Messiah scenario idea...

I've been toying with this idea for a number of years.  When I say toying, I mean considering vaguely from time to time, but not doing anything about it - including writing notes, so it is only a vague-formed notion.

The idea is that the players are tasked with protecting a young girl, maybe 7-8 years old, who is allegedly the earthly form of a god, or perhaps the offspring of a god, on her journey to a distant place where she may fulfil her birthright.  The girl's protectors, in order to try and keep the girl safe have hired, with the promise of great reward and arcane treasures, a band of experienced adventurers from a distant land.  The distant land bit is important, because the hirelings have to be of a sufficiently different culture as to have little understanding of the religion the men adhere to.  Nor any prophecies concerning the girl.  The reason for this, is that the girl is actually evil.  The men appear to be good.  Very gracious and in all manners and appearances benevolent. And the girl too, appears good.  Blonde hair, flowing white dress, beatific smile - the classic hallmarks of benevolence and corruptability.

The game starts with the PCs waiting on the roadside, on an out-of-the-way road on the border between two lands.  The girl's escort are to bring her here covertly, under cover of darkness, so she can be whisked away into foreign realms and kept safe, until the location of the distant place she is to be brought to has been revealed - scholars are investigating that element concurrently.  The escorts suggest to the PCs that they keep moving, as far away as possible, because the girl has many dark and eldritch enemies (actually good and wholesome enemies).

They provide the party with an artefact which will enable communication at a distance.  But the artefact should only be used occassionally.  It also requires a roaring fire.

I use a skill called 'arcana' in my fantasy game world, which is essentially lore regarding enchanted artefacts, because every magick item has a history, was created by someone, used by people and potentially in various important events.  The magick communication device (I'm considering a statuette one has to place in embers, and which then speaks in a deep booming voice - not the voice of the communicator on 'the other end' - similar statue), if a player wishes to, and rolls a high enough score against their arcana skill, they know that such a device was created by X for Y but lost many years ago, suppossedly fallen into the hands of darkness.  This is a clue to the fact that the people who have hired them may not be precisely whom they appear to be, and not necessarily benign.

To create tension, whilst this initial exchange is taking place, two dozen riders come storming in to take (or kill) the girl.  The riders must be in sufficient number to cause the party concern as to whether they should stay and fight.  To build this tension up, have a couple of the escorts fall early on in the conflict, and the leader instruct the party to go.  Thus the game kicks off early on with a chase scene.  And as the PCs look back they see the escorts battle with some of the riders, but most begin to pursue the girl (and the PCs) indicating what their true goal is.  The players are experienced though, and should be able to dispatch and evade - though not easily - their pursuers.

After putting some distance between them and their pursuers, the party will eventually make camp against a developing storm.  Storms in my fantasy games are also an indication that people are using magick - the more powerful the magick, the more violent the storm.  This knowledge is common to any spellcasters and rumours/omens to non-spellcasters, but such information should be relayed to players in their background notes, and thus not drawn attention to overtly within the game.  This makes it a slightly more subtle clue than if one was to explicitly state it at the time.

During the night a winged beast attacks the camp.  It has been summoned by the Order the riders belong to, and its task is to slay the child.  The PCs must obviously protect her. Describe the roaring winds and the beating wings and the foul breath of the beast.

The game continues in such a way with the various hostile encounters in various forms and guises, all with the objective of killing the child.  These are intended to be the 'action scenes' used to surprise and alarm the players.  But each, must have some sort of clue as to what they are really dealing with.

Clues as to the true nature of the child must also come in the form of incidental scenes.  A mad beggar woman on the outskirts of the town (with the gift of trueseeing) recoils in horror when she sees the child.  A very close likeness of the child must be present in an ancient text in a church they stop and shelter at along the way.  The church itself the child says is 'creepy'. As I consider this scenario idea more, I will concentrate initially on two things:

1)Scenes of Action - how are the forces of light realistically tracking the child, and sending forces against her?
2)Clues - what incidental occurrences can be employed to hint at the true nature of the child?

