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In the shadow of a Dragon

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    In the shadow of a Dragon

    Howdy.
    Long time gamer and sci-fi/fantasy enthusiast sidelined with a bad case of the "marriages". Returning to old habits now that the wife accepts that she has married a nerd. Which is hillarious considering I've never met a bigger Tolkien/MCU fan than her in my whole life but I digress...
    How long a gamer, one might ask? When I started, there was only vanilla D&D.....by TSR...and that was it.
    (Mic drop)
    Seriously now, a few co-workers voiced interest in a GURPS 4e meat game run by VTT. Things were going good but then, lo' and behold, The Coof happened and I guess I don't need to elaborate much further as to what became of the game.
    A considerable amount of writing and mapping work was done and thusly, it seems a shame to let it all go to waste so I thought to see if there was any sort of VTT community still left out here in the wilds.
    Pretty sure any original players won't stick with game so it would be nice to find some new ones interested in the sometimes mind boggling algorithim called The Generic Universal Role Playing System. The adventure premise is simple enough. I love sci-fi/action movie franchises:
    Dune.
    (Denis Villneuve? I swear, don't you DARE mess this one up!)
    Star Wars.
    (There are only six ACTUAL movies and maybe one tv series. Now, try and change my mind.)
    Star Trek.
    (Sigh. Not a big fan of The JJ-verse, ST (lol) or Lower Decks. In fact, I feel everything since Nemesis accomplished little aside from dumping on Roddenbury's legacy while virtue signaling to the rest of us that if we didn't like them? We were toxic. Which is exactly like saying that meal you bought at a restaurant, that made you sick because the ingediants were rotten? Apparently, that has nothing to do with the cook and everything to do with you being "botulism intolerant" for which you will have to attend white privilege classes to address. Go figure?)
    Terminator.
    (Fine, I'll admit it. I bailed out part way through the 3rd one. So what? It'll never erase that the first two totally rocked....but the last one came REALLY close to erasing the good will generated by the first two.)
    Predator.
    (Pretty much the same feelings as the last franchise I mentioned, straight down to the "REALLY close" part.)
    Alien.
    (Hmmm....a-ahem....this is starting to become a disturbing pattern. I'm sure it's just a coincedence that Disney owns them all?)
    Even Farscape.
    (Just deal with it, alright?)
    Doctor Who.
    (Seriously? No, really. Seriously? Doctor Who as well? Jodie Whitaker is pretty much where that show pulled a Thelma & Louise and I had to walk. They kinda killed Red Dwarf too. Is there anything Marxist Identitarianism hasn't ruined? I mean at the risk of seeming crude, pron is pretty much all that's left but I'm sure once they are done with de-masculating Godzilla, they will finally get around to that too.)
    Problem is uniting them in a manner that doesn't shred all gaming credibility.....or is it? Say it together with me now:
    ALL OUT PAN-DIMENSIONAL PARACHRONIC WAR!!!
    That's right.
    The cast is large enough that players will have multiple options to choose from, which is good since not every hero(ine) is going to make it, in a sense. Sure, you used someone who was vaporized instantly by a stray blast from a Tachyon Shotgun that wasn't even meant for you but you have two other hero selections still alive so, sail on sailor! Most player usable selections will be around 1000 to 300 points but only a handful are considered to be "off limits" to player ownership. Some as high as 3000 points so like I said, not every hero(ine) is going to make it. Furthermore, the lower the value selection a player makes, the more cinematic options they have available to balance them out in contrast to the more "Godlike" members of the crew.
    How can this all be realized? Imagine this if you will:
    "Set 2 billion years after the founding of The Republic, the collapse of The Maw and the final destruction of Abeloth's prison is at hand when the Whills, final arbiters of her fate (in the absence of The Celestials) decide to move on, beyond Plank Time, to explore mysteries and thoughts previously undreamt of beyond existence. No Force traditions exist this far in the future and the only things ressembling one are shadows of their former power, almost lost entirely to history and neglect. No one remains to maintain the balance. Should the Whills leave? The Force will likely fade out of corporeality. Uncertain if this fate should be let to stand, they consider one last trial, to find a worthy protector. To this end, they use The Veil of The Force one last time, to assemble groups of champions to compete and see if one of them can solve "The Riddle of Arcanum" and restore cosmic balance to the universe."
    Piece of cake right? Good and Evil locked in eternal combat? Pan-Dimensional Genocide in the offing? Lions and tigers and bears....oh, my. I think this is the part where anyone who is considering joining is cautioned:
    This is NOT a politically correct game.
    (If you are easily triggered? Participation not required. It'll only make your hair fall out.)
    There WILL be profanity.
