Pitch the game you don't have time to run

The idea is simple: Pitch the game you don't have time to run ... not right now, at least :)

Maybe you rolled a 19? Maybe you just need to get the idea out of your system? Maybe you're looking for advice? Either way, write a pitch of your game and share it here with absolutely no obligation to actually run it.

It's ok if the idea is half-baked, and the pitch can be as long or short as you like.

I will share some of mine to get us started (one short, one long).

Title: Welcome to Valhalla!
System: I could do this with D&D 5e or SWAdE

Scene one: A huge Viking battle where the PCs fight on various sides. All the PCs die, some of them kill each other.

Scene two: Everyone wakes up in Valhalla. Where are the gods? Who orchestrated the battle? Do we need to argue over who killed whom?

That's all I've got :)

Why am I not running this: Lack of time and not really sure what to do after scene 1.

🪖 Band of Bastards - D&D 5e

---

[ +- ] Mood music

Parachute
Noun
From the ancient language of Ecnarf
Composition of "para" (meaning counter) and "chute" (meaning fall).

Harness imbued with single use transmutation magic that allows the wearer to descend safely to the ground in case of a high-altitude fall. Typically worn by pegasus, hippogrif, griffon, and dragon riders to protect them in case of critical mount failure. Also used for the airborne insertion of drop troops.

To protect the wearer from ground fire, the para only deploys once the wearer has fallen a significant distance and approaches the ground.

Paras have been know to fail to deploy, but the failure rate is only <REDACTED> out of 100.

101 Airborne manual



- Looks like you guys are going to be surrounded.
- We're paratroopers, Lieutenant. We're supposed to be surrounded.

---

It is the 6 of June 1044, and the troopers of the 101st Airborne are about to be inserted behind enemy lines as part of the allied invasion of Norelfdy. From the staging grounds in D'nalgne, giant eagles will carry them across the Channel where they will parachute to dessignated targets to pave the way for the allied forces landing on the beaches of Norelfdy.

The world has been at war for almost 5 years and it is finally time to liberate the continent of Eporue from the Izan scourge, but it will be a hard fight where the troopers must assualt fortified Fire Wand 42 emplacements, suffer warlock spell sniper fire, face the terrifying power of the enemy Tiger and Panther Iron Golems, and fear the ever-present threat of a strafing run by the dragons of the Drachenwaffe.

---

- INCOMING!
<Fireball strikes>
- CLERIC!

---

This game is ...
... a shameless rip-off darkly humorous parody of the Band of Brothers series mashed up with standard D&D 5e tropes and mechanics
... an exploration of what large scale war could actually look like in a standard D&D world
... a fantasy kitchen sink version of WW2 with the serial numbers (barely) filed off
... a story about the daily lives and struggles of the low-level grunts with a backdrop of epic conflict.
... a little silly (in particular with regards to equipment and naming)
... explicitly friendly to new players (*)
... intended to be open to players dropping in and out (Easy company always needs replacements)

(*) By friendly I mean that new players are just as welcome as everyone else to join this and die an unremarkable death in a ditch.

---

- So, you're a Sending-man?
- Yes, sir. Well, I was, until I lost my sending stone in the jump. I'm sure I'll get chewed out for that.
- Well, if you were in my regiment, I would tell you that you were a pikeman first and a sending-man second.

---

This is not ...
... historically accurate :)
... a game where you defeat the big bad and save the world
... a fair game with level-appropirate encounters. To quote Lt Spiers: The only hope you have is to accept the fact that you're already dead. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you'll be able to function as a soldier is supposed to function.
... nearly as gory as the show (in spite of the mood music)
... just a series of combat encounters. It is also about camaraderie, annoying officers, equipment scrounging, and other aspects of the daily life of a foot soldier
... going to touch on the atrocities of the Nazis. That would be much too dark for what I have in mind.

---

- CONTACT! WARLOCK!
- Take cover, take cover! Come on!
- Where is he?
- Shit, I can't se him!
- Second floor. Building on the right. Don't miss!



Why am I not running this: I got the idea a few days ago, so some more thought is needed to figure out whether this is a game or just an excuse to play with image generation prompts :).

I think that the emergence of magic in Shadowrun is a fascinating setting to tell stories in.
The modern word as we know it, turned on its head and the balance of power shifted out of proportion.

