New Fantasy Setting Seeds.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

This is a simple idea. Cross Gama World in all it's kitch grandure with the WoD. To save trouble, as there were only GURPS versions of the first three we'll assume that links between Earth and the Deadlands are too fouled up for Wraiths to appear anywhere other than a tiny number of haunts. Also, the Hermetics have discovered that the changelings are sleeping in the souls of humanity until it's time for them to return.

Ahl-i-Batin: They're furious. Sure the dark ones were pushed back but the strictly disciplined and controlled society needed to keep corruption at bay wasn't chosen. Instead struggling to limit dead among the sleepers and then to aid the sleepers in their goals. Madness!

The Ahl-i-Batin want easily controlled small scale societies whose kings, dictators, and theocratic are easy puppets to control. They want poverty and oppression of the masses for the good of the masses. Even more than the NWO they believe they alone know best.

Bata'a: They've more or less joined the Council. They are still tough and scary, but they chosen the Council's goals.

Children of Knowledge: They seek to expand consciousness and heal minds. They are still looking for the drug that grants Awakening but they offer some seriously worthwhile meds.

Hollow Ones: Fish in a world that knows nothing of water. They mainly keep their heads down. Still they do hangout with the Sahajiya and the Chakravanti and often spy upon dictators and slave dealers to bring their operations down.

Kopa Loei: They stay in Polynesia mainly. Found occasionally on the Pacific Coast on trading missions. Mainly working with the Hermetics and the Mercurial Elites.

Nagoma: Mainly in Africa. Some work with the Hermetics on the project of an improved magic system and better means to encourage Awakening.

Sisters of Hippolyta: They have their Communes all over North America. They mainly fight oppression of women. But having found brutal matriarchal societies they have announced that oppression period offens them. The Hermetics and the Sahajiya staunchly defend the Sisters' right to be a female mystery cult. And the Sisters are organized to fight all oppression.

The Taftani: Scattered around, mainly apolitical but determined to make sure people know magic is real.

Templar Knights: Part of the problem and ignoring solutions. Still, the Hermetics, the Ngoma, and the Chorus, all find ways to direct the Knights to targets worthy of their ire.

Wu-lung:Seeing that North America is recovering first the Wu-lung have decided to see how much of Chinese culture and cultural values they can blend into the new societies. Although cultural Imperialism is the Wu-lung goal, the Council and others judge their actions on a case by case basis. Some of their ideas are good.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

This is a simple idea. Cross Gama World in all it's kitch grandure with the WoD. To save trouble, as there were only GURPS versions of the first three we'll assume that links between Earth and the Deadlands are too fouled up for Wraiths to appear anywhere other than a tiny number of haunts. Also, the Hermetics have discovered that the changelings are sleeping in the souls of humanity until it's time for them to return.

The following tribes are active in North America.

Black Furies: Pleased that the influence of the Council of Traditions has preserved much of the gains women made in the 19th and 20th centuries. Pleased that children's rights are taken seriously. Pleased that environmentalism is a major value. Unhappily aware that the less democratic the government the less such things matter.

Like many other Garou and Fera generally the Furies are allied with a Child of Gaia totem The American Trinity. Eagle, Turkey, and Dove chose to inspire the American founding fathers, Lincoln, Teddy, Franklin, and Eleanor Roosevelt, Doctor King, and many others. The Furies, seeing democracy as vital to all their goals, follow the American Trinity.

Bone Gnawers: The poor are always with us. But only certain kinds of governments respect the poor. The Gnawers, allied with the Council Mages and the Children of Gaia see a path, if not to actual justice, then to the basic conditions for it.

Children of Gaia: They plan to ally the Garou tribes with the totem called the American Trinity and the Council Mages. The goal is a strong democratic society that can heal the world. Luckily for them, most of the wouldbe monarchists and dictators hate each other more than the champions of democracy.

Fianna: The Celtic wolves see a grand time ahead. Intellectual excitement, cultural revival, and lots of lovely brawling. Proudly allied with the Children of Gaia and the American Trinity the Celtic wolves sing joyfully.

Get of Fenris: Divided as a tribe. Most of the Get prefer neutrality in the struggles among the Garou. They will respect the winner and focus on fighting the Wyrm.

Glasswalkers: The city wolves are more focused on reviving trade and commerce. They've also announced that the "Rite of City Building" will be returned to use. New cities our needed to build human communities and social responsibility. Like the Get, the Walkers will work with the winners, though the American Trinity is becoming more important to the Tribe as a whole and may shift their politics.

Red Talons: Not really part of the Garou nation anymore. The Talons are allied with the Nuwisha (were coyotes) and the Ratkin. They might not be allowed to exterminate humanity, but they want to put them in their place.

Shadow Lords: The Lords see the demands of those of lower station as the source of all the chaos of the last thousand years. The Lords see an iron fist as the answer to political questions. The proclaim the American Trinity fallen to the Wyrm.

Silent Striders: Not active in North America.

Silver Fangs: The Americans have never been good to kings. Still the Fangs see the need of Kings for America. They see the followers of the American Trinity as dreamers blinded by false visions of Utopia.

Stargazers: Not active in North America.

Uktena: The Shaman wolves aren't really focused on Garou politics. They mean to join the Council of Traditions.

Wendigo: Not really part of the Garou tribe anymore. Their focus is a revival of Native American culture and society. Their view is "If you can't beat them make them join you."

More later...

[Astromancer]

Off the Gamma World/WoD crossover for a posting. If you want a dark fantasy set in the 20th century, but not necessarily our version, read Nathan Ballingurd's Crypt of the Moon Spider. It blends elements of Cosmic Horror, 19th century Gothick, early 20th century Space Opera, and Hard Boiled Crime stories, in a lively novela.

