Cortex Game Interest Check

[DreamsnThings]

Oh god... OH GOD I MISSED ALOT!

uh... where the hell do i even start? I opened a spoiler and on my phone it doubled the page size?...

*overstimulated noises*

For this whats like... the first things i should think about as someone really interested but whos life hit a busy period?

[IsabellaRose]

8 hours ago, Warning said:

I see. So it's left to be seen still what the setting will actually be. I will be watching for the time being. I still like the idea of a Wild Arms theme (I mean, cow girls with fancy gun skills). I didn't have many but I could probably find something fun with this. But for now, yeah. I will be checking to see what is really decided. A lot of this is pretty new to me and the kind of character I might be allowed to use might differ. :)

To me that's the fun, watching your character concept evolve through Pathways with the other players, watching them become attached to the world, NPCs, other players. Character creation IS worldbuilding and vice versa. It's so integrated you end up making a character that fits specifically into this world and is inextricably tied to it and the other PCs. I can't imagine any of my Cortex Drama characters playing in other games.

 

9 hours ago, AsBloodTurnsEverCold said:

Magic is actually pretty common in any sort of "Pulp" genre like Steampunk and westerns just more lowkey. Witches with mysterious works, magical societies, mystic power sources, the obvious inhumans and the like. Could fit in easy but plans and group decisions. 

I'm so excited for the possibility of this that I'm just de-facto building up my image choices for any sort of character that might fit in. 

Magic in this game could be as simple as a Distinction called "Witchcraft" with some definitions of what it means to be a witch, and specific SFX showing how your witchcraft will affect dice mechanics.

One of my favorite mechanics for this is to add an SFX that allows you to use ANY power (to simulate casting a spell for whatever effect you want) but to do so you have to add a d10 to the Trouble Pool (the pool of dice the GM gets to use against you throughout the session), which means that sure, you can do anything, but then later, there will be dramatic repercussions... magic comes with a price 

6 hours ago, DreamsnThings said:

Oh god... OH GOD I MISSED ALOT!

uh... where the hell do i even start? I opened a spoiler and on my phone it doubled the page size?...

*overstimulated noises*

For this whats like... the first things i should think about as someone really interested but whos life hit a busy period?

just think about what kind of steampunk/weird west character you want to play... really until we get going, there's not much else to do, and I'm happy to help with the mechanics as we go. I assume a learning curve, but once you get it, it's really pretty simple.

[IsabellaRose]

Also, I started writing up some examples from a game I'm running. It's over here, but it's locked. Any questions or comments, please post them here. I'll answer/explain here, then try to update that thread with the answers so the examples are all together.

[IsabellaRose]

I've been thinking about what would keep all the character's together, a sort of group framing device. In a supers game it would be easy - you're all on the same team. In a sci-fi game, you're all the crew of the same ship. Or you're all members of the same criminal gang, or the same strike force, or... well, you get the idea.

I want the players to decide together... but I decided to spew out some ideas, in case people are wondering, "how can we all be linked together?" 

So without further ado, another list.

Ideas for ways to keep the Player Characters together

1. The Town’s Defenders – they all live in a strange frontier boomtown (part steampunk, part mining camp, part trading post/railroad stop/hub), and are forced to band together when trouble strikes.
2. Inheritors of a Mystery – each PC received part of a will, deed, map, or strange device from the same eccentric benefactor. Some may be related to each other, or to the benefactor.
3. Circus / Traveling Show – they tour together as performers, engineers showcasing their latest scientific inventions, trick/sharpshooters. They run into some sort of "trouble of the week" in each new town, and their individual (or collective?) pasts follow their caravan.
4. The Brotherhood / Sisterhood of the Peculiar – they've all been recruited by a secret society to investigate supernatural threats across the frontier.
5. Fugitive Caravan – they're all running from something (law, debts, curses), and survival means sticking together.
6. Expedition Crew – they've been gathered by a wealthy patron or eccentric scientist for an exploratory mission (ruins, lost civilizations, hidden labs, etc.).
7. Victims of an Experiment – they survived a mad scientist’s invention gone wrong, and are tied by trauma, strange abilities, or scars.
8. Blood or Found Family – literal relatives (siblings, cousins), or bound together as a surrogate family of misfits.
9. Debt to a Benefactor – someone powerful saved them once, and now they “owe favors” (could be a government agency, railroad baron, outlaw boss, supernatural patron).
10. The List – their names were all written together on a strange parchment found in the papers of someone being investigated (supernatural? criminal? something else?)

[MagnificentBastard]

Do you want us to vote?

