Concept talk: playing gods [D&D 3.5]

[Sunking]

Its somthing i have been thinking about for a while.

Using the rules from Deties and demigods and the like.

Basis play in ages

Age -1 (meta)
Discusion wich road are we gona take

1) what were the gods before they became gods:
1.a) Are alle the gods chosen among mortal heros to become gods of the new world.
1.b) were the created by the creator to fufil specific roles.
1.c) other

2) Gods of new world
2.a) the players are the only gods and the fate and shape of the world is the choises they make.
2.b) the players are only a part of the new gods of new world, other exist who the player can befrind og be-foe.
2.c) other (maybe 2.a but with posibility of other appering later to spice things up)

Age 0 (Before creation)
Pure ingame discusion betwen the new gods about the roles of new world

1) The world
1.a) is it at plate, a sphere, somthing totaly weird, dos it stand on the back of a giant turtle, is it only primal wood, a waterworld, build of negative energi and it goes on (a diskusion about how the gods should shape this new world)
1.b) God rules
What are the rules of the game, are a god allowed to walk in the world, or only avartars, maybe even avartars are only allowed in tempels, are gods allowed to slay people who worships another gods (this is were the gods make the rules the are supose to obay themself (and properly gona break later))

Age 1 (The beginning)
Creation of the first races and civilacition

Age 2 (Early years)
The first contacts (when the races and religions begin to meet, merge and battle)

Age 3 (the conflict)
When things escalate to world wide conflict

Age 4+
Lets look at it when we get closer

---------------
Why: because it could be fun (and might make a intresting world that could be used for normal games, only might)

How: we are using D&D 3.5 but with heavy weight on roleplay and discusion, not just who can make God who are best at slaying other gods.
Also divine rang will start the same and change by numbers of belivers (from Faiths and Pantheons), Carekter creation rules are gonna be discused in age -1

What does people think are there intress for this, any inputs for the ages

 

[HolyMan]

Are you suggesting that in Age1 we are all playing gods who are sitting around discussing the creation of a world?

We would first as players need to find out which roles we wish to fill, and what pathes we will follow. Seeing how this is 3.5 you could either
A) Have everyone choose a D&D pantheon (Kord,Wee-Jas, etc.)
B) Have players pick their "main domains" and create gods around that
C) have everyone play a god of different alignments (which means 8 players, I would NPC Chaotic Evil, each of a different alignment)

Endless possibilities really will keep an eye out to what others think.

HM

 

[GlassEye]

I've also been thinking about something like this. God-games pop up here every so often, it runs for a while and then, for one reason or another, ends. The last one I played in started out well but had a lack of direction and eventually died. I think a big problem with a game like this is players aren't really sure what they are allowed to do and end up doing nothing. So, a DM is required to keep things going, imo.

Its somthing i have been thinking about for a while... [snip]

Age -1 (meta)
Discusion wich road are we gona take

1) what were the gods before they became gods:
1.a) Are alle the gods chosen among mortal heros to become gods of the new world.
1.b) were the created by the creator to fufil specific roles.
1.c) other

My personal preference is C. Mortal heroes elevated to godhood have a lot of history that would influence the god even if they are sent off to a new world. Granted the mortal career doesn't need to be detailed out. And being created to fulfill a specific role seems very confining. I would like something a little more organic (see below).

2) Gods of new world
2.a) the players are the only gods and the fate and shape of the world is the choises they make.
2.b) the players are only a part of the new gods of new world, other exist who the player can befrind og be-foe.
2.c) other (maybe 2.a but with posibility of other appering later to spice things up)

Again, I like C. If players aren't the only gods then there is the potential for conflict. Yes, there is potential for conflict amongst the player's characters but it would have to be a pretty good group for pc conflict to not cause issues in the game. I also think player choices should affect the fate and shape of the world. With npc gods those choices aren't a sure thing and the gods would perhaps need to band together more to ensure that the events they wish to come to place actually occur they way they want.

Age 0 (Before creation)
Pure ingame discusion betwen the new gods about the roles of new world

1) The world
1.a) is it at plate, a sphere, somthing totaly weird, dos it stand on the back of a giant turtle, is it only primal wood, a waterworld, build of negative energi and it goes on (a diskusion about how the gods should shape this new world)
1.b) God rules
What are the rules of the game, are a god allowed to walk in the world, or only avartars, maybe even avartars are only allowed in tempels, are gods allowed to slay people who worships another gods (this is were the gods make the rules the are supose to obay themself (and properly gona break later))

I think there should be some sort of primal cause and then the world is created/developed by the gods actions. Not exactly sure how this would work mechanically.

