A little off topic:
I once talked to a guy on a forum who tought Fading Suns was just like the new world of darkness. Now I like Fading Suns a lot and my relationship with the nWoD is one of love and hate, but I think Fading Suns is definitely more of a kitchen sink than nWoD.

Well both nWoD and Fading Suns have a potential for a lot of political intrigue which enable those kinds of LARPS which focus on backstabbing, diplomacy, and politics. The difference is of scale, where nWoD might focus on the politics of controlling a city, s Fading Suns LARP could have politics on a galactic scale.  

Using Dune as an example, imagine a Landsraad style Imperium court except replace all the Dune Houses with Fading Suns equivalents. Voting, lobbying, backstabbing, scandals, and other forces like merchants trying to curry favor and gain votes in their interests. A lot of potential there for a good LARP that does not necessarily have too much combat beyond the occasional duel between nobles.

Quote from: slayride35;737032Well both nWoD and Fading Suns have a potential for a lot of political intrigue which enable those kinds of LARPS which focus on backstabbing, diplomacy, and politics. The difference is of scale, where nWoD might focus on the politics of controlling a city, s Fading Suns LARP could have politics on a galactic scale.  

Using Dune as an example, imagine a Landsraad style Imperium court except replace all the Dune Houses with Fading Suns equivalents. Voting, lobbying, backstabbing, scandals, and other forces like merchants trying to curry favor and gain votes in their interests. A lot of potential there for a good LARP that does not necessarily have too much combat beyond the occasional duel between nobles.

Same could be said about the oWoD. Both are political.

I think Fading Suns has opt-in factions. Actually I am not really sure about this. Can you change alliance?

Anyway it reminds me more about the oWoD with it's detailed lore. It has a small metaplot. It has canon. It has lots of backstory. You can actually visit Stigmata and that is officially the planet on which the Eskatonic Order defeated the Symbiots for the first time. You won't find something like that in nWoD.

Quote from: jan paparazzi;737060I think Fading Suns has opt-in factions. Actually I am not really sure about this. Can you change alliance?

Sure, but its odd. Among my pregens for conventions is an ex-Priest who saw the light and truth of the Pancreator's true love of technology and became an Engineer.

Also, its possible to have a noble from one family be married into another and change their allegiance (or just appear to do so) to the new family.

As usual, how hard and fast the canon is depends on the GM.

Quote from: Spinachcat;737074Sure, but its odd. Among my pregens for conventions is an ex-Priest who saw the light and truth of the Pancreator's true love of technology and became an Engineer.

Also, its possible to have a noble from one family be married into another and change their allegiance (or just appear to do so) to the new family.

As usual, how hard and fast the canon is depends on the GM.

Well, I like it when you can pinpoint things. For some reason I like to know the fact the Universal Church has a Patriarch and it's dude with a name and such. I like some sort of established setting. Not that I use all of it, I just like the idea.

Quote from: jan paparazzi;737172For some reason I like to know the fact the Universal Church has a Patriarch and it's dude with a name and such.

I like Big NPCs to be named and lightly fleshed out. People flavor a setting tremendously so I totally support that. My problem with most splatbooks is the amount of data that I doubt reaches anyone's table.

But hey, its quite possible that stuff I don't find useful in a NPC breakdown is actually really useful to another gamer.

But since that gamer views RPGs differently that I do, I must hereby declare them heretic and swear interweb war against them for all eternity.

Burn the Heretic!!!

Quote from: Spinachcat;737179I like Big NPCs to be named and lightly fleshed out. People flavor a setting tremendously so I totally support that. My problem with most splatbooks is the amount of data that I doubt reaches anyone's table.

But hey, its quite possible that stuff I don't find useful in a NPC breakdown is actually really useful to another gamer.

But since that gamer views RPGs differently that I do, I must hereby declare them heretic and swear interweb war against them for all eternity.

Burn the Heretic!!!

I agree it shares old WoD problem of giving way and way too much info. I just prefer a fixed universe with fixed worlds and fixed regimes/factions/races on those worlds. I am the type of guy who ignores all the politics and just becomes a trader/smuggler/mercenary for the Musters/Charioteers/Scrappers of just becomes a freelancer. I like when it has an established setting so I can visit certain places that appeal to me. Btw Savage Worlds Hellfrost does this perfectly without giving too much info.

Old WoD had this too. You knew which Clan came from which part of the world. Camarilla had North America and Europe, Mexico was Sabbat, South America was Anarchs. Africa was different, Asia was very different. I like this kind of buffet lying in front of me. All I have to do is pick something out that appeals to me.

The fiefdom splats for the most part were very thin books. Li Halan, Decados, etc. were not all that heavy for the time, and at least had multiple planetary maps. But yes, TMI syndrome was huge then. It was the 90s, we were young, everyone was experimenting...

The big challenge for me was always my challenge with space games: not making whole planets monolithic stereotypes. As in, "this is communist world, ruled by an alien high council of altruistic sentient plants. That one is xenophobic Prussian planet, where even the color of your eyes can get you in trouble. That over there is angst-riddled, eco-terrorists turned into shape changing monsters." Such efficient planetary homogenization is OK for general sketches, but complicating and detailing that can be a chore.

At least throw me more continental level sketches and conflicts, y'know.