Barf Forth Apocalyptica
barf forth apocalyptica => brainstorming & development => Topic started by: Judd on August 11, 2010, 04:50:51 AM
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Actual rules for troupe style play that work, rules for group research (something like...everyone comes to the table with 3 things:
- Some bit of history about the year or the region in which the covenant is set
Some bit of mythology/religion from the region in which the covenant is set.
A vague idea for a magical place whose true nature will be discovered through play.[/i])
With a bunch of different kinds of wizards ala the Houses of Hermes, maybe 3 different kinds of custos (Those Who War, Those Who Pray, Those Who Toil) and grogs as public property for the table.
Magic as a move with really cool failure bits. I used to GM Ars Magica, praying that players would botch their magic rolls.
Oh, this makes me ache.
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Me too, me too! Ars Magica was the first game I ran (for something like 4 years?), and the game Vincent and Emily and I hacked to hell and back for six years and through masses of cool stuff. Go with this Judd, please.
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Me too, me too! Ars Magica was the first game I ran (for something like 4 years?), and the game Vincent and Emily and I hacked to hell and back for six years and through masses of cool stuff. Go with this Judd, please.
Margolotte, one of the things me, Vincent and Emily realized on our long car rides to Gen Con talks is that we had all been playing Ars Magica at about the same time and having very similar experiences.
I recall that the game I GMed was called Griffon's Vale and y'all's game also had a griffon in the title, no?
Anyway, I'm with ya. Its-a-comin'.
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Oh man! I would be all over this shit.
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Oh man! I would be all over this shit.
Thanks, Peter.
This is a slow burn. I'd like to play AW first but I'm already jotting down notes. I will write more as I can.
But I can't help but jump WAY ahead of myself and wonder how much the ArM license could possibly cost.
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Things to do before I start hacking proper:
- Play AW.
Get my old Ars Magica books back from a buddy.
I loaned them to JJ over ten years ago and haven't had the urge to grab them back. I reckon I will grab the main book and the Houses of Hermes to gander at.
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I just picked up second edition of ArM off of ebay for 20 bucks or so. I haven't gotten my ArM books back from my buddy yet. He just moved and they are in boxes...somewhere. No big deal, he's been holding those for me for ten years.
And honestly, more importantly than becoming re-aquainted with ArM color, is to play some apocalypse-y AW and see how it runs without wizards and such.
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I'm happy about any progress here, Judd :)
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Pick a period of history. Everyone in the group should go to the internet, the library or a scholar outside the gaming group (for best results, all 3) in order to do research on the period in history when your game will take place and the place where it will take place. The scholar can be someone with a degree, someone the group just trusts or an old lady at the super-market who comes from where your game is set and loves to talk about the Old Country.
Make a doomsday clock, mark it up with historical events. When the clock hits 12, the campaign will end. Will the covenant be swept up by history or will it change the tide and overcome what is to occur?
I don't know. Play. Find out.
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State what the goals of your research are for this season. Decide with the MC, what the minimum vis needs are for this research based on your goals.
What are you trying to prove/make/disprove/write/study?
The MC will choose 1 to 4 from the Needs List.
Needs List
- You need a book/vis source/access to a regio that is firmly held by a rival covenant.
- You need something from a mythical beast will not easily party with.
- You need a holy relic of the church/mosque/temple.
- You will need help from a magi in the covenant for a season's worth of work.
- You need to send your custos out to get _______.
- This needs time to gestate - items = one year...spells = one season, everything else...something in between, MC's call. You may do other things while the research gestates but someone Gifted must check in on it while it does so, or else the research will go bad.
- Pursuing this will turn you into a crotchety bastard, out of touch with covenant politics, take -2 Hx with everyone but your custos.
Every season you work on it, roll on the following:
When you do research...roll + Sharp (haven't changed the stats yet...leave me alone, dammit, I don't have time for this).
14+ God's wounds! Your research will break one of the Hermetic Laws of Magic and it is done this season. If this works, it will be the talk of the next Grand Tribunal and your name will be written among the founders. Hold 3.
10+ you only need to complete one more check on the list, next season, no further research rolls necessary, it will be done. You may hold 2.
7-9 This is going to get done but it is going to be rough. Hold 1.
Hold List:
- Cross any one thing off of the needs list but open the research to infernal taint or fairy tampering.
- Cross any one thing off of the needs list but it won't work as well as you'd hoped.
- Cross any one thing off of the list but someone else will get the credit.
- Cross any one thing off of the list but you will get the unwanted attention from a mundane power.
- Cross off any one thing from the list but the MC will add a secret descriptive tag that will complicate the use of the research and will come out in play.
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Working on a certamen move that doesn't suck.
We'll see.
