Topics

31

Norbayne / What is Norbayne?

« on: July 24, 2012, 03:37:29 PM »

Well guys, what is Norbayne?

Norbayne is a homebrew RPG that I've been developing with a heavy reliance on the humble D10. It is a relatively high fantasy setting but in such a way that the various species could possibly exist.

It's plausible rather than, "Chaos did it."

People familiar with the games might detect definite Elder Scrolls overtones but these are more or less unintentional. Alright, sue me. Sometimes Bethesda actually managed to do something sort of unique. Usually the unique stuff was crap but sometimes, just sometimes, it was ok. And so I pinched it, renamed it, made significant changes etc. The inspiration might still be noticeable but that should be all it is. Inspiration.

What makes Norbayne different from all your other two-bit fantasy worlds? Possum people.

No, in all seriousness, there has been a lot of thought put into the plausibility of beings existing, with large amounts of research being done in the fields of speculative evolution, alternate domestication, cryptozoology, palaeotology, anthropology and zoology. Probably a couple of other 'ologies added in there too but that aught to do for now.

Oh, and yes. There are possum people but it makes sense and they're awesome.

Anyway, more information will be made available to the public as I work on it because above all else, Norbayne is.... a work in progress.... Like you didn't see that coming. That revelation was about as subtle as a thrown English teacher.

32

Stories and AARs / Piece of armadillo really.

« on: June 26, 2012, 05:11:46 PM »

Well I've been really frustrated for a while now. I've had a vague idea for a world I wanted to write in but I just couldn't come up with a story. With some encouragement from Ladyhawk, I eventually decided that rather than starting a novel, perhaps I'd write a short story to get some stuff sorted out about the world as a whole.

Now it's not very good. And the poetry at the end is not only not very good, it's actually very not good.

Oh and it's meant to be a cautionary tale told by an old man who's educating a handful of the village young 'uns.

"He ran. Not knowing where he came from, nor where he was going, he ran. He knew it was foolhardy to be abroad during the Eclipse. Why hadn't he listened? Why had he insisted on going out into the merciless dark?

Blindly he ran. Ahead of him was nothing but the blankness of the Eclipse's dark embrace. Behind were the blackpelts, the devil-dogs, the hunters in the dark. The beasts who made the Eclipse a weekly nightmare for the peoples of Norbayne. Nothing could be seen.

Deafened he ran, the baying of the black hounds drowning out any noise in the unnatural night. For twelve hours the Eclipse would run its course. Every week, families would lock up their dwellings all over the world and retreat to safe, sanctified places where the demons could not materialise.

Senses numbed in the cold and dark, he ran. The scholars said the hounds were spirits of the world, angered by the civilisations which had risen. His very blood ran chill in his veins as the blackpelts closed in on their prey. He was tiring, panic giving way to bone-deep weariness as the power of the hounds worked upon him. None could escape them. They were tireless, they were cunning and they were fast.

Defeated in the end by his weak heart, he fell. The dogs drew close around him and the air filled with bloodthirsty howls of triumph.

You see children,
This world was theirs before it was ours,
Death comes for us all, regardless of vows,
So take what you can and fear the shadows in the dark,
For every arrow loosed hits its destined mark,
The Gods watch us all, or so they say,
So stay in your homes, out of the way,
The hounds cannot get you if you beware the Eclipse,
For the sweet maiden in the sky has poison 'pon her lips."

Anyway, maybe I might be able to get my act together regarding the big actual story, which if I do it, I'll flesh this thing out and have it as the prologue.

I do think however that it would be a good setting for an RPG but that's discussion for another time.

33

The Exilian Channel & Twitch / The PhLog Thread

« on: June 17, 2012, 05:37:19 PM »

Heya guys,

It's really freakin' later here. Well, early I guess but no matter. I guess that explains why I'm posting this.

Basically, here's the deal.

I'm most probably going to see Ladyhawk this coming weekend and we've discussed doing a new video.

The problem, as it were, is that neither of us have any idea regarding a subject to talk about.

So ideas people! Please! the Bunneh does not demand but by God he will go over to where you live and slit your throat with a sharpened carrot while your asleep if you don't give us anything.

