Cortex Steampunk Game 1 OOC Discussion

[IsabellaRose]

2 hours ago, WritesNaughtyStories said:

I think the influence of the established churches might fill in nicely there. The New Church might haul them to the dias for Judgement using the dame kind of enforcers Prudence was. The Old Church might try to get the Unbound run out of town. Push either hard enough and they might call for a trial for heresy - which generally ends badly.

They're definitely the foil to the Unbound, but mechanically a Limitation takes away any powers or abilities tied to a Heritage for the rest of the scene. I'm not sure I can come up with a way that the old church takes away your knowledge of pressure points or combat training other than by threatening others to keep you from using them, and that's the kind of dramatic interaction I'm hoping will make you WANT TO use your training... 

I think we'll keep it as a regular distinction for now.

[WritesNaughtyStories]

I'm unclear on the interaction of Heritage Distinctions with rules (I only have Tales of Xadia as a reference) but, could it be a matter of their Faith making me question mine?

The reference guide on Dire Wolf's Cortex site is the barest of bare-bones and Xadia doesn't dig into meta-logic much, so I'm really working from little more than guessed and inferences.

Edited 14 hours ago by WritesNaughtyStories

[MagnificentBastard]

@IsabellaRose

How much information should I make puvlic to other characters and how much should be for you as the GM?

I have some ideas of where thinhs could go but don't know if this is like Fabula Ultima where players have no secrets but characters can should have plenty.

[Chiyako]

I think I am going to try to find more examples of distinctions/traits and abilities/powers before I finalize that section.

[IsabellaRose]

6 minutes ago, Chiyako said:

I think I am going to try to find more examples of distinctions/traits and abilities/powers before I finalize that section.

There's a big list in the rules reference thread!

1 hour ago, WritesNaughtyStories said:

I'm unclear on the interaction of Heritage Distinctions with rules (I only have Tales of Xadia as a reference) but, could it be a matter of their Faith making me question mine?

The reference guide on Dire Wolf's Cortex site is the barest of bare-bones and Xadia doesn't dig into meta-logic much, so I'm really working from little more than guessed and inferences.

I added info on Heritage Distinctions to the rules, at the bottom of the Distinctions section, along with a couple sample Heritage Distinctions for this setting. The Heritage Distinction may be more directly from the Smallville game than the Cortex Prime rules.

 

54 minutes ago, MagnificentBastard said:

@IsabellaRose

How much information should I make puvlic to other characters and how much should be for you as the GM?

I have some ideas of where thinhs could go but don't know if this is like Fabula Ultima where players have no secrets but characters can should have plenty.

For this game, we're crafting a narrative together, with the goal being to tell the most interesting story. While there will almost definitely be player vs. player contests, we should be crafting things collaboratively to make a great story rather than trying to win. My intention is that all character sheets can be public with no real issue as we're all working together as players toward the same "cool ass story" goal, even if that means we let our characters get beat down a few times.

[IsabellaRose]

I'm working my way through character sheets to make sure everything looks solid and playable.

@AsBloodTurnsEverCold - for your Distinction and Ability, what do you think about this?

 

Virtuoso Distinction: Music is more than skill to you, it is breath, fire, and soul. Your hands move with instinctive grace over strings, keys, or pipes; your voice resonates with power that can hush a crowd or stir them to tears. Whether in a saloon, a cathedral, or around a campfire, your performance holds people spellbound. Even without supernatural influence, you know how to make your music heard.

• d4: Earn a Plot Point when your music draws you unwanted attention (hecklers, rivals, over-eager fans).
• d8: Spend a Plot Point to Reroll a die in a performance-related roll (whether calming a tense room, impressing an audience, or competing with another performer).
• d12: Add a d6 to Trouble to Reroll any die when your musical reputation precedes you or when your artistry inspires emotions in others.

The Other Theory

When you play, your music doesn’t just move hearts, it opens minds. Notes spill from your instrument or voice like a bridge to the Other World, luring listeners into a state of suggestible reverie. Sometimes it’s a captivating distraction; other times it stirs deep emotion in the listener... calm, rage, longing, even lust. With focus, you can even plant a subtle idea, a whisper woven into melody that lingers long after the last chord fades.

Effect: Influence.
Descriptors: melody, eldritch, performance, emotion
Limits: deafness, strong faith, concentrated will
SFX:

• Spend a Plot Point to captivate an entire audience, distracting them from events around them.
• Spend a Plot Point to inflict a particular emotion on a target or group.
• Spend a Plot Point and Add d6 to Trouble to plant a single compelling suggestion in one listener’s mind.

