VoB - Discussion

[Dorian]

Once cut off from the civilised world, a small nation nestled in its isolated valley is the sudden centre of the worlds attention. Being heralded as the purest source of the much valued Blood Ore, it is the destination of a venture that should bring riches to all involved.

What the people involved don't realise is that this alien valley has a dark vibe and a bloody history. Before long everyone finds themselves embroiled in a twisted story far darker and tainted than their worst nightmares, where the desire to understand this strange land is eclipsed only by the will to survive.




Hi guys

Now that my schedule is freed up somewhat, I am quite interested in running a game for you all. Set in a post medieval setting this game will be a Supernatural Thriller of a sandbox style similar to that of Lores Vampire game. Im considering using modified Warhammer Fantasy roleplay rules for this game. Those familiar with the system will be aware that it is a good balance between fast fun play and detailed rules.

The main purpose of this post is to gauge interest. I have already put a fair amount of work into this game but alot more is ahead to make this valley its own living breathing world for you all to run around in. To work I would need a few players, I would say around 4-8 would be ideal, but more can easily be put in if need be.

If you are interested please let me know. If you have any suggestions or questions feel free to post away

Im quite excited about this, and really hope we can go ahead with it.

[Earthfriend]

Sounds intriguing. Could you elaborate on the setting a tad?

...isolated valley is the sudden centre of the worlds attention. Being heralded as the purest source of the much valued Blood Ore...

Does this suggest an Industrial Age for the game? If the world knows about it, and ore is of interest....

[Dorian]

Im still putting together all the details but the basic idea I have is this.


OK Back story is this region was, until recently, one of the outlying regions of a large empire(think a medieval Soviet Russia). Not being of high strategic importance, high population or high economy the region was pretty much left to its own devices for many many years. That empire has recently suffered from serious internal strife and as such its borders have shrunk. Now this previously forgotten little region is open to the world again.

Due to rumours of some rare resource (the blood ore) a company from the free and enlighted West (where the players all hail from) has shown great interest in the region. They have brokered a deal with the new Ruler of this region to set up operations. The players are amongst the initial people employed for this job, lured to the region with promises of wealth and a great career. needless to say things dont go peachy and soon the players are up to mischief (ill leave out spoilers for now)

The region will have a very small minded and backward local population. Compared to the enlightened and advanced lands to the west, this area will still be highly superstitious. The very land itself will have some heavy history and everywhere you look will be filled with some sort of dark secret or bloody rumour. Outside the only town of decent size the locals are quiet and cut off, unhappy with outsiders at best, openly hostile at worse.

It will be completely alien to the players, with its own religions and traditions. Will be a very dark vibe, kinda like you would expect from Lovecraft (it was a computer game based on Lovecraft novels that gave me the idea of the feeling of it all.)

While the world outside would be rather industrialised this particular region wont be. Set on a fictional world it will be similar to eastern europe in feel. The idea being that to the players this is a total backward and alien world.

Im unsure if I answered your question properly?

[Earthfriend]

I think so, thanks!

[Dorian]

No worries. Hope the game appeals. If need be Ill throw in a free set of steak knives

[Goatkiller666]

Oooooh. Shiney new role-playing thingy.

Only... I'm not familiar with the Warhammer Fantasy rules. Do you have any sources we can read up on? 'Cause I sure would like to get in on this, if I can.

[Dorian]

Yeah Ill get around to putting them up soon.

Im also considering using the Runequest rules, the best RPG rules ever in my opinion, but theyre a tad complicated. And the Warhammer rules have an easy to use insanity system which I would like to use a bit.

Also, I will be making modifications to the warhammer rules if I use them, mainly the experience system. Also it will take place outside of the warhammer world (obviously) and players will be limited to Human characters. I feel having fairly mundane human characters would lend better to the thriller aspect, as too many horror games let people be some sort of all powerful guy who isnt afraid of anything

[Goatkiller666]

Nod. I'm kind of envisioning something along the lines of Bram Stoker's "Dracula" (ignoring the images of Keanu Reaves mangling it all to hell), with a supposedly "enlightened" person from the west going east and getting way more than he expected.

Which sounds like a really fun story to play.

[Dorian]

yeah man for sure

When it comes down to it, Ill post up positions needed for the venture and will include a list of suitable careers from teh warhammer book for each position. The idea being you choose a position to apply for and pick the career that best fits your idea of your character. The result will be a good mix of skills and characters I hope, instead of all fighter types or whatever.

Btw check your PMs

[Montresor]

Damn. I'm a sucker for Old World encounters with the mysterious. Alas, I don't get much time to post and write for things like this these days.

I might be tempted, depending on the frequency of posts needed, and the exact setting details.

[Goatkiller666]

So... are we allowed to be crazy about our stuff, a little?

e.g. - the great hunter from whatever the Africa counterpart is. Stops conversations in the middle, holding up his hand at the person... then stalks off to the trees at the ends of the park, slowly going for his pistol...

Or are we going to dirty and gritty realism, instead of comic opportunity?

[Dorian]

Montresor you are more than welcome. Feel free to hit me up with any questions you may have


Goatkiller, Im not entirely sure how to answer your question to be honest. I havnt really decided on it to a great extent. i know that I wont be running it as a party based game, although players game link up if they so wish. Basically it will be very similar to Lores Vampire, which I think is well balanced between player inventiveness as well as adherence to a preconceived story

[Goatkiller666]

And I gotta give props to Lore for doing things right. He's managed to run several different plotlines without much trouble (that we could see), keep us all interested in each other's stuff, and aldo let each of us get some face time.

[Dorian]

definitely *raises glass*

[Montresor]

Setting is the main thing for me. I don't know exactly what you're going for, but I get the impression it's more of a horror RPG like Call of Cthulhu, and less of a Dark Fantasy RPG like Warhammer (without the settings of either).

Is the setting more like a medieval one, or an industrial one (like the 19th C), or even an 18th C style one? Knowing that would help jog ideas for a character. For some reason I keep thinking of a morphein addicted physician (probably because I saw the film Morphia recently, and it had a Russian Revolution frontier setting), but that wouldn't work for a medieval style setting.

Also, re: frequency of posts...would one a week or every four days be passable? I can't say whether I could even do that, but I am interested.

[Dorian]

If your character was to keep to himself and pursue his own story then that would be fine. To begin with the players will all be unde rthe umbrella of the company but once that is lifted you are all free to do as wished.

As for setting basically take Call of Cthulhu and add the technological and social level/era of Warhammer and then put it in some backward eastern european state (imagine Vlad Dracul era romania) that is somewhat behind the times and your getting close.

I think your character idea could fit. It would fit in in the west where the characters come from. The characters arent local so they dont need to be all backward and twisted like the area the game is set in, so academics etc would do nicely.

[Dorian]

** Minus the Aliens you get in call of Cthulhu. well maybe, we will see.

I want insanity to play a part of the game too. thus the usage of Warhammer Rules.

[Montresor]

Even so, there's a big difference in physicians who prescribe leeches (which would still be the Western scientific method), and those who use injections and chemicals etc (which wouldn't be until a much more technologically advanced time). I guess it doesn't really matter, and I could work around the setting if I had to.

Have you thought about actually making our own world the setting but creating your own fictional region in your quasi-Siberian setting?

I want insanity to play a part of the game too. thus the usage of Warhammer Rules.

Insanity plays a big part in the Call of Cthulhu rules.

[Dorian]

I did, but I felt having a fictional world would give me more freedom to rewrite history, religion etc

[Dorian]

After a quick dig around on Wikipedia, the late middle ages seems to sum up the sort of world we are looking at, but being fictional it blurs both ways as needed.