The big creative project I’ve been chipping away on for ages is finally online (though so much left to do). I chucked it up last night after (literally) months of procrastinating. It’s a roleplaying game, intended for pen and paper, though what I’ve put online is only the setting which is feck’in huge. Mostly because I’ve spent time doing a lot of reading of mythology for it.
It’s called Lost Heroes and I’ve talked about it a few times here. It’s going to be a fudge based game (Fudge was what FATE was originally based on). The setting itself is the modern day, except the “ancient” gods and pantheons didn’t go away. (I put ancient in quotes, only because some of these pantheons still, or now have resurrected, active religions). It includes Angels and Demons, the Norse Gods Aesir (Odin, Loki, Thor and so on and not the DC’s superhero Thor character, which is such a deviation from the original mythology), Celtic Gods (Lugh, Donn, Morrigan, etc.) and Greek Gods of Olympus (probably my favourite). Anyway you can go download it right now and read it for yourself. It’s certainly still needs work, but I am proud of it.
Now though I’m unsure what the next steps are. I’m currently still researching the system though I do have an older draft of it and tons of notes and ideas. But what do I do with what I have put online? (Suggestions on a postcard, or, you know, just comment below). I’ll probably submit it to a few choice communities but I don’t want to spam it around too much.
Comments (3)
bless you, this website genuinely assisted me with a writing theme for my school class at UofM
Well I’m enjoying Lost Heroes so far. I’ve go a character for you.
Character Generation
The number of characters is overwhelming. Maybe a sample Divine Family would help…
The Five Stars Project… is tenament housing of mixed low- and middle-income families. It is located X miles from the city center, on the wrong side of the tracks.
Furthur out is a wasteland of industrial buildings and porn shops, and both are home to monsters.
Yeah, I hear what you’re saying. Cliched, right? Well, the one in the porn shop looks a little like a big grey-white yeti if you have the eyes to see through the Veil. If you don’t… well, he looks like a hairsuit 7-foot tall muscular man. Really hairsuit.
The silvery 10 story glass walled office tower, home to cut-rate dentists, blood banks, e-publishing and commodities traders? You’d think vampire clan, but no. That’s where Hades lives. Not the actual guy, but more like his sone by a third cousin removed. Melt into shadows type. Take you on a tour of the underworld.
Seriously. Interesting. Guy.
Plot Point: And on the top floor is Picaso, a painter who dreams the future and sells them. A bit like the TV series “Heroes,” I hear, only cubist. He’s got 5 paintings in a series that predicts the Justice League of America and the two founders. But what is Justice? Who’s justice?
In our own complex we’ve got our Divine Family. Heroes, Fallen, Vampires, Werewolves, along with your normal hippies, harpies and animated skeletons. Major personalities include:
Anog Ite (American Indian/Inuit)
Anog Ite, also known as Ite, Face or Double Face Woman, is the wife of Tate (Wind) and daughter of Skan (Sky). Her name reflects her two faces; one beautiful, the other ugly, a punishment for her attempt to seduce Wi (Sun). In other Lakota tales she is the bringer of “quilling”, the craft of sorting and dyeing porcupine quills.
Ngaan (Africa)
The son of Mbomba. The two quarreled all the time and after Mbomba went to the heaven, Ngaan took the underworld sea.
Buto (Egyptian)
The snake-goddess of the ancient Egyptian oracle in Buto and tutelary goddess of Lower Egypt (the Delta of the Nile). She is the protector of the Egyptian king, together with the vulture-goddess Nekhbet. She was placed as an uraeus (cobra amulet) on the crown of the king. Her name means ‘the papyrus colored’, referring to the green color of the cobra. Buto gave nourishment to both children of Isis. She was depicted as a woman, or as a cobra with the crown of Lower Egypt on its head. The Greeks identified her with the goddess Leto. She is also called Uto.
Fuku-Nyorai
In Japanese cosmology, the element of air, signifying the wisdom of accomplishment.
Hoja
Hoja Nasredin is a famous character in humerous tales in Egypt, Iran, and Turkey. He is half saint and half fool, but also a sage with astute insights.
http://www.pantheon.org/areas/genealogy/house_of_troy.html
Fuku-Nyorai is the “father/daughter” diety head, with Anog and Buto next, followed by Hoja and Ngaan.
