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On Her Majesty's Arcane Service

Started by flyingmice, June 01, 2009, 06:37:38 PM

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flyingmice

I have already added Humphrey Gilbert and Martin Frobisher, and will also be doing John Hawkins and Edward Kelley. Any other vital people?

-clash
clash bowley * Flying Mice Games - an Imprint of Better Mousetrap Games
Flying Mice home page: http://jalan.flyingmice.com/flyingmice.html
Currently Designing: StarCluster 4 - Wavefront Empire
Last Releases: SC4 - Dark Orbital, SC4 - Out of the Ruins,  SC4 - Sabre & World
Blog: I FLY BY NIGHT

LordVreeg

do you want to hit some of the non-english folk who were involved in the Elizebethan politics?
Currently running 1 live groups and two online group in my 30+ year old campaign setting.  
http://celtricia.pbworks.com/
Setting of the Year, 08 Campaign Builders Guild awards.
\'Orbis non sufficit\'

My current Collegium Arcana online game, a test for any ruleset.

flyingmice

Quote from: LordVreeg;331052do you want to hit some of the non-english folk who were involved in the Elizebethan politics?

While the game is focused on England, the rest of the world is fair game. The players can get involved in international politics either by going offshore or by the other nations interfering in England. Who do you have in mind?

-clash
clash bowley * Flying Mice Games - an Imprint of Better Mousetrap Games
Flying Mice home page: http://jalan.flyingmice.com/flyingmice.html
Currently Designing: StarCluster 4 - Wavefront Empire
Last Releases: SC4 - Dark Orbital, SC4 - Out of the Ruins,  SC4 - Sabre & World
Blog: I FLY BY NIGHT

jadrax


flyingmice

Quote from: jadrax;331120Pope Pius V may be an idea.

Sounds interesting... i have been concentrating on the English.

-clash
clash bowley * Flying Mice Games - an Imprint of Better Mousetrap Games
Flying Mice home page: http://jalan.flyingmice.com/flyingmice.html
Currently Designing: StarCluster 4 - Wavefront Empire
Last Releases: SC4 - Dark Orbital, SC4 - Out of the Ruins,  SC4 - Sabre & World
Blog: I FLY BY NIGHT

MountZionRyan

Clash, this is awesome.  I don't have much to add.
Since reading Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell I've been keeping an eye out for a game to play it.  While I love Napoleonic/Regency period stuff, your game would be perfect for playing a JS&MN inspired campaign.
I carry twenty-three great wounds, all got in battle.  Seventy-five men have I killed with my own hands in battle. I scatter, I burn my enemies' tents.  I take away their flocks and herds.  The Turks pay me a golden treasure, yet I am poor! Because I am a river to my people!
--Auda Abu Tayi

flyingmice

Quote from: MountZionRyan;331920Clash, this is awesome.  I don't have much to add.
Since reading Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell I've been keeping an eye out for a game to play it.  While I love Napoleonic/Regency period stuff, your game would be perfect for playing a JS&MN inspired campaign.

Hi Ryan!

Shifting OHMAS to Napoleonic times would not be difficult. The main thing, besides background, is that OHMAS is set pre-enlightenment, whereas the Napoleonic Era is post-enlightenment. That means there are a far greater number of Skeptics, particularly among the educated. The main check to magic use in pre-Enlightenment times is too much belief in magic - you are liable to be burned as a witch if you aren't careful. In post-Enlightenment times, Skepticism is the main check. It is all but impossible to do any magic which does not seem to be coincidence or luck with a Skeptic watching. That's why Skeptics are listed in the bestiary as monsters. Skepticism was very rare in Elizabethan times - only Sir Francis Bacon among the luminaries of the time should be considered a Skeptic.

Also, in the setting, there are a lot less forests - it takes a lot of wood to build England's wooden walls - and a lot more people. Many Fairie realms have sealed themselves off, though not all, and American crops like potatoes and tomatos are common. Bearing this in mind, you could easily run OHMAS in the world of JS &MN. :D

-clash
clash bowley * Flying Mice Games - an Imprint of Better Mousetrap Games
Flying Mice home page: http://jalan.flyingmice.com/flyingmice.html
Currently Designing: StarCluster 4 - Wavefront Empire
Last Releases: SC4 - Dark Orbital, SC4 - Out of the Ruins,  SC4 - Sabre & World
Blog: I FLY BY NIGHT

MountZionRyan

Quote from: flyingmice;331945Hi Ryan!

Shifting OHMAS to Napoleonic times would not be difficult.

