charl
2008-12-14, 04:01 PM
I'm tinkering around a bit with a setting I've given the preliminary name of "Gremlins and Gaslights". It's a fantasy setting using the standard races and magic and such and placing it in a Steampunk setting.
Yes, Arcanum is an influence.
So far I've thought up this far:
THE CONTINENT
The main nation is the Empire of Ravensburg, names after its capital city. The Empire controls a fairly large bit of land on the Europe analog continent. The continent is made up of two large landmasses connected by a thin isthmus. The city of Ravensburg itself is situated on this isthmus and has several canals going through it with drawbridges available when not in use. These canals were built about 400 years ago, and the city grew around it. It's a major trade hub, and the empire it now controls is the richest on the continent.
To the south there is the Republic of Wistlem and the Kingdom of Stelen. Wistlem broke away from Stelen about 100 years ago after a civil war, and has since then enjoyed the support of Ravensburg. The two nations are still hostile, but relations have been warming up as of lately.
One other kingdom and one confederacy border Ravenburg. The kingdom is named The Most Serene Throne of the Sielan, and is named after the ruling family. The archduke Sielan nominally holds all the titles of his holdings, but his power is delegated to viceroys who are all relatives to him. There is a lot of scheming in the court and the archduke is old and is going senile. The Confederate states of the Church of God is a loose union of diocese holding and free cities who pay tribute to the church. The Archbishop sits in an as of yet named city and control the lands with an iron hand and his inquisitors by his side. The free cities within the confederacy are allowed a lot of freedom in their internal policies but a fraction of all income goes to the church and they are obligated to provide military support.
Further north is the Empire of Ryuska, a vast nation of dark forests and isolated villages. The emperor controls little outside the larger cities, but still has a fair degree of power. This is meant to be an analog for Eastern Europe and Russia and most of it is still unindustrialized. Lots of mystical creatures and magic, more the further north you go.
RELIGION
Except for the Republic of Wistlem, all the nations on the continent follow the Church of God. God in this case is a deity named Axalor, though most followers just refer to him as God. He has many different aspects, and people either pray to the relevant aspect or to Axalor as a whole. The different aspects differ in a alignment, though as a whole the God is Lawful Neutral. There are a few secret aspects, such as the Assassin aspect, that are forbidden by the church.
The inquisition has a lot of power in the Confederacy. It is allowed in Ravenburg but the Emperor there is powerful enough to mandate that they have to follow the laws, which is not always the case in other nations. Wistlem is a secular state and inquisitors aren't allowed there at all. Most Wistlemians are still followers of God, though not of the archbishop, and worshipping secret aspects or heretic religions can still be fairly dangerous there.
And the heretic religions, yes. In Ryuska there are lots of heretics outside the cities. Some worship strange old gods and others ancestors or spirits. Most non-human races also have their own ancient pantheons, and some still pray to their old gods in secret.
RACES
Ravensburg, which is the focus of the campaign, is home to a lot of different races. Humans are in charge however, or rather the upper-class aristocracy and industrialist are. There are a few rich gnomes and dwarves though.
Elves are considered a backward people still hanging on to old magic traditions. They come from Ryuska mostly, but those who have moved to Ravesburg are not the forest people of old but poor workers struggling to get by. I want to use the classic "elves love nature" cliché but apply it to a setting where industrialism is making that life-style obsolete.
Dwarves have found a niche in the middle class. They make good factory overseers and administrators. Their mastery of metalwork also comes in handy. The dwarves are native to the mountains of the Empire and have a pretty easy time fitting in.
Gnomes are met with the same stigma as elves, but to a lesser degree. While they are also a nature race from the north, they started moving to the cities much earlier than the elves and their contribution to technology is great. They are still seen as way too fascinated by magic and the old ways, but they have found a great degree of acceptance.
Halflings are around too. They come from a continent to the west, where they traditionally lived in cities of their own. Some have moved from the imperial colonies to Ravensburg proper hoping to find fortune and wealth, and instead ending up as criminals and poor folk.
Goblins and Orcs can also be found. Goblins fill the same niche as halflings, except they are from the same continent. A fair degree of racial tension between the groups as such. Orcs are found as bouncers and doing manual labour. They aren't respected by anyone really, but that doesn't stop them from trying. They are from the south, displaced by the civil war.
TECHNOLOGY AND MAGIC
Late 19th century for the most part. Railways snake across the continent, and steamboats travel through the canals to far away colonies across the seas. There are airships too, but they are rarely used. The city is lit by gaslights, factories run on steam fueled by fire mages and coal, and the rich dress in top hats and fancy black suits.
People wield revolvers in combat, the military has early repeater carbines and a few hand-cranked machine guns.
Magic is weaker than normal DnD. It still exists, but it is a fairly low-magic setting. Basically magic is supposed to not be good enough to replace technology but rather supplement it. You can use a wizard to provide power for your steam engine, but coal is more effective. You could have mages castings spells at each other in combat, but it's cheaper to use a gun. A magic armour is great for stopping people from stabbing you, it's not much good against a grenade, and so on. Apart from a few mystics in the north, magic is considered a mostly dying art, apart from a source of entertainment. I haven't looked over what changes I want to do to the magic system yet, but they will be pretty large I suspect.
