Session 0

Apr 17, 2024 3:35 am
Hello and welcome!

Thank you all for your interest. I look forward to the story we're all about to create together :D

To start off, I'd like to use this thread to have a session 0, going over safety tools as well as plot out y'all's characters. First and foremost, if at any point during the game anyone becomes uncomfortable with any of the material for any reason, you may simply PM me or say so in any thread and we'll put the game on pause to fix whatever the problem is, no questions asked.

Secondly, to hopefully avoid the above, I'd like to encourage anyone who wishes to to list below or PM me any topics they personally have boundaries regarding. Hard boundaries will be things that we won't allow in the story, even alluded to. For me, I have a hard boundary regarding any kind of sexual violence. You may also designate a soft boundary, which are things you may be willing to have alluded to, or even potentially included in the game front and center, but should be treated with care.

As for what you can expect from me as a DM: I love horror, particularly existential and cosmic horror, and so long as everyone is interested, I do intend to inject some of that into this story. Besides that, I have a pretty high tolerance for descriptions of injuries or violence, and while I don't seek out adding gore to games I do tend to describe things rather clinically. Please let me know if you would like me to take care to keep things vague or mild.


Finally, please take this time to plan out your characters. You may do so as openly or secretly as you wish, my DMs are as open as this thread. Things I would like you to keep in mind when planning:

1) Your characters were, until becoming Redacted, unaware that they existed inside a book. So far as they were aware, they lived a full and "normal" existence.
2) Your characters do not know the contents of their books, its genre, their place in it, or anything else. There will be a change very early in the story for them to read a portion of their own book, however, before the demon alters it entirely... you may plan accordingly.
3) You (the player) may designate any details about the book you wish. Anything you leave undefined, you leave up to me to decide.

As a DM, I very much enjoy planning story beats, themes, or dramatic conflicts in advance if it helps the player realize their vision for their character. You are welcome, but not required, to plan ahead what you want the focus of your character's arc to be about. For example, you might want to play a character that struggles with wondering whether the demon makes a better protagonist in your PC's own book. Or perhaps you want to play a PC that has difficulty even mustering up the enthusiasm to "save" their own story, now that they know it "isn't real." Just as with your PC's source material, you are welcome to help me plan ahead for this now, if you so desire.

That's... all I have for now. I know it was a lot, lol, but if you have any questions, let me know!
Apr 17, 2024 6:05 am
Thanks for inviting me. I love this idea a lot. I have many idea's already. But it would depend on the theme we'd go.

I don't really have any lines or veil myself.
And yes, I do love horror!

As for characters - the character of choice would depend a lot on a few things.

Are we going to use real world existing books? I find that a big part of what attracts me to this setting. Having weird and random crossovers from certain books/worlds. Characters I have in mind are all generally from real books.

What vibe do we want to go with? Taking a character from a fairytale book, a war novel, high fantasy or superhero will all result in very different vibes. I'd think it be interesting to mix and match these.
Apr 17, 2024 6:07 am
Thank you for the invite. But I don't like horror, so I think I will be stepping out again.
Apr 17, 2024 1:15 pm
Thanks for the interest, Rune. Sorry to see you go.

As for real characters, I had conceived this idea avoiding those (or at least avoiding carbon copies), but I think it'd probably be best to leave that up to you guys. If the other players prefer or don't mind using real characters, than lets do that!

And I definitely agree with mixing and matching. It'd definitely be a preference for me that players mix and match genres and story tones, but I'm not going to push anyone in any direction or another.
Apr 18, 2024 6:50 am
Thanks for the invite. I have lot of vague concepts I'll try to narrow down on and flesh out!

I will be avoiding a real character personally, as I dislike using other peoples characters as what if I play them wrong? :p
Last edited April 18, 2024 6:52 am
Apr 18, 2024 6:09 pm
Welcome LoM!

If anyone is that far along, what are some of the ideas everyone is working with, if they don't mind sharing?
Apr 18, 2024 6:58 pm
I have been doubting between characters from real books, or for not real books.

