[PBEM News] Shadows of Humanity

From: shadowsofhumanity@gmail-dot-com.no-spam.invalid (shadowsofhumanity)

Date: Mon, 25 Dec 2006 23:06:28 +0000

Shadows of Humanity~ the Everlasting RPG PBEM

Setting:
Shadows of Humanity ( http://www.geocities.com/shadowsofhumanity/ ) is
a long-planned PBEM RPG that has been in the development and planning
stages since 1999.  Have finally had the time to get things to a
point where we are now looking for players and hope to start the
various story lines very soon.  However this is not the World of
Darkness setting nor does it use the White Wolf systems, due to their
disjointed compatibility between different types of characters
(Vampires vs. Wer vs. others).  The system and setting being used
offers much more flexibility as well as many more options for types
of characters, including: Vampires, Angels, Wer, Ghuls, Revenants,
Daevas (think in terms of the Immortals from The Highlander
movies/series), Dragons (who hide in human form), Djinn, Questers,
Dead Souls (ghosts), Gargoyles, Faerie, Reanimates, Manitou (humans
tied to a nature spirit), Osirians (mortals who are reborn and
remember their past lives and who often posses other magickal
abilities), mortal humans (with the ability to see beyond the
shadows), as well as several other mythical or legendary
races/beings.  Instead the Shadows of Humanity PBEM will be loosely
using The Everlasting (published by Visionary Entertainment Studios
http://www.visionaryentertainment.com/ ), which was developed and
written by Steven Brown, who had written some of White Wolf's most
controversial books, and then later decided to go it on his own in
developing a system that is fully compatible between a wide variety
of creatures and beings.  He spent years of research on the topics of
history, mythology, culture, and religious lore to develop the Secret
World setting.  He has also followed the teachings of the likes of
Sir James Frazier and Joseph Campbell in creating a system that
allows for stories to be told using all the elements the
protagonists/characters becoming a hero or at least trying to follow
their own personal "Hero's Journey" of self-discovery and defeating
not only those obstacles that are placed in their path but also in
dealing with and overcoming their own weaknesses and internal demons.
 Thus this is intended to be a RPG with each player following the path
that they see as reasonable for their character concept, be it heroic
or anti-heroic, be it honorable or dishonorable.  As long as the
player follows through with their character and allows the character
to develop and grow into something more than they started out as and
helps to create their part in the larger story, while at the same
time forging their own story and discovering their own personal
mythology.

The bulk of the game will take place in and around a large
metropolitan area in the Midwest/Great Lakes region of North America
that sits on the Great Lakes and is thus a fairly heavily
industrialized area (think of places like Chicago, Toronto, Detroit,
Milwaukee, or Cleveland).  This metro area is a fictitious location
with a population of about 1 million.  The amount of information
located on the web site ( http://www.visionaryentertainment.com/ )
should be enough to allow players some basic details as to the area,
and what it is like.  Only a couple-score of businesses have been
detailed so far, and about twice as many NPC's have been fairly well
detailed.  Thus there is lots of room to add details to the setting
to meet the needs or character concepts to fit within the setting or
to help fill out details of the Metro Area (as it is commonly
called).  There is also a basic explanation of the different "Gentes"
(character types) that are available, as well as a couple that will
not be available to players.  Also included on the web site is an
extensive Lexicon, that can be referenced to find the definition of
terms both for the Everlasting system and for the Secret World
setting.

Background and operation:
My background (for those who may be curious) is as an active RPGer
since the late 1970's, with probably 70-80% of my time involved in
this hobby being in creating and running games (thus as a GM).  I
started running my first PBEM game at the urging of a friend from
college who wanted to get back into playing Rolemaster back in 1996,
but with us being nearly 1,000 miles apart, he suggested handling it
via email.  One of the other players in my first attempt as PBEM was
also a guy who would later become the system editor for the
Rolemaster system, and whom I've stayed in touch with.  We also had
two members who lived in Europe (one in Italy and one in Spain), and
as such, this is open to anyone from anywhere around the world who
would be interested (we currently have at least one player who is in
the process of developing their character who is from Australia).
However after about 3 years of continual operation, the PBEM had to
be put on hold due to my work schedule having increased dramatically,
and by the time I was able to dedicate time to it again, we lost touch
with half of the players.  Thus is also the reason for it taking so
long to get the Shadows of Humanity idea into its current state and
actually ready to run.  However as such I've got a lot of experience
and have run some long running RPG campaigns over the years.  The
system that my friend and I worked out for handing the PBEM also
provides a much cleaner and smoother storyline for the players than
the common email-list based system that is so often implemented that
allows those who sit on their computer all day to be able to run the
show while those who are only looking to participate by posting once
a day or maybe 3 or 5 times a week are pushed into the background.
Thus the system that we will be using does not involve an email list,
but rather all emails will need to pass through myself.  This will
allow me to only pass on pertinent information to each player (thus
you get to see what your character is able to perceive, thus
mysteries remain mysteries until your character solves them and
meta-gaming is minimized).  Thus you will not (or at least probably
won't) know who the player behind any of the other characters are,
likewise you may not always know which characters are actually
player-run versus GM run.  This also allows for more flexibility than
a typical "group adventure" where you are put into a group and
everyone in the group needs to get along or else.  Instead you have
the ability as a player to play your character as you see fit and
make alliances or enemies as you feel is appropriate for your
characters goals and ambitions.  One warning to those who are looking
for something fast-paced though, this format for a PBEM RPG is a
little slower paced than your typical email list based game (at least
those that last more than 3-4 weeks), however this format will result
in much more depth and story development.

