Remove ads

White Wolf's World of Darkness

Reader mode
Paradox is decent enough most pre-order bonus doesn't affect the game much, and you can always buy it as separate DLC later, if you really want it.
 
UrsaTempest said:
Paradox is decent enough most pre-order bonus doesn't affect the game much, and you can always buy it as separate DLC later, if you really want it.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I'm more scared if they're gonna milk it like they do CK2 and EU4 and release a game that "works" and then laugh at you after you've purchased 14 DLCs to make it work like it should actually do.
 
To be fair, if Paradox never expand EU4/CK2 and only do Maintenance release plus occasional tweaking we'll never be aware of its potential, and thus be reasonably satisfied :V

... so TL;DR: Looking at Paradox lineup, I think it's very likely the future will contain many, many, many, DLCs, assuming it last long enough.
 
ManusDomini said:
I'm more scared if they're gonna milk it like they do CK2 and EU4 and release a game that "works" and then laugh at you after you've purchased 14 DLCs to make it work like it should actually do.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
It's worth noting that PDS is not the whole of PI. Battletech and Tyranny are being handled differently to the PDS grand strategy lines.
 
ManusDomini said:
I'm more scared if they're gonna milk it like they do CK2 and EU4 and release a game that "works" and then laugh at you after you've purchased 14 DLCs to make it work like it should actually do.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I've played hundreds of hours of EU4 without purchasing even half of the major DLC. Their DLC policy has had missteps (Stellaris handles it far better) but this is frankly disingenuous, you aren't forced to pay for the majority of DLC.

I for one like years of development and that simply isn't possible without "milking" (as if lots of post-release DLC is intrinsically evil :rolleyes:).

grommile said:
It's worth noting that PDS is not the whole of PI. Battletech and Tyranny are being handled differently to the PDS grand strategy lines.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
This too.
 
When we finally came to the end of the Dread Domain of the Black Forest, we were greeted by the Hvergelmir (the River of Ice). Crossing looked as though it were to be quite hazardous, but eventually we managed it without any ill fortune. The Dread Domain beyond was covered in cold, which luckily the frozen waters of Hvergelmir could helped us to more easily resist without the aid of additional sorcery should the need arise. Snow and worked stone gave way to to larger and more open areas until eventually it was as though we were beneath a storm clad sky. Cold winds blowing and obscuring much of the landscape. Eventually though we came upon more of the realm. The place looked decidedly modern. Buildings of concrete, rebar, and occasionally glass. It was at this point that the first Servitor fell. We did not see who had done it, and the sound of the wind prevented us from hearing it, but near the front of the line it was impossible to not witness the spray of blood shower the ice and snow.

What followed was a mad rush to find cover, which we managed inside a nearby building, while also pulling the Servitor to safety. Unfortunately were were far to late to save him. The shot had come from above, entering his eye and exiting near the back and side of his neck. Our attackers however, those we were able to catch. Two specters, neither of which seemed at all interested in talking, and such Cornelius decided to take a crack at them. The result was us discovering the realities of one of the laws of this domain. That Which It Is Above, So It Is Here Below. When one of the specter had its arm severed it proceeded to bleed to death. This place treats the dead like the living. They must breath. They must eat. They must sleep. Injuries are no longer simply a weakening of their incorporeal integrity, they are legitimate wounds. The other specter we did get some information out of, if only insults, as a result of the death of an apparent friend, though most of it was promises to kill us and fornicate with our skulls. Cornelius decided an experiment was in order and took him to the highest point of the building and threw him off. His arrival at the ground level killed him as surely as it would with any man. What happened next however I was less enthused about, but Cornelius insisted, and had his own specter Servitors butcher the men before cooking and preserving their bodies. "Their essence is locked within their forms. It is very much more grizzly then the normal process that a ghost might use to feed off another ghost, but the effect will be much the same."
---
We have taken shelter beneath the surface of this place. Three more casualties so far, thought no fatalities, and I am among them. The surface is poison, and we now know what exactly this place is meant to represent. Each Dread Domain represents something. Some realm of death where mortals fear or hope they might go. The storms above are nuclear winter, and their winds spread half-life as much as snow and ice. But it is no mortal radiation in this place, though it acts in much the same ways. We entered on the surface, exiting the ruin of a building, and now we have been forced underground where this spiritual radiation is significantly less prominent and potent... in most places anyway.

