[Announcement] Undaunted: The Dust War Files (Advertisement)

[briar]

Welcome to Undaunted: the Dust War Files, a psuedo-fantasy military drama set in a desperate world on the brink of war. The idea for this game was inspired by a number of military fantasy media, including, but not limited to, Valkyria Chronicles (video game), The 86 (anime/manga), and Izetta: the Last Witch (anime). Players will take on the identities of civilians of a neighboring neutral nation, which has become embroiled in the growing conflict between the major powers of the world, and must take up arms and fight for survival of their homeland, as well as their very lives. This game will have an equal balance of combat and non-combat scenarios, but 'progression' will be defined by character arcs and goal completion. Though there is a story plot in place, the real focus of the narrative is the characters, the warmth of the bonds they forge, how they cope with the rigors of conflict, the choices they have to make, and of course, the frigid reality of the human condition. Disclaimer: Please note that this is not going to be a cushy, light-hearted story, but nor is it going to be gritty, grimdark fantasy with gore-y details and constant suffering. Rather, I'm aiming for something in the middle, with a little bit of both extremes coming to light at the appropriate times. This is a game centered around people fighting for freedom and cling onto hope. Expect to be thrilled, betrayed, and heart-broken, but also expect opportunities for characters to grow, develop, and bond through their shared struggles. Hey there, Briar (Kae) here! Thanks for taking a peek at my new game, Undaunted: the Dust War Files! Those who know me on here are probably pretty surprised this is so different than my usual brand of cozy fantasy or Pokémon experience. And rightly so! Truth be told, I've had an interested in military fantasy since I was little, namely with the Mobile Suit: Gundam anime series, and in recent years, games like Valkyria Chronicles deepened that interest. So this been a long time coming, especially trying to find a system I was willing to run it in, but its finally arrived! If you have any misgivings about the system, questions about the tone and the content, or anything else, please feel free to ask. There are no stupid question! I hope you'll consider submitting a character application playing Undaunted with me! ♥