God rules are important, both mechanically and in-game. Mechanically, so that players have an idea of what they can accomplish and how conflicts will be resolved. In-game: maybe some broad rules that become more refined as the god-characters react to events and exert control (or try to prevent control being extended over them).

Age 1 (The beginning)
Creation of the first races and civilacition

Really, this could be a game breaker for me. I really have no interest in playing in a recreation of Judeo-Christian creation or replicating the races and relations of Faerun (or any other game-world). On the other hand, originality is difficult to achieve.

How: we are using D&D 3.5 but with heavy weight on roleplay and discusion, not just who can make God who are best at slaying other gods.
Also divine rang will start the same and change by numbers of belivers (from Faiths and Pantheons), Carekter creation rules are gonna be discused in age -1

What does people think are there intress for this, any inputs for the ages

This could almost be systemless. In a previous god-game I played because of the lack of player direction with the rules Jemal came up with a point-buy system. He never started that spin-off game but I think I still have his point buy on my computer somewhere if you are interested in looking it over.

Are you suggesting that in Age1 we are all playing gods who are sitting around discussing the creation of a world?

We would first as players need to find out which roles we wish to fill, and what pathes we will follow. Seeing how this is 3.5 you could either
A) Have everyone choose a D&D pantheon (Kord,Wee-Jas, etc.)
B) Have players pick their "main domains" and create gods around that
C) have everyone play a god of different alignments (which means 8 players, I would NPC Chaotic Evil, each of a different alignment)

Endless possibilities really will keep an eye out to what others think.

HM

No offense, HM, but I'm not too fond of A & C. I would like a modification of B but more organic, based on the actions of the gods. Say four gods have a major part in creating the earth. Each would be able to add 'Earth' and 'Creation' to their portfolio (let's say with a ranking of 4). My god comes along later and does some minor earth-shaping and add 'Earth' to his portfolio but with a lower ranking (say 1 or 2). He doesn't really have an interest in earthy stuff though, so he breaks open a section of earth (add 'Destruction' 1) and causes waters to pour forth creating oceans and rivers (add 'Water' 4 and possibly 'Ocean' and/or 'Rivers') Meanwhile gods 1-4 are squabbling over earth stuff. Since I'm not interested in earth, I could bargain with one of them to surrender my earth power to them so that he can have an edge over the others.

Anyway, that is just an example of one way some of this could be handled.

If you can't tell, I'm really taken with the idea of organic growth. This would prevent someone from coming along and saying 'Oh, I'm the god of 'Death'. You're all dead. Haha.' If someone wants to be a god of something he has to work up to it and the other gods could have the chance to counter.

Guess I'll stop rambling...

 

[jager0727]

Could be interesting with the right roleplayers and a good framework for a system, I'll be keeping an eye out to see how it develops

 

[OnlytheStrong]

I like the thought of having mortal elevated by Elders and given a place to rule. I'm not sure how feasible that is, but it would seem cool.

I like the idea of having people control domains. I have a gnome ninja that would an interesting god of Stealth and Trickery. I may have to see if I can get my tabletop DM's to make him a god lol

 

[HolyMan]

Hmmm....

The OverGod (i.e. DM) gives his children (i.e. players) a world of their own to mold and shape as thier own. These children who have floated the universe formless and without purpose, now are excited to create.

That's just fluff we would need in stone laws as to what we as gods could do, but what GlassEye said about using the domains as power indicators we would each start even and then give/trade power to be used on the areas we wish to shape. Which in turn when everything is done we will not only have a world but also domains that we excel at.

My two cents we should keeep working on this it sounds fun to me.

HM

 

[Rathan]

I was actually thinking JUST the other day how cool it would be to have epic characters 'ascend' into godhood so to speak and from there rule their domains... shape the world into something new (perhaps after some sort of world ending catastrophic event... such at a meteor strike or something...) and then gather followers.... almost as if partly in a Birthright type turn based setting with little 'mini adventures' for the gods and goddess' to go on to shape their paths in the 'verse'

something to this effect would be awesome... however in this type of PbP setting I couldn't come up in my mind on a way to hash it out.... if something like this could be hashed out.. I would sooo be down for playing... I'll be watching closely on this thread...

