Salamander's latest abandoned project.

[Salamander]

So, long story short, its been a long time since I actually got up off my butt and lived up to my "Evil Game Minister" title. I've decided it's now time to correct that oversight. Only issue is, I'm itching to run something, but I don't know what. I have this problem where I focus on creating worlds only to abandon them when the next idea comes along, and if I don't pick something, it's just not going to get done.

That's where you all come in. I'm going to throw out the ideas I currently have dancing around in my head, in all their states of completeness, and put up a poll. Whichever you all are most interested in, I get off my arse and finish. ETA will be up to two weeks, after which point I'm throwing a signup thread up. And now, wihout further ado, your choices:

1) The Glow - post-apocalyptic fantasy in a world devastated and transformed by nuclear war and its residual radiation. Radiation in the quantities generated by the war softens the laws of reality, allowing for monsters and magic. Glow-based mutations are often recognizable as their classic fantasy-based counterparts while still being distinct to the setting. The stronger the radiation level, the more powerful magic is, but the more toxic it is to normal lifeforms. Inspiration comes from Fallout and Shadowrun. This is a very fleshed-out world that I've been kicking around for a while, and all it really needs are a few tweaks to get it started.

2) A Fistful of Iron: For a Few Ingots More. A short-lived wild West meets fantasy game that I ran some time ago. Magic has always existed, and elsewhere in the world, people live under the control of sorcerers or in terror of monsters. Magic, however, has a natural enemy in the form of iron, which is magic-proof and weakens magic when in large enough quantities. America has "bones of iron," and the British sorcerers were unable to maintain control of their colonies, leading to revolution and America's liberation. Game would be similar to a western game, but with tall tales as truths and frequent supernatural foes. World is already made, so all I'd have to do for this is figure out some stories to tell.

3) Guild of Wanderers - a pure fantasy-based game, set in a universe where interdimensional travel is possible through the use of doorways to other worlds. The game would be set in a guild of problem-solving mercenaries, organized by a sorceress who sets up her own doorways to do business. She saved you from death, and now you owe her a million in Pandemonian currency for her services. Primarily mission-based gameplay, inspired by Everway and early Fairy Tail. This one would need some work to be playable - I need to come up with enough mission ideas to allow free choice without leaving everyone without a clue what to do next.

4) Sal's unnamed steampunky rpg. Set in Victorian England, where power sources like steam and clockwork turned out to be capable of providing enough power to do amazing things. Very frameworkish at this point. I'm going for a very pulp feel, with adventurers, gadgeteers, and mad scientists all coexisting. Science goes fast, innovative, reliable - pick two, focus on one. Minimal fantasy elements - if it seems outright impossible it is, if it's plausible unless you know the modern truth (phlogiston, voodoo, reanimation with electricity, the "Sherlock scan"), it may be possible.

5) Something I've forgotten. It happens. If you remember some game that I was kicking around to you and then forgot about, feel free to bring it up and we can see what happens.

Please, discuss your choices and why. If you like multiple ideas, talk about that and I'll take it into consideration. The best argument for the game that gets picked AND overall get an auto-slot, so do your best!

[Salamander]

...OK then. It looks like I don't have the ability to actually make polls. If someone knows how to change that, let me know, otherwise just pretend it's Werewolves and go Vote: Game X.

[Skitzophrenik]

I am in like Flynn. Man, the Western had a lot of promise, and I love steampunk, and we've been talkign about The Glow for a while.

I'm down for any of those three, but will probably pass on the fantasy game. Lets say that my preference is for 2, then 4, then 1.

[Kajin]

[Vote Redacted]

[FreakyBoy]

I told Sal he wasn't allowed to ask Skitz what to do because Skitz likes everything. Seems I was right.

I was reading old chat logs last night and apparently everyone liked Fistful of Iron. I don't remember why it died before.

I'm still against the idea of The Glow with "Elves, Orcs, Dwarves, Humans and Ogre/Troll/Yeti/Whatevers" (yeah, I'm hung up on the names), so Vote: Fistful of Iron.

[Dom/SlimKop]

The Guild of Wanderers idea might be best for a forum. I also like the Fistful of Iron idea. I'm with Skitz in that they all look pretty awesome, but I'd go for 3 first then 2.

[Salamander]

I was reading old chat logs last night and apparently everyone liked Fistful of Iron. I don't remember why it died before.

Same reason about half my games die. People get lazy, stop posting, and I give up trying to push it along. The other quarters, of course, are games that die because I get lazy, and games that are Zodiac Brave Story.

Anyway, as for the use of fantasy terminogy in The Glow, I do appreciate what you said, but I really feel like the game would lose something in feel if I discard the fantasy races. If a mutated creature is just a mutant and not a Chimera or a Dragon, if a long-limbed tree-climbing humanoid with huge eyes and ears is a Climber or Homo Silvans instead of an elf, then it's standard post-apocalyptic pulp, and while fun, it's not the feel that got me inspired. Fantasy uses fantasy tropes.

[FreakyBoy]

Yeah, well, if I can't call your tree-frog elves frogfaces, I'll probably find something else to do instead. :)

[Skitzophrenik]

No one said you can't call them frogfaces, FB. But it doesn't matter. We're going to end up playing A Fistful of Iron in accordance to the Sth law of GRPG: Skitz usually ends up getting his way.

Tell me I don't.

You're wrong.

[FreakyBoy]

Dude, don't make me kill Rifts again.

[Skitzophrenik]

I said usually.

[Stan Cold]

I'd be down with either A Fist Full of Iron or Unnamed Steampunk.

[balthazar]

Hmm. Just looking at 2 and 4, those two might slot together fairly well, actually, and here's why: both the steampunk and wild west genres take place in the same time period, roughly between the early 1800's to very early 1900's, a period known for massive leaps forward in technology, and widespread invention. With the rest of the world under the rule of magic, the only place that technology could flourish would be the U.S. which would actively encourage its development as a way to counter outside aggression by other nations with their magic based military might. Another consideration is one of style. When people think of the style of Victorian steampunk, the first thing that comes to mind is polished brass and mahogany. U.S. steampunk is typically all iron and steel however, with a minimum of brass and rich wood unless it's intended to be opulent.

[FreakyBoy]

2007 is only 8 pages ago, while 2005 is 15 pages beyond that. We, as GRPGers, need to step up our game.

[Skitzophrenik]

Remember, we do have LONG threads. Months long threads. Forty page threads. So we're a lot denser.