A War in the Making... Ten years ago, the「 The Witch War A war between magic practitioners that lasted for almost eight long years and consumed most of the Arnspelt continent in savage conflict, along with scarring the land due to the widespread use of superspells. Witch War」came to an end, and peace was finally restored to Arnspelt. However, though the fighting had ceased, the suffering of those left in the aftermath had only just begun. In reality, the war had inflicted a terrible sickness upon the land: a calamity known as「 Dust A term that refers to the biproduct of using super-tier spells, Dust contains significant amount of condensed and highly reactive mana. In its natural, crystallized state, it is harmful to the environment and living beings that are around it too long. However, once process and contained, it becomes a sand-like grain which can be used to harness magical capability, even by those with no skill in the arcane arts. The discovery of Dust's uses caused a technological revolution, and in only a few short years, has changed the face of the world, bringing all manner of Dust-powered machinations to life, both for good, and as well as for ill. Superspells More officially referred to as Super-tier magic, superspells are a magic art that involves entangling a number spell strings to create one, massive spell with the power to devastate large swaths of territory, it was first employed against Tyier, the capitol city of Ilydenna. Over the course of the war, superspells were unleashed en masse by both sides, causing widespread destruction and producing enormous veins of Dust throughout the continent. Dust」. That is, until it was discovered that Dust could be refined in a substance capable of infusing magic into machines. Thus, the major powers of the world rushed headlong towards technological supremacy, hoping to fill the vaccuum left by the mysterious disappearance of the「 Mages An umbrella term for those with the capacity for, and knowledge of, spellcraft. Unlike normal people, mages have extremely high aptitude for Mana manipulation, and are therefore able to summon the arcane arts without the use of Dust by condensing, controlling, and releasing the magic within themselves and the world around them. Mages are incredibly rare, and only one child within one-million will be born with the propensity for spellcraft. However, since the Witch War came to an end ten years ago, not a single mage has been born, so far as the world knows. Some attribute this to the presence of the Dust, though they are little more than theories. Mana The physical form of raw, natural magical energy it is present within all living creatures and originating from the arcane leylines that swirl throughout the planet. Mana is the lifeblood of spellcraft, and those born with a high attunement to Mana have the capacity to become mages. mages」. Now, with the growing discourse between the military juggernaut of the 「 Tandrael Once a conglomerate of nations that were aligned with the witch, Persephone, Tandrael came out of the war mostly unscathed, and in the wake of the fighting, unified their respective territories and seized the opportunity to ramp up their industrial capabilities, including--and perhaps particularly--their military complex. Dominion of Tandrael」 in the west and the serene justice of the 「League of Free States」in the east concerning Dust trade disputes, the threat of war may once again loom behind the curtain. And in a small, out-of-the-way border town of a neutral nation near the Imperial borders, smoke is gathering on the horizon. A story of survival and sacrifice, sorrow and love, loyalty and betrayal; a tale of cruel fates, unsung heroes and holding on to hope amidst the fires of war. About This Game System: OVA: the Anime Role-Playing Game OVA: the Anime Role-Playing Game is a rules-lite anime-inspired rpg system that functions off of a simple d6 setup. The general gist is that you roll 2d6, taking the higher result, and then roll additional d6's according to your character's competency with the task, then compare it to a difficulty or oppose it against an enemy's counter roll. All characters have Abilities and Weaknesses, which loosely or specifically apply to certain actions, as well as a Health score and an Endurance score. Certain Abilities or Weaknesses cost you Endurance to use, and Endurance can also be burned when you run out of Health. When you run out of both Health and Endurance, you can no longer fight, but that doesn't necessarily mean death. We'll decide what happens to characters who reach this state on a case-by-case basis, but normally if you don't want your character to die, I will generally allow you to live with some kind of setback or penalty. Otherwise, the game proceeds pretty much normally for most ttrpg standards. Battles are turn-based, there are options for gaining an 'advantage' through being strategic or creative, and so forth. There is obviously a bit more depth, but you get the idea. This game will be played using this system, albeit with some additional rules and restrictions. Players will be given access to an undownloadable copy of the game PDF upon acceptance. OVA: Anime RPG Themes: the atrocities of war, coming of age, dark fantasy, dieselpunk, finality, heroism, the human condition, innocence lost, magepunk, solarpunk, steampunk, suspense, tragedy and sacrifice, unseen wounds, unsung heroes, villainous deeds, zero-to-hero Preferred Posting Rate: Posting Rate Clarifications As the GM/DM/Storyteller, my plan is to hold myself accountable for at least two (2) story posts per week, with the hope that players will also try for the same, and faster if time and attendance permits. If possible, I'd love to see posts happen more often, but as we all are keenly aware, life doesn't always work with us. Honestly, as long as you give me fair warning, and absences don't become a regular thing, I'm generally fine to forgive a few missed posts. 1-3/week ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎──────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────────‎‎‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ Character Creation Character Application Requirements Players will be required to have the following details about characters: Basic information, including, but not limited to Name, Age, and Gender/Pronouns. Ages are suggested as between 17 and 49. A general description of the character, optionally including their build/weight, height, hair/skin/eye colors, and preference of attire/garb. Depending on the choices made in the game, characters may or may not be issued a uniform suitable to their affiliation or 'class'. A character portrait is suggested, though it doesn't necessarily need to be exactly to your description. Note that there are two 'races': human and anomolae. Anomolae are functionally human, with fantastical traits brought as a side-effect of magic, with examples being elven ears, dragon tail/vestigial wings, animalistic features, demonic horns, and so forth. Go wild/get creative with this, but no mechanical effects. Causes include limited exposure or accidental imbibing of Dust, high inner Mana capacities, subject of experimentation, or vague distant relations to mages/witches. Some anomolae can hide their traits, others cannot. Generally speaking, anomolae are regarded by humans with suspicion and mistrust, sometimes worse. A general summary of the character's personality, including optionally inclinations, motivations, dreams/goals, or hobbies and other interests. A paragraph+ of backstory. All characters must be residents of the starting town, either native/permanent or temporarily, and have lived there for at least 6 months. Characters should at least know of one another, if only by name or reputation, but how well is up to players to decide. Having at least a few connections is suggested, and you are free to make up NPCs to be friends, frienemies, rivals or whatever else. You may not be a mage/witch, nor knowingly related to one. Previous military service in your backstory is allowed, but I would discourage any career soldiers. I strongly recommend prospective players look up an RPG Consent Checklist and include any specifities as far as content preferences. Please note that this game is meant to be a wartime drama, and there will be some dark moments that touch on some potentially triggering subjects. Help me help you. Application Requirements Mechanics Guidelines No character sheets. For now, please just focus on providing the requirements. Players who are chosen will receive an access link to an undownloadable version of the game rules. However, if you already own the game, you're welcome to look through it with these rules in mind: We will be using the Base Zero rule for character creation (pg 21). Note that I am strictly limiting what Abilities and Weaknesses you can choose initially. The nature of this game is that many of the unavailable options are granted through weapons and equipment you obtain over the course of play. Do not expect to have magical powers. I will also be implementing a relatively simple Class system, but it is not available at the game's onset, unlocking at a later point shortly after the introductory period/prelude. Classes will give a short list 3 new abilities and 1 weakness each, regardless of the class chosen. Characters may have only 2 Abilities at Level 3. All others must be Level 1 or 2. Characters may not have more than 8 Weaknesses, and only 1 Weakness of Level 3. I will be providing a basic character sheet template, but you may create or design your own, too. Mechanical Guidelines Advert Type: Ad/App Process Clarification This game advertisement will run until the due date has passed or until I have a sufficient pool of applicants, at which point I will select a party from those who have applied. I will track the applicants' progress on this post, answer questions, and give some light feedback as requested. Please note that I reserve the right to seed some slots to players I trust and/or have had a good experience with in the past. Ad/App Process App Due Date: Date Goes Here # of Players Sought: 4 - 6 Character Sheets: Please do not submit completed character sheets. Thank you.After Acceptance Do Not Roll Dice In This Thread Applicants Char • Player • Prog. ----- ❀ ----- ❀ -- ----- ❀ ----- ❀ -- ----- ❀ ----- ❀ -- ----- ❀ ----- ❀ -- ----- ❀ ----- ❀ -- ----- ❀ ----- ❀ -- ----- ❀ ----- ❀ -- ----- ❀ ----- ❀ -- ----- ❀ ----- ❀ -- ----- ❀ ----- ❀ -- ----- ❀ ----- ❀ -- ✗: Withdrawn ?: Still Working ✓: Complete! What I'm Looking For... Fans of the inspiration/source material. Players who value character growth and conflict. Good forum etiquette and understanding of problems. Making an effort to spell/grammar check posts. Good group cohesion, a willingness to collaborate, inclusiveness, open-mindedness and consistency. Risk Takers and Outside-of-the-Box Thinkers An effort made to know the rules.