EDIT: Hashing things out of course as in what types of 'things' gods and goddess' would be able to adventure against in these 'mini adventures'... however it just came to me that if the gods and goddess' of this world e were say NOT all powerful and just semi-mortals or demi-gods with godlike powers of varying degrees this could be very workable actually... however I think special abilities would have to be created beforehand and even from the hip as these 'demi-gods' strive to do this and that and powers would have to be created and doled out as the game progressed...

The example I may be able to give is this... there's a set number of abilities of god-like repute... but lets say a character does this this and this and explains to the DM that he'd like an ability based off his actions just laid out before the DM... the DM could then take into consideration those actions and come up with a new ability on the fly that fit the actions... almost like gaining a custom feat of god-like proportions so to speak...

again this is just me rambling on really.. fell free to add more onto it or change what you feel in your all's opinions heh...


- Rathan

 

[Sunking]

Are you suggesting that in Age1 we are all playing gods who are sitting around discussing the creation of a world?

We would first as players need to find out which roles we wish to fill, and what pathes we will follow. Seeing how this is 3.5 you could either
A) Have everyone choose a D&D pantheon (Kord,Wee-Jas, etc.)
B) Have players pick their "main domains" and create gods around that
C) have everyone play a god of different alignments (which means 8 players, I would NPC Chaotic Evil, each of a different alignment)

Endless possibilities really will keep an eye out to what others think.

HM

Well when you say Age1 you are refering to actual age 0 and there is a age –1 that discuses charekter creation (if this tread dosent end up being age -1)

I think there should be some sort of primal cause and then the world is created/developed by the gods actions. Not exactly sure how this would work mechanically.

Im all ears

God rules are important, both mechanically and in-game. Mechanically, so that players have an idea of what they can accomplish and how conflicts will be resolved. In-game: maybe some broad rules that become more refined as the god-characters react to events and exert control (or try to prevent control being extended over them).

still throw up the idees

Really, this could be a game breaker for me. I really have no interest in playing in a recreation of Judeo-Christian creation or replicating the races and relations of Faerun (or any other game-world). On the other hand, originality is difficult to achieve.

This was more of the line of the world have been created with oacens, landmass, mountains, wood, sumps, and animals.
All the gods do is chose a race to start civilation with on the new world (i think i would say alot about a world if all the gods favorits were elves, or even difrent kinds of antro-things)

This could almost be systemless. In a previous god-game I played because of the lack of player direction with the rules Jemal came up with a point-buy system. He never started that spin-off game but I think I still have his point buy on my computer somewhere if you are interested in looking it over.

Please send to Ftoksvaerdkaaber(a)gmail[dot]com I would love to see…
But the reason I wanted to use 3.5 is because of Deties and demigods

If you can't tell, I'm really taken with the idea of organic growth. This would prevent someone from coming along and saying 'Oh, I'm the god of 'Death'. You're all dead. Haha.' If someone wants to be a god of something he has to work up to it and the other gods could have the chance to counter.

Guess I'll stop rambling...

Well my ide would be that the portfolios were in respect to the mortals and the world not themself and the other gods

And also only start out with 3 or 4 portfolios but over time they might gain more but thats up to how theyr religion were developing.

One of my first ideas were (the Age 0 1.b option) 30 lvl max 3 base classes, max 1 prc (and it must be in full) but I thought it would be easyer to get players if they had a say in charekter creation

 

[GlassEye]

As for a primal cause, it could be anything that works for the world. Tying in the earlier idea of ascending heroes... The heroes fight against some titanic chaos creature, perhaps the avatar of some god of destruction. And lose. So, the world ends in a rain of fire and the god of destruction has his way; everything is destroyed. But that destruction is the birth pain of a new world and the heroes, at the heart of the dark god's destructive laugh, are reborn into that world as its gods. Or whatever. Really, it could be anything you want.

And I found the document put together by Jemal for another game. I'll post it below so you can take a look at it.

 

[Rathan]

hmmm.. after looking at the word doc I kinda like what I see... it makes things interesting as well as a fair way for you to play what you want to play but also have the ability to give checks to see if something succeeds or fails...