@WritesNaughtyStories - For your Ashborn on the Pathway map, that's a specific Ashborn individual, right? Because it's meant to be a named individual.

Just spitballing and nix it if you don't want it, but what if it was Prudence herself who found and rescued her? I have no problem including her as an NPC if that tickles your fancy. If not, we need to name that person. In fact it might be better if it's not Prudence, because whoever it is will likely be tied to other NPCs and locations.

[IsabellaRose]

@StarlitSiren - make sure to include Willis as a relationship on your sheet.

[MagnificentBastard]

Quote

For this game, we're crafting a narrative together, with the goal being to tell the most interesting story. While there will almost definitely be player vs. player contests, we should be crafting things collaboratively to make a great story rather than trying to win. My intention is that all character sheets can be public with no real issue as we're all working together as players toward the same "cool ass story" goal, even if that means we let our characters get beat down a few times. 

Okay, I have two ideas for my character:

- My character is immortal (age wise), and its inspiration for Dorian Grey, (hence why he knows Oscar Wilde). The idea is that my character is much older than he looks, possibly all the way back to the crusades. He becomes his own heir periodically and its come to the west to disappear for a bit before he becomes his next heir. 

- Many of the things written about my character are simply exaggerations or out rigth lies, a convenient escape goat.

[Chiyako]

Yeah, I had looked at that list and had stated that none of them really quite fit what I was going for. I was just going to see if there are other lists out there which might have something that fit better without being out of place within our setting.

[AsBloodTurnsEverCold]

@IsabellaRose
Oh yeah these are much better than what I had going. I admittedly just copied and changed a few words cause I wasn't entirely sure how to make it work within the limits or how verbose I was allowed to be with them. I was gonna ask as work has been its own can of worms but these are great!

[IsabellaRose]

56 minutes ago, Chiyako said:

Yeah, I had looked at that list and had stated that none of them really quite fit what I was going for. I was just going to see if there are other lists out there which might have something that fit better without being out of place within our setting.

I'm sorry, I must have missed that. We can make any custom Distinctions you need. Let me know what you're trying to define, and I can start tossing out samples/ideas to see if we can come up with some that fit what you want!

41 minutes ago, AsBloodTurnsEverCold said:

@IsabellaRose
Oh yeah these are much better than what I had going. I admittedly just copied and changed a few words cause I wasn't entirely sure how to make it work within the limits or how verbose I was allowed to be with them. I was gonna ask as work has been its own can of worms but these are great!

It takes a bit to get for the feel for creating them in a way that fits. The most important parts are actionable limits and specific SFX that fit the standard exchange rules. You don't want any one ability or distinction to be out of whack with the rest. 

[Chiyako]

1 minute ago, IsabellaRose said:

I'm sorry, I must have missed that. We can make any custom Distinctions you need. Let me know what you're trying to define, and I can start tossing out samples/ideas to see if we can come up with some that fit what you want!

No problem! You have been busy. I am still searching for lists as well and finding it exceedingly difficult. Of course I am also still figuring out what sort of Distinctions to lean into. Could go with her mad scientist aspect, or her genius. Perhaps a Heritage Distinction partially from her fake-Vampirism-made-unnatural-through-science angle? Like any proper mad scientist she doesn't just experiment on other people, especially if it assists her with survival, and in an attempt to cure her own sun sickness (which might act as a good weakness, which I think Heritage Distinctions are supposed to have).

[IsabellaRose]

There is (or should be) a Genius Distinction. 

We could try something like:

Mad Scientist: Your mind is a lightning storm of invention, obsession, and dangerous brilliance. You see possibilities where others see only wreckage, and your experiments push the boundaries of science, morality, and sanity. Roll the Distinction’s die when your bizarre contraptions, reckless theories, or scientific fervor give you an edge, or get you into trouble.

• d4: Earn a Plot Point when your obsession with an experiment causes chaos or distraction at the worst possible time.
• d8: Spend a Plot Point to Reveal that you happen to have a strange device, concoction, or half-finished invention on you or nearby that provides a d8 Useful Detail in the scene.
• d12: Add a d6 to Trouble to Reroll a die when your wild science bends reality, logic, or nature in your favor.

or, as a Heritage Distinction, something along the lines of:

Experimentally Cured Albino (we can work on a better name)

Your pale skin and strange eyes mark you as different, feared, pitied, or whispered about. The sun burns you quicker than most, leaving you weak or in pain, but the moonlit hours bring you clarity and a haunting presence that others can’t ignore. Roll this Distinction’s die when your condition, appearance, or nocturnal resilience affects the scene.

