Late-night vlogging! With both of us now, like a band reunion tour but with more crochety mythology!
Question: When I reread the Aztlanti pantheon, I noticed that Tlazolteotl has a loooong enemies list. How did that happen?
Question: I think by now we know your hatred of World at War Scion and the gods of the US and the Allied pantheons, but I still like the idea of being a Scion of Robin Hood or someone similar. Who would you say would be most thematically similar to him (not mechanically)?
Question: Been reading Neil Gaiman's Sandman and loving it. If you HAD to, hwo would you model the Endless in Scion?
Question: Love your version of Jotunblut, but two questions about it. Does the size increase also affect your shape in boons like Animal Form and Beast Shape (do you turn into unusually big animals)? What about Appearance knacks like Undeniable Resemblance - if you change your size with it, is the shit permanent or not (giantsblood is strong stuff, after all)?
Question: Is there any way to be able to reply on Dodge late in the game? I was looking to be more of a dodge-tank, but after reading a couple of blogs and doing some math, dodging is not a good path for a combat god. Do you have any suggestions for me that would help me build a character who fights like Jackie Chan - all over the place and rarely getting hit hard? If it comes to boons, would the more ethereal elements (air and fire) be a good place to start? Are there any untouchable combat gods?
Question: My character has ripped out his eyes. Does Epic Appearance still work against me? If it still works by smell or sound, what if I destroy my nose and ears?
Question: So Lionel Cuthbert, the plantation-owning raging demigod of death, sun and ice... is he also a racist who would own slaves if he could?
The freeze-frame on this video makes us both look like someone just asked us something that makes us tired and annoyed.
So what part of the 1800's is your game set? Is it before or after the civil war?
ReplyDeleteIt started in 1850, is currently 1853. :)
Delete1853 atm. Its been going for three years game time. Its pre-civil war.
ReplyDeleteThomas and I laughed so much! I promise neither of us sent in that question, but I love that someone out there cares enough to read about our baby scions.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, Lionel is absolutely reprehensible, and I don't know why we've saved his bigot ass as many times as we have.
My smirking all through that part of the video is just imagining you guys giggling.
DeleteQuestion asker here. Sorry about the would own slaves if he could part of the question. My American History is rusty these days. If Lionel lives another eight years I would keep a serious eye in him (here's hoping he hits god by then). I would also keep a watchful eye on president Lincoln at this time.
ReplyDeleteHeh, no worries, you don't have to have a history degree to hang out here. And yeah, Lionel is a danger to many - I'm fascinated to see what he might become god of, though, and what direction his proclivities take him. It might not be a good one, but it'll probably be interesting!
DeleteI'm not sure poor Lincoln is even going to need safeguarding, after the way the PCs have already thoroughly fucked up the political landscape. At this rate, the South may actually succeed in seceding; the North probably doesn't even want their disaster-ridden landscape anymore.
I believe the Endless RPG you're talking about is called Nobilis. Or at least it's the closest thing were ever going to get.
ReplyDeleteReally, wish people could get over how much Purple Prose is in it's rulebook and actually play it more often.
It's an awesome and surreal game that's sorta like a more literary version of Scion.
You guys should check it out if you ever get bored of Scion.
(Haha! As if you guys would ever get bored of Scion.)
There is a new edition of Nobilis, that doesn't have 'purple prose', so yeah, I'd recommend it.
DeleteI'm familiar with Nobilis - it's a good game, though it doesn't see a lot of play. :) You're right, though, we probably won't get tired of Scion anytime soon!
DeleteThis does make me wonder if Tlazolteotl might actually LIKE Geoff.
ReplyDeleteShe'd get along smashingly with Hera if she wasn't out for Zeus' blood, I imagine.
On another note, Exalted actually had exactly that problem in the past two editions. It's been going for a cinematic feel... which leads to a game of miss-miss-miss-miss-SPLAT suddenly you lose all your health levels in one attack.
