Question: Have you ever played Assassin's Creed, and if so, would the theme make a good Scion setting with some plot tweaked?
Sorry - unfortunately, we haven't played Assassin's Creed, though we've heard good things about it. We don't have a lot of time left in our days between work, game and more work, and we usually end up using it to pass out.
However, I do know the basic premise of the games, and I see no reason you couldn't work with similar ideas for a Scion game. Several pantheons (most notably the Devas) use concepts of reincarnation that you might want to incorporate into a Scion's story, and the overall theme of discovering ancient artifacts and places in a race to save humanity is a perfect Scion premise. I'd ignore the business about altering past time (because time manipulation gives us hives in Scion), but even the other weird science elements of the plot are totally possible with the capabilities of modern Scions and Titanspawn with a scientific bent taken into account.
If, instead of following the wacky multiple-life metaplot of Assassin's Creed, you instead chose to focus specifically on a single time period, you also have a lot of neat options available for digging into specific cultures in a specific time period. Some of the game (and all of the novel it's based on, which also lent more than a little influence to a little group of people you might know called the Assamites) is set in the lands of the medieval Middle East, and you might find a game that's heavily about the pantheons of that area - the Anunna, Yazata and Alihah - to be an interesting and refreshing change from the worldwide affairs of a modern-day Scion game.
But whatever you do, have fun with it. Use your judgment to know when something fits with Scion's mythic, godly flavor and when it's video-game fluff better left by the wayside, and focus on the parts of the game you really love to bring that enjoyment over into Scion.
Even more of the game is set in renessance era ltaly. Via the second game and its two sequals so you can also have the dodekatheon involved. Also there is hardly any time manipulation just a present person literally living the past, which is not a device that would be hard to make for a Smith God or one of his scions. Also the apple of Eden can be changed into a real divine relic. I was talking about the entire series when I asked the question.
ReplyDeleteSince we haven't played it, unfortunately, I don't know that we have much more to offer ya. But it sounds like you have lots of plans brewing, so good luck!
DeleteYeah, in the games it's not manipulating the past, but playing through/viewing your ancestor's memories. Something like that would certainly be interesting for a multi-layered plot, having a band of scions eventually look back on the past and see (play through even) what caused many problems of a present day plot (who knows, perhaps on their mortal side they've another scion several generations back, blood diluted by time). Either way, great blog title reference to the inspiration of Assassin's Creed.
ReplyDeletei would use it only to draft a side-story where the PCs could play out certain mythological events and understand them.
DeleteMaybe they could play another band of Scions that existed before them. See events that affect them today, hell, they could actually play their younger divine parents in certains myths (those parts ''left out of the Eddas'' and so forth) but you'd have to be very careful.
First off, I don't like grabbing whole ideas. You can inspire yourself of certain movies or games, but taking the whole concept can lack originality. It can be cool, but it can certainly be the contrary. Following the idea, I would craft characters that the PCs would play for a session or story. Maybe they get a vision of the past, maybe they are trapped in some illusionary dreamworld and have to play out their roles if they hope to survive/escape.
I guess this kind of story or theme would go well with pantheons with ancestor worship.
I really find it amazing somebody finally asked about Assassin's Creed. This is one of my favorite video game series ever and I've been using it for months to pretty much sum up a 'Hero' level Scion. Altair, Ezio, and Ratohnhake:ton don't really have any overtly magical powers like the purviews, but they have incredible physical strength and stamina, wisdom, and they can also jump off tall buildings, cliffs, etc. and fall into a haystack without dying (Sky's Grace.) The Sky's Grace connection also works in when they have very strong connections with Zeus (a member of the race that they descend from is named Jupiter, and they have plenty of Eagle motifs, implying they may descend from him.)
ReplyDeleteThe Capitoline Triad (Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva,) or a science-fictiony version of them, are actually characters in the series too.
Eagle Vision is clearly magical. Maybe Epic Perception knack? ; )
DeleteI also enjoy the series, but I'd be careful about the themes, as they are purhaps not the same as the ones you'd wish for in Scion.
Yes, Eagle Vision is Epic Perception, just like their ability to climb absolutely everything without breaking a sweat and countering every single attack while fighting ten people is Epic Dex, and their being able to run from one side of a city to the other is Epic Stamina. The Assassins have tons of epic attributes, being more than human (Subject 16's Glyphs in two outright call them Scions, being the descendants of mortals and "Gods" - even showing artwork depicting mythological couplings between immortal and mortals, and that being the origin of their powers.) What I meant by "overtly magical" is that they never do anything Purview related. They don't summon fire, or fly, or see in the dark (without their Eagle Vision, which is Epic Perception.)
DeleteAnd not the same themes as ones I'd wish for in Scion? Who are you to decide that? They might not be the ones for you, but a bunch of relics left behind on Earth from the last Titanomachy being squabbled over through time by a bunch of mortals isn't a good idea for a Scion plot? Especially when those relics are incredibly potent to mortals, but insignificant to Gods (insignificant enough where they just left them there?) And the hunt for these relics is actually just distracting everyone from the real threat, being the Titans, and the Heroes have to get these Relics away from humanity while alerting everyone to the actual problem...bonus points if the mortals searching for the Relics actually are pawns of a Titan.
That sounds like a pretty good "Hero" plot to me. I don't see why it's so grieviously abberant to Scion's themes.
All I said is : «I'd be careful about the themes, as they are purhaps not the same as the ones you'd wish for in Scion»
DeleteCareful, Purhaps. I meant that comment because importing directly fun sources from other media is always risky in my opinion. Be they «manga», video games or even LotR. I never said it was «grieviously abberant» to the Scion's themes. Even if their setting is cool doesn't mean the themes they explore are the same that you are trying to brew for your campaign. That's all.
Anyhow, I did my point in the earlier post. Do it if it works for you. I find it would stick even better if your PCs are with ancestor worship pantheons. I wouldn't make it a whole chronicle myself because of the originality issue, but that's just my opinion. I'm the ST of my games, that's who I am. Not yours ^^
(and I'm not saying they are better in anyway. In the end, if your players enjoyed it, that's all that matters)