[d6 System Setting] Stormrift - feedback appreciated

[petespahn]

Hi everyone. I have started my first design blog for my upcoming Stormrift setting. It's still in the early stages, but I like how it's progressing. Any feedback would be appreciated. Also, please let me know if the theme is too hard on the eyes.

Thanks!

Pete

[Lee Torres]

It's early in the morning here in California - am I missing a link? I haven't had my coffee yet, so I wouldn't be surprised... :o

[petespahn]

It's early in the morning here in California - am I missing a link? I haven't had my coffee yet, so I wouldn't be surprised... :o

Ack! I was walking out the door and forgot to add it to my sig. :)

http://petespahn.xanga.com/

[Lee Torres]

Background

On December 12th, 2012, the attack began.

Are you going for 12/12/12 or for the big Mayan Calendar Ending? The Mayan Calendar, if that's what you're going after, ends on or about December 21, 2012 (although some sources say the 23rd instead). If not, I think it's awesome that the world ends about a week and a half before everyone on the Mayan Long Count watch is expecting it to!

Looks like a fun sandbox so far; got a strong sort of Rifts/TORG vibe to it, blended with Spielberg's recent take on "The War of the Worlds" which is all to the good - more feedback in a bit!

[Lee Torres]

If you're not already planning on it, it might be fun to have extradimensional wildlife come through from time to time as well (like the critters from Stephen King's "The Mist"), although that could be part of the Korr's bioweapons, too - like the Hunter/Killers in Terminator, but living weapons.

Or it could be both, and humans would need to figure out which was which.

If you wanted to leverage that old zombie survival horror idea from years back, the Korr could have technology to use the humans they've killed as bioweapons as well - seems a waste to leave dead humans around to just rot...

[Lee Torres]

I was thinking about the "corruption" rules found in Bill Coffin's Septimus quickstart - maybe the human resistance fighters that make use of Korr biotech have a possibility of being taken over by it, and becoming agents of the enemy. Might make for some nice drama when one of the PCs nears the point of losing the fight against their own implants and becoming a tremendously dangerous NPC...

[petespahn]

If you're not already planning on it, it might be fun to have extradimensional wildlife come through from time to time as well (like the critters from Stephen King's "The Mist"), although that could be part of the Korr's bioweapons, too - like the Hunter/Killers in Terminator, but living weapons.

Yes, there will be extra dimensional wildlife coming through which will provide some non-Korr related adventures for the PCs. Most of the critters will be controlled by the Korr biotechnology, though. Right now I've got about 10-15 living war machines including the gelatinous motherships (giant floating jellyfish-like creatures that serve as mobile bases), juggernauts (thirty-foot tall, six-legged monstrosities riddled with chambers and passageways that serve as troop and critter transports), wormlike "tanks," crablike ground forces, and several types of flyers, not to mention the giant sluglike creatures that spread the "voss" chemical which speeds up the break down of earth metals. All of these creatures have been bred for efficiency by Korr biotechnologists and are a blend of organic and cybernetics. I'll be adding these to the blog at some point, preferably when I get some artwork to back them up.



If you wanted to leverage that old zombie survival horror idea from years back, the Korr could have technology to use the humans they've killed as bioweapons as well - seems a waste to leave dead humans around to just rot...

Hadn't thought about that but I love me some zombies, so you never know. . . :)

Speaking of different types of adventures, I'll be expanding the "doomsday device" adventure seed. Now that the shards have been activated, the power in each shard/gemstone actually causes a type of quantum(?) distortion which bends the laws of reality in their immediate vicinity. In an Egyptian pyramid for instance you might encounter tomb-related traps and have mummies coming to life to protect a ruby necklace while a Chinese demon might manifest to protect a jade seal, that sort of thing. I don't want to run completely gonzo with the idea and it still needs to be refined, but I thought it would add a neat twist that could be used as needed. Any thoughts?

