/world up as we go along or is there some fixed map in mind? I hope to write something tomorrow morning so it will be coherent.)

 

[Ashodin]

(Making it up as we go. This way you have a personal touch on the world itself!)

 

[Bowlie]

It's almost an entire luna since I'm here at Hod, a small village on the border between the States and the Kingdom of Souls, trying to find any old documents about this region... ᵉᵛᵉⁿ ᵗʰᵒᵘᵍʰ ᴵ ᶠᵒᵘⁿᵈ ⁿᵒⁿᵉ ˢᵒ ᶠᵃʳ.
I'll do my morning chores as usual and hope for the best *deflates*

...

After browsing through the market and spending some time at the library, I begin walking towards the inn when I stop to see today's news on the plaza board.
Let's see, let's see... huh, a job offer to do what I do best? "Hey, Molulu!"

As I get closer to the Moogle, I say:
"Good day, Molulu, good day! Do you have any mail for me?
But more importantly, I was running my errands and saw that new flyer on the board at the plaza. That job offer was practically made for me!

Do you have more information about it? Maybe who is hiring, what are they hiring for?"

 

[Blargonaut]

(Alright, let's get this Party started! Slow start is totally fine, no need to rush I'm still working on the Char. Sheets formatting, TY everyone for sending them in, hopefully I'll finish them up by the time of Jobs reveal...)

(Also, I'll be going for a bad noir feel for myself. It'll be interesting later on, hopefully.)

Moogle's in the air but their wings don't make sense. And who makes satchels that size, anyway?

Must be from out of town. This dusty, dirty town. Cortinn, the bottom of nowhere.

Does it regret being here?

I know I don't.

Don't care.

Can't have its business interfering with my business any longer. With a few excuses I slip through the adoring throng and approach the old board, approach this new moogle. Now, it notices. Hovers up to me as I saunter over to it, already reaching for one of its stupid business-stealing flyers from its adorable business-stealing bag. As we stop before each other, I absolutely despise it.

Subtle shift of weight to one leg. Slight tilt of head. A bit of confidence when I say, "So, where are you taking me this time," as I snatch the flyer out of its outstretched business-stealing hand, don't even give it a chance to say a damn thing. I never pretend to win.

"Bother not, I'll be at the inn," I say, stepping back. Our locked eyes are the last to blink away as I do the same to this crowd. After a good distance off from that drama, I realize I forgot to thank the moogle for the free advertising. Too late for that, as I glance down curious at the title on the flyer.

With the copy of this missive in hand yet still not fully read, I decide to make my way back to the inn I'm performing at. It's the only inn in town.​

(By the way, do we currently have any of the items/equipment we chose to start with?)

 

[Fireblend]

(Woo! Excited to be here. Do keep in mind I'm not a native english speaker which will no doubt become evident the more I type, but I promise to do my best feedback is more than welcome, this is very much a first for me so this will be a learning experience but I don't want that to detract from anyone else's.)

The rain was slamming against the tavern's windows when Lumas walked in. His vest was completely drenched, and the tavern owner threw an accusatory glance in his direction as he walked up the stairs, where his room was located. He knew he had to leave eventually; he'd asked for accommodation in return for help a week before, but was starting to think the owner regretted exchanging an Oglop infestation for him.

He sat on his bed and sighed. Another day of doing odd jobs at a small town miles from the capital that would do nothing to improve his reputation. He knew he wasn't atoning for anything fixing roofs or taking care of minor plagues, but the city guard seemed to have all serious matters under control and he didn't feel like crossing paths with them anyway, lest someone recognize him.

He had to leave. He'd hoped to show his usefulness still within the capital's reach, where people would recognize him and bring back some of his dignity, but now he knew he had no chance of that. He needed a big accomplishment, one that wouldn't only return his name to its former glory, but elevate it as well. He'd looked down on adventurers before. Nothing but people throwing away their life with dreams of grandeur, he thought, but he saw no out now other than that. A big deed, big enough to carry his sins for him... that's what he needed. And with that thought, he felt his eyes closing as his weariness caught up to him... until he heard some noise outside his door.

Had an Oglop survived? Those weren't the footsteps of a grown person... he thought as he noticed a piece of paper being slipped through the door. The moogle. He remembered seeing him chatting with the tavern owner as he walked up the stairs. He picked up the piece of paper and looked at it. A quest? Ah, must have been a moogle guide, of course. This was the owner's way of kicking him out, he supposed; a surprisingly subtle approach, all things considered. He thought of going down and giving the owner a piece of his mind for such cowardice, but the timing of the delivery and the promise it held was oddly convenient... he leaned back on the makeshift bed and drifted off to sleep, missive in hand.

 

[OceanicAir]

(You're fine, Fire! It was awesome!)
It's been 30 sols since one of the more lousy days of my life and I'm still without a source of income. Every single sol I leave my current accommodations and go to look at the notice board and every single sol it has the same ones. I can recite most of the postings by heart.

From the funny

Chocobo Pen Cleaner!

Take on this presteegious task to care for our greatest and most noble of our animal friends! Once in a lifetime opportunity! Pays 200 Gil/Luna!

