The stage, the city at the center of the world, where everyone watches with bated breath and pensive eyes- Surveillance City London, the capital of the Kingdom of Albion.
With the invention of the powerful Engines, mechanical devices who have found their niche in every possible aspect of society, the Kingdom of Albion has enjoyed unprecedented prosperity, proving their superiority over the other countries of the earth in a series of wars that culminated in the treaty of Albion. And yet, with the demise of their King, the country found itself matched with an opponent that all of their forces would provide no help against- themselves.
Torn about by a brutal civil war, the formerly great Kingdom is now separated into East and West. The once beautiful city of London is now marred by the Wall, the sole barrier that separates the capitals of the Kingdom and the Commonwealth. A shadow war rages between these two states who stand at the peak of the world, with their citizens caught in the crossfire. No longer is it safe to wander the streets at night, or leave your door open. Everyday, public unrest increases as uncertainty and fear continue to mount in the hearts of its citizens.
The perfect invitation for the new denizens who can be found wandering its streets, the newcomers from the land of Neverland. Drawing ever closer in the shadows of the fallen capital, fables have begun to wander the streets of London. Being spirited away can no longer be taken as only a jest in the capital of Albion, when certain alleys and sewers may really lead to a realm beyond reality. Murder has become common, and whether the monsters who perpetrate them are figurative or literal is anyone's guess. Heavy information control by both the Commonwealth and the Kingdom suppress the truth, doing what they can to avoid panic and hysteria.
However, this is not a world where people have no hope.
If these mystical powers are the product of man, then naturally they are man's to control.
You are one of the lucky few who can call their own fictions into reality, capable of manifesting a Conceit- a power that exists beyond reality. In the shadow war fought in the streets of London, your abilities are held in high regard by all the organizations that wander the night, both for it's ability to ward off the monsters that roam the streets, and to wield against your fellow man in the contest for supremacy over the capital. And as one of the Principals, who have peered beyond the looking glass and been cast of the lead roles in this story in London, it is your duty to decide how it ends.
This is an action-mystery type superpower RP, taking place in an original setting. It takes some inspiration from the What a Beautiful visual novel series as well as the anime Princess Principal in terms of its setting and hopefully theme, but you need not be familiar with either series. It is an alternate history, diverging from real life on a number of points. (don't get too fussy about accuracy OK)
Here, in the city of London, players are Principals, a term used for people who have manifested supernatural powers of their own. This power is known as Conceit, and is similar in nature to the fictional monsters in the setting, ranging from shooting fire to teleportation. They will try to unravel the various situations arising in London, with motivations ranging solely from self interest to allegiance to one of the factions of London. For example, you might be tasked with investigating a string of disappearances, fighting monsters, or looking for artifacts of political interest. Stealth and social approaches will be viable solutions to some of the problems that arise, although the most standard will be combat. The RP will largely be PvE, with monsters, other Principals, or even mundanes. There are some system mechanics, but it will be mostly freeform.
Most of the information you need for character creation, as well as the finer details of the setting can be found in the Rulebook, from which the above introduction was taken. Thanks a ton to KT for helping with ideas, as well as Tang for checking over things.
Applications See the rulebook for details on character creation, as well as some sample sheets. PM the final sheet(s) over to me. If you need help creating your character or have questions about elements of the setting or how something might fit, you can ask me for help. You can send in as many sheets as you wish, but only one will be picked.
As for deadlines, I will give a little over two weeks, so about August 6th 7th. If people need more time than this, then I can push it back a bit.
Slot wise, there are no hard constraints. You should not feel too concerned about Origin choices or faction choices- feel free to make whatever catches your interest. That said, if everyone submits a Stranger than Fiction Independent character we will have some problems. I’d like just a bit of diversity, although not every faction or origin has to be filled out. As for the number of players, I have yet to decide on the number of slots but they will be rather small. Think around 4~6.
Q&A Some common questions and their answers:
Spoiler:
Q: Stranger than Fiction really lets you play as a completely fictional character brought to life?
A: Yes, this is also a re:creators RP.
Q: Can my ‘source material’ for StF be made up? A: Yes. You can expect a fair amount of made up stories in Neverland.
Q: STR is necessary in order to fire and carry guns? A: Yes, this is also a Sword Art Online/Gun Gale Online RP.
Q: Shade? A: Yes, this is also a Yumina the Ethereal RP. Combat mechanic wise, think of it a little like a combined fighting game gauge bar.
Q: Engines? A: Generally a catch all term for various advanced technologies in setting. They have a steampunk style aesthetic, and produce a large number of effects. Some are significantly more advanced than anything in modern day, or involve magical effects.
Q: What are awakenings like? A: They can come in all sorts of forms, not necessarily as dramatic as the sample sheet. Feel free to do with it as you wish.
Q: Equipment? A: As long as you can reasonably justify mundane equipment, it won’t be a problem. The major concern with mundane equipment is hiding and carrying it, whether in mental slots or otherwise.
