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Old 07-29-2009, 01:38 PM   #11
daryen
 
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Default Re: Black Ops+IOU+Infinity= Alice 2.0!

I understand the need for keeping ambiguity in the setting, but do you know what Alice is, and what she is really trying to do?

Looks like an interesting setting. I like it.
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Old 07-29-2009, 02:48 PM   #12
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Default Re: Black Ops+IOU+Infinity= Alice 2.0!

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Originally Posted by daryen View Post
I understand the need for keeping ambiguity in the setting, but do you know what Alice is, and what she is really trying to do?
I am trying to decide how much to say outright, and how much to leave for GMs wanting to use it to decide. "Alice Theories", which I am writing right now, goes into what people in the world think she is doing, and it thus is a handful of suggestions. I know what I have her doing, but if I say "she really tries to do this", I don't know. Should I...?
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Old 07-29-2009, 05:47 PM   #13
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Default Re: Black Ops+IOU+Infinity= Alice 2.0!

Added a good deal of text. Alice Theories is far from done, but I have Origins and Agenda, which are a nice start, I belive :) I also did a box on Launching Alice, a (very) quick primer on how Alice also participates in portal usage herself. The total file is about 23K words now, but about half of it is still a bit bland. the rest looks like something worth for me to build on, though!

Oh, and I retconned her a bit, removing the deal about her zipping across the water and through the desert upon arrival. She is less obviously superhuman now, though she still is formidable enough that "human origin" is not getting a lot of votes in the popular media ;)

Alice 2.0, WIP PDF.

Any suggestions on chapters or sections are very welcome!
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Old 07-29-2009, 09:07 PM   #14
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Default Re: Black Ops+IOU+Infinity= Alice 2.0!

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I am trying to decide how much to say outright, and how much to leave for GMs wanting to use it to decide. "Alice Theories", which I am writing right now, goes into what people in the world think she is doing, and it thus is a handful of suggestions. I know what I have her doing, but if I say "she really tries to do this", I don't know. Should I...?
There is no correct answer to that. It is completely up to you as to whether to give the full explanation or not. Either way is completely legitimate. Depending on what you do have her doing, you could sneak it into one of the "Alice Theories". Then leave it to the reader to figure out which one it is. :) (This might not work, however, if it is something that is outside what the "world" could think of.)

I guess the real determinant of whether you "should" reveal the actual situation depends on what it is. If she is just going to use Earth as a long-term base of operations without changing things more than they are in your setup, then there really isn't much reason to reveal it. If, however, there is another whole circle of mystery that means the Earth is doomed (or whatever), then that is probably something that should be revealed so it can be worked into the setting.

Really, I was just curious if you knew. In a Traveller setting I wrote, there were several "mysteries". I had definite ideas and intentions for most of them, but there were a couple where, quite frankly, I had no idea what the "real" situation was. I just wanted the mystery to be present.
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Old 07-29-2009, 09:18 PM   #15
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Default Re: Black Ops+IOU+Infinity= Alice 2.0!

Another question: What are the players "intended" to be? Are they government (or other) agents trying to infiltrate Babylon? Or are they supposed to be Alice's operatives? Or, do they just do other things with Alice as an important backdrop? Obviously, the initial answer is "whatever they want", but usually there is an intended role for the players. It is an interesting setting, but I am not sure where the players are supposed to fit into it.

One thing I have missed is the motive of Alice's operatives. She has obviously gotten many, many people to become her followers. Why do they join? What is in it for them? Are they coerced? Are they like a cult? Is there mind control or brainwashing? Who does Alice like to pick?

These questions do not need to be answered if the players are supposed to work outside Alice's operations. If, however, players are supposed to be part of Alice's team, working through questions like these will be a big help.
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Old 07-30-2009, 03:30 PM   #16
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Default Re: Black Ops+IOU+Infinity= Alice 2.0!

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Originally Posted by daryen View Post
Another question: What are the players "intended" to be? Are they government (or other) agents trying to infiltrate Babylon? Or are they supposed to be Alice's operatives? Or, do they just do other things with Alice as an important backdrop? Obviously, the initial answer is "whatever they want", but usually there is an intended role for the players. It is an interesting setting, but I am not sure where the players are supposed to fit into it.
I guess the answer could be "whatever the campaign demands", really. Babylon and Alice 2.0 sound more like plot devices and setpieces then a fully defined campaign.

You can build one campaign about the PCs being agents being sent to infiltrate Babylon. You can build another about the PCs being new student/recruits of Babylon. You can build yet another about the PCs being inhabitants of other dimensions entirely, brought to Babylon by accident.
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Old 07-30-2009, 04:11 PM   #17
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Default Re: Black Ops+IOU+Infinity= Alice 2.0!

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Originally Posted by daryen View Post
Another question: What are the players "intended" to be?
While I hate to repeat others, Lone Wolf is right on the money, it's basically up to the GM/players to decide. Wouldn't call them a 'plot device', though, no more than I would call Infinity or The Company (from Black Ops) one. Needless to say, I would never dare call IOU a plot device. My neighbour is a COUP graduate...

In our campaign, the characters started out as Black Ops type rookies, working in different positions (an ex-SEAL, a dishonored CIA ex-agent, a hacker/security consultant, a self-made millionaire (who'd lost most of his money now), and a college professor). A bit of game was run with them not knowing each other, in fact being in different parts of the country (the CIA ex was in Mexico), going through their individual experiences when Alice arrived, including some flavor on how their environments reacted. As Babylon got built, they were recruited one by one by companies and organizations involved, and came to Babylon, where they met (not all at once, though).

We played an adventure that was the "newcomer" sort, in which they had to deal with just being in Babylon, with all the espionage and fanatics against it. thanks to their involvement, they were recruited by the BSF and were enrolled in The Academy, again Black Ops style. Their second adventure involved a slow discovery of the portals, and a brief trip to a cyberpunk/supernatural world to hunt down the killer of a common (new) friend. Of course, that they "discovered" the portals in that quest was Alice's way to check if they were usable, and they got a soft version of an 'offer they could not refuse', and are now studying at The Academy as (officially) BSF, (unofficially) portal operatives.

The basic explanation for Alice's origin and agenda that I use is in the PDF. I am doing the Twisting Babylon section now, and it is inspiring me to do a few changes to how Alice and the city work, and the world (I am considering low-key Urban Fantasy for the world, some non-silly Tabloid Mystery for Babylon, and maybe a Horror/Steampunk mix for Alice). We mainly use a Cheerful Drama mood.

Wow. Didn't expect to rant, but I hope it helps :)
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