I could have sworn there was a thread purely for general interest checks: evidently not.

As things are, I have rough ideas for two possible games to run. Now, I cannot promise that I'll run any of them in the near future: my attention is elsewhere and I doubt I can muster up the commitment for a GM'ing job right now; it'd be irresponsible to put them in the form of a sign-up unless I were ready to GM them, or have someone committed to do that task. So this is simply a check to see if any of the following concepts can gather enough of a response from tropers to make it worth planning a game around some time in the future; perhaps also, if there's enough interest in one of the categories, a place to do some generalized planning. (What kinds of characters? What mood? Are there any plots you'd like to explore?)

On Her Majesty's Secret Occult Service: a Laundry Files game (newbies welcome)

Setting: the Laundry Files RPG.

Gameplay style: Call of Cthulhu meets hard espionage...meets Dilbert. (This is a government bureaucracy, after all.)

At first glance, this instance of Great Britain seems perfectly mundane: nothing at all special at the turn of the century. A very short time ago you were a very ordinary person indeed.

Then you saw something you really weren't supposed to.

Perhaps you were an antiquarian who came across an artifact that predated humanity by millions of years. Perhaps you were a mathematician on the verge of an earthshaking new discovery, or a computer scientist who couldn't believe that nobody found this neat new hack on number theory that promises to revolutionize everything, or perhaps you were a visitor to a weird but friendly new church group that promised to initiate you into enlightenment, and then had you tied into a chair before you could ask them what that sigil painted on the floor was, or why Brother Mark was now wearing a hood and brandishing a twisty-looking knife.

Luckily for you, the men in black got to you just in time, before the Chthonian egg could eat your mind/the thing you summoned when you clicked "run" found you crunchy but good with ketchup/the cultists sacrificed you to call up something unspeakable. Then they made you a job offer you literally could not refuse.

All you know now is that, below the mundane sanity of the everyday world, there is an infinite abyss of soul-sucking horrors: Lovecraft was right. Luckily, the secret-beyond-secret government branch responsible for protecting Britain/the rest of humanity/the rest of the planet (in that order) from the scum of the multiverse doesn't have a policy of killing inconvenient witnesses; instead, if they'd seen too much to memory-wipe them, it drafts them into service. The secrets lie thick in the dusty files and the encrypted archives; the bureaucrats and the computer geeks mix with the sorcerers and the hardened field agents. Behind the thin fabric of reality there lies gibbering madness, terrifying magic, and an occult war that has gone on for generations: us against them.

And as a new recruit to the Laundry, Her Majesty's Occult Service, you are now going to be in the middle of it, just as soon as you receive your orientation and your tickets to the training camp at Dunwich.

(Already familiar with the Laundry series? Great! It may be possible that we'll need a veteran agent or two to ride herd on the newbies, if you're willing to accept more Computer Use (Magic) and Cthulhu Mythos, and quite a bit less SAN. Just remember that the Auditors frown upon misusing a Hand of Glory to jump the queue on the Tube.)

The best-case scenario here is that we play this as a formal game of the Laundry Files RPG; this may in turn involve Skype or IRC alongside/supplanting PbP; this presents obvious logistical issues, but those might be worked around. Otherwise, free-forming it—but with the addition of dice to keep track of things—is another possible solution.

Sis Puella Magica: a Madoka Magica game

Setting: Puella Magi Madoka Magica [prior to the events of the series itself]; geographical location undetermined.

Gameplay style: happy fun magical girl adventures meets Faustian pacts, unrelenting horror, and the fight to stay sane.

PMMM is widely known enough that not too much of an introduction is really needed. Some time ago, Kyubey the bunnycat made you an offer: accept a contract with him and become a magical girl (subtype: abomination-fighting), and in return have your greatest wish come true. Or else you're a potential contractee; Kyubey hasn't contacted you...yet.

As is but natural, there's a lot more to the job that Bunnycat didn't tell you about.

There's room for no more than one or two veteran megucas, class III (think Mami or Kyouko); everyone else is either a recent contractee or a potential new contractee. If you're playing a veteran, you'd have to work at some degree of cooperation with the GM to hammer out potential plots and the like. In such a game, character growth is essential; I would prefer the consequences of characters' decisions to drive most of the plot. Bonus points if you're willing to accept that sometimes the most interesting stories revolve around the characters who don't make it out alive. It's easy to min-max when you've got a wish to work with; the focus isn't on that, but on telling a compelling story.

Since there really isn't a formal system for handling a game like this one, this would be mostly free-form...but, again, with the addition of dice to determine the outcomes of some actions. (Crit-fail plus Will Save fail = the witch thinks that your brain tastes like cheese.) Formalizing a dice system for something like this would be difficult, of course, but an interesting challenge assuming nobody tries to break the system OOC. (Breaking the system in-game by abusing your powers to cheat like hell is an accepted part of Madoka Magica tradition.)

edited 9th Sep '14 1:52:53 PM by SabresEdge

just a quick little thing:

There are more Incubators then just Coobie, so that may or may not be relevant.

