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[nWoD] Changeling: The Interest Check
terminal stupidity
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Welcome to the Changeling: The Lost interest check thread! I'm your host, a blathering mental patient whispering you the secrets of a lost age that will be carved into the heart of your mind when I finish speaking. Follow along, I'll be your guide:
(Hey bro, you know your gun? It's been used to kill three children.)
Well, we'll start off--oh, what's that? No, no, you didn't hear anything. What are you, crazy?
Like I was trying to say, we'll start off with the basics.
This is a Changeling game set in the new World of Darkness. That means, if you want to waltz with a princess who wears a gown of woven tarantula hair to the songs of crying willows and wailing hematites you'll need a copy of the World of Darkness rulebook and Changeling: the Lost.
You should have these books anyway, they're both quite glorious. Quite Glamourous! Gateways to fanciful lands where delicate rainbow-pixies pirouette on mouldering plant detritus under a moonsilver sky smudged with aching grey, where dice tumble to determine the fates of constructs of the imagination more real than you should ever dare believe (lest they crawl their way through the caul between this world and the next), where exquisite fantasy can twist into torturous, rapturous, hideously beautiful pain.
Glorious!
This is a game of beautiful, whimsical, errant madness, creeping through your body the way rot dances it's marry jig through the trunk of a mighty old oak cursed with jolly blight. The way Jack Frost pinches at your nose and fingers, leaving them bruised and black in his playful innocence. The way unknowable True Fae cleave you from this world and into the next with their inscrutable might, prying open your mouth while they funnel their noxious drink and odious morsels down your throat, leaving you forever inhuman and preciously scarred, trapped in a world of razor sharp ice, wreathed in chilling blue flame that skips and twists over your broken form like leaves caught in a whirlwind.
Glorious!
Simple, yes? Oh, what kind of beautiful madness game are we playing? Oh, well, that should be quite obvious, shouldn't it? As obvious as the chill blade pressed to your exposed throat each night, while you lay helpless in bed.
If you really must play... Hmm? No, no, again, you're hearing things. Perhaps you should see one of the nurses in this ward, quite tender you know. Especially when blackened and served with a smear of butter churned from moth tears and grig-tails.
Let's continue, we have no time to waste!
If you really must play word-games, I'll tell you just what kind of beautiful madness game we're going to play. Follow me through this door, while I explain. Oh, and don't mind the brambles, though they may scratch a bit...
You see, every Changeling game is different, there are so many themes to explore. Loss, betrayal, abuse, stolen identities and lives, torture, sanity... Well, I couldn't just pick a handful, so I think we'll be exploring them all! But as for specifics, well, what better time than the present to set our little adventure, an autumn Chronicle, an autumn tragedy! Well, no, you'll be the ones to determine if it's a tragedy, you see, fate lies in your hands (in the form of decahedrons, or rodent skulls, choose your pick). Imagine a world of conspiracy and intrigue, splotched with direct, violent struggle and the creeping finger of madness trailing its icy, seductive touch across your bare flesh.
Glorious! Glamourous!
Does that entice you?
Glamourous!
Well, it will be a short but intense ride. Please be prepared to devote a few hours to each session, and bring your spider fingers (and make sure to have them kissed by a widow-hag you've cheated out of money within the past three sunrises), you'll want to type as fast as possible.
Follow along, follow along. Like I said, don't mind the brambles, even if they catch at your clothes...not like you'll need clothes where we're going...so keep up, keep up!
Hmm? Oh, yes, yes, I did change my clothes when we passed through the door. I couldn't go home in those ratty blue scrubs (that I stole from the doctor...'s body). Now, into the carriage, it will spirit us to our destination much faster!
Of course, I'll be running the game, though my schedule is fairly flexible, I'm typically only available evenings EST (GMT -5). Time doesn't mean much in this place, but I hope you can twist your think-folds around that. I don't favor letter-writing, and with your arms shackled, well... We'll communicate through more active, dynamic means when you aren't screaming your little human lungs out for mercy--of course they won't be human for very long. Please acquire a copy of OpenRPG, quite easy to configure, we can make excellent use of it. Oh yes, and the rules where we're going might not behave in the way you expect.
Allow me to explain...ah! We've arrived. Out, out! I'll tell you as you walk up the path. Ignore the topiary, they bite hard, yes, but won't take too much blood.
There are some special rules, but don't worry my new thrall, they will be made to disobfuscate... Hmm? I know, that isn't a word, don't correct your betters.
They will be made to disobfuscate if you accept the pledge and join me in my most unique of Contracts. If you refuse, well... We certainly won't get to have much fun. At least you won't.
Why am I shackling you to this wall? Hah, it should be obvious.
I had to finish speaking eventually. Didn't I?
