[simon]

I’ve got an Orpheus ‘campaign’ I’d like to run that is set amongst the end of the (old) World of Darkness. This post is basically an introduction to the planned game, and details of what elements of the original World of Darkness I’ll be referencing. It’s a big World.

The characters are corporate ‘ghost-busters’ whose edge is the ability to project into the Shadowlands to see what they’re really dealing with, something that will give them an extra edge in the approaching End of the World scenario, giving them the opportunity to fight it. Essentially the characters are very human characters, holding down a job that pays the bills and not chasing grand ideologies or attempting to put the world to rights. At least not until they’re forced to, in order to survive. And for those that don’t survive, well, the dead have troubles of their own.

The World of Darkness being a world of various creatures there is an opportunity for cross-over, although for the most part I want to concentrate on the basically human protagonists working for the Orpheus company with just hints of what’s happening to everyone else at the edges. So, for example, whilst strange sights like the red star have appeared in the sky, an omen to most of the other races, it won’t have direct bearing on events in the Orpheus campaign until the CENSORED is really ready to hit the fan. Other major world events will have been the destruction of Bangledesh in a ‘natural’ disaster (actually the Technocrats and various other supernaturals killing an ancient vampire) and the appearance of a fiey angel like figure in Los Angeles, sparking off the Devil’s Night riots there, some people beginning to demonstrate miraculous powers, and the escalating reports of ghosts and demons. It’s the dawning of the age of Aquarius, but in a really screwed up kind of way.

The campaign would be be set, initially, in 2003.

For those familiar with the other core books, I’ll list the sort of things pre-occupying the other races. Whilst they have great power, by allying themselves with Orpheus they’re cutting their ties with their normal societies, presenting an easier target to racial enemies who find them. In short the bonusses are balanced out with heavy penalties. I’ve only actually got a few of the rule books, so fans who want to play their favourite rare supernatural entity will have to lend me the appropriate books for me to check over.

Vampires will mostly be concerned with the thinning of their blood, the waning of their power, and threat of their elders decending on them. They’re also unlikely to hold down day jobs with the company, though it’s feasible that there may be NPC vamps behind the scenes. PCs wanting a Vampire edge are more likely to be Ghouls than full-blown Vampires.

Werewolves are, for the most part, not concerned with the lands of the dead so much as they are with the mirror world that represents the true nature of things, and the threat it is under from the Wyrm. As such the only ones likely to work for Orpheus are those with an innate interest in (and ability to interract with) the lands of dead or human society. PCs are probably best suited to being Werewolf Kin who haven’t been called up, but Silent Striders, GlassWalkers and perhaps BoneGnawers are possibilities too.

Mages, of course, might have handy powers over the dead and stepping side-ways into other parallel worlds, except that recently their attempts to cross over have been severely hampered. On top of this, they are almost always in conflict with the ever-present Technocracy, who will no doubt be keeping an eye on Orpheus and its spook technology. I’m also planning to have Mages focussing on events in the Higher Umbra, with events unfolding there that demand their attentions.

Hunters would fit in okay with Orpheus if they’re the type that could conceivably keep their day job whilst seeing all sorts of weirdness around them. It does mean that every Vampire, Werewolf or Mage that crosses their path will distract them from the main campaign, however. It may also mean that they burn out a lot quicker than your average Orpheus operative.

Changelings are becoming stifled by the drawing in of banality on one hand, and the threat of an eternal winter on the other. Those spending time dipping into the Shadow-worlds will most likely forget who they are.

Mummies and Demons have stumbled into the modern World of Darkness due to events that occurred in the Shadowlands, so there is a parallel theme. however, these creatures are relatively rare, and whilst some of them might ally themselves with Orpheus they’d have differing agendas. On the whole I’d like to avoid Demons and Mummies, but if someone can justify such a PC, I’d let them play it.

[simon]

As possibly the second most likely to run after dragonlance, I'll just jot down a few more details here.

The campaign is based around the model of a horror film, split into sections that are easily recognised as mile-stones within a story. The core setting resembles the opening 20 minutes of a film, where the characters and their everyday routine are established. To use the film that is most frequently referenced, this is like Aliens, when we have Ripley discovered safe and well, and she relates what she knows about the bad guys, bfore a twist is revealled that the planet in question has now been colonised, and that hse will be going back there with the marines.

In terms of this game, it represents the PCs experiencing one or two hauntings, testing their abilities. They are, to all intents and purposes, normal Orpheus employees (and other supernatural beings that have slipped in amongst them will be played as if normal Orpheus employees, their abilities adapted accordingly, so that as far as anyone is aware their fellow players are all human (or Orpheus friendly ghosts).

The '20-minutes-into-the-film' twist occurs when the employees will be invited to Orpheus HQ in the US for a big celebration, at which time things will step up a gear, the characters will be rudely forced out of their comfort zone, and the second book in the seies comes into play.

Just to clarify, the characters will probably be humans employed by Orpheus, either those who can project into the Shadowlands via meditation (and/or medication), known as Skimmers, or those that go into a deep freeze and project in the style of the film Flatliners, known as Sleepers. There are also ghosts that work with Orpheus, but to be fair there's plenty of opportunity to play a ghost if your character gets killed during the first big twist.

Beyond chosing how you''re able to project into the Shadowlands, you decide in what way your spirit form is able to manipulate both the Shadowlands and the real world from it - including a method unique to each type through which the spirit can create a physical appearance in 'the real world'. The various types of spirit, or 'Shade', are as follows:

Banshees are prophetic ghosts who can effect the world around them with their voice; Haunters are able to "possess" non-living things such as houses and cars - then control these things as if they were a body; Poltergeists are destructive entities that can move objects and attack the living by hurling furniture around; Skinriders are ghosts capable of possessing a living human being and controlling their body; Wisps are teleporting ghosts that are able to toy with human emotions and hypnotise them with shimmering lights.

If you're interested in the story so far, there's a review here:

http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/10/10148.phtml