ECOM - Genesis
WarShipper
I'm here to stay, alright?
The world is a dangerous place. Wild animals, crazed gunmen, wars and famine and disease and more. You are human, and you are of humanity. You understand the dangers and troubles that assault the Earth and its' inhabitants perhaps better than any other creature to have crawled its' way from the primordial ooze from which all Earthlings were born. But until recently, 'Earth' was all you knew. A place of physical matter, of spirituality, of humans and animals and plants and little else.
You were raised by humans. You learned things like morality, math, social skills. You met people who you loved or you lusted or you hated. You desired to become something - a soldier, a leader, a savior. You were just like every other human.
But not now. Not since it happened. Not since your mind and your eyes were opened wide - so terribly, terribly wide - and the true nature of the cosmos was revealed to you.
Humanity is not alone. Earth is not alone. There are things far grander, far greater, and most of all... far, far stranger than you could have imagined. There are creatures that hide beneath the waves and above the skies, there are beasts that were human - centuries ago. There are beings which have meddled with the course of humanity, and there are creatures which hide from the fires and the rage of humanity.
At first, perhaps you thought you were alone. Perhaps you thought what you experienced was a fluke, a hallucination or even a single, cosmic accident - isolated, unindicative of more. Of worse. But still that need to know, to prove yourself safe or right, something made you seek out others. And you found them, and you shared stories, and you came to a decision.
Something must be done. Humanity cannot blindly stumble forth, like a blind man, and inadvertently doom itself.
And so you few scraped and scrabbled and pulled together an organization. An official, legal organization, one which you have thrust blood and sweat and tears into. But beneath the surface it is nought more than a cover, a method by which you can travel and explore and find the like-minded. Many would call you a cult, a collection of the insane, criminals and monsters. But none of that matters - what matters is that you can hunt down the things that go bump in the night.
You can, and you will.
Welcome to the Eldritch Cult of Mystery.
Welcome to E-COM.
=-=-=-=
Congratulations, and welcome to the Cult. You are the three heads, and the lead members of the organization it hides behind. Or you are the secret minds that drive this universe, and many of the decisions made by those beneath the leaders of the Cult. This is actually something of an experiment, for you see - it is not only a Council Game, but also a Quest. Essentially, three players who have provided sufficiently high quality and high interest character sheets will be selected to be a lead member each, and will make decisions of strategy and overall policy. Meanwhile, everybody else will be able to make votes on what certain NPCs do at critical points in investigations or missions, what kind of new recruits are available, the results of certain lucky breaks, and more. Don't worry councilmembers - if the quest portions of this game turn out to be a bust, I'll hand that power back over to you. Still, I hope to make this interesting for everybody involved, rather than a few four or five.
But before we get to any of that, we have a decision to make. Whether you're a Councilman or a Quester, please decide on the following, for it will affect the rest of the game.
Time Period:
[ ] Modern Era: Today, the Country! Tomorrow, the World! Computers, advanced aircraft, spycams, and satellites are at your disposal. But so too are they at the hands of your more intelligent foes and detractors.
[ ] Late 1800s/Early 1900s: Guns, automobiles, and industrialization have taken the world by storm, and humanity is beginning to become a titan of technology. But with lesser suspicion and doubt comes lesser ability and spread.
Organization:
[ ] Government: You're not just a cult, you're an official (if small) portion of the United States of the America. Most of your fellows believe you're crazy, but prove your worth and you'll have much greater access to advanced equipment, facilities, training... and greater and more brutal competition and oversight.
[ ] Business: Most people believe you've been put on Gods' green Earth to make lots, and lots, of money. And to some degree that's true - you're well on your way to quite a bit of income. But with business comes opportunity, and with opportunity comes suspicion. Draw too heavily on your official assets, put too much strain on your legal side, and fear the consequences.
[ ] Religious: Okay, so maybe openly being a cult wasn't the smartest idea. But hey, what you lack in people... and money... and assets... you make up for in the ability to openly run around looking for monsters and be dismissed as a bunch of loons.
=-=-=-=
Now, there's a lot that goes into being the leader of the cult. Most cults, all it takes is a solid face and the ability to sell a lifestyle. But to be the leader of a cult that goes and hunts down gribblies that'll eat your sanity and body, not necessarily in that order? It takes charisma, drive, power, and a whole lot of luck. You've got all of that. But not everybody reaches the end result by the same path.
What brought you to this point, leading people in hunting the things beyond our realm?
