[OOC] [Mage: the Awakening 2E] The Supernal Suburbia

[Haberdasher]

I think what frustrates me is the lack of clarity in the book - or maybe I'm just daft. It does say that a Legacy Attainment is, paraphrased, "invoking an internalised Praxis from her reshaped soul, rather than reaching into the Supernal" - and spellcasting is invoking the Supernal directly. So you're right that Legacy Attainments can't invoke Paradox. I wish the rulebook could spell it out more clearly, though.



Page 298. A blatant Legacy Attainment, e.g., a Tamer of Fire's manipulation of fire, could be defined as "obvious magic" - yet, as mentioned above, it is an effect from a reshaped soul, rather than drawn from the Supernal...

This frustrates me. I'll not dispute your ruling either way, and I appreciate the insight.

I'm looking forward to the campaign! Got an ETA on when it kicks off?

If I remember correctly, rwknoll said that he was on vacation until the 11th. So I'm assuming some time after that. Can't wait to get this Chronicle started, so excited!

[rwknoll]

If I find a clearer explanation I'll let you know, and if it contradicts my current ruling, I'll change it accordingly.

Aiming to start the game in a few days at best. Right now it looks like everyone is waiting on me. I just need to add some more info about La Grange, double check that everyone is all set, and start the IC thread.

[Kvitebjørn Kong Valemon]

If I remember correctly, rwknoll said that he was on vacation until the 11th. So I'm assuming some time after that. Can't wait to get this Chronicle started, so excited!

Ah, still that long, huh... the anticipation is keeping me tense.

Lynx has only been in Chicaco for a couple of days now - I believe Oscar has met Simon through the FYS, but I don't know if Lynx has met Ragnar. Got any thoughts about that, Haberdasher?

If I find a clearer explanation I'll let you know, and if it contradicts my current ruling, I'll change it accordingly.

Aiming to start the game in a few days at best. Right now it looks like everyone is waiting on me. I just need to add some more info about La Grange, double check that everyone is all set, and start the IC thread.

Appreciated! You have my trust either way.

[Haberdasher]

Kvitebjørn Kong Valemon Looking over the section on Mage Sight, Active Mage Sight is required to see another mage's Nimbus flare, and unless Lynx does something that catches Ragnar's Peripheral Sight, I don't think Ragnar would have cause to scrutinize Oscar with Focused Sight. At this point, I think the only things that put Oscar on Ragnar's radar are the fact that Oscar is a student in the FYS that Ragnar is T.A. for, and that he might find Oscar attractive.

Which brings me to a point that I've been meaning to run by everybody, but been hesitant to bring up: out of all our entire cabal, there is one straight male, a lesbian, a queer male, two bisexual males, and a gay male. How does everybody feel about doing romance in this Chronicle? Specifically, between PCs and NPCs or even between cabal-mates? I don't think that would be an issue for Dr. Asphodel or Binder, since one is a divorced lesbian dealing with the fallout from her divorce and Binder is a straight family man, but in-universe, I don't see anything stopping Lynx, Moonstone, Phoenix, or Ragnar from developing an interest in each other and wanting to act on it.

So I would like to hear from all the other players and our ST about comfort levels dealing with this subject matter, and what everybody thinks is okay and not okay.

Personally, I'm fine with any of the members of the cabal participating in romantic scenes. I think if it's done right, it could add some drama to the Chronicle. I would even be fine with romances between PCs developing. That said, I don't want the game to get bogged down in romance, and I would be uncomfortable with having to get into nitty-gritty details- if there's intimacy, I would be perfectly content with scenes "fading to black" where necessary and picking back up when the deed is done. Some of the best Chronicles I have read involved PCs exploring their feelings for other characters, including romantic feelings, and never once did those scenes rise above anything that I would consider PG or at most, PG-13.

Of course, I could be committing a major faux pas even discussing this, so if I am, I'm sorry. I just know from reading the core books for the 2e games that romantic and sexual relationships, including LGBT ones, do get touched on fairly frequently in the books. I don't mean for this to sound like a demand on my part- "Romance or I'm out!" or something- but it was just a scenario that crossed my mind- "Hey, should we talk about the possibility of romance?"- and I wanted to express how I felt about it and see how everybody else felt, and then make a decision. So to recap: I'm not opposed to romance being an element in the Chronicle, and I would not be opposed to roleplaying a romantic scene between Ragnar and a ST character- or another PC, if the other player was willing and didn't feel uncomfortable with the prospect. I do, however, think that romance, if included, should be used as a tool to get characters to reveal elements of themselves and to establish connections with other characters -i.e., to explain their motivation to another character in an organic way, or to establish or deepen a connection with that character- and I don't want romance to become the focus of the Chronicle. I'm also unwilling to role-play scenes once they get beyond talk, and would want those scenes to politely "bow out" and pick up later.

That's my position on the issue. How does everybody else feel?

[MagicSwordsman]

That's my position on the issue. How does everybody else feel?

I'm OK with pretty much anything. Obviously I think Binder will probably be only interacting romantically with Daisy and I don't expect he'll be involved in anything explicit. I'm OK with things being more explicit (as long as the scene has a point and it isn't just pornographic roleplaying) but I'm also OK with the bar being set lower if it's what makes people more comfortable.

[Beans]

I'm fine with romance as part of the story, whether PC/NPC or PC/PC, as long as it's used to enrich the story and/or characters involved. I agree that things should fade to black before it gets too heavy.

In Vo's case, it would take some time for her to become open to romance again, but that could be a fruitful area of character development should it happen.

Also, I'll try to get my sheet post updated tomorrow.

[Kvitebjørn Kong Valemon]

Looking over the section on Mage Sight, Active Mage Sight is required to see another mage's Nimbus flare, and unless Lynx does something that catches Ragnar's Peripheral Sight, I don't think Ragnar would have cause to scrutinize Oscar with Focused Sight. At this point, I think the only things that put Oscar on Ragnar's radar are the fact that Oscar is a student in the FYS that Ragnar is T.A. for, and that he might find Oscar attractive.

Oscar does use his magic, but not a lot - and not (much) in public. Unless rwknoll objects, though, I think it would be interesting if they find out they have magic in common in-character as part of the first chapter or plot - maybe as Oscar does use magic for the first time around Ragnar...

Which brings me to a point that I've been meaning to run by everybody...

...That's my position on the issue. How does everybody else feel?

I don't mind romance as part of the campaign, so long as it's a tool for character development.

I agree that romance shouldn't be focal - this isn't 50 Shades of La Grange or Twilight: Supernal Suburbia Edition (I hope...). If it seems like something's blossoming between two characters, the players can discuss it behind the scenes - through private messages or some other means - relay the development to rwknoll so he can take it into account, and then let it play out through in-character interactions. If the scene's going somewhere sexual, it probably should just fade to black.

I don't think you made a faux pas, by the way. I appreciate you bringing it up. It's best that we're all on the same page, after all.

Beans: since Vo teaches Oscar's FYS and they've met that way, does she know Oscar's Awakened? Does she know Ragnar is as well?

[crapcarp]

crapcarp - Did you decide which Forces 2 attainment you wanted to go with? Otherwise, I think you're all set.

Yup, I chose Precise Force. I also changed the Rote Skill of Mental Scan to Occult from Empathy, mostly because I plan on raising Occult since it's so useful for mages to have and makes perfect sense for Phoenix to learn.

Which brings me to a point that I've been meaning to run by everybody, but been hesitant to bring up...

...That's my position on the issue. How does everybody else feel?

I was wondering when this was gonna be brought up. The reason I didn't is because to be frank, I don't really care about it all that much. That said, I'm all for romance as a means of exploring the characters and story. I personally don't mind reading XXX material so long as it's tasteful and has an actual purpose (same thing goes for things like gore, insanity, and other mature subjects). Although, if others would rather those scenes simply "fade to black", I'm okay with that, too.

I'd also like to second KKV on you not making a faux pas. It is a legitimate subject to bring up. Think about it, if it was a faux pas to bring up romance and sex, yet it's somehow not so to bring up extreme violence, depraved acts, horrifying revelations, and other horror elements, it would be kinda hypocritical.

Anyways, from Phoenix's end, he just lost his comrades. It's also quite likely that he's had romantic feelings for one of them (I haven't thought too far on the cell as characters, mostly because I wanna keep Phoenix's hunting part of his storyline open for another game). He's grieving, and he's still in the denial stage because he's burying his feelings in work, exercise, and alcohol. So, he can either: shut off from romance completely due to shutting off his emotions, or he could be too eager to get into the game as another means of burying his grief.

I'm not sure which one to go for. The first one would be easier to roleplay, but it could possibly shut off plot hooks. The second one would make Phoenix more dynamic in that particular area, but it might be inappropriate. Any thoughts on the matter?

[Kvitebjørn Kong Valemon]

Anyways, from Phoenix's end, he just lost his comrades. It's also quite likely that he's had romantic feelings for one of them (I haven't thought too far on the cell as characters, mostly because I wanna keep Phoenix's hunting part of his storyline open for another game). He's grieving, and he's still in the denial stage because he's burying his feelings in work, exercise, and alcohol. So, he can either: shut off from romance completely due to shutting off his emotions, or he could be too eager to get into the game as another means of burying his grief.

I'm not sure which one to go for. The first one would be easier to roleplay, but it could possibly shut off plot hooks. The second one would make Phoenix more dynamic in that particular area, but it might be inappropriate. Any thoughts on the matter?

Why not both? 8D

Seriously, though: sober Phoenix is all apathetic work and exercise, the drunk one all too eager to find something resembling happiness in a self-destructive manner - y'know, the Jekyll/Hyde approach, the perfect solution if you want a trainwreck of sizable proportions?


If it's one or the other, though, I see merit in both. If I consider Lynx's perspective, seeing somebody who essentially represses himself in denial and grief would definitely make him want to try to help - drama ahoy! The second option is, of course, more dynamic. Again, from Lynx's perspective, indulgence is great and all, but I think he would be able to tell that Phoenix's doing it to compensate, and will, in turn want to help. If it's an issue of propriety, I reckon we'll communicate if it goes too far, and you'll adjust accordingly?

[rwknoll]

Haberdasher - I really appreciate you bringing this up and the maturity with which you asked to discuss it. This actually is on my list of things I wanted to discuss before we got the IC thread up and running (more on that in a minute).

I would prefer to limit "on screen" interactions to PG-13 or R at most. I appreciate that CoD games are adult in nature, and I know there are going to be adult themes (violence, murder, sexuality) throughout the game. But I'm personally not comfortable with X-rated scenes and would prefer the "fade to black" approach.

If characters want to be involved with each other romantically, as with all other significant drama related to the PCs, I'm fine with it as long as all players involved are fine with it OOCly.

[Beans]

Beans: since Vo teaches Oscar's FYS and they've met that way, does she know Oscar's Awakened? Does she know Ragnar is as well?

I think a yes to Oscar; not 100% sure on Ragnar, though.

[Kvitebjørn Kong Valemon]

I think a yes to Oscar; not 100% sure on Ragnar, though.

Hmm. How'd you figure she knows a student's Awakened, but not her TA?

[Beans]

Good point, now that you bring it up---sorry, brain's a little fried today. Probably she'd know both.

[Kvitebjørn Kong Valemon]

Vo having Prime 1 would make it logical that she knows Oscar is Awakened. That doesn't necessarily mean she's approached him outside of lectures... though you're the professor and he's a student. Lynx wouldn't know how to find other Awakened, though.

[Caladriu]

I don't have an issue with including romance/relationship elements in the game, although I'm not personally interested in playing that with another PC. For Moonstone, his main thing is the weird and unlabeled "It's Complicated" relationship he had with Hakim, and I'd definitely like to have that as an issue he's working through and look back on it with Time or Mind. Actually, in line with his fractured perceptions, I keep thinking it would be an interesting little Mystery if he has a few memories of their time that appear differently through Postcognition and Perfect Recall. Either his mind has been messed with or the record of Time has, or both, really. I'm interested in playing someone who firmly holds a belief even when it's not supported by the evidence, defiantly and desperately rejecting reality in the way that mages do.