I've been chasing after the mythical Fourth Game, hoping to be able to make a tad more than the pittance I've got now. I'm currently just below "Cashier at a Sandwich Shop" in the scheme of things (does that make me a starving artist? Is GMing art?) I'm not looking to start a career on something like this, I just want to be able to afford to eat out every now and again at places other than Denny's. So tell your friends about me. Even if it's "Look at this guy trying to get me to hire a GM!" because while they are laughing along with you they are secretly thinking "My GM sucks, I bet a guy who literally does nothing else won't be half bad." and BAM you just sent business my way you libelous bad person you.
I've been thinking about a few different settings but I've discovered my idea of "cool" is vastly different than other people's. One idea in the fore of my mind is doing a game taking place in the Wild West, I'd be using D20 Modern with the D20 Past and Weapons Locker supplements. The whole of the era is ripe with Role Playing opportunity and rich in action and adventure. Plus everyone knows that the revolver is the manliest and best of all firearms, something about them just screams "I'm the biggest badass you have or ever will see." but in an ominous quiet voice and a duster. I'm not sure exactly on how I want to do the time period though, will it be in a post-apocalyptic future where technology has regressed to 18th-19th century firearms and government has fallen backwards down the power scale pretty heavily. Or will it be in the literal 18th-19th century with America stretching out to the West, bringing the light of civilization and government meddling to all corners of the continent.
With the former I'd be able to add that supernatural aspect to it. Mutants roaming the dust bowl wasteland, remnants of a conquering alien empire existing in pockets throughout the world, exploring the ruins of a once great civilization and getting their toys to start working again, extra-dimensional Cthulu monsters existing where they shouldn't (Sanity Checks for everyone!).
With the latter I'd have all the political shifting and national polarization of cultures to draw upon for conflict and plot. This era in American History was a time of violence and freedom, the great gangs that would terrorize the trains that went out West, war brewing between the North and the South, the Government stretching it's brand new executive muscles and getting involved with the common man on the other side of the Nation. If you can't tell, the Civil War era and backwards is completely fascinating to me in every conceivable way (My interest is briefly sparked again by WWI and then it quickly dies out).
Plus I'd really like a reason to use my D20 Past supplement.
My other idea is the players being part of this Time Traveling Agency that goes back in time and changes things so that future disasters will be averted. It started out as a joke one shot about the players being sent back in time to save President Abraham Lincoln from being assassinated by John Wilkes Booth for some reason that had yet to work out because the interest (or lack thereof) in it never quite warranted any further attention. This mission goal will probably be different if ever I get players interested in it as I was beaten to the punch by this comic book Time Lincoln where Lincoln leads his own team of time travelers to do exactly what I had planned. It's less me being all "Bah they stole my idea!" and more me being all "Bah I was beaten to the punch and now I'm going to just look lazy." which is pretty self-conscious of me considering that this comic book lingers on the fringes of comic book fan knowledge and almost no one I've ever talked to has heard of it.
Anyway, I think it would be completely awesome to do crazy Time Cop things. History is the only subject in school I ever willingly paid attention for and I like to think I know enough to be able to pull off a pretty coherent story despite the jumping around Human History. I've been looking to indulge this interest and use it to make a new unique setting.
I'm rambling now and not expecting much feedback, but I will demand it later when the world has the decency to discover me.
For the Wild West game, check out Deadlands Reloaded. It is a different setting but looks pretty awesome and well styled for that setting. I guess it comes down to whether you want to learn a new system or not. Deadlands has cool gambling perspectives and stats that govern how much of a badass you are.
ReplyDeleteTime Cops would be cool. One thing that I think would be REALLY cool is if the things that happened in history that have little explanation(like the jfk assassination and Hitler's disappearance) were actually caused by some evil time agency and it is the parties job to follow them through time and thwart their efforts.
ReplyDeleteI could learn a new system if the demand ever called for it. Especially one that actually sounds badass.
ReplyDeleteI think you're on to something with the Time Cop idea. I'll probably end up building the setting for giggles and have it prepped and ready for play when (if) I ever get enough interest in it.
I'm still interested in the Wild West idea. A post-apocalyptic setting is also interesting to me. Kind of Trigun-esque or something. Aliens or monsters of some kind sound like a neat twist, so long as they're added with a good story to it. Aliens for the sake of aliens won't do it for me. (But I'm sure you could think of something; you did with the Genociders after all.) It would even be cool to just see what kind of power/destruction it would take to set the world back, what, at least 400 years back? If this would be a post-apocalyptic setting after all.
ReplyDeleteThe Time Cop idea is also interesting. Time travel is always a tricky idea in my brain; I dunno if it's just me or what, but the idea of reality shaping itself differently as a past timeline is changed to effect the present/future... Bah, it hurts my head. But being able to explore several time periods and try (and probably fail) to forge some ideal present by altering the past? That's pretty sweet.
Excellent, Wild West would be my next push then I think. Perhaps with a bit of Lovecraftian Horror thrown in there too.
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