Name:
Age: (30+)
Appearance:
History: (Must have some manner of exposure to the eldritch world. Don't make it too crazy - most people who believe in this world have seen a man transform into a writhing mass of appendages within a dark sewer, or read a tome that lit their mind with inexplicable images of the past, at most.)
-Stats-
You have 5 points to distribute between Force, Charisma, and Study. 1 Point is standard human, 2 exceptional, 3 perfect. Anything higher is the realm of the non-human, and unavailable to you... for now.
Force: Your ability to enact things through force, whether of tech, arms, or personhood. Covers things like shooting a gun, kicking down a door, or torture.
Charisma: Your ability to navigate people, systems, and ideas. Covers things like convincing somebody not to shoot you, filing requests, or understanding body language.
Study: Your ability to learn, the things you have learned. Covers study, uncovering hidden knowledge, investigation.
Strength: A Strength is something unique to you, and informs how you handle every given situation or allows you particular options. A person with a high Study is smart, but will always be inferior in medical matters to a man with a Strength as a Doctor. A character with an Independent Income always has that little bit extra to spend. So on. Think of it as a specialization, or unique asset to call upon. All characters start with One.
Weakness: A Weakness is the opposite - a phobia, a skillset within which you are useless, an enemy. All characters start with One.
There are no defined "roles," amongst the Councilmen regarding which portions of the cult of they handle, as the problems and events you encounter can often be handled in varied ways and you will not always be available for every situation. That does not mean you cannot take up roles or focus, but that you will not always be called upon solely when your specialization is involved. Also keep in mind that as the leaders of a relatively small Cult, you may be called upon to intervene personally - or you may decide to do so yourself. Becoming involved in an investigation personally brings with it increased resources and ability to affect the course of the matter, but also means that there is less deniability and less ability to avoid potential consequences. A thug hired off the street can be replaced - somebody like you? Not so easily.
This is merely the first stage of the OOC. Once the Era and Organization Type have been decided, there will be a vote for your starting Cult Members, Initial Investigation, and a few Assets at your disposal. That will serve as your introduction to gameplay - a tutorial, of sorts.
Some of you may wonder at the apparent lack of Sanity mechanic or reference. After all, what's an Eldritch game about monsters and cults without people going nuts? To put it simply, sanity is a very personal thing to each and every character, and won't be left up to chance or statistical abstractions. Just keep in mind that you, and those you work with, are people... with all the strengths and flaws that comes with. When a persons' stress and instability becomes too much to deal with, it crystalizes as a Weakness... whether or not you're willing to deal with it from then on, however....
You were raised by humans. You learned things like morality, math, social skills. You met people who you loved or you lusted or you hated. You desired to become something - a soldier, a leader, a savior. You were just like every other human.
But not now. Not since it happened. Not since your mind and your eyes were opened wide - so terribly, terribly wide - and the true nature of the cosmos was revealed to you.
Humanity is not alone. Earth is not alone. There are things far grander, far greater, and most of all... far, far stranger than you could have imagined. There are creatures that hide beneath the waves and above the skies, there are beasts that were human - centuries ago. There are beings which have meddled with the course of humanity, and there are creatures which hide from the fires and the rage of humanity.
At first, perhaps you thought you were alone. Perhaps you thought what you experienced was a fluke, a hallucination or even a single, cosmic accident - isolated, unindicative of more. Of worse. But still that need to know, to prove yourself safe or right, something made you seek out others. And you found them, and you shared stories, and you came to a decision.
Something must be done. Humanity cannot blindly stumble forth, like a blind man, and inadvertently doom itself.
And so you few scraped and scrabbled and pulled together an organization. An official, legal organization, one which you have thrust blood and sweat and tears into. But beneath the surface it is nought more than a cover, a method by which you can travel and explore and find the like-minded. Many would call you a cult, a collection of the insane, criminals and monsters. But none of that matters - what matters is that you can hunt down the things that go bump in the night.
You can, and you will.
Welcome to the Eldritch Cult of Mystery.
Welcome to E-COM.
=-=-=-=
Congratulations, and welcome to the Cult. You are the three heads, and the lead members of the organization it hides behind. Or you are the secret minds that drive this universe, and many of the decisions made by those beneath the leaders of the Cult. This is actually something of an experiment, for you see - it is not only a Council Game, but also a Quest. Essentially, three players who have provided sufficiently high quality and high interest character sheets will be selected to be a lead member each, and will make decisions of strategy and overall policy. Meanwhile, everybody else will be able to make votes on what certain NPCs do at critical points in investigations or missions, what kind of new recruits are available, the results of certain lucky breaks, and more. Don't worry councilmembers - if the quest portions of this game turn out to be a bust, I'll hand that power back over to you. Still, I hope to make this interesting for everybody involved, rather than a few four or five.
