The Eternal Twilight

[Dav]

Okay, I finally got around and motivated enough to begin work on my new concept.


Working title:  The Eternal Twilight.

System:  Well then, the experience mechanic is directly tied to a relationship map of sorts (called a Drama Network).  As characters gain contacts and other nifty relationships, the network expands, which, in turn, grants development to the stats of the character.

Each character also has five Attributes:  (Hate, Depravity, Sloth, Avarice, and Humanity).  Beneath each Attribute is three Skills (for instance, Hate has Ranged Strike, Willpower, and Suicide).

The rather dubious skill in each Attribute (i.e. Suicide for Hate) has a great variety of uses that makes play interesting.  (I realize this is not so informative, but I am mainly going to talk about the premise and such).


Premise:  
You are in Japan, circa 2100.  Tokyo to be precise.  Hell on earth, all the fun I include in most of my games.  You play a samurai (which is a slight misnomer).  Being part demon and part human, you serve the Diet (Jap Gov't) and a Circle of Hell (as defined by Attributes, except Humanity).  

The idea is to be WAY over the top with it.  I am poking fun at the idea that things are cooler because they are Japanese (i.e. a katana is better than a normal sword because it is JAPANESE!).  Everything is kitsch to the extreme, especially the prose.  

However, the idea is that you are doomed from the outset.  You create these stupendously terrific assholes.  All of your characters are plain cruel, evil people.  The goal is to redeem yourself through play so that by the time you die, your death means something.

Now, I will quote a sample of the opening text to give you an idea of what I mean by "over the top":


Soundtrack: Numb, "Deviation"
    You probably have never stopped to notice this, but life has a soundtrack.  Not the meaningless drivel that the monks and priests would have you listen to.  The rustle of leaves, the fine carpet of dust swirling in miniature cataclysms across the floor, all of that is static; the white noise of nature, if you will.  Rather, I speak of the pounding of blood through your brain, the rush of excitement, and, of course, the unfiltered music within your own mind.  Soundtrack.  

    Most of us no longer take the time to race through the catalogue of stored lyrics and beats to fit the music to the moment.  I could blame you gaijin for this, for the fast-food, neon culture that has eaten away at the wondrous history that is my fair island.  I do not.  We live in a world set in fast-forward.  Screaming recklessly onward toward our ultimate destinies.  No time for thought, no time for music.  No time for peace.  Perfect for soldiers such as ourselves, then, wouldn't you say?  Samurai; the word evokes such images.  We are not those images, but we are still samurai.  We are the essence, the souls of that great title... for we are, ever more, rushing headlong.

    My name is Master.  Your name is Student.  Not names for either of us, then, but they will serve.  When we finish our journey, we shall have our names, and perhaps glory.  But then is not now.  We will wait.  We will listen to our soundtracks and stop a moment to inhale a great breath of life, for a samurai is much more than a soldier upon the field of battle.  We must be artists, philosophers, masters, students... all of this we may accomplish with our soundtrack.  

    So, Student, give the volume a sharp twist to the right, and let us begin.  After all, this is Tokyo.


The Fifth Bullet (some flavor text)

Soundtrack: Covenant, "Theremin"
    Eyes stared upward through the haze of fog and smoke to glare at the humming neon sign.  The crowd passed conspicuously around those eyes, seeking all possible routes around the gaze, despite the near relentless press of bodies cluttering the sidewalk.  Below the eyes, lips part to exhale a grunt of satisfaction, the sign passed whatever test of scrutiny the eyes delivered.  

    The crowded sidewalk before the sign and the eyes seemed to evaporate without any spoken warning.  The citizenry of the city had grown used to acting upon instinct without thought or hesitation.  The figure, then, knelt on the sidewalk, alone amidst a crowded throng of thousands that streamed into the street, halting traffic and raising screams of indignation from braking tires.  

    With deliberate care, the figure settled a battered briefcase on the concrete before him, running scarred fingers over the worn leather as a lover caresses his mate.  A slight shuffling of the black, worn trenchcoat signalled a beginning to the coming storm.  The left arm slid from the sleeve of the coat and cinched the belt tighter.  Bared to the world, a network of tattoos ran from shoulder to wrist, detailing a long and decorous life.  Nearest the shoulder, the family name of the figure was crossed through with a large black X.  Stemming around that mark was a guild affiliation.  The meaning was clear.  The figure was a ronin.

