Reference Interest Measurement Thread

Well since some people think that on 31st we are going to restart 2020, sooo...

 

Two of the Three Teasers that I have been working on (the third will come a bit later as I need to flesh out certain things):

Star Wars: Imperial City

Welcome to the Imperial City, the crown jewel of the Galactic Empire, formerly known as Coruscant.
Once an example of cooperation and tolerance under the Galactic Republic, all that millennia of progress swept with one swift swoop. With the change of the name, to Imperial City, its heart was changed. It grew darker, despite Coruscant remaining the city that never slept, its soul has been corrupted. It was no longer the beacon of hope and prosperity, but a planet turned into a jail for the normal people, toiling under the upper Imperial classes and the megacorps, draining their lifeblood.

While the upper levels were more or less maintained, the lower ones, the ones that did not see the sun, were even more decrepit than before. Corruption grew endemic as the Coruscant Security Force no longer cared for justice, only order was important to them. The white armored stormtroopers raided dwellings and people started to disappear.

Fear, suspicion and hostility. Those are some of the words that can describe the populace of Coruscant. This air of corruption became the breeding ground for all the scum to thrive on. Black Sun, the Hutts and other criminal enterprises rule the lower levels. Czerka and other megacorporations the mid and upper levels.

But in all this darkness there is still hope. Idealists, slicers, Rebel operatives, were willing to risk their lives and fight for the people.
​

Night City Blues


Maya Sokolov was having one of the toughest days in her career, maybe in her life. She was a regular officer of MiliTech, normally that would not have been a problem, but she was in charge of the protection of Special Research Facility in the outskirts of Night City. That provided her with a lot of benefits, but the responsibilities were tremendous. And now she had messed up...

And messing up in Special Research usually ended up with dead bodies. Unless she could fix the mess and kill whoever did it, then delete any/all data that had been leaked.

This facility was developing a new Combat AI and one day the chip disappeared. Of course that sent everyone into a frenzy, then the blaming game followed, having everyone pointing fingers at each other. But since she was the Chief of Security the responsibility was hers. So if she could not fix the situation she will get a bullet in the back of her head, then her body will either be incinerated or thrown in the landfill. Good thing her record was good enough, maybe they will make it quick and painless.

But that hope won't get her anywhere.

That was why Maya made a holo call to a fixer she knew, who said that he can arrange for her to meet a runner and their crew. She of course did not divulge too much info. Hopefully they would be able to catch whoever stole the chip before it sinks in the depths of the Black Market, or land in Arasaka's hands.

She texted that runner, arranging for a meeting to discuss terms and hopefully get started. Drumming her fingers on the surface of the desk waiting for a text back.

 

“It cannot be seen, cannot be felt,
Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt,
It lies behind stars and under hills,
And empty holes it fills,
It comes first and follows after,
Ends life, kills laughter.”

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again



Ever since the dawn of time the appearance of a comet was considered an ill omen. The sudden appearance of the bright ball of rock and ice, followed by the luminous and ethereal trail caused a primordial sense of dread in the hearts and minds of most regular people. To the enlightened persons of this new, twentieth century, these were mere superstitions, a remnant of a period of humanity's development, when the world was a scary and unknowable place. A place filled with monsters and magic. So these scientists simply dismissed them…



But they were wrong…

It is the year of our Lord 1930 and the world is standing at the precipice of the greatest storm of madness and bloodshed that humanity had ever imagined possible...

There were those who stepped forward to oppose the darkness, but they knew their numbers would not be enough. And so they quietly began to seek out those few whose talents and skills could be used to defend the world against what was coming.

About the Game:

Since I had to close down Calm Before the Storm, I decided to revamp some of the themes and general ideas from it into a game set in an alternative Earth, where magical and mythical creatures and persons, along with monsters exist, albeit their numbers have been dwindling throughout the centuries. There are secret societies who direct historical events and figures to cause great upheavals that fuel certain rituals to bring the dark forces to strength. WW1 was one such event.

Here fictional characters like Van Helsing, Victor Frankenstein, Sherlock Holmes, etc. exist along with historical figures (like Tolkien, Tesla, etc.) and are part of a network of people (think of it like the League of the Extraordinary Gentlemen, the BPRD and SHIELD) who hunt monsters, look for ancient artifacts that need protection from the dark forces.

The game will be episodic with each episode having its own theme, meaning for example there will be an Indiana Jones (who also exists in the universe) themed episode, a Holmes/Poirot themed episode, a spy thriller and so on.

If you like to play a magical creature you should note certain restrictions like having to conceal your true nature as in that enlightened age people no longer believe in them.

