Don't get too used to two vlogs in one week - as you can see from the bag under our eyes, we're some tired people. But not too tired for some awesome questions from the mailbag!
Question: I love the Axiom Intelligence knack, but I hardly ever see anyone else use it. It got me thinking: what are some of your favorite underused or underrated powers?
Question: Outside of your games - what with one killing the other and all - how would you describe the relationship between Ra and Horus?
Question: In regards to the Anunna PSP of Me, I noticed that the second-level boon, Direction of Me, lists all the abilities but Brawl is the only one not represented. Is this intentional?
Question: An Aztec Scion marries an Egyptian Scion. How would this affect both pantheons? This is based on my own Quetzalcoatl Scion and his marriage to a Scion of Bastet.
Question: What Aztec gods might have Virtues other than the plain old Aztec ones?
Question: Have you guys ever considered adding a third level of power above the Divine and the Titanic, like the Protogenoi of Greece? This would be a category for vast comic deities like Olodumare or Ophion. It seems dissonant to me that a being like Olodumare and one like Uke Mochi or Hestia are on the same power level.
Hopefully someday soon we'll be slightly caught up, and you guys won't have to wait a month to see your questions make it to the blog in some form.
Personally, I would love if you guys "invited" us to a game for the anniversary, by recording one of your gaming sessions and uploading it as a vlog maybe? You could even add a "director's commentary" of sorts. This, of course, would require involvement from your players and I'm not sure if that's fair game... but it would be really epic if it happened. And there's also the matter of spoiling future fiction.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you could even plan ahead and make a one-shot game exclusively for this, so as to not spoil anything or ruin the continuity of your regular games by any awkwardness the camera might bring.
Just my 2c!
It would take some technical tinkering, but we could always check in with our players and see if they're cool being on candid camera. :)
DeleteI second the above.
ReplyDeleteMan, a second request, hmm!
DeletePlease?
ReplyDeleteI see a trend here.
DeleteYeah, that would be awesome.
DeleteI just recently started STing (at all) and would like to see John at work.
Yay, my eaten questions got answered!
ReplyDeleteSidenote, for the underused/underrated Boons? RIDE ANIMAL.
So, my main question about the Aztec-Egyptian marriage revolved around a rereading the Geoff-Sangria marriage, looking at the fallout, and wondering if any similar shenanigans might pop out at you. A lot of the political ramifications got glossed over due to plot and since the game has ended, there were a lot of things that could have been but weren't.
Tezcatlipoca actually probably worked/benefited more regarding that marriage, since Amira (Bast's daughter) had done merc work for him and Alan (Q's son) was part of a Book-of-Job style back and forth between the twins regarding him.
One thing that we DID touch on was how the marriage was viewed mythically, as in cults and such. Neither is based in reality.
To the Egyptians, it was essentially a genderswapped version of Ptah and Sekhmet. Amen-Maft, ("Panther of the West"), was a brutal god, who stalked the jungles of the Nile's source, and ate the hearts of men as his favorite meal. Sensing the danger he posed, Sesentet ("Lady of the Lotus") wove a magical collar made of spider-silk and thus civilized him, and made him her husband. While wise and fiercely protective while under his wife's influence, Amen-Maft was also brutal, and if enraged could not be placated except by offerings of blood.
To the Aztecs, the situation was a bit reversed. Iztac Ocelototec ("Our Lord the White Jaguar") was the wise-if-aloof god of the wilderness, particularly jungles. He patrolled his forests at night as a jaguar, and he was watched by Ichtacaxochitl ("Secret Flower"), a moon goddess sent to spy on him. His kindness towards his charges and fierce protectiveness caused the goddess to fall in love with him and approach him to become his wife.
Neither of these reflected reality much, but it was interesting to try and see the relationships through two different pantheons' eyes.
