Steve Jackson Games - Site Navigation
Home General Info Follow Us Search Illuminator Store Forums What's New Other Games Ogre GURPS Munchkin Our Games: Home

Go Back   Steve Jackson Games Forums > Roleplaying > Roleplaying in General

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 12-22-2019, 11:08 AM   #581
Anders
 
Anders's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Default Re: The World of Dreams

People lobotomizing people to search for a cure for brain damage (I dreamed about this last night).
__________________
“When you arise in the morning think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love ...” Marcus Aurelius
Anders is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-22-2019, 07:58 PM   #582
David Johnston2
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Default Re: The World of Dreams

A small town encircled by an elevated rail. On the rail is a platform bearing an anti-aircraft gun that can revolve around the town on it and also aim at targets on the ground.
David Johnston2 is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 12-25-2019, 06:25 PM   #583
Varyon
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Default Re: The World of Dreams

The dreams I have (or at least remember) now are rare, short, mundane, and cause confusion upon waking, due to their scenarios lining up with what could actually happen to me in normal life. When I was younger, however, I had nightmares with a great degree of frequency. Eventually, I figured out how to wake myself up (by forcing my eyes as wide as they could go in the dream; this caused me to open my eyes back in the real world, waking me); this caused the frequency at which I woke up from nightmares to go up (and thus made me more likely to remember them, unfortunately). I later learned about lucid dreaming, and started trying to take control of the dream once it reached the point where I'd normally force myself awake; the last real nightmare (not counting minor, mundane ones, like waking up with a few spiders on my chest) I recall involved my then-teachers selling out our class to Nazis during a field trip; my alarm woke me while on a train heading to a concentration camp, where I'd just taken partial control of the dream and was happily slaughtering Nazis with summoned weapons. I suspect I don't remember surreal dreams anymore because as soon as they get weird, I take control, resulting in nothing in the dream that I need to force myself awake from.

From the time before I figured out how to distinguish and take control of dreams, there were a few recurring bits. Here we go.

Sky-Swimming: This wasn't something I thought to use in nightmares (it probably would have been useless due to the limitations on it anyway), but in most other dreams I could fly a short distance above the ground (probably a 2-3 yard flight ceiling). It was slow going, however, as it went at the same speed as a leisurely breaststroke; failure to continue the swimming motions would cause me to slowly sink to the ground. It was often quicker if I could find something to grab onto (like a handrail) and pull myself along. As mentioned above, this would have been useless in my nightmares - the low ceiling would not have permitted me to escape the reach of whatever was after me, nor would it have been usable when falling from a great height. It was also markedly slower than running (or, at least, normal running).

Narration: In some dreams (typically nightmares, but occasionally good dreams as well), there would occasionally be a bit of narration from a disembodied voice, giving a basic explanation of what was going on. Unfortunately, any time I came up with a clever ruse, the unseen narrator had an annoying habit of announcing what I was doing - and my enemies could usually hear his voice.

Water Atmosphere: Probably related to Sky-Swimming, and something I think is fairly common for the nightmares of many - when things go bad, sometimes the atmosphere... thickens. There's typically no difference in appearance (although I believe I saw distortions near where my limbs moved, much as you would see underwater, in some cases), but it impedes movement just as though you were underwater. Pursuers are rarely affected, although I seem to recall one switching from running to swimming when this happened.

The Precipice: A recurring theme in nightmares, particularly before I figured out how to wake up, was for some sort of accident to result in me stranded on a very small strip of relatively-flat surface extremely high in the air. This could be a ledge jutting out from a cliff, a "roof" access partway up a skyscraper, or similar. There would be enough room to walk around a bit and even to lay down to rest, but trying to sleep would be foolish - there's little enough room that if you roll around a bit, you're likely to wake while falling to your death. There was usually some possible way to climb up (with no guarantee things would be better above; indeed the few times I risked it the next level up was just as bad, and the climb exhausted me). Climbing down would technically be possible, but far harder (climbing up usually eroded the path as well, meaning if you go up and things aren't any better, going back down would be difficult); I think I attempted to climb down once, but had to abandon the attempt as parts of the path crumbled away.

The Emaciated Man: A recurring monster - indeed, the only visible recurring monster - was a tall, hunched over, emaciated man with only small bits of hair sticking out randomly. He was typically clothed in frayed pants that looked to be made of brown burlap or similar. I never really got a good look at his face - too busy trying to run - but he had thin and incredibly long fingers. He was a pursuer, but seemed more likely to walk quickly rather than run, and almost anytime he appeared Water Atmosphere (above) went into effect. The Narrator once claimed the creature new me back when he was a man, but whatever horrible torture he had gone through to reshape him into the creature he had become had removed all ability to recognize me as anything but prey. I never learned exactly what he had in store for me, as I always woke up just before, or just as, his long fingers managed to grasp my wrist or shoulder.

