ACUS Games, Take 2

Here are revised versions of my game write-ups, with one more added in. I had a Betancourt game I was going to run, but bagged it last minute. I just couldn’t bring myself to run it.

Title: Rebma Confidential: Undercurrent

Description: It rose up from the oceanic trench, a dark holdover from primordial times: Long needle like teeth, large eyes the size of saucers, an appendage tipped with a bioluminescent nodule dangled in front of its face. Smaller fish trailed in its wake. It didn’t belong in water this shallow, but it also didn’t care.

"Steve," it growled, its voice tinny underwater.

"F’Kilk," I said, using only its name as a greeting. "Long time no see."

"Not long enough. I got your message. I’m here. Start talking before I get hungry."

"I heard you found one of Caine’s ships at the bottom of one of your trenches, from when Corwin attacked."

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t. What’s it to you?"

"My patron thinks Caine may have left something valuable behind, and is willing to pay handsomely for its retrieval."

"Keep talking, meat. You’ve got me curious."

Setting: Rebma, between the Corwin and Merlin series.

Genre: Mystery

Type: Traditional Amber

Format: Tabletop/Traditional

Character Instructions: Rebma is a hard realm where death comes easy, especially in the poor parts of town. All types can be found living in the rough parts of the city: criminals, Amber nobles looking for a piece of strange, political refugees, migrant demons from the Courts of Chaos and squamous entities from the pelagic depths. They live and die in perpetual water and darkness, struggling to find their way in a harsh land of predators and prey. This game is a gritty, street level game set in the poor parts of Rebma where the players will get caught up in intrigue, vice and murder. My hope is to have this be a character-driven mystery game. It will use a simple character creation system to build characters. Characters created before the Con will have more perks than those created at the Con. Because I build the game around the characters, your ability to enjoy this game will be severely impacted by not providing a character in advance. Players must have e-mail access.


Title: Land of Ten-Thousand Dragons

Description: For seven hundred years, the Scarlet Empress has ruled over the Blessed Isle. She has kept the forces of darkness at bay, and established over a dozen Great Houses populated by her descendants. But the Scarlet Empress has been missing five years, just as the evils of the past return to Creation. But now rival houses scheme against one another for the throne. People turn away from the Immaculate Faith and worship demons, ghosts, Fair Folk and even the Anathema that stole the power of the gods for themselves. The forces of darkness slowly infiltrate civilization and corrupt the world. Will the Scarlet Empress’s scions keep Creation from descending into chaos and darkness? Or will their machinations leave them open to destruction by their enemies?

Setting: The Blessed Isle of Creation, as described in the Exalted roleplaying game.

Genre: Mystery

Type: Non-Amber

Format: Tabletop/Traditional

Character Instructions: Characters will be Dragon-Blooded members of the Scarlet Empire, representing the different factions. There will be a mystery that the characters will be drawn into that will need to be solved, though each character’s motivation for resolving this may be different. This mystery could involve rooting out infernal cults, neutralizing spies of enemy forces or even plots to seize the Imperial Throne. Characters will be built on a diceless system based off of Amber Diceless but not using the same attributes and powers. Because I try to build the game around the characters, I ask that players provide their stats to me before the convention. Players will be rewarded handsomely for providing this information. Those who do not will only diminish their enjoyment of the game.


Title: Worlds’ End

Description: You were travelling. You remember that. A storm came up out of nowhere and you were soon lost. As the world fell apart around you, you saw a light ahead and found a rustic inn that provided shelter. But the denizens of the inn, who filled the inn to the rafters, were nothing you found in your own world. Fairies, spacemen, talking dogs, demons, centaurs, sentient colors. To pass the time, each takes turn telling a story.

Setting: The inn called "Worlds’ End" during the reality storm of Patternfall War.

Genre: Other; N/A

Type: Amber with a Twist

Format: Tabletop/Traditional

Character Instructions: Drawing heavy inspiration from the "Worlds’ End" story from Sandman, player characters will be stranded travelers staying at the Inn and waiting for the storm to stop. The game will use the indie game In a Wicked Age, a narrative-control style game where players draw cards to establish story elements for each “chapter” of the game. In the case of this game, each chapter of the game representing a story told by a player character. That player character will get to sway the structure of the story through his character’s point-of-view, and may also play his character in the story. All stories must involve some sort of interaction with Amber and/or Chaos. At the end of the game, Oberon’s funeral procession will pass by and the storm will end.


Title: The Ashworth Academy

Description: For the past century, the Ashworth Academy has represented the most elite and prestigious preparatory school in the nation. Only a half dozen or so students are accepted each year and they are known to go on to illustrious careers afterwards.

Some cast aspersions on the school, circulating rumors of accidents befalling students. But those are surely only rumors.

Setting: A world much like our own, with an uncertain connection to the timeline of the Amber series.

Genre: Mystery

Type: Amber With a Twist

Format: Traditional/Tabletop

Character Instructions: Player characters will be beginning their Freshman year at Ashworth Academy. Characters will be built off of the standard Amber Diceless attributes from a pool of 10 points. I have my own interpretation of the attributes outside of the standard rules, which I will cover in email. There will be a small selection of powers available for those interested in such things. My hope is to base the game around the characters. Those who turn in their characters in time for me to do game prep will receive an extra 10 points. Those who do not will have their involvement in the game diminished.

6 thoughts on “ACUS Games, Take 2

  1. a2macgeek

    FWIW, I always love your flavor text for “Rebma Confidential”! If it didn’t always wind up in slot 8, I’d have tried to play it by now. I also think “The Ashworth Academy” sounds interesting. I’m not familiar with either Exalted or In a Wicked Age, so I’ll probably give the other two a pass (especially since I’ve yet to enjoy an “indie” game). If knowledge of Exalted is not necessary for “Land of Ten-Thousand Dragons”, you might want to mention that.

  2. admin Post author

    I keep in slot 8 so that it’s convenient for returning players. ;) But if the Dude game ever dies, you’re welcome to join the Fish Side.

    IaWA is one of those “roll for narrative control” story games, which I recall you finding very frustrating. If you go into it expecting something like Amber, you’re going to hate it.

    You bring up a good point about Exalted, though. I expect Exalted to be less known at AmberCon than other stuff, so I planned on providing a setting write-up. Thank you for suggesting that.

  3. a2macgeek

    You’re welcome. The game is definitely more appealing (at least to me) when I know the background info will be provided, as opposed to having to buy a new game system in order to play.

    I think you’ve got a good line-up of games!

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