Industrial Fantasy Campaign

Community Game ideas
#1

For some reason I didn’t think of posting this here.

I’m looking to put together a team of three or four people who would be interested in putting together a campaign game over the remaining time Teonn has left to run. Hopefully with at least one person who has experience running campaigns.

The basic concept is a fantasy setting that is undergoing its first industrial revolution. This world has reach an age of empires, colonialism, great explorers and social reform. I don’t want to go into too much detail yet as it’s still undeveloped and I’m hoping that interested people will bring in their own ideas to further develop what I’ve been thinking.

The approach I want to take in creating this campaign is to stick to these four goals:

  • To run a fantasy game with a different approach to the usual sword-and-sorcery medieval fantasy.
  • To create a setting with enough context to get people started, but allows for players to have freedom to create groups/history/etc within it.
  • To have the core rule system easily presented on one page.
  • To develop the setting and concept so that any story the GMs want to tell with it can be done.

If you’re interested, send me a PM.

#2

This sounds really interesting! I dont feel like I could GM though XD, or set up a LARP at all.
Still, if you ever need ideas, I am probably willing to throw random ideas your direction (Most of which might not be what you are looking for but hey, some might be!)
One thing I would love to see in such a LARP though, is rather than having an industrial revolution with magic, or fantasy elements, to actually show/make clear, that they have developed together. This would result in different ways of solving a problem. For example, if you have magic which can create fire, then it would not be unlikely to have fire mages work with steam-machines, and instead of consuming coal, they would consume whatever gives the mage the ability to create fire.

#3

It sounds a little like Fable 3 to me, Is that the kinda feel you’re going for?

#4

I’ve commented on this idea on Facebook but my opinion is, setting detail and world feel are more important than the rules (but these should not be clunky if possible). For Knightshade I left my game world a little too vague, something as simple as a area or world map adds so much. Just being able to say Elves come from here and Orks from here etc. is of huge benefit. Having enough history and culture for each race to define ones character. Having this detail with enough richness and accessibility makes it easy to build background and history.

Also, setting aside, if I can wear my chain and wave a sword then I’m all good! Even if that does make my character a regressive ludite!

#5

I’ve never played the Fable games but after looking it up… sort of? I guess.

#6

My 2 cents are just that, since I’m so new to Larp in general - but I’m getting a pretty big buzz off “Sword and Sorcery” style combat at the moment. My only worry with an industrial campaign is that we would have no sword-fights!

#7

I would expect noble-men with rapiers at their side, though I might be looking at a bit too early a period XD.

#8

Well, they had factories by the Napoleonic period, so swords totally fit in the period.

#9

Also note: UNDER GOING FIRST INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION.

Which means it isn’t complete… the whole world didn’t under go industrial revolution simultaneously… and in many stories I have read, industry opposes magic and vice versa (also see modern fantasy, Jim Butcher / Dresden books), so there is plenty of scope for practitioners trying to save their art. And plenty of room for regressive technologies like long swords and old armour.

Also, consider themes like Pirates of the Carribean…

#10

Personally, I always find that its odd that technology always opposes magic, and makes it obsolete. I would expect that industry and technology would be enhanced by magic. But it is usually done this way I believe, because magic would have such a massive impact on the way industry and technology would work, that it is just too much for the creator to figure out how that would work. Just saying.

#11

I know the hard fantasy campaigns are popular, but what I want to do with this is to try something different. So I’m going to say that while characters may carry a sabre in this setting, there’s not going to be many sword-fights or much in the way of armour in this game. It’s just not going to fit with the setting or the game mechanics. If I can figure out a way to do bayonets that won’t require players to go through half a year of steel fighting that might get rid of a lot of the swords.

There are going to be other games for sword-fighting and chainmail. I know that there is another hard fantasy campaign being planned where everyone will be able to get their swordfighting fix.

#12

Also like “Thief II”. Religious cults devoted to technological advancement, other cults trying to stop them…

#13

I like the idea of non-standard fantasy larps, to mix things up.

Mordavia and Teonn are both pretty straight fantasy concepts, whereas something like St Wolfgang’s Vampire Hunters has a lot of the appeal of fantasy couched in a non-standard setting - medieval Christians defending the world from hellish creatures in a mythologised setting, for those who weren’t around for it.

It was that variation that got me excited about St Wolfgang’s, probably because I’ve been doing straight fantasy larps for a couple of decades. I still love straightforward fantasy, but it’s more companionship than a fiery romance these days. :wink:

So that’s a roundabout way of saying I like the sound of this early-industrial fantasy concept, if only because the twist will bring new creative thinking. It’s all in the execution though of course.

Part of that execution will need to be making the setting clear to players and crew. The thing about standard fantasy is that you can drop most people into it and they get it immediately from experience with tabletop RPGS, computer games, movies, etc. That contextualisation is really important in ensuring a common understanding of the setting and empowering powers creatively. If you grasp a setting, then you know what you can add to it.

St Wolfgang was clear to players because it was “medieval knights and priests fighting vampires and the forces of hell in a pulp style”. The medieval setting is accessible to a lot of people, and historical research allows players to bring consistent new elements into play alongside the GM-invented stuff.

This industrialised fantasy genre sounds harder to grasp at first blush - people are already reaching for comparisons. Of course, this is just an ad for co-designers, not an announcement of the game. Once the design is clearer, if you can give a simple comparison or “it’s x meets y” juxtaposition of familiar elements (like a movie pitch) then that will make it easier for players to grasp.

#14

[quote=“Ryan Paddy”]

This industrialised fantasy genre sounds harder to grasp at first blush - people are already reaching for comparisons. [/quote]

Discworld? :smiling_imp:

#15

Eberron is what occurred to me.

But I gather Eberron is about magical industrialisation. Magic-powered street lighting and trains and robots and such. The logical social development of D&D magical power… as opposed for using it to kill monsters and gather treasure.

#16

There are a bunch of fairytales from the early industrial period. That’s where my mind went first. :slight_smile: