# Forum > Play-by-Post Games > Finding Players (Recruitment) >  [Risus freeform] OR [D20 Modern] -  The Long Winter (post-worldbuilding campaign)

## Chas Kramer

Hello there, 

Some time ago, Kinro, +5, Wasp, me and others had played a world-building game, with a format suggested by Wasp. We ended up creating a mini setting called The Long Winter. 
*Spoiler: Setting description in a few words*
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The moon has been destroyed in the attempt to stop an even bigger armageddon, and the world has been plunged into  eternal winter. All the so called civilization clusters around the Skytorch artifact, which provides warmth and light to the city of Solara, growing around it. The outside word is populated by "monsters" (as the civilized people would define them), and every sort of creature that was "mutated" by the light of the shattered moon in the events of the past, and basically "evolved" to survive the harsh conditions. 
Other than the mutated, the other races are Human, Dwarfs and Angels (although angels are nowhere to be found anymore, their sightings are never confirmed and start to become a matter of legend)


This is a second attempt at actually running a campaign in the world we created.

So, here is the thing. Given the setting that we have outlined here, I am looking for 3/4 players for a little adventure in it ( at the end of the timeline, current day)
I will introduce of course some "new" elements to make it playable, but I will stay as true as I can to the source material.

If you are interested, reply to this and let me know if you would like to run it 
- as a free form system, very lightweight and inspired by Risus, the anything RPG
OR
- as d20 modern
I personally would prefer the first one, but I am flexible.

P.S. Kinro, Captain, +5, Wasp. If you decide to step in and commit, you will have a place guaranteed
P.P.S. If anyone of the former players of the world building game has any problem in me running this campaign, please raise your hand and object, I'll reconsider.

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## bramblefoot

if it were up to me, id do it in fate core or possibly accelerated

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## Chas Kramer

> if it were up to me, id do it in fate core or possibly accelerated


That is also a possibility, why not! But I would go for Accelerated. The simpler, the better.

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## bramblefoot

accelerated it is!

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## Kaworu

I'm potentially interested ;-) We could play Risus, D20 Modern, Fate or FAE - I know them all and I have no preference :-P ;-)

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## bramblefoot

What would you play

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## Chas Kramer

Well, since Kaworu says he is available for Fate Accelerated, and that's Bramblefoot's preference, anyway... I suppose *Fate Accelerated* will be the choice.

So, allow me half a day, to recollect some extra-content to make the settings playable, and if you are ready we can try to give it a go.
One more player would be perfect; but I suppose we could run it, the three of us, while keeping the recruitment thread open.

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## Chas Kramer

Ok guys, this is some more content on the setting, summarized here for your convenience (it includes both the original work plus some addition on my side to make it playable). 

*Spoiler: The setting in a couple words*
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The moon has been destroyed in the attempt to stop an even bigger armageddon, and the world has been plunged into eternal winter. All the so called civilization clusters around the Skytorch artifact, which provides warmth and light to the city of Solara, growing around it. The outside word is populated by "monsters" (as the civilized people would define them), and every sort of creature that was "mutated" by the light of the shattered moon in the events of the past, and basically "evolved" to survive the harsh conditions.
Other than the mutated, the other races are Human, Dwarfs and Angels (although angels are nowhere to be found anymore, their sightings are never confirmed and start to become a matter of legend)



*Spoiler: Full Timeline*
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here



*Spoiler: Playable races*
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Human, dwarf or "night-touched".
We haven't detailed how the night-touched (the mutated ones) are... so they can be whatever, from humanoid to absurdly monstrous... For the playable character, I will allow something humanoid, and ideally a bit more feral in nature: were-wolf / were-cat style of thing. If you are not comfortable with the manga-style humanoid animal cliche', we can pick something else.



