Jack7
First Post
In ancient Greek a Museum (such as the Mouseion of Alexandria) was not defined as a storage or display house for old, collected artifacts. Rather it was a living, dynamic place in which people worked to create things as they were inspired by “their Muses.” (The Museum is therefore derived from the Home of the Muse.)
In a museum people would congregate to write music, poetry, plays, to create and invent things, to solve problems, to design, sculpt, to devise architectural plans, and so forth.
In my games I have often encouraged my players to create new things, to devise plans, to invent and innovate. And I likewise, being a DM (mostly), have often sought to invent or create new things for the games in which my players act. Many role-playing games, as well as some other games, are very well suited to the process of invention, on the part of the creator and designer, on the part of the Game Master, and on the part of the player.
This thread is designed to be such a Museum. A workplace and laboratory for creativity in devising new things for games. As well as new things for the real world.
Below are a list of some inventions and innovations that have occurred over time in my games, (some of which have led to or served as the proto-typing idea of real inventions as well). The Window of Heaven, for instance, was a fictional idea that helped me develop the Holicon.
I’m not going to give game “stats” for these inventions and devices, that is not the point of the thread. I’m just going to generally describe these ideas. In that way these listings may give you ideas for your own inventions, or, if you like one of these inventions you can modify it or adapt it to your own milieu, game, or game genre.
Also feel free to list your own inventions and innovations so that others may make use of such ideas. It could be any kind of invention of innovation that others might make use of.
Game Artifact – Cage of Lies: This artifact is a magical cage of bronze in which a subject can be placed for interrogation. Once inside a subject can be interrogated and give answers to questions asked of him. One magical advantage of the cage is that the subject can say anything he likes, including telling lies to the party interrogating him. The subject can lie and will hear what he says spoken as if it is the only thing said. On the other side of the cage however the listener(s) will hear the truthful responses to whatever question is answered. In other words the subject can lie about any and every answer and not be aware of any other answer being received, but the listener on the other side of the cage will only hear the truth, not the lies. The subject within the cage will never be aware that the cage transformed his lies into truth unless he is told that is what happened. The cage cannot compel answers but if answers are given then it magically transforms lies into truth. The cage also has several other magical functions.
Game Relic – The Window of Heaven: This relical Icon was discovered in a ruined church in Syria. No one is sure who painted it, or exactly when it was created, but it was created sometime prior to 400 AD. It is believed to show the Apostle Thomas riding upon a donkey, headed for the East, carrying in his arms several relics, as well as various documents and papers. In the background in the sky appear three doors, each partially open and Thomas gestures to the one in the middle. The icon is painted on a piece of black, shiny wood, in very bright, luminous colors and the wood serves also as a decorative frame. It is inlain with gold and silver filigree. Whenever anyone looks into the icon and concentrates upon a problem or dilemma in their mind the image in the icon changes to address the question in the mind of the observer. The entire image changes except for the doors and the image of Thomas. Thomas remains but the icon becomes a moving image involving scenes of whatever it is that troubles the observer. Often it is said that the icon will predict the future or act as a sort of “Image Oracle,” with all three doors opening in the sky and displaying different possible outcomes of the future or images of whatever problem the user is concentrating upon. At the end of the vision in the icon all three doors will shut and then Thomas will point to one of the three doors. Some believe the door Thomas points to is the door the user should choose, some that the door he points to is the outcome most likely to occur, and some that it is the door of choice that should be most avoided.
Fantasy Game Invention – The Pendulum of Philoandros: This is actually a spell devised to assist with combat. It creates a push-back wall that starts from the place at which the Wizard employing it stands and extends outwards according to range and level of the spell caster in a cone towards the target. The spell is focused at a target that is moving towards the Wizard. The closer the target moves towards the Wizard the stronger the spell becomes until a “breakage point” is reached. At that point the target or targets are transferred back to the point at which they first encountered the spell effect. As long as the spell remains in effect and the target fails their saving throw they can continuously move towards the spell caster but once they reach the breaking point they are transferred back to their starting point along their movement path. This has several advantages. It gives other party members time to safely react and take whatever actions they desire. Further more it allows those employing ranged weapons several opportunities to shoot such targets because the target creatures cannot effectively close the distance between themselves and the Wizard and his party. Also any ranged weapon thrown or shot into the cone towards the target is accelerated through time towards the target and if a score is hit then damage is multiplied according to the range within the cone’s area of effect. If the spell works at peak advantage then often a target can be killed or at least severely wounded before he even becomes aware of the fact that he has encountered any magical force. The spell can also have other beneficial effects such as pushing back avalanches or rockslides, pushing back animal attacks, and allowing time advantage variances to escape dangerous traps. If the spell caster is of three or more levels higher than a competing spell caster then the Pendulum can even push-back other spells or forms of magic so that they cannot reach the Wizard using the Pendulum. It is a high level spell, but can be quickly employed.