Players will have two broad options when creating a character to
participate in the Shadows Of Humanity email based RPG.  It is
intended that all player protagonists will find themselves in heroic
or very unusual situations, with their way of dealing with this and
overcoming the problems/personal barriers that will create the
general plot of the stories created here.  Thus we recommend that
none of the players consider playing normal humans, but instead
either create recently established members of Everlasting society or
humans who are on the verge of becoming part of Everlasting society,
or at least humans who can perceive the Reverie and other worlds or
states of being.  This will be a multi-step process, with the first
being emailing myself a character concept/description (no stats or
game-mechanic specifics).  This should include the characters
personal background and a history of sorts, including what type of
Everlasting they have recently become (with an explanation/back-story
provided by the player) or any changes or strange things that may be
slowly swaying/forcing their protagonist to tread the trail less
commonly followed.  Once this is submitted and the details ironed out
jointly by the GM and player, we will move on to the next step of the
process; protagonist creation.   In thinking about and developing a
character concept to submit, it is highly recommended that you take a
look at the Questionnaire that appears at the end of this post.

For anyone who is not familiar with the Everlasting, do not fret if
this sounds like something you would be interested in taking part in.
 As all system mechanics will be handled behind the scenes, so you do
not need to know the system to participate.  As this is being handles
as a way to bring together true RP'ers who want to be a prt of a
larger story that is made up of many intertwining stories as told
from the perspective of the many characters who will be its central
figures.  Also, due to the format that we will be using, do not be
put off by only being able to dedicate a little time, as you can
still participate with as little as 2-3 email responses per week,
with only a few minutes of your time needed.

Really good and original protagonist concepts will be rewarded with
the protagonists starting out one level higher and thus being a
little more established within Everlasting society (however note that
this will be very limited if it happens at all and it will not be made
public which protagonists (if any) have an extra level).  Also note
that starting Everlasting protagonists will (under most
circumstances) start out at 3rd level (as per the standard
guidelines).  Non-everlasting starting protagonists (those who start
out as mortals but who are on the verge of
crossing-over/changing/etc.) will start out at second level (thus
will be quite powerful for mortal characters) and will also receive a
minor bonus (most likely a slight increase in Destiny beyond what is
normal for second level (or third if this protagonist concept is
amazing), or possibly even a special item/possession or background
bonus of some type).  Thus these mortal protagonists while starting
out slightly less powerful will be a little more so than a typical
second level protagonist/antagonist and will be able to experience
the �discovery� process of making the transition over to a member of
Everlasting society.

All of the Gentes with the exception of Devils/Demons and Abominations
will be allowed, however some of the less common Gentes will only be
available in limited numbers as protagonists (due to their intended
rarity within the Secret World setting).  NPC�s/Antagonists will also
tend to follow this same limited number (thus the rare types will not
be very common among either player�s as Protagonists nor as NPC�s.
If you want to work with other players to create protagonists that
have some ties to one another that would be great, but is not a
necessity.  If there is a desire to do so, let me know and I will
help to put you in touch with someone else who might be looking to
tie their character to other characters also.  As this tends to be a
game where interaction is beneficial, the GM�s may also add some
background information to help tie you to other characters or NPC�s
that may help to get your character starting moving on the path
towards their �Hero�s Journey�.    The first bit of the role-playing
will involve the �mortal�s� to make the transition over as well as
getting protagonists together and working towards common goals or
interests.  If there are enough players, this may result in several
different groups that will be working together but yet may come into
minor conflict with each other as the story progresses towards the
overall arching scope that is planned.

Timing:
My work schedule will be very busy over the month of January and into
early February, however I've taken vacation for the remainder of the
year, so will have some time to help potential players work out
character concepts and ideas prior to that, and will try to spare a
little time now and then through January and early February to do the
same (although time will be in short supply  as I'll be working close
to 300 hours over a 4-1/2 week period during that time (around 60-70
hours per week)).  However come the middle of February, I'm hoping to
be able to spare some time again to get things moving along.  Thus I
hope to have the Shadows of Humanity PBEM up and running by the
beginning of March.  Thus if this sounds like the sort of RPG that
you would like to play a role in, and you are willing to be patient
with the slow start of things between now and March, feel free to
look around the web site provided above and contact me via email at:
shadowsofhumanity@gmail.com  and I will do my best to try to answer
any questions.

Questionnaire

1)       Is your protagonist male, female, other?

2)       What does your protagonist look like?

3)       How old is your protagonist and how old does he/she appear?

4)       What are your protagonist�s current interests (hobbies,
desires, goals, drives)?

5)       What are your protagonist�s religious/cultural beliefs (if
any)?

6)       What culture was your protagonist raised in?

7)       What is your protagonist�s attitude towards life?  What is
the meaning of life for him/her?

8)       Where does your protagonist live?  What does his/her Sanctum
(home) look like?

9)       Does your protagonist have a job in the mortal world?  Where
does your protagonist�s money come from?

10)    How does your protagonist spend his/her free time?

11)    Does your protagonist maintain a false identity?  If so, who
knows his/her true identity?

12)    Who are your protagonist�s friends and enemies?

13)    What have been your protagonist�s major victories and failures
in life so far?

14)    What are your protagonist�s greatest strengths?

15)    What has your protagonist�s life been like so far (brief
history, background)?

16)    Who has your protagonist wronged greatly (who have they
angered)?

17)    What evils has your protagonist personally committed or allowed
to continue unchecked?

18)    What are your protagonist�s fatal flaws?

19)    What are your protagonist�s greatest sins and virtues?

20)    What is your protagonist�s Ethos (their Personality Archetype)?
--
posted from PBEM News - PBEM listings and announcements
Reply to this post at http://www.pbemnews.org