But the idea that is sticking most with me at the moment is that of a character with a very, very high fairytale vibe. A princess in her own world, stepping straight out of a fairytale book into the weird and cruel real world.
Apr 18, 2024 7:59 pm
Had been thinking similar, though will veer away.. perhaps someone from a horro/elritch book, or scifi in contrast.

Or a protagonist from a YA romance novel realising the real world has a lot more to offer.
Apr 18, 2024 8:44 pm
Thanks for the invite. I think it would be fun to have contrasting characters. Maybe a noir detective (my favourite to RP), or a pulp-era gentleman adventurer would be fun.

Edit: as to lines and veils, I have none to contribute and generally just post to the group style. Horror elements are welcome.
Last edited April 18, 2024 9:44 pm
Apr 19, 2024 3:40 pm
ClaCle says:
I have been doubting between characters from real books, or for not real books.
I say to each their own. Go ahead and use an existing character, others can use existing or their own characters :)

Going to leave the link to the Monte Cook character builder for anyone who wishes to use it: https://www.montecookgames.com/cypher-tools/ Y'all let me know if you have any questions, I'm pretty open when it comes to switching out options and the like, particularly in this system.
Apr 21, 2024 4:49 pm
I'm making a Doomed¹ Responder² who Walks in in the Night³. This will be an original character who is a combination of the titular character from Laurel K. Hamilton's Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter and Mia Corvere from Jay Kristoff's Nevernight series.

She's a protagonist from a made up YA series called Detective Doomheart, a woman called to protect the innocent from the creatures of the night, complicated by the fact that she is something supernatural herself.

(From the books: ¹Cypher System, ²First Responders, and ³Gods of the Fall respectively).

@WittyName let me know if these are allowable. I can build a similar character with Cypher System core rulebook alone if that's your preference.
[ +- ] Book Cover
Last edited April 21, 2024 11:48 pm
Apr 21, 2024 6:35 pm
While there are built in character sheets for The Strange and Numenera, I build one for Cypher System.
[ +- ] Cypher System
Apr 22, 2024 2:12 am
She's lovely, Qralloq! Yes, the additional sources are alright with me :) And I must confess, the evil DM in me is very happy that someone chose the Doomed descriptor... *evil grin*

Fantastic work on the sheet, and on the character! I haven't read either of the inspirations, but I'll certainly check my local library if they have anything I can take a look at.


How is everyone else doing on characters?
Apr 22, 2024 2:34 am
Great! Could you add Custom character sheets to sheets allowed, in the Game Details?
Apr 22, 2024 3:13 am
It took me a minute to find out how, but yes!
Apr 22, 2024 5:49 am
Had a bit of play with he tool. Hoping t look more over things tonight or tomorrow.

Thinking a post apocalyptic character from a story that is currenttly shaling up to be mixes of mad max/death race/and hunger games. Maybe YA or maybe more adult with Doomheart being from YA as well.

Torn between being the lrotaganist or instead say a love interest in the book. A gearhead warriro who's ability to tink and build stuff from stripped wrecks in helping her adapt to the real world..thiugh her colleagues would sometime rather ahe learns how modern machines work rather than stripping them for parts to make her own thing.

If that didn't work was also thinking a sci fi esque character.
Apr 22, 2024 2:01 pm
LightOfMidnight says:
A gearhead warriro who's ability to tink and build stuff from stripped wrecks in helping her adapt to the real world..thiugh her colleagues would sometime rather ahe learns how modern machines work rather than stripping them for parts to make her own thing.
I think this sounds like a very fun and charming concept! :D
Apr 22, 2024 7:57 pm
Ok guys. I was a thinking a bit about my character during the weekend.
Princess Malin is an Appealing Speaker who Descends From Nobility in a Fairytale world who comes literally from a long forgotten book with a collection of fairytales. Her story is known as "The Elfgard Princess".

