Dice Press Start! OOC [Fabula Ultima]

[Nellancholy]

The fallen empire seems an appropriate addition.

I think that if we go by the book,we can start off with 4-5 major nations,4 threats,and 4 mysteries?

Each primarily elaborated upon by one player.

Of course,there will be more details added to the world by exploration and use of Fabula points.

 

[StardustTroubadour]

The Arcana in this case reminds me of Ogre Battles' Pedra. In the beginning, you made choices that influenced what you would open with as far as starting units go. However, you also got to choose a God to follow and that influenced the main characters element.

The God's were basically a creator, the destroyer (the devil), and the creator's four children which were the four base elements, fire, earth, water, air. Obviously, these elements took on a more human appearance.

Each one of these had like a statuette or chess piece you could carry around and pray to for a screen wipe. Similar to Summons in Final Fantasy IV and beyond.

 

[StardustTroubadour]

What if we killed two birds with one stone here? Also, in that game mentioned above was a Religious Sect that tried to wring a chokehold around neighboring countries. They acted like a fictional Vatican of sorts or Knights Templar.

They often would go around exploiting their neighbors to do their bidding under the banner of the aforementioned creator God. They also often declared the lesser deities false idols. Despite the fact that they were his sons and daughters according to the lore.

Often "The Holy Lodis Empire" the name sake here in the games I played of the franchise was seen as the problem. The allegorical Christian complex here was frowned upon by the other nations. Thus they were seen as the enemy. People started to rebel against them and they fell out of power. Something similar could be done serving your potentially fallen empire and religious sect.

 

[The Architect 50000]

Hey all! Welcome to the campaign. As I said in the interest check, you can call me Zufaix, Zuzu, or Sky. While I'm new to PbP campaigns I'm not new to TTRPGs. I've DMd for about 6 years on and off now (mostly within 5E but also a bit of PF2E), and I'm incredibly excited to try out a new system. I've ran the Press Start! Module before to great success with my home table and am currently in the makings of starting up a full campaign. This system is much more rules-lite than others I've seen but still has a great deal of customizablity for both players and GMs. So, with that said, I hope we can all have fun and tell a great story!

First, I'm going to dm you all a link to a Google drive with both the Press Start and Core Rulebook pdfs that I personally own (so please don't just share them around). If you dont feel comfortable with Google drive, please let me know and I can find another way to give you them. From here I'd like everyone to take a look over the Press Start! adventure module and see if it's something you guys would be interested in. Otherwise if everyone is fine with it, we can jump straight to the world building and character creation sections of the Core Rulebook (pg 146) for our own original campaign. Of course feel free to read the rest of it at your own convenience.

Once everyone has an idea of what they'd like to do or contribute, we can move forward from there.

Feel free to ask me any questions you may have!

Nellancholy @Lost Martian ERode StardustTroubadour

I would love to join this and try out a new system.

 

[Zufaix]

I would love to join this and try out a new system.

Hey! Glad you're interested, but unfortunately we're already at a max of 4 players. If anyone drops out or if I feel like I can increase that limit, I'll be sure to let you know!

 

[The Architect 50000]

Okay thanks.

 

[Zufaix]

What if we killed two birds with one stone here? Also, in that game mentioned above was a Religious Sect that tried to wring a chokehold around neighboring countries. They acted like a fictional Vatican of sorts or Knights Templar.

They often would go around exploiting their neighbors to do their bidding under the banner of the aforementioned creator God. They also often declared the lesser deities false idols. Despite the fact that they were his sons and daughters according to the lore.

Often "The Holy Lodis Empire" the name sake here in the games I played of the franchise was seen as the problem. The allegorical Christian complex here was frowned upon by the other nations. Thus they were seen as the enemy. People started to rebel against them and they fell out of power. Something similar could be done serving your potentially fallen empire and religious sect.

Assuming we stick with what we've got so far, that's something we can work with. In this case, on top of this religious sect sponsoring one of the royal family in the succession, they can be using their own means to infiltrate Seams political landscape. Maybe they have access to one of these Arcana and are using it to subtly influence nearby political leaders? It would also allow them to spread their faith more easily, to the chagrin of other nations.

 

[StardustTroubadour]

Exactly.

 

[StardustTroubadour]

Since we're "Seam" we could call the Religious sect "Prospectors?" Miners would be a bit to on the nose.

 

[Nellancholy]

Since we're "Seam" we could call the Religious sect "Prospectors?" Miners would be a bit to on the nose.

That's not a bad idea

 

[Nellancholy]

Let me just post this as a reminder to us, we're on steps 3-4 now.

So! Some more broad strokes around Seam. Seam is named after the fact that it exists at the intersection of three tectonic plates, giving it a hilly climate with a few tall mountains. In the past, it was probably a fairly central trade route between other nations due to its location more or less at the center of the landmass we're on. It wasn't a nation founded by a homogenous or deliberate population, but due to traders and travelers from all over gradually concentrating there. Several centuries ago it was hence governed by a council of administrators that oversaw economic production and borders, but it was eventually supplanted by a structure that concentrated power into the hands of a monarch, after one minister succeeded in a power grab. So far, a few dynasties have come and gone, and the current one is say...three generations old, relatively young. The founder of the dynasty (King Smaragdine I) came into power because he was the prime minister serving the previous king who passed without leaving a heir. Their rule has been even-handed so far, but it's now being put to the test by the power struggle and ensuing kidnapping.

