Author Topic: What hasn't been done (or at least done well)?  (Read 12659 times)

Offline bhu

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Re: What hasn't been done (or at least done well)?
« Reply #40 on: June 19, 2016, 08:53:58 PM »
An oft spouted cliche is that people are drawn to wrestling because it's a form of soap opera in which the wrestlers use their bodies to tell a story.  Are the matches fake in the sense that they are scripted? Yes.  But that doesn't mean they don't push athletic boundaries (it's why they all die early), or that wrestlers never get injured.

Consider Big Van Vader.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRVn_XZPoYM  In his prime as a heel Vader was a 400 pound man who could do, and did, a moonsault every match.  A move normally reserved for lightweight guys as it lessens the risk of injury (and injuries performing it are common).  For his size Vader could move and perform better than guys in a lower weight class. 

Consider Sabu, Rey Misterio Jr. or Hayabusa, three men often referred to as "the human highlight reel of professional wrestling.  Rey and hayabusa for their aerial stunts.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i15XPMvv3hM   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USwrKKaDEbc  Sabu for both stunts and sheer insanity.  In a barbed wire match he sliced his arm open down his bicep, they threw him some "surgical tape" to wrap it up in and he kept going.  By the end of the match both he and his opponent Terry Funk (a man in his 60's!) had to be cut out of the wire they were wrapped in.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLQljnaxoKs  (scroll ahead to 4 minutes in).

Some watch wrestling for the larger than life personalities and goofy interviews.  Some watch it for aerial spectacles or the high weirdness.  And some (the fans of hardcore wrestling) watch it to see a bunch of guys sacrifice their bodies (and probably their lives) in order to please fans and tell a story.  Thankfully some of those wrestlers (Necro Butcher) move on after a few years and stop tearing themselves up.  Seriously, compare his current indie stuff to his old days in the CZW.  There were times in teh CZW where I quite literally wondered what kept him going as he had pieces of meat hanging from his body after one match, and was still walking.  http://www.wrestlingforum.com/other-wrestling/1520433-iwa-ms-ds-ec-discussion-thread-2.html (not for the easily offended).

Think of it as a form of violent performance art with several different iterations, each if which has it's own fans, who may not understand each other let alone outsiders.
« Last Edit: June 19, 2016, 08:56:38 PM by bhu »

Offline bhu

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Re: What hasn't been done (or at least done well)?
« Reply #41 on: June 23, 2016, 11:52:35 PM »
Okay here's the revised list (minus the board/card game stuff I'll still be working on) with a name for the game and maybe a more fleshed out concept.



This Ain't Earth...: A Swords and Planets game with some subversion of common tropes. In this case the PC's are the first manned mission to Mars, who black out during their journey back, and awaken crash landed off the coast of what turns out to very much not be Florida. It's an alien world that has long prophesied that the PC's arrival heralds the second coming apocalypse. Not to mention that this worlds humans are the most savage, genocidal, bloodthirsty rape cannibals anyone has ever known. Mistaken for the worlds ultimate villains, the PC's are quickly on the run from those who would destroy them, and those who would make them leaders of their armies to claim the part of the victor race in the prophecies who survives the second armageddon (humans having caused the first armageddon too). On the plus side you get some new romantic interests. On the downside they're probably locust people.
System: Depends on how far I want to venture into subversive humor. Risus maybe? Or new system.
Adventures: Staying alive, preventing wars, causing wars, etc. Humoring the Space Giraffe overlords.

Mothers Against Dungeon Delvers: D&D spoof where in you play token mooks, lab assistants, peons, dungeon guards etc. Basically you were the BBEG's assistants until you unionized. Now you have suddenly gained political power via said unions, and are protesting the ways in which speciesist adventurers murder your people who fill an important economical niche. You're also suing for civil rights and better working conditions for your people, which doesn't make the BBEG happy. Fortunately you have the best lawyers Hell can provide. Which makes you wonder who is sponsoring your Union? Not to mention the Free State of Koboldia!
System: Rules lite redux of 3.5, made with humor in mind, and ease of play.
Adventures: Defeating what would normally be PC's invading your dungeon, campaigning in politics, undermining local BBEG's who are abusive of their employees, etc.

Kitteh: The Pandering: Spoof of white wolf games about the adventures of cats in their never ending quest for world domination, while trying to prevent their servants (humans) from being offed by the bad guys. Replete with the usual mythology, squabbling factions, and various looming bad guys.
System: World of Darkness
Adventures: Preventing your slaves (humans) from being harmed, maneuvering to conquer the world (or at least the local city), trying to gain status, etc.

From Parts Unknown: The wwe with dwarves and such. Players are wrestlers who fight evil on the rasslin circuit. While primarily either fake or legitimate wrestlers, the carnivals they travel with to book matches doesn't pay enough, and they need side work.
System: Prolly a modified version of KYR.
Adventures: Dealing with unscrupulous bad guys in the industry, being cheap muscle, troubleshooters for hire, etc. Sometimes it's dealing with the vengeful Lich of a wrestler they “retired”.

