[Other] Grottos and Godbound

[Inuvash255]

Back from Hiatus, and Recruiting more players!

Grottos and Godbound

Game System Godbound: Free Edition

Flavor and Theme The World of Arcem is a world of fantasy and darkness. The heavens are broken, and mere mortals (like yourself) are ascending into demigods called "Godbound". In the cursed land of Ancalia, an undead plague and an invasion of Lovecraftian horrors have reduced the proud nation into a post-apocalyptic state. Ancalia needs heroes who pro-actively go out and change the world with their amazing powers; who'll face off against the horrors of the Night Roads, and rid it of the zombie plague.

The Story Thus Far... Once upon a time, a particular group of strangers were drawn to a particular hillside overlooking a particular city - as if by a siren's call. There, the heavens opened up, and down to those strangers came incredible powers. Together, they went to the city of Binai. There, they found a destroyed city, a puppet tyrant, and his puppet-master - an Uncreated beast known only as The Maw. Together, they defeated (and recruited) the Tyrant, and fought off many waves of undead husks that the Maw sent their way. Gathering their strength, they delved into its vile lair beneath the ruined city. Using a powerful artifact stolen from a faerie lord, they closed the Maw's portal into the Night Roads, then slayed the demon. However, this was only a taste of what was to come. The Maw represented the least Court of the Uncreated titans that came in through the Night Roads. Four more still live, corrupting the land of Ancalia with their very existence. In addition, the Maw's Night Road is only one of nine that opened in Ancalia.

Where you come in... You and another player will have Godbound of your own, who've found their powers in a region of Ancalia called the Anderacca Lowlands- a region plagued by lesser Uncreated horrors. I plan to run both players through a short, cooperative CYOA scenario to determine how that region is doing, ending in the discovery of a sort of "fast travel" between that region, and where the current group is.

Application Information Character Application Notes: You don't need to fill out a character sheet to apply; but you should get the Free Godbound book, and give it a glance, and read through the Ancalia location info. This game aims for roughly OOC posts count! I'm mostly looking for engagement and keeping things moving at a steady clip.a post a day, minus weekends. Feel free to keep posts on the short end! We'll be using the game's ability score assignment [16, 14, 13, 13, 10, 8] rather than rolling. Typically characters in this game are human turned into demigods/gods; I'm going to go with the optional rule on pg.78 of the book - you can use one of your character's Facts to be non-human, OR otherwise someone from somewhere other than Ancalia. You: (Not your character, what should we call you by? Anything we should know about you?) Pre-Apotheosis Concept: (Who was your character before they became a demigod?) Demigod Concept: (What sort of Godbound do you want your character to become?) Worldbuilding Exercise: You're starting in a region that's been terrorized by horrors from another dimension for the past five years. In 100 words or less, give me a description of some aspect of the region. It could be about a particular person, people, or organization that calls the Anderacca Lowlands, about a certain location in the area. Optional, Easy App Skeleton [B]You: [/B] [B]Pre-Apotheosis Concept:[/B] [B]Demigod Concept: [/B] [FIELDSET="Worldbuilding Exercise"] [/FIELDSET]

[braintitan]

This looks interesting - going to read up on the setting.

Question - I will be away with not internet access starting next Thru afternoon till Monday afternoon the following week. Hope that won't mess things up for selection given the posting requirements.

[Inuvash255]

Nah, I doubt that'll mess anything up.

[Tecumseh]

Ooo, me, me!

Godbound has been at the top of my To Do list for months now. I've tried to get two games off the ground but the GM (in one) and the players (in the second) flaked.

I have a few different concepts that could be fun. Is Lexicon of the Throne available to use?

Application Information You: Tec. Been playing TTRPGs since the mid-80s, play-by-post for almost 12 years, and Kevin Crawford systems for the last 3 years. Have you checked out the system? What do you think of it? Do you have any comments or concerns? Yes, I think it's very exciting! I've been eager to play it. One of the things that most interests me is the speed at which the story can progress. Things that might be a whole adventure in a traditional game might be resolved within minutes here. That pace is exciting, especially combined with the posting rate. How do you feel about the posting rate and the constrained writing challenge? Big fan of the posting rate. I had never considered a constrained writing challenge before but I think I like it. One of the things that seems to bog down games a lot is people wanting to do a "proper" IC post, when the reality is that the momentum of the game would be better served by something quick and dirty. Pre-Apotheosis Concept: A scoundrel. A rascal/trickster with little personal power scraping by on the fringes of society. Demigod Concept: From a mechanics standpoint, thinking Theft/Night/Alacrity (if Lexicon of the Throne is available). From a narrative standpoint, a demigod who is willing to do a little evil to do a greater good. Worldbuilding Exercise: The warlord-ruler of Binai - "His Majesty, Mael" - uses the river as a source of control. His soldiers strictly enforce when and how the local residents use the river. Mael collects a "water tax" from everyone. Often his soldiers collect a little extra for themselves.

