SOTDL: Pitch
You remember the first time you died. And the second . . .
You remember because death fucking hurts, and the unavoidable process of coming back from the Dry Lands is a bastard's illegitimate bitch of a fuck.
With one foot in the land of the living and one in the dust of the lands beyond, you have seen what lies on the other side.
And you know what is coming should the ancient wards fail.
What to Expect from this Game[edit]
The segments below outline various essential back-of-the-house components and should give you a good idea whether you might be interested in joining our passing circus. Feel free to DM me over on the forums (or ask in recruitment or OOC if either are active) if you have any questions not covered here.
So, What do the Characters Actually Do?[edit]
The PCs are unsuspecting - perhaps even unwilling - heroes. For the most part, magic has left the world, but some lingering remnants of the arcane age lingers in the blood of those who call themselves Shadowwalkers.
Mundane corruption and abuse are rife in the post magic world, and an ancient evil begins to rise as the magicks that bound it begin to falter and fade.
The activities of the PCs are essentially twofold: Stand up for the little guy who can't stand against the powers of the world, and find a way to turn back the Wraith of the ancient world that have begun to slip into the realms of man.
Premise[edit]
The age of magic has ended. The age of heroes has faded to myth. The few creatures of magic that remain in the world live in hiding, diminished beings far past the reach of their former power.
In the deep places, an ancient evil stirs, testing the waning strength of the crumbling wards set by heroes of another age to contain it for all time. The very knowledge of the great Ward Stones is lost to time, the means of their maintenance forever out of reach. Nothing but their small lingering power stands in the way of the darkness emerging into the world again.
There are some, however, whose blood still holds the memory of power. These are still able to walk the old paths. These can slip the grasp of death. They feel the welling evil, and can sense when it is near. They can also sense others of their kind, not all of whom are noble of purpose or free of the darkness' taint.
Power Level[edit]
Though there are unseen epic elements brewing in the background, our stories will mostly consist of street level heroics.
Theme[edit]
With the passing of magic, the world has become a dim shadow of a place to live. Folk who can, take advantage of folk who can't, and there is little recourse and few places for the disenfranchised and dispossessed to turn.
In random places, the ancient evil slips its bonds, with no real power to oppose its spreading miasma.
Where it rises. folk suffer.
Into this world, new and untested heroes - with nothing to guide them but faded legend - step into the breech to burn away the dark with whatever light the lingering magic in their blood can muster.
Tone[edit]
Heroic: While the setting is a backdrop of general toil and misery and affliction, light can still be found in these dark places, from simple folk to heroes alike.
Put simply, this is not meant to be a grimdark slough. The heroes are meant to prevail; they are meant to effect change, and even when they are overwhelmed and forced to regroup, their efforts will almost certainly make things better on some level for someone.
The Five (5) Act Story Arc[edit]
This game is designed to facilitate an ongoing campaign, but I have set it up to do so in an episodic fashion of individual story arcs that generally lead in the direction of the building troubles of the setting at large.
There is a certain expectation of attrition in PBP games, and this creates regularly spaced opportunities for new players to join along the way.
Each arc is divided into (usually) five (5) acts made up of multiple scenes (however many suits the pace and action at hand).
Typically, Act 1 functions as the investigative act. The characters have some inkling what is on the horizon, and they begin to prepare to meet it, researching as they can and gearing up, hiring folk if that seems needed, etc. Act 1 is a usually the slowest act in regards to conflict and confrontation, so it is a good time to start building up your allotment of plot points in anticipation of the action to come.
Act 2 usually sees the characters, newly armed with knowledge, supplies, and other assets, getting into place. This might mean travel or infiltrating an unsuspecting place, etc. Lots of skill challenges here focused on overcoming environmental obstacles.
Act 3 sees the beginnings of whatever confrontation the PCs have dreamed up and very often shows the things they were unable to plan for. Opposed action begins in earnest, and the PCs may need to regroup before all is said and done.
At the end of Act 3, the PCs get their first XP award of the arc. Each player decides if they will spend that XP immediately or bank it to spend later, but it provides an opportunity for a power bump before the heavy action begins in earnest.
Act 4 is generally where the conflict kicks into full gear. This is where I usually begin spending GM plot points in earnest and start putting my the higher powered GMCs into the story (well, not put them in per se do much as reveal their capabilities more fully). Typically, Act 4 is where the PCs rally and start to turn the tide. This is where the outcome of the conflict and the climax of the story will be determined.
Finally, Act 5 is here we mop up the extraneous threads of the story and either tie them off or realize they will likely be seen again in some future story. At the end of Act 5, the PCs get their second XP award. Again, it is up to each player to decide whether to spend or bank that XP.
Note: There are no restrictions on when a player can spend banked XP. There is effectively zero downtime associated with XP spends in this medium (unlike f2f games where everyone has to stop what they are doing if one person wants to buy an upgrade).
Cotex isn't class based, so timing doesn't really matter, and IMO, PBP games come with enough random hiccups to go adding an obviously unnecessary one.
