Common Worlds

I think our little group is sorta entering the 'big time'. We're becoming a little more famous/infamous in our city and we're going to have to learn (and quickly) how to get things done in a new environment, mainly one that doesn't focus on the lopping off of heads.

Speth needs to find her voice, other than general grunting and violent threats of dismemberment.

I thought that was her voice. Maybe she can listen to her earth spirit and will can listen to the Mark (Wisdom 20).

As the newest member of the game, my view has been more as an observer of the Rass clan. I see that we are reaching a point where there is no more fence straddling. The family has been very concerned about its own well being and after that the well being of Pavis. Now the danger is from the Lunars...Our game now faces the question 'what do we do with the Lunars?’ Each player has shaped their character over time and now we have to decide how that character can contribute to the community as a bigger being then the family.
What I am getting at in such an obtuse way is... This story is heading toward a confrontation with a government that is trying to control everything. Do we go along with this or do we fight? If we fight how do we do that? Do we start open rebellion or is it done through stealth? My view is that we are heading into the next great happening in Pavis…The war with the Lunars caused by the common people of Pavis, maybe a guerilla war but definitely war. Our characters are heroes as we joke about so much but that means we are the ones in stories who change history.
So as I see it we are going to war against the Lunars and we may be on the losing side. I may be completely wrong because there are 5 players not to mention the narrator and everybody thinks differently. The problem with going to war with the Lunars is that the characters are going to have to become proactive and they will have to be leaders. We as players are going to have to start telling Mike what is going to happen as opposed to us waiting for the next chapter. We have to write the next chapter and then give it to Mike. I hope this makes sense, it is Monday morning…

Kirk, but what do you REALLY think? <smile>

I believe we are heading to a conclusion of monumental proportions where one of us is probably gonna end up dead. Heroes are heroes, but there are plenty of heroes pushing up daises cause they attempted great heroic acts and paid with their life. Oshun, being well traveled, realizes that pondering all there is to ponder, or even just pondering that which is 2 strides from your sphere of influence, can make you crazy. Keeping your monumental tasks in your sights is most important. And that's almost impossible when as Kirk says, you're straddling the fence. I see decisions being made that would take characters down different paths (Oshun to be Khan, Will I Am to be Pavis Avatar, Rassa to be...who knows?). Cause conflict amongst them. I mean who doesn't think Oshun is rolling thoughts of rebellion against the Lunars in his head? Or that Will I Am would prefer peace with them instead? Now that I think of it, this game really is deep, cause all the characters could have conflicts going on in themselves that nobody knows about.

I think I have actually been more confounding that Kirk was!

Well between Brian and I, I think Mike should be happy because we are sliding deeper into the story (every pun intended). This game is not shallow or maybe I am...

Greetings,
Compared to other games I know of, Mike's is deep enough for me to think about all week long and to wake up at 2:35 AM on 2/3/5 to check in and post replies about (like this). Thank you Mike.
Jonathan

Cool, if scholarly article at http://mythologic.info/questlines/therapy.html

Here's a quote

Fine (op cit:76-77) provides an example of such an ethos from a Dungeons and Dragons game characteristic of what I have described as the first wave of roleplaying. He saw the “ethos” of that particular game as comprising the following themes:

The Principle of Unlimited Good. Success is open to all, and one person’s success does not imply the failure of another.
The dichotomy of Good and Evil. There is no middle ground.
Evil as any action outside the moral boundaries of a given society.
The thematic importance of Courage.

To contrast such an ethos, what follows is a similar listing from a typical second wave game - in this case the Call of Cthulhu campaign in which I act as gamesmaster. The campaign is a literary-model game set in Europe during the nineteen twenties, and seeks to explore the existential dilemma of twentieth century humanity as exemplified in the “cosmic horror” stories of H. P. Lovecraft.

Survival as Triumph.
Survival through the nurturance and support of others.
The arbitrary nature of moral labels.
Knowledge as Power, Knowledge as Danger.
The Futility of Physical Effort.
Inconsequentiality of human striving and human values when measured against the universal scales of Time and Space.

Such an ethos is created by the GM in consultation with the players; it is their actions and ambitions within the game universe that may cause the ethos to change over time or the game’s style to evolve. Both GM and players attempt to shape the scenario to their own ends.

So what ethos do you guys perceive in our game?

Greetings,
I understand Ethos to be the prevalent tone of sentiment for a people or community. The Pavis survivors have Ethos Resh...wait... The Pavis survivors are a hardy bunch, but can only take so much. The general air of despondency/depression has only deepened in the few NPC contacts we have made. If it wasn't Trolls, it was Lunars, if it wasn't Lunars it was vampires, if it wasn't vampires it was Chaos. Then there are the newbies, Heortlings, who have been driven from their homes by the Lunar invaders (who still occupy the city of Pavis). Heortlings, who have had their Gods and magic destroyed by the same oppressors so they are grasping at straws lest they give up in despair. As the killing winter lingers they and the Pavisites must unite or die. Life is change, so as long as these characters have it in them - let there be character development. Conflict and struggle. This is the heart of any story.
Jonathan

that's I-T-H-A-S. Ithas Resh.

But aside from that, do you suggest that the Ethos is something like "Never give up, never surrender?"

CoC-like, definitely. We'll be needing that speedy old lady in the wheelchair to lead the retreat!

Teshnos is a Comedy, hopefully even a comedy! With plenty of action and boobies! And, I hope, at the end, a fat guy prediciting that "We're all gonna get laid!"

In Pavis, I think we're in a Tragedy. I hope we're not in a Damned Shame.

But we may have our choice between Custer's Last Stand and the Alamo. Or even the Spanish Armada.

