Caught Between Planes
The game is nearing completion. and i need all your help. I need to know if anybody thinks something sould be added or clarified. This is so far what i think to be my best work and i would like opinions.
Caught Between Planes, By Robbie Cousineau (AKA: Evil1)
Intro
One night, when i was walking home in the dark, a thought hit me. "What if there was a game, where you could be good or evil, and fight the deamons of hell or the angels of heavon". for while, i ignored the idea, but then i figured i could get away with it, im not that well known. Besides, people have written much more drastic things.
In this game, you play as a alternate version of yourself (As you do in my other games). One night walking through the park, you notice a red light. you walk closer, and witness the horrors appearing. you see bums being drug into a portal to the abyss, you witness late night joggers being sacraficed, you witness graveyard shift policeman pumping rounds into they who cannot be dead again. Your choice? to run. Your town is in danger, and it needs a hero, or a villian. It all depends on what team you are rooting for.
Will you side with satan and aid his minions in their quest for total control? or will you side with god, and beat back the minions of the pit back to whence they came?
This game is designed for a DM (Death Master) to run with a group of players (preferably 2 or more) in a open, purerly DM ran story. this game is to hand the creative tools to a creative person to create a story with their freinds as the heros (or villians). Note that this game uses terminology used by christians, but i myself am not of the christian faith, but have some information of various demons and traditions. and obviously i know what heaven and hell are. This is made only for pleasure, and this is not any attept to bash a religion. I myself though am a bit pissed that christians seem to think their faith is bloodless though, but i will rant later.
The main goal of the game is to make your own choice on what to do. Take the path of evil and kill god, or take the path of good and save heaven and earth from satans attacks. This is a war, demons and angels pour out of portals, phase in, and appear all to fight. As combat sways in one side, then you can expect to see war advance to one of the realms.
As you do your side proud. you will eventually be granted a familiar(or two)by your diety. You never know how much they can save you. Familiars are linked to you via soul. therefore as long as you live, they are unable to die, only be knocked out. Same goes with you, if you fall in battle, and your familiar survives, then you will be reborn. Your side will also grant you powers and spells if you serve them well. Your a important peice in this game of chess, as not any person is granted power like this. All around the world, people have been imbued to the greater causes, to help fight this war.
Playable
The game itself is semi playable now. But there is still plenty more to add. I aim to make this less of a "basic guide" and more of a structured game. Instead of leaving almost everything to the imagination of a DM, i will try and give the more "simple" player a bit more guidance.
Really, i need alot more comments and people mentioning angels and demons. Hopefully by morning I will be able t oadd more. But for tonight I am tapped.
Good Start
You've chose to tackle a very powerful and emotional issue, and I applaud your vision/work ethic/audacity.
Its selling the concept short to treat creatures so ingrained in the collective human unconsciousness as pokemon. Also you might want t try for a different pantheon. Pseudo Judea-Christian demons have been used quite a bit as opponents in the past. Nobilis, Demon the Fallen, and various D&D supplements come to mind.
How about a Buddhist Mahayana hell? The creatures are not defined so much by a particular sin as how many steps they are on or off the Eight-Fold Path.
While I'm not one to be offended by most religious allusions (Though Jerry Falwell as a force in US politics scares me) I would also suggest that you establish that those facing down heaven and hell are fated to do so, or somehow greater - rather than implying any schmo off the street can challenge the divine. (Admittedly, we could start debating Nietzsche and Ubermensch at this point, but I don't feel like reading 800 pages of eight point font at the moment.) At least not the divine of a real world religion. If you care to make it up entirely, then all is fair.
Still, theses are just minor worries - we already have someone on this site starting a game where you play gods. Don't let this get in the way.
There is a fine line between hobby and obsession. I seem to have lost sight of it some time ago.
Probably right
I wasint really serious about teh whole pokemon thing. i was just using an example. The thing is i am really at a loss of how to establish the system. because on one hand, i want the player to be imbued in a way where they are being granted powers by god or satan, and on the other hand i want to point out that demons and angels are doing battle all around you. And i am not very sure on how to implement it.
Awhile ago i was playing with the idea of players being able to be angels or demons. because i wanted a sense of personality with them (which is why i mentioned pokemon, even though the show is the spawn of satan, the critters have their own style and personality)
Just a thought :)
One idea I had while reading your rant about possible ways to define the game was the idea of players being portals. What I mean is that the Demons/Angels cannot just manifest, they need to be projected into the real world through mediums, which would be people.
The result is that all of these Demons suddenly destroying the world isn't coincidence, it is the masterminded plot of a worldwide cult of fanatics who are projecting the Demons into the real world. Are the players these cultists causing as much chaos as possible to turn the world into living hell? Or are they chosen warriors of the heavens who must project the Angels into the world to battle alongside them. Less like pokemon, but still allows the players to have different Demons/Angels to project as well as doing personal butt kicking.
Thoughts?
"The world is your arena now, Sagat, not the street!"
M. Bison, Street Fighter: The Animated Movie
Points
1. Players being portals are a bad idea. The medium for them appearing full strength are rips in the planes, causing by overpopulation of spirits, or by divine power.
2. The plot is by Satan himself to conquer heaven and earth for himself, effectivly making all three his domain.
3.Pokeman was a f**king example, i was not serious. they are living, breathing creatures that aid their masters, and eventually may save your life some day. And yes, they can wreck some people. Depending on their virtue/sin they perform different functions. A diligence angel would protect you, while a demon of wrath would kill anything that pissed you off. Your able to have fluid conversation with them. and they do NOT just say their name over and over again. ("Succubus Succubus Succubus" would be grounds to slap a DM otherwise.
Lesson One...
Carefully choose when to use the dreaded word: pokemon.
Seriously though, will it be possible to win the game or are you thinking that players just acheive goals then die before the end ever occurs? I'd like to see them be able to "win". So many games try to trap players into the world as it is, you should add special rules for when one side wins. Or possibly, that as the balance of power sways, one side gains a temporary upper hand, etc.
I kinda mentioned it
In other areas, i do mention theres a way to "win".
The most obvious is to stop the flow of your enemy. Or you can always kill the big cheese (God or Satan). I will mention more about them later. Since they are the ultomate powers in the universe, they arent able to be killed by a simple roll. it takes alot to beat them once and for all.
And correct, as the battle sways in the favor of one side, more and more of your forces enter the enemy realm. and will help you defeat your foe.
At this point
I have been working on and off of this for awhile. recently i havint gotten much in the way of comments or ideas. I am getting close to being able to lay this to rest and finally submit it ^_^.
But of course there is a bit more to do. Thing i plan to do:
1. sample adventure
2. Add more angels/demons
3. Come up with lists for several aspects
4. refine the EMME traits list
5. Add lists for third party enemies
Comments/Ideas/Requests?