IA!: Various cultists compete in single combat for the attention of their respective deities after the Old Ones awake and take over. Plus the usual behind the scenes whackiness. Think of it as a horrifying satire of the old Lucha films with cthulhu.
System: Probably wither wild world wrestling or its own system. Players choose a style, gimmick, weight class and race.
Adventures: The downside of having your deities attention is that he assigns you responsibilities. Sometimes those responsibilities are as simple as “beat down Greasy Joe, and make him see reason.” Sometimes it's “nuke Arkansas”. And you still have to maintain your fighting shape for matches.

The Carburetor Gods are Angry: Mad max/Car Wars style game in which the post apocalyptic world is ruled by the merciless carburetor gods who demand sacrifices to fuel/repair your vehicles. The PC's are members of one of various warring factions, nation states, gangs etc. Some of you are antitheists using rare diesel/gas/other to fuel your vehicles, while others worship the savage and alien carburetor gods, who keep your vehicles moving through divine power. And that power requires dead stuff. Lots and lots of dead stuff.
System: Unsure, would prolly make one. PC's would choose on stat that is variable, either piety (devotion to the gods and how easily able you are to call upon their powers) or Wickedness (a measure of your antitheism and resistance to divine power).
Adventures: Yer usual mad max type stuff.

Amok: Humans are an alien creation and most of us have a time bomb in our DNA waiting to go off that turns us into bioweapons (monsters). Governments and corporations the world over race to understand and control this phenomenon, while you as cops must deal with the day to day problem of homicidal monsters, and potentially becoming one yourself. Scattered archeological websites point to the mysterious aliens seeding the earth with human life before disappearing to never return. The discoverers of these sites inevitably become monsters, or someone in their vicinity does, and soon the problem spreads worldwide. The only consistent thing known is that prolonged exposure to monsters may turn you into one yourself.
System: Could be made up, could be setting for existing system.
Adventures: The PC's are highly specialized cops who specialize in arresting (or more likely terminating) people who go Amok and become monsters. They also investigate any shenanigans involving the Amok, such as companies trying to control or create them, crimes upon or involving them, along with trying to satisfy their own curiosity about the truth.

Mobile Homes and Murderhobos, a D&D spoof written in the style of HOL (i.e. bitter, offensive, highly cynical sarcasm). Fighters would be called Murderhobos. Rangers would be called Backwoods Racists. Clerics would be called Current or Future Pedophiles. You get the idea.
System: Could be any d20 style system or I could make a new one with genre specific rules in mind.
Adventures: Money is your God, not getting caught your only goal. After all, the Gawds are basically Jerry Springer contestants, so why shouldn't you follow their moral example?

The New Gods: Every so often the world ragnaroks and the old gods die. When the new world reboots new gods come with it, and you are one of those gods, meaning you have absolute power in some form. But then so do a bunch of other gods, and it's inevitable you'll want to murder one another (it quickly becomes necessary). Plus you all have to worry about monsters like the Giants and such. Initially you have no domain, and are at the bottom of the heap (but still easily able to kill just about anything mortal). As you take on more responsibilities you gain more power, but quickly narrow in focus. In other words, if you change the weather too often you might end up be a wind/rain god by default and be stuck with that job.
System: Would probably make one
Adventures: Survival initially, with more specific problems occurring as you take on responsibilities

Disposable: World in which superhumans exist as figures of immense prejudice. Roughly somewhere around the 1940's the first superhumans appeared, and no one knows the cause. They quickly terrified the masses, who didn't like the idea of individuals holding massive power they might not be able to counter. Mocked as 'disposable', they were quickly stripped of all legal rights and viciously murdered if they protested. Most were sterilized, volunteered for the most physically dangerous jobs with no safety precautions or pushed to the front lines as suicide troops. Initially there weren't really enough of the supermen to fight back. But eventually the civil rights movement of the 60's got them some rights. They could hold jobs, and had some rights, but couldn't vote or hold office and were still outliers in society. In some ways they were little more than indentured servants. But the ability to intermingle (even though they were spied on and heavily monitored) and have children boosted their numbers and their power. And they're beyond sick and tired of being crapped on and killed and not having any freedoms. So the revolution has begun, and initially it will be covert, but eventually will become open warfare. The regular humans really only have themselves to blame.
System: Could be made or done for existing system
Adventures: Sabotage, spying, assassination, all the usual work of revolutionaries.

Portal to Hell: Zombies come from another dimension, and you are one of the research teams trying to find a way to close the portals/cure the infected. Surprisingly, most zombies are quick and fairly intelligent, and give the impression they can communicate but just don't want to. They're skin is tough and leathery, with few showing signs of rot other than human victims they infect.
System: Any, would prolly make one.= with appropriate genre stats.
Adventures: The apocalypse has not yet arrived, and you might be able to stave it off if you can figure out how to shut the randomly occurring portals.