• d4: Earn a Plot Point and when your sensitivity to the sun forces you to retreat, cover up, or collapse at the worst time.
• d8: Spend a Plot Point and Add a d6 to Trouble when the strange tonics in your veins allow you to Step Down physical or exhausted Stress.
• d12: Spend a Plot Point to Reroll a die in a Contest or Test where your eerie presence, unique appearance, or otherworldly aura unsettles or fascinates others.

Connected Abilities: (this is where I run up against a wall... do you want her to have powers/abilities linked to the pale skinned vampiric appearance?)
Limits: Daylight Weakness. Earn a Plot Point when exposure to direct sun increases your Exhausted or Injured Stress; 

 

[WritesNaughtyStories]

1 hour ago, IsabellaRose said:

Just spitballing and nix it if you don't want it, but what if it was Prudence herself who found and rescued her? I have no problem including her as an NPC if that tickles your fancy.

That is precisely who Ashborn is; Prudence Lawton, post revelation.

[IsabellaRose]

2 minutes ago, WritesNaughtyStories said:

That is precisely who Ashborn is; Prudence Lawton, post revelation.

Okay. I wasn't sure what you were going for there... if it was her, or "some random Ashborn follower of hers" Cool.

[Chiyako]

6 minutes ago, IsabellaRose said:

There is (or should be) a Genius Distinction. 

We could try something like:

Mad Scientist: Your mind is a lightning storm of invention, obsession, and dangerous brilliance. You see possibilities where others see only wreckage, and your experiments push the boundaries of science, morality, and sanity. Roll the Distinction’s die when your bizarre contraptions, reckless theories, or scientific fervor give you an edge, or get you into trouble.

• d4: Earn a Plot Point when your obsession with an experiment causes chaos or distraction at the worst possible time.
• d8: Spend a Plot Point to Reveal that you happen to have a strange device, concoction, or half-finished invention on you or nearby that provides a d8 Useful Detail in the scene.
• d12: Add a d6 to Trouble to Reroll a die when your wild science bends reality, logic, or nature in your favor.

or, as a Heritage Distinction, something along the lines of:

Experimentally Cured Albino (we can work on a better name)

Your pale skin and strange eyes mark you as different, feared, pitied, or whispered about. The sun burns you quicker than most, leaving you weak or in pain, but the moonlit hours bring you clarity and a haunting presence that others can’t ignore. Roll this Distinction’s die when your condition, appearance, or nocturnal resilience affects the scene.

• d4: Earn a Plot Point and when your sensitivity to the sun forces you to retreat, cover up, or collapse at the worst time.
• d8: Spend a Plot Point and Add a d6 to Trouble when the strange tonics in your veins allow you to Step Down physical or exhausted Stress.
• d12: Spend a Plot Point to Reroll a die in a Contest or Test where your eerie presence, unique appearance, or otherworldly aura unsettles or fascinates others.

Connected Abilities: (this is where I run up against a wall... do you want her to have powers/abilities linked to the pale skinned vampiric appearance?)
Limits: Daylight Weakness. Earn a Plot Point when exposure to direct sun increases your Exhausted or Injured Stress; 

 

Oooh. Those are pretty good!

Abilities wise I was thinking that some aspects of what makes up a Vampire might show up, but not so much the extremely supernatural ones. It could be something like superhuman feats of physical prowess (her body getting supercharged from some tonic or experiment), an increased vision in darkness (a combination of her just being used to moving around at night alongside perhaps a boost from her experiments), possibly a quicker regenerative factor (again probably from tonics or experiments), or maybe a bolstered resilience to things like poisons and toxins and chemicals (due to her having experimented on herself so much).

I wasn't going to lean too much into things like turning into shadow, or a bat, or hypnosis or flight, mostly because we wanted to keep the real Vampire aspect to a minimum. I do however find a Heritage Distinction which makes her seem more like a Vampire to be pretty amusing though. Her experiments to sate her desire for knowledge and in an attempt to heal her own body having turned her more into the thing which she believes herself not to be, and the very thing which has gotten her into so much trouble in the first place. The Limit is definitely very fitting.

[IsabellaRose]

Something that came up in Group 2:

"I just dont want this to become a great premise to a glorified porno, well i love the lewds in these things i have been in a game where the story full stopped because two players fucked like rabbits for 8 or 9 real world months well the rest of us kinda just... waited awkwardly, wanting our own moments, sexual or otherwise."

I'm 100% in agreement with this. I don't mind a great description of a sexy scene, but maybe we should say they're limited to just a couple posts before we continue with the rest of the story and just assume the couple are satiated. Maybe they can take it off into another thread, if they want to continue, but I definitely don't want the story delayed because of an interminable sex scene.