The devs have come up with a combat system for Ex3 they're hoping will work better which incorporates momentum and 'decisive attacks'. Not out yet, but might be worth checking out, though I doubt you'd incorporate it into your game, given mythological fights and cinematic fights are very different beasts.
She'd certainly like what he stands for! Of course, part of her job is ruthlessly tempting men to see if they're really good people and then punishing the shit out of them if they give in, so he probably still wouldn't like her being around very much. Geoff actually does get along very well with Hera, for much the same reasons.
Delete"Such a good boy, always calls his mother."
DeleteIf Lionel does become the God of Suffering - I have to wonder how he'd react around the Orisha...
ReplyDeleteI worry more about how they'd react to him.
DeleteForget that. Wonder how he would react to his own mostly brown Pantheon. I doubt the Sumerian centric world view will mix well with Lionel's Anglo centric view. hopefully papa Nergal (Warhammer 3000 reference here) will keep the kid locked down in the underworld and the sand you know what remarks to a minimum.
DeleteIsn't Mania, Delirium's Greek name, also a goddess?
ReplyDeleteAlso, call me crazy, but John reminds me of Nathan Fillion in this episode for some reason.
There's a Roman Mania, but she's an underworld goddess and not overly associated with madness, so I would assume it's a name coincidence rather than the same figure. But hey, the Endless do what they want, so who knows?
DeleteHey, Robin Hood question asker here. Yeah, when I was asking, I was definitely going for the Rebelling against the institution as the main idea and then Marksman as a whole plus thieving part of the way, but not as huge. I was mostly asking the question cause of the prejudices some gods and goddesses have, like how people hate Loki for being a trickster god or know Hera can be a vengeful she-demon(Still hate her for trying to make my character's life a living hell. Can you tell I still have a grudge? :P ) or Thor's likability. I wanted to know what gods and goddesses may be like that and either choose to be similar to them, like a hacker spreading the truth to get reform in government, a rebel leader or someone that got screwed over by the system and wants to bring the establishment down in flames(similar to Law Abiding Citizen. If you have not seen the movie, watch it. It's a good example of someone with a lot of Intelligence with a lot of time and an axe to grind). On the flipside though, do someone that is against chaos, like a police officer in a bad neighborhood or someone in politics trying to clean up legislation.
ReplyDeleteTo give an example, this was originally a Scion of Robin Hood and how my mind works a little bit. He was a soldier in the SAS, a support gunner trained on using Squad based weapons like light machine guns. When he was being visited, he was awaiting his court martial sentencing due to a supposed war crime he committed. The issue was he killed many civilians in a time of war for no reason, but his defense was he was told by a commanding officer to fire upon this group cause they were suspected enemy insurgents. The order was lost and the intel that said they were enemies was found to be 'untrue', so he was looking at the noose or a firing squad. In comes his father saying he needs him to work for him, but can't get him out, but 'helps' him escape illegally. Essentially through Hero and Demi-god, he is trying to keep a very low profile while being in a band while still being useful and trying to prove he is innocent by exposing the commanding officer, which doesn't help as his father in high british command is sweeping this under the table, kills his son for being a liability(maybe. STs choice on this, but this was an original idea I had) and starts using his old contacts in the black market, black ops and mercenary groups to have him killed before my character can trace all the info back to him.
Something similar I may like to do, but I've always been fond of playing rebels. I've played other character types, but something about actually being a rebel with a cause and determination to make it happen appeals to me, like Mal from Firefly or the guy from V for Vendetta.
Also, just so that I have the list down for sure, it was:
1. Lugh. Cause of all the stuff he can do and has this kind of connotation a little bit.
2. Baldur. Couldn't hear the reason for him and guessing you guys said Baldur.
3. Hermes. The god of thieves is always good.
4. Artemis. I think I heard it was cause she is rebellious and good at archery and stuff like that.
5. Apollo. Yeah, he's a solid choice too.
Then also heard Mannan Mac Lir. Is it just me or are the European Gods more willing to rebel and try to do change?