I would prefer 2, 4, 7 or 10.

I would like us all be able to travel, I dont think our characters should have any sort of prestablished relationship until we use the Pathways system.

[AsBloodTurnsEverCold]

Pretty good list though I imagine no matter what the given groups decide (Whether it be one super group given the interest or two separate) that the found family angle just kinda naturally comes out. I don't think an origin should be fully picked though until the players see what their running mates are able to put together. 

Personally thought I quite like 2, 3, 6, 9, and 7 in that order not that some of these can't be combined in some way. 

[WickedCadrach]

3, 5, 8, 2, 4 would be my top five in that order.

I'm still very interested in playing. Just haven't been feeling well for a few days. I'll be on to read the examples as soon as I can.

[StarlitSiren]

1, 2, 4,5, 9 all give me fun vibes

(though to clarify I'd still likely enjoy any of them)

Edited 17 hours ago by StarlitSiren

[WritesNaughtyStories]

If I were asked, I think I'd say:

1, 3, 6, 5, 4, 7

I think a central location in a larger settlement modeled after someplace like St. Louis, San Francisco or San Antonio might be a natural place to start the Pathways and see what evolves.

Edited 18 hours ago by WritesNaughtyStories

[SataiRolePlayingGuy]

We still splitting people into two games, or now now having one bigger group (don't know how practical that is, but if it works, it works)?  I like all of them.  After a little thought I may try to pick a few I like the most, a little later.

[DreamsnThings]

personally i think i can work with any of these, I would just rather avoid 8 since that gets a little into incest territory with the kinds of RP's typical on this site, that said the found family version would be fine to me...

[Warning]

Not just a little. 8 says "literal relatives." I don't know which I prefer most myself. The circus just reminds me of Peppita from Star Ocean 3 and it gives me nostalgia. XD Other ideas seem like normal stories to work with. I wouldn't know which ones I prefer exactly. I usually try to bring/create a character based on the setting in place when it comes.

[DreamsnThings]

well last I heard the "setting" is going to be some flavor of weird west steampunk (assuming im not getting wires crossed) so i have been trying to use that as a baseline for ideas, but having a solid... connection point with the group will help...

[AsBloodTurnsEverCold]

Always helps to have a common goal. Will just have to decide what it is once actual set-up gets going. 

[Warning]

Yeah, wild west, steampunk, etc if I stick to what I was told in this thread. As a RPG player, to me, it's just Wild Arms. I would totally go that theme on it. Imagine if I just brought someone like Rebecca to this kind of story. (Minus magic etc. Just a wild gunner with a hot spirit. Example image below). Not sure if that would work but yeah.

Spoiler

Edited 17 hours ago by Warning

[IsabellaRose]

Okay, so it looks like the list of interested players is:

@SataiRolePlayingGuy

@MagnificentBastard

@WickedCadrach

@DreamsnThings

@AsBloodTurnsEverCold

@Chiyako

@StarlitSiren

@WritesNaughtyStories

@Warning

So we can split that into either 2 games of 4 and 5 players, or 3 games of 3 players each. 

HOWEVER WE SPLIT IT, they will all be in the same world, and all in the American west so that if we end up with drop outs we can merge groups. Or so we can do fun crossover/team-ups later, if we decide to. 

My request to everyone: Message me privately if there's anyone you REALLY want in your group, or anyone you'd prefer not to play with. I won't share any details with anyone or the group, but I'll try to split up the groups to accommodate any requests, if possible. If there are no requests either way I'll just draw names out of a hat. 

[AsBloodTurnsEverCold]

2 groups is probably for the best I think though one will have 5. 

Edited 15 hours ago by AsBloodTurnsEverCold

[DreamsnThings]

im fine with either, if we had multiple DM's i would suggest smaller groups of 3 to keep things schmoving, but that ends up being a big ask for the DM, so for me being in a party of 3 or 4 would be great!

[SataiRolePlayingGuy]

The two groups is probably better, especially if it can balance everyone’s private requests.  Though I would not rule out the 3 groups idea.

As for the ideas, I think 4, 5 & 7 would be my favorites, though like I said, I would be up for the others too.