I'm content to have characters head off into the saloon girl's room with a quick description of what they do so the rest of the group can continue the scene, then reappear later with a smile and missing an item of clothing. As long as we know it happened, we don't need pages of gritty details of how the bits fit together. That's my personal opinion. You can let me know what you all think.

[WickedCadrach]

I agree. If people want an extended sex scene beyond a couple beats back and forth, we can create a separate thread where we can all enjoy eachother's sexy prose or take it into dms.

[IsabellaRose]

IMPORTANT TIP:

Another tip for Relationship and Value statements: They should be actionable as much as possible. These statements help you decide WHY your value or relationship would make you act in a certain way. So keeping them tight and punchy is better than wide and general. Great statements for relationships include:

• I need to be there for Louise d10
• Jonathan is my moral compass d4
• Pearl is not the same girl I used to love d6
• Wiley can never be trusted d6
• I can’t tell Susie my secret d12
• Clara stands between me and my love d8
• Elijah is reckless d8
• Sylvia can take care of herself d6
• There must be good in Max d6
• Max is a dangerous threat d4

These are good because you can take action based on them. Say you're trying to focus on picking a lock and Sylvia is supposed to have your back, but she gets jumped by two bandits. You could use her to help you focus on the task at hand (I'm including Sylvia because she can take care of herself while I focus on picking this lock) OR you could turn around to help her and challenge your relationship with her (I'm taking on one of these bandits because I thought Sylvia could take care of herself, but she's getting beat up on, so I guess I was wrong).

It's the "my assumptions or views were wrong" angle that offers the most drama and potential for later growth. Every time you challenge a value or relationship, you roll more dice in your contest, and you get to add that size die to your Growth Pool, which is how you "level up" your character at the end of a scene. 

One of the biggest, best things you can do is challenge your relationships and values. She the rules under Values or Relationships for how it works, but make sure to write statements that can be used as they are, and can also be challenged as the opposite of what the statement says. 

[WritesNaughtyStories]

I agree, keep the sex scenes to a few posts. I'll go a step farther and suggest that you can link the side-line continuing sex scenes to a thread in Public RP rather than clutter up TTRPG with a bunch of random porn loops.

[AsBloodTurnsEverCold]

I don't disagree with the sex stuff at all though that is part of the fun of writing on a site like this it would derail things too much and inevitably leave people out. 

I like the idea of writing in a separate thread, but what I also do on other sites with a single rp thread is write it in Spoilers as a "flashback" section or depending on coordination between partners just like 2 - 4 long replies something fun to read, short and quick but shows off the writing chops anyway (which can also be done in spoilers) but I otherwise agree in not bringing things to a halt so characters can do the nasty with single threads while the characters move around it...though sometimes its funny to write especially if they're loud. 

Edited 1 hour ago by AsBloodTurnsEverCold

[WickedCadrach]

38 minutes ago, IsabellaRose said:

Another tip for Relationship and Value statements: They should be actionable as much as possible. These statements help you decide WHY your value or relationship would make you act in a certain way. So keeping them tight and punchy is better than wide and general.

I haven't touched my statements yet, but will no doubt end up editing them. 

I'm a little confused on where we are in the game setup. It sounds like I jumped the gun on writing out Relationship statements for everyone when I did my character sheet. Should that have been held off until a later step or even left blank until play starts?  I'll just hold here until the next step is explained.

[IsabellaRose]

3 minutes ago, WickedCadrach said:

I'm a little confused on where we are in the game setup. It sounds like I jumped the gun on writing out Relationship statements for everyone when I did my character sheet. Should that have been held off until a later step or even left blank until play starts?  I'll just hold here until the next step is explained.

You're waiting for me. I wanted to review every sheet and make sure nobody missed anything before moving on to Step 2. We were working out a couple custom distinctions and heritages, then we can move on to Step 2. The custom stuff is slowing me down as I'm trying to make it good AND fit the game rules and I have to keep double checking myself.

[WickedCadrach]

4 minutes ago, IsabellaRose said:

You're waiting for me.

Sorry! I'm not trying to rush you at all. Take all the time you need. I was more tripping up over whether I'd skipped ahead by writing those initial Relationship statements. 

[Chiyako]

As far as sex scenes goes my vote would be to split it into some other thread. I do agree that they can really bog down a story otherwise. Not that it is a bad thing to have long sex scenes (mine generally are admittedly sometimes too long), but they are enjoyable to flesh out.

Also sorry for holding things up. I do enjoy those two suggested distinctions so I'll probably end up going with both once the abilities aspect of the Heritage Distinction is decided upon.