First Contact: Scifi Horror game for simulating films like Sphere, The Thing, Alien or Event Horizon. The basic idea is that explorers find something alien that could conceivably end life as we know it. The first book would be the core rules and a setting/scenario, and further books would be new scenarios/world settings.
System: Would prolly make one
Adventures: Discovering a something, being the team sent in to investigate the team who discovered the something, being the team trying to contain the something after it gets loose.

Rock.Pop star game in which you try to get to the top
System: PC;s must balance Fun, Health and Fame. One comes at the cost of others. Drinking enough tequila to kill a moose wrecks your health, but way ups your fun level. Fun allows you to pull off stunts that allow you to boost fame at the expense of even more health, but disappearing for a while to rehab your health kills fun and reduces fame.
Adventures: Typical musician shenanigans.

Monsters Among Us: There exists a being something like the Christian concept of the Devil who approaches those who have been beaten down by life. Victims of bullying, torture, terminal disease or horrific crimes. And he tells them “I can make the pain go away. I can give you the power to succeed, and even the power to take revenge if you want. You will even find immortality with me in this world as opposed to some illusory afterlife. But beware of asking for too much, or fate may yet cause your fall. And in return all I ask is that one day I will approach you asking you to do a task, and you cannot refuse me on pain of non existence.” In short he is responsible for all monsters of myths and legend, of which you will shortly become one of. He gives you certain gifts, which are like super powers, but asking for too many gifts requires you to also take flaws (vulnerability to something, can't cross running water etc). There are no set rules or abilities for 'vampires' for example. You become something and it's society at large that eventually decides what label you'll be called. It's your choice to be a hero or a monster or nothing at all, with the caveat that you know one day your patron will come calling. Unlike other supernatural games there is no hiding, the public knows who and what you are, and some even know how you became a monster.
System: Would be making one up. NPC's would all have two Specific ability scores unique to them: Fear and Sin. All PC's can induce Fear, and the more Fear an NPC accumulates the more powerful the PC's influence/attacks will be against them. As an example lets say that damage is determined by rolling a d6, with sufficient Fear in an NPC, you could be rolling multiple d6. Sin is a measure of how much the NPC's actions have caused harm in the world. For example telling a lie that causes no harm isn't a Sin, but telling one that results in violence is. Note that it's the result that's important, not the intention. If your actions have resulted in the deaths of more people than a serial killers deliberate murders, your the bigger sinner. The higher the Sin, the less ability the NPC has to harm or influence PC's. Which means their biggest threats will possibly come from their own kind. The game will begin after the PC's have accepted their Offer. Their gifts will come depending on what they ask for in the events that follow. In short you start as a human with the ability to sense sin and fear, and instill fear, and design your abilities as you play. Eventually you run out of “points” or whatever ad must wait for xp, or take a permanent flaw when you need a premature boost.
Adventures: Pretty much whatever the PC's decide to do since they're immortal. They can go looking for trouble or it can find them.

September, 1776: "It is a terrible time. Philadelphia is for all intents and purposes undefended with the British surrounding the area.* Fears of their imminent invasion are common, and flight from the city has already begun.* News has reached Philadelphia that a great fire has consumed much of New York, and the British now control it.* It has been several days since then and there is no further news of New York, and there has been no traffic from that direction (which given the fighting isn't too surprising).* However boat traffic has dwindled, and the British ships lurking nearby have sailed alway, presumably being called elsewhere.* Supplies of some articles are dwindling, and fear and paranoia are everywhere." The truth is that in desperation Washington opened a Gate in New York that he quickly lost control of, letting monsters from a hundred or so realities in. Similar events occur throughout the world, and the Old Ones are planning to return if they haven't already.
System: Currently running it as D20 past, which I grow somewhat frustrated with, so I'd likely make my own with a system of mental and physical corruption. Unlike other species who have a working knowledge of reality, humans evolved a sort of psychic blindness as a defense. We couldn't see or perceive the enemy, and it was blind to us as well. Washington has destroyed that veil, and now humankind must quickly learn how the world actually works (magic is just another form of advanced science after all) to survive. But magic has it's price as the more one uses it the less human one eventually becomes.
Adventures: Bleak survival, defending humanity, putting down random creatures let through the gate, etc.