(Hey bro, you know your gun? It's been used to kill three children.)
Well, we'll start off--oh, what's that? No, no, you didn't hear anything. What are you, crazy?
Like I was trying to say, we'll start off with the basics.
This is a Changeling game set in the new World of Darkness. That means, if you want to waltz with a princess who wears a gown of woven tarantula hair to the songs of crying willows and wailing hematites you'll need a copy of the World of Darkness rulebook and Changeling: the Lost.
You should have these books anyway, they're both quite glorious. Quite Glamourous! Gateways to fanciful lands where delicate rainbow-pixies pirouette on mouldering plant detritus under a moonsilver sky smudged with aching grey, where dice tumble to determine the fates of constructs of the imagination more real than you should ever dare believe (lest they crawl their way through the caul between this world and the next), where exquisite fantasy can twist into torturous, rapturous, hideously beautiful pain.
Glorious!
This is a game of beautiful, whimsical, errant madness, creeping through your body the way rot dances it's marry jig through the trunk of a mighty old oak cursed with jolly blight. The way Jack Frost pinches at your nose and fingers, leaving them bruised and black in his playful innocence. The way unknowable True Fae cleave you from this world and into the next with their inscrutable might, prying open your mouth while they funnel their noxious drink and odious morsels down your throat, leaving you forever inhuman and preciously scarred, trapped in a world of razor sharp ice, wreathed in chilling blue flame that skips and twists over your broken form like leaves caught in a whirlwind.
Glorious!
Simple, yes? Oh, what kind of beautiful madness game are we playing? Oh, well, that should be quite obvious, shouldn't it? As obvious as the chill blade pressed to your exposed throat each night, while you lay helpless in bed.
If you really must play... Hmm? No, no, again, you're hearing things. Perhaps you should see one of the nurses in this ward, quite tender you know. Especially when blackened and served with a smear of butter churned from moth tears and grig-tails.
Let's continue, we have no time to waste!
If you really must play word-games, I'll tell you just what kind of beautiful madness game we're going to play. Follow me through this door, while I explain. Oh, and don't mind the brambles, though they may scratch a bit...
You see, every Changeling game is different, there are so many themes to explore. Loss, betrayal, abuse, stolen identities and lives, torture, sanity... Well, I couldn't just pick a handful, so I think we'll be exploring them all! But as for specifics, well, what better time than the present to set our little adventure, an autumn Chronicle, an autumn tragedy! Well, no, you'll be the ones to determine if it's a tragedy, you see, fate lies in your hands (in the form of decahedrons, or rodent skulls, choose your pick). Imagine a world of conspiracy and intrigue, splotched with direct, violent struggle and the creeping finger of madness trailing its icy, seductive touch across your bare flesh.
Glorious! Glamourous!
Does that entice you?
Glamourous!
Well, it will be a short but intense ride. Please be prepared to devote a few hours to each session, and bring your spider fingers (and make sure to have them kissed by a widow-hag you've cheated out of money within the past three sunrises), you'll want to type as fast as possible.
Follow along, follow along. Like I said, don't mind the brambles, even if they catch at your clothes...not like you'll need clothes where we're going...so keep up, keep up!
Hmm? Oh, yes, yes, I did change my clothes when we passed through the door. I couldn't go home in those ratty blue scrubs (that I stole from the doctor...'s body). Now, into the carriage, it will spirit us to our destination much faster!
Of course, I'll be running the game, though my schedule is fairly flexible, I'm typically only available evenings EST (GMT -5). Time doesn't mean much in this place, but I hope you can twist your think-folds around that. I don't favor letter-writing, and with your arms shackled, well... We'll communicate through more active, dynamic means when you aren't screaming your little human lungs out for mercy--of course they won't be human for very long. Please acquire a copy of OpenRPG, quite easy to configure, we can make excellent use of it. Oh yes, and the rules where we're going might not behave in the way you expect.
Allow me to explain...ah! We've arrived. Out, out! I'll tell you as you walk up the path. Ignore the topiary, they bite hard, yes, but won't take too much blood.
There are some special rules, but don't worry my new thrall, they will be made to disobfuscate... Hmm? I know, that isn't a word, don't correct your betters.
They will be made to disobfuscate if you accept the pledge and join me in my most unique of Contracts. If you refuse, well... We certainly won't get to have much fun. At least you won't.
Why am I shackling you to this wall? Hah, it should be obvious.
I had to finish speaking eventually. Didn't I?
terminal stupidity on
0
Posts
1) People who just skimmed down after reading a few lines of the OP.
2) People who read the whole OP and have no fucking clue what's going on.
3) People who read the whole OP and want to play a game of Changeling: the Lost right fucking now!
If you are in the third group of people, this post is for you.