    The berth granted the figure previously grew at the sight of the ronin's arm.  Expert eyes appraised the stories of the warrior.  Demons, rivals, friends, associates, all of them had their place on the arm, and each had methodically been struck through by a single black line.  Each one was dead.  The ronin's wrist showed a dragon looped in a permanent bracelet about the left wrist.  If any had been brave enough, a single name would be evident along the spine of the dragon.  This ronin was declaring a blood feud.  

    The hands snapped the brass clasps of the case, the lid swinging upward of its own accord.  Inside, an ornate and antique pistol rested in molded velvet.  Above the pistol was space for twenty-four bullets.  Only twenty remained.  

    Slowly, reverently, the ronin withdrew the pistol from the case.  The cylinder snapped outward, and deft fingers slid a single round into the chamber.  The sound of the bullet slamming to rest against the catches seemed to echo across the busy streets.  Everything seemed to move in slow motion.

    The case slammed shut, locked of its own accord.  The pistol found its way to a holster near the left hip.  As the trenchcoat brushed back to allow the weapon to find rest in its proper position, the hilt of an unadorned wakizashi protruded from just beneath the slumbering pistol.  

    The figure strode forward, the sliding glass of the bar's door hastening to remove itself from the ronin's path.  As the door slid back, the sounds of electronic music filtered through the streets.  The crowd hustled by, seeming to return to its usual frenetic pace only after the glass door shut with a distinctive click behind the figure.

    Inside, the security for the bar was instantly on its feet.  One man, standing next to a metal detector gestured for the figure to step through.  The other guard, sensing the intent of the ronin, and glancing nervously at the dragon bracelet approached the figure directly.  

    "I'm sorry, sir, but this is a private bar," the words were false with confidence.  The guard tried to lock eyes with the ronin, but hastily shifted away from the gaze of the figure.  

    The ronin pushed forward.  Without thinking, the guard put his hand forward, resting his palm against the ronin's chest.  The figure looked down at the offending limb, then shifted the menacing eyes upward to stare, unblinking, at the guard.

    "Sir, you need to leave.  Don't make me call for more security," the voice was growing more confident despite the palpable sense of rising danger.  Neither figure moved for a span of three breaths, then, without warning, it was over.

    Flash, flash, flash.  Eyes, smile, blade.  The motion was fast enough that no one seemed to notice.  The security guard stood still for a moment longer as a crimson line beaded its way across the surface of his neck.  As the ronin strode forward to the metal detector, the first guard slumped sideways into obscurity.  The remaining security officer stammered meaninglessly and backed away.  

    The ronin was already sweeping past the detector, which whined shrilly at the offending figure, and blinked angry red lights with reckless abandon.  Amid the music and thrumming energy of the patrons, the guard and his detector went unheeded.  Across, the bar, a single figure made eye contact with the ronin.  As the rabbit senses the wolf, the patron instantly stood and began rushing toward the fire exit.  The thundering report of the gun seemed to echo for eternity.

    All around the weapon, the drive of the bass beat pounded forever forward.  



Here endeth the sample text.  The idea, basically, is that everything must be, first and foremost, cool.  I mean cool in that same way that the great stories of our high school imaginations existed.  not the cool of who you may be today.  The setting, the visuals, all of it is that cool that now you chuckle at and shake your head... but somewhere in there, you still get a kick out of it.  The actual characters, however, will have actual issues and conflicts to resolve.

Anyway, that is what I am up to.  Any questions or comments are welcome.

Thanks for your time,

Dav  (and no, there is no editing on this as of yet)[/i]

[Ron Edwards]

Hi Dav,

If I'm not mistaken, the three skills under each attribute follow a certain pattern - there's a combat-type skill, a mental-type skill, and a "flaw" type skill.

How do you conceive these to work in actual play? Say I have a character with a high Hate score and that I tend to use these skills a lot. Do you (the GM) call for rolls? IE, would I ever call for the Suicide skill roll myself? I'm pretty certain that all three of the skills have broad application, but give me an idea of (a) the breadth and (b) the practical out-of-game context for how they're invoked through dialogue between players and GM.

Best,
Ron

P.S. The general look & feel, and the sample text, pretty much prompt, in me, (a) loud gagging noises and (b) rueful, even embarassed nostalgia for early 80s movies, SF, and music. Sigh ... when was the last time we had an overblown fight scene in a strip disco, with a montage of the girls shakin' it as the guys beat the shit out of each other? See? Loud gagging noises, but still ...

[Matt Machell]

However, the idea is that you are doomed from the outset. You create these stupendously terrific assholes. All of your characters are plain cruel, evil people. The goal is to redeem yourself through play so that by the time you die, your death means something.