[petespahn]

I was thinking about the "corruption" rules found in Bill Coffin's Septimus quickstart - maybe the human resistance fighters that make use of Korr biotech have a possibility of being taken over by it, and becoming agents of the enemy. Might make for some nice drama when one of the PCs nears the point of losing the fight against their own implants and becoming a tremendously dangerous NPC...
Haven't read Septimus, but yes, there will be some serious negative side effects to using Korr biotechnology, loss of control being just one.

[Lee Torres]

Speaking of different types of adventures, I'll be expanding the "doomsday device" adventure seed. Now that the shards have been activated, the power in each shard/gemstone actually causes a type of quantum(?) distortion which bends the laws of reality in their immediate vicinity. In an Egyptian pyramid for instance you might encounter tomb-related traps and have mummies coming to life to protect a ruby necklace while a Chinese demon might manifest to protect a jade seal, that sort of thing. I don't want to run completely gonzo with the idea and it still needs to be refined, but I thought it would add a neat twist that could be used as needed. Any thoughts?

Rather than a quantum shift, you might consider a biological form of nanotech - intelligent biologicals smaller than the eye can see - that possibly alter their surrounding to defend themselves - so the Chinese demon may have been just a statue 3000 years ago, but while it sat in the tomb over time, the technology used the statue as a template to create a biotech cyborg to defend itself from any that might take the relic. Or infesting a mummified human corpse to the same end.

The Quantum notion might carry the overall thing a step too "high concept" and damage suspension of disbelief - might make the whole thing a little too "gonzo" in other words. Extradimensional aliens are good, but having extradimensional gods and demons and their attending metaphysics might be too much.

I'd suggest writing up both concepts on the blog, and see what feedback you get. You might sell me on it if it's handled well, but from the first brush it seems like going over the top, in my opinion.

[petespahn]

Rather than a quantum shift, you might consider a biological form of nanotech - intelligent biologicals smaller than the eye can see - that possibly alter their surrounding to defend themselves - so the Chinese demon may have been just a statue 3000 years ago, but while it sat in the tomb over time, the technology used the statue as a template to create a biotech cyborg to defend itself from any that might take the relic. Or infesting a mummified human corpse to the same end.

The biotech is actually just that, a form of self-replicating biological nanotech that I'm tentatively calling nanoborgs. They are implanted into the critters and used as a form of control, reward, and punishment. The doomsday device was built using similar technology so that might work.



The Quantum notion might carry the overall thing a step too "high concept" and damage suspension of disbelief - might make the whole thing a little too "gonzo" in other words. Extradimensional aliens are good, but having extradimensional gods and demons and their attending metaphysics might be too much.
Ah, I wasn't thinking so much gods and demons--nothing based entirely on religion--I was looking at it more like it would be a situational thing, maybe influenced by local legends and such. So, the local "haunted house" might actually appear haunted, but only because the shard's energy has invested the house with some residual power. Or, a shard might turn the neighborhood stray dogs into a pack of ravenous wolf-like creatures.

I do like the idea of nanoborgs themselves altering their surroundings like you mentioned above. That gives it more of a scientific than metaphysic feel. I definitely don't want to do gonzo so that may be the way to go. Thanks for the help!

[Lee Torres]

Thinking about it for a while, I think a good way to go might be similar to the take the BBC America show "Primeval" has taken in their third season. In season 1 & 2 the team is chasing these time/space anomalies all over, and dealing with wildlife from the past and future coming to the present - in season 3, the team leader has realized that the anomalies may not be new, and that our ancient myths of hydras, chimera, and who knows what else are probably the ancient people interpreting the things that come through the anomalies.

For Stormrift, you might want to consider that, instead of the things we believe to exist actually existing, posit that the Korr may have been here on Earth before, in prehistory, perhaps, and been defeated, using the weapon when it was originally whole. Possibly a legendary hero like Gilgamesh helped to beat them back. That possibly it was split up and given to human noble lines to keep it safe - one weapon, during times of peace, might be easily stolen by the Korr, so it was scattered. But the things in our mythology that we thought were gods and monsters may tie into the dimension of the Korr. No need to bend reality (although you could - my concern then would be is it too much like Rifts or Torg).