This is what I have so far. The focus of the game will be on social dynamics and people rather than traditional adventuring, but that has its place too. Input is appreciated.
Yes, Arcanum is an influence.
So far I've thought up this far:
THE CONTINENT
The main nation is the Empire of Ravensburg, names after its capital city. The Empire controls a fairly large bit of land on the Europe analog continent. The continent is made up of two large landmasses connected by a thin isthmus. The city of Ravensburg itself is situated on this isthmus and has several canals going through it with drawbridges available when not in use. These canals were built about 400 years ago, and the city grew around it. It's a major trade hub, and the empire it now controls is the richest on the continent.
To the south there is the Republic of Wistlem and the Kingdom of Stelen. Wistlem broke away from Stelen about 100 years ago after a civil war, and has since then enjoyed the support of Ravensburg. The two nations are still hostile, but relations have been warming up as of lately.
One other kingdom and one confederacy border Ravenburg. The kingdom is named The Most Serene Throne of the Sielan, and is named after the ruling family. The archduke Sielan nominally holds all the titles of his holdings, but his power is delegated to viceroys who are all relatives to him. There is a lot of scheming in the court and the archduke is old and is going senile. The Confederate states of the Church of God is a loose union of diocese holding and free cities who pay tribute to the church. The Archbishop sits in an as of yet named city and control the lands with an iron hand and his inquisitors by his side. The free cities within the confederacy are allowed a lot of freedom in their internal policies but a fraction of all income goes to the church and they are obligated to provide military support.
Further north is the Empire of Ryuska, a vast nation of dark forests and isolated villages. The emperor controls little outside the larger cities, but still has a fair degree of power. This is meant to be an analog for Eastern Europe and Russia and most of it is still unindustrialized. Lots of mystical creatures and magic, more the further north you go.
RELIGION
Except for the Republic of Wistlem, all the nations on the continent follow the Church of God. God in this case is a deity named Axalor, though most followers just refer to him as God. He has many different aspects, and people either pray to the relevant aspect or to Axalor as a whole. The different aspects differ in a alignment, though as a whole the God is Lawful Neutral. There are a few secret aspects, such as the Assassin aspect, that are forbidden by the church.
The inquisition has a lot of power in the Confederacy. It is allowed in Ravenburg but the Emperor there is powerful enough to mandate that they have to follow the laws, which is not always the case in other nations. Wistlem is a secular state and inquisitors aren't allowed there at all. Most Wistlemians are still followers of God, though not of the archbishop, and worshipping secret aspects or heretic religions can still be fairly dangerous there.
And the heretic religions, yes. In Ryuska there are lots of heretics outside the cities. Some worship strange old gods and others ancestors or spirits. Most non-human races also have their own ancient pantheons, and some still pray to their old gods in secret.
RACES
Ravensburg, which is the focus of the campaign, is home to a lot of different races. Humans are in charge however, or rather the upper-class aristocracy and industrialist are. There are a few rich gnomes and dwarves though.
Elves are considered a backward people still hanging on to old magic traditions. They come from Ryuska mostly, but those who have moved to Ravesburg are not the forest people of old but poor workers struggling to get by. I want to use the classic "elves love nature" cliché but apply it to a setting where industrialism is making that life-style obsolete.
Dwarves have found a niche in the middle class. They make good factory overseers and administrators. Their mastery of metalwork also comes in handy. The dwarves are native to the mountains of the Empire and have a pretty easy time fitting in.
Gnomes are met with the same stigma as elves, but to a lesser degree. While they are also a nature race from the north, they started moving to the cities much earlier than the elves and their contribution to technology is great. They are still seen as way too fascinated by magic and the old ways, but they have found a great degree of acceptance.
Halflings are around too. They come from a continent to the west, where they traditionally lived in cities of their own. Some have moved from the imperial colonies to Ravensburg proper hoping to find fortune and wealth, and instead ending up as criminals and poor folk.
Goblins and Orcs can also be found. Goblins fill the same niche as halflings, except they are from the same continent. A fair degree of racial tension between the groups as such. Orcs are found as bouncers and doing manual labour. They aren't respected by anyone really, but that doesn't stop them from trying. They are from the south, displaced by the civil war.
TECHNOLOGY AND MAGIC
Late 19th century for the most part. Railways snake across the continent, and steamboats travel through the canals to far away colonies across the seas. There are airships too, but they are rarely used. The city is lit by gaslights, factories run on steam fueled by fire mages and coal, and the rich dress in top hats and fancy black suits.
People wield revolvers in combat, the military has early repeater carbines and a few hand-cranked machine guns.
Magic is weaker than normal DnD. It still exists, but it is a fairly low-magic setting. Basically magic is supposed to not be good enough to replace technology but rather supplement it. You can use a wizard to provide power for your steam engine, but coal is more effective. You could have mages castings spells at each other in combat, but it's cheaper to use a gun. A magic armour is great for stopping people from stabbing you, it's not much good against a grenade, and so on. Apart from a few mystics in the north, magic is considered a mostly dying art, apart from a source of entertainment. I haven't looked over what changes I want to do to the magic system yet, but they will be pretty large I suspect.
This is what I have so far. The focus of the game will be on social dynamics and people rather than traditional adventuring, but that has its place too. Input is appreciated.