Sorcerer: Year of the Rat

[Tim Alexander]

Hey Folks,

I'm thinking of the following as the basic setting for my first Sorcerer storyline. This will likely end up being played via RPoL, but could conceivably end up being done via tabletop if my player base comes together. Any questions/concerns/criticisms are welcome, and encouraged.

Setting
What's in my head is essentially a dark pulp chinatown, with the city around it being essentially secondary. Inspirations include Green Hornet, The Shadow, even Big Trouble in Little China with less camp. I'm thinking dark mysteries, ancient secrets, superstitions, aged wisdom, and xenophobia. The tourist thoroughfares host gaudy trinket shops and neon lit restaurants, but the shadowed sidestreets and alleyways host dark conspiracies and veiled dangers.

Cultural accuracy will obviously fall by the wayside, taken up instead with broad brushstrokes and cinematic stereotypes. Triads, cults, neighborly store owners, hard nosed cops, wizened sages, all have a place.

Humanity
Humanity is community/family. Humanity gain is garnered by increasing the wellbeing of the community or strengthening the ties of family and the 'old ways.' This could be taking down the gang running extortion on the shopkeeper, taking the blame to allow the family to save face, or giving up career oppourtunities to take care of mother. Humanity loss comes from ignoring the family, turning your back on the community. This would include seeking the help of outsiders for community/family business, helping the triads work over the shopkeeper, and putting mom in a home.

Characters will be put to the test of pursuing their own agendas, or putting themselves on the line for the good of the group/family. These goals can come into odds, with deeper quandries resulting. Do you take care of the triad boss, knowing that he's at once hurting the community but keeps a secret about your father that will be revealed and cause shame on the family?

Falling to 0 Humanity means to be no longer accepted in the family/community, a permanent outsider and tainted.

Sorcery/Lore
Dark rituals, ancient texts, and verbal contracts are the way of the times. Sorcery does not occur unbidden, though once you have released the dark forces they may not do as you intend. Lore is the representation of ancient knowledge, pretty standard Sorcerer stuff here. Sorcery is often solitary, and always tugs at the ties of one's community. Time spent in solitude researching the dark paths does not lend itself to the caretaking of one's family. Even cabals brought together for some dark purpose have no real communal ties, meshing only to accomplish a set goal before falling upon themselves and fading away.

Demons
Demons are the utmost example of 'outsider,' always looking to woo the Sorcerer away from the 'old ways.' They are not necessarily evil in the classic sense, but they are always a danger to what the community or family find sacred. Whether this is expressed in new ideas, or outright mayhem is irrelevent. They are alien, and they are dangerous.

So, what do people think?

-Tim

[Mike Holmes]

Are demons really demons, or metaphorical? All passers, or posessors, I assume?

Mike

[Ron Edwards]

Gimme descriptors! That's the key turning point for preparing any given Sorcerer game for me.

Best,
Ron

[Tim Alexander]

I don't think they're metaphorical, they're definately demons, just not necessarily evil from a classical perspective. Since the motif is family/community a demon looking to break through the xenophobia inherent in the community is explicitly dangerous to humanity, but not evil in the usual sense. This is also not to imply that all of the demons are of this sort, since the more classic evil beastie types are just as disruptive to the concept of humanity in the setting.

As for a preponderance of passer/posessors, I think it's likely, but not the only outcome. I certainly see a place for the demon knife and the inconspicuous beastie. I don't think the concept has to exclude them.

-Tim

[Tim Alexander]

Hey Ron,

Gimme descriptors! That's the key turning point for preparing any given Sorcerer game for me.

Point me in the right direction, I'm not sure what you're asking for. Are you looking for setting descriptors? Or more specifically descriptors from a Sorcerer system perspective, ie. for Cover/Stamina/Lore, etc?

-Tim

[Ron Edwards]

Hi Tim,

Score descriptors. A list of four or five terms for each of Stamina, Will, and Lore, with some examples and suggestion for Price and Cover as well.