But before we get to any of that, we have a decision to make. Whether you're a Councilman or a Quester, please decide on the following, for it will affect the rest of the game.
Time Period:
[ ] Modern Era: Today, the Country! Tomorrow, the World! Computers, advanced aircraft, spycams, and satellites are at your disposal. But so too are they at the hands of your more intelligent foes and detractors.
[ ] Late 1800s/Early 1900s: Guns, automobiles, and industrialization have taken the world by storm, and humanity is beginning to become a titan of technology. But with lesser suspicion and doubt comes lesser ability and spread.
Organization:
[ ] Government: You're not just a cult, you're an official (if small) portion of the United States of the America. Most of your fellows believe you're crazy, but prove your worth and you'll have much greater access to advanced equipment, facilities, training... and greater and more brutal competition and oversight.
[ ] Business: Most people believe you've been put on Gods' green Earth to make lots, and lots, of money. And to some degree that's true - you're well on your way to quite a bit of income. But with business comes opportunity, and with opportunity comes suspicion. Draw too heavily on your official assets, put too much strain on your legal side, and fear the consequences.
[ ] Religious: Okay, so maybe openly being a cult wasn't the smartest idea. But hey, what you lack in people... and money... and assets... you make up for in the ability to openly run around looking for monsters and be dismissed as a bunch of loons.
=-=-=-=
Now, there's a lot that goes into being the leader of the cult. Most cults, all it takes is a solid face and the ability to sell a lifestyle. But to be the leader of a cult that goes and hunts down gribblies that'll eat your sanity and body, not necessarily in that order? It takes charisma, drive, power, and a whole lot of luck. You've got all of that. But not everybody reaches the end result by the same path.
What brought you to this point, leading people in hunting the things beyond our realm?
Name:
Age: (30+)
Appearance:
History: (Must have some manner of exposure to the eldritch world. Don't make it too crazy - most people who believe in this world have seen a man transform into a writhing mass of appendages within a dark sewer, or read a tome that lit their mind with inexplicable images of the past, at most.)
-Stats-
You have 5 points to distribute between Force, Charisma, and Study. 1 Point is standard human, 2 exceptional, 3 perfect. Anything higher is the realm of the non-human, and unavailable to you... for now.
Force: Your ability to enact things through force, whether of tech, arms, or personhood. Covers things like shooting a gun, kicking down a door, or torture.
Charisma: Your ability to navigate people, systems, and ideas. Covers things like convincing somebody not to shoot you, filing requests, or understanding body language.
Study: Your ability to learn, the things you have learned. Covers study, uncovering hidden knowledge, investigation.
Strength: A Strength is something unique to you, and informs how you handle every given situation or allows you particular options. A person with a high Study is smart, but will always be inferior in medical matters to a man with a Strength as a Doctor. A character with an Independent Income always has that little bit extra to spend. So on. Think of it as a specialization, or unique asset to call upon. All characters start with One.
Weakness: A Weakness is the opposite - a phobia, a skillset within which you are useless, an enemy. All characters start with One.
There are no defined "roles," amongst the Councilmen regarding which portions of the cult of they handle, as the problems and events you encounter can often be handled in varied ways and you will not always be available for every situation. That does not mean you cannot take up roles or focus, but that you will not always be called upon solely when your specialization is involved. Also keep in mind that as the leaders of a relatively small Cult, you may be called upon to intervene personally - or you may decide to do so yourself. Becoming involved in an investigation personally brings with it increased resources and ability to affect the course of the matter, but also means that there is less deniability and less ability to avoid potential consequences. A thug hired off the street can be replaced - somebody like you? Not so easily.
This is merely the first stage of the OOC. Once the Era and Organization Type have been decided, there will be a vote for your starting Cult Members, Initial Investigation, and a few Assets at your disposal. That will serve as your introduction to gameplay - a tutorial, of sorts.
Some of you may wonder at the apparent lack of Sanity mechanic or reference. After all, what's an Eldritch game about monsters and cults without people going nuts? To put it simply, sanity is a very personal thing to each and every character, and won't be left up to chance or statistical abstractions. Just keep in mind that you, and those you work with, are people... with all the strengths and flaws that comes with. When a persons' stress and instability becomes too much to deal with, it crystalizes as a Weakness... whether or not you're willing to deal with it from then on, however....