Why I'm not running it: Perhaps its a better thought experiment than a game setting.

Nice. Thanks for sharing. I also like the idea of exploring a fundamental paradigm shift in the world.

Actually, I have a game pitch about the emergence of magic in a fantasy world ... :)

I'd love to run a sci-fi game reminiscent of Titanfall. A squad of military members have their oversized suits that happen to have their own oversized personalities. The squad goes through boot camp, learns to connect with their "titan", and maneuvers their way through interpersonal military drama.

@runestone

Band of Bastards just sounds like a fun time.



Another idea I had came from a movie I remember people talking about. The opening scene of this movie just said something like "It's 1922 and magic is real". I just imagine a group of regular every day friends who go through some sort of tragedy that causes them to begin operating like a gang for monetary reasons. They have to use their magic sparingly to not get caught and at the end of the day, they always go to a local automat for their favorite meal. It just seems different.

The Pitch: Dateline: Japan. Tokyo has splintered into six distinct zones. Neo-Tokyo is a cyberpunk dystopia from an alternate 21st century. Edo is a historical Tokyo from the Ashikaga Shogunate (c. 1450 AD). Tokyo 2320 is a futuristic Tokyo where the Imperial Defense Force acts to defend the city (and often Earth) from threats. Fantaji resembles Edo, but is filled with fantastic races, elements, and magic. Steampunk Tokyo is set around 1890 AD and has all the expected elements of Steampunk. Finally, part of the city that is known today remains. Heroes could be from any of the districts, recruited by the IDF, and would have adventures across the patchwork city.

Mechanics: Either Big Eyes, Small Mouth or Savage Worlds. Either would handle the setting well.

Why I Don't Run It: Time, mostly. Also because I really don't have a plot line for it.

Never had the chance to run this campaign:
https://gamersplane.com/games/4427/

As a player, i'd like to play a Vampire (WoD) game, run by an experienced GM.

I never really played the chance as a new vampire getting to know the world setting.

Most of the time i tried, most of the player played too long VM and couldn't help themselves to do a lot of meta. Their new vampire somehow knew everything about what is it to be a vampire and all the clan stories etc...

Anyway all those game died within a couple of months.

Always wanted to run an Arabian Nights-inspired fantasy game, full of peril and intrigue, devious djinns and fabled cities.

One day!

I have had very similar experience with VM. Or to change it up the GM set the story in some odd setting that I could not relate to.

On the flip side, I joined a werewolf group here in GP, where all other players were new to the setting and I could play the experinced one as I have years of werewolf lore and game time. It was a good game.

I remember this werewolf game advertisement, sounded good, but I'm not much into been a she-wolf haha

Please let me know @runekyndig if you find a VM game we can play together. :)

Could be fun as well, but my folklore knowledge is more Korean or Japanese.

I know this AP in pathfinder that looked great, but never found a GM for it.
https://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Legacy_of_Fire

Not a D&D / PF fan, but yes - that setting looks fantastic!

Between Abyssal Skies - Off-Season Cabinet



The World
The events of Between Abyssal Skies occur in a world of islands suspended between the extremes of baleful disorder above and deathly stasis below, populated by two species who, despite physiological distinctions, are not all that different to each other.

The Bestiary
The world between skies boasts a broad variety of beasts both wild and tame. Dogs and big cats are used as guards; small cats and foxes as companions; corvids as mail-carriers and living burglar alarms; reindeer and cows, hens and ostriches as a source of food. In the deep forsts, one should be wary of crossing the path of a tiger or bear. And the lives of sky-sailors are complicated by encounters with flying wyrms and winged hydras.

The Age of Lightning
The local civilisations are currently undergoing an extended Enlightenment era, boasting such cutting-edge technologies as the power loom, the sky-ship of the line, the electrical telegraph, the skyfarer’s chronometer and the spring-powered bolt-thrower.

The Supernatural
There is wide disagreement about whether the divine consists of five abstract principles, or of about two dozen deities, or of a more difficult to understand unified force that attains highly specific properties when it permeates and possesses places, items, and people. But in any case, the divine seems to take an ‘interest’ in the lives of sufficiently remarkable mortals, for good and ill. Such mortals are referred to as Thespians, and often enjoy supernatural gifts, whether willingly or not.