Thanks guys,

34

Bethesda Mods / PG and LH's Oblivion Mod

« on: June 03, 2012, 11:27:00 AM »

Alrighty then,

Basically this is an idea I had after many late nights, far too much Coke and God help me but both of those combined with Ladyhawk's encouragement. I apologise to you all and I can't help but think that Ladyhawk will be along soon to offer her own apologies.

I'd like to preface this by saying that, for now at least I do not own Oblivion or any other Elder Scrolls game although I have played Oblivion for about a week in the past and Skyrim for about 20 seconds at Ladyhawk's place the other night. I know armadilloe all about the background, namely because in the few times where I got into a conversation with Duke Dev about it I was immediately struck by how much it seemed to be a random amalgamation of Warhammer / Lord of the Rings / Dungeons & Dragons etc. Basically I was utterly bewildered by the fact that, in the tradition of fantasy worlds everywhere, it took/stole/borrowed/raped exisiting fantasy themes and ideas.

I thought about it a bit more and thought, great! That means I can do all sorts of weird armadillo with it.

So then I asked Ladyhawk is I might be able to borrow her Oblivion disc. I do it for Skyrim but quite honestly, newer games tend to piss me off with how they never work well on any computer I buy, regardless of how good that computer might be. Ladyhawk agreed and asked me why I wanted it. I informed her of my plan and she got really interested. Perhaps Exilian might be interested too. That and I want to stay ahead of CG in the Top 10 Topic Starters.

So now the idea.
As we know, Oblivion has ten existing races. As we also know, I love Elves. As we also also know, Oblivion elves are weird. What most of you don't know, Oblivion elves give ME the absolute armadillos. So I'd personally like to make some changes there. With absolutely no regard to the Oblivion fluff I just know I am viciously violating in almost every conceivable orifice, I give you my revised list of Oblivion races.

Races and changes to be made:

Imperials - Will stay pretty much the same as they are but I would like to have some sort of military cultural history going on for all the different races. If that goes ahead then these guys will be all arming sword and shield. They will lose the katanas. Katanas will go to another race.

Redguard - Staying more or less as is.

Orcs - Unsure as to whether to have them playable. Might as well I guess but they will have more of a tribal cultural thing to them. Because an Orc in pristine full plate is always going to be a bit odd.

Bosmer - Basically short dudes who live in the forest. They'll be more or less the same as now except they won't be referred to as elves. So something like halflings but without big feet and a bit more warlike and less sedentary.

Dunmer - More or less the same as now except once more, they will not be called elves. They will, on the other hand have some more similarities to Drow from D&D.

Khajiit - Not changing much except I'd like to do some work on the models and textures to make them look a bit nicer, so a little more like the Khajiit in Skyrim.

Argonians - Once again not changing much.

Nords - Again the same. As far as cutural influences go, big axes and swords and leather and hide armour.

Now for the new races:

Dwarves - I want short bearded dudes with axes who want to kill Orcs. They'll have a passive effect that grants night vision and will be tough little bastards. Slow though.

Elves - Basically the normal Tolkien-esque Elf. I'm thinking a culture similar to a cross between the three Elven races in Warhammer. A nasty murder God like Khaine who demands sacrifices, a predatory view towards humans and other races in general and a style and political system similar to the High Elves.

Some sort of Dog People - I had an idea for piratical dog people. Now I'm undecided whether that means cutlass style pirates or vikings. But either way, dog people would be cool. They would be related to the Khajiit I guess.

Gnolls perhaps? - I don't know but they do show up a hell of a lot in D&D I guess. Hyena people could be cool.

Snake People perhaps too - Once again they show up quite a bit in D&D and it wouldn't be too hard to put them in because they wouldn't be too dissimilar to Argonians. What's more, a venomous bite could be cool.

Some type of Satyr/Faun thing? - Large goat like people. Maybe even a minotaur if they don't exist already in Oblivion.
EDIT* We've done some research. Turns out Oblivion does have Minotaurs so we've decided there will be two races of Minotaur now. One will be the Wild Minotaurs, ten foot tall and really nasty, built like a semi-trailer and with a temperament like a pitbull terrier on crack. The other race will be the smaller Feartarbh or Man-bulls in Gaelic (sue me ) who will look down upon their uncivilised brethren. The Feartarbh will look a hell of a lot like the minotaurs from Narnia, namely cause they look awesome.

