The Prime Movers [Character-driven Speculative Fiction with Tabletop Elements]

[whist]

Please visit the RP's new channel at #primemovers on Foonetic IRC.

Table of Contents:

• Mechanics

The Premise

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Energy is humanity's most coveted resource. From transportation, to agriculture, to medicine - everything runs on energy. And, even now, advanced as we are, energy is not free. Far from it. Wars are fought over it; people die for a barrel of oil. Billions are made, lost, and stolen because of energy. It is the lifeblood of our entire race. And it is our greatest weakness.

Imagine for a moment, another civilization, much like ours. Except, this civilization has been blessed with magic. Powerful magic gifted to a select few. None know whether by divine providence or a genetic mutation. And it does not matter. These people stand in the light, as beacons of power and paragons of the glory of humanity.

However, there are some who have not received any gifts from gods, no lucky twists of the genetic code. These people also stand in light, but of a different hue. They stand in the cold light of science, technology, and progress. They are innovators, experimenters, designers, developers, creators. These are people who shape their world not through some arcane ability, but through their wit and mettle.

Both of these forces have defined civilization. Cities have been raised miles above the surface of the planet, built by technology and given life by magic. Arcane philosophers have stared into the void, looking for meaning, and sometimes even finding it. Great thinkers of the world's universities have found a unified field theory of physics, and with it, have unlocked the previously thought impossible.

Tragically, however, such a golden age cannot last forever. Why?

Energy.

The lifeblood of the planet, a form of matter called vim, drives both the exotic technology of the scientists, as well as the spells of the arcane. And vim is fading. Even now, mages find their spells harder to cast, and the price of vim is rising, making operating the machines that drive civilization more and more costly. The planet is being drained of its lifeblood, and so are its inhabitants.

The Prime Movers

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You are a Prime Mover. You are a cause, and the world is your effect. You are either a mage or a scientist, engineer, inventor, or other master of technology. What will you choose? Will you wield forces of seemingly unknowable orgins, and probe secrets deeper than any mundane mind could comprehend? Or will you turn your mind to machines, weapons, devices of science? Will you reimagine the world in a manner closer to your liking, and then make it that way?

Or, will you be someone else? Will you break the cycle of destruction that you have recognized in magic and technology? Will you advocate a simpler way of life, closer to the original intention of nature?

Choose wisely. The world is dying, and so are we. More details to follow.

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Music: Exogenesis Symphony Pt. 1: Overture - Muse

[whist]

Mechanics

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Below I will discuss the game mechanics of this roleplay. As stated in the thread title, this RP will incorporate some tabletop elements. This means you will be rolling some dice, crunching some numbers, and advancing your character through gaining experience.

The basic die roll for this game is a d10. In any situation where a die roll is determined necessary to decide an outcome, a d10 will be rolled. There are two types of rolls: simple and stress. On a simple roll, what comes up on the die is what you get. This is used in situations where your character is in little to no pressure, and therefore does not have the chance for significant failure. The second possibility when rolling a d10 is a stress role. These function slightly differently. On a roll of a 1, you will roll again and double your next roll. For example, let's say I roll a 1 on a stress role. I roll again and get another 1. I now quadruple. I roll again, and get a 5. 5 * 4 = 20. 20 is my final total for that roll. The flipside to this, is when you roll a 0, you risk a botch. You will then be required to roll a number of botch die appropriate to the stressfulness of the situation you are in. If any of these botch die come up 0, your character fails utterly. If none come up 0, you simply recieve a 0 total for the roll. For example, I am trying to climb a steep, slippery wall in the rain. I roll a stress die and get a 0. The DM determines I roll three botch dice for this situation. Luckily, none of them come up 0, so I only take a 0 for the roll. If I had rolled a 0 on any of these, I would have botched.

Magic

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The magic system for this game is a heavily modified version of Ars Magica 5th Edition. All Magic can be described by the Forms and Techniques. There are five Techniques, named in the old tongue as follows: Create, Destroy, Change, Control, and Understand. There are ten Forms: Animal, Water, Air, Body, Plant, Fire, Image, Mind, Earth, and Magic. All magic is performed by combining a Technique with a Form. If one wished to create a gout of water from their fingertips, one would use Create Water. All magical effects can be defined this way. Your character (if you choose to play a mage) will have a numerical score in each of these Forms and Techniques, representing their magical strengths and weaknesses. A more in-depth explanation of these rules will be provided in the OOC.

Technology

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TBD. Open to discussion and suggestions. I'm thinking sharks with lasers.

Everything else

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I wish to keep die rolling to a minimum. As advanced players, you will know what your character logically can and cannot do. Keep that in mind, and we should have no issues.

[Dmytra]

Definitely interested!

[whist]

Just so my players or anyone interested is aware: I will be leaving on business from the 5th to the 15th of August. I will be unavailable during that time, however, I fully expect to resume the roleplay when I return. Please continue posting here if you are interested, and if you have any questions. I will address them upon my return.