[4e Setting] No Age for Heroes

[Piratecat]

How bright are your Points of Light? Are there outside forces threatening them or are they stable? ...We're looking at our character sheets and we're eager to kick down some doors, kill some stuff and write down said stuff on our character sheets.

That's a nice way of looking at it. The campaign intro makes the slide seem so inevitable, so inexorable, that you're pretty much doomed to fail. Proving that this isn't necessarily the case is what heroic stories are made of.

I think one of the nicest aspects is that each cornerstone of strength and stability seems to be besieged by its own threats. You won't get bored always fighting orcs.

 

[Pseudointellectual]

I realized it was a dark, oppressive setting and that was important. I wanted a world full of trouble for the PCs to get their noses into, full of monsters to fight, people to save, threats to ward off. And Nellisir upthread totally nailed it. This world has no heroes in it, and it so desperately, desperately needs them, making the PCs even more potent and vital. When I sat down with the guys for character creation, I said, "Okay, you guys have to be heroic. No evil characters."

Basically, the idea is that it's initially dark but it's not a PC beatdown stick. It's a place where PCs can really make a difference, and their difference will definitely be noticed as the other figures of note in the world are the likes of Arzhan and Cassi.

mjukglass, I gave players as much freedom with fluff as I possibly could. The wandering Eladrin caravans were all Storn's idea. Consorts of the Raven Queen was all Judd's idea. That second page of fluff that Judd posted that I wrote was based entirely on ideas the players brought to the session at chargen and adding some more hooks into it. I think you're right, the 4th ed. classes and powers were flavorless in the same way a blank sheet of pepper and some pencils are flavorless. I just went to town drawing with them.

Andor, hehe. I'm actually hoping that using the new skill challenge system we can see some situations resolved in ways that don't involve pushing minis around a map. Though hot damn am I excited to push some minis around maps!

 

[Man in the Funny Hat]

FWA - Full of Win and Awsome. Consider at least one idea yoinked - the mute masked tribe.

 

[Nellisir]

I realized it was a dark, oppressive setting and that was important. I wanted a world full of trouble for the PCs to get their noses into, full of monsters to fight, people to save, threats to ward off. And Nellisir upthread totally nailed it. This world has no heroes in it, and it so desperately, desperately needs them, making the PCs even more potent and vital. When I sat down with the guys for character creation, I said, "Okay, you guys have to be heroic. No evil characters."

Basically, the idea is that it's initially dark but it's not a PC beatdown stick. It's a place where PCs can really make a difference, and their difference will definitely be noticed as the other figures of note in the world are the likes of Arzhan and Cassi.

I've been hitting YouTube, and I take back what I said earlier. I don't want to be Captain America.

I want to be the LONE RANGER!!!



On topic, I could totally see a masked do-gooder become an iconic hero in this setting, a la the Lone Ranger or Zorro.

 

[Pseudointellectual]

Hehe, well one of the PCs is a member of the masked mute tribes. So we have one masked do-gooder.

 

[Defender_X]

Interesting ideas there. The best way I can describe this is as grim hope.

 

[Paka]

That's a nice way of looking at it. The campaign intro makes the slide seem so inevitable, so inexorable, that you're pretty much doomed to fail. Proving that this isn't necessarily the case is what heroic stories are made of.

Hell yeah, this is what heroic stories are made of. All of that bad stuff in the intro one-sheet? My paladin is going to kick it in the face.

I think one of the nicest aspects is that each cornerstone of strength and stability seems to be besieged by its own threats. You won't get bored always fighting orcs.

Yeah, the threats are both vague and varied, leaving lots of space for Bret to tailor this to push our buttons.

Greg, over at http://www.naturaltwenty.com/ did up this boss hand-out pdf.

www.naturaltwenty.com/downloads/age_of_heroes.pdf

Thanks, Greg!

 

[Nellisir]

All of that bad stuff? My paladin is going to kick it in the face.

I'm sigging this. It's made of awesome.

BTW, are you guys playing in person or via internet? I just noticed your location in Ithaca. I'm in New Hampshire right now, but we've got a purchase & sales agreement on my house and I'm starting grad school at Cornell this fall.

 

[Storn]

I'm sigging this. It's made of awesome.

BTW, are you guys playing in person or via internet? I just noticed your location in Ithaca. I'm in New Hampshire right now, but we've got a purchase & sales agreement on my house and I'm starting grad school at Cornell this fall.

We be in Ithaca area.... Etna is a bit outside of Ithaca on the east side of the lake, I preside in Trumansburg, on the west side of the lake. But it is like, oh, 40 mins from Etna.

I grew up here, and just moved back 2 years ago. I love being back. Lots o' gamers too.

 

[Nellisir]

We be in Ithaca area.... Etna is a bit outside of Ithaca on the east side of the lake, I preside in Trumansburg, on the west side of the lake. But it is like, oh, 40 mins from Etna.

I grew up here, and just moved back 2 years ago. I love being back. Lots o' gamers too.

OK, I see Etna. We're looking in the Etna/Dryden/Lansing/Groton area; we like the country, don't mind a bit of a commute, and with two adults, a toddler, two dogs, two cats, and a workshop full of tools (12 years in construction), renting isn't a good option. But my wife needs to find a job before the bank will consider financing, so...we'll see. Might have to rent for a little while anyways.

I drove through Trumansburg when I was there in April; looked like a really nice town. Not very convenient to our choice of daycare, though, and my wife is nervous about the hills hill in winter.

Anyways, glad to hear about the gamers. I'm hoping and intending to have time to game, but...who knows. I'll buy you guys lunch someday, or pizza and mountain dew, or a drink, or something.

And now, back to your regularly scheduled thread.