Are Centaurs even possible? - Cause if so that would be AWESOME!
EDIT* Turns out they are possible and I'm damned well doing it.

In addition to the new races I'd like to add some more stuff to the Vampyre curse and I'd also like to have some sort of Werewolf curse while I'm at it.

We have had more ideas but for now this is all I'm putting up.

Anyone who has ideas that they'd like to see or would like to offer their help would be more than welcome.

Cheers,

35

Questions and Suggestions - The High Court / A suggestion that might make things a little easier come election time

« on: June 03, 2012, 03:27:18 AM »

Hey guys,

Basically I'm just thinking that the political party system is pretty tucked away so I'm thinking perhaps we might be able to bring it to the fore a little. My idea? Have a little place in the user profile page to type your political party. (Exilian one of course, who cares about RL politics? ) 

This would then show up under the avatar of the user making it far easier for whoever runs the elections because the affiliation will be right beneath the nominee's avatar rather than having to search through the threads until you find the party pages.

There's the other added benefit of bringing the political party system to light for newcomers. At the moment they'll only find out about them if they do some sneaking around, something which most people wouldn't mainly because they're too busy in the Forum Games.

All in all, its only a small change and probably not very important but I like the idea.

Cheers,

36

Announcements! The Town Crier! / TWO NEW TRIUMPHS!

« on: June 02, 2012, 02:19:03 PM »

Howdy guys,

Just got some good news from one of our friendly neighbourhood Tribunoi, Miss Ladyhawk.

We have two new triumphant dudes around here!

First up Jubal. As we all know Jubal is the man, the head-man, the ataman, the lord, saviour of the world, except maybe not that last bit. I don't know, he might be.

His triumph is earned through the release of an absolute ton of modding work, namely on Narnia and Warhammer Total War along with work on his own little RPG and some writing and such. A pretty amazing guy in all, so let's everyone give a major round of applause!

Secondly, our very own Comrade_General, the friendly cow guru packing an uzi, with a tendency to post video references.

His triumph is earned through more modding work. Heaps. Absolutely loads! Too much to write I'm afraid, so you're just going to have check some out yourself like, say, Persian Invasion. In addition to that he has done some excellent work outside of his own staff purview such as organising the staff meeting. For us poor Aussies the meeting may have been at bloody five in the morning but still, a damned good job.

Well done both of you, well deserved indeed. A round of applause for them both if you please ladies and gentlemen!

37

Finished/Dead Mafias and RPGs / Wibbulniblia 3: Concept Thread

« on: May 16, 2012, 02:15:32 PM »

Just so that I don't forget about this idea that I had while speaking with the beautiful Ladyhawk.

When Dimos' Massalia game has run its course I'm thinking of starting a new Wibbulniblia. The catch is, there is a new strain of Daemon, one which possesses it's victims and takes them over. The idea is still in it's infancy but I'm considering it very closely.

The main catch: The scum don't know they're scum. They believe they're town.

We'll probably need quite a few players for this one but I promise you, it will be glorious.

Naturally though it will wait until after Massalia.

Until then guys,

38

Forum Games - The Beer Cellar! / Deadliest Warrior: The Forum Game

« on: January 19, 2012, 02:28:19 PM »

Hey guys,

While playing Extended Factions I started thinking about Deadliest Warrior. I know, tis a silly show, but what if they actually did match-ups that made fething sense hey? I mean like forgetting this armadillo with almost 1000 year gaps between the fighters and actually have relatively fair and interesting match-ups.

This got me thinking about a forum game.  My thoughts were that we'd post 2 warriors of antiquity with a set of equipment that would be divided into a few categories. Then we could discuss who we think would win and a highly effective, state of the art computer program (ie. Warband with some choice modding) that would tell us who would win as accurately as Warband could.

If you vote for the winner you get... 10 Triumph Points perhaps?

What say you, my friends?

EDIT* Apparently, yes.

1st Match-Up

So far we have:

Late-era Huscarl
- Nordic Arming Sword (I hate Oakeshott typology. It's a major pain the ass, so I'm not gonna bother)
- Large Wooden Round Shield
- Great Axe.  Likely a bearded one.
- Perhaps a throwing weapon of some description?
- Mail over boiled leather, conical steel helm.

