Question: How do you feel about adding elements of pop culture (superheroes, anime etc.) into your storytelling, and how flexible can you be with your setting and the rules in general?
To be bluntly honest, we feel like that is a terrible idea and one that we probably would not consider using. (Remember, this is opinion time - you are free to have all the superheroes you want in your own games!) Scion's a game about mythology, which is what we play it to enjoy; we don't play it to play with superheroes (we have Marvel Super Heroes for that) or anime (we have Teenagers from Outer Space for that, and if you recognize that game's title you and I are both dating ourselves). There are plenty of kitchen-sink-style combine-whatever-you-want games out there, and they're cool, but Scion's about mythology and ancient religions - what the hell do we want all that other stuff for in that context?
As a side note, I actually think it's pretty cool, sociologically speaking, to see that a lot of people automatically gravitate toward trying to combine Scion with superheroes, because the modern superhero genre is basically using the same tropes, themes and ideas but applying them to fiction instead of to religion. It's a neat mirror of ourselves - we tend to tell the same kinds of stories about larger-than-life heroes even thousands of years later, because those kinds of stories are the ones that mankind loves. We're creatures of epic habit.
But anyway, we're willing to do a lot of things with our setting, but this is a game about world mythology, so folks like Superman and Rei Ayanami are not invited. But that's talking about the game world itself; within the characters and their perceptions, as in most cases, the players are free to do anything they want. For example, we had a Scion of Thor who thought he was a superhero during his Hero career because it seemed like the best explanation for his powers (Thor is not good at explaining things), and Zwazo Fou Fou went through a period in his Demigodhood when he decided to act as a superhero for several towns in Australia and introduced himself as MinotaurBirdMan whenever he was out and about. And, of course, Saki's eternal-schoolgirl-with-tiny-cute-animal-sidekick schtick is classic magical girl anime (with subversive horror undertones, but that really just adds to the magic). Another couple of PCs built a set of giant humanoid robots with souls in Japan - classic mecha anime at its finest.
And that's cool! If the PCs want to do things within the world that are homages, callbacks or reinventions of those modern pop culture ideas, by all means, we won't stop them. Scions are modern people, after all, and most of them have grown up with modern pop culture; it only makes sense that they might look there for inspiration and guidance before those dusty old tales of yore, which they may or may not be comfortable with. It never lasts - eventually they grow into gods, after all - but as modern characters, there's nothing wrong with Scions starting there.
But it's not part of the gameworld at large. There's no mutant strain, no hammerspace, no copyrighted characters and no modern fiction conventions unless the characters create them - and that's just the way we like it.
As far as being flexible with the rules goes, I'm not sure what you mean - we try to make our rules allow as many cool things as possible while still being consistent and keeping things fair, but if you're around, give us some examples in the comments and we'll try to give you a better answer.
like how you changed the legend lvling system. Also how you run characters that have no definitive identificaton like the autumn king and how no one knows if he's a fairy or god. in other posts you said you can't fudge what type of being Rhea was but you did it with the Autumn king. So I guess I'm asking are all rules from lvling to character placement re-workable
ReplyDeleteAh, I see. If you just mean what things are we willing to change, the answer is anything we don't like. If it doesn't make sense, or it doesn't work mechanically, or it's messy in play, we'll change it; that's what this site is all about, our tweaks to Scion that make it run better for us and our players. Every game should do that; if part of a game is not working as intended (like a lot of parts of Scion, which is kind of broken out of the box), change it until it does.
DeleteOnce we have made changes, though, they're our gospel unless we make official changes again. So when it comes to being willing to tinker with the setting, we're mega-flexible, but when it comes to fudging things out of laziness or because we don't feel like working through something, we try to avoid that at all costs.
I'm not sure I understand your parallel between Rhea and the Autumn King - Rhea has lots of textual evidence about who and what she is, while the Autumn King is a symbolic figure who does not. The one is a lot less subject to interpretation than the other.
Im gonna over ride anne here.
ReplyDeleteNo, you cannot use super heros or anime characters in your game. I dont care if its fun for you. I say no.
Taking Inspiration can be good(cloned titanspawn being used as weapons by a secret government conspiracy.. now that's a story) having full on crossover is the problem. As long as one remembers Scion has cosmological priority and thematic priority one should be good.
DeleteI'm going to agree with John on that matter. Now, sometimes referencing pop culture is something I'm all for. One of my players is a daughter of Dagon (which I borrowed from your excellent Elohim supplement), and she's currently dealing with a deranged group of cultists who believe her father is the Dagon from H.P. Lovecraft, and she's terrified about what that might mean on a Fatebinding level.