Thats a favourite theme of mine, so you've definitely got my interest. I like the flavour text too, kinda reminds me of SLA somehow.

Plus you have unusually named stats and skills which is always a draw. Like Ron, I'd be interested to see how those stats and skills work in practice.


Matt

[hardcoremoose]

Since I asked for it...

I gotta' say, there's a lot going on in your little synopsis.  The satirical look at American "Japanese" fandom is great, and I love the search for redemption thing - sort of an anti-hero's journey (yeah, I'm poking fun at Campbell).

I kind of subscribe to my own little niche in the narrativist camp, in that sometimes, rather than worrying about the emotional content of the story I'm producing, I concern myself with the imagery it contains.  I think it's the frustrated artist in me - the one that's pissed because he can't draw or paint, and that still regrets not going to film school.  So the games that appeal to me most are the ones that let me (and my players) craft cool imagery (The Whispering Vault ranks very high).  

Note: I am sometimes attracted to non-narrativist games that seem like they would work towards this goal, but usually become frustrated when the system either a). reinforces cautious, "close to the chest" player behaviors, or b). kicks in with the "whiff syndrome", consistently producing uncool results.  Yet another reason to love FitM.

Anyway, The Eternal Twilight speaks to me on that level, just like The Whispering Vault and octaNe do.  I guess I'm just a sucker for the kitschy, schlocky sort-of-stuff.  The more prurient, the better.

- Scott

[Paul Czege]

Hey Dav,

Geez...I'm hesitant to write this. The concept sounds amazingly cool, and I'd very much like to hear more about the mechanics...but lately I have this almost violently averse reaction to fictiony bits like the ones you posted. In contrast, I very much prefer the way Sean Demory presented the setting for Le Mon Mouri. He has a brief fictiony intro that's marvelously well done and evocative, and the rest of the setting is delivered through light exposition and revealed through the details of the examples of play.

I think I see what you're trying to do with the fiction; it's part of your over-the-top strategy. But like the over-the-top text in Greg Costikyan's Violence, it doesn't grab me. I think if a game is to be over-the-top, the over-the-top-ness needs to come from the system, through play. Violence has a junk system, fails in this regard, and exists mainly as a curiosity. I'd like to see you delivering over-the-top-ness through play.

Paul

[Dav]

Ron:

This question seems baited... heh-heh.

The rolls are called for by the GM, nominally.  However, the player may ALWAYS choose to trump the called roll by substituting a flawed skill (sych as Suicide) in place of the mentioned skill.  There is a currency for this, but it is still rough as of now.  However, when trumping, you go into either badass Author, or a limited Author roll depending upon the outcome of the substituted skill.

Matt and Moose:

Danke... er, domo arigato.  I will be posting more as things solidify.  But thanks for the input.  Matt, I hope te above Ron Response helps your question.

Paul:

Excellent.  I understand your notion of rejecting fiction in games.  (Though I am not someone who minds it.)  The fiction parts will be the length described above, but will be superfluous "fluff" over the meat of the system and game.  The idea with TET, however, is that the system will be *good*, while the setting makes you think "oooh, flashy kitsch".  I want a serious system embedded in a parody setting.  Ideally, striking a pose and ripping off bad movie lines will compete for dramatic play.

That said, my intention with the fiction is to have it head each chapter.  Each piece will describe a single bullet from the ronin.  (4th, 3rd, 2nd, 1st)  By the end, you will understand the source of his feud.

However, to placate the fans of no fiction, the layout is as follows, let me know if this grabs you (as you are the people I am intending to grab with it):

2 column format.  Left column: system and mechanics.  Right column: descriptive flair and visual ramifications of the system (i.e. many examples and adjectives).  They will be laid next to each other, so reading what your Hate Attribute is all about is on the left, and reading how it impacts the visual of your character is immediately to the right.  

I admit, the logistics are a nightmare, but with clever art spacing, it will be fun (I hope).


Anyway, any further commentary welcome (especially gagging with grudging smiles, that's the bag for this game).

