Quote from: BoxCrayonTales;945874So I cooled off and decided to look at this with a clearer head.

• ditch the ST system and use something that isn't outmoded and broken
• ignore the WoD vs CoD distinction: cherry pick, mix and match, have badwrongfun!
• ditch the separate settings and let everyone play together, since you're using a different ruleset anyway
• ditch the absurd themes of the games and base the factions on the (American) political axis: Stormfront, Democrat, and SJW.
• Stormfront is the current ruling faction and the PCs are members of the subservient Democrat faction expected to overthrow them. The SJWs are the loony faction trying to conquer/destroy the world as we know it.
• Everyone has Arcane Fate/Occultation, so most muggles rationalize the paranormal as terrorists and vigilantes. Monsters cannot take over the world because the muggles have vastly superior numbers and weapons.
• Every monster type has some kind of sorcery. Mages stand out because they have past life memories.
• Optionally, every monster has an corruption meter measuring how power mad and alienated from society they are and this scales with their superpowers. That is, the more magical you are the less empathetic and social you are. This has no downsides besides turning you into an evil overlord wannabe, which is what you were going to be anyway.

Thoughts?

Not bad except skip number 4 and rename number 5. By the way MtAw handles the hidden deal much better already via paradox and quiescence. Hunters without the sleepwalker merit basically go insane if they try and tangle with a mage. Every time a mage uses obvious magic in front of Hunter a breaking point comes for the typical Hunter and then quiescence...have it filmed? Cycle begins anew fun times. So it's better that the mage kill or leave(which the vast majority of even starting mages will have at one of the two options), no middle ground. So, no regular Hunters allowed which is good given mages have far more dangerous opponents then some sleeper type Hunters. Mostly among their own kind and broken mages (Banishers).

And number eight is the entire point of the game. You're not a superhero, not Batman. You're either straight up a supernatural monster from jumpsteet (vampire), or soon enough (werewolf), or something partially alien (changeling), or human with the power of God(mage). You will be tempted and you will slide into being an utter prick at best so enjoy the ride and hope you still have enough humanity left to not just become a total monster and be hunted down by somebody, something or someone because it will happen unless you achieve archmastery, be an elder Garou in The Shadow or a true Vampire Elder. All rare and hard to achieve.

Quote from: Marleycat;945941I am playing in a Mage the Awakening game once a month.

If you have the time/interest, please start a thread about MtAw 2e and provide more details. Your breakdown is very interesting.

How do you feel about the setting from MtAw 1e to MtAw 2e?

Quote from: Spinachcat;945971If you have the time/interest, please start a thread about MtAw 2e and provide more details. Your breakdown is very interesting.

How do you feel about the setting from MtAw 1e to MtAw 2e?

If time allows I'll try. The setting isn't changed just far more clear because of rejiggering to the Arcanum, the magic actually matching the practices, the outright removal of coincidental/vulgar magic divide, addition of reach, praxis, innured spells, legacies with 1-5 dot attainments etc. Major changes and usefulness to Mage Sight among the least being an attainment not a spell. And few other things like clearing up what a Banisher is or why the Mad (Marauders) are really bad for all involved because there's no Umbra for them to be conveniently shunted off to. (Leaking the supernal without limit in front of sleepers is BAD). Obvious magic in front of sleepers chances paradox and it does cause straight up breaking points to Morality of them and damages their soul.

Or that Atlantis isn't a thing, every mage understands and accepts it's an allegory at best and totally crap at worst. There is an Atlantis or a million of them just like there is The Time Before with multiple different civilizations that did/don't exist because both the Exarchs and archmages have and do excise whole timelines as it suits their needs in the Ascension War between them. But mages have physical evidence every possible Atlantis and civilization like Mu, Shangri-La, Hollow Earth, Lizardmen, Talking Apes did exist or not exist.

Quote from: Voros;945877Was Wraith any good? I only read the original Vampire Requiem. Seems there are a lot of Mage and Changeling fans out there.

It had its share of problems, both with premise and rules. It made for a really great Gothic dark fantasy setting, though. I keep meaning to run a new campaign of it and see if I can do better with it with the benefit of hindsight.

Quote from: Tristram Evans;945590Why has no one made a Highlander TV Series RPG?

Theres been at least one?

Quote from: Marleycat;945959Not bad except skip number 4 and rename number 5. By the way MtAw handles the hidden deal much better already via paradox and quiescence. Hunters without the sleepwalker merit basically go insane if they try and tangle with a mage. Every time a mage uses obvious magic in front of Hunter a breaking point comes for the typical Hunter and then quiescence...have it filmed? Cycle begins anew fun times. So it's better that the mage kill or leave(which the vast majority of even starting mages will have at one of the two options), no middle ground. So, no regular Hunters allowed which is good given mages have far more dangerous opponents then some sleeper type Hunters. Mostly among their own kind and broken mages (Banishers).