ReplyDeleteAhahaha, that is awesome. God forbid she start using Impossible Hybrid to make fish-people someday...
DeleteI've actually taken anime characters and put scion templates on them.
ReplyDeleteNaruto Uzumaki-Scion of Mithra
Ichigo Kurosaki-Scion of Tsuki-Yomi
Utena Tenjou-Scion of Athena
Shinji Ikari- Scion of Brahama
Lelouch Vi Britannia-Scion of Nuada
Huey Freeman-Scion of Shango
If anyone recognizes half of these names hats off to you.
I thought my reply above would make things like this not happen?!
DeleteDude take the stick out. Your becoming that guy. Don't be that guy.
DeleteHahaha, I am that guy. Did you read the post? We came down hard against this kind of thing. Thus we arent interested in it. Im not sure what the appropriate retort to taking the stick out of my ass would be. But it would involve something about paying attention and reading what we say and play scion not animes the game. If you want animes the game, go play animes the game.
DeleteI had an NPC (who I, incidentally, never got around to showcasing because I had to stop STing before I could get to the storyline where he'd feature) who was a Scion of Susanoo who had, among other things, a relic motorcycle, relic suit of armor that resembled an insect (and channelled Animal: Grasshopper) which he could summon from a belt buckle, and a relic scarf that channeled Sky. He would typically use combinations of Sky and Animal Boons to perform impossible wire-fu kicks on his enemies. Those familiar with Japanese pop culture can probably recognize from that description that he was essentially a Kamen Rider.
ReplyDeleteHe was also supposed to be a tragic character. I planned to introduce him to the college-student PCs after an incident made them question why their parents didn't visit them when they were younger. Their professor-Guide would introduce this Bandmate of his and say "This. This is why." After being Visited as a little kid, his perception of reality is fucked beyond all repair. He isn't just modeled after a Kamen Rider, he thinks he IS a Kamen Rider, and that the TV franchise is real, and it's insanely unlikely that anything is going to convince him otherwise (Particularly since he often does have to fight a Monster of the Week). One of his Bandmates, a psychologist, while trying to give him a much-needed reality check, posits that the self-delusion is a response to the stress of being a Scion saddled upon him at such a young age. His Band is alternately sympathetic towards his plight and annoyed at his behavior.
If I hadnt played as many roleplaying games as I have(pretty much constantly for 20 years now) this wouldnt irk me as much as it does. At the outset, it doesnt seem bad at all. Has some interesting stuff, will lead to some interesting rp.
DeleteBut, it always boils down very similarly(and the player never wants to admit that his wont end up this way).
The character just ends up causing problems for the band, and his attachment to his delusions go so far beyond reality that it doesnt work. Almost no one can properly play an insane person of that caliber, it takes tons of research and he will almost always end up being a horrible, flat, stereotype.
Not to mention that it is completely illogical that his parents would give him these EXACT items unless they WANTED him to be insane and delusional(and that seems unnecessary) which is beyond unlikely.
Speaking as someone who HASN'T been gaming for as long as you, I'll defer to your experience as to how this sort of thing will turn out in play. I honestly don't know how well or poorly it would have gone since the game ended before he could be introduced...
DeleteAs far as why he has those items? Susanoo thought it'd be funny. And he was correct, he often laughs his ass off at his son's antics. And despite his delusions... well, at the end of the day, he does his job and does it surprisingly well. Titanspawn are killed, evil plans thwarted, innocents saved, gods honored. Sure, he's... flamboyant, but no one was expecting the fruit of Susanoo's loins to be particularly subtle.
And you shouldnt have to take my word for it. Its important that people learn for themselves and make their own mistakes etc.
DeleteIts falls into the realm of world breaking for me. Its impossible for me to believe that a god with duty, intellect, and valor let a delusional psychotic kid run around. And then an entire pantheon not constantly urged by their virtues to make sure this kid understands he isnt who thinks he is.
It also forces band members with intellect to constantly fight their virtues. Or sidetracks the game into constantly being intergroup fights where they explain that he is wrong until he understands.
World breaking things are always hard to explain, and often hard to intellectualize unless you've lived them or are really committed to that even being an important part of what you enjoy in gaming.
wow. now all we need is a scion of Son Goku with physical attributes and a monkey tail trying to be Goku from dragon ball.
ReplyDeleteIf by "all we need," you mean "the last thing we ever need because it's a horrible idea."
DeleteThomas, you just make me wish this blog had a "like" button.
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