"Any ideas on background/pers
If no one thinks the blog thing is a good idea or you just don't want to participate, let me know and I will remove you from the list.
Anyway, let's give Pete some ideas about our characters by commenting to this post.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Background and Personality Ideas Anyone?
Pete asked me this question in chat and I thought that perhaps a blog format would be a good place for us to get together and help round things out.
"Any ideas on background/personality? I know it's hard to leap right into the setting and all. Feel free to ask questions if you have them. Some things to think about--did the character come from high class, low class? Does he explore/adventure for the fun of it, or for pay? Cynical, good-natured? Any family?"
If no one thinks the blog thing is a good idea or you just don't want to participate, let me know and I will remove you from the list.
Anyway, let's give Pete some ideas about our characters by commenting to this post.
"Any ideas on background/pers
If no one thinks the blog thing is a good idea or you just don't want to participate, let me know and I will remove you from the list.
Anyway, let's give Pete some ideas about our characters by commenting to this post.
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Hmm... I must admit that I have not read through all the world stuff, so some of what I might have to say might conflict with that. I want to sit down with Crystal some time and go through it together or I would have already read it.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I would like for at least my character to be some sort of an outlaw or renegade. The need to overthrow the government is always appealing to me, so something along that nature would be cool.
Whenever I have played D&D type things in the past, I always choose to be a ranger type.
Family, hmm... Well, me and C play a good couple. In fact, we might just use our character types from a storyline that we ran in a mud type thing a while back... Bela and Onyx were our names. We were both thief types. I could do a bit of magic and she was a good-ish dark elf. Again, it has been a while, so I could have gotten that a bit wrong. She can pipe in.
I don't know if those types of things work in your world, but we could use the character personalities, if nothing more.
Anyone else?
A desire to overthrow the government is actually a good place to work from. The Empire has pretty solid control over the known world, and they've put down a number of rebellions in the past--including one recent rebellion which was put down with extreme prejudice. There are certainly factions out there clamoring to liberate different portions of the Empire. Kemet and Ashtoreth are big hotspots, as they are both distant from the core of the Empire and decidedly foreign. They even have their own 'rulers'. There are also several Principalities that are not as firmly under the Empress's thrall.
ReplyDeleteIt all depends how you want to work it. You could be outright rebels, outlaws, etc., or a more secretive variant of the same thing--plotting rebellion with other like-minded individuals, but secretly. The real question is what your road to rebellion entails--a general attitude of disagreement, or an actual -plan- to do so.
Note that everyone playable is human, and humans are the only really recognized sentient species. Humans do run a big, wide variety though, depending largely on culture. The barbarian nomads of Aine are vastly different than aristocrats in Cytherea, for instance, both of which have big differences with flood plains farmers in Kemet. And in a world rich with technology and magic alike, sometimes things can happen to humans to make them strange. Accidents. Nobody likes to talk about it, but it happens...
Hopefully those are some ideas to help you get going. Also, with regards to a ranger sort--explorations and imperialism run high in this era, so the Empire is constantly trying to expand. Territories and colonies are all over the fringe of civilization, and make a good place for a rebellious sort to make his/her home. Kind of like the crew of Serenity keeping to the fringe of space to avoid their government. Same idea.
Work it right and maybe you even have an airship to call home.
That's so funny. The first time I read this, I skimmed through (it's just how I read--then I go back and re-read the whole thing all the way through), and saw talk of overthrowing the government and your last line about an airship to call home IMMEDIATELY made me think of Firefly. Then I re-read and saw that you specifically mentioned that. I find that idea very appealing. Though I'm not opposed to other ideas, either.
ReplyDeleteI need to read ALL of the background. I have read some of it. It's a very different world than I am used to playing in and it'll probably take me some time to get my head around it all. I only have the vaguest idea of what steampunk is, though it's a word I've been seeing a lot of places lately.
I would be playing a female, as I always do. Given that it's a matriarchy (though not a dictatorship) how would that work in a more "fringes of society" aspect?
I already know I want my character to have some kind of tragic flaw or past that allows for a good deal of angst. I play other types, too, but those characters always end up being my best ones. She'd probably outwardly be cheerful, or tough, or something as a cover. No moping. Well, at least not full-time ;)
If I went with a character type like Onyx, for instance, she'd be very outgoing and gregarious, passionate, trying to get the most out of life and avoiding anything too heavily heroic until she HAS to. And then it's all, why can't I just live my life? Reluctant hero type. Kind of Buffy-ish except that she predates Buffy by a lot of years, and she's not whiny.
I'm still playing with ideas. If Dom's going to be an outlaw rebel type, we could do something in the vein of Onyx and Bela, where we're in the same trade, always have been and match up easily. But it might be more fun to play someone more lawful who kind of falls into that lifestyle.
