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Looking for a Walk in Darkness (For want of an Evil Game)

Posted by Norwood
Norwood
member, 254 posts
Wed 22 Apr 2015
at 04:07
  • msg #1

Looking for a Walk in Darkness (For want of an Evil Game)

Recently, I've had some new inspiration that's had me hankering for a game that would let me flex my muscles writing for the dark side. Let me just detail a bit of what I'm interested in.

1) Group Size: I think I'm interested in something that's primarily small group, maybe a maximum of 3 players. Solo is also an option, and one that would work better for much of what I'm interested in. I'd like a game that's really focused around the activities of a select few fiendish characters, and the sort of autonomy I want my character to have gets cut way down the more players there are in a group.

2) Character: I've got a few ideas for this. I've always been particularly enamored with necromancy, but it's rather difficult to play a necromancer in a game with a traditional party of adventures, both because of the general reaction to necromancy and the logistics of undead management. I'd like to play a necromancer (not an adventurer) who has time and freedom to pursue their research, fortify their crypt, and embark on missions to recover tomes of lost magic, fonts of dark power, and those sorts of things. I'd like to be able to really play the burgeoning dark lord on their path to lichdom instead of just another "adventuring mage"

Beyond that, I also really like the idea of a fallen knight/paladin. A powerful lieutenant for a darker lord. I'd like this to be a story about what it means to be fallen. There'd be plenty of action, intrigue, and evil, but it would also be a game about portraying the lingering moral dilemmas of someone who's sliding deeper and deeper into darkness. A tormented relationship with the one seducing them to the dark side is a practical necessity.

Finally, I'm still (and always have been) interested in finding someone to help me play a story about going from mortal to Vampire in the V:tR setting. I've always wanted to play a story that really focuses in on the transition and all the messiness that comes when you stop living and start feeding.

I have other ideas, but these two stuck out for me the most at the moment.

3) Setting: Traditional fantasy would probably be the default setting for most of these ideas, but there are other options, too. Different degrees and flavors of fantasy, from arthurian to regional, can all be great spices for a story like this.

One possibility for the above (outside of a more typical fantasy world) that would work particularly well for the second would be Star Wars. I've always wanted to explore the Sith more, particularly after playing through KotOR II for the umpteenth time. The story of a student, Jedi or not, seduced to the dark side, growing in power as they run errands and missions for their master, learning terrible truths and being hardened as their life is threatened on all sides . . . that sounds like a great story.

Alternatively, I'd also be potentially interested in a modern fantasy game, depending on the setting.

4) System: I've been enjoying D&D 5e lately. It works well for the sorts of fantasy action I like, though it's less well-suited to solo and super-small group games. That said, it's still an option on the table.

FATE (and many of its derivatives) work well for narrative stories and have a lot of flexibility.

I have access to Star Wars SAGA, in the event of a star wars game.

Obviously, I have V:tR (both versions) for the possibility of playing in white-wolf/onyx-path's setting.

* * * *

Anyway. Those are my ideas. If any interest you, please look me up and leave me a message through rmail.
StarlitSpider
member, 1 post
Sat 25 Apr 2015
at 03:34
  • msg #2

Re: Looking for a Walk in Darkness (For want of an Evil Game)

In reply to Norwood (msg # 1):

I've been bouncing around some ideas for a while now for a game inspired by Dungeon Keeper (and perhaps a dash of "The Dark Lord's Handbook"), using the FATE system. Player characters would have a relatively narrow set of skill columns, one skill at each rank up to +4. However, they would also have a column of underlings (both individual "agents" and collective groups of "minions") which have broader Profession ratings, though they receive significant penalties when trying to accomplish any task outside their job description. They can also receive stunts.

Finally, each character comes with a handful of "chambers," which have Features similar to skills, though they require a character to make active use of them. An armory might provide a one-time bonus equal to its feature rating to any character who's had the chance to make use of it before entering into battle. An Arcane Library's Feature rating could provide a wealth of forbidden lore, with all the risk and opportunity that implies. You get the idea.