*Spoiler: Playable classes*
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Well, it's FAE... you don't really have classes. Just be whatever
If you plan to be a magic user, please "specialize" in one of the aspects of magic described in "The ART" chapter. That doesn't mean you will be completely ignorant of other forms of magic




*Spoiler: The Art*
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There was once a wisdom, that mortals (with the help of Angels) had unlocked, that could shape the Earth and the destiny of man, and influence the very movement of the Firmament. That knowledge has nowadays been lost, and so is the necessary "harmony" in between mortals. Angels are nowhere to be found anymore, leaving behind little but vestigial artifacts and fragments of lost knowledge. The daily struggle for survival has forced mortals to concentrate on more practical types of knowledge and technology, leaving little space for mysticism and philosophy.

However, in this world there is little difference between "magic" and "mundane". An alchemist's trick to produce fireworks, a healer's knowledge of plants, a pyromancer attuning to the flows of underground magma and redirecting it to her will...all of these feats are perceived equally "wondrous", with little to no distinction between "supernatural" and "technological". It is still true, that the more "technical" and "material" a solution is, the less space there is for mystic forces to influence it. Equally, in presence of strong mystic forces, technology fizzles and proves unreliable. But this distinction is unclear to the common folk and the uninitiated (the VAST majority of people, that is). To most, a steam train and a summoned magma elemental are equally "magic".

There are, in this world, mostly three "flavours" of the mystic Art 

*Spoiler: The flows of the Earth*
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The flows of a river, the movement of magma underground, the secret language of plants, or animals. The endless motion of the wind, of the waves, the different flavors of snow. These forces were the territory of the ancient druids, and part of this knowledge has resisted until nowadays. A mystic student can attune to (usually one of) these forces, understand its movement and influence it to some degree.

If you choose to become a mystic of the flow, pick one primary "sphere" in which you are mostly specialized (plant life, weather, animals, earth and magma, sea, rivers .... whatever comes to your mind). Pick also a secondary sphere in which you are somehow competent.




*Spoiler: The movement of the Firmament*
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Every season has its fruit, and there is a time for everything. The eternal motion of the starts is a clock, that chimes the passing of times, but also tells more, to those initiated who can read it. 
Well, obviously the night's sky can rarely be seen nowadays, just here and there in the space between the clouds... but the good news is that the eternal motion of the firmament is quite indifferent to the little problems of this broken world. An initiated still KNOWs and FEELs the motion of the stars. 
Oracles still know when it is the right and wrong moment to plant a tree or to crown a king. And they can also amplify or dampen this "influence"; an uninitiated would see this manifestation as blessings or curses.

*Spoiler: Starfire*
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Moreover, an initiated in the art of the firmament can (to some extent and a huge effort) conjure the "Starfire". It's an etereal, burning substance, faintly glowing like the auroras, sometimes seen in the sky. Mortals have little understanding of it: angels used to know more, but they did never ever use it. Whether it was because of inability or taboo, it's not clear, but they wrote that "Starfire is a gift of the firmament to mortals, and the physical manifestation, of the force that drives the Change". 
Anyway, the bad thing about Starfire is that mortals don't understand it well,and basically can use it only as a weapon to damage enemies. The good thing is that it is equally damaging against mortals and angel/demon kin alike.




*Spoiler: The Dark light of the Shattered Moon*
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It was once a prominent force, after the first cataclysm (the Dark Wanderer comet shattering the moon) and before the second (The fragments falling on Earth). It was responsible of creating the race of the mutated (the night-touched), and some of it that light still lives within them, it is said.

After the Merge, that force is believed to be un-done or dormant. No one, sane of mind, would ever dare to try and tap into it. Plus, evidence of even trying it (even unsuccessfully) would be a capital offense. 






*Spoiler: Angelic mysteries*
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If little is known about the great secrets of the Art, even less is known about angelic powers. 
Even when Angels were roaming the earth, very few mortals would dare to try and understand the complicated mysteries of angel's craft. Those that did, would barely preserve their sanity.

