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New Game (or at least, pitch)
Pamela, Lisa, Beth and I got together tonight to game, and realized we didn't have anything to play. (editing for ljnames will happen later). So, brushing aside Lisa's idea of pitching yet another PTA game, we decided to run a freeform pitch session, with the only constant at the beginning being that I'd GM and that we'd figure out mechanics as we went (via consensus, of course...like the rest of the pitch).
Here's what we came up with. We haven't solidified the system yet, but we seem to be using something traitlike, plus kickers (from Sorceror) and keys (from TSOY). Current ideas for base system is a HQ hack (with these features), but that's the least locked down bit -- as seen below, we've mostly been doing qualitative character description, not quantitative.
Premise: Fantasy "Lost Technology" setting, with naval worldgates, adventures on the high seas, and extra-special adventures in the Etheric Seas beyond the gates. Magic is a combination of badly understood nanotech manipulation and psychic manipulation of the chaos created by worldgates. Worldgates interfere with solid matter around them, so only can be approached by sea, and are always surrounded by storms; thet lead to the etheric sea. Special skills (etheric navigation) are requiried to navigate between worldgates; a good stout wooden ship (why? maybe nanites in the wood, or a requirement that the mass you're in have been alive to sail hyperspace) is also usually required.
PCs:
Lisa: Christopher Riley
Government spy, cartographer, navagator. Has a trans-gate hidden radio. Can disguise himself or others.
Age: 31
Joint Kicker with Katrinella: Christopher Gets orders to apprehend/retrieve Katrinella.
Male, as usual
Key of Unflapability (1 point for remaining calm in the face of provocation. 2 when all hell's breaking loose. 5 endangered by being unflappable. Others get xp interacting with you in a way that "should" blow your cool, or for mentioning your unflappability in character)
Key of the False Face (1 xp whenever someone validates your disguise (they get 1 xp for this too) 2 xp whenever you get into an embarassing situation because of your disguise. 5 points when you get into trouble that could be avoided by revealing your true identity, and don't. others get 1 xp when they try to find out your true ID, from either direction. May cash out: when you reveal your true identity)
Key of the Servant. (to lose: disobey a direct order. 1 when you're given an order by your "master". 2 when following an order inconveniences you. 5 when following an order risks life and limb or screws you. Others get 2 xp when they get in the way of your orders or 1 when they help you accomplish them)
Proposed: Key of The Hidden Heart(Christopher+Jenny): Get XP when you fight with or do something out of affection for the other. May Cash out when the relationship is killed permenantly or is openly acknowleged.
Pamela: Jenny Starling, adventuring captain and gate-surfer.
Traits: Captain.
Pet: Small Octopus
Background: Jenny is the only known person to ever swim through hyperspace and survive. How she did it is a mystery, but she can apparently repeat the feat -- and is known to have done so, the second time she was marooned in hyperspace. However the experience has left her a little mad, and she can't remember everything that happened to her in hyperspace. This said, she's once again the captain of her own ship, and ready for adventure.
Key of Madness (xp when treated as mad, when you do something crazy, etc)
Key of Command (xp when others follow your order or when you give orders)
Key of Amnesia (gain 1 xp when you don't remember something, or when you lie to cover up a memory gap. 2 xp whenever anyone arbitrarily gives you a memory, they gain 1 xp. 5 xp when your forgotten history really hoses you. (because you remember it...or because you don't))
Proposed: Key of the Captain: Get xp when you protect your crew, ship, etc. Hmm)
Proposed: Key of the Pet. 1 xp when your pet appears in a scene, 2 xp when your pet does gets someone in trouble. 5 xp when you risk life or limb to save your pet. others get 1 xp if they bring your pet into their scenes and 2 when your pet gets them in trouble. to lose: lose/get rid of your pet...at least as a pet.
Proposed: Key of The Hidden Heart(Christopher+Jenny): Get XP when you fight with or do something out of affection for the other. May Cash out when the relationship is killed permenantly or is openly acknowleged.
