# Forum > Play-by-Post Games > Finding Players (Recruitment) >  Interest Check - Dark Fantasy Structured Roleplay

## Dusk Raven

Once upon a time, there was a forum called Castlevania: Disharmony, with an accompanying game system (hereafter referred to by that name). The system itself was quite simple, really being a form of structured roleplay, as no dice were involved. Players describe their actions, and the GM works out how those attempted actions affect events. Most of the rules come down to the classes and what each can do that's extraordinary. 

Unfortunately, by the time I really got interested in the system, activity had all but ceased. And then the forums went down. Thus, much though I'd like to, I'll probably never get to play it.

But I can at least introduce it to others and GM it.

I happen to have a setting of mine  the stage for a story I'm trying to write  which draws inspiration from Castlevania, The Witcher, Bloodborne, Call of Cthulhu, and other sources. Castlevania: Disharmony, while not a perfect fit, would do well for a game taking place in this setting. The question is, is anyone up for a rules-lite roleplay in a dark fantasy setting? Would players prefer something with more concrete rules like, I dunno, Call of Cthulhu (although when was the last time someone recruited for a CoC game on here?)? Is it asking too much of people to look into a dead system? Is there some other issue I'm not seeing?

I'll answer any questions as best I can. The system will require some modification to fit the setting, but I'll go over that once I get actual interest.

With that out of the way, here's some fluff for what this campaign will entail. Assuming, of course, someone else doesn't decide to take up the mantle of GM.

*Spoiler: The Blurb*
Show

It is 1876, and the Dark Empire is now the largest empire in the history of mankind. It stretches from beyond Egypt in the south, to the northernmost parts of Scandinavia, and from the Alps and the Rhine river in the west, to Asia Minor and the most inhospitable parts of Russia to the east  and perhaps, it rules over lands so distant that word of them has never reached the parts of Europe that are still ruled by men. All this, conquered in a leisurely 400 years.

It was not always this way. The Dark Empire began quietly, in the Carpathians between Wallachia and Transylvania, as the former was occupied by the Ottoman Turks and the latter was a staging ground for Prince Vlad Dracul III's attempted reconquest of his rightful lands. Unnoticed by the clashing armies, a demon took mortal form and, calling himself Lord Saidrac, he gathered a force of unnatural creatures and otherworldly monsters, carved out a small domain, and waited for the right moment to reveal his existence to the world.

As powerful as his forces were, the Dark Empire might have been crushed before it began, had a concerted effort been made. But Europe as a whole was apathetic to the invading Ottomans, and showed no curiosity when the Turkish advance into Europe mysteriously ceased. If any Christain forces attempted to fight Saidrac, they did so in secret. The scope of their failure would soon come to light.

In 1514, a peasant revolt in Hungary became the catalyst that would reveal to the world just what was happening in Southeast Europe. Sensing an opportunity, Saidrac sent his demonic agents to aid the peasants, and the nobles quickly found themselves overwhelmed by powers beyond what mortal men could deal with. Saidrac quickly took control of all Hungary, portraying himself as a savior of sorts, one that would sweep away the oppressive oligarchy and establish a new, more just order. Out of gratitude, or selfishness, the peasants by and large accepted him, and thus became susceptible to further subversion of society  for Saidrac's goal was not just worldly power, but to remake human civilization itself  starting with the undoing of human religion.

The scope of the conquest of Hungary was too great to remain unnoticed, and the nearby kingdoms prepared for war, with urgent messages sent to the West for aid. A small wave of further peasant revolts occurred, also with Saidrac's backing. And then... nothing further, to the surprise and confusion of leaders both secular and spiritual. Soldiers sent into the Dark Lands were swiftly repulsed, or never returned at all, yet no counterinvasions materialized. Decades passed, long enough for mortal men to forget about the horrors witnessed in Southeast Europe, and return to their own petty fueds and squabbles. And then, when it was least expected, another wave of peasant revolts would occur in the lands surrounding the Dark Empire, swiftly followed by sightings of demons, part-human monstrosities, walking corpses, and even worse creatures. And before any forces could be mustered to stop this encroachment, the war-torn lands would be completely absorbed into the Dark Empire, as its borders rapidly expanded  and then halted, for decades on end. It was a pattern that would repeat, over and over.

Over the years, some scholars questioned why it was the Dark Empire was expanding so slowly. Saidrac had at his command forces far more powerful than any human soldier, and magic more effective than any technology. Faith was no defense against the darkness, and nothing seemed capable of battling the eldritch, except other otherworldly forces. What, then, was Saidrac waiting for? Perhaps he had less strength than it appeared, or less control over his forces, and wished to cement his power before advancing further. Or, perhaps the sense of time of an ageless being was not like that of a mortal, and the timespan of a human generation was merely a brief pause for Saidrac. Or perhaps he was merely being patient, as only an immortal can be, waiting for some unknown event to take place. And as strange phenomena and otherworldly monsters became more and more common, this last possibility seemed the most likely.