Super awesome! Yeah, the effects of both on their spouse's culture is also one of our favorite places to mess around. Geoff's Aztec persona is Tlazohtlaloni, the god of love and marriage, who is a counterpart to Eztli as goddess of blood (both deities of relations, she blood kinship and he societal contract kinship), and the pantheon has pretty much punted him into being in charge of matchmaking and marital concerns whether he wants to be or not. On the other side of the ocean, Sangria's known as Ristablodr, the Blood Eagle, and is believed to be a valkyrie in charge of ruthless sacrificial death and guardianship of Sowiljr, who needs her to protect him when the going gets tough. Neither of them intentionally set up those roles, but were rather kind of kicked into them by the expectations of the pantheons and people involved.
DeleteOur myths usually aren't based much in reality, either - mortals tend to dress things up in pretty clothes rather than stick with the mundane details. The Aztecs haven't even really bothered to explain what happened with Tlazohtlaloni and Eztli - they're married and that's the way it is - and the Icelandic cults dedicated to Sowiljr actually think he's a dying fertility god who gets killed by invading demons once a year and then resurrected by the efforts of his wife. (Actually, he got knocked out in combat once and Sangria took him into his temple and sat with him until he woke up, but the people jumped to conclusions.)
Man, you have not even seen fallout on the Geoff-Sangria marriage yet. Because I'm writing it right now! Woohoo!
Ride Animal is a great example of an underused boon - it's so mythically resonant, yet players never seem to think to use it!
Thanks for the Protogenoi explanation. I've been looking forward to that one. :)
ReplyDeleteA follow up question: Legend 9 to 12 Scions are all Gods, right. Both a legend 10 and a 12 being is clearly a cut above a Demigod, but the latter is much more powerful than the former. I was wondering if there is any similar variation amongst Titan Avatars? Or are they all uniformly Legend 12?
About PSPs people don't seem to like much...I've noticed that all your Deva Scions seem to rush to get Karma and Kriya, and then basically never take anything else in Samsara beyond that.
And I'm still trying to figure out if John was serious about the 'well-phrased' bit.
He was serious. That's his serious face.
DeleteWe actually do have one Deva Scion actively using Tapasya right now - Mrs. Young, who becomes ever more of a blisteringly speedy carriage-driver the more she fasts. I just updated her character sheet this morning. :) The problem we're seeing Hero-level Devas run into there is that Tapasya saps physical stats to buff mental ones, and most of our baby Devas are physically-oriented. Akhi and Shanti are both fighters and Mohini's a dancer, so they haven't been too interested in taking a boon that works against their most-used stats. Basically, they're bad at being Devas, and we expect they'll eventually pick it up as they get to higher Legend and want to explore the rest of the purview. (I have no doubt Padma and Cassara would both pick it up, but with the exception of the extra games this week, they haven't been played for a long time and didn't have the opportunity.)
As for Titan Avatars... well, they're all expressions of a particular idea or concept within a Titanrealm, so which is more "powerful" probably depends on a Storyteller's interpretation of that idea. Someone like Hestia, whose power lies in comfort, control and warmth, is probably less "powerful" than someone like Kagutsuchi who can make volcanoes erupt at will, but then again they're doing different things and one would be better than the other in different situations.
We call them Legend 12 because that makes it clear they're around the same power level as the gods except for the badass backing of their realms, but Legend ratings don't really apply to them very well, I think.
@Samudra Don't forget that even Titan Avatars that are equivalent in power are not equivalent in resources or the motivation to get more resources. Danu could be content to sit in her super-garden tending them for eternity, while Surtr could spend every waking moment recruiting for his military, making begrudging allies, and amassing more material power.
DeleteWhile it would be very cool to see one of their games in action, even if it is a one shot designed to be recorded, we should definitely keep in mind that a lot of players might be uncomfortable with that kind of thing. I know I personally would get antsy if I was being watched/judged and it would become a stressful experience.
ReplyDeleteSo if everyone on the GBN crew is up for it? Great. Otherwise? I think the rest of us completely understand and sympathize.
as a ST I am personally more interested in seeing John in action and everybody knows he loves face time.
Delete