Don’t forget we moved!
https://brandmu.day/
New Concept
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So about that cthulu game
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@IoleRae said in New Concept:
Sorry I thought it was related to figuring out the moving parts for the game.
No, no, you’re fine! I think that @BloodAngel mentioned a few pages back that he was figuring out his potential direction on this.
I just sometimes feel like we have a tendency (as a group, I’m also guilty!) to pile our opinions on possible new game runners to the point it probably feels overwhelming.
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dey gonna have to deal with us assholes on the game. otj training
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Think of all the jobs we’re saving them later. \o/
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@bear_necessities said in New Concept:
@mietze I haven’t really played on any recent historical games, most of the ones I’ve seen come around are “alt Earth” or “we solved the -isms!” and meh, those aren’t the stories for me. But I’m down to clown on a 1920s game where that stuff is over there <---- and I’m over here ----> where the monsters are.
See, I think those elements are actually really valuable - particularly in a horror game. One of the big questions underlying a lot of horror media is “why do the protagonists have to deal with this?” The answers can differ - PCs can be isolated from the systems that would be theoretically better at dealing with it (oh no, we have no cell phone and our car has broken down outside the murder house), PCs can be especially empowered to interact with it (scholarly folk in CoC, glimmery folk in GH, etc), or…PCs can be vulnerable in a way that means that the ‘normal’ means of seeking help are barred to them.
When you know that the cops are not your friends because you’re someone of color/gay/female/an immigrant, then you have a reason to grab some friends and kick evil’s teeth in, yourself. You have a reason to act to guard your community from the monsters, because you know that no one else will. And those mainstream systems have a reason to overlook monsters (human or otherwise) preying on the community, because those systems don’t value the people who are getting hurt.
It doesn’t have to be a motivation - you can absolutely have horror without systemic discrimination! As always, the comfort level of the staff and players take precedence. But I find those themes interesting and exciting to play, and do not want a historical game that doesn’t at least acknowledge that they’re there - and ideally, uses them to enhance the experience and theme of the game.
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@tsar All good. This is good stuff to think about, but going with ALT History. Have started my plotting, and world-building. I think divergent history is going to be the way forward, major changes that have to speed up human progress, due to other factors.
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@Roadspike Well part of my theme was going to be some major events happening prior to game-changing history, so going to expand on that to help with the lore. Second, I also don’t wish to minimize the horrible things in the past but more going with the greater evil so we have to band together style of story telling.
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@Pyrephox They are yes very tied to horror elements. Why I was debating back on forth how to handle it.
(Edited: For clarity)
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I’ve more than said my piece about historical accuracy vs authenticity, etc.
But if you really do need or want systemic discrimination to be a part of your game, there’s a relatively easy one that isn’t about anything intrinsic to a person like gender, sexuality, or race are: Poverty.
Certainly, poverty is often exacerbated by the other -isms but it doesn’t have to be. Some people are poor, and other people look down at them for that, so the system fails to support them because of that, etc.
ETA: That said, these kinds of things are for NPCs to do. The opinion of the faceless masses is X, that doesn’t mean a PC needs to conform. A game can have racism or sexism without opening that can of bullshit for PCs to comply with.
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@Pavel I’m doing the five boroughs as the setting. I was going to have poverty as part of it, given I’m starting with Socialites as the kick-off to the story for the catalyst for the game.
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@BloodAngel Everything I know about the United States is something I’ve learned against my will, so I shall just nod and smile and pretend to know what you’re talking about.
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@Pavel Gangs of New York. Is a good example of it. New York city, is the setting. Not the same year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYsS_3zdwmA
(Edited: Add link)
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I think @L-B-Heuschkel mentioned it above, having a survey or a system for people to opt-in or opt-out is something I will be adding to the game. That way, I know which of the plots people would be excited about and two willing to go through, I do want to run this as I stated as a story-heavy game, so such debates truly are important to what I will be doing over time. I love running plots, and being able to have players shape the world as it moves forward is one of my major goals as a game runner.
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@farfalla I mean it was a political question and social-based talk, that is filled with passion on both sides of it. I know this was coming when I went with the setting of 1915, it would have been worst with my first concept of doing it in the middle of the civil war. So, I know this would happen better before the game launch than getting derailed during play.
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@BloodAngel Wait, how is it 1920s era if it’s in 1915?
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@BloodAngel I should’ve specified that it was getting too political about contemporary politics in a way that wouldn’t inform your game at all. Contemporary immigration debates aren’t going to be helpful here, lol.
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@Roz Yeah starting in 1915. It’s up above, might have been missed. But my goal is to advance time using seasons, so we can slowly build out as a game from there. Using an event in WW 1, as the moment that changes the world, combined with other few events to start the Alterative History line of the game.
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Now to start the process of building! Got it all up and running now!
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@BloodAngel Yay! And maybe some admin could split off the last few pages to a new thread - “Historical Games Round 75” or something - so it’s not cluttering up your game post.
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@BloodAngel I look forward to seeing what you come up with