Community Game: CREATIVE DESIGN TEAM (fluff, characters, etc)

[GnKoichi]

Just making a topic for all creative design discussion for the game. Until we start getting more specifics from the Rules Team, I think it would be good to start thinking big picture.

Some questions to think about (and answer if you feel like it):

The world is Steampunk, so what else makes this world interesting?

The story will center around characters, so what makes an interesting character in this setting?

[GnKoichi]

The world is Steampunk, so what else makes this world interesting?

Points of Light: The cities in this world are points of light in the darkness. Between outposts of civilizations are barren wastelands where animals, monsters, and nomadic tribes are on the hunt. The land itself is also brutal, often erupting with lava or collapsing into a cave below. Travel is dangerous, and this is one of the major reasons steam technology is so valuable.

Magic: It used to be that magic ran free like water (which also used to run free). In those days, great wars were fought between armies of wizards. Now, only a single secret order remains that remembers the arcane ways, and they forsake all technology in order to hone their arts. The truth, however, is that their 'magic' is simple trickery, smoke and mirrors, alchemy and lies. If there ever was real magic in this world, it has long since abandoned mankind.


The story will center around characters, so what makes an interesting character in this setting?

Split Loyalties: The world is newly birthed into a dozen factions. As old religions try to keep their flock, new governments fight each other for supremacy. All the while corporations are growing ever stronger, and guilds have taken root to protect the highly skilled. Now it is hard to say what church, party, business, or union your neighbor is a member of. Those who can navigate this maze, or who can turn the balancing act to their advantage, are the people who will succeed in this world.

Old Ways: Then again, sometimes people are able to get by with a single useful skill, perhaps forgotten by most of society. Warriors still exist, though most are regarded with pity that they could not adapt to a modern trade. Priests are often seen ranting in the streets, trying hopelessly to regain the followers that once came desperately to them for help. The thieves of old have had train harder in response to new security technology and a more organized city garrison, but the lure of gold is always enough to keep them going.

Just a few starter thoughts. Feel free to add more or discuss those I've thrown into the ring. We'll get into more details when the win condition for the game is chosen.

[sneaselx]

Electricity electricity exists, but is difficult to control, and expensive to create, thus making it impractical. However, somebody (character?) has discovered how to use electricity in order to create small amounts of magic. This is of course rare and difficult, as it needs some rare ingredient that can be found only by the brave. This process is most often used on small objects, giving their holder a small magical power.

Moving cities These outposts of civilization are able to fly/move, due to huge steam engines. The moving cities are used to follow the concentration of water, and sometimes to strike against other cities. However, these strikes often are small raids conducted by the gov't, and private individuals use it as a chance to trade and interact.

Alternate Steam  Obviously, steam power does not run on water, as that is very rare. Instead it is run with a special chemical.

[Tokimo]

I really like lightbulbs in my steampunk, so I would encourage electricity to stay present. However, perhaps strong environmental conditions make it impractical to transmit electricity (no power lines and power plants), thus leaving all electricity coming from small steam engines.

[GnKoichi]

I really like the idea of alternate steam. I want to build on it a little.

Water: The lore tells of days when rivers and oceans covered the world. But rain rarely falls here, so over time much of the water was simply lost to an incomplete natural cycle. Even more was wasted in the early days of steam technology. Now, there is barely enough to drink. Some techno-junkies simply can't abide by the results of alternate-steam. They give up their own water rations to feed the machines.

Pure-Steam: While most of the world uses water to stay alive and chemicals to power their machines, one group simply has to have real steam! When using Pure-Steam, most machines run much more efficiently and powerfully. They also produce less pollution.


Also, very exciting, the Rules team has chosen DOCUMENTS as the win condition. So we know that the Main Characters are going to be people who want to collect information. They will be people with something to gain (or maybe something to lose?). I think it would be a good time now to start creating some factions/religions/governments to populate this world. I'm going to take a crack at some that seem obvious.

Faction: The Engineers The first ever guild to be founded in this world was a gathering of well-meaning steam mechanics. They saw the potential of steam-tech to not just make life easier, but also to make it better. They believe that through the power of steam, people will be made cleaner and healthier. It's a popular mind set, and the most populous union in most cities.

