Dark Fantasy Roleplay Selection (Voting)

[The Harbinger of Ferocity]

Overview

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Because the way my mind operates and the fact that I am so horribly desperate for a roleplay, I have decided to give up and shirk my efforts to find more settings I enjoy and instead, once more, forward my own and act as the Game Master. I am not unfamiliar with this task as I have provided this role for years, but it seems I cannot truly escape it. Regardless, below you will find a brief overview of each story I possibly intend to run and may voice your vote for. Once it has been selected, I will provide a topic and we will begin. Do not waste my time with pledging a vote and never investing.

As a Game Master I operate almost exclusively with the premise that I know what my intent is from the start. You as a player are in these dynamic, open, vast worlds, but I know what it is I wish you to accomplish it. If you succeed or fail, that is on you and those that join you - not I. Furthermore, these encounters and events have been done before; they're stories I have told prior and that which characters have ventured out on. While they will never be alike, take comfort in the fact that I do have a plan and direction, even if it is far from obvious or overt. I intentionally do not play my hand as the Game Master and am more than willing to present you with half truths, mislead you or provide you with a path that seems too clean cut... because it is.

I dabble only in savage, realistic, grim and dark settings that at best lean into the supernatural or sword and sorcery archetype. If you are against violence and mature themes, turn away. I will not violate the Guild's policy or delve into excess - as will you not - but I do not pull punches.

Read below and vote for which holds the most interest to you. You may also voice your comments, questions and concerns - which I advocate doing before dedicating to a decision. I am looking for three to five players overall who can post at least twice a week.

Settings

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Strangely this section has disappeared...

Mentions

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Below are the following persons who wished to be mentioned when this topic would inevitably be posted:

• @NanoFreakV2
• @Lucidnonsense
• @ACHTUNG
• @Filthy Mudblood
• @WanderBug
• @BlackSam3091

[Wicked Sweet]

There Are No Heroes (Urban Arcana) has caught my attention.

[LadyRunic]

There Are No Heroes (Urban Arcana)

That looks so very interesting. If you have room? @The Harbinger of Ferocity

[Eklispe]

Mentions don't work if you put them in the opening post unless someone fixed that since last time I checked. ^.^

[OneWayOut]

I'm on board with the second one.

[Kidd]

I'll throw down interest and a vote for Urban Arcana.

[The Harbinger of Ferocity]

Mentions don't work if you put them in the opening post unless someone fixed that since last time I checked. ^.^

@Eklispe

Thank you, @Eklispe. Accounting for this, here are those mentions again;

• @NanoFreakV2
• @Lucidnonsense
• @ACHTUNG
• @Filthy Mudblood
• @WanderBug
• @BlackSam3091

[RedXCross]

I'll say that I'm interested in this Urban Arcana! Gray morality is fun.

[NanoFreakV2]

@The Harbinger of Ferocity Thank you for the mention, and as before I'm going for Urban Arcana.

[Rawk]

I'm a sucker for dark corners, so definitely Urban Arcana if the elbow room still exists ;)

[The Harbinger of Ferocity]

So it is settled then. Because it has become exceptionally unlikely that any number of persons would vote otherwise, the chosen story will be There Are No Heroes - Urban Arcana.

[NuttsnBolts]

@The Harbinger of Ferocity Might check out the OOC when you have it up. I haven't been in a dark fantasy for a while.

[The Harbinger of Ferocity]

For those interested,

I will begin construction of the overview this coming week, so one can expect the roleplay topic itself to be brought up near or on the weekend. You will all receive mentions, but I need state that this is a "first come, first served" mentality. In large because while I would enjoy all of you portraying characters, I can only allow about four players to participate. Furthermore, some of you might change your mind and likely by no fault of your own. It needs bear mention however, that this story will mostly be told by human characters encountering and combatting things both mortal and supernatural; for those of you unafraid of consequences, you can play monstrous archetypes which I will provide in the overview. If you wish to be something outside those I will unfortunately need decline because I cannot portray them well, they are perhaps not "human" enough or passing for it, or because I've not revised it repeatedly.