Dav

[RobMuadib]

Okay, I finally got around and motivated enough to begin work on my new concept.
Soundtrack: Numb, "Deviation"
Soundtrack: Covenant, "Theremin"

Oooh, got to give you credit for killer 80sish Industrial (Yes, I know the songs and have the albums they are on, scary huh?:) )

Here endeth the sample text.  The idea, basically, is that everything must be, first and foremost, cool.  I mean cool in that same way that the great stories of our high school imaginations existed.  not the cool of who you may be today.  The setting, the visuals, all of it is that cool that now you chuckle at and shake your head... but somewhere in there, you still get a kick out of it.  The actual characters, however, will have actual issues and conflicts to resolve.
Thanks for your time,

Hmm, what to say, at first glance I like like it and stuff...... It's like gnarly. It seems in my cynical old age, abiding in the dawn of the basically lame, tired, uninspriring, recessionist 21st century, the 80s are just seeming cooler and cooler or something. So in short, I like the premise and all, and it reminds me I need to get around to writing another of my cool Narrativist game ideas...... Mythic Eighties, the 80s not as they were, but as we want to remember them:)

Rob
(Who likes Liquid Sky for most of the same reasons as your game premise:) and 1980s japan was the coolest.)

[Jared A. Sorensen]

Two things:

First, I wouldn't ever say what year it is.

Second, the name is totally not informative or evocative (of course, I have the same problem with Obsidian).

[Dav]

Rob;

I am so glad to see another Forger with good music tastes.  I am slightly concerned that many people will not have access or willingness to track the soundtracks down.  


Jared;

The year will be "tomorrow".  I agree, vague threats of the future are better than defined timelines.

Also, the name is a play on "The Rising Sun".  Titles are something that send me into conniptions.  I never know what to title stuff.  Do you have any particular suggestions?  All of my alternative titles would get me lynched by the PC community.

Dav

[Kenway]

Sorry, I'm still confused about the actual focus:
 -Is it a fairly subtle parody of Japanese-focused American cyberpunk?
 -A self-referential and knowing parody of what obsessed fanboys like?
 -Or a loud out loud, slap in the face parody of drooling anime-obsessed fanboy fan-fiction?


 Regarding Paul Czege's mention of Violence, I have a fond memory of my attempt to outdo that game by making a system with actual over-the-top mechanics.  Suffice it to say that the players could have hitpoints in the billions, damage was calculated using powers of up to 4 and one mini-boss had more hitpoints than there were atoms in the universe.  It was still playable, though.

[Jared A. Sorensen]

Also, the name is a play on "The Rising Sun".  Titles are something that send me into conniptions.  I never know what to title stuff.  Do you have any particular suggestions?  All of my alternative titles would get me lynched by the PC community.

I dunno.

Land of the Rising Gun?

But seriously, I didn't get that connection from Eternal Twilight...I just thought you meant it was dark all the time. I'd go with something identiably Japanese and/or cyberpunk. Neon Chrysanthemum or Chiba City or Banzai! or something...I dunno. I just use weird capitalization in my titles and hope for the best. ;)

Hmmm. Some Japanese "Engrish" might be cool...a few non-related words that combine to make something odd and interesting (like Bubblegum Crisis or Wild Zero).

Oh yeah, and ditto on Kenway's concerns. Is it supposed to be homage or parody?

- J

[Ron Edwards]

Homage vs. parody is a tough call for anything. Kind of a mileage issue, I think.

Having seen the MS for The Eternal Twilight (and I agree with Jared about the name), I'd say it's in the vein of the following:
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (parody/homage western)
Hardboiled (parody/homage HK cop action/drama)

With a tad more parody, perhaps.

But not:
Blazing Saddles (parody/homage western)
I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (parody/homage blaxploitation)

Best,
Ron

[Dav]

Kenway;

Ron pretty well hit the nail on the head.  It is a bit of both in the parody/homage area.  Think of it along the lines of "rueful nostalgia".

Jared;

My initial title (at risk of offending many parties) was The Downward Slant.  I figured that was asking for it.  I dunno, I will have to give the title some serious thought, and I suppose it may be better to title the damnable thing after I write it.  Maybe the Orient Expression... but that sounds, oh I dunno, stupid.

Anyway, I am having the system hammer itself together, which is dandy.  Soon it may actually be playable, which would be nice, being a game and all.

Dav

[Jared A. Sorensen]

My initial title (at risk of offending many parties) was The Downward Slant.  I figured that was asking for it.  I dunno, I will have to give the title some serious thought, and I suppose it may be better to title the damnable thing after I write it.  Maybe the Orient Expression... but that sounds, oh I dunno, stupid.

Check out the lyrics to "Big in Japan" by Alphaville:
http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~harel/cgi/page/htmlit?Big_in_Japan.html

[erithromycin]

I'll see your alphaville and raise you Tom Waits:

Big In Japan

The goal is to redeem yourself through play so that by the time you die, your death means something.

Nice. Yet, what if I want my death to be meaningless to signify the futility of bucking the system?

drew