Faction: The Wizards This aging group of loremasters have convinced the world that magic still exists. This is a lie. However, they have found some ingenious ways to reproduce old magical effects using chemistry and manipulation. You must be born into the Wizards, since it has always been believed that magic is a genetic trait. Ages ago, these men & women likely had true magic in their families. Some pine for the lost ways. Others just enjoy the mysteries surrounding their lives.

Faction: The Purists Some people just can't take a hint. This group of fanatical engineers refuse to use Alternate-Steam. They use only Pure-Steam, which means they never get to actually drink water. They've found some less healthy alternatives to quench their thirst, but even those who question their sanity cannot argue with their results. The machines of this group are the best in the world.

Faction: The Sparkies While most of the population relies on various steam-techs to run their world, other think the next great resource has already arrived. They use Electricity, though it is extremely difficult to control and generate. The results are often unpredictable, and most men & women in this group are taking a great risk by researching or working with this "harnessed lightning". Their machines are chaotic and short lived, but they often go out with a bang.

[sneaselx]

Faction: The Lineman The guild of telegraph pole workers. They spend much of their time at the top of tall poles. The constant barrage of messages along the lines has trained them to read the messages by the pulses. Spending all their time with the elements has made them very sensitive to the slightest change in weather, almost a supernatural thing. Being a lineman is a hereditary thing usually, and one of the rituals of their guild is where they hook you up to the lines, and the telegraphs all across the world are running through you, and imprint in your brain, causing many of them to adjust their mental state; sometimes good, sometimes bad. They are very isolated from the rest of the population, and centuries of listening to meaningless messages has led many to believe that the rest of the world is not worth visiting.

[aardvark]

*pokes his head in the door*

Oooh, nice. Especially the factions, I'm a sucker for well written factions. Good job guys. Ok, I let y'all get back to it now.

*ducks out the door*

[GnKoichi]

Whoops. In trying to help the rules team along, I neglected this. Aardvark set a rules goal for Sunday the 20th, so I will to.

GOAL
*Create the World Codex Alpha
Details:
- Name of the World
- World Details
- Cities
- Factions
- Religion

Let's close the book on these ideas. Get your thoughts in now! Rules folks, feel free to add things you think of.

Hey, where's Zao?

[aardvark]

I was wondering if we could p'raps use machina (maw-kee-naw) as the general word instead of machines? Little things like that add to atmosphere imho. That's just my preference tho. Look forward to seeing what everyone comes up with.

[sneaselx]

Some ideas for cities.
The world is Earth, although suffering from major climate change resulting from various causes.

During a long drought, the most important thing is water.
Thus, the Mediterranean area is the most populated, and is considered the center of civilization. However, isolated centers in the Americas are also common. The African continent is even more isolated, as the Nile River houses the only known major city. South East Asia has also been hit hard to, especially as the droughts ripped through the rice paddies. However, Japan, as an island, has survived somewhat. Russia was devastated.

The isolation of each city has developed into language drift, causing a large number of different languages, often within the same city.

Though cities are rarer, they also tend to be bigger, because of the increased need for central resource management. Rulers of each city also have increased prestige and responsibility for same reason. Most rulers control massive armies, making out and out inter corp. warfare a dangerous propositon.

The corporations have become less exploitive. This is because people are now more focused on survival, and corporations are more like gangs, with people joining corporations, and corporations competing to get resources for their organization. In the corp.s, loyalty is one of the most important traits, and they put a premium on communications, allowing them to synchronize and control their organization.

Steam Renaissance: Steam technology is relatively recent, and the cities are undergoing a renaissance of science and art. For the first time in decades, people can dare a little optimism. Some brave groups are even beginning the task of making railways between cities, which will vastly improve trade.

Most people are part of a corporation. These corporations compete for control of resources. It can be dangerous to not be part of a corp., as that means you are fair game for any mission, and can be exploited without fear of retribution.

New Faction:
The Merchants:
A guild of traders, who specialize in travelling the dangerous land between cities, bringing rare goods. They are fairly popular, but not common, due to the danger of their job. This guild also includes the adventurers who travel out into the world to retrieve artifacts and explore land, searching for resources.

[Howl]

maybe i could make a template...? juss tell me what needs to be on a specific card and i could take a whack at it if u like.. idk juss a thought

[Zao]

/quote]

I think he died a few days ago.

JUST KIDDING.

I've been very busy lately, and a crapload of unexpected work to do seems to emerge everytime I dare to open my eyes. And let's say this project went to the bottom of my prority list. For now.