 

Wondering if anyone is up for playing Tyranny of Dragons. It is a mix between Hoard of the Dragon Queen and Rise of Tiamat adventure modules. I would be running it and it would be a game of good ol D&D.

 

Question for the group, what would be the appetite for a comedic game set on a movie set?

 

Yes it would be in the RL a soundstage in sunny Brisbane, Australia in late October, right as the humidity kicks in.

 

Hi to any potential and soon-to-be GMs for a Star Wars High Republic role play. Tag me whenever/if ever a game starts. I'm reading "The Light of the Jedi" and it's as great as I hoped

 

*eyes slide across the room back and forth nervously*

Uh NO!

Ha ha

WHat?

NO ONE IS STARTING A HIGH REPUBLIC GAME HA

 

I was thinking of a post-TOR game that will include elements of the Bane Trilogy (Bane himself, Zannah, the Brotherhood of Evil) and elements from the High Republic (the clothing style, the Jedi Temple Space Stations, the Nihil).

Since the Sith Empire and Zakuul's collapses the Galaxy is a fractured place. The Republic has shrunk drastically. Hyperlanes have collapsed. Surviving Sith have formed their own fiefdoms, most squabble and fight among themselves. Former Republic planets have seceded, not wanting to have anything to do with the Republic. Some loyal systems remain in the sea of hostiles.

The Jedi and the Senate started a project that involves sending ships to chart the routes anew and start reconnect the systems, scout the Sith and other hostile systems.

I see the characters to be members of such a ship, a bit like Star Trek (and some Warhammer 40k elements, like the reunification).

 

Happy wriggles @TheAdmiral ... can we sign up to be a High Republic established character?

 

The doors were thrown open and a scene of grandiose generals were shown standing about a table, glowing lights illuminating their faces from the rune carved table in between them. All turned to face the soldier marching in, now kneeling before them all.



“My lords and ladies, the Auspices have begun to call.”

Eyes were wide, gasps were emitted, and looks of both excitement and trepidation were exchanged throughout the room. One of the leaders stepped forward, an obvious elf of great renown.



"Truly? Has it begun already?"

"It has," intoned the soldier, eliciting further (if more subdued) reactions.

“Tell me, soldier,” came one of the great female leaders in the chamber, her thick accent rebounding off the walls.



“Whom do we know has received the mark?”

The soldier lifted their head to meet her fascinatingly fiery gaze.

“My lady, we know of one so far. They are —“

*****
Footsteps crunching the snow, as one warrior comes to join two other comrades overlooking a valley below. They glance over at his approach, where he stares off quietly for a few moments.



“It would seem,” he began slowly at last, “The Auspices have started to mark their chosen.”

“Ha. Only natural at least one of us is picked then,” mused the horned fighter nearby.



“Aye. And when they do, we’re gonna light up our enemies like there be no tomorrah!” replied the dwarf among them eagerly, his fist charging up with magical energy in anticipation.



“And we know who’ll be the first in our path,” grinned the zabrak savagely. An expression mirrored by the other two.

*****
A flash of light and a stream of magical energy flowed through the air, coming upon the palm of the woman weaving its path from the now cracked ground.



“It would seem your suspicions were correct, my lord,” she replied after a moment of judging the energy she held before leveling her gaze to the one across from her.



“Then destiny is in motion. Come then, Reastra, we must move swiftly if we are to protect those under our care.”

The centaur woman, Reastra, inclined her head and immediately followed after her master who had turned to walk the other direction. Her hooves beating a rhythm upon the dirt and grass as she kept up confidently alongside him and his gleaming armor.

“You speak of the little ones.”

A faint turn of the head, “I speak of us all.”

*****
An apparition appeared in an empty circular chamber in the depths of an abandoned temple somewhere in the world, far from where any prying eyes could see or eavesdropping ears could listen.



“I assume we have been summoned here to discuss what has just occurred.”

Blue flames coalesced into the form of another speaker in response to this being. Its azure ambience basking the interior of the ruins with cautious radiance.



“Naturally. Our spies have gathered information from across the world and have confirmed the other nations are also learning what we have.”

Tentacles quivered from the Illithid eagerly as its eyes bore into the man.

“Good. Then it is likely the power balance may soon be shifting. We could make excellent use of this.”

A couple of double clicks of mandibles and an insect looking man was also now in evidence, arms folded with what appeared a look of deep thought.



“Patience. If true, we know not what direction that shift would go. In the coming days, I am more concerned not with the majority of the Auspices’ choices, but with the one in particular…”

Silence greeted this as each individual seemed to weigh the words carefully. There was a deep meaning behind this concern, a gravity that felt far greater than they knew.

*****
A WORLD OF WONDER AND CONSEQUENCE! COME FEEL HOME AWAY FROM HOME, A GAMING EXPERIENCE LIKE YOU COULD NEVER IMAGINE!!!

