Tag: rpg

Waar ben ik mee bezig?

Waar ben ik mee bezig?


‘Op zoek naar het wonderbaarlijke, ontmoetingen met bijzondere mensen’

Op zoek naar het wonderbaarlijke
Mijn queeste op het pad van persoonlijke zingeving:
Onder de vernis van Protestantisme, ervaar ik een diepe onderstroom van chinese en javaanse
spiritualiteit.
Toen mijn speurtocht begon in Nederland, was slechts New Age en Europese spiritualiteit op de boekenplanken te vinden, Taijiquan en Yoga in buurthuizen; pas later kwam ik weer in aanraking met bredere ontwikkelingen uit overige delen van de wereld, met name shamanism:
Native American
Mongolia

Ontmoetingen met bijzondere mensen
Diverse ontmoetingen met mensen die mij inspireren:
Naast de inspirerende verhalen van mijn vader, heb ik veel geleerd van leraren Taijiquan & Qigong en boeken/leraren uit de chinese traditie (Confucius, Mencius), naast boeken/leraren in de westerse spiritualiteit (Gurdjieff, Regardie, Starhawk), als overbrugging ervaar ik core shamanism (Harner) als een uitstekende ‘brug’.

In deze fase van mijn leven definieer ik mezelf als spiritueel humanist.

“Most precious are the people; next come the spirits of land and grain; and last, the kings”

Belangrijkste actuele inspiratiebronnen:
Mencius met betrekking tot het vormen van humanistische samenlevingsvorm.
Modern shamanisme met betrekking tot rituelen.
Reclaiming met betrekking tot politieke actie.

Lopende bezigheden:

A.I. chat

Art journal/Kunstdagboek

Cartomancy

Qigong

Storytelling

Afgeronde bezigheden:

Afscheidscafe

Malachim

Happy Stones/Geluksstenen

Ghost/Echo crossover World of Darkness and Shadowrun

Ghost/Echo crossover World of Darkness and Shadowrun


Skye the Demon, Jason the Grip and Bunk the Hull remembered their first shadowun together:
Skye seduced the sysop of VR corp to get information about the security system.
Jason blackmailed the sysop for the necessary passwords and login info.
Bunk did some breaking and entering to steal the top-secret project.
Apparently VR corp was experimenting with enhanced VR helmets to enable physical entry to the Otherworld.
According to rumours on the street, somewhere in the Otherworld was the black tower, the most important nexus between the worlds.

The shadowrunners decided to use the helmets to enter the Otherworld…
They arrived nearby the besieged Tower.
The Horned Hunter lead his troops of hellhounds and wraiths against the Sidhe who defended the Tower.
Already the top of the Tower was toppled by magical lightning.
After some scouting the shadowrunners succeeded to enter the Tower.
Arriving at the damaged top of the Tower, they met the last Watcher, the Black Knight.
Negotiating was not easy, but in the end they agreed to sacrifice three souls in exchange for three wishes.

Using the helmets to return to Midgard, the shadowrunners started hunting their prey.

Bunk ambushed mister Johnson, but his prey escaped the trap.
Skye caught the sysop with her charm and Jason brought in another victim.

Returning to the Black Knight with their offerings, the shadowrunners were ready to get their wish: a safe haven in the Tower and a link between the Tower and their Coven.

Alas…they forgot to watch out for Sidhe word-bending the fine print of the deal…

In the end the shadowrunners were not able to leave the Tower!

Ghost/Echo crossing path with World of Darkness and Shadowrun.

Ghost/Echo: The First Run reloaded

Ghost/Echo: The First Run reloaded


One of my players, Niek Ooijman, sent me some feedback on the session

I’ll put my comments in brackets:

1. please use printout character cards instead of handwritten, to avoid reading problems.
(comment: alongside the printout of Ghost/Echo rules, I wrote on index cards the name of the character & 2 skills).
2. if new players register at the last time, sent them mail beforehand, instead of writing only on the meetup site. ask them to think about the character they want to play.
(comment: until the very last day I had only one subscriber, we already had extensive mailing ongoing on the subject; the rest subscribed on the same day, too late to sent them mail)
3. danger check: a high roll is always better? It is better to change this: if rolling for danger, higher means more “danger”. Getting a 5 or 6 when rolling for danger means real trouble.
(comment: this is a matter of taste)
4. The goal/danger system is asking a lot of player-creativity , it is annoying to have to state a danger for each goal, that slows down play. In the games I know, the GM tells the player all about the dangers.
(comment: this is a typical old-school conditioning)
5. there was some lack of “supernatural elements”
(comment: this scenario was meant as a foreshadowing of the Shadowrun era, the supernatural still has to intrude into the world, but it was possible to Listen for Echo’s of the supernatural)
6. The skills were too minimal
I have some doubts on the claim “quick play”, there still a lot of work to do on the system.
(comment: the player did not take enough time to read the ghost/echo page)

My observations:
The Game has to be worked out, as stated in the two pages

I was thrilled by the minimalistic setting & rules, a refreshing experience after so many years of D&D tables & rule-lawyering.
The indie-press rpg-community consist of some high-level roleplayers, ‘quick-play’ has to be seen in that context : 2 page rules with bare bones, the rest to be expanded with existing GM skills!
No so user-friendly for newbies, but at the other side: the experienced/brainwashed D&D adepts will have serious adaptation troubles!

hgoei's avatarDreamquest

The Government was unwilling to dirty their hands in a backwater Balkan state, so they used some intermediaries to contract the Black-op branch of Orpheus corporation.
If anything went wrong, the whole operation was deniable as usual, the spindoctors would call it a terrorist strike of the separatist.
…
Coil, Grip, Hull and Vixen discussed their strategy for the job.
It sounded like an easy one: extricate Herr Professor alive (preferrable) or dead to insure the Opposition will never again have access to his theoretical knowledge of Matrix-construction.
He was temporary held at a secret interrogation camp, waiting for transfer to the headquarters of Herr Colonel.
Simple plans are the best, and victory goes to the bold;
The idea was to ‘borrow’ a chopper of the Opposition; flying under false colours it should be possible to infiltrate the interrogation camp.
Well…a battleplan never survives the first shots…
They found a…

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Creating a matrix for storytelling inspiration: cats everywhere in my dreams

Creating a matrix for storytelling inspiration: cats everywhere in my dreams


Searching for inspiration, Cat came upon my path.
CP78

Bibliography:
Lovecraft-The Dreamquest unto unknown Kadath: a journey in the dreamworld, confronting horrors, guided & protected by Cat. Main theme: shamanic journey in the otherworld, protection by power-animal cat. This book inspired my first internet nickname: dreamcat.
Lewis Caroll-Alice in wonderland & through the looking glass: A journey through the dreamlands, meeting Cat (and other creatures).
Chad Underkoffler-Zorzerer of Zo: storytelling fairytales, talking animals, Marquis de Carabas (Puss in boots)
Michael Moorcock-Eternal champion: (anti)heroes in the multiverse, struggling to choose their own way between conflicting agenda’s of the gods of Law and Chaos.

Ludography:
Karen Kuykendall:  Tarot of the Cat People : ‘A mystical rapport with cats is established in a distant place known as the “”Outer Regions.’
Evil Hat- FATE accelerated edition: rules-light roleplaying game.
Spark Roleplaying Game: ‘a tabletop roleplaying game about challenging your characters beliefs while building and exploring new worlds’

Creating a matrix
Allright then, my favored genre is Fantasy, subcategories Mythology & Fairy Tales.
I prefer storytelling a pre-gunpowder world, with a dynamic interaction and balance between magic & science. The veil between the worlds is still thin, crossing over between them is possible.

Brainstorming now:
Main theme: dreamlands.
I prefer to start the storytelling small scale: a single village for starters; potentially embedded in a larger scale world of mystery and imagination.
Furthermore, I like to explore ethical/spiritual issues: how to be humane in a world of conflicting powers?