In public areas, out of sight of the PCs, the child will also attempt to illustrate her tendencies.  Essentially, bad stuff happens around her.  Dogs bark, cats hiss and flee.  Ravens alight in her vicinity.  But such reactions must be handled with subtlety.

If the players realise who she is, they may attempt to kill her, but killing the physical embodiment of a god is no easy task, and in fact takes either special weapons, or special places, or special rituals.  I feel there should be multiple options to kill her, but all take some planning and involvement, and will be dogged by her supporters on the one hand - and also by naive do-gooders on the other.  What I mean by this is as soon as the players realise the child is evil and attempt to do her in, some passers-by will only see grown men doing something bad to a child and attempt to intervene.

If the players never cotton on to the fact that the child is evil.  Then they will eventually be tasked to take her to some ancient place, at a specific time (conjunction of the planets etc.) where they are to perform a ritual of 'raising' or some such thing, where she 'matures' and takes on all sorts of additional powers.  At this point the players are asked by her if they wish to bow down and worship her.  Those that do gain benefits but become tainted and evil.  Those that don't have to flee or be slain.

Thats the rough idea for now.  Any suggestions are welcome!

The 'Legion' game...

So continuing from my last post about the kidnapping scenario idea.  In the first paragraph I mentioned my 'Legion' scenario idea, and wanted to expand on that a little.  As an unorthodox scenario it necessarily has some atypical elements which need to be considered.

First up, types of daemons:

Due to the unusual nature of the game, I feel it would be most successful with smaller numbers of players.  But at least two of course. Three to four would be my preference, five or more may start getting troublesome due to the probable perceived 'downtime' of (temporarily) subjucated entities.  Although it is considered that all entities will be able to converse - with potential multiple conversations going on in one head.

So the sorts of daemons that might be fun to play in such a game are those concerned with:

Blood - This entity is attracted to and grows stronger in the presence of blood, blood-letting, drawn blood, and any situation where blood is present.  You may want them to have vampiric tendencies or capabilities.  They are also (i would suggest) immune to infections of the blood whilst dominant. So, they get bonuses to their 'control rolls' whilst in the presence of blood - from battlefields and infirmaries to paper-cuts or menstruarion.  Yes, that feisty bar-girl just might bring out the daemon in you.  If you're gamesystem or gameworld has a pre-developed daemon which fits this (or any of the other archetypes below) you may want to use it.  But I tend to make all my stuff up.  And if it works, keep it, and give it a history, and tie it into the legends of my gameworld.

Sex - This entity is probably the force behind succubi and/or incubi visitations.  Acts of lust or blatant sexuality will trigger this influence, and prime its powers of seduction.  You may also wish to go gender-specific with it.  Make the daemon a succubus or incubus, and thus have a target gender for your affections.  In my games, the base idea behind such entities is they wish to impregnate, or be impregnated, so that they may produce a half-daemon offspring whose natural world via birth is the prime material plane and thus they cannot be banished from it.  That said, I see no reason why such an entity cannot revel in 'sex in general' and thus flirt with members of the same sex either.  If you want a player to play this seductive entity I would suggest making the host a young adult - we don't condone any pre-teen perversions here!

Violence - This entity is chaotic, barbaric, psychotic and likely bezerk to boot.  It thrives - and it thus likely to manifest - in situations where violence (or at least aggression) is present.  It will endeavour to create these situations where possible, or be attracted to and found in locales exhibiting them.  So this ranges from battlefields to bar-room brawls, but also some sporting events if reflected in your world: Jousts, bareknuckle boxing / fight clubs etc... or even combat training grounds or scenes of domestic violence.

Fire - This entity seeks out and encourages the flame.  So from bonfires to episodes of arson, this pyromanic entity will thrive whenever naked flames are present.  Thus in some cases even a candle might be enough to trigger its dominance and thus control over the host.