Malin hails from a kingdom of Elfgard which is inspired on mythical Scandinavia. Malin is the third and youngest child of her father, King Ragnar IV. With two older brothers, she barely has any claim to the throne.

She has lived an nice, life of luxury and riches, not a care in the world. Until the day came that her father, arranged a contest for all the huscarls in the kingdom to contest for Malin's hand in marriage.

While the huscarls contested in brutal tournaments, Malin's eye caught a common waitress named Ingrid. Huscarl Torston beat the competition and was introduced to Malin and formally betrothed to her. But Malin's focus was on Ingrid.

Ever so often, Malin disguised herself and sneaked out of the castle to meet Ingrid, who worked in a local tavern.

It was Ingrid who introduced Malin to the true Elfgard. A poor, primitive kingdom, where people where oppressed by the tyrannical King Ragnar
IV and his troll mercenaries. Malin was in shock to discover this. She had never expected her father to be an oppressive, evil tyrant. Small crimes were dealt with harshly. The worst punishment was public execution, which basically meant that the perpetrator was fed to a troll.

With her wedding to huscarl Torston approaching quickly, Malin rose up. She made herself a princess of the people. She started a rebellion. People were motivated by Malin's rebellion.

This is where there are two versions of the story...
In the original story the following happened:

With torches and pitch forks they rebelled against the King Ragnar’s huscarls and vicious trolls. Troll which swing huge battle axes to cleave people in twain.

The rebellion failed. The only small success was that Torston was killed by an angry mob. But pitchforks and torches were no match against battle axes. Innocents were slain. Malin and Ingrid were captured. Ingrid, among many others, was publicly executed. Malin was exiled to the Myrkvidr, a dark forest of horror and monstrous creatures. What happened to her was unknown. She was never seen again…
However…
Most people know a different story.

The story of Malin, the cheerful singing princess with a pet squirrel and a hit song called "A princess wants a princess". As pictured in a happy full feature animated movie simply called "Malin" by a big studio.

But in this story, the one most people know, the rebellion was a success. Yes, pitchforks and torches are very effective when you poke them in the butts of big, clumsy oafs of trolls. Trolls which have more a comedy aspect to them an the true horror they truly are.

The rebellion drove of King Ragnar and his son, who fled on a dragon ship into the ocean. Malin was crowned queen of Elfgard and married queen Ingrid soon after. And they lived happily ever after…

But the real Malin doesn’t even look like animated Malin. She doesn’t have a squirrel and can’t sing at all. And surely, there was no happy ending.
Inspirations:
- Norse mythology
- Jeanne d’Arc
- Disney’s Frozen
- The Little Mermaid (compare Disney to Andersen)
Posting a work-in-progress sheet very soon.
Last edited April 22, 2024 7:58 pm
Apr 23, 2024 1:36 am
Absolutely lovely! I'm also a huge fan of investigating the wide differences in tone and outcome of traditional folk tales and legends, and their glowed-up Disney counterparts.


I'll give y'all a few days to tinker with your concepts, sheets, give you time to message me about potential themes or storylines you wish to explore while I prep some preliminary stuff. After that, I'll open up an IC thread and we can get to the good stuff :) You won't need a sheet finalized by then to begin playing, so no pressure.


Final note: For the purposes of keeping PbP moving at a steady pace, I intend to keep a fairly regular posting days (Monday, Wednesdays, and either fridays or saturdays variably) so that you guys are given a good basis for how long you have. I'll be able to make short posts (answer questions, call for rolls) daily. To make things easy, I'll always post the difficulty of what you're rolling against, so you know if you succeed or fail yourselves, and can respond accordingly without waiting for my to tell you if you succeed or fail.
Apr 27, 2024 8:35 am
Sorry. I have had some very bisy/stressful work days and have a wedding today. Hoping to try and get character up tomorow when home or money.

I've got the conceot, just need to finalise sheet and do a write up.
load next

You do not have permission to post in this thread.