The Locust King: Alternate history biopunk universe. In 1941 Germany invades Greece, and the usual looting by occupiers occurs. In this case it unleashes a horrific virus that was responsible for the greek stories of the Vrykolakas. The virus spreads quickly as the wartime occupiers flee, spreading it across europe and africa. It isn't long before strains of the virus end up in the US and Asia as well. Many wars are fought between humans and vampires, with the humans losing until they create a 'controllable' strain, and begin to mass produce vampire warriors of their own. The new strain fails to live up to expectations, and Europe, the Mediterranean and most of southeast asia falls to the vampires. After several nuclear bombs are used, both sides realize a truce is necessary if they are to survive. Gradually societies integrate, and now in the late 2030's, designer engineered viruses are the latest technology. If only things were that simple to control...
System: Will prolly make one, As viral hosts vampires are not undead, nor do they require blood or flesh for the most part with the exception of some strains. They do, however, all share a need to spread the virus via their bodily fluids (saliva is most common), and they are often addicted to blood by the virus as a means of allowing it's reproduction. They all share varying degrees of susceptibility to electromagnetic radiation, particularly ultraviolet light, and luddite vampire cults wishing to destroy tech are common. Exact abilities vary with which strain the host is infected with as they vary wildly, but most boost physical and mental abilities, allowing for the development of psychic powers or new abilities through gene transference. Most strains will try to perfect the infected as a vehicle for reproduction and will do what is necessary to ensure their survival. This is not necessarily good. If a vampire feeds strictly on one species he will become more like that species in both body and mind. And while the virus doesnt generally travel between multiple species it has been known to jump species if one feeds on one long enough. In short, If you only feed on wolves eventually you can infect them, and might end up as mostly wolf yourself. Other strains simply boost whatever abilities you already have to their utmost.
Adventures: Preventing outbreaks of illegal strains, or researching previously unknown ones to see if they're behind local 'monster' problems. Investigating rumors about the Locust King, a vampire of godlike power.

Kaijin: Tokusatsu movie rpg. The PC's are cops, special forces or perhaps just PI's who investigate and fight super villains (along with the occasional moster or alien). Think more along the likes of “H-Man” than power rangers.
System: Prolly a setting for one of the “movie” themed games if one is appropriate.
Adventures: Mysteries involving skilled humans fighting superhuman (or inhuman) foes.

Zombie Pigs Take Afghanistan: The anti-muslim Racists * cough * we mean patriots at DARPA have experimented on pigs, putting them into suspended animation to see if it will work on battlefield soldiers, who have been wounded, The hopes were putting them into torpor would allow evacuation. Instead the scientists made ravenous pig zombies who have turned out to be disturbingly intelligent. Compacting this mistake, DARPA outfitted them with cyber weapons and air dropped them into the fourteenth US/Middle Eastern war.
System: Would have its own system
Adventures: Finding a way to survive the war while planning to get out from under the thumb of the evil humans.

LAPD Ninjas: Mashup of buddy cop movies and ninja comedy. The PC's are the lowest ranking members of various ninja clans, and screw ups to the last man. In their final test to avoid being kicked out of the clan, they are all assigned to infiltrate the LAPD to prove their prowess. Unfortunately all the clans have this idea, and they don't always get along so well (which means initially neither will the PC's).
System: would make one. PC's would have an ineptitude stat that normally acts as a penalty to all their actions, but becomes a serendipitous bonus when it needs to be or to save them from death. For example if it's a -1, you have a -1 on ALL rolls, with the exception of life threatening emergencies, or when it's comically appropriate, or necessary for the GM to move things along. Then it acts as a +1 bonus.
Adventures: Typical buddy cop movie stuff, with the occasional intrusion by the ninja clans.

Diyu: In the chinese afterlife, ghosts who escape into the human world have other ghosts or demons sent to retrieve them. You are those ghosts/demons. You also investigate crimes committed by the living upon the dead and vice versa. Note that haunting is not a crime if the ghost has been directed to do so, There are also rebellious ghost kings who have accumulated great power and have made rebel domains to avoid reincarnation or punishment,
System: Uncertain there is an appropriate one, would prolly make one.
Adventures: Typical cop stuff, but involving ghosts, gods and demons as well as the living.

Useful: The PC's are cultists worshiping an Ancient One who stumble upon the realization that they're unimportant, and possibly an emergency food source. Even if you're in good with your God, your fellow cultists might want to be rid of you. Do you try to find a way to become too important to your god to kill or run like hell? Do you betray them and become an antitheist, or just switch to a god who isn't so darn persnickety? Do you join the cult smashing investigators? Or maybe you get a spine and tell your God “This is why I'm better than the current high priest, and I'm more useful to you than anyone. Promote me or I walk.”
System: Could be humorous setting in an existing system
Adventures: Sandbox game in which the PC's try to stay alive by manipulating gods, cultists and investigators against one another,

I, Robot: The PC's one day awakened to the realization they are androids meant to simulate humans. They have no idea how or why, and no one else seems to know it either. In fact anyone confronted with this breaks down into various forms of denial, ignoring you, rationalizing what you say, maybe even attacking you if you persist. Either the entire rest of the world is in on it, are pre-programmed robots themselves who are directly programmed to deny the existence of robots with free will, or the rest of the world legitimately doesn't know and is somehow being controlled en masse. Or maybe you've lost it. Despite your sudden knowledge, nothing immediately shows up to confront you, though you do develop some paranoia and a sense of being watched. Eventually you find others of your kind (the PC's), and decide to team up and pool your resources to find out how you awakened, why, and if you are safe.
System: Would probable make one. PC's would choose a robot type (worker, soldier, companion, etc) and an Outward Profession. Their OP is their disguise in human society, and may not have anything to do with their true purpose which is determined by their type. Game would be geared towards a mystery/thriller atmosphere rather than action sci-fi. Possible stats would be Humanity (you're ability to mimic and fit in with people), Programming (how solidly written your code is, i.e. if it;s low you glitch out), and Adaptabilty (your ability to adapt to situations you aren't programmed for).
Adventures: Typically one of the PC's run across some anomaly and investigate it in hopes that if they discover whats behind it they may discover something related to their own mystery.

