Interest Check: Talislanta

Hello Everyone,

I've been toying with the idea of running something from Kalajel's amazing resource of free games, and (while I had some crazy homebrewing and hybridizing ideas), Talislanta caught my eye as having a fair amount of setting variety and depth.

4e seems particularly well-suited to just having everyone grab an archetype they like to run a quick one-off adventure that we could then expand into a fuller campaign if the group was having fun. (Though, I'd also be open to using the more unique character customization 5e rules).

So, I though I'd check and see if that system piqued anyone's interest.

I currently find myself leaning toward a "grimmer" adventure setting of Aamanian knights and allies being sent off to hunt an infidel threat by their masters with the party itself playing anywhere on the spectrum of Orthodox true believers to secret heretics, etc.

(And since I'm involved in a few games at the moment) we'd probably have a moderate post/day to few posts/week sort of pace.

I'm interested, what other information do you have?

So, I don't have a game page up yet, as I'm still thinking through the details and gauging interest, but the current pitch would go like this:

At the heart of the kingdom of Aaman lies Aamahd, the Holy City. A breathtaking expanse of glistening ivory and untarnished marble, portions of almost every structure adorned by the All-Seeing Eye of Aa.

Here the god's blessed servants devote their lives to the dictates of his law; living as a peaceful commune and eschewing all traces of vanity such as individuality, humor or art. They wear their robes of white and seek to humbly do their part.

From the west to the north the brilliance of Aamahd ends abruptly in a massive wall of ebony stone.

Beyond that barrier lies the debauchery of Zandu. These two halves were once one great city, before the mad Zandians turned their back on Aa and greedily tried to seize control of an empire. But those sins are now far in the past. Trade and travel are now allowed between the closely guarded gates, though one would probably be unwise to trust the Paradoxists of Zandu to remain loyal to any agreement for long.

Within Aamahd's walls the devout go about their daily chores, guided by their Aspirant priests. Their priests take guidance from the Monitors who watch over the flock and raise up the faithful while ensuring the Knights of the Hood Veil punish the ungodly and maintain order and proper piety. Over the Monitors rules the Hierophant, the living prophet of Aa, who alone can interpret the vast wisdom of the Omnival and translate the god's wishes into clerical law.

But for the first time in decades, the Hierophant speaks with a new voice.

Earlier this month, the period of deep mourning and sorrow came to an end and Hierophant Omnus II ascended to his full glory. The accomplishments of his father, a true saint who no doubt sits now at the right hand of Aa, where many and undeniable. But one can only trust that the new Hierophant, chosen by Aa, is more than fitting to take up such a heavy mantle.

Aamahd is not a place of idle gossip or rumors, but there is perhaps a rare sense of... loyal concern. The astutest of the deity's followers have noted that some of the oldest Monitors have not been seen since the period of mourning began and their whereabouts are unknown. Across the wall the godless savages surely plot and wonder if now is the time to reignite their ancient war against the truth.

But most shockingly, word has reached the capital of heretics spreading the poisonous blasphemy that the new Hierophant is not the true voice of Aa. They have been seen performing cursed dark magics to convince the gullible of their own 'miracles'.

This cannot be allowed. You have been summoned to assist the Knights of Retribution, the famed Witch Hunters, to track down these accursed sinners and send them to meet their eternal reward. Whether you are a member of the faithful who sees this as your chance to fulfil Aa's will, a forced convert simply seeking temporarily escape from the watchful eyes of the Monitors, or a visiting foreigner pressed into service as a guide; you have been called by the Hierophant to serve and cannot easily refuse...

As for the system--Talislanta is a fairly straightforward d20 system (I would consider it more narrative than crunchy)--you generally roll a d20 and add the result to your stat or skill level and the GM add or subtracts a difficulty modifier from your score; a higher number is better and the level of your success is then based on how high or low you roll. There's a fairly well developed magic system that works along those same lines where your skill and the environment influence the spell and determine whether you fail or have partial/full success.

The setting has a large amount of depth with dozens and dozens of races to choose from along with several classes that allow different stat boosts and skill sets; and these can largely be mixed and matched to create a character that fits with the style you're looking to play.

While I realize the particular adventure I'm considering here biases the party a bit toward Aamanian characters, I'd be open to all different types as they could be visitors to the city, converts from other lands, etc. that happen to be pressed into service.

Hey MinMin would this possible branch into a longer more campaign oriented game or is this just going to be a one shot thing. I have actually played and ran Talislanta a long time ago so I am somewhat familiar with the setting but I would much rather play a long term game rather than a flash in the pan one shot ;)

Sure thing, DeJoker. I suggested the one-shot because I wasn't sure how much familiarity for the system there was on the site and I figured that would give folks a chance to try it out; but I was thinking along the lines of an opening adventure that then segued into a larger campaign. If we have at least 3 or 4 who want to plan on a long-term game from the start, I'll just approach it from that angle.

Ah well I am willing to go with 2 and a few NPCs if we cannot get a 3rd and/or a 4th --- basically the 2 leaders of the unit that is made up of few NPC fighters or some such. What say you Squadfather44 sound interesting for the long haul in case we do not get that 3rd and/or 4th right away. I mean MinMin we could always add more players then as we go if more interest is shown.

Although you might get even more interest if you switched to DnD5e instead of 4e -- I know most the players I have talked to never cared much for the 4th Edition and perhaps that is why it kind of faded rather quickly I suspect. I mean most players that looked it over said 4e was basically WoW and not DnD at all.

If you need a third, I'll be your huckleberry. I've had Talislanta recommended to me quite voraciously so I'm curious. As to D&D 4e, I've played a couple times and have the core books, and would enjoy playing it more. I would pass if you switch to 5e (I'm here to try new things), but as Dejoker says, you would get more interest using that ruleset.

Or did you mean Taslinatla 4e? In that case, I'm very interested.

Also available for very long games.

I'm definitely in it for the long haul.

Okay MinMin we do have 3 for the 4e version if you want to get things rollin' and please clarify -- is it DnD4e as I thought or is it Talislanta 4e as Qralloq queried??

Great! Talislanta 4e--I'll try and get a game page/forum up and post some more links to information today/tomorrow.

Wow, this is the first time I hear about this game, and it has lots of good-looking books!

I have read this review and it certainly looks interesting. If it's not a problem being a newbie with the setting (500 pages is quite a lot), I may throw my hat into this ring.

Sure thing gnomius, everyone is welcome.

I've been a fan of Talislanta for years (since 2E) but never found a group to play it. If you need another, I have a Jaka Manhunter who might be pressed into service for the cause.

Love to have you if you're interested. I'll shoot you an invite.

I see you have 5. If you need a fill in later and don't mind a newbie, I am interested. Or if you want 6, but I know that is a large group.

I'm open to 6. I've sent you an invite.