[Other] Street Rats of Ur: Rebellion (Fellowship, PbtA)

[hafrogman]

Originally Posted by Muggins

There are other playbooks available in the resources I posted above (like the Heir), but talk to me about them first.

I couldn't help but notice the missing playbooks are the sort of human-ish ones. I was reading the old game ad you linked, and I noticed the 'no humans' thing. Is this an issue with playbooks with no specific race associated with them (Exile, Collector, Lantern, etc.)? Or more exotic stuff like A Beast with the shapeshifter move?

[Muggins]

Originally Posted by hafrogman

I couldn't help but notice the missing playbooks are the sort of human-ish ones. I was reading the old game ad you linked, and I noticed the 'no humans' thing. Is this an issue with playbooks with no specific race associated with them (Exile, Collector, Lantern, etc.)? Or more exotic stuff like A Beast with the shapeshifter move?

For the overview, I kept it to the playbooks which seemed to fit in best for child characters in the city of Uruk, as well having a clear tie to some chunk of the city's people. That's not to say the other playbooks aren't appropriate, but that they deserve a bit more thought so that they fit right into the parts of the setting I'd like to keep. It's like this:

• The Heir has a kingdom and loyal subjects. In Uruk, this could be reinterpreted as a very loyal section of the city of Uruk or being the child of a council member, but either way it wouldn't be 1-to-1 thematically with the original playbook.
• The Harbinger speaks of destruction and has close ties to the Overlord. We could work out something here, up to and including being a Collector or some other council-aligned entity, but I was struggling to conceptualise a child as one.
• The Squire has no people, but are still along for the ride. There's nothing really wrong with this playbook, especially if they were to be a human (who, if keeping with the original Street Rats, don't really have a place to call home). But I also didn't want it to feel like the only "right" playbook for a child character.
• The Dragon is powerful, fiery, and terrifying. I initially restricted them because dragons in Uruk are basically the leaders of each section of the city, so a dragon player wouldn't have any close ties with the people that you'd be forming the rebellion with. As you can see, though, we've now got a Dragon in the running! Thanks Ihinka.
• The Nemesis is not an ally of the fellowship, but a powerful agent of the Overlord. As such, it's a very different dynamic from the other playbooks and requires a solid understanding of Fellowship's rules. I've reserved this position for Atalla Wanderer, as they've expressed interest in having a sort of coGMing role.

At the end of the day, all of the playbooks are functional and appropriate. It's just that some of them might need a bit of work to have them fit with Ur's core concepts.

[ihinka]

Alrighty! I do believe my app is complete. I have ideas for things to be added, but not at this stage

[PopCultureBard]

I am devastated by the timing of this. With my workload ramping up toward a pretty heavy spring quarter, I'm really in a position of needing to shed games rather than adopt more. This game feels so cool and I've never seen Fellowship before so a new PbtA format is always exciting.

I'm gonna go ahead and ask the question I always regret asking. What are you looking for in terms of post rate for this one?

[Muggins]

I wouldn't want to feed into your problems, Poppy, but know that you are certainly welcome both now and later on!

As for post rate? I'm aiming for once a week, but depending on how the spotlight swings that could vary. I'll be trying my best to keep everything going smoothly!

[dalarangreen]

Hey Muggins! I've got an initial character proposal up here. I don't know if you are doing any initial once-overs, but I think Hoyoma's pitch is mostly complete.

I'll probably add a # 2: likely will aim for Lantern.

Let me know if I am missing anything, I kind of combined some of the prompts.

[LostHerSheep]

Working on an application using the SPIDER playbook.

[Muggins]

Some once-overs sound like a great idea, Dalaran! So good that I've already fixed some up, and you should find yours here if your application's in a good enough state for me to witness.





For LostHerSheep and anyone else lurking in the shadows, I think what I'll do is set a deadline of one week. I want to give folks some more time to think and tinker. Next Monday, the 22nd of February, I'll start accepting folks into the inner cloister of the game forum for some initial worldbuilding, and then we'll begin the game proper shortly thereafter! I do have some other prompts which have leapt to mind in the meantime, but I think I'll hold onto them for now.