    (In game and in context only. I award bonus points for situation appropriate cheesy, cliche one-liners and puns when executed with impecible timing.)
    There will only be a few politically correct themes.
    (The bulk of it will be the stuff of nightmares. Nothing degenerate mind you but the contrast between moments of "peace" and moments of "truth" will be stark indeed.)
    There will be explicit violence.
    (Guilty as charged your honor.)
    There may even be a few risque mouse over images.
    (Could be a few man nipples, sorry. Just kidding...I'm not sorry.)
    Mature players only please.
    (I fully realize the irony of that statement after making the joke proceeding it....)
    If any of the above warnings aren't enough to dull the enthusiasm, I welcome you, one and all to bring your daughters to the slaughter. Available selections in the opening chapters are as follows:
    - A young human jedi (who survived Order 66 as a padawan only to grow up hiding in the shadows of the Empire. Never able to reconcile that it was his master who betrayed the mission and doomed the entire assault. First barely escaping the C.I.S. and then his own clone troops. Diverted to Mustafar by his master against direct orders of the council to reinforce Coruscant.)
    - A young wookiee (once a sworn brother to the above mentioned trainee who, unlike his companion, fell in combat to C.I.S. forces and was left for dead when Republic units were forced to withdraw. Was recovered by the Inquisitorious and subsequently turned to become a feral dark marauder. Hates the Jedi Order with an unreasoning dark passion.)
    - A clone commander (obsessed with hunting down the jedi as a Purge Trooper. At one time a mentor to both padawans in the GAR, he serves the Empire as support for The Madclaw Marauder as he takes down the last of the Order. Hates the "one that escaped". Was left without an eye for his efforts to catch him.)
    - A NULL clone commando (who was solely responsible for being the reason "one got away" on the day Order 66 was given. Closest companion to the young human jedi. A walking one man army tempered with need to strive for honor in victory. A true hero of the Republic if ever there was one.)
    - A scout trooper (It's Migs Mayfeld. This is the way. There. I said it. Ya happy now?)
    - A MACV-SOG navy SEAL operator (from 1968. His squad was ambushed by the same group of VC they were following across the Laotian border when a Yuatja decided it was hunting season for Xenomorphs in an ancient pyramid almost swallowed whole by the jungle. And wouldn't you know it? Those annoying talking monkeys were flinging feces at each other right on top of it. Has yet to realize he is now the leader of a alien hunting clan over 50K strong.)
    - A VC sapper and infiltrator (who used her looks and appeal for the war effort against Uncle Sam. The only other human "survivor" of the alien encounter in Laos. Technically, she's a better fighter than the SEAL but he was just (far) luckier than she was. Is very uncomfortable with the rapport that has developed between the SEAL and the alien huntress he calls: "Grace". Does not trust aliens.)
    - The Yautja huntress (is one of the "unplayable" NPC's for now. No one knows anything about her except th. at she has a bad temper and isn't fussy about what (or who) she eats. Communicates in English exclusively using earth radio and television audio clips that predate 1968. Respects the SEAL for defeating the Alpha Hunter. Is honor bound to follow the Clan Leader.)
    - A Templar knight (from the 2nd (failed) Crusade that fell to Saladin in Damascus. Returned to Europe to find the Black Death was killing millions. Took a desperate comision to restore his family and honor that saw him defending the Lost City of Atlantis from a WWII era threat. Fought side by side with defenders from all over the Gaia Arcana timeline. Lost his faith in God because "Heaven showed him too much". He is as big as AGoT's "The Mountain".)
    - Lagretha. (from the series Vikings? Literally, historically her but with with a slight twist. Originally a rival for the secrets of Orichcalcum, she fought till the bitter end beside the Templar. Despite all her "good intentions", she is both treacherous and brutal, much like the ocean she reveres. "Not to be trusted" are the only words that come to mind about her character. As ruthless as she is beautiful, Big L here is more than capable of punching way above her weight class.)
    - The Atlantean Survivor (is actually the last person alive with Lemurian heritage at the time of the great cataclysm. Where upon Lagretha above is an accurate GURPS depiction of a realistic Viking warrior, this one is a "Hollyweird" version of what a teenage boy thinks a pre-history Barbarian Queen should be like....except she is almost as big as the Templar. Nearly a perfect genetic example of human expression.)
    - A Terran survivor (of an alien spawned zombie apocalypse that occurs in the year 1986. Affectionately referred to as "The Last Man Standing", a point hotly contested by his nemesis: "The Guy Beside Him". Joined forces with the sworn enemy of the species that destroyed Earth to fight in the final battles of the First (and only) Parachronic War. Was awarded the dubious distinction by being the last known human to exist some time at the end of the Degenerate Era when only one Quantum Super-Singularity is all that remains in the universe. Known as the final matter the black hole consumed before entropy stabilized (some 500 trillion years later) and it too ceased to exist.)
