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Post by oversoul on Feb 13, 2007 18:12:22 GMT -5
Hey we thought we should start keying you in on some development stuff we are working on. I have recently started writting a project that I have had in the back of my head for a long while now. The idea was born of mix of classic victorian horror such as Dracula and Frankenstein, mix into that some of the style and stories of Tim Burton, add some of the style of the game Mordheim, and the comic Girl Genius and you get Drakkenheim!
Drakkenheim is a forsaken city in the hidden away in the Carpathian mountains of Transylvania, in teh 19th century. For years it has been ruled over by the evil and mad Drakken Family. But now the last Drakken, Count Vlad von Drakken has vanished and a magic shield has surrounded his castle at the center of the city. It is rumored than within that castle the Drakkens have collected many dark and mysterious atrifacts as well as untold treasure. Enough that if any villain was able to enter the castle and claim what was inside they could use it to rule the world.
Now dastardly would-be villains have come from around the world to try. The streets of Drakkenheim echo with battle as each villain tries to carve out some control of the city against other villains, as well as trying to find away to get past the magic sheild and into Castle Drakken.
I have put it into the DC boards but in actuality I see this as also being a great game for FOW, Since our plate is full in FOW at the moment I am going to develop the DC game first.
I have written about 4 or 5 pages of material to date, I am hoping to use a modified version of Shauns 3 page DC world format. It is just oo much info for 3 pages.
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Post by oversoul on Feb 14, 2007 6:26:54 GMT -5
Most of the mechanics for Drakkenheim is taken directly from my Dice Chucker: Steampunk supplement but not all of it. The most obvious change will be in the supernatural powers area. First I am dropping Mentalism altogether for Drakkenheim. Mentalism just does not fit with the theme of it. I am also trying to decide how I want to handle magic. Magic WILL remain, I am not sure if I want as many Attributes as I used to define it in Steampunk. All the magic in Drakkenheim is dark in nature. There is no true "good" use of magic here. If you heal someone, it is because YOU need them alive for something, not out of the goodness of your heart. So how many Magic Attributes do I need? What should those Attributes be? That is the questions.
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Post by hitokiri on Feb 14, 2007 20:49:20 GMT -5
Here's a crazy idea. Just to keep the thought juice rolling.
Why not create broad catagories of dark magics as attributes. Instead of having an attribute thats something like "Unholy missle" that would shoot a missle of evil energy, you would instead have "Curses" "Trickery" "Demonic" and so on.
Now bear with me. These catagories could correspond to tables of spells that could potentially be the result. That being the case, when you want to cast you would have to draft dice to see what spell you actually cast, and then handle the results.
That may be considered uneeded rolling, but it adds an interesting element of really wanting to harnass magic that runs wild within people.
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Post by oversoul on Feb 15, 2007 19:29:54 GMT -5
That is how I normally handle magic. I use broad spell categories and let the players either create spells or do magic on the fly. For instance Fire Magic could do anything from a tiny flame to a metoric blast. I just decide TNs for what they give me.
I was thinking of doing that here or going with something even broader, maybe 3 categories, or even just one, Magic () and let them go to town with it.
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Post by FNH on Feb 17, 2007 17:03:37 GMT -5
I dont know if this is applicable to the discussion directly but heres a rough outline of a magic system I used once.
Players defined thier own spells, they define it, describe it, and then the character has to go through a period of practice and development before they can use it.
There is a points system for devising the difficulty of the spell.
The base cost of the spell is based on its type.
Sound 2pt Illusion 3pt Audio/Visual Illusion 4pt Destroy 4pt Create 5pt Create Life 6pt
Then a series of multipliers are applied such as...
Duration =======
0 - 1 sec = x2 1 sec to 1 min = x3 1 min - 1 hour = x4 1 hour - 1 day = x5 etc...
Size of Effect ========= Palm Size = x2 Palm - Human Size = x3 Human - Horse = x4 Horse - House = x5 etc...
Casting ====== 1 Days Preparation = x0 5 hours preparation = x2 1 hours preparation = x3 10 mins preparation = x4 1 min preparation = x5 10 sec preparation = x6 Instant Cast = x8
I had some other multipliers specific to the world, but I think you can see what I was getting at.
The final calulation was used to determin, the time to create and learn the spell, and the final difficulty in casting it.