Best,
Ron

[Tim Alexander]

Score descriptors. A list of four or five terms for each of Stamina, Will, and Lore, with some examples and suggestion for Price and Cover as well.

Ah, ok, here:

Stamina
Martial arts regimine: You study and adhere to a martial regimine, an internal or external Chinese art.

Tireless worker: Up early, leave late, you work hard and long, sometimes to the detriment of your own health.

Wizened: Old and frail, while perhaps a pillar of the community, the years have been hard on you.

Street Life: Exposure to the seedier side of things has made you tough, a survivor, but leaves you cold.

Will
Immutable: Stubborn adherence to your way of doing things, for good or for ill.

Enlightened: Your philosophy gives you grounding when all around you is chaos.

Determined: You have a goal, and you will achieve it, no matter what obstacles stand in your way.

Lore
Inscrutable sage: Ancient rites and tomes, potions and spells to bind and summon. Knowledge of the ancient stories of demons and the damned reside with you.

Dark academic: Western thought provides new ground for old dangers, you hold the key to harnessing that power.

Physical adept: Honing of your martial philosophy has given you knowledge of the beyond.

Covers
Delivery Boy/Runner: Whether working for a take-out joint, or running drugs for the gangs, you're a gopher.

Cop: Torn between duties to the force and duties to the neighborhood, you walk a fine line between being on the take and bending the rules.

Herbalist: Teas, remedies, the old methods are your provence. You are still called on by the old members of the community.

Triad Heavy: You work for one of the gangs which controls territory in the community, mainly as a legbreaker or enforcer. A dangerous path in this morality play.

Price
Distant: The influence of the outside has touched you, and you're constantly wrapped in your own mind. -1 to social situations.

Strict Routine: Rote is the way you've made it through your life, how you order yourself. -1 anytime you are unable to carry out your usual routine.

Layabout: You're unmotivated and unproductive, the classic 'lazy son.' -1 in situations where your goal could be obtained through easier, if perhaps morally bereft, means.


Helpful?

-Tim

[Ron Edwards]

Hi Tim,

Yeah. That's what I needed. I can think of a few to round'em out as well, but that's not a big thing.

Now it's time to learn more about the sorcery & demons.

Best,
Ron

[Tim Alexander]

Hiya Ron,

First off, I'd love to here any additional descriptors you think might round things out. Seeing them might help me figure out the places I've got holes, and keep me from doing it in the future. Second, the sorcery and demon portions are where I'm pretty light on the concept. I don't want to redefine them radically, since the setting lends itself to standard Sorcerer as I read it in the main book and Soul. That said, I'd like to give a better indication to my players of what kind of flavor they should have and what Sorcery is really like. Towards that end I'm thinking:

a) Sorcery is always codified in some way. It requires research, and ritual of one kind or another. Pure desire isn't enough to bind a demon, you have to go looking for it, or call it, etc. with ritual.

b) Given the above, there is not 'one true sorcerous way' in terms of _how_ it's codified. Robes and dark rituals can work as well as potions and new 'science.' Likewise for massive kata-type rituals.

c) Demons are alien. In fact, the more I think of it, maybe what I said before about passers is all wrong. Maybe there _aren't_ really passers at all in the classic sense. The ability to blend with the community in that way is completely beyond demons in this setting.

So what else in terms of specifics are useful in nailing this stuff down? What process do people use when going through this part of creating a new setting?

Thanks much,

-Tim

[Ron Edwards]

Hi Tim,

Now? What you need are players. They'll take what you've presented on this thread, perhaps spiced a bit with film/book references or a picture or two, and come up with characters, demons, and Kickers. That will account for about 50% of the prep which, in most RPGs, is left up to the GM and game authors.

Although it's tempting to keep going by yourself, about right now is where the first phase of Sorcerer prep should become a group endeavor.

Best,
Ron

[Tim Alexander]

Perfect, I'll arrange some players then. :)

Thanks again,

-Tim