ODYSSEY OF FANTASY!

Or so the poster for the brand new virtual reality or ‘Full Dive’ game claimed. It promised a variety of play styles and genres within the game, features never before possible, various races, an always expanding world that would soon enough feel as large as Earth itself, and a ‘completely reality altering experience.’ But there were only limited slots open worldwide currently, so those who could snag a copy would truly be making a name for themselves.

Whether you buy into these claims or not, to put on the VR Helmet and feel like you’re truly in another world…something always imagined but now a reality for the first time…would be pretty awesome. Gotta admit.

The glory! The excitement! The fun!

…Do you dare be among the first gamers to blaze this trail of experiences and make history?

((Oh, what could possibly go wrong?))

The Meaning Of Hero

~Coming Soon 2021~

 

That is a bit of a tough question. I prefer not to use established characters aside of Darth Bane and the others, though I am still not sure about them either. The High Republic is rather too close to the movies timeline-wise.

But you can model your character after an established one.

 

The High Republic era takes place 200 years before TPM

 

The Crew

Welcome to Ambrose, the Immortal City, floods, hurricanes, tsunamis, fires, tornadoes, riots, hell, even an invasion, haven't brought this city down. We rebuild every time. And every time we elect the same corrupt politicians. They take money from the CEOs to make life easier for them and harder for the little people. The streets haven't had potholes filled in years. It's a broken record that keeps repeating again and again. So, you take matters into your hands. Sure you're breaking a few laws, but what does it really matter. The banks are insured, the big companies make more in a hour that you will see in a lifetime, and the rich folks up in the hills sleep on gold, no matter what we steal they won't miss it.

So, whatcha doing, new to the city wanting to put down roots, former henchman that is breaking out on your own, just out of Riverview Penitentiary looking to get back into the game, or just a regular citizen that is fed up with it? This is Ambrose, the Immoral City, you can make it very far in the dark underbelly of this place, but, just be careful. If you get too much heat, you might find yourself struck down by a bolt from the blue, the Protector of Ambrose, it's shining light, Beacon. Where he goes, lighting follows and thunder soon after. He's brought down all the big hitters...only for them to break out again and well...you know the story. He's a constant threat, but he's only really a danger to the guys on top. He won't notice a little fish like you...not yet.

But, if you're looking for a caper, I might have something, but you're going to need a crew, people you can trust and rely on...because if you can't trust your crew, who can you trust.

 

​

Apollo's office was quiet, unusually so. He stood silent at the large glass window, looking at the noisy rumblings of the city, the comings, and goings of the busy citizens as flying cars and droids whizzed by. One small football-sized bot coming up to the glass wall, a thin piece of foam scarping across the glass as it silently worked. The faint ringing sound of an intercom sung as a disembodied female voice spoke. It was soft and smooth, an almost comforting noise, you could barely tell it was not a human voice.

[Good Afternoon Sir, the Commanders are ready to speak with you now]

"Send them in,"

His back was turned away from them, three figures striding down, stopping at his desk, the central one speaking in earnest.

"Well, is it true? Is he dead?"

​

The two figures behind the man clad in orange and blue armor remained silent. One had their arms folded, atop his head sat a black helmet with several eye-looking pieces implanted into them. The only clad in nothing but orange and black was clearly much more agitated, opening and closing his fist repeatedly in a subconscious nervous tick.

​

There was a pensive silence in the air, the figure turned away from them slowly turning to face them all, his golden armor glinting in the afternoon limelight. His body carried itself in quiet confidence as he spoke in the same manner, his voice barely above a murmur, but carrying the weight of the apocalypse.

​

"Yes," He paused looking up at the air. "Today will be remembered as the day mankind's greatest warrior fell,"

The silence resumed for a few more moments, the figure with his arms crossed spoke, his normal voice devoid of worry had a slight tinge of panic mingled in with the words.

"How is that even possible, everything we threw at it, it could destroy, Samuel Jupiter was supposed to be the answer, the final evolution for destroying the Xenos once and for all,"

"I am painfully aware, it would seem the hivemind created a champion of their own, we will have to launch a counteroffensive as soon as possible, otherwise it is over, for all mankind,"

---

For All Mankind
A Shadowsun RPG
Coming Soon...​

 

Was thinking of changing my earlier idea about the post-TOR into something more manageable.

So was thinking a post-ROTJ (a mix between canon and EU), an Alliance team looking for Palpatine's observatories, maybe even hunt of Jedi artifacts at the backdrop of the Empire's collapse.

 

Thoughts on a martial arts game, anyone?

 

Like...Karate Kid or Cobra Kai?