All that is known about angelic magic, is that it deals with light, and space-time. Also, it seems to manifests itself in specific times and conditions, as if it was "destined" to do so. "Everything has already been written, but nothing has been written, that doesn't need to be written another time, in a different color", said the angels. But then again, they had a different perception of time than mortals.

Anyway, some artifacts that still hold some power do exist, as do some rituals and seals, mostly dealing with light manipulation and protection against demonic forces. But it's more a "bag of tricks", than an organic art.

Finally, demonic powers, when manifested by demons, are disturbingly similar. One could say, they are equal and opposite (two sides of the same coin), as equal and opposite are angels and demons. In other words, demons don't appear dark and monstrous in their aspect, nor does their power shine in darker colors. Demonic power is just as bright and beautiful as its angelic counterpart. It's the INTENTION, the malice behind it, that is terrifying.





*Spoiler: How difficult it is to cast* 
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The higher the "level" of the action, the more difficult it will be to pull it off

1: UNDERSTAND. You have an understanding of  the "flow" of the force that you choose. You put your hand in a river and you KNOW if it's safe to pass.  You KNOW that THIS leaf contains more healing substances than THAT leaf, on the same plant. Your senses AND your spirit tell you so. Your deduction AND intuition tell you so.

2: ABSORB. You attune to the very concept of the element of choice, and use it to empower yourself and possibly others. You can become as fierce as a raging fire, as calm as a lake, and so on.

3: NUDGE. You pour your will into the element of choice and "move" it, as it were a part of you. The movement is MINIMAL. You can do nothing but nudge something, to the point that an observer would doubt you are doing anything magic at all. But you'll KNOW. You KNOW that the this plant grows faster because of you. You KNOW that the enemy fell on the slippery ice at this precise moment, because you wished for it.

4: CALL. The forces obey you now. You can do more that nudge them. They will answer if called. You can call fire from the underground to the surface. You can force a pack of wolves to obey you. No one but the most experienced mystics can perform such a feat nowadays, and even for them the task is exhausting and dangerous (that is: be careful what you wish for, are you sure you can control it?)

5: CREATE THE SINGULARITY
Imagine a stream of water folding onto itself and creating a vortex. That vortex, even if it is nothing but moving water, exists for a while as a separate entity, before merging again into its matter. While existing, the vortex influences the water around it,and is influenced by it.
That's what a mystic does, it folds the "flow" onto itself, creating a stable sentient construct. Elementals can be created, or called, or manipulated if already existing. 
No one can do this alone, nowadays. A full conclave of initiated, over the time span of a month? perhaps...

6: MORE...
merge with an element? Transcend? travel across an element? The knowledge on how to do that is lost, if there were any knowledge at all. Such feats are a matter of legend,and the people able to do that might as well be revered as demigods







*Spoiler: Equipment*
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*Spoiler: Technologies*
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On one end, this world has renaissance-like technology level, pointing towards the beginning of a pre-industrial age (steam power): you can expect advanced crossbows, metal armor, even rudimentary muskets... BUT resources are RARE. People struggle for survival and basically use what they can find. 
So, metal implements are there for those that can afford it, but nobody frowns at the idea of using anything else they have.
You could find a person going to hunt with a musket and another with a well-crafted throwing stick, and one would not make fun of the other.

So: the technologies that you will see (and potentially use) range from stone-age to renaissance/pre-industrial.




*Spoiler: Survivalist logic*
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Most of the time, as you adventure outside of the safe haven of the main city, you'll be focused on SURVIVAL. Just because the technology level is renaissance-like, it doesn't mean that you won't craft flint-tip spears, or cordage out of vines, or a bow-drlll for primitive fire.

So, you can count on some equipment as you start (appropriate clothing, functional backpacks, proper weapons...), but you will most likely be crafting things for defense, shelter and survival out in the wild






*Spoiler: Wealth*
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There is no unified currency, although iron and steel start to turn into the de-facto coin and cumulative wealth. 
Still, most people can't see greater wealth than to survive another day, and hardly think about putting something away for their retirement... So, BARTER is actually the most widespread system for transactions: barter of goods, favors, influence.

