Reprisal
First Post
Hey all,
I've been wanting to run a Play-By-Post game for quite some time, and though I'm not certain if I'll be able to run it as quickly as other games seem to be going, I thought I'd take a stab at it. Let's hope that it's interesting and lasting,
Premise
The Player-Characters are a group of minority immigrants from a wealthy and vibrant, yet prejudicial, continental Empire. There's one twist however, in that the PCs will consist mainly of two races in particular: halflings and goblins. As immigrants to the Imperial City of Port Opal, the PCs are expected to become part of the Underground since their kind is generally treated poorly at best. When the game gets going, it's my hope that the PCs will be willing to become part of a "little folk" Mafia consisting primarily of halflings and goblins (with the odd gnome and dwarf thrown in for good measure).
I expect this game to be rather cinematic in nature, and combat will most likely become fairly simplistic at first. Also, there will be little in the way of dungeon-crawling or loot gathering. The world I've set this game in is fairly detailed, and fairly low power relative to something like the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting. I would like this to be fairly casual at first, since this is my first time DMing a PBP game, but I don't want it to be tongue-in-cheek, or "silly." I'm looking for some (semi-)serious roleplaying experience, and I hope there are others looking for that, too. (This doesn't mean that you or your characters can't have fun, it's just that I'd like for that fun to be in flavour and in context of the overall campaign.)
The Setting
Races - All races are from the PHB or MM... btw.
Your characters will have grown up on the continent of Vanaria, also known as the "Civilized Contient." Long ago, the free peoples of the land came together to meet the orcish horde from the southeast in the legendary War of the Unending Tide. It was at this time that two races in particular ascended into greatness: the Imperial Askarans, and the Pale Elves of Alerion.
The Imperial Askarans were technically the second great human civilization, though they are now its most powerful. Theirs is a culture venerating authority, loyalty, and responsibility. They are pantheists, and pay tribute to many Gods and Goddesses. The Askaran civilization values order and stability above almost all other things. There are two main Askaran nations on the continent of Vanaria: Illuminor, the center of the Empire; and Atealia, the merchant capital of the Empire.
Similar to the Imperial Askarans are the Pale Elves of Alerion. Hailing from the frigid plains of the north, the Pale Elves are perhaps the most scientifically advanced culture in the Empire. Truth be told, it was the political ingenuity of the Pale Elves that forged the first link in the great alliance turned continental Empire. The elves were the first to successfully implement a centralized bureaucracy as a means of controlling their lands, and the Askarans merely copied that template.
In contrast to either of these two people stand the Meyarin people. Their culture was the first truly great human civiliztion. They value simplicity and comfort above most things, and though they appear to be quite materialistic in nature, they are devout worshippers of their single deity: the Great Creator. Long before the Askarans marched their legions to first battle back the Unending Tide of orcish invaders and then conquer the continent in the name of the greater good, the Meyarins forged cultural and economic links with all other friendly races save the elves. Today, there is only one Meyarin nation left: Haravia.
Both halflings and gnomes trace their biological origins to the island-nation of Guelphia, off the northwest coast of Vanarian Proper. Though a significant number of halflings stayed, the majority of the halflings moved from their island home into the warmer climate of what simply became known as the "Halfling Lands" about two centuries before the Meyarin culture took off. To this day, Guelphia has been considered a country of gnomes, while the southern lands of the continent were considered halfling lands.
The dwarves were assumed by scholars to be an offshoot of gnomish people settling in the mountainous region of the Rudan Heights and the Grey Mountains. They were and still are an insular people willing to do what's right, but only for their kith and kin. Of all the nations of the Vanarian Empire, the dwarves are the most isolated.
Finally, we come to the goblinoid lands bordering on the southeast. During the War of the Unending Tide, they acted as something of a buffer for the Askarans and Pale Elves to rally the rest of the continent and mount a counter-attack that forced the green horde back from where they came. Now, the Goblinoid Lands are ruled by a multitude of local Hobgobliun Warlords. Of the three goblinoid peoples, the Hobgoblins have taken power due to their keen ability to organize. Though the hobgoblins hold power, they are outnumbered by the goblins almost seven to one, though the goblins are perhaps the most oppressed of any people in the Empire. This may explain why they have elected to use their status as citizens of the Empire to move freely to the great cities of the Askarans and even into the Halfling lands, especially its capital: Taebrook. Bugbears, unlike the increasingly militaristic "hobbos," or the increasingly urban "gobbos," have elected to retain their tribal institutions and do as their hobgoblin masters ask of them.
Places
The places in which this campaign will take place will be described when your characters are there, but I'll be free to answer any specific and/or vital questions.
Magic
Nearly all of the forms of magic are very rare in this world. Only 1 in 100 are able to weild magic, and of them only a fraction discover that ability.
