Metaphorical Demons and Non-Sorcerers

[DevP]

(I did some searches, and didn't get the answers I wanted yet; apologies if these are frequent themes.)

I like Sorcerer a lot, and I reallyreally like it's ability to create Actual Play that's centered around the characters' relationships so very much. In coming up with "settings", however, I find myself personally less attached to absolute fantasy, with literal demons. That can be fun, but I'm not precisely sure that's what I want to do first.

I've gottent he impression from the mini-supplements and posts I've read that Sorcerer can adapt well to largely metaphorical demons, if done consistently. As examples of what I think can work:
* subtle/symbollic demons that may or may not be supernatural (like in Clinton's space-western)
* a "blood opera" where special Weapons were object demons and memories (inconspicuous demons) can be summoned to Boost your vengeful killing spree.
* demons represented by posthumanist tech that augments you for a spiritual cost.

The "memories" demon type seems potentially tricky in particular. Also, a play style I would desire is where you have a single person with Real Power who is quite angsty with it, and a circle of "White Hat" friends; can Sorcerer provide for this sort of gameplay, perhaps giving the White Hats metaphorical demons instead of real ones?

[jburneko]

Someone on RPG.net asked a very similar question.  Perhaps it was you.  If it was I appologize for repeating my answer.

I would maintain that this is exactly what the game is about in the long run. The idea is that the metaphore is "made real" but without the metaphore (on some level) I think the game devolves into just a bunch of guys with pet monsters doing stuff.

Example 1: A demon representing alcholism.

Name: Tip
Type: Object
Description: A shiney scotch glass.
Telltale: People don't reflect on its shiney surface.

Stamina: 2
Will: 4
Lore: 3
Power: 4

Desire: Ruin
Need: To have alcohol consumed from it.

Abilities: Daze, Confuse, Boost (Stamina)

Example 2: Here's a girl with an imaginary friend.

Sorcerer: Lilly Savine
Appearance: A pleasent 10 year old girl with pigtails.

Telltale: Cries tears of blood.
Price: Childish (-1 to social interactions with adults)

Stamina: 2 Youthfull
Will: 4 Loving
Lore: 4 Solitary Adept
Cover: 4 School Girl
Humanity: 4

Demon: Billy
Type: Inconspicuous
Appearance: Billy is invisible but can manifest as a young boy a few years younger than Lilly. He will only do this when Lilly is alone.
Telltale: Casts a shadow even when invisible.

Desire: Mischief
Need: To be talked about to adults.

Stamina: 3
Will: 6
Lore: 5
Power: 6
Abilities: Armor (Billy), Link, Armor(Lilly), Daze(Billy), Confuse(Billy), Free Cloak

Notes: The Armor-Link-Armor combination allows the overly protective "siblings" to suffer damage in place of the other. Such that any abuse directed at Lilly is taken by Billy and vice versa. Daze and Confuse are used by Billy to protect Lilly from uncomfortable conversations.

Origin: When Lilly was just three years old her mother got pregnant. For nine months Lilly got very excited about having a little brother. Sadly, the child was still born. Lilly was crushed emotionally. So much so, that she "invented" (i.e. Summoned) an imaginary brother named Billy. Her and Billy play together all the time. At first her parents thought it was just a phase but over the last seven years Lilly has insisted more and more that Billy is real and begun to play with him more and more to the exculsion of other children.

Example 3: In the asylum game I'm running now there's a guy who has a Possessor demon hosted inside himself. This possessor demon is basically a female, more competent version of himself. This is of course a great metaphore for "transgender" issues.

Is this the kind of thing you're talking about?  Or are you talking about not giving the metaphore a physical form?

Jesse

[DevP]

Hey Jeese. I am in fact the Locke61dv on RPG.net. <g> Thanks!

Or are you talking about not giving the metaphore a physical form?

Precisely this: the demons are purely metaphor.

[Michael S. Miller]

Hi, Dev

Also check out Sorcerer without "demons"? and the internal links therein.

[Ben Lehman]

Precisely this: the demons are purely metaphor.

BL>  I am working on a Sorcerer Setting where the sorcerers are artists and demons are artistic movements, drugs, and hangers-on in the art world (both money-providers and floozies) and Humanity is your artistic integrity.  Is this up your alley?

Simply put, the definition of "demon" in the setting does not need to be a supernatural object at all.  What is important is that the act of summoning, binding, and controlling demons runs counter to your humanity.

I've actually been thinking, re: Thieves and Kings (which *is* fantasy) of a type of demon which, embodies the relationship *between* two people.  For all effective purposes, the demon is the other person in the relationship, but that person is also a human on their own, with their own humanity score, and possibly even their own demons.  This is in "early bubbly thought" stages, though.

yrs--
--Ben

[DevP]

<having read links> Aaaaaaah. Excellent. I now feel entirely confident to modifying the demons greatly. Of course, it seems my players are wanting to hit the vanilla modern demon magic thing. ("Demons and personal immolation, yay!" They've liked the MLwM thing.)

BL>  I am working on a Sorcerer Setting where the sorcerers are artists and demons are artistic movements, drugs, and hangers-on in the art world (both money-providers and floozies) and Humanity is your artistic integrity.  Is this up your alley?

That level of abstraction is definitely where I was hoping to take it in some scenarios. Quite cool.

Once I get some actual play, I hope to flesh out the transhuman or blood opera setups; I'll let y'all know.

[tetsujin28]

Oooh! A game where your gun or your desire to 'commit crime' (take over the gang, infiltrate the police, whatever) is the 'demon' would be really, really cool. Sort of Miller's Crossing...but with demons :-) Rather than really over effects, I would go for subtle ones: being so successful at gambling that people think you're cheating, a demon who's 'food' is complex plans for gang pre-eminence, &c.