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Fan Forums => The Official Amber DRPG, Erick Wujcik, and Lords of Olympus Forum => Topic started by: RPGPundit on June 06, 2010, 11:06:41 PM

Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: RPGPundit on June 06, 2010, 11:06:41 PM
Here's the deal: you post your questions on this thread, for me, about Lords of Olympus.
Each week, I'll answer a bunch of them here and on my blog, and maybe they'll get posted on the Precis site too.

Along the way, you'll get all kinds of new info about the upcoming Lords of Olympus game.

RPGPundit
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: Simon W on June 07, 2010, 12:27:15 PM
Okay, how about starting at character generation?

Are there just stats, stats and skills, what are they and how do you generate these?

What about Powers/Special Abilities? How are they rated?

How do stats (skills, if any) and Powers interract?

That'll do for a start
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: RPGPundit on June 11, 2010, 10:42:06 AM
Q&A About Lords of Olympus

So here is the deal: over on theRPGsite, you can post your questions for me (http://www.therpgsite.com/showthread.php?t=17458) about the game I'm currently developing, Lords of Olympus.
Once a week, I will answer any questions posted there, and the answers will be posted both there and on this blog.

So here are this week's questions:

Quote
Q: Okay, how about starting at character generation?


A: Well, that's not technically a question as such. What did you want to know about Character Generation?

Quote

Q: Are there just stats, stats and skills, what are they and how do you generate these?


A: Lords of Olympus has four Abilities: Ego, Might, Fortitude and Prowess. They are generated in a bidding war where you compete against the other players, where the winner of a given ability's bidding war would end up with 1st Class (the highest level) in that ability; the guy who came in second would have 2nd Class, then 3rd Class, etc.
You can also choose not to bid, in which case you have Olympian Class, which doesn't cost any points.  This is the default level of an inhabitant of Olympus, and still makes you considerably more powerful than a normal Mortal.  In fact, there are two "underpowered" Classes (Heroic Class and Mortal Class) which give you points back if you lower your ability to that level.
There is also a fifth ability, Luck, which functions in a different way from the other four.
Skills are determined by your personal chronology, the background of what your character was doing before the start of the game; they are training and knowledge, and have no mechanical values; they are used to determine what your character would be capable of knowing or doing.

Quote
Q:What about Powers/Special Abilities? How are they rated?


A: There are a wide variety of powers in Lords of Olympus. Each power has a particular point cost, and gives the character special abilities. Some powers have other powers or a minimum ability Class as a prerequisite.  Some powers have "advanced" versions which are more expensive but represent a higher level of mastery.
Here's a list of the powers in Lords of Olympus:
Immortality
World-Walking
World-Walking Mastery
Promethean World Walking
Promethean World Walking Mastery
Olympian Magic
Advanced Olympian Magic
Primordial Magic
Advanced Primordial Magic
Scrying
Advanced Scrying
Metamorphosis
Advanced Metamorphosis
Ineffable Names
Elementalism
Enchantment
Glamour
Olympian Artificing


Quote
Q:How do stats (skills, if any) and Powers interact?


A: Skills have no direct interaction with powers, except in the sense that one might have lore about powers or that sort of thing.  The Abilities interact with powers in several ways: as mentioned, many powers have a prerequisite minimum Class in an ability to use the power.  Many powers also are more effective if the character has a higher Ego Class, and often a character's Fortitude Class determines how long they can maintain use of a power.



That's it for this week, please send more questions to the thread, and I'll be glad to answer them.
Note that all answers are based on the current work-in-progress, and may end up being changed in the process leading to the actual publication of the Lords of Olympus game.

RPGPundit
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: boulet on June 11, 2010, 11:36:34 AM
I don't know how confortable you are if I bring up Amber DRPG as a reference point in this thread but I think it's bound to happen anyway. Lord of Olympus' source of inspiration should be clear by now though I won't deny the originality of your creation. I think a few comparisons with Amber won't be detrimental and probably illustrate (to players familiar with Erick Wujcik's game) what are you intentions.

So here I go:
- Amber comes with a corpus of fiction and canon that's been one of its most distinctive features. Zelazny's books are the reference for a majority of players, whether it means following the genre, exploring alternative plots or just exploiting the shiny cool powers and create new ones. Greek mythology isn't centralized this way. Several contradictory versions of every tale might exist somewhere. How would you say Lord of Olympus will relate to mythology? Will the setting be widely modular? Or will you narrow down to something like a canon, retaining your favorite aspects of mythology? What role actual ancient Greek history might have in the setting? How much metaplot will we find baked in the game?

- Amber comes with its handful of vibrant characters that are usually treated as NPCs and are very important to the game atmosphere. Some might prefer to play without them (hi Jibbajibba) but usually they're at least part of the game. What will player play in Lord of Olympus? The main gods (like Zeus, Poseidon and Hades)? Secondary gods (equivalent of the 2nd generation of princes for Amber)? Something else?

- Are there specific elements of Amber DRPG that you wanted to correct, or do your own different way that will appear in Lord of Olympus? If yes what are those?