(Most Common)
Adepts
Bards
Rangers
Druids
Clerics
Sorcerers/Wizards
Paladins
(Least Common)
Generally speaking, magic needs to be discovered. Sometimes, it's easy. An example of this might be a Cleric being called by a specific God or Goddess; or an Adept being visited by ancestors, spirits, or what-have-you. Other times, it's difficult, as with Sorcerers and Wizards who need to be fairly exceptional to be discovered. Bards are special because nearly all cultures in the Empire venerate the ability of a person to entertain in some way. Stories and Songs, as many believe, are the currency of the soul.
There is a belief that has grown in strength among the humans and elves that states that magic is fundamentally corrupting. To put it in contemporary terminology, magical abilities are the cheat codes for reality. As with any cheat codes, they can be addictive, and fundamentally corrupting forces. The basic tenant is "Use magic only when steel, muscle and most importantly reason will not suffice." Magical ability is heavily controlled by the Empire, though some believe that it's not because magic is dangerous, but because it threatens the power base of the Imperial elites (the Askarans and the Elves).
((Bards are special in my campaign because I like the idea of them, and mostly because I don't believe a lot of Bards can necessarily "break" the world as much as Archmagi, or Messianic Clerics.))
Character Generation
30 Build Points using the rules in the DMG, starting at 3rd Level.
Halflings, Goblins, Gnomes and maybe a Dwarf or Elf depending on the number of players.
Bards, Fighters, Rangers, Rogues and perhaps a Druid or Sorcerer.
At first, I will not allow any of your characters to be of an Evil alignment, but you will be allowed to shift your alignment as long as it seems reasonable. I'm looking for interesting roleplaying, so as long as it's not too disruptive to other players' enjoyment, go nuts!
Starting gold is 150 Gold Pieces. Most of the people making the trip to the New World had to pay a huge amount of gold to do so... most of these people put themselves into debt and have agreed to work that debt off. Your characters have paid their way prior -- though they probably had to beg, borrow, or steal to get the 500 GP to get it.
Please, don't expect magical accoutrements out the wazoo here, this is a relatively low magic setting.
Please do not post character statistics on this thread! I want to control the amount of metagame information the other PCs have in order to promote character exploration and all that jazz.
A Note on Theme: Power and Freedom
Originally, I intended this campaign to be about one thing: Power.
Who has it? Who wants it? How does one get it? Who deserves it?
These are all questions that I wanted the PCs to ask themselves. I would try to answer these questions on the part of different NPCs and hope that the PCs form their own opinions on the matter. As I progressed, I started to think that power merely one facet that someone could crave.
The other was freedom, but what kind of freedom? The freedom to something, or the freedom from something?
Anyway, I hope that this has sparked interest in some of you, I know I'm anxious to see your character ideas. Anyway, feel free to post questions and comments...
- Rep.
I've been wanting to run a Play-By-Post game for quite some time, and though I'm not certain if I'll be able to run it as quickly as other games seem to be going, I thought I'd take a stab at it. Let's hope that it's interesting and lasting,
Premise
The Player-Characters are a group of minority immigrants from a wealthy and vibrant, yet prejudicial, continental Empire. There's one twist however, in that the PCs will consist mainly of two races in particular: halflings and goblins. As immigrants to the Imperial City of Port Opal, the PCs are expected to become part of the Underground since their kind is generally treated poorly at best. When the game gets going, it's my hope that the PCs will be willing to become part of a "little folk" Mafia consisting primarily of halflings and goblins (with the odd gnome and dwarf thrown in for good measure).
I expect this game to be rather cinematic in nature, and combat will most likely become fairly simplistic at first. Also, there will be little in the way of dungeon-crawling or loot gathering. The world I've set this game in is fairly detailed, and fairly low power relative to something like the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting. I would like this to be fairly casual at first, since this is my first time DMing a PBP game, but I don't want it to be tongue-in-cheek, or "silly." I'm looking for some (semi-)serious roleplaying experience, and I hope there are others looking for that, too. (This doesn't mean that you or your characters can't have fun, it's just that I'd like for that fun to be in flavour and in context of the overall campaign.)
The Setting
Races - All races are from the PHB or MM... btw.
Your characters will have grown up on the continent of Vanaria, also known as the "Civilized Contient." Long ago, the free peoples of the land came together to meet the orcish horde from the southeast in the legendary War of the Unending Tide. It was at this time that two races in particular ascended into greatness: the Imperial Askarans, and the Pale Elves of Alerion.
The Imperial Askarans were technically the second great human civilization, though they are now its most powerful. Theirs is a culture venerating authority, loyalty, and responsibility. They are pantheists, and pay tribute to many Gods and Goddesses. The Askaran civilization values order and stability above almost all other things. There are two main Askaran nations on the continent of Vanaria: Illuminor, the center of the Empire; and Atealia, the merchant capital of the Empire.
Similar to the Imperial Askarans are the Pale Elves of Alerion. Hailing from the frigid plains of the north, the Pale Elves are perhaps the most scientifically advanced culture in the Empire. Truth be told, it was the political ingenuity of the Pale Elves that forged the first link in the great alliance turned continental Empire. The elves were the first to successfully implement a centralized bureaucracy as a means of controlling their lands, and the Askarans merely copied that template.
