A game setting in which elements of the Divine Comedy and the works of Hieronymous Bosch come to life in a organized hellish psychedelia. Alien technology roughly equivalent to the musings of Da Vinci.

I think you're going to need a pretty special bunch of players to pull it off, but it could be very interesting. I wonder if it would get tiresome after the novelty wore off, though.

Quote from: cranberryI think you're going to need a pretty special bunch of players to pull it off, but it could be very interesting. I wonder if it would get tiresome after the novelty wore off, though.

Thank you for the honest appraisal. I am thinking of setting it up as a modular world, sort of like a demiplane in the D&D cosmology, in which adventurers from other worlds could myseteriously find themselves. Dante's allegorical walk through the darkened wood gave me this idea, that folks could be travelling some forest at night and suddenly find themselves in this utterly alien setting. Many of the creatures and works of Bosch and the latter surrealists practically come to life on their own, leaving it to me to organize them into a coherant world. To this I will also add more normal civilizations trying to exist on this fundamentally hostile and bizarre world. Anyway, these are my musings on the matter.

Sounds like one-shot material. Or perhaps a game that only met every few months.

One more thing. I had an idea that the genesis of this world was through the power of imagination, willed into being by artists of different kinds. These artists would of course be differently-named than their real counterparts, but I envision using Bosch, Blake, Dali, Topor, others... The opportunities for roleplaying are practically endless, with the biggest challenge being tying the whole thing together without it being so chaotic it's incomprehensible.

Quote from: ZalmoxisThank you for the honest appraisal. I am thinking of setting it up as a modular world, sort of like a demiplane in the D&D cosmology, in which adventurers from other worlds could myseteriously find themselves.  

I think this is a good idea, because I agree with Elidia in that I think it would work in the short term but not necessarily for an entire campaign. But for a story arc wherein the characters have to puzzle out why/how they are there and why/how to get home, or as a "guest star" I think it has real potential.  Kind of like the Dreamlands in CoC - as a player I love to visit, but I wouldn't want to spend an entire campaign there.

QuoteMany of the creatures and works of Bosch and the latter surrealists practically come to life on their own, leaving it to me to organize them into a coherant world. To this I will also add more normal civilizations trying to exist on this fundamentally hostile and bizarre world.

I can really dig the bolded part.  "Normal" or "ordinary" people trying to cope and adapt to extraordinary events is a theme that interests me over and over. I just think you have to be careful of not overloading the players with it, unless you have players who are really, really into it.

But I don't want to be overly negative, I think it's a cool idea.

Quote from: ElidiaSounds like one-shot material. Or perhaps a game that only met every few months.

Exactly. I don't envision this as something people would want to make a campaign out of. Like Ravenloft for example, this would be a world you would most certainly want to get out of as soon as possible, but I think it could be a very interesting detour for a campaign, or a good short aventure.

Quote from: cranberryI think this is a good idea, because I agree with Elidia in that I think it would work in the short term but not necessarily for an entire campaign. But for a story arc wherein the characters have to puzzle out why/how they are there and why/how to get home, or as a "guest star" I think it has real potential.  Kind of like the Dreamlands in CoC - as a player I love to visit, but I wouldn't want to spend an entire campaign there.

Those are my thoughts as well. I think it would be too strange and alien to spend a terrific amount of time in. I'm thinking of a book at about 80-100 pages, and probably attached to an existing rule system.

QuoteI can really dig the bolded part.  "Normal" or "ordinary" people trying to cope and adapt to extraordinary events is a theme that interests me over and over. I just think you have to be careful of not overloading the players with it, unless you have players who are really, really into it. But I don't want to be overly negative, I think it's a cool idea.

I think there would have to be a somewhat normal civilization to ground the players should they want to play more than just a few dates. Thank you so much for the feedback.

I like the idea, I can also see it running longer then a one shot.   I however would try and stress that for a game like this to work getting into character is the key.  To that end I'd wouldn't suggest using D&D as the rule set.  There is far to much crunch that people have to deal with and often get caught up in.  It doesn't necessarily have to be a rules light game.  But a system that allows you to do pretty much what you want without having to go to the rule book all the time to see if it's possible.

If you do end up doing it, you should let us know how it goes.

Quote from: cranberryIf you do end up doing it, you should let us know how it goes.

Oh I will.

I plan on posting my thoughts and musings in here until I either run out, get done, or Pooka loses my thread.  Some other things...

I thought of sonic-powered craft, using tone generators and mechanical oscillators. Haven't worked it out yet. I thought of using raw power sources, maybe harmonic spheres (basically marbles of energy). I'm leaning towards the society being somewhat like the renaissance in appearance, but with vastly different technology. I don't want steam-power to be a focus... it's been done already, and I'm trying to make something truly fantastic. It's alot to think about. Last night I went to bed and dreamed I was strolling through Bosch's Garden and looked up to see a giant version of Dali's flying crucifix, with what I think was a metallic flesh-painted Jesus on it, and it was carrying passengers. The cross's edges were shuttered and I could see passengers peering out.

The plane itself would be divided into distinct realms, and these would be connected somehow so that folks could move freely between them if desired. However, I want to limit the number of "locals" intermingling in neighboring realms. Haven't decided on how I want to do that yet, but I want to do it to keep the feel of the individual realms intact. I also want to make it possible to play natives though, and that implies the ability to travel, so I will have to look into that. I fully expect most of the players to be other races who wandered in however, but I don't want to limit the more adventurous among us from playing something bizarre. Some of the types of realms I have in mind are:

1. One based loosely on a real version of Dante's Hell, looking similar in appearance and hosting a large population, mostly human, living in perpetual gloom, twilight and darkness. Very advanced; the catalyst of the technological advances of the plane. Undead would probably be a major problem there.

2. One based on the works of Bosch, Breugel and similar artists from the period. Very strange races, living in a society rife with intrigue, vice, and sorcery.

3. One based on an area of plains, savannah and desert. This would be inspired by Dali. Haven't really decided on what to do here culture-wise.

4. One based on Topor's work, specifically Fantastic Planet. Two races living there, giants who spend their time in meditation and psychic pursuits, and rather more primitive humans struggling to survive.

5. A vast network of seas and oceans, inspired in large part by Roger Dean. Semi-aquatic races living in towering coral spires that protrude into the sky. Including at least one race that has mastered advanced flight technology.


More to come...