Running a mage game in space and realizing that thinking things over I am a little light on sub-plots .... people seam to be doing a good job making there own plots  OH BOY are they making there own plots, but yah, with how complicated the sub-plots they started are building up to be because of the events going on just making what they want to do super complicated and just... lol .... well lets just say there ambisious about things and when some one says well to do that you would have to talk to a a few gods.... there like, ok!    >.<   OK! lets do this!

But yah..... my own ideas for sub-plots seam a little pale in comparison to there ideas and the main plot... (fate of the universe stuff in the end though right now just involves an seemingly unstoppable ship attacking cities)

Anyway the setting is Mage from clasic WoD, but it's in space and with a bit of homebrew stuff that has the technocracy and traditions together (in space they still fight on earth) while earth is cut off from the colonies.

I could get into more but it would take forever and would be easier to just hear ideas and make any work that are good.....

oh side note they are acting kinda as pirates/privateers and have a living ship.... that people would very much want destroyed or owned themselves if they knew what the ship really was...  which will come up if anyone finds out anything.... oh will it come up....

In reply to Azraile (msg # 1):

You're in a great situation: your own players are creating the game they want. If they're being kept busy, then I would contend that you don't need any other side plots or, if you do, you could probably get the players to come up with them.

If you're having trouble seeing how to make their subplots work, ask them. Even if you have to let the players in on a bit of what's going on behind the scenes, it's probably worth it, because I find that players are usually willing to forget (or roleplay as if they've forgotten) meta-knowledge, if it means that their cool plot ideas will work. Heck, I've known players to happily walk into the jaws of a GM's plot, even when they knew everything about it, just because the game as a whole was going in a cool direction.

If I'm not understanding or addressing your issue, please let me know. This kind of thing really fascinates me.

Science fiction author Melissa Scott had some great "magic in spaceships" books in the 80s and 90s. If I remember correctly the first one was called "5/12ths of Heaven".

Well if you know anything about WoD, one of them wanted scar tattoo fetishs. Long story short they thought it was a grate idea to go see the god of war being they where on Mars already for a while to get him to do it. Because he found a dragon spirit and wanted to honor the spirit, so only the most difficult means of getting the tattoo's would do.....

when they got there another learned they where responsable for a memory inside the Atrosity realm and wanted to remove it.... he was convinced doing so would bring some measure of peace to those who part of them was traped in that memory. He was told thats just a memory and there souls arn't traped there but the fact even a memory of them is there means some part of them is there and that was something he wanted to fix. The exstream insanity of trying to remove or change part of the univurses memory was just.... but... you know... it was something a god of war could respect so he got help and now he's on a quest to do it.

I've desided he needs:
something to heal the place: some seeds from the god of Venus, she can make something to do that
A grate deal of energy for the 'seeds': some 'water' from the flux
Something to hold that energy: up to them but Vulcan can make something for sure
Something to tie him mentaly together with his friends so the Atrosity realm don't do it's thing when they inter it... some sorta magic to bind them together for it and keep there minds centered on the task

and he needs to go in there and face memory he caused and resolve it... then plant the seeds and 'water' them.   Has to be him being that he caused it.

I figure there other ways they could go about it... .but this makes the most sence as being one that isn't to hard and time consuming.


I'm just afraid I don't have enough sub-plots or the ones I've come up with don't hold up enough to that one.....  I think I put to much weight in them dealing with big advisaries and not enough distractions from the main story.

In reply to Azraile (msg # 4):

Each one of those needs you listed could involve a tremendous and complicated side plot.

But why do you feel the need for "distractions" from the main story anyway?

they're cut off from earth? is that a plot thing? is it even desired? maybe those on earth don't like it because that means they can't control the colonies. so someone/thing tries to bridge the gap and make a connection. the players could deal with that. that could even pose a recurring sub-plot if they have to close the doors any time someone/thing opens one.

The access to earth is tricky.

If your born on earth you can leave earth (dangerous) and return (also dangerous) so long as it's within a set amount of time... usually between 6 months to a year.

Otherwise Earth is to out of phase with the rest of the universe and anything on earth wouldn't have a 'physical' form.

So there are smugglers and there was a sub-plot with that.  One of the chars had 'scars' where there some what out of phase in places from almost dying on an earth re-entry... but they quit.

I could try and plot some of the technocracy is trying to recreate a link with those they mind-controlled in space.



I don't think distractions are a good word, I just don't want to be rail-roading them into the plot. Even when the plot is time sensitive, there will just be consequences for not resolving things faster. lol Like less major cites. >.>

One suggestion is to meet Prometheans. Somewhere out there someone has mastered artificial life that is in general inimical to most Terran lifeforms (due to Disquiet). Who made them? What purpose did these things serve? Even a small town strewn with destroyed Prometheans can prove an interesting mystery hook.

If the answer is Geniuses then you now have a competing faction to play with. They are very similar to mages in that both warp reality/consensual awareness but do so by different means. The Technocracy in particular would be very interested in studying these entities. Especially if they are the result of early mind control/psychic phenomena experiments.

It seems to me with all they are up to ... some God might not like it and refer them tom Justice. Maybe a trial for their meddling in others business.

Didn't think about something out there not being happy with them messing around with the Atrocity. Even if it's not a big impact it sets a precedent that maybe something can be done, that and it is a feeding ground for young banes. Older, intelligent ones, wouldn't want anyone messing with it.

I will have to look into Prometheans....

My main problem is also the fact I am realizing some of the plots I had set up aimed way way to high, and no one gets them. x.x

Memenomic serial killers that need to be hunted down as a conceptional as they try and replace the concept of murder is cool and all.... but not if anyone can figure out what is going on.

In reply to Azraile (msg # 10):

Tell the players what's going on. They're clearly creative and want to help make a cool game, so they will probably make it cool, rather than undermining it.

For that matter, just tell the characters. Just because they know whats going on, doesn't mean they can easily stop it. The surprise and coolness will be from what they plan to do and what comes from that.