Soon, the horrors from the darkness were no longer limited to the borders of the Dark Empire. Fell beings of all sorts made themselves known across the world, as though the border between Earth and some demonic otherworld was growing weaker. It even became commonplace to see alien powers among the forces dedicated to fighting Saidrac  but even these creatures could hardly be described as angelic.

As unrest swept across Europe, as fear and chaos took hold, the nations of Europe finally united in 1820, rallying against Saidrac, whom they believed responsible for the plagues they were beset by. This war was the most terrible yet, as both sides openly used supernatural powers against the other. It was the most hard-fought war against the Dark Empire, and for a moment, victory seemed possible. But in the end, ten years after the war began, Saidrac's forces triumphed, barely. 

But as the agents and armies of the Dark Empire swept across Europe in retaliation, two terrible truths became known to all  not all of the forces of darkness were on Saidrac's side, and none of the eldritch forces that opposed him were truly on the side of humanity.

This time, Saidrac's advance has not ceased. His armies work tirelessly to expand the borders of his empire, and his agents roam farther and farther afield, acting according to some unknown scheme. But his forces are no longer the only threats to human civilization now. Monsters of all sorts roam freely across the countryside and the wilderness, as the former becomes depopulated and the latter becomes corrupted with eldritch energies. Mere humans cannot stand against the coming darkness, and some people have even begun to worship the eldritch powers at work, in a desperate bid to save themselves. Many eagerly welcome Saidrac's forces, seeing him as preferable to both the other demonic beings and to their own rulers who seem helpless in the face of the unknown. And yet, even his servants are not always able to triumph against the forces that now beset the world. It is quite ironic that the reputation for invincibility he once held should be shattered when the world needs him most.

Even so, he continues to dispatch his warriors to wherever he feels they are needed. There is almost a sense of desperation to his actions now, as though he were racing against some unknown deadline. It is as though the End Times are near  though whether he truly seeks to delay them or instead wishes to hasten their onset, is unknown to any but his most trusted confidants.

Of course, most people more concerned with their own survival.

You, the players, are gathered in what, in our world, would be modern-day Germany. Nominally, this place is part of the Dark Empire  but in practice, it's a no-man's land, filled with wandering soldiers, ravenous monsters, and people just trying to survive. Through strength, skill, or magic, you've managed to survive this long, and found others in the same situation. What you do from this point is up to you. Do you try to flee to safer territory, or stand and fight? Do you seek allies among humans, or among supernatural forces? And, perhaps most importantly, how will your minds deal with the unraveling of reality?

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## animorte

First, I can't promise any legitimate involvement, as I have no experience with this format. However, it does look interesting and I would like to try play-by-post something-or-other sometime in the future.

Taking directly from the link you provided, _"text based, diceless, logic based, multiplayer,online, role playing game. If that sounds like a mouthfull, in short it's a game you play by writing."_

Therein lie the mechanics, which seems more fitting for a play-by-post gaming format. Would you be referencing that link for the site in determining classes/jobs/game system basics/etc? I'm also unfamiliar with that system, if it wasn't already clear.

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## Dusk Raven

I'm not quite sure what the question is, but I'll do my best to answer. I was intending to run a play-by-post game, using the classes and such in the link. That being said, it's a fairly simple system, mostly just outlining what each of the classes can do, so it shouldn't be too hard to learn. It mostly seems to be pretty freeform.

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## ArlEammon

How do you feel about my character being a Nephilim Warlock?

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## Dusk Raven

> How do you feel about my character being a Nephilim Warlock?


...You'll have to be more specific on the Nephilim part, as I can't find a race by that title in CV:D. I will note that I'm leaning towards having only humans be playable, as I'm not sure how the others fit into my setting. That being said, I'm probably going to have to modify my setting anyway to some extent, so I'm willing to work with people if they have a cool idea that might fit thematically.

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## ArlEammon

> ...You'll have to be more specific on the Nephilim part, as I can't find a race by that title in CV:D. I will note that I'm leaning towards having only humans be playable, as I'm not sure how the others fit into my setting. That being said, I'm probably going to have to modify my setting anyway to some extent, so I'm willing to work with people if they have a cool idea that might fit thematically.


Hm maybe instead of being a nephilim my character could be a warlock , sorcerer that has a blood line from Uriel/Zadkiel/something like that.

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## Metastachydium

Is this still happening? If so, I'm interested, probably with something counter-intuitive like Seer/Aristocrat/Craftsman.

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## Batcathat

I haven't checked out the system, but the pitch sounds like something I'd enjoy so I'm tentatively interested.

EDIT: After looking a little at the rules (though far from all of them), I'm quite taken with the idea of a magic-using pirate (or privateer), though I'm not sure which type of magic fits best and I also quite like the Agent/etc class, so maybe I'll just add some magic with the third class.

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## ArlEammon

> I haven't checked out the system, but the pitch sounds like something I'd enjoy so I'm tentatively interested.
> 
> EDIT: After looking a little at the rules (though far from all of them), I'm quite taken with the idea of a magic-using pirate (or privateer), though I'm not sure which type of magic fits best and I also quite like the Agent/etc class, so maybe I'll just add some magic with the third class.


A pirate that could control wind sounds like the best idea for a pirate.