Otherworld themes:
The boundary between humans and animals is fluid. Some animals and plants are sentient and can communicate with humans, some humans can shapechange into animals and plants.
There are no fixed borders between the three worlds (underworld, middle world, upper world)
In the beginning was chaos, out of chaos came the ordening elemental powers: fire, water, air, earth, quintessence. The elemental powers became sentient and manifested into form, the worlds were shaped and inhabited by beings, lesser and greater spirits interconnected with nature. Some spirits manifested into matter: becoming plants, animals, humans.
Beyond our world there are still alien forces dwelling in the primal chaos; some cause horror and madness, some are benevolent, but all of them are unfathomable.
The Powers of Law of Chaos have each their own agenda, using humans as their pawn.
Cats (and some other animals) have a special affinity for the otherworld, they are able to interact with otherworldly beings.

Mundane themes:
Great migration, intercultural conflict, stagnation versus change.

Script:
Title: Cats in the Dreamtime
Genre: fantasy, alternate reality, politic, shamanism.
Dominant issue: war between Law and Chaos.
Current problems: stagnant society confronting the chaos of great migration, conflicting belief systems.
Upcoming doom: another Great War.

Conflicting belief systems, different factions & leaders
The tribes:
‘We need to find new pasture, it is our destiny, our promised land’ Leader of the scouts.
‘The old empire is decadent and crumbling, the mandate of heaven has passed to the new tribes’ Tribal shaman
‘Personal honour is the most important thing’ War-leader

The empire:
‘This is the land of our ancestors, we have to defend it against the barbarians’ High Priest
‘We need strict laws, otherwise there will be anarchy’ Supreme Judge
‘Every citizen works for the common good’ Imperator

Important places:
Tribal lands: endless grasslands, migrating tribes, Great Oasis
No-mans land: frequent clashes between imperial patrols and tribal scouts, abandoned settlements, ruins, desolate atmosphere, Black Tower
Border marches: great wall, watchtowers, grim atmosphere, Last Keep on the Borderlands
Imperial lands: bustling cities, trade, byzantine intrigue, City of Thieves.

Final questions:
What is the role of Cats in this human conflict? Cats are aware of the otherworldly puppet players behind the scenes.
Which choices wil be made by Cats?

Shifting perspective:
Up till now, the perspective of this storytelling seemed to tilt towards the human condition.
What if we took the cats-eye perspective?
What if cats could be sentient, equal tot human, but with another perspective?
Looking with cats-eye, many things that are being done by the naked ape are alien and absurd:
Drawing a line in the sand to mark your boundary instead of using your scent-trail?
Journeying into space while oblivious of the otherworld?
Clearly the naked ape would need to be protected by Cat!

Maylee Fox’s Book of Shadows

Maylee Fox’s Book of Shadows


The Master of Ravens said:
I can teach you nothing new at this moment…take up your visionquest into the world of Men…
Remember our compact with Ravenqueen!
And so, Foxy Lady went out of Faery into the world of Men…
….

Remembering the last temple of Earthshaking Sealord,
high up the Great Mountain…
The faithfull, who fled the wrath of the Sorcerer-King,
made their last stand.
Lightning smote their ranks, but still they stood firm…

Unable to stand the strain of eldritch energies,
the Land broke apart, t
he Sea invaded,
all were scattered to the corners of the Earth…

great mother abyss
devouring myriad bodies
vortex well of soul

Q blogspot
Setting of the Fifth Black Sun

Setting of the Fifth Black Sun


“December 21, 2012 will be the most important date for all of Humanity. The ancient Mayans created the Long Count calendar to mark this date as the beginning of a new cycle for Mankind.” Anonymous

What if…
The wild-eyed cultist are right…up to a certain point?
Something changes in 2012,,,
Maybe…
the stars are ‘right’, depending on whose viewpoint: if Rlyeh arises from the ocean, the Ctulhu-cultist might rejoice, or maybe not…
…the Veil between the Worlds are rent asunder, and the Dead will outnumber the Quick…
…the Star-People revisit Gaia to evaluate the Human experiment…
…Hailey’s planet strikes home at last…
Who knows?
Maybe HE nows, maybe not (Rig Veda)
But before the Great Change comes, it will be foreshadowed by small changes:
Weird tales, Anomalous Phenomena…
Reported sightings of UFO, ET, ghosts, and other things that go bump in the night.
Q blogspot
Ghost/Echo: The First Run