Love - Do all daemons have to be bad?  No. It may be fun stroke interesting to throw this one into the mix.  Perhaps as the counterpoint to sex or violence.  The love daemon thrives on genuine displays of affection.  Whether romantic love; the love between siblings; or parent and child...  or you can even extend it to other forms of love like gustatory or the love of fine art.  Either way, should add an interesting dimension to what would be without it, a faily dark and negative entourage.

Mischief - Although possibly more difficult to engage with, the idea behind this entity is a creature which thrives on practical jokes and generally causing havoc.  Accidents may be a useful trigger which can then be exploited.

Death - The obvious necromantic angle, but one which would be foolish to overlook.  This beast is there to carry you over.  It thrives on the point where life ceases to be and when consciousness drifts to the other realms (depending upon you gameworld).  This entity will thrive in exposure to death, and perhaps in areas attributed to death, like graveyards, mausoleums and charnel houses.

So now we have some basis for events which may allow, certain daemons to have a chance to become dominant, and perhaps even have bonuses to their rolls for dominance.  I'd also suggest using these archetypes to trigger ideas for special abilities.  Furthermore, when a special ability is being used, or a trigger event is being witnessed and a daemon comes into dominance, this act should be visibly signified in the host somehow.  Shadows creep around the boy when then in the presence of death and the death-daemon takes hold.  The eyes go black.  Just as they do when that daemon commits murder through the boy.  The canine fangs elongate and the boy begins to drool when the blood-daemon is present at a blood-letting.  I could go on, but you get the idea.  Draw up a list of abilities, behaviours and triggers for each daemonic type.

So, how does a particular daemon exhort control over the host? Well, the way I'm thinking is a straight-forward battle of wills.  Quite simply, each 'entity' rolls the dice (I'm deliberately keeping this system-neutral in case you want to run a similar game), and the highest roll dominates.  As has been mentioned, you can add bonuses if any 'trigger events' are manifesting at the time.  You should also allow for daemons to willingly relinquish control in favour of another daemon at a particular time.  For example: the way I see this game developing is after awhile, the various 'Legion' daemons will have to start cooperating (at least for the most part) and a fairly typical party behaviour should emerge.  A constant battle for control will draw unwanted attention to the host, and in the long-run it would probably suit all parties to go unnoticed for most of the time until they can trigger some form of special event.  And to this end you need to give each daemon a specific goal - these can emerge during the game, or be present and in mind from the off.  i.e. the sex daemon's aim is to impregnate 13 women.  The death daemon's aim is to deliver 11 souls (read: kill 11 people).  And so on.  Give them objectives.

Start the game with a roll for dominance, and any time the host encounters a trigger event, give the corresponding daemon(s) a chance to take dominance.  The host passes a burning building, such a sizeable fire should give the fire daemon a bonus to take control.  The host wanders onto a battlefield, here violence and death abound, so both these daemons get a chance to take over.

I think this game has a lot of mileage in terms of creating an atmosphere of 'dubious collaboration'. And should be a lot of fun as the players attempt to develop and exploit their various triggers in search of more control in order to exact their particular agendas.

What it isn't is straight-forward.  But that should never deter anyone.

Kidnapping game...

As some of you miscreants might know, I have a penchant for coming up with unorthodox scenarios for games.  One of my favourites, which I haven't had the opportunity to run yet, is a fantasy game in which each PC is a daemon summoned by a sorcerer and all bound schizophrenically (a la Legion) to the same host body.  In this case to the body of a young boy.

So the gist of it is: one physical form, several personalities. Thus all players attempt to vie for control of the host.  Each daemon has its own triggers which may at particular times make it more powerful and more able to dominate the other daemons and control the host.  But I'm not gong to talk about that here.  That's for another post.

The game idea I want to discuss here, revolves around a kidnapping.

Now, this should be a great idea for a quick, one-off game, maybe lasting a day (perhaps two).  And shouldn't take (relatively) too much prep.

Each player plays a character who is an ex-con of some sort.  Let them within reason decide who they want to be.  With the only real caveat that they must have all spent time in the same prison.  Prison is how they know each other.  Shortly after release, they decide to commit a kidnapping to get some money.  Why they need the money should ideally be explored - comments welcome, I've only just come up with this idea.