Adventure ideas:
You are one of the two founders of the “Justice Leage of America”. The other person pictured may be your enemy, your significan other, or someone you’ve never met. If you “found” this “justice center” what does it mean to your divine family? Who wants to stop you or help you and why?
Jason Kidd (“no, no relation to Captain Kidd”)
(subjective character creation, using “Over the Fudge” style)
You are one of the character types of the book (Fallen, Hero, Monster, etc.) Choose one and take one of the sentances or ideas and rate it as Great, two two and rate them as Good. For each trait, put in parenthasis something that stands out about that trait: something that you do all the time, or that people see.
Your Great trait will /usually/ be your main supernormal power.
Now take at least one of the ideas in the description and use it as your Fault.
Write down a character description, draw a picture or symbol for your character, add equipment and you’re done.
Jason Kidd
Lost Hero Concept: Soulless
Traits:
Justice-seeking Art Teacher: Great
Knowledge of Local Flora and Fauna of the Veil: Good
Supernormal Combat: Good
Fault:
Feared by Mortals and The Others
Description
The Soulless are Chosen that have been hollowed out by their Patron, their Soul removed, and are created with a specific purpose or goal. Jason Kidd looks habitually sleep-deprived and uses a cane (which is really a magical sword of Justice).
Using Jason Kidd:
Any time you think Jason’s action fit what the player wants to do, and you think that action is part of his traits, roll Fair difficulty unless that action is very specific (and then you should roll Good difficulty or higher).
For example, Jason is facing several street thugs (all Poor to Mediocre trait levels) and wants to calm things down; he could use his Justice-Seeking Art Teacher trait to talk them logically out of their intentions. Perferably before they become hors-de-vours for the tentacled thing in the sewer.
Jason’s excuse for adventuring is not self-imposed. His patron (Justice? which Pantheon?) wants him to find that other founder of the “Justice League of America”. What happens then is they found that society/divine family. Then Jason is told his soul will be returned.
His wanderings have led him to several, um, flora and fauna of the Veil so if he get’s into trouble he can always lead you to a Tryphid.
Jason’s Relationship with the Divine Family at the Five Stars Project:
“Father” (to the head)
“Trickster! (expletive)” or “Oh, you rascal” (to Hoja)
“Sweet on Her” (to Anog)
Picture
http://www.aiwaz.net/uploads/gallery/justice-4233-mid.jpg
Bibliography
http://www.pantheon.org/
http://www.behindthename.com/
http://www.thinkbabynames.com/
http://www.stonedragonpress.com/vladimir_propp/propp_generator_v1.htm
http://www.abandonedsubwaytunnels.com/subwaysite/subway_home.html
http://bigthink.com/ideas/21496
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brewer%27s_Dictionary_of_Phrase_and_Fable
http://www.creativewritingprompts.com/
Fudge Guide
http://www.fudgerpg.info/guide/Guide/WebHome.html
Fudge Factor: Lair of the Skull Monkey (“Over the Edge Fudge”)
http://www.fudgefactor.org/2002/12/01/lair_of_the_skull_monkey.html
Fudge Factor: For Love Or Honor
http://www.fudgefactor.org/2001/12/01/for_love_or_honor.html
Fudge Supers (Subjective)
http://web.archive.org/web/20021122232300/http://home.nc.rr.com/archer7/fudgesupers.html
Fudge Superpowers
http://web.archive.org/web/20071108002752/http://www.phoenyx.net/alienlight/fudgesupers.htm
http://web.archive.org/web/19991108195855/www.io.com/~whytcrow/other/super.html
Gods and Monsters
http://www.fudgerpg.info/guide/Guide/GodsAndMonsters.html
Possession
http://web.archive.org/web/20021219072357/http://fudgerpg.com/fudge/possess.html
Five-Point Noir
http://home.comcast.net/~samford/noir5.htm
Mutant Bikers of the Atomic Wasteland
http://www.fudgerpg.info/guide/Articles/MutantBikersOfTheAtomicWastelands.html
Unfinished Stefan O’Sullivan Superhero Project
http://www.panix.com/~sos/rpg/fud4-super.html
-J.Tim
Sorry J.Tim but I only just found your comment lodged in the spam folder (I think the list of links flagged the spam detector). I’m still sorta digesting it! Thank you for taking the time to create a character and it’s certainly interesting.