A major focus of the game would be both managing the needs of and improving the "Dungeon,"  or fortress, which might take any form that made sense for the characters inhabiting it. Most underlings have some kinds of basic needs, zombies notwithstanding, as well as motivations and reasons for serving, any of which could come into question or start a conflict if things aren't going well. Underlings may need treatment or replacement after a fight goes poorly. An armory may need to be restocked (or you may just want to improve it), which could mean raiding someone else's, or acquiring resources for your own armorer. An Arcane Library is a wonderful tool so long as you haven't read every book you have on a given subject, or the one volume you've been using wasn't filched by an adventurer who made it in and out alive.

On the flipside, there's probably a reason you're amassing an army and building a fortress, and you probably think on a larger scale than the average adventurer. Vile schemes, intrigue, manipulation, punctuated by the occasional skirmish, would be the rule of the day. Most milestones ("Conquests") would come from spreading fear, sowing chaos, or generally making your mark on the world, and prevailing against, thwarting, interfering with, or especially subverting Heroic quests to your own ends.

The game as a whole would probably be heavier on logistics and management than the average FATE game, though the system helps to smooth that out enough that I think the players should only ever face interesting decisions if I'm doing things right, asking questions about things like specific structure layout and exact minion positions only when they become relevant and/or interesting. The setting would probably be a generic D&D world, though if something more exotic were preferred (an Eberron metropolis, a flying fortress in the Spelljammer setting, etc.), I certainly wouldn't object.

Does that sound like a game that could fit what you're looking for?
Shadowysilence
member, 80 posts
Fri 1 May 2015
at 07:16
  • msg #3

Re: Looking for a Walk in Darkness (For want of an Evil Game)

Ever been interested in playing in the Grim Darkness of the Far Future, in the 40K setting?

I've been wanting to run a Black Crusade game and get a hold of the mechanics, it could be a fun thing to try out.  Black Crusade is the version of 40K roleplaying where you play as a chaos cultist or chaos space marine and have all the fun that comes with.
Norwood
member, 256 posts
Fri 1 May 2015
at 15:22
  • msg #4

Re: Looking for a Walk in Darkness (For want of an Evil Game)

I'm still interested in looking for options along this line.

While I'm potentially interested in the setting/lore for 40k, I'm not as familiar with it as with other things, and while I think I have a digital copy floating around somewhere, I'm basically completely unfamiliar with the system.

That said, the idea of playing on the Master/apprentice relationship really appeals to me. I've just reinstalled KotOR 2, and it has reminded me of how much I love the portrayal of Kreia and her teachings. I'd be willing to explore this sort of relationship in a variety of settings, but I'd be especially keen to play the shadow-hand to a sith lord.
Shadowysilence
member, 83 posts
Fri 1 May 2015
at 17:10
  • msg #5

Re: Looking for a Walk in Darkness (For want of an Evil Game)

The mechanics aren't too hard to get down, but if you'd prefer something with the Sith I would go with that, the best I could do for you along the lines of a Sith apprenticeship would be if you were a psyker joining some sort of evil-cult coven and doing dirty deeds while trying to rise up the ranks and being taught by a stronger psyker.
notkevin
member, 86 posts
kevin?
Nope not me.
Sat 2 May 2015
at 18:29
  • msg #6

Re: Looking for a Walk in Darkness (For want of an Evil Game)

My game is a very sandboxy 3.5 game where I'd be happy to have any of your evil characters plotting away in my world!

link to another game
Norwood
member, 257 posts
Sun 3 May 2015
at 02:22
  • msg #7

Re: Looking for a Walk in Darkness (For want of an Evil Game)

After getting a couple of inquiries about this, I'm going to go ahead and spell it out in thread. D&D 3.5/Pathfinder are pretty big "off's" for me when it comes to systems. Thank you for the offers, but if it's 3.5 or a clone, I'm probably not going to be happy there.
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