Steppe Horseman
Now are we talking Sarmatian or more Hunnic? Cause there's a big difference.

Stay tuned!

39

Finished/Dead Mafias and RPGs / The Hill Strategic Forum Game: Development Thread

« on: January 15, 2012, 01:03:08 PM »

Heya guys,

Well, as a lot of us know, Dimos' Hill RPG has been running for a while now. It has had its fair share of highs and lows and I commend Dimos on his efforts. I'll just begin by saying now, well done Dimos! Round of applause people! 

EDIT*

Now this has been inspired by Dimos' game. IT IS NOT A CONTINUATION AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS SUCH.

As far as features go, they will be forthcoming but I think how this should work is a simple vote to see what ideas are liked. Simply post your idea in the thread and a poll will be put up to determine the public opinion on the idea.

For starters, let's kick it off with the big one. Who wants armies?

I will put together a trial rules set for everyone to pick over and suggest changes to soon. Then this project can really begin.

Cheers,

40

Announcements! The Town Crier! / Extended Factions Video Trailer

« on: January 15, 2012, 05:49:09 AM »

My good friend JankoMega has kindly made a video trailer for Extended Factions.

This was done with the old version of the mod so there's a lot of stuff that's changed including ten more factions compared to those early days.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwvHjdMPMq0&feature=youtu.be

Cheers guys,

41

Mount and Blade Discussion - Sargoth Town Square / The Last Days of Middle Earth has been released for 1.011!

« on: January 14, 2012, 08:55:25 AM »

Hey guys,

I'm a bit late but here's something amazing for all those who still play 1.011.

http://forums.taleworlds.com/index.php/topic,199243.0.html

Cheers,

42

Finished/Dead Mafias and RPGs / Warhammer Fantasy RPG: Dark Majesty

« on: December 04, 2011, 04:48:43 AM »

Ok guys, this here is the game thread for the Warhammer Fantasy RPG, Dark Majesty.

A quick run-through of how this will work:

Basic Actions: Please post here what you wish to do. Do not include in your post how others react to your actions, nor should you attribute an action to another character. If you wish to undertake an action secretly, please pm me where I will determine whether the action is successfully undertaken and will post anything that would be seen by the rest of the party. In the case of whispering, pm the statement to me and I will pass it on through pm. Do not under any circumstances pm another player in character. As the GM I have to know what is being said.

Combat: I do not want this game to become bogged down in combat so most of them will be cut down into sections. Post in this thread what your overall objectives are for the fight. For example:
"I'm going to take the Gor on the left and try to kill it. If it turns out to be too strong I'll fall back." This is a lot better than,
"I kill the Gor on the left and then scare off all the others."
Remember, Warhammer is a nasty world. Things can kill you, and they can do it easily.

If you need help with something you want to do or anything at all, please pm me.

With that being said, my good players, welcome to Dark Majesty!

Player List:
Therix: Cuautemoc, Saurus Mercenary
Jubal: Frederich Tybarino Bagelskuchs, Tilean Halfling Agitator
NightAngel: Tonto Mortal, Bretonnian Bard
Dripping D: Bjorn Jonstrom, Norscan Berserker
Declan Jones: Folstaff Folstaffson, Dwarf Traveller
Mark the Khan: Barnan Arbell, Estalian Soldier

43

Finished/Dead Mafias and RPGs / Warhammer Fantasy RPG Signup: We have our players!

« on: November 11, 2011, 01:09:55 PM »

I have for several years now, run a more-or-less acclaimed RPG based in the Warhammer World. It occured to me relatively recently that I could well adapt it online play. As I felt in the desperate need to GM a group once more, I went ahead and so this thread is made.

So please, if you are interested post as much on here, preferrably with at least a basic idea of what you would like to play.

Now I realise that several people are busy with Axiosa but I figured I would post this here, mainly because I'm an impatient sod and I couldn't wait to get GM'ing a group RPG again.

Player List:
Alexander: Umforth Back-Snapper, Ogre Mercenary
Therix: Cuautemoc, Saurus Mercenary
Jubal: Frederich Tybarino Bagelskuchs, Tilean Halfling Agitator
NightAngel: Tonto Mortal, Bretonnian Bard
Dripping D: Bjorn Jonstrom, Norscan Berserker
Declan Jones: A Dwarf
Mark the Khan: Barnan Arbell, Estalian Soldier

44

M&B Mods - The Explorer's Society / The Sabbat Worlds Regiment Competition

« on: October 14, 2011, 05:59:21 AM »

Well guys, to celebrate the initiation of The Sabbat Crusade mod for Warband, I have decided to run a small competition.

