Masks: Coming of Age [ EDIT ]

Premise

A Masks game where all characters are high school students navigating the challenges of adolescence and heroism; fighting sinister villains while trying to balance secret identities, budding romances, and personal demons.

Theme

I'm going for a slightly darker adaptation of a standard four-color superhero Masks game. Our young heroes should still be optimistic, heroic, and noble, only it's going to feel like an uphill battle to preserve their values in the face of callous villains, oppressive government agents, and the pressure of being teenagers while maintaining their secret identities. Think Sam Raimi's Spiderman, Nolan's Batman, or Invincible - all basically good people at heart willing to endure for the greater good. So no deconstruction of the heroic tropes and conventions. No anti-heroes. Just a VERY bumpy road for our protagonists till the promised cathartic happy ending.

Even when we explore themes such as death, loss, or complex relationships - content that is excessively dark, disturbing, or emotionally intense will be limited, or toned down; depicted romance will be restricted to holding hands or touching lips with any sexual activity implied rather than described in detail. Extreme or offensive language is generally to be avoided. Torture, and other unsavory acts, will be alluded to, rather than depicted. Etc, etc.

The only exception to that would be the graphical violence. Not more than what you would expect in your run-of-the-mill hack-and-slash game where people and monsters are dismembered by sharp swords or burned to a crisp by fireballs, but probably not something you will see on the screens of a PG-13 movie.

Game Style

This is going to be an episodic type of game, where each chapter is mostly 'stand-alone'. The narrative arc that will tie them all together would be the story of coming of age; evolving relationships, self-discovery, and character development, culminating in the climactic moment that would shape the destiny of the heroes, and the city itself.


How to Apply

Application is by Private Message only.

Make sure you browse the game forums first. Then, send me the elevator pitch for your character(s). Nothing too elaborate is needed; 2-3 paragraphs should suffice for me to have a feel for what you want to play and get an impression of your writing style. It’ll be good to include any ideas you might have about potential storylines, character arcs, or conflicts you would like to explore as part of this game. Sending more than one character concept you’re interested in playing would help too, in case some of the playbooks prove to be overly popular.

Let me know what experience you have with the system (none is required, but I’d like to know if you need any assistance or advice when starting out), and if you ever played a PbP game in the past.

Lastly, send me your ‘lines and veils’. While I attempted to describe what you should expect as part of this game under the ‘theme’ section above, I’m sure I haven’t covered everything. High School bullying? Loss of a loved one? Your Beagle shot by the son of a Russian crime lord? Pineapple on your pizza? Telling me what subjects I should steer away from will make it a more enjoyable game for all of us.