We had some real good sessions, just designing spells. It was amazingly fun see wizards coming up with spells and a session or two later a counter spell being devised :-)
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Post by oversoul on Feb 25, 2007 10:06:30 GMT -5
Its a good system but a little more complicated than I had in mind for Drakkenheim
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Post by oversoul on Feb 25, 2007 10:13:00 GMT -5
Well leaving magic behind for a mind, my next big pondering is where to place Drakkenheim in time. There is big differences is technology from the early 19th century to the late 19th century. My vision of Drakkenheim is extremes. Yes elaborate steam technology exists in the hands of the elite few, automatons and what not, but I envision the city itself as extremely backwards, for instance their is no trains or steamboats, and the only guns available are mostly blackpowder weapons. I am thinking of placing it mid-late 19th century to accomadate the tech that is available but making more modern weapons(peacemakers, winchester, etc.) extremely hard to come by and impossible to ammo for. But I know players, and most if you tell them the game is set in say 1875 would want those weapons.
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Post by oversoul on Feb 25, 2007 10:45:43 GMT -5
Lots of posting today!
The City
The city is architectual maddness. A perfect view into the minds of the Drakkens. The streets wind and curve with no pattern or regularity. In their paranoia they built defensive wall after wall carving the city up into section like a drunken butcher. The walls are complete with towers, gatehouses, portcullises, and otehr defensives. All done in an effort to prevent
Each section of Drakkenheim is almost completely self suffcient. Some section do have more of certain things than the others, but in Drakkenheim you learn to do without. The sectional independence makes it easier for a villain to get a foothold in city. The near constant fighting between the factions has left many buildings in complete ruin. Many more show the scars of fighting, shoddy repair work, boarded windows, and varying holes. A precious few have gone unscathed as of yet.
Notorious Places in Drakkenheim
The Black Wolf
The Black Wolf is an inn that caters to cuthroats, mercenaries, and others looking for employment in Drakkenheim. It usefulness in getting henchmen and information in the city is so valuable to the various factions, that they allow it to remain free. It is the only thing the factions have every agreed upon, though it is an unspoken agreement. This does not mean that the Black Wolf is a safe place, just safer than others in the city. Fights break out regular, murders and assasinations are almost as common, as personal vendettas are made and settled.
The Burnt Quarter
Fires have raged through Drakkenheim, many times over the centuries. Luckily the Drakken labrynthine design of the defensive walls helps to contain any fires and keep them from spreading to other parts of the city. In most fires the citizens try and rebuild what they can. However in the section now known only as the burnt quarter the fire was extensive, so much so that almost every citizen left. The ruins in the quarter are rumored to contain treasure hastily abandoned during the fire. Factions often venture into it insearch of resources.
The Sewers and Catacombs
The streets of Drakkenheim is not the only areas being fought over. Beneath the city lies a sewer system made up of tunnels and chambers twice as confusing as the layout above. Many evil things lurk uin the sewers. The sewer system plays two important roles in the conflict for control. First it offers an excellent route of attack on other sections of the city, completely bypassing the walls above as well as any defenses a faction may have set up. Each faction knows this, and each defends the sewers underneath their section as fiercely as the above streets, and they mount as strong attacks through them as well. Many battles echo through the sewers, as fearful citizens await them to spill out above.
The second reason they are so important is that they connect directly to the catacombs beneath Castle Drakken. The catacombs twist and wind, and are full of treasure. How deep the catacombs go or how extensive they are is unknown, many have braved the deepth, going down farther and farther, but have yet to find the bottom. At the top they connect directly to the castle, but alas the magic shield the keeps all intruders out extends to the uppermost level of the catacombs. Yet many factions feel that the most likly entrance into Castle Drakken still remains in the catacombs, so their possession is highly sought after.
I thought it might be fun to ask for a little help from yall. I am looking for city section names. The names need to be evil sounding. I am not so much interested in things like Uldar, or Thraken. I would like real word combos like blackheart, wormtongue, etc. So lets hear what ya got! Keep them coming I am not sure how many sections I will have in the end but it will be a lot seeing how the city is divided up!