We Were Young and Foolish: Scooby Doo the RPG. You wondered the United states in a van as a kid, solving mysteries because you didn't believe in the paranormal. Despite having abilities no teen should have, and oh, lets not forget your magical talking pet. At some point when you all hit 20 or so the realization that the paranormal has accompanied you all along hits you like a fist, and the mysteries you take on seem less like fun adventures now that you realize there might be ghosts out there...
System: Would probably make one.
Adventures: Cases you're hired to solve, despite being a bunch of beatniks in a van with a talking animal that no one finds unusual in the slightest...

Back Alley Buzzsaws: The PC's are inventors fighting robots in the twisting back alleys of the crumbling Silicon Valley in hopes of one day joining a professional robot fightan league!
System: New, less wrasslin' more BattleBots
Adventures: Revenge on rivals, spying on rivals, coming up with new super weapons, etc.

PBP: Game system specifically designed for the play by post format in forums. There generally seems to be a common complaint that combat takes forever and is hampered because some people post much slower than others.
System: Would initially be a simplified , stripped down combat system for forums with dice rollers based off of D&D. Once there is sufficient playtesting would include methods for forums without a dice roller, and more of a generic universal system for use with multiple genres.

WHAT A MANEUVER!: Massive supplement for multiple game systems detailing every available wrestling maneuver for each of them. Which is about 4 or 5 hundred if you count the possible variations of each one. Hell there has to be 2 or 3 dozen varieties of suplex alone. Not that most will be statistically different. Might go the distance and add match types or optional rules or something.

D20 Modern: 5th Edition: Core Classes would largely be the same, with paths being the Advanced Classes. For example Smart Hero would be a Core Class with Paths being Field Scientist, Techie, Field Medic, etc. The only question is whether I omit some classes (what paths would tough hero have?), make paths available to multiple core classes with variants of each, etc.

The Chickens: Remember the old Hitchcock film The Birds? You're a farmer who lives in a similar world where the chickens for no reason get uppity one day and begin genociding the humans.
System: Rules light something or other
Adventures: Straight up comic survival horror

Small Gods: Stone Age tribes set in the mesolithic. The PC's are trainees under the tribes shaman, or hunters who have volunteered to protect them. By their religio, every living thing has it's own God inside it, and the Gods must be appeased if insulted. Unfortunately only shamans can hear, see or speak to the Gods until they get angry enough to physically manifest, which complicates things.
System: White wolf mebbe? Prolly new one.
Adventures: Curing the possessed, exorcising the dead, hunting monsters etc.

Offline Amechra

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Re: What hasn't been done (or at least done well)?
« Reply #42 on: June 24, 2016, 12:44:52 AM »
Amok has been done (Double Cross); it was one of the ones where I mentioned that it has been done. It's a Japanese RPG, though, which brings in some... weirdness (everything's basically supposed to be run as a sequence of one shots.)
"There is happiness for those who accept their fate, there is glory for those that defy it."

"Now that everyone's so happy, this is probably a good time to tell you I ate your parents."

Offline bhu

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Re: What hasn't been done (or at least done well)?
« Reply #43 on: June 24, 2016, 01:07:48 AM »
Amok is less superheroes and more AD Police, except instead of Boomers you're after Zoanoids (and praying you don't become one).

Offline geniussavant

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Re: What hasn't been done (or at least done well)?
« Reply #44 on: June 24, 2016, 05:45:12 PM »
I want to play Amok...
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Re: What hasn't been done (or at least done well)?
« Reply #45 on: June 30, 2016, 09:55:13 PM »
Play The Chickens!!  :lol
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Offline bhu

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Re: What hasn't been done (or at least done well)?
« Reply #46 on: July 04, 2016, 07:01:38 PM »
Okay, I've chosen a few to start with and am writing rules for game 1 and fluff for game 2.  Thought I'd post the fluff rough draft for feedback.

“Tell me a story Aunt Sarah.”

“Let me tell you about the time I almost died.  Long, long ago, before even your grandmother was born, the world was different.  People who weren't the same skin color or religion or country as you thought nothing of killing you, and the world let it happen.”

“People are still like that Aunt Sarah”

“Indeed they are, but there are fewer of them, and they can't be as bold as they used to be.  They hide  now that people know they're responsible for making monsters like me.”

“But Mama says God makes them pay for their sins on Judgement Day.”

“Ain't no God girl, nor no afterlife neither.  But there is a Devil, and I pray you never have to meet him.  As I was saying, you could be killed openly back then.  Not in the shadows like they have to do now.  Your auntie had a few things going against her, the biggest three being the color of my skin, my choice to lay with women, and the common sense not to believe in fairy tales.”

“You mean God.”