The tunnels below this place are nearly endless. An Underworld within the Underworld was said and Cornelius apparently couldn't contain his laughter. We lost 3 in the raid that came. These were psychopomps I'm told. They took the form of hideous monstrosities, not quite any one thing but a blend of many kinds of animal, and all of them at least the size of a German Shepherd. Many were much larger. Initially we thought we could kill them, but as time passed more and more came, pressing forward and slipping through the bodies that began to pile up. We were forced back until we could find another better choke point. It was not better. A long ladder leading up into the darkness that we dispatched a servitor up to scout. Several stories of climbing lead to a single room with another single door. But when our numbers began to dwindle the enemies began to increase. We were forced to use explosives from above to destroy the area below before they could attempt to climb the shaft. Our singular exit however lead us back to the inhospitable surface. As above so below, even ghosts and spirits must worry about the radiation here. But there was some luck. The room we occupied had some supplies. Firearms, ammunition, Geiger counters, and even some rations. As well we got lucky and found another entrance to the underground nearby.

Unfortunately, one thing we now know for certain. The level of radiation is rising the farther we go into this realm.
---
(Entries Unwritten so Far)
---
Of these eight Old Laws of the Athenaeum, by far the most inconvenient is the final. No Willworking Shall Transpire Within These Halls. But this is not simply a decree that magi and witch shall not use their powers within this Dread Realm. The denizens have a distain for those capable of Willworking, whether it be of the Supernal or the Phenomenal World. Each and every one will find excuses to harry and harass, though not outright attack unless one of the Laws is broken. As much as the experience of this journey, and the reward that is a copy of the lost Grimoire of Casius that we sought, I will not be volunteering my services again for such a journey.
---
(Entries Unwritten so Far)
---
There is disagreement between the seven of us still remaining. The size of our starting group was partially dictated on the convention that, generally speaking, more individuals is a good idea so long as it is not a horde. Still, out of the thirteen and twenty six that started upon this journey now only we seven remain. However, we have accomplished one of the goals that we had set out to accomplish. We were able to find and copy the lost grimoire of Casius that was here within this bleak and endless library of the dead, but Justinian, Orbrex, and Cowl wish for us to continue deeper still. I've made my overall displeasure and wish to turn back known for quite some time, before anyone else really, and thankfully both Cornelius and Aquila have come over to my side on this. Travos, as always, has yet to share much in the way of an opinion. Regardless I will not be continuing forward on this expedition, unless forward means returning from these accursed depths to the world of the living.
---
Travos, chose to stay with us. Justinian, Orbrex, and Cowl all departed back into the depths of this realm in search of the way down. We divided up what remained of the provisions equally between our two groups and parted ways. When Cornelius got us across the river that blocked our return, which he called Ladulum and which smelled so sickly sweet that Aquila fled the moment we were across until far enough away so as to not smell it. Cornelius however, as he has been want to do the whole way, took several flasks before rejoining us.

The realm we now occupy is decidedly empty, hours of walking through endlessly shifting sands. When we arrived here it was intensely bright and hot, but as the 'sun' began to 'set' the temperature began to quickly drop. Travos carved a small cave from the sand and earth for us to take shelter in for the night, something we all seem quite grateful to have.


I've recently started running a game and one of my players is particularly ravenous when it comes to just about everything. As such I've been writing up various things including the above journal entries which give some detail on an unfortunate expedition into the Underworld. Figured you all might enjoy some of it yourselves, might also post the rest when finished.
 
grommile said:
It's worth noting that PDS is not the whole of PI. Battletech and Tyranny are being handled differently to the PDS grand strategy lines.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
That's fair. It somewhat invalidates a wall of text reply I had planned for @Fourthspartan56' post, but it's probably better for both of us if we don't start an incendiary argument about Paradox games in the White Wolf thread. :V
 
