So I was thinking of perhaps maybe possibly running a Dark Ages game (old WoD) online during the summer. Looks like my masters thesis stuff will be put off until the fall, so I will have some free time. I looked into running a Dark Ages game a while back and found the system is pretty interesting. 7th gen vampires, 13th century setting, and I might even be willing to accept the non-standard clans (given a good backstory and concept).
This would require about 5 good online players. In the past, running things online hasn't been so ideal. the game would not involve much complicated combat. As a 7th gen vamp, if you can't drop something easy, you suck and should die. This would be mostly rp, plotting against others and eveyone, accumulating power, and well, being a vampire.
If you're interested, let me know here. You can even purpose chacter ideas. Cheyne has all the books on Dark Ages (if he doesn't, I'll get them to him). I would also like others to occasionally play NPCs. So if you're not up to checking the boards on a daily/near daily basis and keeping up with things, you might play a random monk or side character with a recurring role from time to time.
What do you think?
Moderator: Mods
yes.
Toreador? i love toreador (at least in owod. nwod their power list doesn't even come close to making sense...), they are fun and flavorful.
tremere? i could play a bastard. its a role i'm familiar with...
Toreador? i love toreador (at least in owod. nwod their power list doesn't even come close to making sense...), they are fun and flavorful.
tremere? i could play a bastard. its a role i'm familiar with...
Last edited by rydi on Thu Mar 06, 2008 1:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Threading the Gerbil since 1982
The setting will be the early 1300's. Like I mentioned, I can work in most European nationalities easily into the story. English, German, Italian make perfect sense. The more exotic your character, the more exotic and documented your backstory must be. To give some contextual setting, I'll describe the general time and the more specific yet still vague location...
Dark Ages:
The times are dark... The Age of Antiquity, of heretical humanism, is long past, and Europe has experienced a thousand year period that has since been called the Age of Theocracy (The Middle Ages). Authority has been centered in the rule of the Church. Perceptions of absolute certainty prevail (based upon the appropriation of the Cosmic Order of Pyhtagoras, Ptolemy, and other pagans, including Arab scholars of the Middle Ages, and reliance upon black and white thinking is rampant). "Heretics" have been burned, the poor (as always) are considered inconsequential, and women have been radically dichotomized, objectified, demonized, and oppressed. But some things seem to be changing in the world, and these changes are causing great debates and upheavals, not only in the cities but also in the monasteries.
It is the dawn of the Renaissance: Rebirth; Logic; Curiosity; New Humanism; Fascination with science, nature, technology/"machines"; Growing recognition of the complexities of life. Western Civilization is witnessing the rise of cities, merchants, the middle class, and a new mercantile economic system. It is experiencing increased materialism, desire for profit, emphasis on gain, and cutthroat competition. Corporations and guilds are rising, and they are made of laymen working (writing) for the universities in the vulgar tongue. These new universities are competing with and even beginning to displace abbeys, monasteries, and monks. The Order is still powerful, but the "stink of the cities" is rising.
The location will be northern Italy, under the protection of the Holy Roman Empire and control of the emperor - Louis the Bavarian, but more importantly, the Pope - John XXII. The setting will be an abbey of the Franciscan Order. Based on the teachings of St Francis (1181-1226 - thanks Wikipedia), the order promotes values grounded in the actions of Christ, primarily the poverty of Christ, the ownership of property, and the licitness of curiousity, intellectual pride, laughter, and even speech. Obviously, this is not favored by the Pope, who currently lives in luxury in France. A radical faction of this order, the Minorites, have recently been branded heretical by the Pope, which in turn led to issues with the Holy Roman Emperor, who excommunicated Louis. Serious conflict looms as the Chruch and Temporal powers are at odds, with the Franciscans in the middle.
The unnamed abbey is built on a hill (as was common) above a relatively poor community several miles away. It is said the abbey possesses one of the finest libraries in all Christendom. The monks work tirelessly, copying and illuminating manuscripts, which are carefully protected by the head librarian, who keeps the books safe in a lbayrinth-like library in the uper reaches of the castle-like monastery.
_________
So I have a setting in mind, a story to tell, and several NPCs already. Again, people not interested in spending a good amount of time on the boards (this means you Zach) can opt to play NPCs.
Questions? Comments?
Dark Ages:
The times are dark... The Age of Antiquity, of heretical humanism, is long past, and Europe has experienced a thousand year period that has since been called the Age of Theocracy (The Middle Ages). Authority has been centered in the rule of the Church. Perceptions of absolute certainty prevail (based upon the appropriation of the Cosmic Order of Pyhtagoras, Ptolemy, and other pagans, including Arab scholars of the Middle Ages, and reliance upon black and white thinking is rampant). "Heretics" have been burned, the poor (as always) are considered inconsequential, and women have been radically dichotomized, objectified, demonized, and oppressed. But some things seem to be changing in the world, and these changes are causing great debates and upheavals, not only in the cities but also in the monasteries.
