ICRPG?

The Academy could be the simple title everyone uses, as maybe it's THE top school for the training of those that will graduate to become agents. But perhaps it has a longer, more ridiculous official title like Benford Kluckbuckle Master Academy, and most would rather just call it "The Academy."

It all sounds very cool, BTW!

Wondering, are we on a Victorian alternate Earth, or somewhere else entirely? Are we in the midst of the game of Empires and/or the rise of the socialist v automaton v Haves revolution?

+1

It’s a go. Welcome apprentices, to the Benford Klucklebuckle Master Academy!

Alternate earth would have it's pros. The locales could be something totally wild. Say the center of all magic on earth is the Bering sea and The Academy controls the peninsula around it. Maybe the source of magic is the portal to the shadow realm, on the bottom of the sea?

Man, this game is becoming tempting haha

and of course, using our earth doesn't mean we can't make up countries and coalitions.

Lol, I’m glad to hear that Naat. :)

Turtle, absolutely! The world is ours to forge.

Alternate earth is good. Of course, it goes without saying that actual Earth is the darkest timeline, haha.

Headmaster of Benford Kluckbuckle Master Academy: Seymore Pliddingtop, one of the youngest headmasters ever, and possibly the least qualified. He only took the position out of an impossibly exaggerated sense of self worth and a lack of legitimate candidates applying for the position due to a series of suspicious and gruesome accidents. Did someone say curse?

I love it. Is the academy in Britannia somewhere? The names seem Englandy and that comfortably fits the genre.

The Academy COULD be in Britannia, but I'd like it if we could make this something else than Harry Potter. How do you feel about this subject?

I'd like to be a foreign exchange student from Japan -de gozaru.

(★´Д｀)ﾉ －－－＝＝＝≡≡≡ 卍

I'm not married to an English school. I do like the idea of it being more international.

Iceland?

I see the academy as trancending nationalities and other "petty" aspects of humanity (and other races that joined the cause from other dimensions and such). It would fit somewhere remote I think. Somewhere where the Academy can contain the rift to other worlds and control what comes through and what expeditions go in.

edit. Also, I'd like to be a middle aged former drop-out turned janitor, who's gleaned some magical aptitude and sword fighting skills along the years.

That's probably the most dangerous job of all!

So less Harry Potter and more Magical Sensei Negi? XD

Also we might have 5 now. Guess I'll try and find the player's book in PDF Friday. Xd... (Nin-Nin)

I don't know what that is but I meant more gritty and physical, perhaps akin to the start of final fantasy 8 and Balamb Garden. That's not say we should copy that exactly.

Unfortunately I'm not very familiar with FF or Balamb, or much of anything in that genre, but gritty and physical works. I like the idea of the school as an international entity, especially since this will be at the height of the age of empires when nationalism was becoming a really powerful force. That would put us on the side of humanity as a whole and often at odds with the designs of the great powers. Iceland might be a good location - close enough to the centers of power, but enough off the beaten track as to possibly be off their radar.

Ideas I have so far - let me know what you think:
-The earth is criss-crossed by a network of ley lines that are conduits for magical energy which is more powerful the closer you get to a nexus, or a point where lines intersect. Magical energies ebb and flow along these lines, and according to some logic which no one has fully sussed out, at intervals different nexi/nexuses(sp?) will surge with power which is something mages covet as it makes the strongest enchantments possible and allows them to distill large quantities of Essence for later use.
-The Shadow Earth is also crossed by a matching pattern of these lines which operate similarly. When the same nexus surges on both worlds, tremendous energies are produced which create rifts in the fabric of reality and allows things to travel between realities. Things could mean people, creatures, or corrupting energies as the locations near the rifts move toward a kind of equilibrium. Luckily, these rifts tend not to stay active for very long....
-If one of the great powers should discover a way to lock one of these rifts open, they would have access to amazing magical power which would totally upset the balance of power and likely lead to a massive war.
-The Academy and its predecessors have been around for a long, long time (since ancient Egypt); know certain mystic secrets which they keep jealously guarded; and have made it their mission to root out corruption caused by the rifts and hunt down any Shadow Walkers they can find, as well as any of their collaborators who might be trying to use them or their powers for their own ends.
-The previous Academy, which was located in Britannia, was compromised a decade or so ago and destroyed by someone (most probably the British government, but it remains unproven), with devastating loss of life. The institution is now rebuilding in a new location and keeping this a secret is of the utmost importance.

You say ley lines, but if we do use Iceland, maybe there is a correspondence between ley lines and volcanic activity.

How apocalyptic would it be if locking a rift open meant a permanent volcanic eruption?