In contrast to either of these two people stand the Meyarin people. Their culture was the first truly great human civiliztion. They value simplicity and comfort above most things, and though they appear to be quite materialistic in nature, they are devout worshippers of their single deity: the Great Creator. Long before the Askarans marched their legions to first battle back the Unending Tide of orcish invaders and then conquer the continent in the name of the greater good, the Meyarins forged cultural and economic links with all other friendly races save the elves. Today, there is only one Meyarin nation left: Haravia.
Both halflings and gnomes trace their biological origins to the island-nation of Guelphia, off the northwest coast of Vanarian Proper. Though a significant number of halflings stayed, the majority of the halflings moved from their island home into the warmer climate of what simply became known as the "Halfling Lands" about two centuries before the Meyarin culture took off. To this day, Guelphia has been considered a country of gnomes, while the southern lands of the continent were considered halfling lands.
The dwarves were assumed by scholars to be an offshoot of gnomish people settling in the mountainous region of the Rudan Heights and the Grey Mountains. They were and still are an insular people willing to do what's right, but only for their kith and kin. Of all the nations of the Vanarian Empire, the dwarves are the most isolated.
Finally, we come to the goblinoid lands bordering on the southeast. During the War of the Unending Tide, they acted as something of a buffer for the Askarans and Pale Elves to rally the rest of the continent and mount a counter-attack that forced the green horde back from where they came. Now, the Goblinoid Lands are ruled by a multitude of local Hobgobliun Warlords. Of the three goblinoid peoples, the Hobgoblins have taken power due to their keen ability to organize. Though the hobgoblins hold power, they are outnumbered by the goblins almost seven to one, though the goblins are perhaps the most oppressed of any people in the Empire. This may explain why they have elected to use their status as citizens of the Empire to move freely to the great cities of the Askarans and even into the Halfling lands, especially its capital: Taebrook. Bugbears, unlike the increasingly militaristic "hobbos," or the increasingly urban "gobbos," have elected to retain their tribal institutions and do as their hobgoblin masters ask of them.
Places
The places in which this campaign will take place will be described when your characters are there, but I'll be free to answer any specific and/or vital questions.
Magic
Nearly all of the forms of magic are very rare in this world. Only 1 in 100 are able to weild magic, and of them only a fraction discover that ability.
(Most Common)
Adepts
Bards
Rangers
Druids
Clerics
Sorcerers/Wizards
Paladins
(Least Common)
Generally speaking, magic needs to be discovered. Sometimes, it's easy. An example of this might be a Cleric being called by a specific God or Goddess; or an Adept being visited by ancestors, spirits, or what-have-you. Other times, it's difficult, as with Sorcerers and Wizards who need to be fairly exceptional to be discovered. Bards are special because nearly all cultures in the Empire venerate the ability of a person to entertain in some way. Stories and Songs, as many believe, are the currency of the soul.
There is a belief that has grown in strength among the humans and elves that states that magic is fundamentally corrupting. To put it in contemporary terminology, magical abilities are the cheat codes for reality. As with any cheat codes, they can be addictive, and fundamentally corrupting forces. The basic tenant is "Use magic only when steel, muscle and most importantly reason will not suffice." Magical ability is heavily controlled by the Empire, though some believe that it's not because magic is dangerous, but because it threatens the power base of the Imperial elites (the Askarans and the Elves).
((Bards are special in my campaign because I like the idea of them, and mostly because I don't believe a lot of Bards can necessarily "break" the world as much as Archmagi, or Messianic Clerics.))
Character Generation
30 Build Points using the rules in the DMG, starting at 3rd Level.
Halflings, Goblins, Gnomes and maybe a Dwarf or Elf depending on the number of players.
Bards, Fighters, Rangers, Rogues and perhaps a Druid or Sorcerer.
At first, I will not allow any of your characters to be of an Evil alignment, but you will be allowed to shift your alignment as long as it seems reasonable. I'm looking for interesting roleplaying, so as long as it's not too disruptive to other players' enjoyment, go nuts!
Starting gold is 150 Gold Pieces. Most of the people making the trip to the New World had to pay a huge amount of gold to do so... most of these people put themselves into debt and have agreed to work that debt off. Your characters have paid their way prior -- though they probably had to beg, borrow, or steal to get the 500 GP to get it.
Please, don't expect magical accoutrements out the wazoo here, this is a relatively low magic setting.
Please do not post character statistics on this thread! I want to control the amount of metagame information the other PCs have in order to promote character exploration and all that jazz.
A Note on Theme: Power and Freedom
Originally, I intended this campaign to be about one thing: Power.
Who has it? Who wants it? How does one get it? Who deserves it?
These are all questions that I wanted the PCs to ask themselves. I would try to answer these questions on the part of different NPCs and hope that the PCs form their own opinions on the matter. As I progressed, I started to think that power merely one facet that someone could crave.
The other was freedom, but what kind of freedom? The freedom to something, or the freedom from something?
Anyway, I hope that this has sparked interest in some of you, I know I'm anxious to see your character ideas. Anyway, feel free to post questions and comments...
- Rep.
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