Traveller's Cafe 4: Brainstorming, Discussion, Tea, Advice

[Kassaran]

Seeing all these names...

[Twicetagram and JYPe]

Crap wrong thread

[Talchyon]

I like the concept. Dark. Creative. Unique. I would probably join.

Well that actually makes me feel very good.

Also, it isn't unique--half my RP ideas over the past 7 years have been "derp but POST APOCALYPTIC"

For a title: How about something like The Crisis Men?

[Dayganistan]

In regards to the Red Dawn type scenario being discussed earlier...

In the contemporary world, this absolutely could not work in the US. Russia or China do not have the expeditionary capabilities to invade the United States. The most that could happen is maybe Russia lands an airborne division in Alaska or northern Canada, Which, Red Dawn but Canada would be pretty cool not gonna lie. Canada having stricter gun laws would make it a lot more interesting early on until the Canadian resistance starts capturing Russian/Chinese firearms in large numbers. But back from my tangent, Russia or China being able to invade and occupy large tracts of the US would require a massive rewrite of history.

As for a Red Dawn scenario in 2020, which I'm stretching from "Russia or China invades the US" to "guerilla warfare in a modern, first world country," there are two more realistic scenarios for this. First of all is a Russian invasion of Europe. Russia could invade and occupy larger parts of Europe than they could the United States. Then you'd probably get guerrilla warfare in the Baltic states, Poland, Ukraine and Scandinavia because I can't see Russia going much further without overextending themselves. Alternative Russia and Iran make an aggressive power play against US allies in the Middle East which results in guerrilla warfare in, as far as more "modern" countries goes, potentiually Israel, Turkey, the UAE or Saudi Arabia.

The second idea shifts from a Europe/Middle East theater of war to the Asia-Pacific theater. Here you could do something like China or Russia invading Japan as part of a broader World War 3 scenario in order to deny use of bases there by America. You could also have South Korea invaded for the same reason, or, in a more outlandish way it gets invaded by North Korea supported by China in order to reunify Korea as a Chinese client state. Or, probably the most out there scenario would be a Chinese invasion of Australia, but I see China as far more capable of invading Australia than they are the United States, especially if it's part of a broader World War 3 scenario where they've gone into Southeast Asia, the Philippines and Indonesia to deny US bases and have installed puppet regimes along the way.

[New yugoslavaia]

In regards to the Red Dawn type scenario being discussed earlier...

In the contemporary world, this absolutely could not work in the US. Russia or China do not have the expeditionary capabilities to invade the United States. The most that could happen is maybe Russia lands an airborne division in Alaska or northern Canada, Which, Red Dawn but Canada would be pretty cool not gonna lie. Canada having stricter gun laws would make it a lot more interesting early on until the Canadian resistance starts capturing Russian/Chinese firearms in large numbers. But back from my tangent, Russia or China being able to invade and occupy large tracts of the US would require a massive rewrite of history.

As for a Red Dawn scenario in 2020, which I'm stretching from "Russia or China invades the US" to "guerilla warfare in a modern, first world country," there are two more realistic scenarios for this. First of all is a Russian invasion of Europe. Russia could invade and occupy larger parts of Europe than they could the United States. Then you'd probably get guerrilla warfare in the Baltic states, Poland, Ukraine and Scandinavia because I can't see Russia going much further without overextending themselves. Alternative Russia and Iran make an aggressive power play against US allies in the Middle East which results in guerrilla warfare in, as far as more "modern" countries goes, potentiually Israel, Turkey, the UAE or Saudi Arabia.

The second idea shifts from a Europe/Middle East theater of war to the Asia-Pacific theater. Here you could do something like China or Russia invading Japan as part of a broader World War 3 scenario in order to deny use of bases there by America. You could also have South Korea invaded for the same reason, or, in a more outlandish way it gets invaded by North Korea supported by China in order to reunify Korea as a Chinese client state. Or, probably the most out there scenario would be a Chinese invasion of Australia, but I see China as far more capable of invading Australia than they are the United States, especially if it's part of a broader World War 3 scenario where they've gone into Southeast Asia, the Philippines and Indonesia to deny US bases and have installed puppet regimes along the way.

Yeah, let's all be honest. The US invasion thing is really cliche.

[Romextly]

I was thinking of doing a redwall RP. Like you would choose what species you would be. It would combine the books. Like Ungatt Trunn was alive and his hordes were even bigger, but Redwall Abbey was already created.