It is the dawn of the Renaissance: Rebirth; Logic; Curiosity; New Humanism; Fascination with science, nature, technology/"machines"; Growing recognition of the complexities of life. Western Civilization is witnessing the rise of cities, merchants, the middle class, and a new mercantile economic system. It is experiencing increased materialism, desire for profit, emphasis on gain, and cutthroat competition. Corporations and guilds are rising, and they are made of laymen working (writing) for the universities in the vulgar tongue. These new universities are competing with and even beginning to displace abbeys, monasteries, and monks. The Order is still powerful, but the "stink of the cities" is rising.
The location will be northern Italy, under the protection of the Holy Roman Empire and control of the emperor - Louis the Bavarian, but more importantly, the Pope - John XXII. The setting will be an abbey of the Franciscan Order. Based on the teachings of St Francis (1181-1226 - thanks Wikipedia), the order promotes values grounded in the actions of Christ, primarily the poverty of Christ, the ownership of property, and the licitness of curiousity, intellectual pride, laughter, and even speech. Obviously, this is not favored by the Pope, who currently lives in luxury in France. A radical faction of this order, the Minorites, have recently been branded heretical by the Pope, which in turn led to issues with the Holy Roman Emperor, who excommunicated Louis. Serious conflict looms as the Chruch and Temporal powers are at odds, with the Franciscans in the middle.
The unnamed abbey is built on a hill (as was common) above a relatively poor community several miles away. It is said the abbey possesses one of the finest libraries in all Christendom. The monks work tirelessly, copying and illuminating manuscripts, which are carefully protected by the head librarian, who keeps the books safe in a lbayrinth-like library in the uper reaches of the castle-like monastery.
_________
So I have a setting in mind, a story to tell, and several NPCs already. Again, people not interested in spending a good amount of time on the boards (this means you Zach) can opt to play NPCs.
Questions? Comments?
Does the setting, in this case, the abbey, prevent us from being of non-Christian origin, for example, pagans from Briton, Norsemen from the north, Germanic barbarians, or even Muslims?
I'd had a few different ideas for characters, though I must admit that most of them didn't really involve any sort of Christian background at all.
I'd had a few different ideas for characters, though I must admit that most of them didn't really involve any sort of Christian background at all.
ah, glorious history, realy real history. i shit myself.
anyway. i want to be either a monk turned to the dark side, or a simple peasant embraced as a joke, whose sire watches the struggles of the new childe as entertainment. either way, i want the development of the character to be along the lines of expanding mind. as the world develops, the character mimics its growth. though the moral conclusions the character comes to will be determined by roleplaying situations.
i will likely determine sex and clan by a dice rolls, along w/disciplines.
anyway. i want to be either a monk turned to the dark side, or a simple peasant embraced as a joke, whose sire watches the struggles of the new childe as entertainment. either way, i want the development of the character to be along the lines of expanding mind. as the world develops, the character mimics its growth. though the moral conclusions the character comes to will be determined by roleplaying situations.
i will likely determine sex and clan by a dice rolls, along w/disciplines.
Threading the Gerbil since 1982
Men, for I think obvious reasons, fit better. As a woman, one would be excluded from certain things - though Cheyne seems to enjoy being the constant outsider.
As for being Christian, well I guess it's the same as being a man. Easier, but not required. Pagan thinkers fit well enough. Raging Norsemen are fun, but combat (due to the nature of rolling and stuff on the forums) is just a pain and will be minimized. I certainly don't want to remove combat as an option, but it is such a pain. Plus, you guys will be so tough there is almost no point in most situations. Maybe Cheyne could be an acting GM for purposes of certain fights (NPCs and PVP). You guys could meet somewhere and roll it all out with really-real dice then report the events with embellishment online.
Also, some research on alternative Christian orders could add some interesting umph. The Benedictine Order, for example, would conflict somewhat with the Franciscans or Minorites. Make up a religious sect that follows a branded heretic (The Cheynicans - who are hunted by inquisitors for their ritualistic threading of the gerbils). Hell, be an inquisitor. How awesome would that be? Keeping everyone on their toes. Watch the movie The Conqueror Worm.
As for being Christian, well I guess it's the same as being a man. Easier, but not required. Pagan thinkers fit well enough. Raging Norsemen are fun, but combat (due to the nature of rolling and stuff on the forums) is just a pain and will be minimized. I certainly don't want to remove combat as an option, but it is such a pain. Plus, you guys will be so tough there is almost no point in most situations. Maybe Cheyne could be an acting GM for purposes of certain fights (NPCs and PVP). You guys could meet somewhere and roll it all out with really-real dice then report the events with embellishment online.
