WizWrm
First Post
It was....uncertainty.
I found myself (awake? aware?) over a rocky patch of ground. A cave was nearby, and standing inside the cave were two groups of humans. They were clothed in poorly-made animal skins, and some were holding long sharpened sticks. Most of the sticks were reasonably straight, and all were slightly charred around the point.
The two groups seemed to be arguing, and one man was gesticulating wildly at the opposing group. Suddenly, he turned and hurled his stick towards where I was. Both groups stopping arguing immediately.
Again, uncertainty. I watched it bounce along the ground, but I could not discern the man's purpose. I felt anger from him, rage over something unknowable, but undeniably directed at me. I reached out and touched his anger, trying to feel it. The man's face took on an odd expression, and he clutched at his arm, then at his chest.
The man fell, and stopped moving. I could no longer feel his anger. The other humans gripped their sticks and formed a half-circle. From them, too, I could now feel uncertainty.
So here's my idea for a game, which has probably been done before. It's uniquely suited to the boards, and would really be a nightmare to run face-to-face, which I why I'm trying it out here.
Those interested will take on the role of a fledgling deity of sorts. You are not all-powerful - you do have limitations. It'll be mostly freeform, since heavy mechanics defeat the purpose of such a game. However, I'm considering some sort of point-based system that dictates, in general, how much of what you can do each day. You'll find yourself first manifested in front of a primeval tribe (maybe human, maybe not), with objectives as defined by you. The tribe has only recently gained true awareness/sentience, although they already at least have some sort of social structure, tool-based intelligence, and a reliable way to get food, like any other group of advanced primates. If it helps you imagine yourself, you're sort of the personified 'collective unconscious' of the tribe - when they gained true sentience, you came into existence. Thus, as your base of followers grows, you become stronger.
The game, as it progresses, will follow the development of a world (a fantasy world, of course; magic and such exists), as you and other divinities (other PCs, of whom you will be initially unaware) shape its course. As I said before, your character won't be omnipotent and omniscient like a "true" deity, but you don't know exactly what you can do until you try. This is not a game for you to power-trip on; it's much more akin to computer-based strategy games like Civilization or Black & White, guiding your civilization and influence to grow.
Unlike the fellow in the introduction, your character has been watching your tribe for a bit and understand basic social rules, the need for food, etc. Your character first chooses to reveal himself (or herself) to the tribe just as the game opens. How he or she does so is entirely up to you.
If there's interest, I'd like to take maybe three or four people. If there is a lot of interest, I'll pick people randomly, as I expect this will be a fairly complex game to run, and it will become even more so with too many players. From potential players, I'd like a name, a short overview of some basic personality traits, and what your character chooses to look like when you first appear.
Now, a few disclaimers: this is the first game I've ever attempted to run, so expect all the usual baggage with that. I'm not a historian, nor have I studied developing cultures in much depth, so if I don't know something, I'm very likely to make it up. You should expect some degree of inconsistency. If this game becomes too time-consuming, loses its fun factor, or any other reasons conspire to make me want to stop, I'll post before calling it off, and see if anyone else wants to take on the role of gamemaster first.
I found myself (awake? aware?) over a rocky patch of ground. A cave was nearby, and standing inside the cave were two groups of humans. They were clothed in poorly-made animal skins, and some were holding long sharpened sticks. Most of the sticks were reasonably straight, and all were slightly charred around the point.
The two groups seemed to be arguing, and one man was gesticulating wildly at the opposing group. Suddenly, he turned and hurled his stick towards where I was. Both groups stopping arguing immediately.
Again, uncertainty. I watched it bounce along the ground, but I could not discern the man's purpose. I felt anger from him, rage over something unknowable, but undeniably directed at me. I reached out and touched his anger, trying to feel it. The man's face took on an odd expression, and he clutched at his arm, then at his chest.
The man fell, and stopped moving. I could no longer feel his anger. The other humans gripped their sticks and formed a half-circle. From them, too, I could now feel uncertainty.
So here's my idea for a game, which has probably been done before. It's uniquely suited to the boards, and would really be a nightmare to run face-to-face, which I why I'm trying it out here.
Those interested will take on the role of a fledgling deity of sorts. You are not all-powerful - you do have limitations. It'll be mostly freeform, since heavy mechanics defeat the purpose of such a game. However, I'm considering some sort of point-based system that dictates, in general, how much of what you can do each day. You'll find yourself first manifested in front of a primeval tribe (maybe human, maybe not), with objectives as defined by you. The tribe has only recently gained true awareness/sentience, although they already at least have some sort of social structure, tool-based intelligence, and a reliable way to get food, like any other group of advanced primates. If it helps you imagine yourself, you're sort of the personified 'collective unconscious' of the tribe - when they gained true sentience, you came into existence. Thus, as your base of followers grows, you become stronger.
The game, as it progresses, will follow the development of a world (a fantasy world, of course; magic and such exists), as you and other divinities (other PCs, of whom you will be initially unaware) shape its course. As I said before, your character won't be omnipotent and omniscient like a "true" deity, but you don't know exactly what you can do until you try. This is not a game for you to power-trip on; it's much more akin to computer-based strategy games like Civilization or Black & White, guiding your civilization and influence to grow.
Unlike the fellow in the introduction, your character has been watching your tribe for a bit and understand basic social rules, the need for food, etc. Your character first chooses to reveal himself (or herself) to the tribe just as the game opens. How he or she does so is entirely up to you.
If there's interest, I'd like to take maybe three or four people. If there is a lot of interest, I'll pick people randomly, as I expect this will be a fairly complex game to run, and it will become even more so with too many players. From potential players, I'd like a name, a short overview of some basic personality traits, and what your character chooses to look like when you first appear.
Now, a few disclaimers: this is the first game I've ever attempted to run, so expect all the usual baggage with that. I'm not a historian, nor have I studied developing cultures in much depth, so if I don't know something, I'm very likely to make it up. You should expect some degree of inconsistency. If this game becomes too time-consuming, loses its fun factor, or any other reasons conspire to make me want to stop, I'll post before calling it off, and see if anyone else wants to take on the role of gamemaster first.
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