I can sum it up with one word: Lensman.

Lensmen is 'eugenics is good'. It's the supermen ruling over the 'mundanes' and thus *Not* what we're talking about.

Many, many moons ago, I dreamed up a bright, optimistic SFRPG setting that I called "The Human League".*  It was kind of a Morlocks/Eloi thing, wherein one side of humanity -the so-called Human League-was developing a technological utopia, and the other -much more numerous- side had returned to a tribal society.

The twist?  The science guys were the good guys.  The touchy-feely neo-hippies were increasingly violent and mistrustful, and were devolving into barbarism; they'd attack Human League settlements and laboratories out of general principle, not really understanding why they did it anymore.  Meanwhile, the good guys kept plugging right away, trying to clean up the environment, accept civic responsibility, expand the frontiers of scientific knowledge, etc.  In essence, they'd cowboyed up and accepted what it means to be human, and what they could do to make the best of it.

Not very gameable, so I dropped it.

*I was once asked if there'd be a Kajagoogoo supplement.  Ha, ha, ha.  I kind of asked for that one, though...

One gameable setting in such a civilization would be a 'Star Patrol' style game - There's always people who choose crime; civilization may be a utopia, but your job is to make sure the termites don't chew down the foundation.

Plus, there's always external threats.

Also, first contact teams.

Quote from: Dr Rotwang!;277298Many, many moons ago, I dreamed up a bright, optimistic SFRPG setting that I called "The Human League".*  It was kind of a Morlocks/Eloi thing, wherein one side of humanity -the so-called Human League-was developing a technological utopia, and the other -much more numerous- side had returned to a tribal society.

The twist?  The science guys were the good guys.  The touchy-feely neo-hippies were increasingly violent and mistrustful, and were devolving into barbarism; they'd attack Human League settlements and laboratories out of general principle, not really understanding why they did it anymore.  Meanwhile, the good guys kept plugging right away, trying to clean up the environment, accept civic responsibility, expand the frontiers of scientific knowledge, etc.  In essence, they'd cowboyed up and accepted what it means to be human, and what they could do to make the best of it.

Not very gameable, so I dropped it.

*I was once asked if there'd be a Kajagoogoo supplement.  Ha, ha, ha.  I kind of asked for that one, though...

Ah, but part of the tribals...the Men Without Hats! Damn hat tech is ruining the world!!!!

Remember the idea of powers or abilities in this setting idea?
 I like the idea that are there and are going to happen - but EVERYONE has a shot at them, not a special few.

Also these abilities DO NOT work if a person is angry, angst-ridden, moody or loner-ish in any way.


The characters get bonus points for being positive in other words.

Okay the last sentence or two may seem petty or reactive , but it really isn't.


- Ed C.

Touched by an Angel?

With all the recent talk about WW and the World of Darkness - I remembered I had this idea.....


Anyone else had ideas?

I still think its possible to down a game about something Positive! potentially happening - as long as the players have obstacles along the way and know the stakes are really high.


- Ed C.

I think a complete opposite of the World of Darkness would be like New Age beliefs: there's a magical conspiracy afoot, but it's got good intentions. The players are guardian angels instead of vampires.

You could probably do that with a whimsical TV show kind of vibe instead: in each adventure someone has a problem which you have to solve. The players have magical powers which would make it easy, but there are various strict rules about how they can interact with humans.

Instead of the hierarchy of the Camarilla, there's a celestial bureaucracy. An NPC is the player's boss, who gives them their assignments each adventure.

Instead of dwelling on nastiness, the problems are along the lines of: you have to make this woman realise that her ex-husband is actually right for her.

I think someone posted a similar idea here recently, except the players were gifted humans instead of angels?

...again I wasn't thinking "Magic".

 More like something that scientificly here all along -on Earth. It just now got dectectable.  Instead of "paranormal" - the NEW Normal. It can be detected, quantified, used by all humans - if they are trained.
 However people got to grow up and get along a little.

 Heck, make it wonderfully ironic if a tad bit of Global Warming was actually needed for the big event to happen. (Thej they discover the 'cure' is easier than they thought  - or that its a natural cycle that got nudged a little by accident)

Again - SCIENCE! is a good thing and what seperates the good guys (player characters) from the Bad Guys( Nasty NPcs with bad teeth).


- Ed C.

Quote from: Age of Fable;284799I think a complete opposite of the World of Darkness would be like New Age beliefs: there's a magical conspiracy afoot, but it's got good intentions. The players are guardian angels instead of vampires.

When you scratch the surface, many new-age beliefs are pretty cynical (they have to be to explain how "Love and Light" haven't gotten their adherents eternal happiness yet).  Lots of talk about secret evil conspiracies and Lizard-men Royal Families and stuff like that, keeping all the fat 40something women from finding true love or losing weight or getting a job.  Its not the poor dears' fault you see, its not that they're incompetent stupid lazy cows, oh dear no... its the lizard-folk.

Mage is the most New-Age game I've ever seen in my life: valiant hippies with the power of love riding around america in a van trying to escape "The Man" who wants to oppress their imaginary fantasy land with his evil LOGIC.

QuoteYou could probably do that with a whimsical TV show kind of vibe instead: in each adventure someone has a problem which you have to solve. The players have magical powers which would make it easy, but there are various strict rules about how they can interact with humans.

Instead of the hierarchy of the Camarilla, there's a celestial bureaucracy. An NPC is the player's boss, who gives them their assignments each adventure.

What you're talking about sounds closer to Highway To Heaven (or Touched By An Angel).
The problem with that is, first: it would suck. Because the source material sucks.
And second, because you have fallen into one of the common fallacies of people who don't really get this sort of thing: the idea that anything "positive" MUST be both shallow, tacky and wimpy.
You know who had a positive world view? The U.S. founding fathers, when they kicked ass all over the eastern seaboard and created a new country. It doesn't have to be fat black women singing gospel and Irish mental defectives with stupid smiles and hugs and puppies in order to be "positive".  It just requires having a basis in believing that humanity is fundamentally worthwhile, you don't need "special snowflakes" just people willing to be heroic, progress is possible, EVERYONE has the same potential to be important or heroic, human freedom and inalienable rights are critical, and Civilization is a good thing.

RPGPundit

Quote from: RPGPundit;284836....................
You know who had a positive world view? The U.S. founding fathers, when they kicked ass all over the eastern seaboard and created a new country. It doesn't have to be fat black women singing gospel and Irish mental defectives with stupid smiles and hugs and puppies in order to be "positive".  It just requires having a basis in believing that humanity is fundamentally worthwhile, you don't need "special snowflakes" just people willing to be heroic, progress is possible, EVERYONE has the same potential to be important or heroic, human freedom and inalienable rights are critical, and Civilization is a good thing.
RPGPundit

Oh Hell Yes I want to agree with that batch of words.

 Sounds Great - now how do we work that into an RPG setting?

- Ed C.

Quote from: Koltar;284842Oh Hell Yes I want to agree with that batch of words.

 Sounds Great - now how do we work that into an RPG setting?

- Ed C.

I seem to remember that I had done that already, earlier in this very thread?

RPGPundit