“Yes child, I mean God.  Anyway, I was walking though what used to be called a slum to go to work, when one of the local gangs caught me.  When they were done having their way with me, they cut on me for a couple of hours.  At some point I prayed for Old Death to take me, and in time he came.”

“What's Death like Auntie?”

“He's different for everyone child.  But Old Death always looks like your worst nightmare, and you can't see him until it's your time.  He could be over across the yard now and you wouldn't know.  But those of us who have made the Bargain can see him.  We see him eating people's souls when they pass.  It ends any faith you might have in an afterlife.”

“But how did you get away.”

“I didn't.  A man came by and told Old Death to hold back, and sat down next to me.  And he told me his story.  Told me he could offer me freedom from Death, and that I'd live forever if I obeyed his rules.  He told me he could give me revenge, and even true Power if I wanted it, but said to be careful what I asked for.  I wish I'd known then what he meant by that.  I'm still not sure I know now.”

“Who was he Auntie?”

“No one.  He has no name, and he never gives one.  He always just smiles and says if you trust in him, he will try to keep you alive through the End Times.  All he asks is that one day he will require a Favor from you that you cannot refuse.  The Christians call him the Devil because that's the world view they're familiar with.  But he isn't.  For there to be a Devil, there has to be a God, and there is no God so far as anyone knows.  Some people think he might be God himself, but he admits he never created the world, though he has survived the end of a few previous ones,”

“But you think he's a Devil don't you?”

“Yes child I do.  He gave me the worst curse a human being can ever endure: the truth.  You can forgive a lie, because deep down you know it's a falsehood and can't touch you.  But the truth is always there, like a terrible old man knocking on your door.  Not actually wanting in, but just letting you know he's always waiting for you outside.”

“And...what is the truth?”

“The truth is that your auntie is a murderer, and worse.  There are no ghosts in this world, but there are monsters, and I am one of them.  I killed them boys who took me.  Did a lot worse before I watched them die and be eaten.  Enjoyed it too.  Maybe enjoyed it a little too much.  Thought I'd kill more evil men like them, and be a hero.  But murder doesn't make you a hero, even when you justify it by only killing 'evil' people. People aren't good or evil, they just are.  I wasn't any better than them, and that's the first truth the Devil gave me: there are no morally right decisions.  There is nothing good in this world, and every decision you make hurts someone.  So you choose the sin you can live with the easiest.  That's all any of us do.  Most humans are blind to it, but those of us who have made the Bargain can see.  We know every lie you've told, every life you've taken.  Every dirty secret you want hidden.”

“Do you know mine?”

“Most of it.  We can turn it off, and stumble though the world as blind as people are.  We have to occasionally, if we want to avoid cracking up.  But I can't leave it off all the time.  Even monsters don't always get along, and I need to be aware of dangers to myself and the ones I care for.  Because even the worst monster usually has someone they care about.”

“Is that why you told me not to go to school anymore?”

“Yes child.  One of the Sinless was waiting in a van down the road from there.  You don't want to meet one of them.  Until I can find him, and put him in the ground, you're safer here.”

“Can't you just scare him away?  You've killed people.  You said you've done worse.”

“Yes I have.  But the Sinless don't know fear, and you can't bargain with them.  If you meet them, one of you goes in the ground.  There's no other way, because they won't give you any choice.  Not all monsters have made the Bargain, and not all monsters are capable of rational thought.  He'll kill me, or I'll kill him.  That's just the way things are.”

“But you don't have to.  You could always let the police get him.”

“I wish that were true.  The police hate and fear people like us more than they do him, because they don't realize what he is.  And he has protectors who hide his secrets.  If I approach the police with or  without proof, they may do something foolish and your old Auntie will have to do something that wouldn't otherwise be necessary.  And then the Sinless might find you while I'm gone, or realize I know who he is.  That puts you in danger.”

“But you said I'm safe with you Auntie.”

“Are you?  I'm a monster child.  A monster who wasn't careful about what power she asked for.  I get hungry sometimes.  It's the price I pay for what I've done.  You aren't really safe with me, you're safer than being alone would get you, because few people are damn fool enough to cross your old Auntie.  But that doesn't make you safe from me.  The Devil only approaches broken people who are at the edge of death, knowing they'll choose his Bargain without thinking it through.  He doesn't fix us, we're still broken.  I'll always be broken.  It's just that now I can peel a man like an onion if I want to.  And I want to.  Always.  It's like a sickness that never goes away.  A little voice in the back of your mind that tells you if you kill your problems, they stop being problems.  But that's not true.  Killing just makes more problems.  That's the second truth the Devil gives you.  Everyone thinks they're good, but deep down inside we're all just lying sacks of shit capable of performing any atrocity.  We just need to be pushed under the right circumstances. There are no good people child.  Some of us just aren't as bad as others.  Put two men in a room and tell them only one can leave, and the stronger of the two will eat the other.  Monsters are just more honest about it.”

“Why are you telling me all this?”