Personally, I'd like to try on something in an Asterix vs. the Romans...

Also, Rasa at least has in mind for the current situation, that if we pull this off, this will BE a heroquest, that others can try to emulate.
(Pavis Loses His Patience with Zorak Zoran)

Or a cautionary tale.
(What Happened to the Rass; in Four Parts, with Scenes Not for the Squeamish)

Or a a bad joke.
(A Khan, a Trickster, A Sorceror, a Babeestor Gori, and an Undifferentiated Man walk into a temple...)

Greetings,
Ethos Resh was just a joke, but "never give up" and "never surrender" is mainly for player characters. There's plenty of giving up and surrendering when it comes to facing offensive Lunars. People of Pavis have reached a new low, as if Trolls and Lunars weren't enough. This fimblewinter even gets to me because I just heard of Moscovites who are dying in -20F degree cold (without) heat) and I know that I feel a chill just because Will does, so here is my take on the Pavis Campaign Ethos:
I feel that as our characters suffer, yet survive (just like we do in real life), their/our resolve either fades or grows. Brad uses the terms comedy and tragedy. Ethos ponts to one or the other at any given moment in a story. Heros are created in times of strife and we look to our own heros for inspiration when the "going gets tough". If and when a "Golden or Green or Purple Age" is acheived then our story will be over, so let's enjoy the dynamics of shifting Ethos while we can. It's not so depressing in Pavis that we cannot "endeavor to persevere". It's not so lighthearted in Teshnos that we cannot take it seriously. Never give up and never surrender is a great motto to live (and die) by, but Ethos includes the unfortunate aspect of failure and an unhappy ending as well.
Jonathan

...how would you put that in the format used in the quote? ("Survival as triumph", etc.)

Note, using Tragedy & Comedy in their lit-snob sense: we CAN have a happy ending in Teshnos. I think there's a law against it in Pavis.

Best we can hope for, in a world without Pyrrhus, is a Pavic Victory(tm).

But remember that Pyrrhus was one of the few guys to beat the Romans. He just had a very small, smoky victory party afterward.

In that sense, Pavis is like Angel, adult drama with light bits, a few mysteries, a fight of the few against the world. Possibility of untimely cancellation, that sort of thing.

Teshnos, more like Buffy. Serious plots, certainly, but less reflection, more action, laughs, and pretty girls, a chance at an untainted victory and a cast party afterward. And characters that grow (up?).

So my take on the Pavis campaign theme would be gritty determination, maybe with dark streaks of current events running through. If we win, it will be because we paid a terrible price (which we have; did they credit our payment?). If we lose, it will be Ragnarok, and I hope we take the entire Pavic detachment with us. And take a chunk out of the moon as well!

Mike and I crossposted. Here's a few Pavic themes:

Struggle as an end.
Injustice endured but not tolerated.
Benefits of a hardscrabble existance.
Vendetta vs. Vengeance vs. Justice
Expediency or Pride?
Liberty or Death?

-Brad (Paper or Plastic) Freeman

As I used to say:

"Pavis isn't about happy endings."

Nice, Brad.

Anyone else want to chime in?

Ok, you guys are getting way too deep for me. I'm just trying to get the sword +5 for christ's sake.

For Pavis:
Faith is Power, Faith as Power
Your God/Spirit/Magic wins, Your God/Spirit/Magic is RIGHT
Hope springs eternal

For Teshnos:
Keeping the Status Quo
Acceptance of One's place
The irony of needing the mundane to achieve enlightenment

Sweat JESUS, my head is about to explode! :shock:

I am in it just to have Mike make faces at me and have an evil grin when he rolls 1's. I am about nothing more then the eye and imagination candy. I am in it for the " Big blockbuster" aspects of the game. What was the question again?

UVa asked me to fill out an anonymous economic impact survey today. One of the questions was "How many visitors from out of the area come to see you in a year?"

They wanted me to count the same person visiting more than once as more than one visit.

Much to my surprise, they didn't let me enter my best guess on the number of out-of-area visits we get. When I entered my estimate, the on-line survey came back with "Number must be in the range of 0-100."
Heck, I more than cover that with you 4 guys who come out from Richmond almost every Monday night for the game. (4 guys x 40 sessions/year = 160 visits.)

My estimate, including SCA overnighters, New Years partiers and Thanksgiving diners?

400 a year.

I thought I'd try to list my thoughts on the game's ethos.

Without giving too much away.

First, foremost, and most often forgotten by the players:
You can change the world right now because it is your story too.

Acting is better than reacting.
Doing nothing is worse than doing the wrong thing.
Right Action requires correct information.
Everyone needs to cultivate friends. Enemies you get for free.
Great forces move in the shadows, and they all want people like you to be the tip of their spear.*
The old ways of doing things are failing and the new ways may be flawed.
The world progresses without you, but if you ignore it, you may not like the way it turns out.
(Perhaps that is better phrased as: You are as indispensable as you make yourselves.

That ethos is for any of my HQ games. I think Brad came close to nailing the ethical themes of Pavis, but I'd change it slightly:

Struggle as an end.
Injustice endured but not tolerated.
Belief is power.
Forgiveness is harder than vengeance, but better.
Expediency or Pride?
Almost everyone prefers happiness to freedom, but heroes don't.

For Teshnos:

The World Seems Almost Perfect.
Only outcasts can save the world.
Outcasts cannot keep the status quo.
Is the next world really more important than this one?
Happiness or Justice?

*Like the sig (currently) says:
Mere puppets they, who come and go
At bidding of vast formless things
That shift the scenery to and fro,
Flapping from out their Condor wings
Invisible Woe!