Gray as worse than black

hcobb · 09-08-2010, 06:45 PM

In this variant the ethereals are just masks worn by Lovecraftian horrors to better feed on the energies of humanity. The brights seek to resist these outer gods while the darks try to subvert them in embrace, extend, extinguish fashion. But when nightmares walk the streets its APB for both sides.

Jason · 09-08-2010, 08:24 PM

That's a neat idea, and it dovetails in interesting ways with a one-shot I have been meaning to run as an intro to players about how the ethereal realm fits into the War. Might make a good follow-up to that story.

(That plot seed, if you are interested: A certain author has produced a bestselling series of horror novels borrowing heavily from Lovecraftian mythos. Because the big bad guy of that series is literally a "nameless horror," the resulting, vaguely-defined ethereal spirit got very big, very fast, devouring a variety of Cthulhus and monsters-from-the-end-of-Hellboy with reckless abandon. Now angels AND demons are trying to get the somewhat unstable author to write about something a little less dangerous, but subtly: If she finds out the truth about the War, her books are expected to become all the more horrifying...)

Azel · 09-11-2010, 09:02 PM

Good idea! Runs a deeply dark world with high contrast (Princes and Ethereals are predatory upon mankind).

I've been running my brain with another variant in kind: Outer Gods (the real gods in contention and rebellion against the Elder Gods) are the Princes. They have nominal control of this universe (one of many in the multiverse).
Great Old Ones (not gods, but really old, semi-immortal big bullies) are variants of Ethereal gods and Seneschals. They wield freakish levels of power, but do not hold the keys to reality.
Elder Gods are remote and relatively disinterested with humanity, and are essentially the Archangels (the primal force ones are well suited to this). They used to hold all keys to reality until the Outer Gods rebellion. Now they consign this universe, and earth especially as Outer God containment areas.

However, in reading the Corporeal Player's Guide, you find that the whole story is about humanity being important. So, running IN as CoC is fun as a cross-over diversion, but at some point questions arise outside of an investigator framework. What point would CoC creatures care about humanity or earth? To raise the body count for a glorious holocaust. Other than that, it's ineffable (there's little reason to be quiet about Mythos plans -- who's gonna stop 'em? -- but quiet they are). If ran that IN contains CoC mythos from running amok, that would put balance on them.

Running IN, humanity is the chessboard celestials play on to prove a metaphysical point. The conquest of humanity, depending on how much you power up IN, is relatively a given if all out war goes on. The nature of human fragility, and the point it makes as the stakes of conquest, gives a natural limitation.

Yet this limitation to overt destruction also allows a broadening of scope you can't really do in CoC. A cruel, disdainful universe where unspeakable machinations go on irrelevant of man is fun. But once you discover it as a human, all you're left with is that you must keep the secret and cringe in horror. Changing that to a cruel and disdainful universe with unspeakable machinations fully cognizant and focused upon man is in a way far more disquieting. My idea of dimming angelic presence to the level of Elder Gods makes for a very bleak game for corporeal players.

but snuffing out hope is for another campaign... ;)

09-08-2010, 06:45 PM	#1
hcobb Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Pacheco, California	Gray as worse than black In this variant the ethereals are just masks worn by Lovecraftian horrors to better feed on the energies of humanity. The brights seek to resist these outer gods while the darks try to subvert them in embrace, extend, extinguish fashion. But when nightmares walk the streets its APB for both sides. __________________ -HJC

09-08-2010, 08:24 PM	#2
Jason Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Boston, MA	Re: Gray as worse than black That's a neat idea, and it dovetails in interesting ways with a one-shot I have been meaning to run as an intro to players about how the ethereal realm fits into the War. Might make a good follow-up to that story. (That plot seed, if you are interested: A certain author has produced a bestselling series of horror novels borrowing heavily from Lovecraftian mythos. Because the big bad guy of that series is literally a "nameless horror," the resulting, vaguely-defined ethereal spirit got very big, very fast, devouring a variety of Cthulhus and monsters-from-the-end-of-Hellboy with reckless abandon. Now angels AND demons are trying to get the somewhat unstable author to write about something a little less dangerous, but subtly: If she finds out the truth about the War, her books are expected to become all the more horrifying...)

09-11-2010, 09:02 PM	#3
Azel Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: South of the Town across from the City by the Bay	Re: Gray as worse than black Good idea! Runs a deeply dark world with high contrast (Princes and Ethereals are predatory upon mankind). I've been running my brain with another variant in kind: Outer Gods (the real gods in contention and rebellion against the Elder Gods) are the Princes. They have nominal control of this universe (one of many in the multiverse). Great Old Ones (not gods, but really old, semi-immortal big bullies) are variants of Ethereal gods and Seneschals. They wield freakish levels of power, but do not hold the keys to reality. Elder Gods are remote and relatively disinterested with humanity, and are essentially the Archangels (the primal force ones are well suited to this). They used to hold all keys to reality until the Outer Gods rebellion. Now they consign this universe, and earth especially as Outer God containment areas. However, in reading the Corporeal Player's Guide, you find that the whole story is about humanity being important. So, running IN as CoC is fun as a cross-over diversion, but at some point questions arise outside of an investigator framework. What point would CoC creatures care about humanity or earth? To raise the body count for a glorious holocaust. Other than that, it's ineffable (there's little reason to be quiet about Mythos plans -- who's gonna stop 'em? -- but quiet they are). If ran that IN contains CoC mythos from running amok, that would put balance on them. Running IN, humanity is the chessboard celestials play on to prove a metaphysical point. The conquest of humanity, depending on how much you power up IN, is relatively a given if all out war goes on. The nature of human fragility, and the point it makes as the stakes of conquest, gives a natural limitation. Yet this limitation to overt destruction also allows a broadening of scope you can't really do in CoC. A cruel, disdainful universe where unspeakable machinations go on irrelevant of man is fun. But once you discover it as a human, all you're left with is that you must keep the secret and cringe in horror. Changing that to a cruel and disdainful universe with unspeakable machinations fully cognizant and focused upon man is in a way far more disquieting. My idea of dimming angelic presence to the level of Elder Gods makes for a very bleak game for corporeal players. but snuffing out hope is for another campaign... ;)