The Caverns: This recurring nightmare made me extremely uneasy around flickering lights in my youth (and even today, if the only source of light flickers I get a bit of an adrenaline spike, although that's fortunately much reduced now). It always started outside on a sunny day. I'd need to go into a building for some reason or another, and would be in some area - often a hallway of sorts - with no windows. The most distant light would begin flickering; the first few times I had the nightmare I gave this no heed - later I would immediately turn and try to run for the door (never made it, although I did wake myself up more than once as soon as I realized I wouldn't make it). After flickering for a bit, the light would go out, and the next one would begin to flicker. The flicker->burnout would cascade toward me, by which point even in my earlier experiences I'd be fleeing for the door (the first dream was a bit different - I went into a small restroom lit by only a single lightbulb to change into my swimming trunks, and the bulb flickered and went out). Once the final lightbulb died, my eyes would slowly adjust to the darkness, finding myself no longer in the building I had just been in, but rather some sort of cavern, resembling a mine. After searching around, I'd eventually notice a source of light - a small campfire - with other lost people huddled around it (typically, these would be people I previously saw in the dream, or who would have likely been wherever I was before the cavern). They had become lost similarly to the way I did, and they advised me I needed to remain vigilant. The first dream, I tried to sleep near the campfire. I woke (within the dream) shortly later, and found the campfire some distance away and getting further by the moment - some unseen force was dragging me toward the wall. I opened my mouth to call out, but at that moment went through the wall (the effect visual effect was just like going backward through an end-of-level wall in a video game with the "no clipping" cheat turned on). While I could still see the fire, I could barely move (restricted far more than by the Water Atmosphere, above, as I was in solid rock), and my screams were muffled. I knew from the other survivors there were horrible creatures hidden within the walls, and realized now that I had been dragged to their side they would be tearing me apart shortly. I never gave them the chance, waking up at this point (or earlier, once I became more familiar with the nightmare). In later dreams, I'd either stay by the campfire and refuse to sleep, get some of the others to come with me to look for an exit, or even try to find one on my own. Invariably, I'd find myself pulled through a wall when nobody had their eye on me.
__________________
GURPS Overhaul
Varyon is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-11-2020, 01:52 PM   #584
Anders
 
Anders's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Default Re: The World of Dreams

A 10-miles tall marble pillar. Legend says that if you are crowned on top of the pillar, you will rule the world.
__________________
“When you arise in the morning think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love ...” Marcus Aurelius
Anders is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-14-2020, 03:50 PM   #585
David Johnston2
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Default Re: The World of Dreams

A mysterious tower. Somewhere inside is supposedly a pool of magic water that will enchant your possessions if you enter it. However nobody has ever returned alive.

An obviously artificial landscape with circular lakes evenly laid out in a grid pattern
David Johnston2 is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 02-20-2020, 03:38 PM   #586
David Johnston2
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Default Re: The World of Dreams

Gorillas smaller than mice.
David Johnston2 is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 03-29-2020, 07:08 AM   #587
ericthered
Hero of Democracy
 
ericthered's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: far from the ocean
Default Re: The World of Dreams

a jailbreak involving jumping into a reservoir just before your allies blow up the dam, "finding" an "abandoned" camel loaded with money, and getting all the details in code from a street performer with puppets who seems little crazy.

a series of nested planes where each person is the key to a sub plane, and whose personality is a composite of the native inhabitants of the sub plane.
__________________
Be helpful, not pedantic

Worlds Beyond Earth -- my blog

Check out the PbP forum! If you don't see a game you'd like, ask me about making one!
ericthered is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 04-18-2020, 08:31 AM   #588
ericthered
Hero of Democracy
 
ericthered's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: far from the ocean
Default Re: The World of Dreams

two hawks and an eagle attacking and picking up a tiger by the head.
__________________
Be helpful, not pedantic

Worlds Beyond Earth -- my blog

Check out the PbP forum! If you don't see a game you'd like, ask me about making one!
ericthered is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 06-07-2020, 06:37 AM   #589
ericthered
Hero of Democracy
 
ericthered's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: far from the ocean
Default Re: The World of Dreams

A large bulbous and roughly humanoid creature made of weird round fruits and sap. It plants seeds that grow into the fruits its made out of and both improves itself and constructs young versions of itself out of the fruit.
__________________
Be helpful, not pedantic

Worlds Beyond Earth -- my blog

Check out the PbP forum! If you don't see a game you'd like, ask me about making one!
ericthered is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 08-07-2020, 06:15 PM   #590
David Johnston2
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Default Re: The World of Dreams

A pair of animate pants walking around on fire.
David Johnston2 is online now   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
dream

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Fnords are Off
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 11:13 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.