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## Kaworu

Hm... do we have some details about the relationship between FAE mechanics and the setting information? ;-)

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## Chas Kramer

Excellent point. 

When it comes to character creation, please follow the base rules of FAE. Create your Aspect(s), assign your bonuses, and define one Stunt.

Now, what to put in there? Well, this game will be mostly freeform-ish (we are using a lightweight rule set after all), so the short answer is: you can define your aspect as anything that more or less fits the setting. You can be dwarf, human or night-touched. You can be a warrior, a scholar, a diplomat, a mystic, a survivalist, an anarchic, a rich guy... whatever comes to mind.
The story will start in the main city and drag you outside into the wilderness, under the Unrelenting Blizzard, and will involve a bit of diplomacy, combat, and a fair amount of survival.

Equipment wise, I will allow by default any good quality survival tools and weapons for starters.

A note about crafting and casting.
Crafting: anytime you'll be crafting tools you will most likely be "creating an advantage" (using the FAE definition here).
Spell casting: ALSO your casting actions will be most likely "Create and advantage", which will give you a new Aspect. I don't see much the act of casting as: a couple words --> boom fireball!. Rather, I see it as a character concentrating for a while, calling some force, and then use it for the rest of combat. So, technically, this translates into Create an advantage and discover an aspect.
Casting ANGELIC magic: If you will choose to be a casting character (of any kind), you will be able to choose a single angelic spell (as a bonus) from a list that I will post soon. 

I don't know if this answers your questions, but do not hesitate to ask again if it doesn't

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## Kaworu

Hm... I kinda expected some custom mechanics, as there are "levels" of magic (with 5 being the Transcendence or something? ;-) ) and so on, but I see we just play vanilla FAE ;-) Okay ;-)

I will try to make a character in the coming days. Thinking of an occult scholar with Firmament magic ;-)

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## bramblefoot

i really dont do custom, unless i build my own world

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## Chas Kramer

Little clarification here.
The whole setting is cusomt/homebrew. So, Bramblefoot, if you mean that you don't run custom settings, then this whole recruitment is not a thing  :Small Big Grin:  :Small Big Grin: 
If you mean that you don't run custom RULESETS, then no, we are dealing with FAE, it's already decided. I'll not introduce custom rules.

@Kaworu: The "levels" of magic are indicative on how difficult works of magic are. Understanding an aspect is relatively easy, bending it to your will is significantly difficult, and so on. But it influences only the difficulty of the rolls. It's not like you cant' cast a spell because you don't have a spell-slot of that level... here you can try ANYTHING. If the task is beyond you, you'll fail miserably  :Small Big Grin: 

If you'll get the Firmament wisdom, you'll be all into the influence of the stars onto the mundane: prophecies and divinations, but also curses and blessings, influence over luck and chance... basically you'll manipulate that very same influence. Also, you can conjure Starfire, and try to shape it: you can apply it to a weapon, or to an object and then throw the object (like a stone, or a twig), or simply blow it into the direction of an opponent. 
Consider the following: the game is a bit free-form-y, so there is not a "spell list". The magical effects that you are trying to produce will be in large measure defined by you. I will simply apply a difficulty score to them, and possible define some preconditions. 
Rule-wise, as I said: working magic will be "creating and advantage", and you'll have an Aspect as a consequence.

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## bramblefoot

sorry i mean i dont create custom settings. ill happily run it

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## Kaworu

Hi ;-)

I am still here, in the coming days I should create the brief outline of the CS :-P But still, I have no idea for Trouble aspect of my occultist... :-P Oh well xD

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## Chas Kramer

Hi. Well, we can also add it at a later point, if you can't think of it now.
Bramble, you still in?