These PCs are on the whole a pretty bad bunch, as they need to be the sort of people that would realistically commit a kidnapping, and thus inflict such a horrible experience on another human being.

The beginning of the game involves the ex-cons meeting up and discussing the initial planning of the kidnapping.  Everything is important about this phase, right down to where they are when they're first discussing the plans.  The game can then evolve into target selection, safehouse selection, whom amongst them are performing which roles.

The bulk of the work in defining the 'adventure' will be by the players.  As the GM, you'll need to know what sort of things can likely go wrong.  What sort of things can tie people together, link people to scenes, etc.  A list of these 'trigger points' should be defined prior to the game, and the GM should make notes on possible trigger points as they arise from player discussion.

There should also be a few key scenes that the GM should 'pull out of the bag' should the players' situation lead to them.  Police chases etc.  A list of these potential scenes should be defined by the GM prior to the game also - and any that may arise mid-game should also be noted.

Lastly, some of the players should have hidden agendas.  These should be worked out with a few key players beforehand, and kept very secret.

The serpent game...

Okay, so I've had this game in the pipe for quite some time and haven't gotten around to running it yet.  I normally have at least three games on the back burner.  And by that I mean the bulk of each written so it would only take me a couple of days to get up to speed and roll one out if I need to.  But this particular game I'm going to give you the background for is one of my favourites, and I want to take this opportunity to discuss it, primarily because it underpins important concepts in preparation.  And GMing is all about preparation.  Even a good off the cuff ad lib adventure is generally only any good because the GM running it has such a previous body of work to draw upon, they can take a few memorable story lines, a few memorable characters and a few memorable scenes and just string the thing along, resurrecting previously used material, and mixing it up for a new audience.

Anyway, I, as is my want, digress... onto The Serpent Game.

This is a fantasy game set during the 3rd Age of my gameworld, when the sorcerers were rising to the height of their power (having disposed of almost all the nobles and the monarchy at the end of the 2nd Age).

Off the western coast of the principle continent, ten miles out to sea lay a large volcanic (fortunately quite stable, very dormant) chunk of fertile land which people from all sorts of backgrounds had settled on and lived in relative harmony.  The name of the island is Senjaket - which roughly translates from the tongue of its inhabitants as The Isle of Free People.  This name being a legacy from the 2nd Age when travellers first settled there seeking refuge from the draconian laws of the established monarchy present on the mainland.  Senjaket opened its arms to anyone, regardless of race or background, as long as they considered all islanders equal, and agreed to abide by their laws.

Leylines course all over my gameworld, providing sorcerers with natural arcane energy.  For the record, no leylines cross Senjaket.  The nearest node (a minor conjunction of two leylines) occurs at the Mage Tower raised from the sea roughly halfway towards the mainland shore.  It is usual for sorcerers to construct towers from which to work magick at any conjunction (crossing of leylines).

Senjaket is a sort of horseshoe shaped island, with the 'prongs' of the horseshoe pointing east. I'll sketch a little picture of it for you, when I get around to it. In the prong's of the 'horseshoe' is a natural deepwater bay, and the islanders have created a structure of wharfs and jettys to dock the many boats and ships which seek harbour there.  The island itself is predominantly rocky, with cliffs running all around it.  On the western (oceanward) side, the cliffs rise an impressive 1000 feet or more from the crashing waves and the land is quite mountainous.  Heading eastwards these mountains fall away to hills which in turn give way to dense woods as the land slopes gently down toward the bay.  Much of the centre of the island has subsequently been given over to farmsteads and the rich volcanic land is extremely fertile.  A smaller cliff of only 100 feet or so overlooks the bay, and the vast majority of the island's stone structures are built atop this cliff and project back towards the mountains forming a highway down the centre.  The cliffs overlooking the bay are also punctuated by many interconnected caves which have all been taken over and used as shops, inns, storage chambers and in some cases dwellings.  At the base of the cliffs, are myriad wooden structures, inns, brothels, warehouses, shipyards, boatfitters, fishing stores etc.  At the end of each 'prong' is a lighthouse, which serve to mark out the passage for night-time sailings.  The deep bay itself has had some defenses constructed.  Stone bars, risen by mages which almost break the surface of the water at low-tide, make entering the harbour (without prior knowledge of their locations) treacherous.

