Echoes of the Past

[Campbell]

I recently purchased Numenera and it really set fire to my imagination, particularly Shallamas, the City of Echoes. As the entry was rather short, but fertile I was hoping I could get some help expanding Shallamas, particularly its underground elements.

Basic Setup
The PCs are all foreigners to the wealthy nation of Navarene. They have come to the port city seeking something (a new beginning in a foreign land, work where opportunity is plentiful, research fellowships), but were unable to secure the necessary paperwork to count as legitimate persons. Not being able to find legitimate work they have fallen prey to the temptations of a life of crime. At the start of the game they have found each other, laid claim to an abandoned pub in the Western market of the city, and are currently functioning as a low level street gang on their way up. Of course there is a wrinkle - in Shallamas from time to time the past comes to life and is admissible as evidence.

Another wrinkle: A group of street kids (also nonpersons) has also taken up residence at the same abandoned bar as the PCs. It will be up to the players how they want to treat the kids - at the start of play I'm going to ask each of my players to define one of the kids who has a connection with their PC.

Elevator Pitch
Your whole life has been an echo - an echo of a better life just beyond your grasp. Something in your past has always held you back from greatness. Now you have made your way to Shallamas, the great trade city of the Navarene to make your fortune. Navarene merchants might be among the richest free men in The Steadfast, but they had no interest in what you were selling.

Still, you saw opportunity. You fell in with other lost souls and began to take what the Navarene merchants would not give. How long can it last though? Can you avoid the lingering remnants of your former life in a city where history is as vibrant and alive as the present? How can you escape the past in the City of Echoes?

Notable Features of The City of Echoes:

• The past lives. In Shallamas visages of the past year appear in stunning detail. These echoes have never been proven to bear false witness. This is an amazing framing device, but should be used sparingly so it doesn't lose its power as a story element.
• Easy to get lost in. The official population is listed at 80,000 people. In my version there will be a sizeable number of intransients known as the Lost. These are people without the paperwork to be considered people. Even with a sizable guard and quite a few administrators, managing such a large number of people without the advantages of modern technology is basically impossible.
• So it was written. In my game, Navarene is a nation founded on the power of paper despite its relative rarity. If it is not written down it does not exist. Contracts are everywhere in the legitimate parts of the city. There are contracts for private security, home and land ownership, and for people.
• Debt Before Dishonor. The economy of Shallamas is based on debt financing. Assuming you qualify, you can always pay later for what you owe today.
• Navarene is of particular importance to the Order of Truth. It contains the Amber Monolith, noted for being the birthplace of the Papacy. It also borders the Crystal Sky Fields which is known to be a conduit for harnessing the Numenera. It is also of strategic importance because the Order has declared war with the people that lay beyond the Crystal Sky Fields.
• In order to fight the enemy you must think like the enemy. Because managing crime in the City of Echoes has proven difficult using traditional methods has proven difficult Argust Provani, the ruler of the city, has commissioned the shadowlings - a covert police force who infiltrate and destroy criminal organizations from the inside. They are known for being as or more brutal than the criminals they fight against.

Note: My GMing style is decidedly Narrativist in bent. I'm mainly looking for story elements to help me apply pressure to my PCs and create meaningful choices in game. At least to start this game will be more about discovering the convoluted web of connections that lay at the heart of the City of Echoes, and the PCs finding a place for themselves.

Some thematic elements I want to touch on include:

• What makes someone count. What does it take to be legitimate.
• What is the cost of maintaining order? If a few people get lost in the shuffle is that alright?
• What are you willing to do to survive?
• The Weird Walks Among Us. Even in the heart of civilization there is no escaping the weird. When people are capable of walking through walls, controlling gravity, etc. what is an appropriate response? How do you handle gloves that produce a knife on command, explosives, time disruption fields, etc. that come from ruins of a begone era? I'm not so sure how big of a deal I want to make this. I'm not looking at doing X-Men redux. I don't want to provide answers - only questions.
• Can you pave a new path when surrounded by past mistakes? Could the echoes be wrong?
• What's the value of a promise? What do you owe your debtors?
• How can you be a hero in an imperfect world?

Source Material
Modern Contract Law
Minority Report
Raymond Chandler Novels
The Big Lebowski
Casablanca
Arrow

 

[pemerton]

Modern Contract Law
Minority Report
Raymond Chandler Novels
Casablanca
Arrow

OK, I teach (elements of) contract law, I like Minority Report and Raymond Chandler, I've seen the whole first season of Arrow (and liked its use of flashbacks - I think the acting is fairly mediocre and the scripting not a lot better, but the plotting and editing was pretty tight in my view), and Casablanca is one of my favourite movies.