Anyways, after my explanation and the list, let me know if I got it right please and if you would do any changes.
Number two was Uller, not Baldur - a famous archery god with a bit of a rebellion streak (even took over the Aesir when Odin was exiled!). Baldur's not much of a Robin Hood figure, other than being popular with his peers. :)
DeleteEuropean society has different definitions of what the status quo and thus what rebellion mean. African gods are pretty constantly fighting with one another and upsetting each others' authority, for example, but they don't bend to the laws of the land when they do, so the result is usually just wars or challenges rather than rebelling within the system like European gods do.
Ah, thanks. Makes much more sense. Yeah, he was worse. If I remember it correctly, near the end of his rule he started to call himself Odin and Odin did not like that when he came back, Cause he chased him, trying to kill him. Which then Uller made skis to get away and I think part of the tale is him going across the sea to get away from him. Its a good tale, I am just fuzzy on the details. lol.
DeleteAnyways, thanks. I am with you guys on the whole Allied and American pantheon. Took a lil while, but I keep going back to it and go 'No.. This really does not fit...', but some of the concepts of parents I enjoyed and would like to transplant. lol.
But honestly, I heard Baldur, not Uller. Must of been the ambient noise around me that made me unable to hear it clearly. lol.
I was going to send this in, but seeing that you discuss Jotunblut in this video I'll ask here: there is no way an Aesir scion that choses to invest in it can walk the earth looking like a normal human again, am I correct? Unless she invests in Appearance knacks to change height to whatever she wants.
ReplyDeleteI ask this because I'm using your rules, but one of my players is an aesir woman who doesn't want to end up a giantess... so I suggested she didn't get it. Am I being too hard on her? Do you allow fudge room in this case?
On a totally unrelated side note, I think John's longer hair and goatee are doing some crazy Appearance magic work. Not that he's not normally easy on the eyes, he just looks extra cute on this vlog :P. Keep up the good work!
I don't think you're being too hard on her - being Aesir means the blood of giants runs in your veins, and if you want the benefits of using that blood to be strong and sturdy, you're also going to be giant. If she doesn't want to be huge and it's an important factor for her, she probably doesn't want to buy Jotunblut. Vala, our Aesir oracle, never bought it past the first dot for much the same reason.
DeleteHa! I tell him about the long hair, but does he listen to me? :)
You....are too kind. Now my hairs not getting cut for another few weeks at least. ....even though its hot as hell
DeleteWhy do people play a pantheon if they have no intention of buying the PSP? There is always another pantheon with a PSP you would buy, that you could be playing instead.
DeleteJust games restricted to specific pantheons?
Love of the god? The myths? The culture? Dont know. Aurora never bought jotunblut but was totally aesir. Woody doesnt have much of it either.
DeleteAnd also many games are restricted as well, so thats a possibility, but usually there are options there.
Some players might just really love a particular god or culture and want to play in it, regardless of what powers it grants. There's nothing wrong with that, as long as they know what they're going into. In Vala's case, the character's background as a daughter of the Aesir was more important than her having access to a PSP she would have used more.
DeleteIf she'd been gunning for a PSP she would use, she'd probably have been a Gaul.
Yeah, I'll enter my two cents here. As a players of the original line, I never really chose a pantheon on its PSP. Mostly cause they seemed boring or not worth it. Looking at you Original Jotunblut.
DeleteSo cause of that, I stayed towards gods that I knew and wanted to play a child of. But there are pantheons I have not played as yet, though the list is getting shorter and shorter. But yeah, have to agree with Anne and John on this one.
I dunno. It seems really strange to only love a single god or a single culture when there are so many different ones out there. Not to mention it means you aren't even willing to give a culture you are less familiar with a try. :(
DeleteAww, wanting to play a particular god you're interested in doesn't mean you aren't willing to try other things or you only like that one deity. You can only play so many Scions at a time, man!
Delete