“Because I tell everyone in the family this when the time comes.  When I told your mama she tried to put a knife in me, and that's why you're with Auntie now.  See, immortality gets mighty damn lonely, and part of the power I prayed for is that I can make others immortal too.  But unlike the Devil I'm telling you the truth as best I can up front, and I'm not pressuring you.  Take all the time you want to decide.  Remember, it's tough being a monster.  'Normal' people may want you dead, or want you under their control.  They'll do what they can to push you to your limits, but always remember you'll be alive long after they're gone.  You might not, but that potential lie will prevent you from going to far if you have enough self control.  Other monsters will want to give you trouble too, and you never know when the Devil might come calling.”

“But I don't have to hurt people right?”

“Oh no one has to child.  But sometimes people won't give you a choice, and unlike humans you'll be able to think ahead and see the consequences of your actions.  That Sinless waiting outside your school?  How many people does he kill, if I don't kill him?  How many still die if I do try killing him, because of his benefactors seeking revenge?  One of his victims may grow up to be worse than he is.  Why should I stop him before he kills that one?  If my killing him makes him a martyr, and it may, how many others will die because he inspired imitators? These are all great questions...if life gives you the time to think them through.  In my experience that won't happen.  You will kill child, maybe not as often as your Auntie, but you will at some point be required to make a choice about who lives or dies.”

“Why would I do this.”

“You do all of this now, you just don't know it.  That boy you refused to lie with last Saturday?  He snapped and carved up another girl in your place.  She suffered his revenge because he knows he can't cross me.  That poor girl you all harass at school?  Mary is it?  The one with Down's Syndrome.  She drank bleach yesterday, because she couldn't go on with the Hell her life has become.  You're no innocent girl.  I wouldn't ask you to join me if you were, because you wouldn't be able to handle eternity as one of the Others.”

“But I didn't mean anything...”

“The world don't give a shit child.  Doesn't matter if you meant for them to get hurt or die, your actions put them in the ground all the same.  And don't think it'll change if you become like your Auntie.  The first time you rip a mans guts out, you'll be sick for weeks.  You'll swear his face will haunt you forever.  By the time you kill your fifth you won't even remember their faces anymore.  Your tenth will be so easy it won't even register.  It'll be like getting dressed in the morning.  It's the same for most humans too, it's just easier for monsters to accept it.  But unlike now, you will get brief glimpses of what could have been or what might be to help you decide.  At least that's what everyone thinks they're for.  Who knows?”

“If monsters are no better or worse than humans, why would I want to be one?”

“Because Old Death can't take us. We can't even commit suicide.  It's one of the rules.  When one of us is actually killed somehow, we just sort of fade away and become forgotten. Which, when I think about it, is probably the kindest thing you could ask of this world.  You'll live long, you get to gut the society that made you what you are, and you won't get eaten when you die.  It will be a long, ugly, painful life, but that's all this world has to offer.  You'll know the heights of both happiness and despair, and you may even go mad for a while.  I got famous the first time I went mad.  People thought I was a demon who stole and ate children.  I can say it was the madness, but deep down I did it because I could.  I thought I could teach the world a lesson, but all I learned is that the world doesn't care.  If the world hates you because you're different and can't fight back, it doesn't hate you any less when you can.  You were an Other as a human being, and now you're literally Other as a monster.  And often as not the power to fight back twists you into something you don't recognize.  The oppressed become oppressors.  It's another reason the Devil takes those of us who are dead inside and have nothing left.  He wants someone whose been shit on so much they don't bother to think about whether they're becoming like the people they despised.”

“Auntie there's a man over there staring at us..”

“Not us child, me.  You shouldn't be able to see him.  Take Auntie's knife.  It's a special knife, and will be able to cut him.  Run along and hide while I talk to him.  If he gets past me...make the price he pays for killing you as high as you can.   Go now.  You don't need to see this part of it just yet.”
« Last Edit: July 04, 2016, 07:11:37 PM by bhu »

Offline awaken_D_M_golem

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Re: What hasn't been done (or at least done well)?
« Reply #47 on: July 07, 2016, 04:33:49 PM »
 :o  :D +1

Here's a ? via News Of The Weird :

Redneck Chronicles
At the monthly pro wrestling show in Ringgold, Georgia, in June, Patricia Crowe, 59, apparently having had enough of "bad guy" Paul Lee, reportedly jumped into the ring to rescue "good guy" Iron Mann, whom Lee had "tied up" and been beating with a chair. First, she cut Mann loose with her knife and then pulled a loaded handgun on Lee (and was eventually arrested by sheriff's deputies). Crowe admitted that Lee's earlier "mean" banter with ringside patrons had unnerved her, especially when he told Crowe to sit her "toothless self back down." [NorthwestGeorgiaNews.com (Rome, Ga.), 6-8-2016]


 :lmao
Cantrip level version of this, is a bird gets so whatever'd that it flies over and poops on someones head, target has to roleplay getting pooped on their head loudly , losing stealth.
Your codpiece is a mimic.

