After running around the new but-fairly-empty-if-you aren't-doing-the-quests zone of Gilneas, it struck me how difficult it is to get that subtle creepy horror feeling. Lots of gore, horrifying monsters are pretty easy. Shock is easy. Nagging unsettling fear, odium, burning hatred that reaches beyound the grave. These things are a little more tricky to inspire or transmit. And the options available in this land are interesting.
I'll be a stalwart preist of the light thanks
I'll be a raving werewolf
I'll be a undead creature risen from the grave
I'll be a man with mechanical traps, hunting dog and a musket
So with a 12months ahead sort of outlook I've begun to plan my next RPG campain (pen and paper)
Technology
I was thinking of a cap around 1860. That is, when bullets had paper cartridges and were a bit delicate, muskets were still very common (pour, tamp, add ball, right where's my target?) and some enterprising souls were using copper and brass cartridges but they were very unreliable.
Obviously the power of magic and "character options" (Um can i take the "extra strength" option and the "raving loony once a month" disadvantage?) are going to outweigh basic technology. I think windmills, waterwheels, beartraps, triple heavy crossbows, alchemy, muskets and really dangerous submarines all help this genre.
Magic
In a sense there is also no problem with magic but I'd like a diverse range of spellcasting. "Hey look another elemental mage." No, I don't think so. So basically each spell-caster would be different and all magic has a cost.
For example
Faith is fragile- physical penalties apply to faith based casting unless a countermeasure is taken and fear or loss of faith may have permanent impact until rectified
Mentalism is exhausting- might cost exhaustion points as well as power points
Essence might draw the attention of dark powers.
Alchemy requires time and components
Ritual magic might need odious or rare components
Perhaps all powerful magic has a risk of corruption through hubris (arcane and anything over 5th level maybe).
System
Rolemaster.. I want a system that provides basics for mechanics but doesn't pre-determine likely actions. (unlike dnd 4th ed where every thing gets hit with the same powers hammer)
I want flexibility. It's got flexibility.
One of the problems of rolemaster in the past has been that simple actions can't be carried out under the skill rules. You want to row a boat across a lake for example. With no real stats, maybe a rank in the category, no profession bonus and no external danger, I should be able to do this fairly often without sinking etc- how long it takes is another issue. One solution to this would be to move the table, so that actual real success starts at 100 rather than 110. This would be a bit more intuitive as well. Another option would be to say if your total modifiers are positive and you have the skill then you succeed unless you are under stress, in combat, hurrying etc.
Another option would be to allocate some wider skills from adolescence and perhaps even class. One option that reduces the top end of the skill tree and removes the abitary bonuses for class would be to have class grant skill ranks rather than flat bonuses. I would also recommend a 3 ranks per level hard cap, irrespective of source.
While I'm talking about mechanics, I think this would be a good point to introduce the concept of templates or roles. Part of the hesitaito n some flks have about rolemaster is that it can be tricky to make a character if you have no background in university level maths. Mostly joking. So if you could say "i like the sound of that class, that background and that race" add them together and viola, skills sorted, that would be handy. Obvious some diehard rolemaster fanatics would prefer to do it the long, old way. So you have to allow for them, dang luddites.
In short, rolemaster with tweaks for sticking to the source material I want to use and adding templates for "jump right into it" ease of play.
World
First I'm going to acknowledge the contributing parties here:
Ravenloft- various modules and source books
The Gilneas zone, world of warcraft cataclysm
Underworld (the movies)
Masque of the red death 2nd edition dnd
Chthulu by gaslight
The "old world" warhammer fantasy
Whitewolf's vampires vs werewolves shtick
Vanhelsing (the movie)
Bramstoker's Dracula (both book and Coppola's film)
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
H.P. Lovecraft
Edgar Allen Poe
Although the whole is inspired by Gilneas, the approach will have as much to do with ravenloft domains of evil style and the White wolf games "war between hidden evil forces".
One of the things I like about the warhammer old world is that it has flavour that resembles the actual world but is totally different in the historical sense. Now warhammer, of course, revolves around chaos, the gates, slann, end of the world etc. It is a fairly trite and is at best sci-fi in feel. As big bad guys in the background, H.P.Lovecraft's Chthulu Mythos do a much better job. Ugly little cults on the edges of civilisation, forgotten horrors etc.
I think the Scourge and the Forsaken lose a lot of their impact by having big visible pestilence hurling wagons. On the other hand, Plague infected grain and blankets, how colonial :)
More on the world
Brettonia with knights is far too king arthur for what I'm thinking about, so I'm looking at Musketeers and some sort of supernatural royalty setup. hmm. The rest might have go in a spoilers section.
I'm going to post what I have so far and come back to this later.