[Amarga]

WIP Application Information You: Amarga. Started playing TTRPGs a decade ago with my highschool buddies. Ah, DnD 3.5. System Thoughts: How do you feel about the posting rate and the constrained writing challenge?: It sounds like an excellent way to develop effective writing. The soul of wit is brevity and all that. As for the increased posting rate I think that goes hand in hand with the lower word count, it's an excellent and interesting pairing. Pre-Apotheosis Concept: A stargazing shepherd Demigod Concept: A calm guardian and guide of the night. Deeply tied to stars, dreams, and sleep. Probably fights using a sling and staff, maybe frustrates enemies using fluffy star sheep. Worldbuilding Exercise:

[Inuvash255]

@Tec: Sorry, just the content of the free version!

It's a new system for me, so I'd like to keep it to the core content. c:

[Tecumseh]

Okay, let me rethink a bit. I have three other concepts I've sketched out and I think they all work with the free edition of the rules.

[HotsuSama]

... Well now. This is a pleasant surprise. And hello Inu!

Tentative interest. Daily posting but 50w limit? I think I'd be willing to try that. I have a vague familiarity with Godbound - haven't played, but I've made characters for previous applications on RPGX. I'll look back and mull it over.

[Inuvash255]

Hey Hotsusama! How've you been?

The posting rate/rules are pretty experimental, but I'm hoping the game moves at a decent clip and is easy to keep up with. :>

[Inuvash255]

@Tec: No rush!

[braintitan]

Hmm - so new system for me - had a concept but not sure it will fit world/Party wanted to run it by everyone -

An undead Lord who wants to use his powers to protect everyone - take control of all the undead he can to keep them from attacking innocent, using them for labor and destroying those undead who won't come under his sway.

Every Pantheon needs an undead god right ?

[Inuvash255]

There is a Word for Death in the rulebook, which seems to be along the lines of a Necromancer / Reaper / Psychopomp. That might go well with your idea.

[Kaymithe]

Very interesting!

I don't quite have the time to read up on a new system, but I love the concept of constrained writing produced on a consistent basis!

[HotsuSama]

Character App - Ihab You: HotsuSama - person, father, RPG tragic. Playing since 2017, RPGX regular since 2020. System Thoughts: I've made characters and concepts in Godbound but haven't had the chance to play yet. Posting and Writing Challenge Thoughts: Yup, I'm in for it - it'll hopefully make keeping up more manageable than trying to block out time for bigger posts. Pre-Apotheosis Concept: Ihab Attama is the daughter of a minor lord who owned an estate up the coast from Binai when the Night Roads opened. They avoided the worst of the initial calamity, and the Attama estate became a small enclave for refugees for a while after the fall of Old Binai. Ihab would scavenge for resources and supplies, sometimes inland, although as Binai and its surrounds were stripped of healthy settlements and resources she learned to take a raft and dive for valuables from sunken wrecks off the Ancalian coast. When the push-back to reclaim Old Binai occurred, she kept to her rafting, finding it a relaxing departure from the desperation of what was happening on Ancalian soil. It was a momentous occasion when the area surrounding Binai's old Cairn of Worship was reclaimed. When Ihab visited the cairn, she'd been dreaming of going back out on her raft. The Cairn looked like a finger pointing to the sky. No ... the sea. The endless sea that stretches forever, even into nothingness and oblivion. The abyss called her, even on land. It welcomed her, so vast and empty but also so full of discarded things - lost wrecks, creatures never seen by mortal eyes, knowledge that slipped under the waves. Demigod Concept: A god of the deep sea - not just the domain of water, but also of forgotten things, the detritus of countless ships and souls dragged into the abyssal void. Proposed Words: Sea, Wealth (3rd word either Knowledge or Night, depending on other characters) Worldbuilding Exercise 'Binai' as it's now known is not the same as the old city, which was ravaged five years ago. The current Binai is still fledgling, slowly reclaiming the territory after pushing back the Uncreated at great cost. It uses some sections of the old city and various surrounding encampments.

[Cap Ut]

Already have a concept in mind, and I think those Sun and Bow Words would wrap it quite nicely.

Originally Posted by Kaymithe

I don't quite have the time to read up on a new system

It's actually quite simple and straightforward. I've never heard of this game before today and after a couple hours I think I already got a good hang of it.