Ghost/Echo: The First Run


The Government was unwilling to dirty their hands in a backwater Balkan state, so they used some intermediaries to contract the Black-op branch of Orpheus corporation.
If anything went wrong, the whole operation was deniable as usual, the spindoctors would call it a terrorist strike of the separatist.
…
Coil, Grip, Hull and Vixen discussed their strategy for the job.
It sounded like an easy one: extricate Herr Professor alive (preferrable) or dead to insure the Opposition will never again have access to his theoretical knowledge of Matrix-construction.
He was temporary held at a secret interrogation camp, waiting for transfer to the headquarters of Herr Colonel.
Simple plans are the best, and victory goes to the bold;
The idea was to ‘borrow’ a chopper of the Opposition; flying under false colours it should be possible to infiltrate the interrogation camp.
Well…a battleplan never survives the first shots…
They found a hidden chopper on a hidden part somewhere in the woods, guarded by a single watchtower, a typical Opposition-setup for a covert-operation camp.
Coil took out the main tower with his rocket-launcher, Grip sprinted to the chopper while the rest gave covering fire.
Some surviving guards stormed out of the tower, but were taken down by a frontal grenade and some flanking fire. The grenade caused some collateral damage in the tower, soon it started burning!
Grip discovered the chopper was out of fuel…
Hull entered the burning tower twice: the first time to secure a single drum of fuel, the second time he was out of luck, something exploded…Hull was blown outside by a fireball!
Badly hurt, Hull was carried by the rest to the chopper to escape the towering inferno.
They decided to push their luck to finish the job.
Boldly they flew the chopper to the interrogation camp.
Vixen fast-talked the ground crew and the commander Herr Colonel to refuel the chopper and to transfer the prisoner.
On their way to home-base, they were intercepted by two Opposition choppers.
Grip tried to channel the ghostfield, hoping to jinx one chopper, but received a migraine instead.
With some luck Coil was able to take down the interceptors with his rocket-launcher!
Returning to home-base was a bit tense, their chopper was almost taken down by friendly fire before Vixen was able to get through to the right channels.
Q blogspot
Ghost/Echo: Pathworking the Ghost Worlds

Ghost/Echo: Pathworking the Ghost Worlds


The Ghost Universe consists of several Ghost Worlds, each
interconnected by Datastreams (Echo-Paths).

Travelling the Datastreams is a specialized skill: by channeling the
Ghost Field, some adepts can open temporary Gates to the Paths.

Using the Major Arcana (e.g. Amber Trumps) is one of the many possible
ways of Pathworking!
Other Traditions use: Tattva Symbols, Hermetic Seals, Bagua, etc.

A Grip who is specialized in Listening at Echoes, has the skill to
detect functional Paths.
Every method has its own risks….

Q blogspot
Ghost/Echo crossing path with World of Darkness and Shadowrun

Ghost/Echo crossing path with World of Darkness and Shadowrun


Universe: World of Darkness (core setting) 2012 CE. Preliminary Story: The Crewmembers are part of the experimental Shadowrun team of the Orpheus-0rganization; their mission is to find top secret information before the Others find it.

Do you have any idea what kind of crewmember you would like to be?

Good at…(pick one)
acting under pressure
infiltrate/steal
suffer harm
commit to violence
manipulate/hold steadfast
channel ghostfield
listen for echoes

Pick an archetype:
coil
demon
hull
grip
vixen

Try to visualize the skilled archetype of your choice.

Q blogspot
Ghost/Echo

Ghost/Echo


This game reminds me of several topics I am interested in:

Shamanic journey
Pathworking
Cyberpunk
Shadowrun
Oracles: Tarot, I Ching
Rules-lite storytelling games
Let me give it a try!
First take:
Trying to connect Major Arcana and Locations did not work for me.
Looking back, I realise the Major Arcana belong to the Paths, not to the Sephira!
Maybe I should connect the Minor Arcana to Locations!
Second take:
Made some index cards for Crew, Goal/Danger, Wraith.
Thinking of that other nice game: Under the Bed
I can connect Goal/Danger cards with Crew and/or Wraith!
Hmm..
Crew can basically roll 1 die, but if he uses his special skill (Goal/Danger) he might add another die.
Example:
DEMON crew, special skill Channel Ghostfield.
SPIDER wraith, special skill Catch.
Q blogspot