Beth: Cat. Full name: Katrinella of Whytecliffe
Traits: Sorceress. Whytecliffe Islander (boating, diving)
Age: 12
Joint Kicker with Christopher: Christopher Gets orders to apprehend/retrieve Katrinella.
Concept: budding sorceresso on the run.
Background: used her chaos empathy to deal with a gate threatening her village. gate disappeared (she ate it, and doesn't know it) and strange things started happening to her; she left her village to avoid this unwanted interest and joined up with Captain Starling at Starling's last stop as a way to flee pursuit..and seek more information on her abilities.
Everyone says she was "swept away" -- but not before the rumors got out.
Magicians are looking for her, as a tool, as an apprentice, as whatever, having sensed a new sorceror being "born"
Key: They Key of False Face (Disguised as a boy) (1 xp whenever someone treats you like a boy. Others get 1 xp whenever they treat you like a boy. 2 xp whenever you get into an embarassing situation because of your disguise. 5 points when you get into trouble that could be avoided by revealing your true identity, and don't).
Key: The Quary (Pursued because she's a Magician)
Key: The Uncertain Mage (1 xp when you refrain from using magic where it would be convenient. 2 xp when a magical effect backfires, 5 xp when not using magic puts you in danger. buyoff: sufficient success on a magical task) (question on the 5)
Secret of Chaos: You may manipulate ambient chaos -- getting effects from or reducing or enhancing it -- but only when within a source of Chaos, like a gate.
First Secret of the Sorceror: 10 xp when you learn you've eaten a gate, 5 of which must be spent on buyong the second secret. You can do magic when not around a gate.
Second Secret of the sorceror (doesn't yet have this one): You can make raw. chaos Maybe can make a gate.
GM Notes: Some NPCs might be a snazzy idea. Don't have any yet, aside from the underdeveloped cephalapod.
For first arc, obvious A-plot is a treasure hunt, as Jenny remembers a fabulous treasure cache in the hypersea she found on one of her solo trips, but not all the obstacles in the way. B-plot will likely end up being the orders to Christopher and resulting conflict. Christopher's masters clearly include "evil" mages, probably including a sorceror.
Here's what we came up with. We haven't solidified the system yet, but we seem to be using something traitlike, plus kickers (from Sorceror) and keys (from TSOY). Current ideas for base system is a HQ hack (with these features), but that's the least locked down bit -- as seen below, we've mostly been doing qualitative character description, not quantitative.
Premise: Fantasy "Lost Technology" setting, with naval worldgates, adventures on the high seas, and extra-special adventures in the Etheric Seas beyond the gates. Magic is a combination of badly understood nanotech manipulation and psychic manipulation of the chaos created by worldgates. Worldgates interfere with solid matter around them, so only can be approached by sea, and are always surrounded by storms; thet lead to the etheric sea. Special skills (etheric navigation) are requiried to navigate between worldgates; a good stout wooden ship (why? maybe nanites in the wood, or a requirement that the mass you're in have been alive to sail hyperspace) is also usually required.
PCs:
Lisa: Christopher Riley
Government spy, cartographer, navagator. Has a trans-gate hidden radio. Can disguise himself or others.
Age: 31
Joint Kicker with Katrinella: Christopher Gets orders to apprehend/retrieve Katrinella.
Male, as usual
Key of Unflapability (1 point for remaining calm in the face of provocation. 2 when all hell's breaking loose. 5 endangered by being unflappable. Others get xp interacting with you in a way that "should" blow your cool, or for mentioning your unflappability in character)
Key of the False Face (1 xp whenever someone validates your disguise (they get 1 xp for this too) 2 xp whenever you get into an embarassing situation because of your disguise. 5 points when you get into trouble that could be avoided by revealing your true identity, and don't. others get 1 xp when they try to find out your true ID, from either direction. May cash out: when you reveal your true identity)
Key of the Servant. (to lose: disobey a direct order. 1 when you're given an order by your "master". 2 when following an order inconveniences you. 5 when following an order risks life and limb or screws you. Others get 2 xp when they get in the way of your orders or 1 when they help you accomplish them)
Proposed: Key of The Hidden Heart(Christopher+Jenny): Get XP when you fight with or do something out of affection for the other. May Cash out when the relationship is killed permenantly or is openly acknowleged.