AshenFox said:
When we finally came to the end of the Dread Domain of the Black Forest, we were greeted by the Hvergelmir (the River of Ice). Crossing looked as though it were to be quite hazardous, but eventually we managed it without any ill fortune. The Dread Domain beyond was covered in cold, which luckily the frozen waters of Hvergelmir could helped us to more easily resist without the aid of additional sorcery should the need arise. Snow and worked stone gave way to to larger and more open areas until eventually it was as though we were beneath a storm clad sky. Cold winds blowing and obscuring much of the landscape. Eventually though we came upon more of the realm. The place looked decidedly modern. Buildings of concrete, rebar, and occasionally glass. It was at this point that the first Servitor fell. We did not see who had done it, and the sound of the wind prevented us from hearing it, but near the front of the line it was impossible to not witness the spray of blood shower the ice and snow.

What followed was a mad rush to find cover, which we managed inside a nearby building, while also pulling the Servitor to safety. Unfortunately were were far to late to save him. The shot had come from above, entering his eye and exiting near the back and side of his neck. Our attackers however, those we were able to catch. Two specters, neither of which seemed at all interested in talking, and such Cornelius decided to take a crack at them. The result was us discovering the realities of one of the laws of this domain. That Which It Is Above, So It Is Here Below. When one of the specter had its arm severed it proceeded to bleed to death. This place treats the dead like the living. They must breath. They must eat. They must sleep. Injuries are no longer simply a weakening of their incorporeal integrity, they are legitimate wounds. The other specter we did get some information out of, if only insults, as a result of the death of an apparent friend, though most of it was promises to kill us and fornicate with our skulls. Cornelius decided an experiment was in order and took him to the highest point of the building and threw him off. His arrival at the ground level killed him as surely as it would with any man. What happened next however I was less enthused about, but Cornelius insisted, and had his own specter Servitors butcher the men before cooking and preserving their bodies. "Their essence is locked within their forms. It is very much more grizzly then the normal process that a ghost might use to feed off another ghost, but the effect will be much the same."
---
We have taken shelter beneath the surface of this place. Three more casualties so far, thought no fatalities, and I am among them. The surface is poison, and we now know what exactly this place is meant to represent. Each Dread Domain represents something. Some realm of death where mortals fear or hope they might go. The storms above are nuclear winter, and their winds spread half-life as much as snow and ice. But it is no mortal radiation in this place, though it acts in much the same ways. We entered on the surface, exiting the ruin of a building, and now we have been forced underground where this spiritual radiation is significantly less prominent and potent... in most places anyway.

The tunnels below this place are nearly endless. An Underworld within the Underworld was said and Cornelius apparently couldn't contain his laughter. We lost 3 in the raid that came. These were psychopomps I'm told. They took the form of hideous monstrosities, not quite any one thing but a blend of many kinds of animal, and all of them at least the size of a German Shepherd. Many were much larger. Initially we thought we could kill them, but as time passed more and more came, pressing forward and slipping through the bodies that began to pile up. We were forced back until we could find another better choke point. It was not better. A long ladder leading up into the darkness that we dispatched a servitor up to scout. Several stories of climbing lead to a single room with another single door. But when our numbers began to dwindle the enemies began to increase. We were forced to use explosives from above to destroy the area below before they could attempt to climb the shaft. Our singular exit however lead us back to the inhospitable surface. As above so below, even ghosts and spirits must worry about the radiation here. But there was some luck. The room we occupied had some supplies. Firearms, ammunition, Geiger counters, and even some rations. As well we got lucky and found another entrance to the underground nearby.