I'm not sure how deep we're going to get into characterization if we're playing on paper, but I do like to flesh my characters out to the max so I know who they are. I'm going to put a lot more thought into this.
Hopefully I'll succeed in answering all your questions, but don't be upset if I miss a point. It's not intentional! :)
ReplyDeleteWhen I say Venus is matriarchal, I mean that's the general cultural tendency everywhere you go. All other things being equal, a woman has more power/respect/influence than a man. She makes the decisions. This can get a little complicated when a man is acting under the authority of a woman higher up in station, for instance, but they're still expected to treat women respectfully. They're just more important.
There are going to be a few societies which overturn this rule, but they're the exception. The Empire and its component parts are pretty universally woman-ruled. In the same vein, women are the ones who get educated, who command armies, who run the household, and so forth. Not that men absolutely cannot, but it's rare, and would require a specific set of circumstances.
To give you an idea... I've been outlining some of the societies and kingdoms in the world, and so far exactly two have male rulers. One is the principality who recently rebelled, and in that case the male ruler is a direct slap in the face to the noble families still residing there. In the other case, the ruler in question is one of the Tetrarchs of Ashtoreth--and those people tend to be a bit more tolerant of gender differences. They're more chaotically structured, and run more on an individual's merit than Aphrodite does.
As you can kind of guess, I have a lot more information on the setting than I've actually presented to you guys. This is partially because I'm deciding on things daily, fleshing it out more and more as time goes on, and partly because your characters simply won't know all of these things. Venus is a mysterious, largely unexplored world, and that's supposed to be the fun of it. I wouldn't want to ruin that. But that's why I want to encourage you to ask questions--so that when I forget something I can say 'Oh, yeah, this is what you need to know about that...'
Regarding character types... I love flaws. Flaws are the spice of all gaming. It's also worth mentioning that I really do want to get deeply characterization, and I feel pen-and-paper games are great for that. I try to emphasize interaction and mystery-solving over, say, combat. That's just my style. I'm also using a world of my own design for a very specific reason. This isn't just a setting for gaming, it's a setting for writing. I would love to write this into a story, in fact, though that's contingent on players approving the use of their characters in such a way--but even without that, this helps me define and flesh out a world I hope to use a lot in the future. So, yes, please get into flaws and characterization. That's the fun of it!
Though I may have to turn the desire for an airship into an early 'quest' rather than a starting point. I do love the idea of a group sailing around in an airship, but in the setting they're very, very new, top-of-the-line creations, and hard to get ahold of. Unless one of you has noble ties, or ties to some other powerful institute... or steal it. There will always be multiple ways to accomplish any goal. :)
This leads to another important point. The direction this game goes is largely dependent upon the characters and what they want. So please, please coordinate. Keep some secrets if you want to for fun later down the line, but I'd prefer not to have characters with completely clashing goals. Clashing somewhat, sure, but not diametrically opposed. Having goals for your characters helps me figure out where you guys want to take the game... and of course if where you, as a player, would like to see things go is different from where your characters wants things to go... by all means, I'm up for that. :) I love torturing my characters, too.
I am assuming that the Empire has some institution or academy devoted strictly to the study of alchemy? I'd kind of like to delve into that a little further. I'm aiming for my character to be some sort of up-and-coming alchemist who works for the EoA.
ReplyDeleteHer personality will come off as bitter and sarcastic, but she actually has a deep understanding of human nature and tends to empathizes (inwardly at least) with many individuals she encounters. Brooding, thoughtful type who engrosses herself in experiments and work - tends to be anti-social. Sympathizes with the lower class: possible family ties she broke off to pursue her career. This could also tie her into other people's "rogue" characters later on and give us access to a "powerful institute" Peter was mentioning.
I'd also like to develop some ulterior motives to working within the Empire - secret revenge for some wrong done to a loved one when younger perhaps. I have a lot to plan still... and there's an enormous amount of information to take in that I need to re-read as well. This is my first game like this, but I used to MUD and do tons of fan-fiction in the past (MMOs as well), so it can't be that much different! ;)
Oh, there are lots of institutions devoted to all of the sciences. Actually, to be more accurate there are a number of universities that teach a bit of everything, and there are some specialized colleges to pursue particular fields. So yes, there are schools dedicated strictly to Alchemy. Most schools are not tied directly to the Empire, but there are bound to be state-run schools, and it would probably be necessary to attend one to learn certain... restricted knowledge.
ReplyDeleteSo yes, that sort of background could work excellently.
An alchemist is expected to be an expert in both chemistry and magical alchemy--as we understand them, anyway. Venus doesn't actually have a separation between alchemy and chemistry, they consider the study of matter, fluids, and their various interactions--both natural and thaumaturgical--to be one field. Alchemy.