EDIT: Just read your reply to my earlier posts - okay, I officially like everything you've got so far! :cool:

[Lee Torres]

Possibly since you're so close to the Mayan Long Count ending when the Korr arrive, you could posit that the Mayan Calendar (starting on either August 11 or 13, 3114 B.C.) was started to mark the time between the defeat and expulsion of the Korr, and (using the H.P. Lovecraft "The Stars Are Right" logic, possibly a "thinning" of some dimensional barrier) when they would be able to return. Possibly the Korr have been biding their time for five millennia, waiting and growing stronger so that they could, at long last, take possession of the Earth...

[petespahn]

Thinking about it for a while, I think a good way to go might be similar to the take the BBC America show "Primeval" has taken in their third season. In season 1 & 2 the team is chasing these time/space anomalies all over, and dealing with wildlife from the past and future coming to the present - in season 3, the team leader has realized that the anomalies may not be new, and that our ancient myths of hydras, chimera, and who knows what else are probably the ancient people interpreting the things that come through the anomalies.

For Stormrift, you might want to consider that, instead of the things we believe to exist actually existing, posit that the Korr may have been here on Earth before, in prehistory, perhaps,


I've kind of got something similar to that going on as the Korr have actually been coming to earth for thousands of years, harvesting natural resources (they're vegetarians who feed on wood and wood products, so they had been using the earth as a crop field ever since its discovery milleniae ago). There have actually been several primitive but sentient species that evolved on earth over time (reptoid, canid, etc.), but the Korr have completely subjugated them during these harvest times and now use their descendants as bioorganic slaves to perform menial tasks (although every now and then one of these creatures starts to display signs of independent thought and must be destroyed).

The Korr just finished fighting a civil war that lasted thousands of _our_ years, so now that they have finally returned to earth, they found that humanity has evolved enough to be a threat (hence why they're not satisfied with just conquering us--they want to wipe out all trace of our existence).



and been defeated, using the weapon when it was originally whole. Possibly a legendary hero like Gilgamesh helped to beat them back. That possibly it was split up and given to human noble lines to keep it safe - one weapon, during times of peace, might be easily stolen by the Korr, so it was scattered. But the things in our mythology that we thought were gods and monsters may tie into the dimension of the Korr. No need to bend reality (although you could - my concern then would be is it too much like Rifts or Torg).

I think the pseudoscientific nanoborg approach works better for this setting than reality bending, so I'm probably going to use that. The thousands of shards of the doomsday device add a separate treasure-hunting element to the game, with each increasing individual power in increments, so I want to keep that rather than go the "rod of seven parts" route and have them be actual artifacts. It still needs a lot of refinement, but I think it's going in the right direction. I do appreciate your being a sounding board for all of this.



EDIT: Just read your reply to my earlier posts - okay, I officially like everything you've got so far! :cool:
Sweet! That makes two of us! :)

[petespahn]

Possibly since you're so close to the Mayan Long Count ending when the Korr arrive, you could posit that the Mayan Calendar (starting on either August 11 or 13, 3114 B.C.) was started to mark the time between the defeat and expulsion of the Korr, and (using the H.P. Lovecraft "The Stars Are Right" logic, possibly a "thinning" of some dimensional barrier) when they would be able to return. Possibly the Korr have been biding their time for five millennia, waiting and growing stronger so that they could, at long last, take possession of the Earth...

That might work. Maybe the Korr wait thousands of years between harvests because they can only open the stormrifts during certain planetary/dimensional alignments. Maybe the Mayans had access to several shards and were able to predict when this alignment would occur again. Lots of possibilities.

[Lee Torres]

The wood thing is inspired - they are gonna be nine kinds of mad when they get back! "Books and newspapers? You've cut down our forests, our delicious nutritious forests, so that you can read!?!"

[petespahn]

The wood thing is inspired - they are gonna be nine kinds of mad when they get back! "Books and newspapers? You've cut down our forests, our delicious nutritious forests, so that you can read!?!"

:) Yeah. Another major reason they view humanity as a threat to their survival. The civil war has depleted their natural resources and now this lower race is destroying one of their major food supplies.