Actually, the native setting looks much more interesting to me (for supernatural agents in history) than Napoleonic.  I mentioned JS&MN because of the backstory and extensive footnotes, many of which relate to events in or just prior to 1560.
I carry twenty-three great wounds, all got in battle.  Seventy-five men have I killed with my own hands in battle. I scatter, I burn my enemies' tents.  I take away their flocks and herds.  The Turks pay me a golden treasure, yet I am poor! Because I am a river to my people!
--Auda Abu Tayi

flyingmice

Quote from: MountZionRyan;331948Actually, the native setting looks much more interesting to me (for supernatural agents in history) than Napoleonic.  I mentioned JS&MN because of the backstory and extensive footnotes, many of which relate to events in or just prior to 1560.

Gotcha! I misunderstood. I would also prefer the 1560s for a number of reasons.

It might be interesting to do a split-temporal campaign like I did with Blood Games II, where I had separate groups of characters from the 1670s and 2009, the latter all related to the former, with a journal from the earlier group and working in parallel on the same problem, an immortal Wizard. When we needed to find out what had happened in the 1670s, we switched and played it out. The two groups got nearly exactly the same playing time by the end. My players absolutely loved it, and we've gone back to those groups since for further adventures.

-clash
clash bowley * Flying Mice Games - an Imprint of Better Mousetrap Games
Flying Mice home page: http://jalan.flyingmice.com/flyingmice.html
Currently Designing: StarCluster 4 - Wavefront Empire
Last Releases: SC4 - Dark Orbital, SC4 - Out of the Ruins,  SC4 - Sabre & World
Blog: I FLY BY NIGHT

MountZionRyan

Quote from: flyingmice;331967It might be interesting to do a split-temporal campaign like I did with Blood Games II, where I had separate groups of characters from the 1670s and 2009, the latter all related to the former, with a journal from the earlier group and working in parallel on the same problem, an immortal Wizard.

No Way.  I had a very similar idea for three groups all connected by a secret anti-evil order with adventures taking place in 1790s, 1890s, and 1990s. Skip between as the campaign demanded.  

Great minds I suppose...;)
I carry twenty-three great wounds, all got in battle.  Seventy-five men have I killed with my own hands in battle. I scatter, I burn my enemies' tents.  I take away their flocks and herds.  The Turks pay me a golden treasure, yet I am poor! Because I am a river to my people!
--Auda Abu Tayi

flyingmice

Quote from: MountZionRyan;331980No Way.  I had a very similar idea for three groups all connected by a secret anti-evil order with adventures taking place in 1790s, 1890s, and 1990s. Skip between as the campaign demanded.  

Great minds I suppose...;)

As my father used to say, "Great minds run in the same channels. Fools think alike." :D

-clash
clash bowley * Flying Mice Games - an Imprint of Better Mousetrap Games
Flying Mice home page: http://jalan.flyingmice.com/flyingmice.html
Currently Designing: StarCluster 4 - Wavefront Empire
Last Releases: SC4 - Dark Orbital, SC4 - Out of the Ruins,  SC4 - Sabre & World
Blog: I FLY BY NIGHT

flyingmice

clash bowley * Flying Mice Games - an Imprint of Better Mousetrap Games
Flying Mice home page: http://jalan.flyingmice.com/flyingmice.html
Currently Designing: StarCluster 4 - Wavefront Empire
Last Releases: SC4 - Dark Orbital, SC4 - Out of the Ruins,  SC4 - Sabre & World
Blog: I FLY BY NIGHT

LordVreeg

"They can function as spies, as diplomats, as magical assault squads, and as investigators ?"

Seems to be declarative, not interogative.
All love...
I look forward to getting the pdf.
Currently running 1 live groups and two online group in my 30+ year old campaign setting.  
http://celtricia.pbworks.com/
Setting of the Year, 08 Campaign Builders Guild awards.
\'Orbis non sufficit\'

My current Collegium Arcana online game, a test for any ruleset.

flyingmice

Quote from: LordVreeg;332509"They can function as spies, as diplomats, as magical assault squads, and as investigators ?"

Seems to be declarative, not interogative.
All love...
I look forward to getting the pdf.

Thanks, LV! I fixed the typo. What's weird is that sentence is cut and pasted from the game's into, but in the original text, it's a dash, not a question mark...

-clash
clash bowley * Flying Mice Games - an Imprint of Better Mousetrap Games
Flying Mice home page: http://jalan.flyingmice.com/flyingmice.html
Currently Designing: StarCluster 4 - Wavefront Empire
Last Releases: SC4 - Dark Orbital, SC4 - Out of the Ruins,  SC4 - Sabre & World
Blog: I FLY BY NIGHT

flyingmice

I'll be releasing OHMAs this coming week. The print version will be available shortly after the pdf. Watch for it if you're interested! I'll need reviewers as well.

-clash
clash bowley * Flying Mice Games - an Imprint of Better Mousetrap Games
Flying Mice home page: http://jalan.flyingmice.com/flyingmice.html
Currently Designing: StarCluster 4 - Wavefront Empire
Last Releases: SC4 - Dark Orbital, SC4 - Out of the Ruins,  SC4 - Sabre & World
Blog: I FLY BY NIGHT