[Lancearc]

RP INTEREST AND FEEDBACK REQUEST

---

Please provide as much detail as possible.
RP's Overarching Concept: Essentially a low-fantasy semi-sandbox for players to frolic about in, with a world heavily influenced by the cultures of the Near East and Central Asia. The primary plot revolves around uncovering the cause of the large-scale desertification (see description) with traditional Gothic horror elements, but players are encouraged to reach out to me for anything they'd like to see related to both their characters or a group they might like to introduce into the world.
Genre/s: Low fantasy/Mystery/Horror
Character or Faction Based: Character-based
Detailed Description: The primary plot revolves around the continued encroachment of the Nafayat al-Hayya, or the Living Waste. What was once a large desert on the northeastern frontier of the Jalema Sultanate has been steadily growing for the past decade, resulting in starvation and emigration en masse from the area. The story would be restricted (for the moment) to the northeastern-most sheikhdom of the sultanate, Mekhallah. Much of Mekhallah is nestled in a fertile river valley, with a lofty mountain range indicating much of its northern border. The Living Waste has continued to grow around the sheikhdom's eastern and southern edges however, threatening to isolate the province from the remainder of the sultanate. Some stories claim the waste is beginning to bring down the mountains themselves, their snow-capped peaks melting away and windswept dunes climbing up their northern slopes.

It has been roughly two months since the Sheikh has received any official word from the Sultan, but previous correspondence painted an ill picture elsewhere in the Sultanate. Religious leaders prophesize the end of times to their congregations as rumors of the Waste's unhindered advance spread. Reports from across the sea note that the Sultanate's enemies have taken notice of its civil unrest, circling like vultures awaiting the empire's collapse to bicker over the valuable land.

Need Help With: Mostly just gauging interest in this concept, which spawned from a world building session I had with a friend of mine who is DMing a homebrewed 5e campaign. If enough people are down however, I'd like to have a map maker do something with this to help players visualize the region.

Please leave this hashtag in place: #Mentorhelp

[Twicetagram and JYPe]

I don't know how many people are interested in this(I may have suggested this a while back), but would yall be interested in a 'Greek gods as humans' scenario?
I've an interest in Greek mythology, and it's cool to see who else is interested also.

[Lavan Tiri]

I don't know how many people are interested in this(I may have suggested this a while back), but would yall be interested in a 'Greek gods as humans' scenario?
I've an interest in Greek mythology, and it's cool to see who else is interested also.

Greek Gods as humans how? I'm interested, but specifics are nice.

RP INTEREST AND FEEDBACK REQUEST

---

Please provide as much detail as possible.
RP's Overarching Concept: Essentially a low-fantasy semi-sandbox for players to frolic about in, with a world heavily influenced by the cultures of the Near East and Central Asia. The primary plot revolves around uncovering the cause of the large-scale desertification (see description) with traditional Gothic horror elements, but players are encouraged to reach out to me for anything they'd like to see related to both their characters or a group they might like to introduce into the world.
Genre/s: Low fantasy/Mystery/Horror
Character or Faction Based: Character-based
Detailed Description: The primary plot revolves around the continued encroachment of the Nafayat al-Hayya, or the Living Waste. What was once a large desert on the northeastern frontier of the Jalema Sultanate has been steadily growing for the past decade, resulting in starvation and emigration en masse from the area. The story would be restricted (for the moment) to the northeastern-most sheikhdom of the sultanate, Mekhallah. Much of Mekhallah is nestled in a fertile river valley, with a lofty mountain range indicating much of its northern border. The Living Waste has continued to grow around the sheikhdom's eastern and southern edges however, threatening to isolate the province from the remainder of the sultanate. Some stories claim the waste is beginning to bring down the mountains themselves, their snow-capped peaks melting away and windswept dunes climbing up their northern slopes.

It has been roughly two months since the Sheikh has received any official word from the Sultan, but previous correspondence painted an ill picture elsewhere in the Sultanate. Religious leaders prophesize the end of times to their congregations as rumors of the Waste's unhindered advance spread. Reports from across the sea note that the Sultanate's enemies have taken notice of its civil unrest, circling like vultures awaiting the empire's collapse to bicker over the valuable land.

Need Help With: Mostly just gauging interest in this concept, which spawned from a world building session I had with a friend of mine who is DMing a homebrewed 5e campaign. If enough people are down however, I'd like to have a map maker do something with this to help players visualize the region.

Please leave this hashtag in place: #Mentorhelp

Sexy and delightful, I'd join

[Twicetagram and JYPe]

I don't know how many people are interested in this(I may have suggested this a while back), but would yall be interested in a 'Greek gods as humans' scenario?
I've an interest in Greek mythology, and it's cool to see who else is interested also.

Greek Gods as humans how? I'm interested, but specifics are nice.