[petespahn]

Hi Lee,

I've been adding a lot of setting info on the blog. This is the writeup for the Doomsday Device, minus the game effects. I haven;t posted it yet because I want to make sure I'm getting the right points across and not making it sound metaphysical/spiritual. If you get a chance, do you mind telling me what you think?

Thanks,

Pete

Doomsday Device
Long ago, a doomsday device capable of wiping out the entire Korr race was developed. This device was named the Akorras. It is unknown whether it was enemies of the Korr or the Korr themselves who designed this device, or how it managed to come to earth through a stormrift millennia ago. The Akorras broke apart into thousands of small shards upon entering earth’s atmosphere and was scattered across the globe. The weapon’s shards resemble precious gemstones and today may be found in places such as ancient tombs, museums, vaults, royal treasuries, or in the hands of wealthy collectors.

Appearance
The shards of the Akorras appear as flawless gemstones of varying type and size that are indestructible for all practical purposes. The stormrifts created quantum distortions that caused the shards of the Akorras to activate. The stones now glow with a faint light and traces of alien circuitry can be seen within.

Defensive Powers
The shards of the Akorras contain technology that is fundamentally similar to the self-replicating biological nanotechnology mastered by the Korr. Upon activation, each shard infuses its surroundings with nanoborgs, producing a variety of strange defensive effects. These effects vary from place to place and most often reflect the shard’s environment. A shard located near a Hawaiian volcano for example might cause the volcano to erupt and encircle its resting place with bubbling lava. A shard located in Alaska might cause a nearby polar bear to mutate into a biotechnical bear-like guardian. A shard located inside an Egyptian tomb might cause cyborg mummies to arise or ancient traps to manifest, while a shard passed down as a family heirloom might cause an entire house to animate, giving it the appearance of being haunted. Effects such as intense heat and cold, disorientation, zero gravity, mutations, and animated machines have also been encountered. A few OLS scientists believe that other quantum distortions in the past may have caused some shards to activate, giving rise to manifestations such as hauntings, dragons, yetis, and other creatures of myth and legend.

Fusion
The Akorras was designed to bond with a sentient organism. When an Akorras shard is pressed against living tissue or swallowed by a living organism, the shard embeds itself in the creature’s soft tissues, crippling the host with painful spasms as it bonds with nerve endings and brain relays. Once the spasms subside, the shard conveys certain properties to the host (increased physical attributes, access to certain psychic powers, etc.). Akorras shards often leave visible bumps and impressions in the skin. Removing an Akorras shard is a long and painful procedure that usually ends in the death of the host.

Doomsday
The Akorras shards are too numerous to fully reassemble the device. However, when enough shards are collected, human scientists believe they may be able to replicate the Akorras. This is something the Korr fear, so the Korr actively search for shards.

[kellhound]

Interesting. Very interesting.

Keep up that good work.

[Bobmalooga]

This reminds me of War of the Worlds and Stephen King... ;-)

[petespahn]

Interesting. Very interesting.

Keep up that good work.
Thanks, I'll try!



This reminds me of War of the Worlds and Stephen King... ;-)
With maybe a splash of Terminator.

I'm hoping that's a good thing! :)

[Lee Torres]

Hi!

Sorry - I missed the post on the Doomsday Device until this morning. I think it captures the tone well - the jewels with nearly invisible circuitry inside reminded me of the movie version of "The Keep" - all of it seeming very "magical" until it turns out to be technology at the end (quite different from the novel, but that's neither here nor there).

I think the tone is good - catches the nature of what it is, and what it might do in various circumstances. Well done! :D

[petespahn]

Hi!

Sorry - I missed the post on the Doomsday Device until this morning. I think it captures the tone well - the jewels with nearly invisible circuitry inside reminded me of the movie version of "The Keep" - all of it seeming very "magical" until it turns out to be technology at the end (quite different from the novel, but that's neither here nor there).

I think the tone is good - catches the nature of what it is, and what it might do in various circumstances. Well done! :D

Thanks Lee!