    - The Guy Beside Him (is sworn to destroy all The Last Man Standing holds dear. Before the aliens revealed themselves to the survivors, all he had and cared about in the world was a cat. A mangy, sickly, scrawny excuse for a feline....but the animal became his entire world. In an unfortunate accident, the girlfriend of The Last Man Standing (referred to here after as "The Last Woman on Earth") killed the tiny animal, and in doing so, turned her owner into a unstoppable, psychopathic nightmare. This character begins as "unplayable" but unlocks after the right milestones are passed. Unlike the others assembled, he is a natural born killer and knows nothing of fear, pity or remource.)
    - The Vulcan Outcast. ( is essentially T'Pol from the "Mirror Universe". Yes, the "hot" version. That doesn't imply she's going to stay that way. Just saying if you were a prisoner and someone gave you your freedom, covering up the belly button would probably be the first choice.)
    - The Orion Crimelord. (posing as a member of the slave caste after capture, she is actually a futuristic variant of Lagretha but with less emphasis on swordplay. Prefers not to get her hands dirty. Usually gets what she wants. Becomes a sycophant around those she thinks have more power than her. Power she can take for her own once the time is right. Patience makes her dangerous. Her sex appeal makes her lethal...but her greed makes her predictable. At one time, commanded a fleet of 50 Orion privateers.)
    = The Twilek Padawan. (from Revan's time in The Old Republic, her master chose to follow him to Malachor V where she, and everyone else, died. Unable to continue her trials, she tried to walk away from the life of the jedi. Unfortunately, she didn't get very far before Darth Malek had hunted her down on Rhen-Var.)
    Oh, yeah...and the dragon. Big one. Stay the frak away from it. It's one of the "3000 point nightmares" I mentioned earlier. It will ruin anyone's day in less than a second. They are a force of nature....and a tiny bit xenophobic so they don't play well with others. Impossibly stealthy for a beast of its size. Never look one in the eyes and never run from one. Eye contact identifies you as a rival. Running identifies you as prey. Either way....you die.
    As the chapters progress, some old characters will die and some new ones will join. Only a handful of the cast may not be gender-swapped for players. While powerful enemies abound, few will rival the danger the players face from their own crew mates. Not everybody likes or even trusts each other. Another big problem is almost 30% of the crew has no reservations about eating the other 70%. THOSE are your ONLY allies! Team mates that want to kill you more than the villains do....like it should be.
    There are other unplayable unmentionables: An Ixian Face Dancer. A Qwarm Death-borg. A few Xenomorph XX121. Maybe a Thing From Another Planet. A mouse that nearly erased all of existence, and a bug. Yeah....he's just a lil' bug. A few others not worth mentioning....
    The firepower at your disposal will be off the charts. Weapons from all across history, time and space, so:
    "IF YA GOTTA TO GO!?! GO WITH A SMILE!!!"
    But there's a bit of a catch. The champions chosen are all from different dimensions however they all share one commonality. The strongest force sensitive chosen by the Whills invariably looks like Mark Hamill in every reality....except one where it's actually Mark's sister.
    The Last Man Standing? Looks like Mark in "Corvette Summer".
    (I even toyed with the notion of having this one be twins and "The Guy Beside Him" nearly ended up as the Derpy Mark from "Sushi Girl"....only 30 years younger.)
    The Navy SEAL? Looks like Mark in "The Big Red One".
    (Close enough!)
    Lagretha is actually Mark's twin sister.
    (She shares the identical bloodline and with him dead, she is now has the highest midi-chlorian count in that dimension.)
    There's even a Farscape Mark who looks as he did in the movie "Slipstream".
    (Never heard of that one? Don't feel bad. Most people haven't either.)
    One more thing. To be chosen as a champion? You have to be someone who doesn't contribute to the timeline in any signifigent way....as in, at all. Translation:
    "You dead, buddy."
    The only reason any of them are here is because they ALL died. So, no matter how this ends? Going home is no longer an option. With all this bad blood on the ship, what's to keep this cast of miscreants from devolving into a "Battle Royale" as soon as their eyelids open?
    Everybody has amnesia!
    SURPRISE!!!
    If any of this appeals to you? If anyone has question to ask? Please feel free voice your interest below.

    #2
    Man, there's some very, very cool stuff there, Total. It doesn't sound like this game would be for everyone necessarily, but that doesn't mean there aren't folks here at TTW who wouldn't jump right on this one if they could. Perhaps you'd find your post here would get more visibility and traction as a new game ad instead of just an interest check? Just a thought.

    Good luck, cheers and happy gaming here at TTW!

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