Make every player build one outstanding debt or contract into their PC background. Perhaps this also has to be part of the reason why they've come to Shallamas (whether to escape it, or try and discharge it) but maybe that would be pushing too hard on this particular issue.

The NPCs the PCs meet and interact with seem to know of these debts. And to be leaning on them to get the PCs to comply ("Do it or I'll tell your creditors where you are"; "If you don't do this thing for me, how will you ever raise the money you need to buy your freedom?" etc). How do they know about them? Because they first met the PC (or PCs - depending how integrated the group is in terms of background) in a vision of the past - and from that vision they know something the PC doesn't know, but it is obvious that the PC needs to know to turn the tables on the NPC. So the PC(s) also need to have that vision, or have someone tell them what it was, or otherwise get access to that secret information about the past. Maybe there is an NPC who sells visions of the past, or information about them. The PCs get ensnared in new deals as part of the price of trying to get out of their old ones.

Less relevant to core campaign dynamics, but more for colour: every time the PCs try and sell something (or, at least, something of non-neglible value), have the purchasing NPC insist on seeing documentary evidence of chain of title. When the PCs buy something, have NPCs challenge them with documents that prove that they, and not the PCs, have the better claim to title. If you want to give it a more dystopian vibe on top of this, have all service provision - security, healthcare, access to places of worship, etc - based on privatisee rather than public provision, so when the police turn up they only help those who are subscribers, the library requires you first to be a paid up member before you can enter it, etc. So even if you buy yourself freedom from your debts/enslavement, you are still in practical terms a non-citizen who is beneath the regard of all others. (And for ideas on how to flip this libertarian idea from dystopia to utopia, read section 3 of Robert Nozick's Anarchy, State and Utopia and draw on his "framework of utopias" idea - maybe there is a suburban ring of anarchist living in their little utopias outside the contractual framework of the Shallamas mainstream.)

I don't know if any of that helps - just some ideas from someone who knows your source material but doesn't know much about Numenera!

 

[JamesonCourage]

I was singled out, so I'll do my best to contribute.

Basic Setup
Of course there is a wrinkle - in Shallamas from time to time the past comes to life and is admissible as evidence.

Awesome!

Note: My GMing style is decidedly Narrativist in bent. I'm mainly looking for story elements to help me apply pressure to my PCs and create meaningful choices in game. At least to start this game will be more about discovering the convoluted web of connections that lay at the heart of the City of Echoes, and the PCs finding a place for themselves.

I'll keep this in mind.

Some thematic elements I want to touch on include:

• What makes someone count. What does it take to be legitimate.

It sounds like you should use some NPCs to explore this. Legitimate NPCs of various stripes (corrupt, helpful, nice, needlessly mean, etc.) vs. illegitimate NPCs of various stripes.

I'm not sure on the setting, but it sounds kinda science fiction-y. Maybe do something with cloning, or AI (or golems, etc., if more fantasy)? There's always a "what is a person" question there, and you might be able to work out a "what makes someone count?" or "what does it take to be legitimate?"

Maybe have some NPCs show the good side of people being "legitimate" (documented, etc.). Maybe getting treatment to sick people (they're on record), or tracking down someone who's committed a crime very quickly, or whatever. Then place the PCs in a situation where there's a "bad guy" that's undocumented (should be easy for them to be on the side of documentation after this). Then maybe show the bad side of everyone being documented (big brother, overbearing government, etc.), and have someone that's undocumented help them out, or grudgingly work with them, or something. That'll probably make the whole thing a lot more grey rather than black and white.

• What is the cost of maintaining order? If a few people get lost in the shuffle is that alright?

Hmm, this sounds like fun with the right group. Maybe see if the PCs are willing to sell someone (or a group) out in support of things being legitimate (or against it)... maybe by playing off of the debt that pemerton mentioned? Is it okay to sell people out if it helps maintain "order" and the government pays off part of your debt? Is it okay to take a bribe to hurt a small group of people but help Big Brother?

• What are you willing to do to survive?

Lots of scenarios here, especially for poor PCs. If you go with pemerton's debt thing, along with his "it costs money to do anything", then you can potentially lock the PCs out of a lot of stuff unless they're willing to break the law (over and over). Deny them travel and it's hard to get work; without work it's hard to pay bills; without money to pay the bills, it's hard to do a lot of stuff (pay off debts, bribe corrupt people, eat, whatever). Lots of room to push hard here, if you go this route.

• The Weird Walks Among Us. Even in the heart of civilization there is no escaping the weird. When people are capable of walking through walls, controlling gravity, etc. what is an appropriate response? How do you handle gloves that produce a knife on command, explosives, time disruption fields, etc. that come from ruins of a begone era? I'm not so sure how big of a deal I want to make this. I'm not looking at doing X-Men redux. I don't want to provide answers - only questions.

