Court Creation

[MachineIV]

I just posted Court Creation and Toronto. This thread is for discussing Court Creation.

This is the post: http://theonyxpath.com/changeling-th...n-and-toronto/

[ArcaneArts]

So, Let's toss an idea out there.

Your base story is the tale as old as time, Beauty and the Beast, but it's also Little Red Riding Hood, the two used together to create dynamics and depth. They refer, in their way, to a basic story that's as old as Enkidu and Shamhat-the sacred woman(Hood/Belle) falling in love/lust with the carnal, worldly man(The Beast/The Wolf). Gender isn't actually important, both can be women or men or trans or whatever combo. On top of that, you have the dynamic of the Woodsman from Hood and Gaston/Avenant from Beauty as the beast, the Woodsman(Huntsman) alternatively cast as hero and villain, much like the beastly character.

Build a Bulwark and Courts out of it.

Yes, this is the idea I was playing with for the Paris Courts. I want to see if the ideas I have are going in a sane direction.

EDIT: ALso, I'm just super curious about what people will come up with on this setup. I'll put out what I have so far once I see some ideas.

BONUS POINTS: Incorporate dueling as a major mechanism.

EXTRA BONUS POINTS: Build the Courts, not on the archetypes? but on responses to the Story.

[Illuminated Minutia]

I really like what I'm seeing just from my initial read through. I'm probably going to pick it apart later, but so far it looks great.

One thing I love is that the example Court is such an odd concept. Rather than go with the more by the book stuff like Seasons or Day/Night (which it looks like will be covered in the locations section), the book gives you an idea of just how weird and creative you can get with it. "A town's industries" is not something I would have ever imagined as a Court structure, but dang if it's not interesting.

Also I like how simple you've managed to make the Contracts bit. Whittling the "emotional" Contracts down to a single Contract with multiple facets like the Elemental Contracts is a great idea.

[proindrakenzol]

How tied to the Court specifically does the ritual have to be to be effective? Like, could a small Freehold in LA have a Bruins court and a Trojans court and swap rulers based on who won the last football game?

[YeOfLittleFaith]

IOne thing I love is that the example Court is such an odd concept. Rather than go with the more by the book stuff like Seasons or Day/Night (which it looks like will be covered in the locations section), the book gives you an idea of just how weird and creative you can get with it. "A town's industries" is not something I would have ever imagined as a Court structure, but dang if it's not interesting.

Absolutely second this.

[schizoPOP]

I really like this. It does mean there's a bit more logistical work for a given location, but it seems simple enough to work out and I much prefer the "each freehold defines its own story" approach.

Does the Bulwark just add to Defense, or is there more to it than that?

[ArcaneArts]

I'd say that if it ever comes up, the True Fae take a penalty to navigating the Hedge towards a city equal to the mantle of the current reigning party's representative(ie, their Sovereign), but that's a clear houserule that probably won't come up often.

[fetfet]

I feel like the Court Creation system is perfect for some of the weirder ideas I've had about Changeling in the past, like:

Neighbourhood Courts in New York that only cover a handful of city blocks but wield absolute power within them.

Splintered philosophical Courts in North Chicago, and a strong, unified Court in South Chicago.

Satirical Courts in Stockholm, where all the Changelings feel the freehold is just a big inside joke.

Stuff like that. This system is modular and just really effective.

[Charlaquin]

This is really cool. I love how mechanically light it is, with most of the customization coming in the form of concept. What's the story your freehold tells? What rituals do the courts practice to maintain the bulwark? What emotion does each court represent? What a their Approaches? They're all fairly simple questions that can be thought about from a completely narrative focus, and the framework allows the mechanics to arise naturally from that with very little fuss. This is great because it makes me excited to come up with the Stories for the Freeholds for the major cities in my big crossover project, instead of feeling like more work I have to do.

I'm intrigued by the idea of Approaches, but not entirely sure what to make of them yet. I think I like them. But I don't fully grok their place in the world yet. Are they supposed to be vulnerabilities or advantages? They seem like a bit of both, which I like, but without knowing how Huntsmen work or what Yearning does, it's not entirely clear why a Huntsman would play into them. I could use more examples of Approaches and how a Huntsman might exploit them (or ignore them, in situations where the drawbacks outweigh the advantages of the Yearning). Also, I'm not clear on how aware the characters are of Approaches.

I'm not sure why a Freehold needs at least two Courts.

[ArcaneArts]

On approaches, how I read it is that it's bait, or like creating channels for water. By inviting the Huntsmen to come after you in a particular way, you force them onto your territory, narratively speaking, so you have more control over the outcome by being subversive.

A freehold needs two courts because it's more interesting that way.

[fetfet]

On approaches, how I read it is that it's bait, or like creating channels for water. By inviting the Huntsmen to come after you in a particular way, you force them onto your territory, narratively speaking, so you have more control over the outcome by being subversive.

A freehold needs two courts because it's more interesting that way.

Related to that - what is Yearning? I have a deep desire to know. So deep, there must be a word for it.

[ArcaneArts]

Hunger, maybe?

EDIT: Actually, in endeavoring to get people building stuff, would it help if I put up what I have so far on the Paris Courts after I get it lined up with this model?

[Charlaquin]

On approaches, how I read it is that it's bait, or like creating channels for water. By inviting the Huntsmen to come after you in a particular way, you force them onto your territory, narratively speaking, so you have more control over the outcome by being subversive.

Yeah, that's the general idea I got from it as well, but I'm more curious about why the Huntsmen would play into the Changelings' hands like that. I mean, for the Yearning, obviously, but without knowing what Yearning is, I'm intrigued but not totally sold.

A freehold needs two courts because it's more interesting that way.

Eh, I usually find more options more interesting than fewer options. It may be more interesting for a Freehold to have multiple Courts more often than not, but it seems like an arbitrary limitation to say they need to have multiple Courts.

[fetfet]

Hunger, maybe?

EDIT: Actually, in endeavoring to get people building stuff, would it help if I put up what I have so far on the Paris Courts after I get it lined up with this model?

I was thinking more like yearning.

I'd love to see that. I'll do the same thing with my New York Freehold.

[atamajakki]

One thing I adored about the Seasonal Courts was how well they supported 1e's PTSD metaphor, embodying emotions with heavy ties to how individuals respond to stress. I'm not sure how I feel about loosening up that connection and driving Courts further towards fairytale and further away from what made the original game so well-loved by many survivors that I personally know.