The island is self-sufficient.  Farmers grow crops and raise livestock, but the bulk of the island's wealth comes from its fishing trade.  The waters around the island are the breeding grounds for an array of different serpent species, and some naturalists come here just to observe and study them.  I based some of the concepts of this island on the Whaling community of Nantucket, after reading In the Heart of the Sea which I heartily recommend.  Its a great sourcebook for RPGs.  Like many historical works, take what works for you, warp it into your setting.  Seem original when in fact you're a terrible thief.  =)

The populace of the island are governed by a council comprised of a few nobles (literally ex-noblemen which fled during the war of the 2nd Age) and some notable members of the community, a couple of farmers, sea captains, a resident mage. The council are on the whole a pretty decent bunch.  They mete out the law via the island's enforcing militia, which are known as constables.

The island has a practise of asking every man and woman sometime between the age of 17 and 19, to spend one year as a constable.  Those that function well in the role are asked to stay on for an additional year as a special constable.  And it is hoped some will remain beyond that.

Each year the island holds a festival.  The festival, held at the beginning of summe,r marks the return of the serpents to their breeding grounds in the waters around the island.  At the end of autumn both young and mature serpents migrate south to warmer waters, returning each summer to breed.  A large contigent of the island is involved in the serpenting trade.  From boat builders to sailors and all the shops and stores that support such an industry.  Serpents are hunted on great 'serpenting' ships, mounted with massive ballistae.  Serpents caught are largely 'processed' on the vessel out at sea.  And the vast majority of each serpent has its uses.  Its flesh is sought after, and its skull contains a light viscous oil which is highly flammable.  Serpents also contain a variety of glands and organs which can be used in various medical and alchemical pursuits.  Some serpents are venomous, and the toxins of such beasts is also harvested.  Sailors may also take the fangs of serpents and turn these massive curved teeth into weapons, swords, knives and arrowheads.  Very little of a serpent is wasted, and even the remnants which are cast back into the water acts as chum, bait attracting more serpents, because like wasps, a dying serpent will release a chemical which attracts others and whips them into a frenzy.  This is particularly true of an egg-carrying female.

In the run-up to the annual Slangwha festival, the town atop the cliffs, overlooking the bay, is painted in bright colours and adorned with flowers and lanterns.  Townsfolk make costumes, the most magnificent of which are the 'slangwhadooks' literally 'paper serpents' - which are the equivalent of those chinese dragons - several people wearing a massive serpent 'puppet come costume' running and leaping through the streets.  The festival is also famous for its drummers, which sit poised, waiting to play, until the first bellow of the first male serpent calling for a mate is heard on the island, and then all the drummers begin, pounding out their rhythms on the animal skins, and there follows singing and dancing; street entertainers and of course the Slangwhadooks charging over the terraced streets and flat rooftops.

The festival attracts many mainlanders, visitors and merchants a like, with boats arriving every day for at least the preceding week.  At festival time the island hosts one of the most magnificent markets as travellers come to sample the freshest serpents around (and bring their fine wares in exchange)  because, of course, when the serpents are heard and the festival begins, serpenting boats also take to the waters.  But in those early days, when the serpents return to their breeding grounds, hunting is strictly controlled.  Only a handful of vessels take to the water and hunt.  Allowing the bulk of serpents to breed and renew their stocks.

And so it is that the game is placed against the colourful backdrop.  All the player-characters are young men and women who have been engaged in their first year as special constables.  Their job is to police the festival and keep everyone safe, as the festival attracts criminals as well as visitors and merchants.  Having provided the players with this backdrop, the game will start just prior to the first serpent bellow, and the drumming.  But it is not long after that a human scream is heard and the players find themselves investigating a gruesome murder, the first of many to come.

...(post unfinished)...