Anyway, will keep an eye on this.

Kyubey's the only we've seen. (Jyubey from Kazumi Magica is very much a special case.) So, Bunnycat Mark I is what players will get to deal with should that proceed.

(I knew that PMMM would get more hits than Laundry Files: still, indicate your interest for one or the other, if possible.)

Yeah Madoka would have more interest, especially if you're also looking for a potential GM.

I'd be willing to GM or help GM the Madoka idea if it comes to fruition.

I'm something of a fan (Lovecraft) of magical girl anime, so I could handle this as a GM. I just need to read up on the stuff, but that shouldn't be too hard. I'm sure unless someone else wants it then I have a shot.

I couldn't contain enough yes for Madoka, but the spy-thing sounds pretty neat as well.

The beauty of the Laundry Files game is that, since you're a new recruit, your PC knows no more about the occult than you do. Ideally, over the course of the game, you learn the secrets and the tradecraft. Since you're a formal member of a government agency that has gotten very good at fighting things with too many angles and way too many tentacles and eye-stalks, your chances of survival are considerably higher than that of the average Call of Cthulhu investigator. (Shoggoths are horrifying as ever, but if you've prepared properly for them, they will die to a basilisk gun or a sorcerous ward—or if you've really screwed up, a bombing run from an RAF fighter.)

Still, it might be a good idea to have backup or secondary characters ready...just in case She of the Dice Rolls takes a dislike to your character.

As for Madoka Magica...the reason I'm proposing this is because Troper Magica is dead in the water. Too many players, GM has too many puppetstrings to control, et cetera.

edited 9th Sep '14 3:09:54 PM by SabresEdge

Well I was definitely thinking of starting a Madoka RP in light of how well I feel I'm doing with my other RP at some point. This was just a nice impetus to throw my support behind.

If one of you decides you can take up GM duties for a PMMM game, go for it! I might even sign up with a character that I wanted to play, but unfortunately got all of one introductory scene in the other game, since as I've noted I'm not up for GM'ing anything at the moment.

Just, please don't get too overambitious and decide you can handle 10 players all at once. That way lies madness and dead games.

I know my limits as a GM and my style. I'm through but slow, so my RP have good potential to be long lasting but take a while to develop.

Also 2D only D. Dat double D.

edited 9th Sep '14 3:38:33 PM by Bassetete

Interested in the Puella Magi deal... However, what I'm NOT interested in is dealing with are dice-rolls and other "gamey" mechanics. I'd like to write some stories where narrative causality is the driving force, where characters ultimately die for a well thought reason, and not because RNGeesus was annoyed that day.

And, as a matter of fact, I've been working EXACTLY on that (a Puella Magi RP ruled by narrative causality) on the past few weeks... And, since it seems to be interest, I think I'll publish what I've got soon enough... Either later today, or tomorrow, hopefully...

edited 9th Sep '14 3:59:42 PM by VPhantom

I prefer that format as well, TBH. I'll take a look at it when you put it up for sure.

I've experimented with a very simple dice roll system to see how well you do at a certain task: sometimes it helps to have a random element of chance to integrate into the storytelling. And, let's face it, the best RPG stories are those when the dice decide to vote for maximum comedy.

(Example: roll high and hit, roll low and probably miss unless you said you were aiming or whatnot, critical failures for hilarity potential.)

edited 9th Sep '14 4:15:34 PM by SabresEdge

I am willing a Laundry game if enough people voice interest. Optimally I'm looking for around 4-6 players, but more are okay. And no, I would not be using the dice unless the players are okay with it. Far too much rolling to keep a decent pace.

I'll pass... I've spent enough time already unable to write what I want for being a slave to the whims of others... I won't allow a dice-roll to tell me what I can do.

Besides, Puella Magi isn't really a comedic story in the slightest bit, so that kind of morbid hilarity doesn't fit the tone I'm looking for.

edited 9th Sep '14 4:23:16 PM by VPhantom

Doesn't necessarily have to be hilarity. There's no real way for something like, say, Episode 3 to happen in a game without dice. That's what a critical failure would look like.

And also, oh good, that's, what, two people who're potentially willing to go Laundry Files? Wysp has expressed interest to me in running a game, so if he gets that off the ground that's where I'll be.

The thing is that, Episode 3 didn't happen because the creators decided to roll a dice and go for it, but because it was a bold but well-thought decision they took in order to give form to the story they wanted to tell.

edited 9th Sep '14 4:41:42 PM by VPhantom

EDIT:Disregard, misread.

edited 9th Sep '14 4:55:28 PM by Wysp

I'm down for Puella Magi~ Also, I've looked at the Laundry before and it looks pretty hilarious, so I'd be up for that too. I'm fine with either~

For those of you interested in fighting existential horrors with a Hand of Glory and a stack of paperwork: The Laundry RPG Signups.

OK... Sorry for the delay, (I was feeling kinda sick) but here it is the sign-up page for the upcoming Puella Magi-type thingy...

edited 10th Sep '14 11:44:55 PM by VPhantom