Chorus Teaser #1
One of my major projects, which does not see a lot of internet time but nonetheless occupies a lot of my thoughts, is called simply "My Fantasy World" or sometimes "The World From Chorus." If you go far enough north in that world, you will reach the ruined fragments of the people of Polaris.
But the north was not the first thing I gamed about.
This is the world of a magic and secrets, a world of blood and murder, a world of prices and things best left unspoken, a world of simple people, trying their best to be good, and the evil that they do unto each other.
There is God in this world, but there are also things called gods. We might also call them ideas, philosophies, secret lores hidden from the eye, manifestos, monsters, or demons. Each of them has as many names as they have worshippers. Some of them are:
And there they are.
But the north was not the first thing I gamed about.
This is the world of a magic and secrets, a world of blood and murder, a world of prices and things best left unspoken, a world of simple people, trying their best to be good, and the evil that they do unto each other.
There is God in this world, but there are also things called gods. We might also call them ideas, philosophies, secret lores hidden from the eye, manifestos, monsters, or demons. Each of them has as many names as they have worshippers. Some of them are:
- Boy-in-the-Night
- He comes for your gold and your daughters.
- He comes for your gold and your daughters.
- Bright Daughter
- Will she love you?
- Will she love you?
- Conquerer
- The red eyes that know nothing but rape, pillage, and fire.
- The red eyes that know nothing but rape, pillage, and fire.
- Dark Daughter
- The dead are her people and the dark her country.
- The dead are her people and the dark her country.
- Eaten Queen
- Her sort of sacrifice cannot be made by will alone.
- Her sort of sacrifice cannot be made by will alone.
- Just King
- The wounds of his justice have never healed.
- The wounds of his justice have never healed.
- Lady in Chains
- Who is the Master here?
- Who is the Master here?
- Lord of Light
- Blessed are you, King of the Universe.
- Blessed are you, King of the Universe.
- Mother / Wife
- Everything you loved and hated about her.
- Everything you loved and hated about her.
- Silent Wanderer
- Home is a dry taste of dust, and words are the bitter taste of lies.
- Home is a dry taste of dust, and words are the bitter taste of lies.
- Singing Wolf
- It's all fun and games until...
- It's all fun and games until...
- The Liberator
- The price of freedom is paid in the blood of patriots.
- The price of freedom is paid in the blood of patriots.
- The Eye
- It watches.
- It watches.
- The Sage
- The man who knows whatever cannot be told.
- The man who knows whatever cannot be told.
- The Unborn
- What will he become?
- What will he become?
- Thing-in-the-Night
- It stalks.
- It stalks.
- Thing-in-the-Sea
- It hungers.
- It hungers.
- Wise King
- The price of wisdom is too great.
- The price of wisdom is too great.
And there they are.
9 Comments:
Powerful ideas. I'm certainly teased. What kind of system is going to be beneath it?
I need to get a tin foil hat, because you're stealing the thoughts from my brain.
That's what gods should be like in a game. Complex, thematic, dark and light, and always with the consequences. More please.
I love the vague quotes/descriptions. I might steal that concept to use with my characters in my game. It would do wonders for some of the fantastic creatures and folks I have in mind.
Victory -- System. Don't talk to me about system.
Systems that have been used in this setting:
Basic D&D
Advanced D&D, 2nd edition
D&D 3rd edition
Modified InterLock (Cyberpunk 2020)
Freeform/Drama resolution
Funky LARP mechanics
The Riddle of Steel, in several forms
Systems that I have not yet used, but would like to use:
The Shadow of Yesterday
Dogs in the Vineyard
Burning Wheel
Sorcerer
yrs--
--Ben
Forgot one:
Transdimensional Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
It is a dark sin that we never gamed together when you were in Ithaca.
Oh, the worlds we would have created and decimated.
These gods make me happy.
Claire, everyone: This is important.
I do hope that you think that I'm stealing your ideas, because I am. These gods are drawn from mythology, folklore, tall tales, pulp fantasy, psychology, sexual fetishes, the monster manual, nonsense rhymes, pop music, pop culture, and nightmares I used to have when I was a kid.
Point being -- most of these are sources held in common by the world. I'm not suprised that they look a lot like things that other people have done in the past. Partially, that's intentional, and the part that isn't intentional is inevitable.
You don't need to ask for permission to use this list (Judd already has) but I'd love to know what you're doing with it.
yrs--
--Ben
This list of gods reminds me strikingly of Devotion, the game that's been haunting me for a couple of years now (and in whose setting I've written four-five short stories for lack of an outlet). As you say, not really surprising, just... striking.
Hi Adam! Welcome to the blog.
Remember, like, your sophmore year, when I had that D&D game I wanted to run with you and Ion and Ethan?
That was this game...
Okay, I just needed to get that off my chest.
I guess I need to go read those stories again.
yrs--
--Ben
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