I think "oppress the guy with the power" is one of the more obvious answers here (whether it's by the government, populous, whatever). Maybe go for a "might makes right" theme; that guy that can read minds has his power legally recorded, and he can read your mind, play poker for money legally (and always know when to fold or raise), etc. Is this fair (I mean, if someone can read body queues a lot better than someone else, is that fair)? Should he be regulated, somehow, or is that discrimination?

• Can you pave a new path when surrounded by past mistakes? Could the echoes be wrong?

I'd let this sit for a while before exploring it. Or, I'd use it right at the start, and then wait before using it again. Maybe give the players (or one of them) a scene where they're confronted about something from their past (the last year, from the sound of it). Maybe have it reaffirm where that PC is starting out (if one PC has a gambling debt that he's run away from, abandoning his brother, let that scene play out); this may help reinforce the whole "the past is true" thing, and might have a connection to "you're stuck on this path because of your past." Maybe six months of game time later, show a scene of basically a month into the campaign, and where the PC was desperately trying to just get along or survive. See how this lines up: is the PC's fate already decided by this (very real and vivid) past? Or has he / can be break free of it? Maybe show him this second glimpse in a time when he really needs to make a decision.

• What's the value of a promise? What do you owe your debtors?

There's always a lot of "people have helped you out, and now need your help. Do you help them?" That's always a good one, especially if you tempt them away (group or government bribes them to back off, the PCs are threatened about something they care about, etc.).

Or, NPCs have put their trust in the PCs. The PCs have a chance to get away with something, screwing over those NPCs. It'd make them bad people, but there's relatively few / no consequences. Do they do it?

• How can you be a hero in an imperfect world?

So many ways you could do this! Corrupt government, empathetic populous that are still mostly bad people, no-win situations, etc.

Maybe explore if the PCs want to be heroes? Is it worth doing something heroic if you don't get recognition and for it costs you something? What if you really care about what it costs you (a friendship, your reputation, an arm, your life)?

Is it worth trying to improve things if there are so many things already wrong with it? Is it worth trying to save things if the people aren't on your side (probably because of how beaten down they already are)? Is it worth trying to do the right thing if there are few rewards other than moral validation, and you have to hurt people -sometimes good people- to do it? Do the ends justify the means?

I hope some of that helps. It's late, I'm tired, and I'm trying desperately to work on my phone while doing this (since my two friends have quite killed it while trying to help me "fix it"), so I'm also pretty distracted. Anything in particular you want feedback on? Quote me, and I'll be sure to respond when I have time.

 

[Campbell]

Good stuff JamesonCourage and pemerton. I'll have more questions later.


In Numenera there are 3 principles ways to gain XP

• GM Intrusion: In Numenera players roll all the dice. Whenever they come in conflict with an NPC they roll against a difficulty level equal to the NPC's level. However, a GM may introduce a complication at anytime by declaring something happens in the fiction. If the player accepts the intrusion they receive 2 xp (one of which they must hand off to another player). They can refuse it by paying an XP.
• Accomplishing a player or GM defined goal. I'm going to rely mostly on player defined goals.
• Discovery: The main deal. In a more straight forward game this is focused on uncovering Numenera, the relics of a bygone age. I'm going to subvert this slightly and grant discovery XP for uncovering NPC secrets to reward players for engaging with the fiction.

Here's an example NPC to show what I mean:

Shanna 2(6)
Shanna used to work at the abandoned bar the PCs operate out of. Since they've moved in she's been really helpful.
She knows quite a bit about the local community of intransigents, and has assisted the PCs in locating new business "opportunities".

Shanna is a young redheaded women with a slender, pleasing figure. Her clothes have gotten more ragged over time. While generally amiable, she has a fierce determined look about her. Shanna caries a small curved blade on her belt.

Motive: Learn as much as she can about the PCs. Decide if she can trust them.
Health: 6
Damage Inflicted: 2
Movement: Short
Modifications: Level 4 for understanding the local community, level 3 speed defense
Interaction: Shanna has been burned before and she's not sure who she can trust. She desperately needs someone she can believe in. She tends to treat people as they treat her. Hostility will net hostility; kindness with kindness. Shanna cares deeply for the children in the community and is primarily interested in their welfare. She counts as an asset for finding notable people around the neighborhood.

Discoveries
• Since shortly after the bar closing down Shanna has been working as an informant for a shadowling (2 XP).
• Shanna has papers to prove her citizenship, but refuses to find work in more affluent parts of town. The last time she worked closer to the markets a merchant wined and dined her, but later tried to force himself on her. She responded by gutting him with his own knife. She wears it on her belt. (3 XP)



Thoughts?

 

[LostSoul]

The infamous Ron Edwards said something way back that I think has been true in my experiences: you either focus on the conflict inherent to the setting (and build PCs around those conflicts), or focus on the PC's internal conflicts (and build the setting around the PCs). Numenara seems like it falls in the first camp.