Q: Can we make non-combat characters? A: This RP is really a battle shounen. Would be rather hard given the kinds of things that will happen in this RP, so it’s best if you include at least some options. For example, if you can’t deal with (either destroy or outrun) the sample Creature this roleplay is going to be very painful. That said, I will adjust things to fit to the characters.
Q: What kind of spells can we make? A: No reinforcement since that is already there, unless it’s particularly special. Pretty much anything else is allowed- fireballs, teleportation, or weirder powers with more conceptual/meta type stuff are all OK.That said, they are all balanced by the constraints of shade and rating, and in that sense no ability will be absolutely broken. You can also manipulate shade with your spells, to an extent.
Q: This combat system seems broken? A: I’ll admit it can be a little wonky. Depending on how things go it will be rebalanced or simplified if any glaring issues pop up, particularly with the interaction with shade and combat. Shade will always have it’s current lore, but might be made a little more freeform if something can’t be worked out.
Q: If I go independent, can I make my own group/faction? A: To a degree. Intelligence and secrecy play a decent role in this RP, so it is not problematic for things to be omitted in setting information so long as you make sure to keep your organization small. One thing to note is to avoid making too many Principals in any group you create though.
Q: Other countries? A: They exist, but will not typically be the focus of this RP- most of it will be restricted to activities in London. A lot of them have been rendered subservient or even a part of the two forces detailed here.
Linger: Complete. August, 1995. I met him. A branch off Part 3. Mikiya keeps his promise to meet Azaka, and meets again with that mysterious girl he once found in the rain. Shinkai: Set in the Edo period. DHO-centric. As mysterious figures gather in the city, a young woman unearths the dark secrets of the Asakami family. The Dollkeeper: A Fate side-story. The memoirs of the last tuner of the Einzberns. A record of the end of a family. Overcount 2030: Extra x Notes. A girl with no memories is found by a nameless soldier, and wakes up to a world of war.
I can't wait to play a time period accurate lesbian
<Airen> I play hetero every once in awhile
Spoiler:
<~Katie> dude who gives a fuck about girls being gay, sometimes girls aren't gay and that decision should be respected
Spoiler:
[12:21.40] that might be a top tier post[12:21.45] frantic[12:21.47] post of the month, even[12:21.48] this right here[12:21.49] is MC [12:21.56] johnny has nothing on this dude[12:22.00] he's the MC of the nisio half[12:22.12] so wait[12:22.15] [ ] is, after all, my rival character[12:22.16] am i the gag heroine[12:22.20] yes
I do agree with arkturus that the setting is really cool, functionally speaking, but its actual presentation seems kind of slipshod and only half-done. I won’t leave it at this, I’m not here to insult you and run, but I’m still working on the full question-and-critique post. So… uh…
Oh! I know!
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LOADING…
Last edited by Draconic; July 23rd, 2018 at 10:28 AM.
Reason: Corrected the 'Loading's' capitalization
Likes attention, shiny objects, and... a ball of yarn?
F/GO Supports
I joined two years too late...
Originally Posted by Hymn of Ragnarok
That makes me think of Rin as a loan shark.
Originally Posted by Hymn of Ragnarok
Admittedly, she'd probably be the hottest loan shark you'll ever meet. She'd probably make you smile as she sucked you dry.
Actually though, I feel that the history here is extremely underrepresented. Please bear with me because I’m about to sound like an insufferable know-it-all. I’m just a stickler for details. (That said, I will admit to using Wikipedia. If you catch any mistakes, feel free to scathingly correct me where appropriate.)
Since the example character is Japanese, and we’re in London, this is obviously still our world to some extent, meaning there should be some tie-ins to at least a few real world events. Speaking from a writer’s perspective, and with an eye for history and accuracy, you never actually explained what Albion actually is in the first place. It feels like that should be a pretty key detail. What are its borders? What countries is it comprised of (Or if it’s a single country unto itself, what countries would it overlap with?) And what are its neighbors?
Is the Royal Family the same as the one we’re familiar with? The king died fifteen years ago putting his death in 1923. If it is the House of Windsor, then that leaves us with King George V, dying thirteen years early with none of his five childrenEdward VIII; George VI; Mary, Princess Royal; Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester; Prince George, Duke of Kent; or Prince John available to take the throne. You could avoid this issue by having Britain conquered by some other royal family who renamed it Albion. This could happen some time around the death of Queen Victoria.
Incidentally, the royal palace in London is called Buckingham Palace, built in 1850, and if it wasn’t built, I guess that’s fine, but that leads into my next point of interest: Locations.
Since we’re in London, I think it’s important that we know what about London is familiar or whether it’s a completely different city. I mean, it’d be a huge waste not to have Whitechapel, or Southwark, or the docks. The banks of the Thames are pretty spooky at night too. There’s the Tower Bridge (which until five minutes ago I thought was London Bridge because as clever as I’m trying to sound, I really don’t know shit and just like details too much), and the Tower of London, and obviously Big Ben. I may not be intimately familiar with this city, but someone else might and that would benefit the game immensely. Scotland Yard… though I guess the DoI probably replaced that. Forget Scotland Yard, I made a mistake.