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## oogaboogagoblin

This seems pretty sick, I'd love to join

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## Kvard51

I'm going to take a look at the system, but a game that focuses on writing above dice is something I NEED right now, as I am trying to improve my own.

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## Dusk Raven

Well, this certainly exploded in popularity all of a sudden. That's good news to me, as I was starting to think I wouldn't have enough people to put a game together. In any event, I'd love to field some questions about the system and especially the setting, if people have those. To be honest, I was a bit nervous about this particular venture, since it's based on a story idea of mine, but... people seem to be interested.

Oh, while people are coming up with character concepts, I'd like to mention a couple restrictions. The Slayer and Acolyte classes are currently forbidden, as they rely on a more traditional good-and-evil cosmology that isn't the case in this setting - it's much more Lovecraftian. On the flip side, while the system as presented has a restriction on mixing Combat and Magic classes, I've decided to lift that. I love a good gish, after all.

As I've already mentioned, players will be restricted to being human, as this is meant to be a story about humans surviving an increasingly eldritch world any way they can. This isn't to say that other types of beings don't exist, but you won't be able to play as them... to start with.

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## ArlEammon

> Well, this certainly exploded in popularity all of a sudden. That's good news to me, as I was starting to think I wouldn't have enough people to put a game together. In any event, I'd love to field some questions about the system and especially the setting, if people have those. To be honest, I was a bit nervous about this particular venture, since it's based on a story idea of mine, but... people seem to be interested.
> 
> Oh, while people are coming up with character concepts, I'd like to mention a couple restrictions. The Slayer and Acolyte classes are currently forbidden, as they rely on a more traditional good-and-evil cosmology that isn't the case in this setting - it's much more Lovecraftian. On the flip side, while the system as presented has a restriction on mixing Combat and Magic classes, I've decided to lift that. I love a good gish, after all.
> 
> As I've already mentioned, players will be restricted to being human, as this is meant to be a story about humans surviving an increasingly eldritch world any way they can. This isn't to say that other types of beings don't exist, but you won't be able to play as them... to start with.


What about someone who's related to one of these other creatures?

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## Dusk Raven

> What about someone who's related to one of these other creatures?


That depends on what the creature is and the nature of the connection -- and on your own skill as a worldbuilder. I'll allow quite a lot, if it's well-written enough.

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## Metastachydium

> The Slayer and Acolyte classes are currently forbidden, as they rely on a more traditional good-and-evil cosmology that isn't the case in this setting - it's much more Lovecraftian


Oh, I'm definitely sticking with Seer, then! I might move Aristocrat down the line to third class, though.

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## Batcathat

Now I'm kind of leaning towards a combination of necromancer and pirate (or privateer), a little inspired by Jack London's Wolf Larsen (but with magic and less of a horrible person, so maybe not _that_ similar). Not sure what the third class would be, I still like the assassin/mercenary, but something like aristocrat might fit the character concept better.

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## Dusk Raven

> Now I'm kind of leaning towards a combination of necromancer and pirate (or privateer), a little inspired by Jack London's Wolf Larsen (but with magic and less of a horrible person, so maybe not _that_ similar). Not sure what the third class would be, I still like the assassin/mercenary, but something like aristocrat might fit the character concept better.


That'll require me to actually flesh out the deities of this setting, so-as to actually give you a choice of deities from whom to draw power. I've got the ones responsible for green and blue zombies figured out, and I've got a working concept for the third. Let me know which you pick so I can elaborate!

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## Batcathat

> That'll require me to actually flesh out the deities of this setting, so-as to actually give you a choice of deities from whom to draw power. I've got the ones responsible for green and blue zombies figured out, and I've got a working concept for the third. Let me know which you pick so I can elaborate!


Sounds good. I need to go over the system in more detail first (so far I've mostly read about the classes), which probably won't be until the weekend or so, but I'll get back to you.

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## ArlEammon

> That depends on what the creature is and the nature of the connection -- and on your own skill as a worldbuilder. I'll allow quite a lot, if it's well-written enough.


Like, the descendant of the Archangel Zadkiel, the "Goodness of God' is what his name means.

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## JNAProductions

I might make a PC for this.

Though I think Id be better off making a character and then finding mechanics to fit them.

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## Batcathat

Oh, I'm having such trouble making up my mind. Now I'm thinking that a pirate/alchemist would probably fit my concept better (I imagined my character having a sort of clinical and almost scientific approach to necromancy, which does fit better with the alchemist). 

Also, depending on what counts as an object, I might eventually be able to make myself a magic ship and what sort of pirate wouldn't want that? Yes, I realize the presence and usefulness of ships would be very campaign dependent, but I can dream, can't I?

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## Dusk Raven

> Like, the descendant of the Archangel Zadkiel, the "Goodness of God' is what his name means.


As I've implied in previous posts, this setting doesn't really have a Judeo-Christian cosmology. There are, however, beings that could be and have been mistaken for angels -- accidentally or intentionally.

It occurs to me I'm _also_ going to have to detail some of these beings should someone want to play a Warlock/Witch, but we'll handle that on a per-request basis.

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