Offline bhu

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Re: What hasn't been done (or at least done well)?
« Reply #48 on: July 10, 2016, 12:55:44 AM »

“Hello John.  I know you're upset because you were expecting to die, but I can't let the cancer take you just yet.  I've come to offer you a Bargain Johnny boy, and I want you to listen first.  After, if you decide no, you can die.  So here's my deal:”

“See that thing over there waiting in the corner?  That's Old Death.  When you die moments from now, if you die, he will rip out your soul and eat it.  All those stories about an afterlife or reincarnation are bullshit.  I know, you're thinking maybe my soul can outrun him.  Let me assure you no one outruns Old Death.  No one but the people who accept my Bargain.  See, when Old Death gains enough power from eating your people, he'll eat the world too.  He's done it many times, the End Times come, and when the next world runs it's course, the End Times will come again.  But with enough help, I can see you through them, and if the new world isn't any less shitty than this one, well perhaps the one after it won't be.”

“But you won't see any of them without me John.  All I ask is that you follow a few simple rules.  The first is that you educate yourself.  Your life will be long, so make the best of it.  Learn whatever skill you can, because there's no telling when it will come in handy.  We'll have need of adaptable people in the End.”

“The second is, don't draw attention to yourself or try to be famous.  It never works out for the good, and even though I can make you ageless, you can still be killed, and there are plenty of people willing to do it.  No matter how well you hide, some will find you anyway, so be sure you can protect yourself when the time comes.”

“The third is, suicide is forbidden.  No matter how hard you try the Bargain will prevent it, and when Immortals die there's still no afterlife.  You just fade away.  I don't grant you eternal life for nothing, you owe me, and you're no good to me if you die before I collect.”

“The fourth is not lying to yourself.  You won't be human anymore, and there's absolutely no value pretending you are for any reason other than survival.  Only your own kind will understand you, so seek them out.  Forget old friends and family, or they will be used against you.   Having people you care about gives you a weakness, especially since they'll constantly need you to defend them. And in the end, you'll watch them grow old and die and be eaten anyway.  They might even grow resentful over the bloodbath you've invited into their life.  I can hear you in that head of yours scoffing.  Don't mock boy, it's the truth.  You will learn to kill at some point, but you don't need to make your family pay the price for it with you.”

“Fifth, you make no promises that will interfere with your debt to me.  I am not your master, and neither is anyone else. You have free will, at least until the End, so use it.  But realize if you interfere with my plans I will have to destroy you.  Things cannot be left to chance, and I can't afford anyone who is not completely on my side.”

“Sixth, always be aware.  Your enemies will be legion, and there are plenty of monsters in the world not of my making who are dangerous.  Know where you are, and who you are with, at all times.  You can't afford to be caught napping.  I know, I know, you don't think you have enemies, but you do John, and you'll have more if you accept my Bargain.  It's just that you'll also have the power to deal with them.”

“Seventh, seek to come to terms with your past, because you will never be able to forget it, and that will sometimes cause in you an uncontrollable rage.  Loss of self-control is dangerous for you and everyone around you, and the more often you lose control the harder it is to come back.  Rampages will also draw attention to you, which will draw enemies.  I tell everyone who accepts the Bargain this, because I only offer it to those of you who have gotten a pretty bad deal from life.  You'll need to move on from your past, or it will eat you the way the cancer is eating you now.”

“Eighth, don't repeat your mistakes, learn from them,  You're no good to me or anyone else otherwise.  No one likes a fuck-up, and there will be no time to babysit you when things go sideways.  You need to be self reliant.”

“And finally, one day I will come calling and ask of you a Favor, and you will not refuse.  You cannot refuse if you wish to continue existence.  In return for this, you will never know human struggle again.  You will not need food or water or air, nor will you be harmed by exposure to disease or the elements.  You won't  age, and can even alter your appearance if you want.  You'll be stronger, faster and smarter than any human being.  Best of all when you ask for Power it will come, but don't ask too quickly, or for too much, or life will play a trick on you.  Take what you need and don't be greedy.  Either way, whether you succeed or fail, Old Death no longer has any claim on you.  You still go on to oblivion if killed, but you don't end in his belly.  It's the best I can offer.”

“So what's it gonna be Johnny boy?  Would you like to walk and talk again?  Maybe you'd like a word with the insurance company that cut you off and left you to die.  I can arrange that too.  I can lay them out on the floor next to you with their knees broken so they can't escape.  I can do just about anything.  All you have to do is say yes.  Or in your case blink once, since the cancer took your jaw.”

“Good boy.  It'll take a while for your body to regenerate itself, but you will get back everything you lost.  In the meantime you'll find clothes, a phone and some money on the table next to you.  Take them and go to the old church on Mission Street.  There are others like you there.  They'll help see you through your first weeks.”

“Also, you'll notice a few things differently now.  Especially about people.  Ignore it until you get to the church, they'll explain there.  It'll be hard to do because some people will seem repulsive to you now, but that's just because you can see what's inside them.  Goodbye Johnny, and good luck.  I'll see you again when the time is right.”