Moving on, what about a certain other relatively recent contemporary history. I’m assuming that WWII just hasn’t happened or we’d also be dealing with Nazis, war patriotism, and if the game ever by some unlikely chance does a two-year time skip, the London Blitz. So I’ll just ask about The Great War, as it would be called. Did it happen? And if so, what effect did the presumed use of engines have on it?
You don’t have to go into detail with much of this stuff. Just because I as a writer would get sidetracked for hours writing up all these little details doesn’t mean that you should. Hell, I probably shouldn’t do that sort of thing either.
Nevertheless, completely changing history to the point that figures like Churchill, or Einstein, or—since we’re dealing with the occult—Aleister Crowley, don’t even exist would seem lazy, intentional or not. There are some great opportunities here that would be a shame to miss out on. I mean, you must have chosen 1938 for a reason beyond it being a random year before mainstream computer use? It’s a pretty specific number. Oh, Nicola Tesla. I was forgetting about him. He’s around too. I doubt he was in England at the time, but hey, Einstein probably wasn’t either. No reason they specifically can’t be there. And it’s 1938, he’ll be around for five more years. Even if Albion (assuming it’s England) doesn’t have a Prime Minister, there should be a few historical figures with roles to play.
Anyway, this is already too much, and I sound like I’m complaining, which I am not, I swear on my honor. Okay, fine, I have none, but if I did I would swear on it. The setup and worldbuilding in terms of magic, the various ins-and-outs of how it works are very creative. I actually needed to think about it to understand it, but it still makes sense, so 10 out of 10, and what story you do present is presented very well, in all situations except for a few very specific ones that I mentioned, mostly relating to what Albion is.
The most important part of this is the part at the top, so if you address only one thing on this egotistical laundry list, please just address what Albion is as a whole.
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Originally Posted by Verg Avesta
Does that mean I can play
Spoiler:
Time period accurate reactions to lesbians?
I feel like this could get you banned…
Spoiler:
on the other hand, do you even know what the time period reaction to lesbians is, or do just plan on assuming it’s violence and/or cruel vitriol and running with that?
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Originally Posted by Satehi
(don't get too fussy about accuracy OK)
Originally Posted by Satehi
Q: Other countries?
A: They exist, but will not typically be the focus of this RP- most of it will be restricted to activities in London. A lot of them have been rendered subservient or even a part of the two forces detailed here.
Ohhhhh…
Likes attention, shiny objects, and... a ball of yarn?
F/GO Supports
I joined two years too late...
Originally Posted by Hymn of Ragnarok
That makes me think of Rin as a loan shark.
Originally Posted by Hymn of Ragnarok
Admittedly, she'd probably be the hottest loan shark you'll ever meet. She'd probably make you smile as she sucked you dry.
on the other hand, do you even know what the time period reaction to lesbians is, or do just plan on assuming it’s violence and/or cruel vitriol and running with that?
Getting banned over a fruitcake? How harsh.
Spoiler:
On the other hand, do you even know what a goddamn joke is
If it wasn’t clear from the name, Albion is basically an analogue to Britain in this setting, which is, as mentioned earlier, alternate history. However, it is much more influential and powerful than it’s historical counterpart, in part due to the events detailed in the setting, but there are also a lot of less blatant changes not mentioned there. Treat the royal family here (the ones who will be somewhat relevant to the RP, anyways) as original characters.
You can assume that most other countries in this setting are essentially of secondary concern compared to the events involving Albion, or relevant to this RP, the events occurring in London. Many of them are either allied with and/or have had large parts of their territories taken by the two Albions. Some of them are still on the fence about which of the two parties to side with. You can think of them mostly as spectators watching events unfold.
For the most part, treat London as unfamiliar, and don’t assume beforehand any historical events in the last century to be canon relative to this RP. For example, World War 1 is not really a thing, although the Engine Wars serve as a sort of counterpart to that in this setting for those of you who want to use something WW1 inspired. I won’t argue if you say this is lazy- it is, because the focus of this RP is not a strictly historical one. That would be hard for me, seeing as for one I’ve never lived in London, let alone in 1938, nor am I particularly into painting maps. The choice of names, and a vaguely historical setting is largely to set a mood and background for the RP, as well as a general idea of the kind of setting it is- the major differences, have been outlined in the Setting section. The bulk of this roleplay will take place in London.
Some people have asked me about social inequalities, to which I’ll add that they do exist, but are a little more tame then things were around back then (at least in public). Think a little closer to modern day. One thing in particular is that both governments have been more trying to focus the civilian populace against the other country.
That said, if you have specific inquiries about whether or not you can include certain aspects of history into your background, or whether you can change something from how it went in history to suit the purposes of your character, feel free to ask me. As I’ve mentioned in the OP, historical accuracy is not the focus of this roleplay, and I’m more than willing to accommodate any changes you would like for your characters so long as they do not contradict the core of the premise (namely, what has been outlined in the rulebook- the existence of elements of your background will obviously matter in the roleplay itself).
Last edited by Satehi; July 22nd, 2018 at 11:00 PM.
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Originally Posted by Hymn of Ragnarok