I'm really blown away with the response that I've gotten, so thank you all for your time. I said before that I'd be taking at least four people, but with Atalla by my side as a potential Nemesis I might take as much as eight! Enough for two or three squads, going out into the world to help people and build support for the rebellion. At least, once you've made it to the safehouse!

[Strangemund]

Alright. I am throwing my hat in officially but only because Muggins is incredibly persuasive and I immediately thought of a good boy for the Ogre Playbook.

Character Application Character Name: Bróðir Hallbjǫrn (but you call just call him Bau) Age: 15 First Impressions: He/Him. Bau is many things. He is tall and lumbering, clumsy and naive, quick to shy away from pretty faces, and easily bullied by those louder than him. Traits that draw suspicion amongst the adults of Uruk, mostly because Bau is an Ogre of terrifying stature. He stands somewhere close to seven and a half feet tall, and while his weight has never been successfully measured, as no man or machine could ever support him long enough before something broke, many still suspect he’s close to two thousand to three thousand pounds, at least when it comes to muscle and fur. But despite his huge build, Bau carries himself like a skittish kitten. Always aware of how unseemly and huge he is compared to the tinier races that make up the city of Uruk, which makes him WOEFULLY apologetic for how often he bumps into just about, well, everything. Being an Ogre stuck in his adolescent years, Bau shows signs of that awkward period in every teenager’s life where not all his body parts have caught up with the rest of him. He’s still incredibly gangly compared to the jolly round builds many adult Ogres sport. His arms and legs are too long for his lanky torso, which only makes Bau look twice as uncomfortable in his own skin, especially with how often he’s seen hunched over, refusing to stand tall and proud while he has a perfectly good floor to stare at. His adult fur hasn’t come in all the way yet, either, despite being ninety-percent fur. Much to his embarrassment, his baby fur-- which is still very soft and adorably fluffy-- is easily found on his chest and on the back of his elbows and calves, while the worst of it is found in his mane as it refuses to do anything other than look like he just rolled out of bed, sticking out in every direction no matter how furiously he tries to comb it down into place on the top of his head. His fur is a soft grey with patches of white on his underbelly, with a cool stone grey hue seen on the few bits of thick leather hide that peek through his fur, particularly on his feline-esque face and on his rough-hewn palms. Other notable traits found on Bau is the intricate ecosystem of moss that grows on his back. It is hard to see given how thick his fur is but like all Ogres, Bau shares a symbiotic relationship with a very rare moss that blooms into a gorgeous array of flowers that are known for their magical and medical properties. However, Bau's moss hasn’t fully bloomed just yet despite being the season for it. The trauma of losing his parents and no longer managing a healthy Ogre diet has caused his flowers to wither and die before they could see their first harvest. Which is just another loss that Bau isn’t ready to talk about. On the wardrobe front, Bau tries to wear pants for the sake of modesty. It is hard as not many tailors work on clothes for Ogres-- their digitigrade legs are hard to fit on a good day, but finding enough fabric to cover them from butt to clawed toe is a feat in its own right. But Bau was lucky enough to find a pair from an abandoned Ogre hovel within the city slums. It hangs loosely around his waist, tied in place with ropes stolen from clotheslines, but it allows him to move freely, and more importantly, stick as much food as possible in his deep, deep, deep pockets. He also has a long, bushy-tipped tail like a chinchilla, so please, don’t step on it. He will cry. Playbook: The Ogre Playbook What does it mean to be your playbook? The Ogres of Adnatu are a race that are one with nature. Daughters and Sons of the snow-capped mountains of Mor, the bountiful meadows of Kärlek, and the hill valleys of Dauði, the Ogres of Adnatu are protectors of lands that are blessed with Mother Nature’s bounty. Very rarely do they leave their homes for the bustling cities of mankind. Their duty sworn to the wild and unchanged domains of Grask’a, the Sleeping Giant who shaped the world with her rough-hewn hands, giving life to all creatures, big and small, within her warm, red-clay kiln before she finally came to rest within the earth’s core. The Ogres of Adnatu were the first to be shaped