As stated before, your usual fare of monstrous beings and fiends will make appearances, but the story is by and large about human characters and those formerly human trying to keep the darker things out of the light. If you are familiar, think more along the line of "Masquerade" rules and the consequences for failing this will probably end poorly for those involved. When making characters, try to make them people first - even if they are, say, an afflicted werewolf. How do they deal with it, the fact they're a blood thirsty, barely controlled monster wherein the more they give in to it, the more peace they feel at it, but the less human they become?

If you do wish a character who has seen some things, or is familiarized with some occultism, remember that your psyche and sanity might be damaged. Not to say you will suffer a psychotic break by just reading a "real" book on the undead, but it might have disturbing implications such as fascination with death or its imagery. In this example, after a fierce gun fight, your character aside from the war veteran might be the only two who are mostly unmoved by the scene before you; you're not immune to it, but your senses to the horrible things of the world both real and otherworldly might be dulled.

For your use, so you may begin formulating your characters as concepts, the following archetypes are also options - other than human - that will be explained later in the opening post; doppelgangers, psychics, revenants, wizards, vampires, and zoanthropes. I ask that you consider your decision, if you opt this route, very wisely.

@Wicked Sweet@LadyRunic@OneWayOut@Kidd@RedXCross@NanoFreakV2@Rawk@NuttsnBolts

[MonstrousMan]

So, can I squeeze in? Snugly of course, wouldn't want to rub hips!

EDIT: Me dumb. Me no read the four player thing. Me leave. -.-

[Rawk]

@The Harbinger of Ferocity

I was thinking the ol' "World of Darkness" rule set when you first started this so it's nice you mentioned V:TM. I spent many nights back in the early days rolling my 300 dice health pool ;) (The WoD system had such outrageous amounts of dice to roll...*sigh*)

In any case, aside from supernatural characters who already have inherent "powers", are pure human characters starting out with any type of supernatural abilities or are they by and large just human? Or, are these things going to manifest as the story progresses?

EDIT: I know this is an interest check thread, but figured others might be curious and I'm trying to get a clearer direction for initial character development.

[The Harbinger of Ferocity]

Regarding the human characters they are entirely mortal and "unremarkable" in a sense. As individuals, compared to other people, they might be better or worse off, but when compared to unnatural beings, they are just people. I think it goes without need of mention that a county sheriff turned hunter is far more prepared than the accountant, but he also now has likely been traumatized through continued exposure to things that may just be delusions of the wounded mind. This needn't always be the case, as things can change in time; one can learn wizardry, one could be turned into a zoanthrope.

The point is that while monsters make for more interesting characters, they come at great cost and will be strongly biased against in the setting. Not unplayable, but expect not a pleasant journey. In terms of measuring humanity, wizards, psychics and zoanthropes in that order are the most "human" still. Doppelgangers, revenants and vampires are entirely monstrous and only pass for human - zoanthropes have the "fortune" of being able to go either way in their portrayal.

In short, my intent is not for all of the group to play monstrous archetypes and those that do to "get" the idea.

[Rawk]

Fair enough.

I suppose I imagined, using the World of Darkness example, humans having the aptitude to learn warding techniques against or perhaps the ability to see supernatural (i.e. Hunter: The Reckoning") as the game progresses. Not that I want to compare this to anything, it was just an example.

But I've always like the idea of the average human character thrown into extraordinary circumstances, whether good or bad, and even the threat/potential of becoming that which he fears the most.

So, is it safe to assume, that the human characters can start off as anything we want, any normal background?

[The Harbinger of Ferocity]

There are means for conditioning to encountering the otherworldly, but that is mostly touch and go type events. Exposing one's self to the unnatural in small, controlled amounts that are not traumatizing will, undoubtedly with time, make it easier to accept or witness greater things. So those characters with a bit of occult experience are more mentally hardened to it, just as a person accustomed to confronting fear or violence. Short of "natural" exposure, unnatural means such as some wizard enchantments can help dampen the mental shock.

The cast should be made up of people with credible backgrounds and history. You are perfectly welcome to portray the spectrum of humanity, but the only limit being that they must be of age at minimum; no child characters.