Let's talk.
Let's rap.
Let's play a game.
Who's interested?
I dunno, man, I didn't even have to get through the OP to be thinking "If the game is anywhere close to as awesome as this, there is no way I wouldn't want in."
Edit: But I read the whole thing.
I'm fairly negotiable for a lot of things, which is why I didn't put down any house rules (there will be, but I want to bounce them off my players first).
The one thing I'm not negotiable about, however, is OpenRPG, IRC, or some other dynamic medium.
PbP works awesome for some games. Not for Changeling.
However, I am unfamilliar with either the World of Darkness OR Changeling: The Lost, therefore, I must educate myself on these topics before I can officially make a claim one way or the other.
Provided you are still looking for players after I have completed my research (and perhaps made any necessary purchases). I shall return in a fortnight with further news.
I was trying to be cute.
Still, I probably won't know for sure if I can play till at the very least Monday.
So, if anyone else pipes in showing interest in the meantime and have the tools that you require at their disposal, then they should get in before me, that's all.
Reynolds' Silent Hill RPG was my first attempt at anything of the like, and I was still pretty lost half of the time.
So, color me interested, but I have a lot to learn.
hi5!
Count me in. I've already got a character ready to go and everything. One of the few nWoD settings I like better than the original.
A big thing to keep in mind is that changelings are no longer mortal, but they are not immortal like a vampire or super-human like a werewolf. They're like mortals, but with innate advantages and a magic of their own (Contracts, which are bought like vampire Disciplines).
If you can follow one WoD supernatural, you can follow changelings easily.
Wyrd is their power trait. Like Blood Potency or Gnosis.
Glamour is their resource pool, like vitae or mana.
Clarity is their morality trait.
Contracts are their supernatural skills.
Tokens are their special items.
The game itself has a dream-like quality to it, even when the action is taking place in the real world. A sylph-like maiden whose body glows with radiant, prismatic light dines with an eight foot tall brute covered in shaggy white fur, who rooms with a a girl who has the legs of a goat, who is best friends with a guy that has the hands, feet and face of a monkey, who works with a grey-skinned, hairless dream-surgeon with all-black eyes and no discernible gender...
And when you enter the Hedge (the border between the real world and Arcadia), things get really weird. Shambling mounds of teeth joined in a clattering hive-mind hock wares next to a gnarled tree-man with a shaggy moss-beard, who sells his own fruit (eggplant-shaped, green with red splotches, covered in a downy brown fuzz, one bite can cure all wounds but leaves the eater mute for a week) for the low, low price of your own nightmares. A twisting shadow-beast takes the shape of your worst fear before pouncing on you and stripping your skin from your flesh (somehow keeping you conscious through the whole process), ogres with teeth made of iron and limbs of stone harvest immobile worms that keen and wail as he butchers them, stars fall from the sky to seduce travelers away from civilization, trapping them in the thorns and brambles, snatching their soul away in the tangle as they're drawn closer and closer to Arcadia...
And then when you get into the dreamscape, all that can happen, but you can be the one who causes it to happen. Changelings are natural oneiromancers.
So anyway, pick up the book, read it, start throwing out character concepts.
I have the skeleton of the plot ready to go, but I'm not going to start putting meat on the bones until I see what I have to work with. No sense in making a game that has only one or two fights if everyone is going to make a character focused on combat. Etc.
The setting of the game is based around Autumn, not just with thematic visuals (leaves changing, falling, overcast skies, chill winds), but with the concepts associated with it. I'm thinking New York (maybe Brooklyn), someplace where there is a dense population but also plenty of green to slowly waste away into browns, oranges and reds.
This can change of course if someone wants to suggest a better area. Also keep in mind I don't live and have never lived in New York, I've only been there to be a theatre fag and watch a lot of poncy shows. So if you find some error in my depiction of the city (or whatever setting we decide on) chalk it up to the differences between Real New York and WoD New York.
Some basic house rules I'll drop on you now, if you don't like them, make your case against it and if it's a good one, I'll change it:
1) I'll probably veto illogical merit/flaw combinations. This means stuff like an ogre with Dwarf or a wizened with Giant.
2) Resources, Tokens and Hollows work differently in my games. You may only buy dots of these at character creation, otherwise they must be acquired through play and dice rolls.
For example, you could acquire or raise resources by making an Intelligence + Academics roll as an extended action that lasts the entire Chapter. The target number of successes is the number of new dots times 3. This represents playing the market to gain a sustainable income from investments, an exceptional success can boost your number of dots higher than your stated goal, but only if you would have enough successes to reach that number of dots.
This roll is made once an in-game week, I will be keeping track of time passage. Buying something that requires a number of resource dots doesn't "drain" your resources significantly, but if you buy something quite expensive (or a lot of relatively inexpensive things), you may be denied access to your resource dots until the start of the next Chapter.