Basically a summary:
The Greek gods are real. Except no one really believes in them.
They used to be glorified and worshipped by the Ancient Greeks. Temples were built, celebrations were held... It was fun time to be alive from them. Sadly, with the rise of Christianity, those who used to praise Zeus and the likes were now believing in another faith. The Greek gods faded into obscurity for the next 2 thousand years. The now-ruined temples which once were the pinnacle of architecture are just mere tourist spots.
What the human race didn't know was that a LOT of things were happening on the peak of Mount Olympus. The gods entered a dark time. A group of titans, led by Cronus, attacked the abode of the gods. Though Zeus and his gang eventually won the aftermaths were brutal.
The heavens were a mess, chaos were frequent, and order could not be kept.
Despite all this, the gods still remained silent. Until it was found that Cronus was planning to attack the human race.
Some of the gods held a grudge over the humans for abandoning them, but all in all the humans still mattered to the gods.
Then, out of the blue, Zeus decided to return to Earth as a human. Then the other gods all followed suit, except for Hades. Being reluctant, Hades stayed in his underworld realm.
Will the gods prevail, or would they, once glorified as gods, succumb to the person they defeated?

So basically, this is something like Percy Jackson, except the actual gods are fighting, not their children.

[Lavan Tiri]

I had the vaguest hint of an idea earlier for an RP set in Old Hollywood, during the Golden Age. I don't know if I should make it a slice of life/drama one or go the more horror route I originally conceived

[Lancearc]

I had the vaguest hint of an idea earlier for an RP set in Old Hollywood, during the Golden Age. I don't know if I should make it a slice of life/drama one or go the more horror route I originally conceived

I've always enjoyed the glamour backdrop paired with a brutal, mundane/slasher type of horror. What kind of horror were you considering, exactly?

[Lavan Tiri]

I had the vaguest hint of an idea earlier for an RP set in Old Hollywood, during the Golden Age. I don't know if I should make it a slice of life/drama one or go the more horror route I originally conceived

I've always enjoyed the glamour backdrop paired with a brutal, mundane/slasher type of horror. What kind of horror were you considering, exactly?

Lovecraftuan

[Lancearc]

I've always enjoyed the glamour backdrop paired with a brutal, mundane/slasher type of horror. What kind of horror were you considering, exactly?

Lovecraftuan

Always a favorite, but often difficult to do well without it becoming more or less of an homage than an original. Though if that's the intent there's no problem there.

Sounds like a fun concept off the bat, though.

[Youstania Firksnerio]

I have an idea for an alternate USA & Canada RP, Where during an alternate 1944, Canada is a part of a fascist USA, but I don't know what to do to introduce the RPers in to it

[Barapam]

I have an idea for an alternate USA & Canada RP, Where during an alternate 1944, Canada is a part of a fascist USA, but I don't know what to do to introduce the RPers in to it

What's the story behind it? (I've myself toyed with the idea of Britain becoming fascist and Canada automatically follows suit because dominion, but not sure how to work that into an RP either)

[Youstania Firksnerio]

I have an idea for an alternate USA & Canada RP, Where during an alternate 1944, Canada is a part of a fascist USA, but I don't know what to do to introduce the RPers in to it

What's the story behind it? (I've myself toyed with the idea of Britain becoming fascist and Canada automatically follows suit because dominion, but not sure how to work that into an RP either)

The Great Depression is worse on the US Economy, so fascism is more popular and comes to power in the US and they annex Canada, Latin America, Greenland, and Iceland, In Europe, Germany, France, and Britain are the Allies but have fallen to totalitarianism and the Communists, have taken over Asia and the Middle East completely, the RPers are either the Resistance or the American Secret Police/American National Army/Canadian Police Army

[Barapam]

What's the story behind it? (I've myself toyed with the idea of Britain becoming fascist and Canada automatically follows suit because dominion, but not sure how to work that into an RP either)

The Great Depression is worse on the US Economy, so fascism is more popular and comes to power in the US and they annex Canada, Latin America, Greenland, and Iceland, In Europe, Germany, France, and Britain are the Allies but have fallen to totalitarianism and the Communists, have taken over Asia and the Middle East completely, the RPers are either the Resistance or the American Secret Police/American National Army/Canadian Police Army

Nice. So WWII starts with Fascist USA attacking the ones you said? And now we're at peace, or still at war?

[Youstania Firksnerio]

The Great Depression is worse on the US Economy, so fascism is more popular and comes to power in the US and they annex Canada, Latin America, Greenland, and Iceland, In Europe, Germany, France, and Britain are the Allies but have fallen to totalitarianism and the Communists, have taken over Asia and the Middle East completely, the RPers are either the Resistance or the American Secret Police/American National Army/Canadian Police Army

Nice. So WWII starts with Fascist USA attacking the ones you said? And now we're at peace, or still at war?

Yep. They're still at war

[Barapam]

Nice. So WWII starts with Fascist USA attacking the ones you said? And now we're at peace, or still at war?

Yep. They're still at war

Cool. I'm intrigued.

[Youstania Firksnerio]

Yep. They're still at war

Cool. I'm intrigued.