Pamela: Jenny Starling, adventuring captain and gate-surfer.
Traits: Captain.
Pet: Small Octopus
Background: Jenny is the only known person to ever swim through hyperspace and survive. How she did it is a mystery, but she can apparently repeat the feat -- and is known to have done so, the second time she was marooned in hyperspace. However the experience has left her a little mad, and she can't remember everything that happened to her in hyperspace. This said, she's once again the captain of her own ship, and ready for adventure.
Key of Madness (xp when treated as mad, when you do something crazy, etc)
Key of Command (xp when others follow your order or when you give orders)
Key of Amnesia (gain 1 xp when you don't remember something, or when you lie to cover up a memory gap. 2 xp whenever anyone arbitrarily gives you a memory, they gain 1 xp. 5 xp when your forgotten history really hoses you. (because you remember it...or because you don't))
Proposed: Key of the Captain: Get xp when you protect your crew, ship, etc. Hmm)
Proposed: Key of the Pet. 1 xp when your pet appears in a scene, 2 xp when your pet does gets someone in trouble. 5 xp when you risk life or limb to save your pet. others get 1 xp if they bring your pet into their scenes and 2 when your pet gets them in trouble. to lose: lose/get rid of your pet...at least as a pet.
Proposed: Key of The Hidden Heart(Christopher+Jenny): Get XP when you fight with or do something out of affection for the other. May Cash out when the relationship is killed permenantly or is openly acknowleged.
Beth: Cat. Full name: Katrinella of Whytecliffe
Traits: Sorceress. Whytecliffe Islander (boating, diving)
Age: 12
Joint Kicker with Christopher: Christopher Gets orders to apprehend/retrieve Katrinella.
Concept: budding sorceresso on the run.
Background: used her chaos empathy to deal with a gate threatening her village. gate disappeared (she ate it, and doesn't know it) and strange things started happening to her; she left her village to avoid this unwanted interest and joined up with Captain Starling at Starling's last stop as a way to flee pursuit..and seek more information on her abilities.
Everyone says she was "swept away" -- but not before the rumors got out.
Magicians are looking for her, as a tool, as an apprentice, as whatever, having sensed a new sorceror being "born"
Key: They Key of False Face (Disguised as a boy) (1 xp whenever someone treats you like a boy. Others get 1 xp whenever they treat you like a boy. 2 xp whenever you get into an embarassing situation because of your disguise. 5 points when you get into trouble that could be avoided by revealing your true identity, and don't).
Key: The Quary (Pursued because she's a Magician)
Key: The Uncertain Mage (1 xp when you refrain from using magic where it would be convenient. 2 xp when a magical effect backfires, 5 xp when not using magic puts you in danger. buyoff: sufficient success on a magical task) (question on the 5)
Secret of Chaos: You may manipulate ambient chaos -- getting effects from or reducing or enhancing it -- but only when within a source of Chaos, like a gate.
First Secret of the Sorceror: 10 xp when you learn you've eaten a gate, 5 of which must be spent on buyong the second secret. You can do magic when not around a gate.
Second Secret of the sorceror (doesn't yet have this one): You can make raw. chaos Maybe can make a gate.
GM Notes: Some NPCs might be a snazzy idea. Don't have any yet, aside from the underdeveloped cephalapod.
For first arc, obvious A-plot is a treasure hunt, as Jenny remembers a fabulous treasure cache in the hypersea she found on one of her solo trips, but not all the obstacles in the way. B-plot will likely end up being the orders to Christopher and resulting conflict. Christopher's masters clearly include "evil" mages, probably including a sorceror.