- Joined
- May 15, 2017
- Messages
- 7,519
- Reaction score
- 19,306
So, started a new game, the Mythras Kitchen Sink Pirate Game that I mentioned https://www.rpgpub.com/threads/what-are-yall-up-to-these-days.32/page-12#post-14898 and https://www.rpgpub.com/threads/what-are-yall-up-to-these-days.32/page-11#post-11982 and https://www.rpgpub.com/threads/what...ing-to-run-play-in-2018.647/page-2#post-15334 . this thread is largely so I can talk it out and keep a running train of thought, get opinions, etc.
things that have changed from the posts there
Lord Bartholomew Rothschild, the gladiator’s benefactor, chartered the ship to find new trade routes. He’s Aristocracy, and owns a fair number of slaves and businesses. Part of the conditions of the charter was that the gladiator goes along as his agent. He’s doing the gladiator a favor and getting him some other skills, since gladiator combat is going away in this land, though he has no natural talent in the area. Still, Lord Rothschild has instinct that he might be destined for greater things, if given the right opportunity.
I also have a Big Nebulous Foe in the Spaniards (this is tentatively set in alternative Caribbean, with the party being mostly English Analog) who have acquired a decidedly Nazi flare, because we like punching Nazis. We have lovingly referred to them as Spanazis.
Lord Rothschild feels like a spymaster who uses the pirating as his agents. Buys slaves, frees them, earning a degree of loyalty, sets them up with positions, tells them to prey on the Spanazis, or encourages it at least. Uses them as a spy network. Sounds like he’s pretty close to the monarchy, but not very visible. This sort of turns it into secret wars. Also makes privateering a sort of reward for loyalty - you can be trusted, you make war for the Crown.
The adventure started with a map and a note (stolen from Isle of Dread). The map and the note came to them through adventure, but I imagine funding didn’t. This makes him a venture capitalist. He’s got money and power, but maybe the money isn’t his own. Maybe he has exceptional loyalty to the Crown. This is sort of getting a Three Musketeers feel, which is a good thing actually.
I was writing to myself, as it helps me think, and realized that this game may be about loyalty. As I was complaining in the other thread, the characters were not interesting. So I'm going to make them all take a Loyalty passion. Rules for this are
So, now I feel like I have a direction that might get a lot more interesting. We have Three Musketeers on the High Seas, combined with creepy Voudou (the animist is based on a voudou thing I found on the TDM boards, which was written by the Mythic Constantinople guy. i've tweaked it slightly, but most of the text is his), but we've added in a whole where do your loyalties lie possibility. We've added a spy network, and potentially a secret/not-so-secret war. The Queen (and I think I've decided it's a queen) can't afford an open war right now. Coffers might be drained from her war with the Not-French (War of the Roses-like).
This feels like a 2011 three musketeers with pirates thing. I’m thinking that’s way into the right space for us. I need an internal guy, though. An agent working with the Nebulous Foe to undermine the Queen.
It was also decided some time ago that airships would be in this. That's as yet to come I think.
things that have changed from the posts there
- Voudou Animist instead of steampunk druid droid. I like the animist quite a bit. His tribe is cannibals (because the player is... um... well, he likes the creepy), and he chose to save them rather than eat them. He's on a vision quest, apparently, and going to go learn about the civilized folks. He has a strong desire to help his people.
- A gladiator. He's the obligatory person with no knowledge of pirating in the pirate game. He was apparently sold into slavery by a guy, and was purchased by another guy. The purchaser freed him, and he feels loyalty for him, and hatred for the guy who sold him.
Lord Bartholomew Rothschild, the gladiator’s benefactor, chartered the ship to find new trade routes. He’s Aristocracy, and owns a fair number of slaves and businesses. Part of the conditions of the charter was that the gladiator goes along as his agent. He’s doing the gladiator a favor and getting him some other skills, since gladiator combat is going away in this land, though he has no natural talent in the area. Still, Lord Rothschild has instinct that he might be destined for greater things, if given the right opportunity.
I also have a Big Nebulous Foe in the Spaniards (this is tentatively set in alternative Caribbean, with the party being mostly English Analog) who have acquired a decidedly Nazi flare, because we like punching Nazis. We have lovingly referred to them as Spanazis.
Lord Rothschild feels like a spymaster who uses the pirating as his agents. Buys slaves, frees them, earning a degree of loyalty, sets them up with positions, tells them to prey on the Spanazis, or encourages it at least. Uses them as a spy network. Sounds like he’s pretty close to the monarchy, but not very visible. This sort of turns it into secret wars. Also makes privateering a sort of reward for loyalty - you can be trusted, you make war for the Crown.
The adventure started with a map and a note (stolen from Isle of Dread). The map and the note came to them through adventure, but I imagine funding didn’t. This makes him a venture capitalist. He’s got money and power, but maybe the money isn’t his own. Maybe he has exceptional loyalty to the Crown. This is sort of getting a Three Musketeers feel, which is a good thing actually.
I was writing to myself, as it helps me think, and realized that this game may be about loyalty. As I was complaining in the other thread, the characters were not interesting. So I'm going to make them all take a Loyalty passion. Rules for this are
- It can't be to a PC
- The person must be alive
- It can be an organization
- They, or their reach of influence with agents, must be within a week of sailing or so
So, now I feel like I have a direction that might get a lot more interesting. We have Three Musketeers on the High Seas, combined with creepy Voudou (the animist is based on a voudou thing I found on the TDM boards, which was written by the Mythic Constantinople guy. i've tweaked it slightly, but most of the text is his), but we've added in a whole where do your loyalties lie possibility. We've added a spy network, and potentially a secret/not-so-secret war. The Queen (and I think I've decided it's a queen) can't afford an open war right now. Coffers might be drained from her war with the Not-French (War of the Roses-like).
This feels like a 2011 three musketeers with pirates thing. I’m thinking that’s way into the right space for us. I need an internal guy, though. An agent working with the Nebulous Foe to undermine the Queen.
It was also decided some time ago that airships would be in this. That's as yet to come I think.