In addition to the divine, there are other supernatural phenomena and entities, originating from the Abysses above and below; these, however, are much more dangerous for the denizens of the world, and often much more hostile.

The Most Noteworthy Social Organisation
Decades ago, a series of upheavals both geopolitical (such as large wars and revolutions) and supernatural (such as chaotic cataclysms and plagues of monsters) has prompted the creation of the Ataraxia Concordat, an organisation with purposes as varied as upholding laws of war, hunting monsters, reducing inter-religious tensions, and conducting research of the supernatural. To a degree, it was successful at those tasks.

Unsurprisingly, an organisation like this immediately became a place of intrigue and conflicting goals.

The Protagonists and Their Story
This is a chronicle of a group of people – whether Thespian or not – who have been recently invited to become members of the Off-Season Cabinet, a small council into whose responsibility the Ataraxia Concordat redirects miscellaneous issues that the bigger cabinets should not, can not, or will not currently handle. These people will be dealing with their duties, their divided loyalties, and their personal agendas. They will engage in politics, occult investigations, monster hunts, religious debates, forging individual bonds, and the like.

---

The Media Touchstones
The world Between Abyssal Skies is inspired by such media as the Council (2018 game), the Rose of Versailles (anime), Dishonored (game series), the Scarlet Pimpernel, the Count of Monte Cristo, Styx (Master of Shadows and Shards of Darkness), Thief (game series), Swashbucklers of the Seven Skies (game setting), and maybe a bit of Vidocq (2001 film).

Indirectly inspirational music includes Apocalyptica (Cult, Reflections), Therion (Vovin, Theli, Deggial, Crowning of Atlantis), Ad Infinitum (Chapter I – Monarchy), Artesia, Leaves’ Eyes (Vinland Saga and perhaps Lovelorn).

---

I've been wanting to GM this for several years now, but even the setting articles are only maybe at best 60% ready, and I don't want to make a half-hearted attempt, so it waits until I have the time and energy to make it ready.

I've wanted to run a game in Thedas, the Dragon Age setting, for years. Origins has been one of my favorite games ever since it came out. Unfortunately, I'm not a big fan of the system used for the official TTRPG. I've considered hacking another system to run it, but there are very specific things about Thedas that make it a lot of work. The mages of the universe being at risk of demonic possession is a big one. What is allowed by magic in the setting is also quite specific. Additionally, the archetypal cleric or priest is not a thing in Thedas. Holy magic isn't a thing like it is in many fantasy systems. Ultimately, it's just too much work to do as perfectly as I'd like, so I've avoided it.

This might raise some torches and pitchforks but hear me out....

Now, I'm not necessarily pushing this as a Christian game but just thought it'd be an interesting concept: fantasy version of the real world during the time of Jesus. It sounds wild, I know Noah Antwhiler did a video on a RPG that basically did it, but I think it sounds interesting.

So I could write a massive list, but the one that fits the most for a time issue -

Persona. I would love to run (or pay in a persona game), but I would want to put in proper care for the social links and making it relationship focused.

The nature of that would mean a lot of prep time working and designing several NPCs and mechanics individually which I am not sure I can justify when there is little interest. (Someone else tried to get one going and I was the only one interested)

But I do also just have loads of game ideas, and not enough time to work on them all especially when I want to do them right.

I won't be upset if you pitch something you're not ready to run for other reasons. :)

Maybe I'll add a couple others in when I have the chance to actually write a proper pitch :p

Pitch one: Space Seekers

The classic 80s space opera game in which players portray themselves as they are recruited from Earth into a galactic organization of heroes protecting life in the galaxy from a variety of cosmic threats. Or, as the tagline went 30+ years ago, "Go into space. Find a bunch of powerful equipment. Befriend a wide variety of fascinating aliens...and then fight the monsters that kill them."



Space Seekers was/is heavily inspired by the alien recruitment trope, following pop culture examples like Green Lantern, Thunderbunny, and "The Last Starfighter."

