Dassi
Villager
We just finished our four year Zeitgeist campaign and it was one of the best experiences of my life. Thank you so much, @Nnesk and @RangerWickett .
ZEITGEIST Campaign completed
- Thread starter Dassi
- Start date
Nnesk
Explorer
I was the GM, Dassi (my wife) was a Paladin of Redemption who very much paladin-ed and very much redeemed, throughout the campaign.
I wrote on my socials:
After 4 years of play, 20 minutes ago we've finished the Zeitgeist campaign, which was, without doubt, the best RPG experience of my life. We're all so, sooooo satisfied with it, I can't recommend it enough - if you're able to commit to a 4 year affair, and if you're into the themes.
Thank you so much Ryan, this was incredible!!
I wrote on my socials:
After 4 years of play, 20 minutes ago we've finished the Zeitgeist campaign, which was, without doubt, the best RPG experience of my life. We're all so, sooooo satisfied with it, I can't recommend it enough - if you're able to commit to a 4 year affair, and if you're into the themes.
Thank you so much Ryan, this was incredible!!
RangerWickett
Legend
Well now you have to share a thousand details.
Start with the most important one: Rock Rackus - villain, or menace?
Start with the most important one: Rock Rackus - villain, or menace?
Dassi
Villager
Fabulous enough to be both! 
Spoilers below!
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@Nnesk said we took the road less travelled - we refused the Final Sacrament after five hours of debate. It was Xambria's and Lya's input that finally decided our votes. The final battle was tricky, but mercifully William reunited with Nicodemus and became an ally.
@RangerWickett, pure curiosity - why did William Miller have such a Risuran name? Did he have Risuri parents who moved to Chrysillier?
Spoilers below!
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@Nnesk said we took the road less travelled - we refused the Final Sacrament after five hours of debate. It was Xambria's and Lya's input that finally decided our votes. The final battle was tricky, but mercifully William reunited with Nicodemus and became an ally.
@RangerWickett, pure curiosity - why did William Miller have such a Risuran name? Did he have Risuri parents who moved to Chrysillier?
RangerWickett
Legend
If I need a proper world-building answer, the Clergy is globe-spanning, and so he probably had Risuri ancestors, which is why he had a Risuri name. But he operated with the nom de guerre Nicodemus because it sounded more Crisillyiri.
The real answer is meta, though.
My own father - William Nock - was in the Air Force. They apparently had a rule where you'd have to stand 'at ease' (which isn't really that comfortable) for long stretches, but you could smoke if you wanted to. So just to have something to do with his hands, my dad started smoking. He got the nickname "Nicotine Nock."
Growing up, I knew everyone called my dad Nick. I just assumed it was a simple pun that his Nickname was Nick. It wasn't until 2009, long after my dad passed away, that my mom explained the origin.
Thus, "Nicodemus the Gnostic." (I named tobacco 'leaf of Nicodemus' that way so I could have the name flow right.)
Also, my dad's original surname growing up was Miller, but grandpa Miller turned out not to actually be my dad's biological father. His real father was a guy with the last name Nock whom I never met. My dad switched his name, even though he wasn't raised by the guy.
Ultimately, I wanted to make ZEITGEIST a bit of an interrogation of some of my own political and philosophical impulses: the arrogance of thinking I knew better than everyone, the desire to just impose a paternalistic sort of utopia that people were just 'too dumb to appreciate.' So I sorta based the villain on my dad, pondering what a difference upbringing and experiences have on your perspective and ideology.
The real answer is meta, though.
My own father - William Nock - was in the Air Force. They apparently had a rule where you'd have to stand 'at ease' (which isn't really that comfortable) for long stretches, but you could smoke if you wanted to. So just to have something to do with his hands, my dad started smoking. He got the nickname "Nicotine Nock."
Growing up, I knew everyone called my dad Nick. I just assumed it was a simple pun that his Nickname was Nick. It wasn't until 2009, long after my dad passed away, that my mom explained the origin.
Thus, "Nicodemus the Gnostic." (I named tobacco 'leaf of Nicodemus' that way so I could have the name flow right.)
Also, my dad's original surname growing up was Miller, but grandpa Miller turned out not to actually be my dad's biological father. His real father was a guy with the last name Nock whom I never met. My dad switched his name, even though he wasn't raised by the guy.
Ultimately, I wanted to make ZEITGEIST a bit of an interrogation of some of my own political and philosophical impulses: the arrogance of thinking I knew better than everyone, the desire to just impose a paternalistic sort of utopia that people were just 'too dumb to appreciate.' So I sorta based the villain on my dad, pondering what a difference upbringing and experiences have on your perspective and ideology.
RangerWickett
Legend
What game system did you run? 4e/5e/PF?
Care to give me a quick rundown of the PCs?
Care to give me a quick rundown of the PCs?
Dassi
Villager
Thank you so much for your fascinating answer! It tallies perfectly with our own experiences of William Miller. He struck me as a cross between my own dad and my English Professors at UCL - equal parts compelling and infuriating.
He really got under my skin to the extent that I felt compelled to spend days drafting and redrafting my thoughts about him with the Forward Symposium speech as the final result: ZEITGEIST - The Queen's Speech (adventure 10)
You did a fantastic job writing him and @Nnesk did a fantastic job embodying him. I still have debates with him in my head from time to time.
Dassi
Villager
5e , we were a group of three PCs:
1) Jean Camille, our Tifling Technologist Arcane Trickster who became a Lord of the Fey Court (Lord of a Thousand Cogs)
2) Gemma Evernight, our Skyseer human Druid Circle of the Sheared, with the Applied Astronomist prestige class who became the Archdruid of Risur
3) Ruth O'Donnol, Docker Paladin of Redemption who became the Queen of Risur
Aviv
Villager
Hi! I'm Aviv, the person behind Gemma Everknight.
I wholeheartedly join Dassi and Eran in praise for this campaign - what an incredible experience. It's wild that for 13 full adventures the story and world just kicks into higher and higher gear without fail.
I would personally like to thank you for Xambria Meredith, who lived in Gemma's (and my) head rent-free between adventures 3 and 7, and in our epilogue became her wife <3
And to answer your most pressing question: Rock Rackus - an absolute menace. Couldn't wait for him to show up every time just to enjoy how much my character hated him.
I wholeheartedly join Dassi and Eran in praise for this campaign - what an incredible experience. It's wild that for 13 full adventures the story and world just kicks into higher and higher gear without fail.
I would personally like to thank you for Xambria Meredith, who lived in Gemma's (and my) head rent-free between adventures 3 and 7, and in our epilogue became her wife <3
And to answer your most pressing question: Rock Rackus - an absolute menace. Couldn't wait for him to show up every time just to enjoy how much my character hated him.