Rural Canada and Greenland are heavily industrialized now while the rest is the same, Latin America is like German Occupied Eastern Europe during WW2

[Lancearc]

Kicking around an idea with some friends about a team of medieval-tech tournament fighters who traverse the lands of (name pending) and participate in something of a once-in-a-decade grand tourney, but it's definitely still gestating. Something of an Avengers-type cast from different cultures, backgrounds and with different skillsets is what I'm imagining. I'm considering including something along the lines of superhuman powers becoming common, but since I'm also debating whether or not magic is a thing I'm unsure if it would be worth it to implement those two things separately. I'm leaning towards yes, but working on a more concrete way to differentiate what is magic and what is "innate superpower bs."

There would almost certainly be some grander plot going on than fucking about in tournaments, but again, that's a WIP, though I'm considering this group perhaps making a journey from bush-league tourney team to mercenary band. Was just wondering if that rough concept appeals to people? Was playing through Bannerlord and thought that sounded like fun, but I just like writing fantasy so

[Sarderia]

Kicking around an idea with some friends about a team of medieval-tech tournament fighters who traverse the lands of (name pending) and participate in something of a once-in-a-decade grand tourney, but it's definitely still gestating. Something of an Avengers-type cast from different cultures, backgrounds and with different skillsets is what I'm imagining. I'm considering including something along the lines of superhuman powers becoming common, but since I'm also debating whether or not magic is a thing I'm unsure if it would be worth it to implement those two things separately. I'm leaning towards yes, but working on a more concrete way to differentiate what is magic and what is "innate superpower bs."

There would almost certainly be some grander plot going on than fucking about in tournaments, but again, that's a WIP, though I'm considering this group perhaps making a journey from bush-league tourney team to mercenary band. Was just wondering if that rough concept appeals to people? Was playing through Bannerlord and thought that sounded like fun, but I just like writing fantasy so

I think that's a bit similar to Dragonball.

[Sarderia]

RP INTEREST AND FEEDBACK REQUEST

---

RP's Overarching Concept: Post-WWII North America, a war-torn continent similar to the Japanese sengoku jidai period. The three major countries (United States, Canada and Mexico) is torn into several splinters, with each vying for domination over the continent. The goal is to create another major North American state.
Genre/s: Nation-based, a bit of Steampunk, Dieselpunk (Mad-Max style)
Character or Faction Based: Faction-based
Detailed Description: North America, 1990. The United States won WWII at a severe cost. Nazi Germany managed to conquer Moscow, pushing the Soviet Union beyond the Urals, now a rump state torn into dozens of small successor republics. The British Isles are conquered through Operation Sealion, with the British government having fled to Canada. Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany, seeing a possible invasion of North America feasible, attempted it. However, this turned out to be disastrous for both the Axis and remaining Allies. Both coasts of the US and Canada is wrecked, leaving only the interior slightly intact. The Axis invasion force is however thoroughly destroyed. The Allies having winning the North America campaign decided to attack Europe once again. The combination of rebellions and Allied advance resulted in Germany's surrender; a massive uprising in China destroyed all Japanese gains in Asia. Three continents now lay in ruins; meanwhile the global instability drove nearly all Latin American countries into civil war. US Federal government collapsed as a result due to massive tolls from the war and the economic downturn of the Great Depression (which was never returned to normal, because FDR never got reelected). The world turns into somewhat a post-apocalyptic state (with a bit of steampunk thrown).

The setting is North America (Canada, US, and Northern Mexico). All three countries have collapsed, replaced with individual government of each State or Province (or larger, as from 1960 to 1990 it's practically battle royale). With conditions having been stabilized down it's up to a remnant of the old North America, to possibly reunite the continent.

Need Help With: The general setting need to be fleshed out, and possible interest?

Please leave this hashtag in place: #Mentorhelp

[Lancearc]

Kicking around an idea with some friends about a team of medieval-tech tournament fighters who traverse the lands of (name pending) and participate in something of a once-in-a-decade grand tourney, but it's definitely still gestating. Something of an Avengers-type cast from different cultures, backgrounds and with different skillsets is what I'm imagining. I'm considering including something along the lines of superhuman powers becoming common, but since I'm also debating whether or not magic is a thing I'm unsure if it would be worth it to implement those two things separately. I'm leaning towards yes, but working on a more concrete way to differentiate what is magic and what is "innate superpower bs."

There would almost certainly be some grander plot going on than fucking about in tournaments, but again, that's a WIP, though I'm considering this group perhaps making a journey from bush-league tourney team to mercenary band. Was just wondering if that rough concept appeals to people? Was playing through Bannerlord and thought that sounded like fun, but I just like writing fantasy so

I think that's a bit similar to Dragonball.

Kind of in the vein of Super, minus being held captive by gods, inter dimensional battling and likely actually having characters with more than a trait