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Post by squirmydad on Feb 26, 2007 14:31:54 GMT -5
(delurk) Hiya boys, So you are thinking of a Steampunk and magic setting for a city, but want to limit technological innovation? A very good book I read last year, that sounds very much like what you are describing, is called "The Light Ages" by Ian R. MacLeod. In this book technological innovation ceases sometime in the mid-19th century after the discovery of a phenomenallly powerful fuel source: the semi-mystical substance called Aether. Those who master the Aether become the true powers in the country and depose the governing bodies (there's hints that the wealthy industrialists executed the royals) and pretty much froze society for three hundred years...There is no research into alternative fuels (gasoline engines, gunpowder) and everything is steam-driven with Aether as the fuel source. The Maesters control the Aether and it's uses so steamtech is not in the hands of the many. Aether also has a corrupting influence and tends to mutate those who are exposed to it, so faerie folks and goblin-type of people also exist in the shadows. So the setting may feel like 1875, but there aren't any guns more sophisticated than a flintlock because no one has ever seen the need to develop them. However, now that the Aether is starting to run out a desperate time is at hand... Eric (lurk) Well leaving magic behind for a mind, my next big pondering is where to place Drakkenheim in time. There is big differences is technology from the early 19th century to the late 19th century. My vision of Drakkenheim is extremes. Yes elaborate steam technology exists in the hands of the elite few, automatons and what not, but I envision the city itself as extremely backwards, for instance their is no trains or steamboats, and the only guns available are mostly blackpowder weapons. I am thinking of placing it mid-late 19th century to accomadate the tech that is available but making more modern weapons(peacemakers, winchester, etc.) extremely hard to come by and impossible to ammo for. But I know players, and most if you tell them the game is set in say 1875 would want those weapons.
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Post by hitokiri on Mar 2, 2007 15:09:49 GMT -5
hmm. I hate naming things, its always so difficult. Carver's Corner (Think meat packing district in NYC) Old Gallows Cryptanthenum (maybe a weird tree that grew there) Ripper's Hollow (jack the ripper. from your time period) Maiden's End
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Post by oversoul on Mar 3, 2007 6:53:11 GMT -5
(delurk) Hiya boys, So you are thinking of a Steampunk and magic setting for a city, but want to limit technological innovation? A very good book I read last year, that sounds very much like what you are describing, is called "The Light Ages" by Ian R. MacLeod. In this book technological innovation ceases sometime in the mid-19th century after the discovery of a phenomenallly powerful fuel source: the semi-mystical substance called Aether. Those who master the Aether become the true powers in the country and depose the governing bodies (there's hints that the wealthy industrialists executed the royals) and pretty much froze society for three hundred years...There is no research into alternative fuels (gasoline engines, gunpowder) and everything is steam-driven with Aether as the fuel source. The Maesters control the Aether and it's uses so steamtech is not in the hands of the many. Aether also has a corrupting influence and tends to mutate those who are exposed to it, so faerie folks and goblin-type of people also exist in the shadows. So the setting may feel like 1875, but there aren't any guns more sophisticated than a flintlock because no one has ever seen the need to develop them. However, now that the Aether is starting to run out a desperate time is at hand... Eric (lurk) No need to re-lurk! That sounds like an interesting book I will have to see if I can find it and if I ever have the time to actually read it! Main places on Earth uses outmoded technology, how many places still rely on steam locomotives! So you are right I can set it when I want and have the main tech crude and the high tech in the hands of the elite few.
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Post by oversoul on Mar 3, 2007 6:55:42 GMT -5
hmm. I hate naming things, its always so difficult. Carver's Corner (Think meat packing district in NYC) Old Gallows Cryptanthenum (maybe a weird tree that grew there) Ripper's Hollow (jack the ripper. from your time period) Maiden's End These are great names! They sound girtty and dark. I have a few myself but I can only recal oone atm, Dragon's Heart. hmm, I wish we has some evilly looking emoticons for this thread, smilies just don't seem to work well.
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Post by oversoul on Mar 3, 2007 6:58:12 GMT -5
Hey while surfing the web for art examples the other day I cam across an online game called Ragnorok Online. It is very manga looking. But if you want to see a eeriely close look at what I have in mind for Drakkenheim, check out their screen shots of Niffleheim.
Multiple orginality is a scary thing...
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Post by squirmydad on Mar 3, 2007 18:00:14 GMT -5
[/quote] No need to re-lurk! That sounds like an interesting book I will have to see if I can find it and if I ever have the time to actually read it! Main places on Earth uses outmoded technology, how many places still rely on steam locomotives! So you are right I can set it when I want and have the main tech crude and the high tech in the hands of the elite few.[/quote] That cloaking device never works very well anyways. Having a source of power that is only in the hands of an elite few, and is running out, becomes a great plot motivator. The powerful start to turn on each other in their desire for the miracle substance that extends their life and gives them strange powers enhanced strength and the ability to mentally dominate others. Perhaps in that burned section there are as yet undiscovered relics, intact laboratories, or power sources. Rumor has it that the noble family who once lived there, and were consumed in the flames, were secretly building an independant difference engine that used the bottled souls of condemned criminals as it's primary computational engine... Eric
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Post by oversoul on Mar 4, 2007 5:29:31 GMT -5
That is more or less the idea. There is supposedly all sorts of abandoned resources there.
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