The game setting is incredibly detailed from 43 years of ongoing campaigns, but the universe is vast and there's always room for more stories. I love introducing new players to Space Seekers, but the difficulty is that it is a very dialog-heavy game, with a LOT of back-and-forth with the players and GM. To run it in play-by-post would require a titanic amount of writing/quick turnaround at a volume/pace that I could not sustain.

Pitch: Ancient Egypt + subtle magic.

For a long time I've been interested by popular(?) conceptions of the politics and technology in Ancient Egypt. Adding a sprinkle of magic would make the setting even more fun for me. I'd run this as a slice-of-life game focused more on interpersonal stuff than big bads or treasure-grabbing.

I have the book called Testament that was released by Green Ronin in the early days of the d20 boom. It is set slightly before Jesus' time, but it is a great resource for games set around that period. It had new classes, monsters, and spells.

I feel you. My Villains & Vigilantes campaign ran for more than 40 years until my best friend (and primary player) passed away. We have a lot of history built into that campaign and I would love to share it with others, but the game is difficult to grok and the one effort I made to run a V&V game on here failed both because of the complexity and because the players did not have access to the rules.

Strangely enough, I am working on a space opera Savage Worlds game right now. I plan to run it after our F2F horror campaign has run its course. I've been building aliens and setting backgrounds. When I get more done if people are interested, I might be persuaded to test drive it here.

totally this one. I was supposed to rip off all of bowl's hard work and re-run it years ago... I still believe that day will come...

---

The one I'm "working on" now would be a series of one-shot fantasy (the best format for PbP I guess) based on an idea I got when I read some old DnD 3.5 diplomacy extension book or something. There was a suggested adventure about elves were plotting to overthrow humans there and this is sort of the caste-based feudal world I imagined could result from that.



The system and setting are home-made, and the first one-shot would have pre-made characters to help players get started, one of each race: an elven knight, a human clerk, a dwarf scout and an orc hunter. They were all affected in some way by some strange events in a remote village and have to figure out what is going on. Characters might have conflicting interests and will have to pick sides at the end, a choice which would link the adventure to the overall setting story.

I have the locations and plot structure and just need to flesh them out, but it's reviewing the rules that will take the time I don't have at the moment

Apparently this one, that had garnered a lot of interest before life prevented me from actually starting it.

The elevator pitch for it was:

"At the court of a pantheon of gods, minor gods with limited influence must navigate the whims, rivalries, and relationships of the divine. The player characters, lesser gods or powerful mortals, must deal with the politics of immortality, personal grudges, forbidden romances, and the dangerous intrigue of divine power struggles."

Oh hey I remember that one. I wanted to join the ranks of candidate-players.

It's definitely for you... lot of drama :D

Why else would I play an RPG?

I also wanted to run what would essentially be a one-shot of the one page RPG "Charming Mr. Darcy", where players take on the roles of guests attending a splendid party at Pemberley House. The focal point of this gathering is none other than the enigmatic and prideful Fitzwilliam Darcy Esquire aka Mr. Darcy, whose heart players shall try to win over through wit, charm, and elegant interactions.

An entirely social game with zero combat that takes place only during one party. Clearly right up my alley, and I think one person even expressed an interest.

I've just finished one game and would totally join that mysterious "interested person" after seeing the characters in January

Make it three! :D

The two main ones I want to run are Crystal Hearts, A monster of the week, arc based, rpg about relic hunters trying to find artefacts that give superpowers.


and a pulp game (for the Disney fans I know) set in the Society of Explorer's and Adventurers

I just want to be more familiar with Savage Worlds rules first.

I am currently running something similar, called Fantastic Feats of the Fear-Less Foundation, using SWADE!

If you ever run the explorer game, crazybirdman, let me know! I'd love to play it. :0 (Also, it reminds me of the video game Renowned Explorers; good game, it is.)

So you base your ch on yourself... Well people hate when I do that. Especially since age 6 everyone said I belong in the medieval times. Yes I do swords workout. Do martial arts was military. And am probably better stated than a 20th lv fighter dnd ch. So I've never been allowed to play my self in a game just parts of myself.

We did that years ago, playing Gurps Old West - Second bullet fired killed one of the characters... and the game.


I'd love to run some serious Traveller - but to do it right, it's a time sink.

The setting stuff for Pathfinder is excellent, but that particular adventure path (while it is fun) doesn't feel as much Arabian Nights as you might want.