by her love, and they remember well their Mother Grask’a through stories passed down from the old to the young since time first stretched itself across Adnatu’s starry sky. It is their love for their Mother Grask’a that they chose to care for her work while she slumbers. Cutting corruption out from dying woods, cleansing black pools into crystal waters, and tending to those too weak to grow on their own. Always cherishing their Mother’s work wherever they go, the Ogres of Adnatu have become caregivers, guardians, and companions to all who wish to live in harmony with the world around them. It is just unfortunate the machinations of human innovation and interference have turned the Ogres of Adnatu into tools of violence. The strength they used to lift people up were now turned against those who dared to push the weak into the ground. The Ogres of Adnatu who live near the city of Uruk have watched the clouds turn black over its streets. The once glorious city of riches and warmth were now filled with the sick, the dying, and the orphaned. And the hearts of the Ogres of Adnatu weeped for the suffering, but the few brave souls who could not turn a blind-eye to the people’s pain have found themselves in the heart of the Rebellion, fighting for what is everyone’s right. Freedom. Love. Safety. May Mother Grask’a’s gentle hand guide us all. What do you know about Uruk? Everything about Uruk told Bau he didn’t belong. The streets were convoluted and busy. Stuffed full with stalls that sold everything Bau knew and everything he didn’t, all costing more gold than he ever owned in his whole life. It was a cacophony of smells and noises. The kind that filled the city up like a bubbling pot. Some pleasant. Aromatic and sweet. Like fresh bread smothered in honeyed butter and the bouncing beat of a lute played late for those who couldn’t sleep. But then were some sounds and smells that were too loud for Bau. The screams of strangers ringing hollowly in the night. The screech of metal as it clanged and clattered like claws on stone in parts of town that were blocked off. The constant thrum of conversation, drowning out the quiet breaths of Mother Grask’a fast asleep, leaving Bau alone with his fear and his thoughts. It was never quiet in the city. No matter where he went. As for nature, it was hard to find in the city. Swarms of rats slithered in and out of the street gutters, feasting on rotted vegetables that were too moldy to put in the local tavern’s pot. Cats came and went but they were just as alien to Bau as the people were-- too distant and too judgemental to care for his company, unlike the lions and cougars who warmed him in the cold mountain forests. And the wolves were hardly wolves at all. They came in many shapes and sizes-- flat-nosed and long-nosed, short and stout, big and drooly, loud and bellowing, squeaky and erratic-- but they were a far friendlier bunch, quick to accompany Bau to the Dockside as he hunted for fish and fruit from distracted sailors hauling their goods to port. Player Triggers: My comfort zone is within RPGX’s PG-13 rating. That pretty much covers anything I would have a problem with, but I will say something privately if that changes.

[kanly]

@Muggins
Thank you for your consideration and the advice. I will update my apps.

[hafrogman]

Originally Posted by Muggins

"You are children of Uruk, the greatest city in the world. But our city has been controlled for too long by a dictator, and as true citizens we must stand up to him. Whatever the cost."

Checking something. Is there "a dictator" in addition to the Council of Elders? Or is it just the Council, and I'm reading too much into flavor text?

[Muggins]

Both, maybe? I think both. It's an ambiguous arrangement where the council allegedly serves the dictator, but the dictator also allegedly represents the council.

[Strangemund]

Just an update on mine. Excluding the part where I will edit it for the rest of forever because I am a perfectionist.I have finished the First Impression portion, let me know if his height/weight needs to be altered. I just wanted to nail that Gentle Giant feel in both personality and appearance. Although between you, me, and everybody else reading this, I wanted to make sure he was big enough for the Ogre Playbook mechanic where people could just climb all over him with no problem. That's just too hilarious/too cute to pass up.

I am still working on the other two sections. I think I should have everything finished by Monday, unless this stomach virus decides to up its bullying over the next two days. For now, I am going to take a break and sleep some of this awfulness off.

[dalarangreen]

Thanks for the feedback!

[Strangemund]

Done!

Let me know what you think~!