Their mining industry is somewhat underdeveloped as their extensive trade network lets them import products of stone and metal fairly easily, and their internal industry is focused on agriculture and textile production, producing staple crops as well as several highly-regarded fruits and medicinal herbs. Seamite cloth and dyes are often also regarded as among the finest, and even working-class Seamites are considered well-dressed by visitors. However, their underdeveloped mining industry prevents them from fully exploiting the crystal themselves so far, and may be used as justification by their external opponents for intervention.

As per the hilly climate, Seam trends towards the cold, though there are warm summers. Animals trend towards reflecting this, with many shaggy mammals (that provide quality fur) and a diverse population of river and lake life.

Demographics...well, we're not decided on whether there are non-human races yet.

What do you all think? I welcome any additions/alterations suggested.

 

[StardustTroubadour]

I second non-human races because M' qote was what I played race wise in XIV.

 

[ERode]

At least when it comes to the names of nations/organizations, I generally prefer them not to just be words in English.

I don't have too strong an opinion on geographic hijinks, but with regards to Seam's whole past and all, it'd be cool if they have some drama with the merchant republic. Something like how Seam was originally composed of a 'vassal-guild' associated with the republic, but broke off on their own to become an independent power (though obviously with short-lived dynasties).

No reason not to have non-human races, in any case. Call it a quirk of divinity that different races can cross-breed without too much issue, with races that don't make for an easy hybrid (like, idk, crow people and rat people) trending towards taking the mother's race.

 

[StardustTroubadour]

méine and lorgaire then? They're the Irish words respectively. Lorgaire being prospector and Méine being ore.

 

[Nellancholy]

At least when it comes to the names of nations/organizations, I generally prefer them not to just be words in English.

I don't have too strong an opinion on geographic hijinks, but with regards to Seam's whole past and all, it'd be cool if they have some drama with the merchant republic. Something like how Seam was originally composed of a 'vassal-guild' associated with the republic, but broke off on their own to become an independent power (though obviously with short-lived dynasties).

No reason not to have non-human races, in any case. Call it a quirk of divinity that different races can cross-breed without too much issue, with races that don't make for an easy hybrid (like, idk, crow people and rat people) trending towards taking the mother's race.

If we're set on having a merchant republic as one of the other nations, I agree with that. The geographical location was probably already fairly important before that (as a trade route), but the founders of "Seam" may have had trouble back home (perhaps some kind of factional division or other issue to be elaborated upon by someone else), and sought to gain disproportionate power over their former countrymen by controlling that region and therefore an important aspect of the economy.

Perhaps it was called (the) Seam back then as a geographical feature, but maybe it's now named something like The City-State of Verdure, reflecting the founders' appreciation for its abundant, nourishing environment.

As for the Prospectors, I think it makes a sensible name for an organization, if not a national entity. Perhaps it is the name of a subgroup within them.

So like "The Theocracy of X utilizes Prospectors as their enforcers".

 

[StardustTroubadour]

Having beef with the local merchant guild kind of promotes a problem because then they could just say. "Your money's no good here." Unless we're a reserve currency?

 

[Nellancholy]

Having beef with the local merchant guild kind of promotes a problem because then they could just say. "Your money's no good here." Unless we're a reserve currency?

That would have been centuries ago, and now the nation of Seam/Verdure is powerful enough economically that there can at least be an exchange rate of currency

 

[StardustTroubadour]

Ah! That makes sense.

 

[StardustTroubadour]

Also, the Prospectors being a police force makes sense. It's like a Judge in Ivalice if I understand you correctly?

 

[Nellancholy]

Also, the Prospectors being a police force makes sense. It's like a Judge in Ivalice if I understand you correctly?

Well,you probably have the final say on that,since it might be your domain of worldbuilding. I imagined they might be some kind of specialized armed force with the authority to act outside the theocracy's borders, enough to cause problems for Seam/Verdure.

 

[StardustTroubadour]

Well,you probably have the final say on that,since it might be your domain of worldbuilding. I imagined they might be some kind of specialized armed force with the authority to act outside the theocracy's borders, enough to cause problems for Seam/Verdure.

Sounds right to me. My comparison to the Judges in F.F. Tactics and 12 aren't one to one. But there's enough of a comparison here to establish themselves as a threat. In that regard they're the same.

 

[StardustTroubadour]

So we have the religious sect, the nation being overtaken, established geography, the monarchy, our merry band and a mercantile nation. If the case is we're trying to strip mine the resources of other nations. Maybe we should keep the Magitech as strictly construction/drilling based rather then bipedal war tanks as seen in F.F.6? It's still technically a usable weapon in this case. And this would also alleviate a potential slavery aspect.

Light shading some darker undertones to keep the High Fantasy feel. Grim dark isn't our intention. To much edge is problematic. I think we can all agree with that to some degree.

Further more, maybe the last few nations introduced should be a large group of these other races. Elves, Beastkin such as Viera, M' qote, and the like, whatever else we want. People looking to keep their noses out of a war, etc.

 

[Nellancholy]

I think that magitech armor like in FF6 doesn't automatically obligate a slave crown,it could be a tool of the workers and military,however

 

[StardustTroubadour]

I didn't mean like that when I eluded to Slavery. I meant more like it existing, should the badguy win the war. They wouldn't need them to pick axe a mine. So those would just become citizens of their nation by proxy.

 

[Nellancholy]

And maybe magitech is fairly commonplace but not large scale,so things like magic implements for personal use,magitech industrial equipment (rare),and things like small carts or handheld lights exist,but for the moment no one is powering whole cities or national rail networks with magitech. So the crystal in Seam/Verdure is extra desirable because of that.