Session 0 and Background
The Pitch
Centuries ago, the near return of a dark god led to the total collapse of The Runelands, the emergence of a long dead empire and death of Abadar shattered the once powerful New Hope, and the swarming magical energy and change caused by a shifting balance of cosmic powers changed the actual face of the world. But that was centuries ago, things have started to rebuild in the coastal plains, what was once home to a single hegemony is now full of a multitude of nation states, the native Kastian Goblins have again
(This is also in the intro section)
Tone and Feel
- Adventurous -
- Curiosity - The wold isn't unknown, but its expansive, and much is still hidden.
- Connection - To each other, to NPC's, to the world, I want things more connected this time.
- Lighthearted - Unlike last time, I want a more lighthearted, lower stakes feeling
- Varied - I want this to cover a variety of themes and tones.
- Sandbox
Themes
- Something new every (adventuring) day.
- Forging your own way.
- Cultural Clash
Touchstones
I'm supposed to list like, media things with a similar feel, but that implies I watch things and can identify media, honestly, just assume some Zelda mixed with Final Fantasy.
General Character Guidelines
Character Creation
Who are you?
List a handful of things about your character, such as 3 one or two word traits to guide your RP, what do they value, what are thier fears? What can cause you complications in RP (somewhat xenophobic? a pacifist? and other things that might cause complications) Keep them basic and easy to remember as an RP guide, and expect your values, thoughts, and complications to change over the course of the game!
Who do you know?
No one is truly an island, everyone has connections, no matter how weak, how frayed, or hostile.
Who out there likes you? Who do you like?
Parents? Friends? Try to think of who your character has relied on in the past, or could in the future, who do you want to share successes with? who would you help if they were in need? Ideally, "the other party members" will be included in that list over time, but this is for your per-existing connections to the world.
Who out there has it out for you? Who are you out for?
Parents? Rivals? Have you pissed anybody off? Who may have pissed you off? This could be an unknown figure who stole your families ancestral sword, it could be your childhood rival who found success at your cost, Maybe its the local Lord who used backhanded tactics to claim your family home, or are you hunted by a strange cult as a child of some prophecy?
What, if any Organizations are your part of, interested in, or are interested in you?
While individual connections are important, also think about what larger groups you may be connected to? A church, a town, a guild? You can see the Introduction section for preexisting guilds and organizations, but its encouraged to work with me to make something!
Why are you here?
Adventuring is hard, it's dangerous, it takes you away from home. So, why are you doing it? Fortune? Fame? Thrill seeking, sent on a mission? this doesn't need to be complex, just what has driven you out of a "normal" life to this?
Switching Characters
Considering the intended mission-board type structure of the game, having a small stable of rotating characters should be fine, just keep the following in mind:
The more you switch characters, the harder it will be to be connected to the world, NPC's, and other PC's, and the harder it will be for any of them to be invested in you.
Death
This isn't a meat grinder, and I know that deaths cause issues (See above, since death is just forcefully switching characters), but I think that a campaign without even the threat of it lacks something. There are alternative failure states other than death that work better most the time however, and keep in mind, that with hero points and complications, your characters will only actually die when you no longer want them to live.
Resurrection
Resurrection is another thing that just murders stakes. actual resurrection magic is rare, and at best, expensive, at worst, requires major favors, or both.