Starting with Resources, Hollow (not shared) or Tokens above two dots should be explained well.
3) Wyrd above 2 must be explained well.
4) Any attributes or skills 4 or higher should be explained. Especially if it means leaving a 1 in any attribute, or if the attribute/skill selection doesn't have obvious synergy with your seeming/kith/concept.
5) Please pick a kith and a court. This isn't required, but really, there's no reason not to. Autumn Court will be ruling during this Chronicle.
6) I'd like it if everyone was relatively fresh out of the Hedge, months to a year or so. You'll also need to work on your first pledge (your motley pledge) together, and come up with reasons for having it, etc. But I'll help with that, and we can work it out during the prelude. We can also do the escape from the Arcadia as part of a prelude.
7) Background info needs to be supplied. I'm pretty non-negotiable on this. What is the status of your fetch? What is the status of your family? How old were you when you were stolen into the Hedge? How much real world time passed while you were gone? How old were you when you escaped from Arcadia? Even if you only spent what seemed to be a month or two in Arcadia, ten years could have passed in the real world. How has that affected you? Have you tried to reconcile with your fetch/family? How do you feel towards your family? How they feel towards you, if they are aware of who and what you are?
Dead families are frowned on.
The game will be starting in September 2007, if that helps with the timing issues.
8) Tell me about your Fae keeper. Again, pretty non-negotiable. Also tell me about your Fae keeper's demesne. How you escaped. When you first encountered another changeling. Players are encouraged to work on this together, a group escape is a foundation for a very loyal motley.
9) I give out experience differently from the core rules. You'll still get experience as per the core rules, but you'll also get experience in different ways. Which I won't tell you, because it should be a surprise. I don't play favorites, though.
10) Go watch Alice in Wonderland or something.
My schedule is pretty inconsistent lately, but damn, I am so interested.
Same here. My schedule is consistent, but awkward. If I can swing it, I'll play.
I want to shoot for a playerbase of 3-5 for this. Three is where the sweet spot starts, I think, because it lets you have a comfy amount of generalization or a real solid amount of specialization in your motley, while five is about where things start to become less personal at a drastic pace.
That being said, I work from 8 am to 4 pm EST M-F, which means I can't stay up too late on weeknights, and weekends are usually reserved for girlfriend-time.
mid-evenings during the week would be my prefered playtime, but needless to say, that might 'cause problems for people on the West Coast.
Let me know if we can work out a reasonable time to play and I'll see about picking up the sourcebooks.
Likewise, terribly in love with the part where the Vainglory one-dot power is easier to use if you're trying to convince someone you're superior just because you're prettier.
Damn you! I was leaning towards Fairest myself! Oh well, I'll probably try Elemental instead, but I need to know what times we're playing before I invest in the books and start working on a character.
Get the fuck out of my head. I was just thinking of switching over to Ogre for that exact same reason.
At this point I'm thinking maybe some sort of industrial-themed mechanical elemental who spews steam and smoke and sludge who's knowledgeable in mechanics and possesses the resillience and resoucefulness of human industry.
Well. I really can't reconcile the Wisened or Elementals as faerie-ish in my mind, and bleh, I've got no desire to play a dude with goat legs. Fairest and Ogre are the only options.
Spreading out between seemings and courts makes it more likely that you'll have one person who can throw a big handful of dice in any situation.
I don't mind using one of the others if you'd prefer Fairest, though.
I offered for a reason. I'll go ahead with Beast.
Listen, no one's addressed the time issue yet, are we going to be able to find time to play together? Remember I'm on the east coast and would prefer to play weekday evenings.
Can we make it work?
Well, the bright side is I could probably make that work and not worry about sleepytime.
Problem is, I usually am involved in social excursions on those nights and would thus only be available on nights where it so happens I have nothing else planned. How often are we talking here, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly?
If it's monthly I can probably put a weekend aside to play a month without problem. Weekly would be difficult as, like I said, I can't sacrifice my weekend evening all the time. Bi-weekly would be best if we reserved it for every other Saturday when my gf isn't coming over, for me.
If this is workable, please let me know as soon as possible before I get too invested into a character that I can't play :P
*edit* if there's a choice between Friday and Saturday, I'm going to throw in my hat for Friday, as it is less likely I'll be out late on a Friday than it is on a Saturday.
It's a small miracle that I have broadband internet.
Actually Neaden, my times mesh more with yours than Salt's, as i'd prefer to play during the week than on the weekends. Didn't you suggest Thursday?
I could do Thursday, any time between 5 pm and ~ 10 pm EST. Maybe bi-weekly? That should be a bit before Salt's bedtime.