That looks intriguing.

Space Opera Savage Worlds is four words that go great together. I'd love to help you put the setting through it's paces.

I once ran a F2F GURPS Time Travel game in which the characters played themselves. We had a lot of fun with that one!

Nice! With Steve Jackson's GURPS Time Travel? We waited -years- for him to finish that, and it's amazing!

A westmarches hex crawl. I ran one for a while and it fizzled out. I'd like to give it another try sometime.

The very same! It was a convenient book to have, as were Horror and Cliffhangers, for our campaign. On the subject, it's a little dated, and if you can find a copy, GURPS Timeline is a very useful book as well.

I'll keep your willingness in mind. I'm still a ways from being finished right now.

Hey, I have plans for something like this at some point in the future! Only, add in people who can turn into animals 🙃

This is why I don't go to parties since after a few attempts during school years. Never found the appeal of that.

Says the spider

But I behave like a human at parties!

But you don't go to parties.

Not anymore, because of those humans that turn into animals.

That sounds fun!

Ipso facto: You behave like a spider. Q.E.D

Domesday.

Set in the aftermath of the Norman Conquest of England and the commencement of the Domesday Boke census, the characters are people who had normal medieval professions, but then witnessed something weird that turned their friends and families against them, as they blamed them for the occurrence. Down on their luck and looking at a miserable (and probably brief) existence, they have each been chosen by a representative of a powerful Norman lord to form a small group to investigate further supernatural events.

Think Anglo-Norman England meets the X Files.

System would be a custom-built engine using either PbtA or Year Zero as a basis.

I have my own game system called Fables & Foxtales that has been in the works for years. I recently completed the 'Beta' in January, and to playtest that, I've been working on a game that I plan to run in the future, but in typically Kae-fashion, I severely overdid it. Its massive in scope and way too ambitious for me to manage with my current workload because of the breadth and freedom it allows for.

The idea in question is called Grimoire Hart Academy, which is a school in my homebrew world where aspiring adventurers and delvers go to learn the trade. So not just a 'magic academy', but a school for all kinds of adventurers. Players will be first year students in the incoming Class 1-B, and can choose from 6 degree majors (Combat, Liberal Arts, Science, and more!), 9 degree minors (specializations include advanced combat tactics, necromancy, dungeon stewardship, culinary arts, and more!), and over 50 classes, 8 clubs, and 4 extracurricular organizations (sports and leagues). 25 members of staff, most of which are instructors, 28 other first year students, and at least 20 more NPCs in the school and outside of it, all with ready-made bios that include their class lists, schedules, backstory elements, and interests. And the campus currently has 35 pre-made and ready to explore locations, including specific classrooms, training fields, remote facilities, and secret areas! Not to mention there are at least major settlements in the immediate region, 3 active 'dungeons', and a ton of places to explore beyond that.

This is meant to be a sprawling, sandbox academia that focuses on school life and all the fun misadventures that go with it. There is a story plot and major events that happen, but players can investigate it at their leisure and otherwise enjoy mostly-free reign to explore the campus, nearby locations, and even beginner dungeons for extra credit and experience. You can get to know NPCs, stir up drama, get into trouble, and participate in school events, club projects, or pursue quests for some pocket change.

That and you can effectively pursue any kind of trade you want, whether you want to be an adventurer or delver, or if you want to work in support services, like as a guild coordinator, a merchant, a private agent for freelancers, or even as a scientist studying dungeon ecology or a caretaker who helps maintain dungeons!

Setting-wise, it is a blended anime fantasy, with elements of both medieval high-fantasy and some modern concepts and magitek. GHA takes place in a country called the Ecclesian Empire, which has recently introduced a number of new laws granting rights and citizenship to tons of new non-human species, and players can, in theory, be whatever they want. The rest of the first year students, for instance, consists of a variety of different folks with lots of identities, including Snow Elves, Anima (anthromorphs), Half-Dwarves, Dhampir, L'dopterra (moth people), Demons, and Oni! There are even some isekai'd humans mixed in here and there that have come over from Earth!

Players get a Student Handbook (Google Sheets) that serves to help give them info on the game and setting, record their character details, and keep track of their classes and schedules.

Here are some snippets from the aforementioned Student Handbook!