And number eight is the entire point of the game. You're not a superhero, not Batman. You're either straight up a supernatural monster from jumpsteet (vampire), or soon enough (werewolf), or something partially alien (changeling), or human with the power of God(mage). You will be tempted and you will slide into being an utter prick at best so enjoy the ride and hope you still have enough humanity left to not just become a total monster and be hunted down by somebody, something or someone because it will happen unless you achieve archmastery, be an elder Garou in The Shadow or a true Vampire Elder. All rare and hard to achieve.

Different system, different rules, everything runs on the same mechanics, remember? Arcane fate/occultation works better than "SAN check" because monsters using magic in public all the time (which they would) wouldn't drive everyone crazy. You only become a witch-hunter (to distinguish from game hunter and bounty hunter) if you can already notice the paranormal rather than rationalizing it away.

For those fortunate enough to have it. Bemusingly enough. Issue 17 of Dragão Brasil, a Brazilian RPG magazine with alot of conversions, had...

Highlander for the Storyteller system. Stats for Duncan and Connor McLeod. Pretty short and simple article that gets the job done.

Lots of Storyteller, Gurps and a few D&D and quite a few for D&T(Defensores de Tóquio.) in other issues like Gurps Battletech, Thundercats, Gurps Ghost in the Shell, X-Files, Matrix (Gurps and Storyteller) Metal Gear, etc.

Highlander doesn't work well for a WoD-style game. The immortals are expected to kill each other until only one remains. It's the doomed CoC investigator equivalent for WoD. If Onyx tried ripping it off they would remove the quickening and turn it into politics like they removed wasteland in Promethean 2e, which defeats the entire point. Immortals are supposed to kill each other to the last man standing. Prometheans are supposed to go on literal pilgrimages to become human. They aren't supposed to play city politics for eternity.

Quote from: BoxCrayonTales;946085Highlander doesn't work well for a WoD-style game. The immortals are expected to kill each other until only one remains. It's the doomed CoC investigator equivalent for WoD. If Onyx tried ripping it off they would remove the quickening and turn it into politics like they removed wasteland in Promethean 2e, which defeats the entire point. Immortals are supposed to kill each other to the last man standing. Prometheans are supposed to go on literal pilgrimages to become human. They aren't supposed to play city politics for eternity.

I'm pretty sure the trenchcoat & katana-style players of wod werent spending a lot of time worrying about the political aspects of the games.

Quote from: Spinachcat;945971If you have the time/interest, please start a thread about MtAw 2e and provide more details. Your breakdown is very interesting.

How do you feel about the setting from MtAw 1e to MtAw 2e?

What are you looking for SC? Any particular interest or thing? I'm not great at starting topics so guidance would be very helpful in helping me pick a good topic to discuss via the game line. Just keep in mind I love DnD also but I prefer 2e/5e so I'm not some Fate, DW or whatever narrative lover. I like some narrative though and I love meta currency like bunnies etc. still deciding on DOOM mechanics like Corolis etc. so I like some of the directions 2e went that are similar to Fate in certain contained and specific ways.

Quote from: Tristram Evans;946086I'm pretty sure the trenchcoat & katana-style players of wod werent spending a lot of time worrying about the political aspects of the games.

Neither were the wrist-cutters who played "personal horror" games.

I like a 50/50 blend of politics combined with Trenchcoats & Katanas. No whiny, wangsty personal horror though. I don't practice self-harm, nor do I wear guyliner or listen to Type O Negative. Therefore, I do not see the appeal of personal horror.

Quote from: Doc Sammy;946144Neither were the wrist-cutters who played "personal horror" games.

I like a 50/50 blend of politics combined with Trenchcoats & Katanas. No whiny, wangsty personal horror though. I don't practice self-harm, nor do I wear guyliner or listen to Type O Negative. Therefore, I do not see the appeal of personal horror.

Sam, you told us that dozens of times. It isn't constructive. Please talk about anything else.

For example, I want to play Monsterhearts as a melodramatic parody of soap operas. My skin would be "lonely shoggoth looking for love" which is a metaphor for people who don't fit society's absurd standards of beauty.

Quote from: Doc Sammy;946144Neither were the wrist-cutters who played "personal horror" games.

Someday I want to visit this weird Land-Outside-Time of Roanoke that's inspired these bizarre stereotypes that don't match anything I've ever seen.

Yeah I never met a player of WoD who is this super serious stereotype. Most of them were the same nerds who played AD&D and wanted to try something different.

Quote from: Tristram Evans;946146Someday I want to visit this weird Land-Outside-Time of Roanoke that's inspired these bizarre stereotypes that don't match anything I've ever seen.

You and me both.

I'll bring the Djarum clove ciggies, you bring the lager & cider for the snakebite. We'll wear mirror shades like Andrew Eldritch and blare out "This Corrosion" on our rest stop breaks. Road trip!