He wrote an essay on this idea: http://adept-press.com/wordpress/wp-content/media/setting_dissection.pdf Here's a quote:

In my experience, the solution begins with a single person choosing the location, at least when the group is playing the game for the first time. He or she should provide a brief but inspirational handout which summarizes the entire setting, focusing on colorful and thematic points; if the opening text of the game book provides this, a quick photocopy will do. (I’ve tried to do this for my science fiction RPG handouts, so see those if you are confused by what I mean here.)
After that point, everyone at the table may restrict his or her attention to the exact location that’s been chosen. Although the organizing person should provide more detailed handouts or photocopies as an ongoing feature of preparation, everyone else must definitely be oriented and enthusiastic concerning the prevailing thematic crises that are made concrete in setting terms. The good news is that full expertise isn’t necessary to achieve this, and in my experience, asking and answering questions about
the options for the geographically-limited character creation usually generate sufficient knowledge for the first sessions of play.​

My advice, then, would be to have the PCs be built around the setting themes you've identified. Actually my advice is to read that essay - he's got a set procedure for developing the game which, to my eyes, looks pretty good. Edwards probably says it better than I could.

I'm not sure how the reward system works. It looks like you get XP for complications from the DM and for discovering setting elements. I think that'll work okay for your game, if you make sure that your discoveries (and complications, I guess) hit on the thematic elements you described.

That means making up NPCs should be pretty easy - just pick one of your thematic setting elements and have the NPC relate to it. Shanna's first discovery hits on the "I become my enemy" theme; with the second, I might change it to her having signed some kind of "service" contract, which her employed took too liberally, and she was forced to defend herself.

Anyway, I hope to hear more!

 

[pemerton]

Thoughts?

The successors-in-title to the merchant that Shanna gutted are the ones the PCs have to deal with to dishcharge/escape their debts. When the PCs first deal with them, they suffer some sort of setback for want of sufficient paperwork - or, perhaps, can't progress to the next level of interaction without that paperwork. One of those successors-in-title promises to make the paperwork issue go away, provided that the PCs return something that belongs to him/her (? probably him, unless you're out to subver gender stereotypes) - namely, the merchant's knife with Shanna's blood on it.

 

[pemerton]

The infamous Ron Edwards said something way back that I think has been true in my experiences: you either focus on the conflict inherent to the setting (and build PCs around those conflicts), or focus on the PC's internal conflicts (and build the setting around the PCs).

<snip>

He wrote an essay on this idea: http://adept-press.com/wordpress/wp-content/media/setting_dissection.pdf

<snip>

my advice is to read that essay - he's got a set procedure for developing the game which, to my eyes, looks pretty good. Edwards probably says it better than I could.

Thanks for the link - an interesting read!

 

[Campbell]

I think I've come up with a solid bang to kick start the action, but it will require slightly changing the scenario. Rather than have the PCs start out as a group, they will all simply be squatters at the abandoned bar. Some PCs will have connections to one another, but not necessarily all - unless they want to.

At the start of play, a team dispatched by one of the private security companies will arrive. They've been sent by someone who has acquired ownership rights to clear the bar of vagrants. The mercenaries are not eager to engage in combat - they simply want to fulfill their contract. If approached with the right tact they will be willing to let the squatters stay for a month, most likely with a weekly payment.

• While the mercenaries are legitimate citizens, their station is not much above The Lost. They barely get by on their salaries.
• Discovery: The leader of the unit owes money to a local street gang. This is where any bribery money would go.
• There is dissent in the ranks. Some members of the unit want to clear out the bar right away. Others seem reluctant to put the children out on the street.
• The mercenaries don't know what the new owner plans to do with the bar. If pressed the leader will express doubt that the owner plans to actually use the bar. Probably part of some bilateral trade. It might be possible to work out an arrangement with the owner, through intermediaries. That will take time though.

After some additional thought, I'm going to extend some additional back story authority to my players. They simply need to be among the Lost and owe a debt or have contractual obligations, either legitimate or not so legitimate.

It will probably be another month before I can get the game off the ground due to school obligations. I'm starting to talk to players, and they seem pretty into the concept. I'm looking at doing another iteration of the setup and progress to character creation fairly soon. I don't want to develop too much setting material without giving the players a chance to leverage some back story authority during character creation.

LostSoul, thanks a lot for sharing that article. It's got me thinking. I'm not sure I've fully comprehended the advice, but it's definitely food for thought. I'm so used to running games based on character exploration that it's kind of difficult to adjust my thought processes.

Anyone have any advice for managing time in setting? I've always treated it pretty fluidly, but if my players end up agreeing to weekly "rent" payments a more strict accounting might add some nice organic pressure.