Modern Game Invention – The Environmental Encoder: Working upon the principle of environmental encoding this device can encode and read signature massages, crypts, codes, and steganographic images in practically any environment, at microscopic, molecular, and even the nano scale. It can render and leave chemical message sin cups of coffee, in the paint molecules on walls, in graffiti, on sheets of paper, and can even create nanite crawl machines that will create subscopic images on sheets of paper that can only be read by special laser magnification decoders. Designed to look like a standard commercial MP3 player this device can be openly carried without arousing suspicion, and can actually play recordings as a disguise function. The circuitry is shared, dual-function, the display reader for encoding/decoding being triggered by the end data stream of a preprogrammed recording. Atomic level pattern encoders are being tested on the same basic design principles.
Sci-Fi Invention – Mosk Wear: This is a suit that you get others to wear. It appears to have functions such as advanced adaptive camouflage, as well as other advantages, such as noise suppression and “interwoven intuitive danger awareness.” What it actually does is trick the user into disclosing their location at all times (the suit is traceable due to molecular radiation signatures built in and released by atomic decay that are triggered by cellular interaction between suit and skin), and the fibers of the suit allow it to transmit visual, infra-red, and ultraviolet images to a studied observer. The suit is also lined with special exotic matter fibers that will transmit a stunning shock, similar to a phaser blast set at stun, to the wearer from over 200 kilometers by remote signal. Federation Intelligence sometimes gets subjects who they suspect of treason or of being a mole to wear Mosk Wear suits, telling the wearer of the suit security advantages but not disclosing the secret functions of the suit. In this way Federation Intelligence can secretly keep such subjects under surveillance or apprehend them whenever needed.
Ancient Invention (Real World) – Decoder
Medieval Invention (Real World) – Astrolabe
Modern Invention (Real World) – Difference Engine
In a museum people would congregate to write music, poetry, plays, to create and invent things, to solve problems, to design, sculpt, to devise architectural plans, and so forth.
In my games I have often encouraged my players to create new things, to devise plans, to invent and innovate. And I likewise, being a DM (mostly), have often sought to invent or create new things for the games in which my players act. Many role-playing games, as well as some other games, are very well suited to the process of invention, on the part of the creator and designer, on the part of the Game Master, and on the part of the player.
This thread is designed to be such a Museum. A workplace and laboratory for creativity in devising new things for games. As well as new things for the real world.
Below are a list of some inventions and innovations that have occurred over time in my games, (some of which have led to or served as the proto-typing idea of real inventions as well). The Window of Heaven, for instance, was a fictional idea that helped me develop the Holicon.
I’m not going to give game “stats” for these inventions and devices, that is not the point of the thread. I’m just going to generally describe these ideas. In that way these listings may give you ideas for your own inventions, or, if you like one of these inventions you can modify it or adapt it to your own milieu, game, or game genre.
Also feel free to list your own inventions and innovations so that others may make use of such ideas. It could be any kind of invention of innovation that others might make use of.
Game Artifact – Cage of Lies: This artifact is a magical cage of bronze in which a subject can be placed for interrogation. Once inside a subject can be interrogated and give answers to questions asked of him. One magical advantage of the cage is that the subject can say anything he likes, including telling lies to the party interrogating him. The subject can lie and will hear what he says spoken as if it is the only thing said. On the other side of the cage however the listener(s) will hear the truthful responses to whatever question is answered. In other words the subject can lie about any and every answer and not be aware of any other answer being received, but the listener on the other side of the cage will only hear the truth, not the lies. The subject within the cage will never be aware that the cage transformed his lies into truth unless he is told that is what happened. The cage cannot compel answers but if answers are given then it magically transforms lies into truth. The cage also has several other magical functions.