Unfortunately, one thing we now know for certain. The level of radiation is rising the farther we go into this realm.
---
(Entries Unwritten so Far)
---
Of these eight Old Laws of the Athenaeum, by far the most inconvenient is the final. No Willworking Shall Transpire Within These Halls. But this is not simply a decree that magi and witch shall not use their powers within this Dread Realm. The denizens have a distain for those capable of Willworking, whether it be of the Supernal or the Phenomenal World. Each and every one will find excuses to harry and harass, though not outright attack unless one of the Laws is broken. As much as the experience of this journey, and the reward that is a copy of the lost Grimoire of Casius that we sought, I will not be volunteering my services again for such a journey.
---
(Entries Unwritten so Far)
---
There is disagreement between the seven of us still remaining. The size of our starting group was partially dictated on the convention that, generally speaking, more individuals is a good idea so long as it is not a horde. Still, out of the thirteen and twenty six that started upon this journey now only we seven remain. However, we have accomplished one of the goals that we had set out to accomplish. We were able to find and copy the lost grimoire of Casius that was here within this bleak and endless library of the dead, but Justinian, Orbrex, and Cowl wish for us to continue deeper still. I've made my overall displeasure and wish to turn back known for quite some time, before anyone else really, and thankfully both Cornelius and Aquila have come over to my side on this. Travos, as always, has yet to share much in the way of an opinion. Regardless I will not be continuing forward on this expedition, unless forward means returning from these accursed depths to the world of the living.
---
Travos, chose to stay with us. Justinian, Orbrex, and Cowl all departed back into the depths of this realm in search of the way down. We divided up what remained of the provisions equally between our two groups and parted ways. When Cornelius got us across the river that blocked our return, which he called Ladulum and which smelled so sickly sweet that Aquila fled the moment we were across until far enough away so as to not smell it. Cornelius however, as he has been want to do the whole way, took several flasks before rejoining us.

The realm we now occupy is decidedly empty, hours of walking through endlessly shifting sands. When we arrived here it was intensely bright and hot, but as the 'sun' began to 'set' the temperature began to quickly drop. Travos carved a small cave from the sand and earth for us to take shelter in for the night, something we all seem quite grateful to have.


I've recently started running a game and one of my players is particularly ravenous when it comes to just about everything. As such I've been writing up various things including the above journal entries which give some detail on an unfortunate expedition into the Underworld. Figured you all might enjoy some of it yourselves, might also post the rest when finished.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
There's a definite Metro: 2033 feeling to a lot of these entries, to the point where I thought it might be deliberate. Definitely interesting, especially the idea of a Domain where the "rules" for living and Dead things are reversed.
 
De-Courting the Court Contracts

ITRG doesn't play with the classical courts, as befits the more urban fantasy feel where things are kind of just more messy.

As a result, as I still want to use the Court Contracts at a mechanical level, it's necessary to fix the dice pools. The Eternal contracts become the Contract of (Season); the Fleeting Contracts become the Contract of (Emotion).

Plus, some of the dice need fixing to match up with the design rules laid out in Equinox Road for Ability/Attribute set up:

Contracts of Spring
  1. Resolve + Wyrd
  2. Survival + Wyrd
  3. Medicine + Wyrd
  4. Stamina + Wyrd
  5. Presence + Wyrd
Contracts of Desire
  1. Wits + Wyrd vs Composure + Wyrd
  2. Persuasion + Wyrd - Resolve
  3. Subterfuge + Wyrd - Composure + Wyrd
  4. Craft + Wyrd
  5. Expression + Wyrd
Contracts of Summer
  1. Survival + Wyrd
  2. Occult + Wyrd
  3. Stamina + Wyrd
  4. Occult + Wyrd
  5. Dexterity + Wyrd
Contracts of Wrath
  1. Wits + Wyrd
  2. Manipulation + Wyrd vs Composure + Wyrd
  3. Subterfuge + Wyrd vs Composure + Wyrd
  4. Socialise + Wyrd - Highest Composure
  5. Animal Ken + Wyrd
Contracts of Autumn
  1. Manipulation + Wyrd
  2. Presence + Wyrd
  3. Medicine + Wyrd
  4. Dexterity + Wyrd
  5. Occult + Wyrd
Contracts of Fear
  1. Wits + Wyrd - Composure
  2. Manipulation + Wyrd - Highest Composure
  3. Resolve + Wyrd
  4. Expression + Wyrd
  5. Intimidation + Wyrd
Contracts of Winter
  1. Survival + Wyrd
  2. Intelligence + Wyrd
  3. Expression + Wyrd
  4. Dexterity + Wyrd
  5. Occult + Wyrd
Contracts of Sorrow
  1. Empathy + Wyrd - Composure
  2. Manipulation + Wyrd - Resolve
  3. Investigation + Wyrd - Composure
  4. Intimidation + Wyrd vs Composure + Wyrd
  5. Manipulation + Wyrd vs Composure + Wyrd
 
Last edited:
Mwaa haa. Penny shall enjoy handing out Gobbo Juicy Froots and Spring Healings.
 