Alchemists are pretty critical to the functions of the Empire, too. While guns exist and can be entirely non-magical, heavy firepower like cannons and mortars and bombs tend to have heavy magical influences--especially Alchemy. They're also critical for designing and producing medicines, improving metals, fueling machines, and--oh yes--acid. The importance of acid cannot be understated. Venus in our world is a hell of sulfuric acid, and even the extreme changes that have brought about Venusian Skies as a viable setting do not totally eliminate that aspect. A lot of things are acidic. Fierce acid storms swing by now and again. It's a natural disaster that the people brace themselves for.
On the other hand, alchemists have discovered how very useful acid can be, too. Of particular importance--early batteries. Alchemists have a monopoly on this information, and blend it with magic for some impressive results. As such, it is not surprising at all to see talented alchemists working right alongside machinists and magi to create impressive technological marvels--like, say, airships.
So, yes, there's a lot of ways to go with alchemy. And if an individual wanted sponsorship to one of these Imperial schools, it might very well involve cutting off ties to older and poorer family--kind of like getting a scholarship, only with the added touch of ascending the caste system a bit. There's room to tie that into our rebels/outlaws, I imagine.
Hopefully that sparks some more ideas and discussion. Please, keeping posting here! I like to see things coming together.
I feel like I am ready to pound out my backstory. I know I want to be working against the Aphrodite now, but with a past on the inside. I'll work on it tomorrow and let you know, but I may have some questions for you because I studied at the University. I'm not sure that I finished, but that's one of the things I will nail down tomorrow. I have the course of study down to one of two things. I was thinking that since the Empire is working so hard to expand it's borders and interests if I could have studied some sort of geology or geographic studies to further the effort of the expansion but somewhere along the way I started to find irreconsilable differences between what I was being taught and what I saw with my eyes. But this background might be useful in the wilderness should we end up there. ;) I will contact you about more private details as well. Thoughts? Directions?
ReplyDeleteOh, Bri mentioned something about maps... is the map of the known world going to be made available to us when it's done?
ReplyDeleteI'd love to have a map available, though converting a topographical map of Venus into a nice map of the known world is... tricky. I'm not sure where to start. Any tips?
ReplyDeleteRegarding your character--continuing the anti-Empire feel sounds like a solid plan, since we've been moving that way, and going from inside-to-outside works well. With regard to the studies, Aphrodite's sciences and studies aren't quite as rigidly defined as they are in our world, but most scholar consider there to be seven major fields of study (with many different disciplines within and overlapping these): Thaumaturgy (Magic), Alchemy (chemistry, metallurgy, potion-crafting, many other overlapping elements), Mathematics (self-explanatory, but includes metaphysical theories and touches of our physics), Technology (machines and electricity in particular), Architecture (also extends into geology and some 'earth' studies), Philosophy (sociology, psychology, anthropology, history), and Physic (not to be confused with our 'physics', this is medicine, biology, botany, herbalism, etc.)
It's kind of hard to imagine in some respects, I guess, but there's no truly unified school of thought in the Empire--in fact, the educated of Ashtoreth don't even follow this theory of Sciences at all, and those of Kemet mix religion strongly with learning. It can be convoluted. As a player, therefore, you have some liberty to decide precisely what school of thought your character pursued, and what university or college your character attended. There is no single university, after all--some are run by the Imperial government, others by individual governments of the Principalities, but most are completely independent of this, started by well-known scholars, successful magi or inventors, founded by the Elementalists, Atheists, or Cythereans, or otherwise sprung into existence. It's all about where you'd like to go with the concept.
Though as mentioned above, the Empire can be controlling with the most 'dangerous' of knowledge, so particularly violent magic or cutting edge knowledge could be restricted. And certainly they'd have an interest in cartographers and ladies well-versed in geography and animal/botanical life (and while cartography isn't a 'science', it's still something best practiced by an educated person). Hell, if the character's worked with the Aphrodite Empire, especially recently, there could be experience with airships--the new pride and joy of the Empire. Not operating them, of course, but still.
We can hammer out the specific conditions that lead to your character becoming disillusioned with the Empire's practices. There are many ways -that- can go, too. Let me know if you have any particular angles for that.
Oh! And I did decide that, however we start, there will be no airship in your hands... at least at the start. I would consider acquiring one an excellent early goal for some characters, if that's where you'd like to go.
I'll try to get some info up on the page about the composition of the Aphrodite Empire, to give you guys more ideas. Names of rulers are tripping me up at the moment, but I'll try to wrap that up.
I think it will be fantastic to have to obtain an airship and far more interestig than having it just handed to us.
ReplyDelete