The Order is a show that has just wrapped up its second season on Netflix. Witches, Warlocks, Demons, Werewolves... There's a lot of fantasy horror elements that get some focus during the show's run and that's really what Redmane intends to focus on.
There is a lot to unpackage when trying to describe this world to someone who has not seen the series so I'm going to leave you with some helpful links to peruse at your leisure to get familiarized with this world.
**WARNING: There may be spoilers within said links**
The Show
The Lore
Now for the short and sweet version:
Redmane University is a school of prestige for students of wealthy families or those granted with financial assistance/scholarships/grants. Within the university resides a branch of the secret society known as The Hermetic Order of the Blue Rose, a gender neutral collective of magic users who study and practice their mystical arts in secret. The Order exists to safeguard magic and address supernatural threats but there is another secret society that governs and sometimes even protects them; The Knights of St. Christopher. The Knights of Saint Christopher have an even more exclusive membership, but once you're in, you're in until death. Oh, and all Knights are also werewolves...
Right now I'm just canvasing to see if there is interest in this sort of fan RPG. The show takes place at Belgrave University whereas the RP will be at the fictitious Redmane University, a satellite school and one of the many branches that house both The Order and the Knights. There may be some parallel events between the game and the show, but all characters will need to be original characters and its safe to say you will likely not be running into any characters from the show.
I want to be a spellcaster. What can I expect?
Witches and Warlocks must be recruited into the order. Once you receive an invitation, you must go through the trials of initiation. Once accepted, it is only then that you will begin to learn magic.
I want to be a werewolf. What can I expect?
The Knights of St Christopher (aka Knights of the Blue Rose) are even more exclusive when it comes to taking on new blood. Werewolves are not created like typical horror movies. Instead, a werewolf spirit is linked to a hide and that spirit has it's own independent personality. The hide chooses it's champion and bonds with them until death, in most scenarios. Werewolf spirits have their own names (Like Silverback, Greybeard, Tundra, Midnight, Timber and others). They also have their own personalities and typically try to find a champion that shares their views. If a champion dies, the hide disconnects from their body and can then be bestowed upon a new champion. There are no sign-up sheets to become a werewolf. The Knights have to find you and the hide has to select you.
I want to be both! A Magic Werewolf!
This can be done, though I am going to put a governor on this concept (or everyone is going to want to do it). In this game, werewolves can learn magic, but their spells will always, by default, be weaker against any other witch. If you throw a repulsion spell and someone who is 100% witch throws a repulsion spell at you at the same time, you're going to fly way farther back than they will.
Dis/Advantages of a Spellcaster
Once accepted into the ranks of The Order, you're going to have a nearly endless supply of occult knowledge and resources at your disposal. You'll have more spells, stronger spells, and access to specialized and enchanted gear that no one else other than your fellow acolytes will have. All spells require a sacrifice, which is usually satisfied in the form of self-harm such as cutting open your palm or finger. If you neglect to perform your sacrifice, chaos will respond exponentially. For example, if you neglect to cut your palm now, don't be surprised if Chaos/Karma takes off your entire arm later.
Dis/Advantages of a Werewolf
Once you've bonded with a hide, you are stronger, heal faster, can sense when dark magic is being used and can transform into a hulking bipedal werewolf. You can partially transform, too, if you just needed the advantage of claws or teeth, and the moon plays no part in your abilities, either. To that extent, through all the old tropes about silver bullets out the window, too. Werewolves can be killed quickly with enchanted weapons, damaging spells or with severe damage. Wolves also are hard for Witches to trust as, despite any behavior to the contrary, they are always looked upon as a reckless threat.
I see the info about Wolves and Witches. What if I want to be something else entirely?
As a GM, I need to be able to herd you cats with as much ease as possible to drive the story forward, which means I need you to have access to most of the same places. You're going to need to be college-aged (18 - 22, with few exceptions) to explain why you're at Redmane University. The idea is that most of you will be magic casters of some sort, which means a lot of the game will be taking place within The Order's temple or in The Knights' base of operations. I need you to have access to one or both of those. And lastly, I need you to live in a world surrounded by Humans, so it is probably best if you look human, too, and can move around them without causing too much of a stir.
What that means is that it wouldn't make much sense to try and play a Demon as they are visually unusual, have no business going to college classes, and would have little to do for most of the game outside of heated conflicts. It wouldn't make much sense to play a vampire who could only roam at night that would need to feast on the blood of humans, thereby making all the other players your potential walking, talking meals. Lastly, it wouldn't make much sense to play other beings of mythical legend unless you could explain how they can blend in, why they would be taking university classes, and why they would want to be in the Order. That in mind, I am open to your unique suggestions, but don't get offended if they get shut down. It's not personal, it's just for the sake of the game.
I've never seen the show. Can I still play?
Of course! The world of The Order will be explained as we go and there are plenty of resources online to help you in understanding this setting that we are about to step into. That said, watching the show is certainly advantageous because you'll already have a familiarity with all of the concepts, but it is definitely not required.
I think that sums up most of the basics... So - is this sort of concept something that would interest you?
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