Game Relic – The Window of Heaven: This relical Icon was discovered in a ruined church in Syria. No one is sure who painted it, or exactly when it was created, but it was created sometime prior to 400 AD. It is believed to show the Apostle Thomas riding upon a donkey, headed for the East, carrying in his arms several relics, as well as various documents and papers. In the background in the sky appear three doors, each partially open and Thomas gestures to the one in the middle. The icon is painted on a piece of black, shiny wood, in very bright, luminous colors and the wood serves also as a decorative frame. It is inlain with gold and silver filigree. Whenever anyone looks into the icon and concentrates upon a problem or dilemma in their mind the image in the icon changes to address the question in the mind of the observer. The entire image changes except for the doors and the image of Thomas. Thomas remains but the icon becomes a moving image involving scenes of whatever it is that troubles the observer. Often it is said that the icon will predict the future or act as a sort of “Image Oracle,” with all three doors opening in the sky and displaying different possible outcomes of the future or images of whatever problem the user is concentrating upon. At the end of the vision in the icon all three doors will shut and then Thomas will point to one of the three doors. Some believe the door Thomas points to is the door the user should choose, some that the door he points to is the outcome most likely to occur, and some that it is the door of choice that should be most avoided.
Fantasy Game Invention – The Pendulum of Philoandros: This is actually a spell devised to assist with combat. It creates a push-back wall that starts from the place at which the Wizard employing it stands and extends outwards according to range and level of the spell caster in a cone towards the target. The spell is focused at a target that is moving towards the Wizard. The closer the target moves towards the Wizard the stronger the spell becomes until a “breakage point” is reached. At that point the target or targets are transferred back to the point at which they first encountered the spell effect. As long as the spell remains in effect and the target fails their saving throw they can continuously move towards the spell caster but once they reach the breaking point they are transferred back to their starting point along their movement path. This has several advantages. It gives other party members time to safely react and take whatever actions they desire. Further more it allows those employing ranged weapons several opportunities to shoot such targets because the target creatures cannot effectively close the distance between themselves and the Wizard and his party. Also any ranged weapon thrown or shot into the cone towards the target is accelerated through time towards the target and if a score is hit then damage is multiplied according to the range within the cone’s area of effect. If the spell works at peak advantage then often a target can be killed or at least severely wounded before he even becomes aware of the fact that he has encountered any magical force. The spell can also have other beneficial effects such as pushing back avalanches or rockslides, pushing back animal attacks, and allowing time advantage variances to escape dangerous traps. If the spell caster is of three or more levels higher than a competing spell caster then the Pendulum can even push-back other spells or forms of magic so that they cannot reach the Wizard using the Pendulum. It is a high level spell, but can be quickly employed.
Modern Game Invention – The Environmental Encoder: Working upon the principle of environmental encoding this device can encode and read signature massages, crypts, codes, and steganographic images in practically any environment, at microscopic, molecular, and even the nano scale. It can render and leave chemical message sin cups of coffee, in the paint molecules on walls, in graffiti, on sheets of paper, and can even create nanite crawl machines that will create subscopic images on sheets of paper that can only be read by special laser magnification decoders. Designed to look like a standard commercial MP3 player this device can be openly carried without arousing suspicion, and can actually play recordings as a disguise function. The circuitry is shared, dual-function, the display reader for encoding/decoding being triggered by the end data stream of a preprogrammed recording. Atomic level pattern encoders are being tested on the same basic design principles.
Sci-Fi Invention – Mosk Wear: This is a suit that you get others to wear. It appears to have functions such as advanced adaptive camouflage, as well as other advantages, such as noise suppression and “interwoven intuitive danger awareness.” What it actually does is trick the user into disclosing their location at all times (the suit is traceable due to molecular radiation signatures built in and released by atomic decay that are triggered by cellular interaction between suit and skin), and the fibers of the suit allow it to transmit visual, infra-red, and ultraviolet images to a studied observer. The suit is also lined with special exotic matter fibers that will transmit a stunning shock, similar to a phaser blast set at stun, to the wearer from over 200 kilometers by remote signal. Federation Intelligence sometimes gets subjects who they suspect of treason or of being a mole to wear Mosk Wear suits, telling the wearer of the suit security advantages but not disclosing the secret functions of the suit. In this way Federation Intelligence can secretly keep such subjects under surveillance or apprehend them whenever needed.
Ancient Invention (Real World) – Decoder
Medieval Invention (Real World) – Astrolabe
Modern Invention (Real World) – Difference Engine
