TVTropes Now available in the app store!
Open

Follow TV Tropes

Following

Point Judging Fingers at this Plot

Go To

SlendidSuit Freelance Worrywart from Probably a Pub Since: Oct, 2011
Freelance Worrywart
#1: Jul 10th 2012 at 8:06:36 AM

So I'm preparing for a game that I'm going to be running from next week, with one session per night for the whole week.
After some thought, I've decided I'll be running a Changeling The Lost game. I only have a germ of an idea, but it's currently thus:

Each session of gameplay will represent one day of time. If I have to fudge die rolls/skip sequences then so be it. At the beginning of each session, I will start with a litle bit of RP from one of the Character's dreams, based on a dream motif that I'm asking each player to come up with.
The basic plot I have so far is that a (shamelessly ripped off) disease called the "Sleeping Sickness" is affecting the city like a plague. Anyone infected has one of two reactions: they either go to sleep indefinitely or they cannot sleep, even if they try. SO far I feel that Changelings will be (seemingly) unaffected.
I'm still getting to the finer details but I know that the main thrust of the game will be to find the cause of the Sleeping Sickness and cure/eradicate it. Also it will be revealed (sorta) over the course of the game that Changelings in fact CAN be infected, but the symptoms are a lot more subtle, i.e. mindfuckery during the Dream Sequences.

So any thoughts/suggestions/feedback on the idea?

edited 10th Jul '12 8:06:55 AM by SlendidSuit

Gimme yer lunch money, dweeb.
SilverFayte Since: Feb, 2010
#2: Jul 10th 2012 at 11:18:23 AM

I like the sound of this, here's my few additions.

The sleeping sickness' first symptom is being unable to sleep, and that seems to be the only effect- at first. In actuality, the dreams of those effected slowly begin to effect the real world. It begins after the first few days after of infection, with subtle effects: small details that the dreamers don't remember around them become less detailed, while prominent features seems somewhat exaggerated, but that's about it. After a week and a half or so, distances and locations begin showing subtle but noticeable differences: inside and outside dimensions not matching up, places the dreamers are dreaming of travelling to are noticeably easier to get to. In its latest stages, doorways lead to unknown and random places, physics goes wonky, and nightmares become actualized.

The changelings should be lead to think they are immune to the effects, but in actuality it's the opposite: they fell asleep and IMMEDIATELY went into the latest stages of dream actualization... and began dreaming that they were awake, and so they were, in a manner of speaking. The time skips, scene changes, and the usual conservation of detail that comes with playing a tabletop RPG? Are all actual in-universe happenings. The dreams that they have at the beginning of each day are effecting the real world while they sleep (er, while they double-sleep?), and nightmares or persons they dream about may be attacking or meeting some of the non-dreamers.

The Big Bad would likely be a Fey trying to create a realm of dreams or somesuch, with a Dragon being an NPC from one of the character's dreams (for bonus points, have it be the dream of a dead -or entirely imagined- lover) that desperately wants to exist.

SlendidSuit Freelance Worrywart from Probably a Pub Since: Oct, 2011
Freelance Worrywart
#3: Jul 10th 2012 at 12:48:26 PM

That's... actually really awesome. Unfortunately I'm worried that it requires a degree of subtlety that I won't have with the time I've got to run this.
However, I'm pretty sure I'll get another chance to run Changeling with a different group soon-ish and for a longer time, in which I'd have to politely ask if I can just completely steal this idea wholesale?

Gimme yer lunch money, dweeb.
BlueNinja0 The Mod with the Migraine from Taking a left at Albuquerque Since: Dec, 2010 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
The Mod with the Migraine
#4: Jul 10th 2012 at 8:16:47 PM

With the sleepless: There are two good plans of action you can take. First is to go with the normal side-effects of long-term sleep deprivation - lack of coordination and concentration, then after about 72 hours people start slowly sliding into psychosis. Heavy-duty sedatives might (or might not, depending on plot needs) help someone get enough sleep to recover*

, but it's unlikely that the PCs will have enough to do so for an entire city, nor will the authorities. By the end of the week, there should be enough people sleepless to have random acts of violence breaking out all over, some of which will naturally be aimed at the party*.

Second is to push the sleepless (or at least some of them) in the direction of Don'tRestYourHead, in that their enforced insomnia is actually giving them abilities of some kind*

. The people gaining these powers would almost certainly be strongly opposed to being 'cured' of their sleeplessness, or some of them could even be behind the whole sleeping sickness that's happening.

Obviously, these two ideas can be combined.

That’s the epitome of privilege right there, not considering armed nazis a threat to your life. - Silasw
SilverFayte Since: Feb, 2010
#5: Jul 10th 2012 at 9:09:25 PM

[up][up]Stealing that idea wholesale is the best form of flattery I could receive. Go for it.

SlendidSuit Freelance Worrywart from Probably a Pub Since: Oct, 2011
Freelance Worrywart
#6: Jul 11th 2012 at 12:26:49 AM

[up][up]
The first thing you mentioned was an idea I'd had not too long after posting this, but the second idea never really occurred to me. It could probably work with the plot I've come up with, I'd just need to play around with everything a bit.
Thanks both of you for the help waii

Gimme yer lunch money, dweeb.
Add Post

Total posts: 6
Top