Basically, tell me a little bit about your own Imperial Guard Regiment.

World:
Speciality:
Any random little interesting pieces of background you'd like:
Uniform, the most important thing of all:

The winning entry gets their Regiment, fully playable in the mod.

Cheers,

45

Stories and AARs / The Edge of Darkness

« on: October 13, 2011, 12:20:28 AM »

And here's the story I wrote for the actual QCS, minus a few fancy things I didn't do in my draft and couldn't remember when I got home.

The night had been exceptionally long.  A dark shroud had covered the forest for months, the cloying shadows giving the impression of a disease festering in amongst the woods.  Dew covered the mist-strewn forest floor, an icy reminder of the lack of warmth.  Pools of water were brackish and stagnant as if without the healing touch of the sun, water itself was unable to remain healthy.  Trees showed the signs of the hard times, their boughs devoid of leaves, utterly lifeless.   This severe corruption had run through the entirety of the forest, leaving all living things grey and longing for the golden touch of the sun.

One of these creatures was the wolf.  A large creature adapted to better times, when prey was large and plentiful and there was enough light to run down its victim.  The wolf’s dark grey pelt helped it to blend into the shadows of this new era, however a predator’s pride is a strong force and the beast did not wish to slink around in the darkness.  In the mind of the wolf, there was no thrill greater than running free and wild under the benevolent presence of the sun.  Without its golden rays illuminating the forest, the wolf had been unable to hunt effectively, his carefully timed runs unequal to the sheer speed of its prey and their numerous hiding places.

The wolf’s hunger gnawed at his innards just as the wolf itself had done to his prey.  The pain had escalated in the past week as more and more time had passed without a meal.  The wolf’s crushing bite and indefatigable stamina may have been equal to the task of ending lives, however it required enormous amounts of sustenance to fuel these functions.  The predator’s strength was nearly at an end.  Still, the wolf would not accept defeat, the predator’s pride preventing it from doing so.  He held on to life in the vain hope that, perhaps, the shadows might be pushed back by the silver glint of dawn.

The wolf’s staggering steps belied his purpose as the predator wandered through the forest, questing for life.  The beast needed to feel flesh parting under its fangs, the ripping of flesh and the crushing of bone.  Lost in the reverie, the wolf almost failed to notice the slight lessening of the oppressive gloom.   Astray beam of gold streaked down from the predominantly grey sky, illuminating a nearby clearing.  The light excited the old wolf, bringing back more memories of the hunt.  The taste of blood foremost in the predator’s mind, the wolf made his way into the clearing, eager to finally feed.

The golden blanket of the rising sun had begun to bring heat and light back to a comfort deprived world.  In the clearing, a deer had emerged from the undergrowth to take advantage of the gathering dawn.  As its head bent down to crop the blades of grass from the slowly warming ground, the wolf got into position.  The predator hugged the ground, the charcoal grey shape indistinct as it weaves through the dense woodland.  A sharp crack spit the air as the wolf’s fatigue caused him to make a mistake.  The prey’s head jerked up, wide brown eyes scanning anxiously for danger.  The predator froze, as if the very breath of winter had engulfed it.  He went unnoticed by the deer and as it continued grazing, the wolf broke cover.

The dark grey shape hurtled from the tree line, ivory fangs glinting in the waxing light.  A savage growl ripped free from the wolf’s throat, full of primal fury as yet another skirmish erupted in the war between predator and prey.  The deer looked up, terror welling in those brown eyes as it bleated in fear and turned to run.  It made no difference, as the wolf’s endurance and speed would easily allow the predator to close with its prey.  However, as the deer began to attempt its flight, the golden touch of the sun receded, leaving the forest and its inhabitants shrouded in a dull blanket of death and darkness once more.

I reckon I related it to the stimulus alright. Personally I don't think its as good as me eagle one but still...

EDIT: Holy fudgemonkeys! I won the Writer of the Year with this! Maybe the eagle one wasn't as good after all.