Might start working on playbooks soonish.
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This hack is a great idea, I'm following its advancement.
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This hack is a great idea, I'm following its advancement.
Thanks.
I think, at this point, it is something I don't plan to ever play nor (obviously) publish. It feels like a practice hack, like a warm-up for something else.
We'll see
Thanks for following.
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When you certamen, roll +weird (unless you are from House Tremere, they can use +sharp as per their move that is not yet written).
If the duel is between two PC's and there is a tie, the older Magus wins. If the magi are the same age (really?), the magi who comes from the older covenant wins, if their covenant's are equal in age (oh, fuckin' come on) the magi who last went to church for worshipful purposes wins.
On a 10+, take 3
On a 7-9, take 1
On a miss, you lose consciousness and comes to with a non-lethal magical effect put on them based on form and technique used to conduct the duel.
- The subject of the duel is won by you, you have proven that you were right or that you deserve an apology or that you have a right to harvest said vis...whatever it is.
- You have dueled with your fellow magus and gained insight into how they react to the fire of conflict, take +1 forward when next in conflict with them.
- You have gained insight into the ways of magic through this conflict. Take an XP.
- You have come away with a sliver of knowledge about your opponent, you may ask them any one of the following questions:
- What was the most humiliating moment of your wizard's apprenticeship?
- If you were not a magus, what would you be?
- When you die, what do you want your legacy to be left on earth in your name?
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A trusted advisor suggests that the certamen move isn't done baking yet, into the oven with it.
Maybe only the person who is challenged rolls (if it is two PC's engaged in certamen)?
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" - You have dueled with your fellow magus and gained insight into how they react to the fire of conflict, take +1 forward when next in conflict with them."
This should probably be "take +1 Hx with them, yeah?"
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Certamen, take 2 ala Harper:
When you certamen, roll +weird (unless you are from House Tremere, they can use +sharp as per their move that is not yet written).
All harm accrued in Certamen is unreal, going on in the phantasmic wizardly duel between the two gifted Hermetic parties. All harm done to one's opponent can be used as a bonus to the roll for the subsequent casting of a non-lethal spell should one win. The non-lethal winner's spell must use the Form and Technique agreed to in the duel.
The loser of the duel, taking phantasmic harm enough to take their countdown glass to 12, merely falls unconscious, waking up without harm but in the throes of the victor's non-lethal spell.
On a 10+, harm is done according to the magic rules or you may choose two below.
On a 7-9, choose one.
- You have gained insight into the ways of magic through this conflict. Take an XP.
- You have come away with a sliver of knowledge about your opponent, you may ask them any one of the following questions:
*What was the most humiliating moment of your wizard's apprenticeship?
*If you were not a magus, what would you be?
*When you die, what do you want your legacy to be left on earth in your name?
- You detect a weakness in your opponent’s defense. Do +1harm when you next inflict harm on them.
- You improve your defensive posture. Take +1armor during the next exchange.
- You exchange energies. You and your opponent both inflict harm as established.
- You seize an advantageous opportunity. Take +1forward.
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When you declare Wizard's War upon another covenant, roll +cool:
On a 10+ Choose 2 from the Lord's list, none from the Devil's own list.
On a 7-9 Choose 1 from the Lord's list, none from the Devil's own list.
On a miss, the Lord has forsaken thee, only the Devil.
The Lord's List
You have seized the initiative and your grogs and custi will rally behind you. Everyone get's +1 harm for their first move against the rival covenant.
The cloak of Hermetic justice has wrapped itself around you and your sodalis because you have adhered to the code and honored ancient wizardly traditions that date back to the Golden Age of Magic. +1 armor against the rival covenant's arcane attacks.
A Custos from the rival covenant believes that you will win this war and has turned traitor in return for something you are well known to be able to deliver due to your reputation through the tribunal.
The Devil's Own List
Something was wrong with the way you declared your Wizard's War and it will be trouble (certamen and/or worse) at the next tribunal.
The rest of the tribunal strongly frowns upon this violence; agreements and compacts with other covenants will soon be broken, friendships strained.
The covenant you have declared war upon saw this coming and coming home from the tribunal, your turb is ambushed in a place that will make your dealings with the mundane world awkward. MC may make moves as is appropriate.
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Any progress being made on this? It looked super rad. I would definitely buy it day one if you developed it to production...
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Any progress being made on this? It looked super rad. I would definitely buy it day one if you developed it to production...
This is a back-burner for fun tinker-thing. I doubt I would/could ever sell it. I'm not at all interested in seeking out the ArM license but I am interested in tinkering with ArM bits with an apocalyptic engine under the hood.
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Judd, have you made anymore progress on this?
Really interested too see a take on the Magic in play?