Common Worlds

http://i.imgur.com/bFeoW.jpg

This looks to me like 10W2 Martial Arts vs. 10W I Have Many Guards augmented with 20W My Large Hotel with No Elevator.

Or just Wealth 5W2.

Definitely an extended contest though.

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My players heard me rave about Blindsight by Peter Watts a month ago. Man, is it terrific, awe-inspiring and frightening all at once:

And if the best toys do end up in the hands of those who've never forgotten that life itself is an act of war against intelligent opponents, what does that say about a race whose machines travel between the stars?

Apparently this book is selling so fast and is so hard to find at the moment that the author has released the entire book online as a pdf. But a hard copy is definitely worth having. Dig the author's description:

...it might be best described as a literary first-contact novel exploring the nature and evolutionary significance of consciousness, with space vampires.

But be warned: this does not have a happy feel good ending. Quite the reverse. Still, it addresses some extremely interesting ideas in ways I haven't seen done before. By the way, this is by the same guy mentioned in this post, who wrote or contributed to the amazing Vampire Domestication PowerPoint presentation.

And to tie this all back to gaming, the world described in Blindsight would make an awesome base for the Questworlds science fiction world.

I think I need to get a copy of his first book, Starfish (Rifters Trilogy) The review makes it sound like a science fiction inversion of Seaborn Child.

Lacking an idea for a game session?

Let's go fishing!

Who needs pirates, mystery ships and shadow sharks to find something heroic to tackle?

This guy looks familiar. I think he's similar to a very unfriendly shaman Seaborn met. The rest of you won't meet him!

And who might she look like?

“Yelm, Manimat and the Spirits of Darjiin guide and protect us.”

In all the Empire, no family or organization so perfectly embodies the principles of the Goddess as we of the sweet Red Apple League, who are Beloved of Hercine. Like the name itself, we combine the powers of the New Moon with the ancient spirits and tradition of our home land, as we bring the Red of the Moon’s Way to the apples of our patron, Hercine the nymph of Dorkath. Our greatest leaders come from ancient House DuroEbro, inheritors of the blood of Manimat who honor the traditions of Dara Happa. But we have lived in Darjiin for more than ten generations and we recall how the simple people of the land and river protected our noble bloodline from the horrors of Sheng. From their example we have learned to honor our gods, noble ancestors and the spirits of the land we oversee for the Satrap.

Common Names and interests

Red Apple League of Dorkath

Description

Player Hero Opportunity

Children of the decadent house DuroEbro often find themselves placed in charge of complex, sometimes esoteric household interests with no more appropriate skills than Order Lackey.

Hero Band Opportunity

Any colorful or exotic band might appeal to the capricious and increasingly desperate interests of the nobles in house DuroEbro. A band of cunning operators with their ears to the ground could find a wealthy, influential household interested in any number of wild schemes to injure their rivals and restore their past dispensations from the Manimati Council and the Satrap.

Manimati Council of Dorkath

Hercine Vintners Leage of Darjiin

Heart of the Star Dragon Shamanic Exploration Society

Ulkamoon’s Temple of Noble Defense in Dorkath

Judges of the Red Staff Carnival

Temple of Fecund Orypsus

I love the idea of Dorkath, the most decadent place in Glorantha, where the fountains run red with wine and the biggest annual event is the Great Sex Hunt.

Here's the place to put material you want to share with others about the background of your game.