Scion: Legends of the Wild West - Gameplay & Setting Information

[Ouroboros]

The American west. The year is 1875; the Civil War is ten years ended and yet the wounds are still fresh. Six years ago the first Transcontinental Railroad was completed connecting California to the East Coast. Texas Longhorn cattle are quickly expanding into lands emptied by the Bison slaughter of the 1860s. With the cattle came the first of the cowboys. The Comstock Lode (silver) and the various California Gold rushes resulted in boomtowns up and down the Rockies while others would soon be started in the Dakota Territory, including the infamous Deadwood. The US military, and the nominal landowners and settlers were ever pushing into Indian Territory sparking the Apache and Navajo wars among other armed conflicts. Chinese immigration to California is in full swing bringing cheap labor for both rail and mine work. Rogues like Jesse James are at the height of their careers while others like Billy the Kid are just getting started, and who knows, some of them may well be Scions as well.

Outside the World: Most of the Titans remained within their prisons the Gods look down on the world and do what they can to guide their mortal charges without falling deeper into Fate’s skein. The Yankee Pantheon, young and brash and newly formed watches the United States push westward. Uncle Sam and Columbia thrill as their idea of Manifest Destiny results in a growing nation, unaware of the damage being wrought; the Pantheon of Great Spirits (the gods of the Native North Americans) are being weakened by the death and displacement of their peoples. Several gods have disappeared and are presumed dead or corrupted. The Titan Logismoi, the Titan of Corruption, has escaped his prison as a result of the weakening of the Pantheon of Great Spirits. The other Titans, imprisoned in the underworld, are slowly coming to wakefulness. Its only a matter of time before their own prisons begin to break and the Overworld erupts once more into war between the Titans and the Gods.

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What's the setting? Geographically … pretty much anywhere. The focus early on in the game will be the western half of the US, everything west of the Mississippi River as well as northern Mexico. Later the game could range far and wide however …

Resisting Epic Socials A slight adjustment to the rules found in Hero (pg 184). When resisting social attempts from Heroes the usual 1 WP will ignore the effect of a failed resistance roll for 1 scene. The cost to resist goes to 2 WP against Demigod level Epic socials, and 3WP against God level Epic socials.

What of racism and sexism?

While people will still be racist and sexist I don't intent to play it as heavily and I do intend that in this game characters (both PC and NPC) can change people's impressions of them through their deeds and actions. A Scion (or mortal) who happens to be black (or Chinese, or native, or whatever) will be treated according to their deeds. For the PCs this means that the higher your legend you better received you will be (unless your legend includes a penchant for destroying everything in your path).

What kinds of media has influenced the game?

• Deadlands, specifically the Doomtown CCG
• The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.
• The Dollars Trilogy, a.k.a. The Man With No Name trilogy
• To some degreee The Dark Tower Series
• A dash of Firefly mostly the frontier aspect of the setting (not the spaceships and laser beams)
• ...and others ....

What kind of posting pace is intended? As a ST I intend to update the main thread as often as needed, I expect that will be 2 to 3 times a week normally, more often during combats and based on player activity. I ask that players be prepared to post to the main threads every 2 days or so in order to keep things going but I understand that this isn't always possible. The exception to this is Combat where you will be given a 24 of 48 hour window to post when your turn comes up. In fictions with other players the participants should set their own speed/posting frequency.

[Ouroboros]

Kockdown & Knockback rules (Hero pg 198) will be used.

[Ouroboros]

A note on Followers and other player held NPCs

Any followers, guides, intelligent creatures, etc. that you may have are under dual control between the play and the ST. If there is a question what the NPC would know either ask me or ask me to post.

[Ouroboros]

Olde Timey Slang

...and more...

[Ouroboros]

Fictions and Stuff Outside of the ST Plot Threads

I was asked this at least once, and I'm guessing that people may be curious. You are free to write fictions at any time you wish with the following caveat: Please set any fictions prior to the start of the currently running plots.

[Ouroboros]

Stunt Dice

Given the nature of a PBP game stunt dice will be rewarded at the sole discretion of the ST and apply to the PCs next action. The delayed stunt dice are just the easiest way to apportion that particular reward (rather than editing in the dice). At any time you wish to take advantage of one of the alternate rewards (ie. regaining legend or WP) just let me know in your next post that you are making those exchanges.