[DreamsnThings]

a quick question, as far as character creation goes are we limited to humans of some variety? or can we use something like goblins, elves, steam punk golems, etc?

currently i have a few character ideas but Im holding off on making any concrete choices till i have a concrete location or setting to work off of, currently im leaning towards being the former sherif of a town that was wiped out well she was investigating

[Chiyako]

If I had to rank the settings from most desired to least I'd be interested in (including some surface level thoughts on each) it would probably be:

1. The Town’s Defenders – they all live in a strange frontier boomtown (part steampunk, part mining camp, part trading post/railroad stop/hub), and are forced to band together when trouble strikes.
- Kind of gives off Seven Samurai sort of vibes, which I am all for. Gives us antagonists and a reason to stick together, regardless of whether or not we start off friendly. Also, depending on how many are newcomers, it allows for a variety of starting relations (or lack thereof). While stuck in roughly one area it does mean we are stuck together.

9. Debt to a Benefactor – someone powerful saved them once, and now they “owe favors” (could be a government agency, railroad baron, outlaw boss, supernatural patron).
- Direction, a good way to keep us held together (despite how good relations are), and a possible antagonist (or two). Also easy to keep people together while also giving us travel abilities.

4. The Brotherhood / Sisterhood of the Peculiar – they've all been recruited by a secret society to investigate supernatural threats across the frontier.
- Big monster of the week potential. Easily stuck together or sent in smaller groups to handle things. Probably clear antagonists and direction.

6. Expedition Crew – they've been gathered by a wealthy patron or eccentric scientist for an exploratory mission (ruins, lost civilizations, hidden labs, etc.).
- See above, less with antagonists and instead of monster of the week more adventure of the week.

3. Circus / Traveling Show – they tour together as performers, engineers showcasing their latest scientific inventions, trick/sharpshooters. They run into some sort of "trouble of the week" in each new town, and their individual (or collective?) pasts follow their caravan.
- Starts to limit a little more the sort of people you might find, but also still pretty free and open for that sort of thing. Adventure of the week and a good way of keeping us together. However here is where conflicts start to be a little more difficult to think up, I think.

5. Fugitive Caravan – they're all running from something (law, debts, curses), and survival means sticking together.
- Clear direction and, I assume, antagonists. Maybe we are antagonists? Reason to stick together but also opening to some treachery. More non-stop adventure, non-stop moving around. Could be very exciting though.

7. Victims of an Experiment – they survived a mad scientist’s invention gone wrong, and are tied by trauma, strange abilities, or scars.
- I feel there is a little less direction with this one. A clear antagonist potentially but also much less holding us together.

10. The List – their names were all written together on a strange parchment found in the papers of someone being investigated (supernatural? criminal? something else?)
- Mysterious and harder to rank for that reason. Would I like it as much? Maybe! But still a maybe. Would it be easier to keep us together? Probably.

2. Inheritors of a Mystery – each PC received part of a will, deed, map, or strange device from the same eccentric benefactor. Some may be related to each other, or to the benefactor.
- See above.

8. Blood or Found Family – literal relatives (siblings, cousins), or bound together as a surrogate family of misfits.
- As family it feels like there is just less to unlock relationship wise in the RP, at least compared to the other choices.

[IsabellaRose]

7 hours ago, DreamsnThings said:

a quick question, as far as character creation goes are we limited to humans of some variety? or can we use something like goblins, elves, steam punk golems, etc?

currently i have a few character ideas but Im holding off on making any concrete choices till i have a concrete location or setting to work off of, currently im leaning towards being the former sherif of a town that was wiped out well she was investigating

The setting references I originally posted include a historic timeframe as well as real-life and fictional material that is more or less based on our real world and thus, very human-centric. I don't see fantasy species existing in this setting, but an automaton, or possibly something supernatural-ish, given the weird west / mad scientist vibe. I would expect from the initial proposed setup something more along the lines of a Frankenstein's Monster, Jekyll/Hyde, Dr. Moreau's creations, etc. over vampires, werewolves, etc. More science gone awry than actual supernatural species. That being said, I could see room for some magical beings like skinwalkers, or east coast/old Europe witches, etc. 

[SataiRolePlayingGuy]

Using the list of character types on the previous page, started to whittle that down to a smallish list of options I may choose from.  But final decision will wait to see who I am grouped with and what sort of story the group settles on.

[DreamsnThings]

ok, with all this in mind i think im going to go for some degree of a "scrap tech gunner" someone who has a ramshackled version of a steampunk esk gun they have tinkered with explosive results!... litterally... sometimes it works really well, others it backfires horribly and might actively blow up in their face... the specifics ill leave till the specifics of the setting is defined, but a sheriff seems fun for a wild west esk setting

[MagnificentBastard]

I havent decided I have a few concepts, depends on who or what we end up doing:

- An esoteric detective of occult/erotic mysteries.

- A Kevorkian scientist that has experiment on himself to increase his intelligence.

- An expy of Alistair Crawley focused heavily on the idea of sex to power see spells.