Contakt Esgard Serkl for more info at Serkl Farms, Sonce District, Dutchy of Flowers

Posting Clearance by the Commerce Division of the Duchy of Flowers: 15th Sol, 8nd Luna, 1562 AR.

It'll be another 30 Lunas before I even consider doing such a task, and judging by the date of the posting I'm not the only person who thinks that. I mean seriously, what the hell is "Presteegious" about cleaning up Chocobo excrement? Who do they expect to work for such a paltry rate? And for Minerva's sake, you can't even spell the nation right either?

and the memorable

A Party to END all Parties! Enjoy the last great party before the event foretold by our greatest seers! Everyone's invited!

When? The Last Day of course! 30th Sol, 2nd Luna, 1563 AR

The Cataclysm Watch Group (CWG)

The CWG has been going on for these past few months going into a furor over this "cataclysm". I would laugh at them but I can't help but feel a little sad and angry that they are selling off their worldly belongings. They have been partying non-stop in the Southern District for the past week and funding it with these absurd sales that fill up these boards around town. What they stupidly do to themselves is not a problem to me, but seeing them drag their children to these orgies of grand extravagance knowing that when the 3rd Luna rolls around they'll have no place to live is just awful.

and the one I wish I could forget

Tutoring Services Offered!

Recommended by the Great Schools themselves!

Whether you are struggling through the rigors of Magic, the precision of the Weapon Arts, or the history of our Great Nation, The Sevalt Tutoring Service can cover your needs and get you on track for whatever career you are pursuing!

300 Gil/5 sessions

Sign up for 5 sessions before 30th Sol, 4th Luna, 1563 AR to receive a FREE session*!

*The free session must used within a month of your 5 session order.

*Sigh* I really don't know why I do this to myself, going through that particular advertisement in my head, reminding me of my failure. Oh why didn't I take advantage of this when I had the time. Sure the sessions were expensive, but it's better than the current alternative. Wondering around Henz looking for a job to help supplement my last few Lunas here, regardless of what happens, I need to leave this town sooner or later. The town is nice sure, but when you are gil-pinching to the extreme it gets a bit tiring to see all of the things you can't afford. Besides, this place is largely meant for learning and if I'm not doing that, there's no reason to be here. I really don't know why I'm still here if I'm being completely honest, not want to admit the obvious maybe? And of course, there are still the memories of what almost was...

Anyways, I can't get too bogged down on such thoughts. I just need to get to the board, confirm that it's still the same, and then wallow in misery until the next day. Yep, still the sam- what's this now? An incredibly vague ad for an unknown mission! Splendid! Doesn't say how much it pays, when it expires, nothing! They also seem to have some weird fixation on artifacts... although I do have weird fixation on artifacts myself. And if I'm being honest, despite it being in Matrono, I have always wanted to go to the Kingdom of the Blades.

Oh what the hell, I won't hurt me to talk to the Moogle here. Worst case scenario, I'll get a good laugh out of this, Minerva knows I need one...

"Hello! Are you interested in hearing more about this opportunity, kupo!"

 

[Kawl_USC]

Well that may not have been the most important or rewarding tasks I’ve done in a while, but I know at least that I’ve made life better for that family...that family... The Barths? No, that wasn't it, the Swains? No that doesn’t sound right either. Damnation, this memory leak has been getting worse as of late.

Kawl, as the android tended to go by when wanting to downplay his inhume nature, trekked down the path into Kod or was it Mod or maybe Dod…

He really would have to get that addressed at some point. But given that it seemed to really only affect the storing and recalling of specific names, Kawl managed to convince himself as usual that it could wait.

He had hoped to find something to justify the risks of coming this close to the border. Thus far all he had found were a few small tasks that while providing some fulfillment had lead to no further enlightenment or clues. Being careful to avoid any envoys from the nearby States of the Wind, he made his way to the local posting board determined to either find a meaningful job or move on from this town.

What do we have here? Well this certainly sounds more intriguing than what I’ve been up to for these 30 odd Luna.

“Moogle, about this job….”

(For clarification's sake, that would be the village of Hod where Bowlie also is. Sorry to steal his starting town, but the location he put it in worked out for what I was going for. Also using non parenthetical italics for inner thoughts versus spoken ones. If that's confusing I can format some other way)

 

[OceanicAir]

(So... um, this is awkward. It seems that Bowlie requested a one month self-ban. I really hope that it doesn't throw too much of a wrench into your plans Ashodin. Also, while I'm posting, I wanted know what are the rules on edits in the game. And was Hyperactivity going to play or did he drop out?)

 

[Blargonaut]

(Sorry to hear that Bowlie requested a self-ban, I hope he's okay Bowlie, I'll finish up your Char. Sheet anyway in case of your return! Maybe we could do something like level-scaling for a returning party member for him later, or possible recruitment of an extra player or two if it suits the game, as we're still early in anyway?)

 

[Ashodin]

(New stuff this Sunday!)

 

[Xamtheking]

(New stuff this Sunday!)

(Hey Ashodin, just wanted to pop my head in here. I'd be willing to sub in as a new player if needed, as I generally love these kinds of things. I'm also going to shoot Hyperactivity a message and see if he can still make it to this, he might be having activity issues.)