You'll like the Moon Spiders, strange little corpse-white, brain sucking dears. Once the doctor cuts out the parts of your brain he doesn't like, the moon spiders weave your brain back together. The spiders also leave extras like memories of ancient cities on far distant planets and ax murder you committed as a child. Remember, kill mommy first, she has no illusions.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

This is a simple idea. Cross Gama World in all it's kitch grandure with the WoD. To save trouble, as there were only GURPS versions of the first three we'll assume that links between Earth and the Deadlands are too fouled up for Wraiths to appear anywhere other than a tiny number of haunts. Also, the Hermetics have discovered that the changelings are sleeping in the souls of humanity until it's time for them to return.

Mages and others later.

The political set ups of other continents are very different. The geography of many areas destabilizes any attempts to rebuild. Other areas are simply to near to predatory powers and would be colonizers. Thus North America is largely left entirely alone.

The recent restoration of the forests has led to a renewal of ship building. Yes, you've got spaceships and sailing ships in the same setting. Attempts to reopen trade across the oceans are now being made.

[Astromancer]

Having magic come back in the 1950s because of the actions of the Beats (which was the subject of at least four 1950s fantasy stories I read) seems like a good idea. As the Cast a Deadly Spell films and the Desden novels show, magic and the noir blend nicely. I'd tone things down a bit. Things shouldn't be as wild as they are in the Fred Savage film. I think path/book magic fits this type of setting best.

The French Philosophers would be ecstatically proclaiming the death of reason. Given the twisted reactionary leanings of the French occult in this period a Francophone take on the Fourth Reich could be a real threat.

The political orientation of the occult would be a major issue in any such setting. From the invention of the printing press until the French Revolution that which we would call the "Occult" was what we would see as Left-Wing or left-leaning. From the French Revolution until WWII the Occult was Right-wing, often scarily so. The American spiritualist movement between 1860 and 1900 being the only major exception. Between WWII and the present the occult has been torn between the Left and Right wings politically. This would allow the importation of the period's political battles into a The Magic Returns campaign.

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[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

This is a simple idea. Cross Gama World in all it's kitch grandure with the WoD. To save trouble, as there were only GURPS versions of the first three we'll assume that links between Earth and the Deadlands are too fouled up for Wraiths to appear anywhere other than a tiny number of haunts. Also, the Hermetics have discovered that the changelings are sleeping in the souls of humanity until it's time for them to return.

Paradox would be weak in this setting. If you have Mage:The Sorcerer's Crusade use the Scourge instead of Paradox.

Mind, you just because Paradox is weak doesn't mean it can't set moods. There should be places where magic doesn't function normally. Where results are twisted in disturbing ways.

Time Travel back to prevent the collapse always fails. But time travel to rescue lost things like information or art works is far more workable in this setting, but still dangerous.

[Astromancer]

Qlippoth

Some time ago someone decided the world was broken beyond repair.

So we're fighting a death cult?

No. They weren't nihilistis, they weren't even all that radical.

What did they do?

They went into the past and changed something.

You said they weren't radical.

Perhaps there are different levels of radical. Still they diverted history. It's a more Jetsons/Star Trek world with lots of prosperity and social justice.

So what's our problem.

We're the cast off shell of history. What kabala calls a Qlippoth. And if we don't act our reality will die.

Some one made a better world, it's fairer, more just, more democratic, higher technology and a far livelier arts scene. It's a happier world because it made better choices. But if this new world continues to thrive our reality will dry up and wither away. Already souls are being pulled to this new reality. People dream of their happier fuller lives and fade into cipher here while their souls go to the other world.

Some people aren't at risk of being drawn into the other world. They've never existed there. Similarly there are people in that new world who can travel here who never existed in our world. Only those who exist in a single world can travel safely between them.

On the whole, it isn't as bad as it might seem at first. Human souls are being pulled towards the new world more and more as time goes on. As the old world becomes more of a husk a cast off shell a Qlippoth, souls are reincarnated on the new world.

However, certain people aren't willing to accept this. The new world might be brighter and more hopeful but not all dreams thrive their. The new world is more egalitarian so those who thrive on privilege hate it. The new world is freer, those who seek dominance don't trust it. Many people find their power is threatened, they want that stopped.

Basically, a game of magic and conspiracy. Your world is dying. Sure it's a flawed world, but your dreams require this world. The other world might be better in ten thousand ways. In fact it is. But your dreams aren't possible there. And you'll fight for your dream.

[jason taylor]

The Harbor

This is a series of maritime folklore one-off adventures. The characters are appropriate people to find in a harbor. You can put the harbor in an appropriate fantasy world or make it an urban fantasy.

First adventure: the PCs are walking along the beach at night because they are not-very-genre-savvy and don't realize odd things happen on the beach at night. They meet a beautiful young woman. When they talk to hear someone with the appropriate skill in magic detection realizes she is a seal-woman. When they confront her on this she explains that someone has stolen her skin and if she doesn't get it back she can't go back to the sea. Being the heroes they are, the heroes go on a quest in and about the city to find where the sealskin is, or worse who has stolen it, and of course restore it to her because they are to heroic to use it to extort a seal-woman in the traditional manner.

[Astromancer]

Ghosts seems like a model for a campaign. The PCs would be a collection of ghosts at a little seaside museum of curiosities. Each Ghost is tied to an object in the museum collection. A tiny model of an Egyptian mummy that was made to protect the spirit of one of the last priests of Isis. A colonial era music box that was evidence in a murder case haunted by the murdered woman who knew that an innocent man was hanged. PCs like that.

Perhaps the ghosts simply pile their talents together to preserve their "home" at first. Then they gain a chance to be reincarnated in families of their choice.