Also, some research on alternative Christian orders could add some interesting umph. The Benedictine Order, for example, would conflict somewhat with the Franciscans or Minorites. Make up a religious sect that follows a branded heretic (The Cheynicans - who are hunted by inquisitors for their ritualistic threading of the gerbils). Hell, be an inquisitor. How awesome would that be? Keeping everyone on their toes. Watch the movie The Conqueror Worm.
i do like being an outsider. also, i want a challenge in roleplaying. i want to be given a character by the dice gods, and run with it.
as far as combat... i agree. or, if we have responsible players, a story based system could work. or hell, even amber style stuff. whatever. just avoid combat in terms of stats and rolls; it kills games. and i don't want anything to do with adjudicating. it is all you chris. the power is yours!
as far as combat... i agree. or, if we have responsible players, a story based system could work. or hell, even amber style stuff. whatever. just avoid combat in terms of stats and rolls; it kills games. and i don't want anything to do with adjudicating. it is all you chris. the power is yours!
Threading the Gerbil since 1982
I take it from your implications then that the players will not be starting characters? That'll change some of the background planning, if so. If not, and you're just going with the 'Well, of course vampires are stronger than everyone they're going to be around' standpoint, then it isn't such a big deal.
I'll need to read up on my middle-ages religious orders and general history at work tomorrow. My education didn't include anything in the way of middle-ages history. I know what I know from general ed stuff, and some random spot research, but that's about it. (My history education is actually more eastern focused :P)
I'll need to read up on my middle-ages religious orders and general history at work tomorrow. My education didn't include anything in the way of middle-ages history. I know what I know from general ed stuff, and some random spot research, but that's about it. (My history education is actually more eastern focused :P)
I've been thinking of the starting point in terms of character power. I might hand out some eeps. Not every day we get to make Dark Ages characters. Some freebies to buy down gen would be nice. Then Cheyne can age a character 700 years to kill an annoying PC in the summer game.
Eastern history... I wonder if there is a supplement for that. I'll have to look. Could be interesting.
Eastern history... I wonder if there is a supplement for that. I'll have to look. Could be interesting.
Last edited by durden on Tue Mar 11, 2008 1:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I was glancing through some things last night. Kinda looking in the Lasombra direction right now. Maybe a petty noble who sort of pays lip service to the Church as a means to an end.
I read through the Lasombra clanbook a long time ago and reading the DA entry for them reminded me of a lot of what I read. I can get behind the Lasombra mindset in a lot of ways, though they tend to be a lot more socially astute than I am. I guess thats what dice (and Dominate) are for.
I read through the Lasombra clanbook a long time ago and reading the DA entry for them reminded me of a lot of what I read. I can get behind the Lasombra mindset in a lot of ways, though they tend to be a lot more socially astute than I am. I guess thats what dice (and Dominate) are for.
for eastern stuff...
winds of the east (details monguls, and the watcher path salubri)
koe dharma books
constantinople
other stuff i can't remember
as far as reading clanbooks for ideas goes, i would highly recomend reading the DA clanbooks, not the modern. the DA stuff is generally better written, more historically pertinent/accurate, and is usually of a different flavor. they also include a more integrated look at the paths/roads/via. i think lasombra is in the high clans book, but i'm not 100%.
winds of the east (details monguls, and the watcher path salubri)
koe dharma books
constantinople
other stuff i can't remember
as far as reading clanbooks for ideas goes, i would highly recomend reading the DA clanbooks, not the modern. the DA stuff is generally better written, more historically pertinent/accurate, and is usually of a different flavor. they also include a more integrated look at the paths/roads/via. i think lasombra is in the high clans book, but i'm not 100%.
Threading the Gerbil since 1982
Lasombra rock in DA. I looked at all the stuff like a year ago, so it's fuzzy. I'll be studying up here in a month or so when I get some of my big projects out of the way. I just don't have time right now. Studying Csikszentmihalyi right now. Flow is interesting. Cheyne, know anything about it?
I remember the paths/roads stuff was cool and should be a big part of the game. That is, if our forum attendance improves.
I'm arranging the setting to fit many player types. The monastery is progressive to the point of boardering on heresy. The nearby village will accomodate anyone just too damn nuts to hang around the monks. There are just so many DA books out there for all the games (Werewolf, Mage, Kinfolk, Power Rangers, etc).
I remember the paths/roads stuff was cool and should be a big part of the game. That is, if our forum attendance improves.
I'm arranging the setting to fit many player types. The monastery is progressive to the point of boardering on heresy. The nearby village will accomodate anyone just too damn nuts to hang around the monks. There are just so many DA books out there for all the games (Werewolf, Mage, Kinfolk, Power Rangers, etc).