GardenerBriareus said:
There's a definite Metro: 2033 feeling to a lot of these entries, to the point where I thought it might be deliberate. Definitely interesting, especially the idea of a Domain where the "rules" for living and Dead things are reversed.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
It's not simply metro. The Domains all have their own distinct feelings and inspirations from death and ways you might die along with the scattered remnants of 'dead eras'. The Blighted Lands, for lack of a better name as I'll admit I can have trouble with names sometimes and have been continuing to debate the actual name for it, is one of the greater fears of modern man. Nuclear War. Choked with cold most of the time, the Nuclear Winter reigns there, with poisonous Half-Life soaking the ground, falling from the sky, and even accumulating in the very ice and snow such that when it gets deep enough or is harvested for the water within, the poison of Half-Life comes along.

Along with this, one of the points of this realm is desperation. Sure physical violence is always deadly, but deprivation is a major factor post a Nuclear War. That desperation and deprivation, the constant fight to survive, the fight to just get a bite to eat or drink of water, is one of the key things of post nuclear stories and thinking. No one thinks, "Well, the bombs will fall and then I'll just wait a couple days and we'll start rebuilding. Everything will be fine." Modern culture is filled with tales of the aftermath of such a conflict such as Metro, Fallout, the Day After, Terminator, Dr. Strangelove, On the Beach, the Book of Eli, the Road. Hell even films like Mad Max: Fury Road give a glimpse of this, with warlords holding hostage access to water.

All that said, I will say that the Metro series does stand out in part because of the recent release of Metro: Exodus (even though I have yet to actually play it, though I have seen a play through, and won't for quite some time to come). That said, ultimately how the realm came about was that I brain stormed several realms all with one specific intent: to make a realm that would have the potential to chew up a large prepared group and grind them down to just a few members. Because part of my mental image of the one writing the journal, the mentor of the player's character, is as someone who flat out refuses to enter the Underworld ever again because their first real experience was with a large group for safety and they came out the other side with only a fraction of the people that went in. This, in turn, reflects on some Sin-Eater themes of "what do you do when confronted with death?" only from a different direction. The Mentor is a somewhat hardened practitioner of Mind magic who's job involves traveling the world and 'taking care of problems' which usually means some kind of other supernatural getting in the way. As such he's been well able to kill and surrounded by death for a great deal of time, but he's never felt quite as close to death as he did down in the depths of the Underworld which was what finally rattled him. He still does his job, but now he's utterly terrified of dying and especially of being left behind as a ghost and eventually be pulled back down to what he sees as a nightmare of a realm.
 
This time in IITRG, the player characters meet two of Penny's exes and get in a big argument about it. Then they fail to report an infectious disease to the CDC, and finish things up by raiding a local business and shooting the owner dead in a single combat round.
 
EarthScorpion said:
This time in IITRG, the player characters meet two of Penny's exes and get in a big argument about it. Then they fail to report an infectious disease to the CDC, and finish things up by raiding a local business and shooting the owner dead in a single combat round.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Now, now.

Of course we didn't report Kayla to the CDC.
 
So, I've been wanting to get a better grasp of OWoD for a while now.

For most of it, I can and have been reading the 20th Anniversary books. I have, however, run into a problem with that approach.

That problem being Mage 20.

So my question is, does anyone have any suggestions for someone looking to get into Mage?
 
Nervaqus987 said:
So, I've been wanting to get a better grasp of OWoD for a while now.

For most of it, I can and have been reading the 20th Anniversary books. I have, however, run into a problem with that approach.

That problem being Mage 20.

So my question is, does anyone have any suggestions for someone looking to get into Mage?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I think the standard answers are "Don't", "Revised", or "Just play Awakening".
 
Reader mode
You must login or register to reply here.
Remove ads
Back
Top