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## bramblefoot

yessir: do we prefer discord or here for the dice gods?

also, does anyone know if this roller can handle fate dice?

tested it, and it does not

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## Chas Kramer

I'll open a OOC, together with the IC. 
 I was thinking to put the significant dice rolls in the spoiler tag, in the IC. But if you prefer to do it in the OOC, it is fine by me.

As for the fate rolls, we can still roll d6. 1,2 is (-)  3,4 is ( )  5,6 is (+).
Now that I think of it, I think we could even roll d3.

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## bramblefoot

i say d6, for simplicities sake

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## Kaworu

Okay, the very bried CS... :-P

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...it?usp=sharing

There is a possibility that I will play for the first time in forever a character that I am not sure I would like... xD As a friend, I mean xD Still, the possibility for creating havoc (and gaining Fate Points...)... xD

HELP? xD

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## Chas Kramer

I think your character sheet is ok. Yes, it is minimal, but this is FAE, It has all it needs.
If you are struggling with a third aspect, I don=t know, t could be something related to survival (maybe she is in top athletic condition, despite her nimble looks). Or maybe something related to her behaviour (she might be seductive, or manipulative, or naive but insightful...) Whatever.

I will soon post here also a list of "angelic" spells, and you will be able to pick exactly one from the list, if you want.
Also, maybe some more info about what you can do with the Firmament studies will be needed. I'll add some info later.

Bramble? you still in?

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## Kaworu

Or maybe I will add as an aspect a kinda placement in some shadowy org? :D And 3rd stunt for moving silently or something? And the organization would be kinda... nobody knows for sure its goals, especially she? (xD)

LOL, such a silly character xD Hm, many fate points to me, I quess? xD

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## bramblefoot

can i have a little more stuff to work with in this game, or do you not mind if i go off the script like a rampaging train wreck?

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## Kinro

Oh, hey, I didn't notice this happening.. I would like a place, if you still have one for me.

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## bramblefoot

we still have room

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## Kinro

Nordarr

*Spoiler*
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High concept: Snow Leopard Night-Touched from the Frozen Wastelands 
Trouble: I must uphold my honour ans that of my people
Aspect: Honoured Veteran of the last Demon War 
Aspect: Diplomatic Envoy to the City of Solaris  

Approaches
Careful		2
Clever		1
Flashy		0
Forceful	  3
Quick		1
Sneaky		2

Stunts:
Because I've gained great battlefield experiences, I get a +2 when I forcefully attack when I use my sword in close combat.

Because of my feline grace, I get a +2 when I sneakily try to pass through an area unnoticed.

Because of my great reputation, once per session I can be granted an audience with a person of my choice.

(Turn out, it's quite easy to go from Risus to FAE.)

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## bramblefoot

everyone gets three fate points off the bat

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## bramblefoot

ic

https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...9#post25650749

ooc

https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...ong-winter-ooc

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## Kinro

I'm confused, wasn't Chas running this game?

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## bramblefoot

i thought i was running it  :Small Smile: 

guess we're both confoozled

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## Kaworu

I'm confused too xD :D

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## Chas Kramer

Uh? no... I though I would be running it... I was looking for players : D.

I mean...I have been describing the setting all along, and giving impressions on Kaworu's character definition... I thought it was clear.

So, let's start over.
I wanted to run the game, based on the setting that we have collectively defined in a  separate game, I am looking for players, The original players of the original game have a guaranteed place, we are using Fate Accelerated as a system.

Given this premises: anybody still in?

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## Kinro

I'm still in, with the character I've submitted.

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## bramblefoot

im out. for some bizarre reason i thought you wanted me to run it

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## Kaworu

I'm still eager to play ;-)

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## Chas Kramer

Great, allow me one day to finalize all the things, and we can get it started.

@Bramble. Sorry to see you go and sorry for the misunderstanding. I hope to be able to play with you in the future.

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## bramblefoot

shtuff happens. 

also dont apologize. we all make mistakes

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## Kinro

Everything alright?

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## Kaworu

I'm still in ;-)

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## bramblefoot

im still willing to run it in trollsvangr

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