I think it will do for a start.
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: Rubio on June 11, 2010, 12:45:10 PM
How will interactions with NPCs be reconciled with the bidding system? e.g. Having 2nd class in Might makes you stronger than the character with 3rd class and not as powerful as the character in 1st class, but how would that stack up against, say, an angry, methed-up kyklops? (ooh, look at me using old Greek spellings!)
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: SaintAndSinner on June 11, 2010, 05:35:58 PM
Why did you choose the Greek mythos?  What does it bring to the table as a setting for multi-world play that's better than the others available?
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: cnath.rm on June 11, 2010, 08:57:54 PM
As the idea was mentioned on your blog, what are your thoughts on using the word "Fortune" instead of "Luck"?
Title: Luck and Olympus
Post by: Cole on June 11, 2010, 10:23:29 PM
Pundit,

Over on your Xanga page, I asked,

"Luck" sounds weird to me. Have you considered "Fortune" instead? The connotation might be really off since it's Latin, but it carries a note of changeability that luck doesn't get across as well. Luck also just sounds really Teutonic."

Later today, I had a lot of thoughts on how Luck, or Fortune, or Chance might apply in-game to a Greek mythic setting. I posted separately in the ADRPG forum here: http://www.therpgsite.com/showpost.php?p=386998&postcount=1 (http://www.therpgsite.com/showpost.php?p=386998&postcount=1)

Thanks!

Cole
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: RPGPundit on June 18, 2010, 05:17:00 PM
Here's this week's update:

Lords of Olympus Interview Pt. II

Continuing to answer the questions presented in the Q&A Thread; I will remind everyone that if you have a question for me about Lords of Olympus, post it on that thread and I'll answer it to the best of my ability here.

Q: Greek mythology isn't centralized. Several contradictory versions of every tale might exist somewhere. How would you say Lord of Olympus will relate to mythology? Will the setting be widely modular? Or will you narrow down to something like a canon, retaining your favorite aspects of mythology? What role actual ancient Greek history might have in the setting? How much metaplot will we find baked in the game?

A: Its true that Greek Mythology isn't centralized; I'm using one particular version of the mythology, the one that is essentially the most recognizable, though taking a few snippets from others.  Hesiod would be my main source as far as the whole super-structure of my setting is concerned.
So yes, there'll be a kind of canon, and it will be the one that most people think of when they think of Greek Mythology; but if someone is a really serious student of mythology I don't think they'd have much trouble changing things around.
Ancient Greek History, on our Earth, played out the way we think it did. The great mythological heroes and events which we now think of as mythical were not in fact events in our world's past. They were events on a different world: "Classical Earth"; one of countless infinite earths that exist in the multiverse.  In Classical Earth, most of the Greek Legends actually happened in one form or another.
By "Metaplot" I suppose you don't mean "ongoing storylines for future products" (there won't be ANY of that); I assume you do mean "built-in setting in the mechanics".  The answer to that is that the mechanics do have a lot of built-in setting to them; but most of it has nothing to do with the individual deities or my treatment of mythology, and everything to do with the particular cosmology I created for the setting. The only real mythological elements that are hard-wired into the setting is that Zeus, Poseidon and Hades exist and that they are the masters of the three Divine Roads that crisscross the multiverse. There is also (as shown last week) magic that is special to the Olympians, and magic that is born from Khaos, the first Primordial.

Q: What will player play in Lord of Olympus? The main gods (like Zeus, Poseidon and Hades)? Secondary gods (equivalent of the 2nd generation of gods)? Something else?

A: Although the game could be modified "up" to play the main Olympians, or "down" to play great mortal heroes in the style of Achilles, the default is that the player characters are new and original 2nd generation deities, sons or daughters of the Olympians or Titans (or possibly the Primordials). In general, the PCs are assumed to be "young" gods, relatively new to the multiverse.

Q: Are there specific elements of the Diceless RPG that you wanted to correct, or do your own different way that will appear in Lord of Olympus? If yes what are those?

A: The Diceless RPG is certainly an inspiration for Lords of Olympus.  Erick Wujcik was, in my mind, an unparalleled genius of roleplaying, who I certainly wouldn't dare to think I could surpass. That's why, in general, I'm not trying to re-invent the wheel with Lords of Olympus, but rather to base the game with direct inspiration from Erick Wujcik's ideas about how a diceless game can be effectively designed.
That said, Lords of Olympus is not a carbon-copy of any other game, though gamers will no doubt find that it is full of compatible ideas.
One thing where I wanted to have Lords of Olympus stand out is with the Powers.  Readers will find that the powers in Lords of Olympus have certain parallels with the powers in other games, but they are also redone in a fashion unique to the context of the game and the setting.
I've tried to be more careful in defining how some of the powers work, and what some of the limits to those powers are. In particular, in Lords of Olympus there's practically no power that's "instantaneous"; the Powers can do spectacular things, but you have to have them prepared for use, whether its a Probability-Altering Spell with Olympian Magic, trying to mentally contact someone with Scrying, Casting an Elemental spell or crafting a Geis with Enchantment, these things all require time and forethought, meaning that the powers-heavy character is not going to automatically dominate on the field of combat.
Another thing I considered quite carefully was the magic items and artifacts. I had briefly considered getting rid of these as an options for players altogether, knowing that they are often prone to abuse. In the end I chose to have two different optional systems for items: one is Olympian Artificing, and the other is Daemonic Artefacts.  In both cases, rather than try to break down a point-by-point cost of what each effect does (which is what I think can be prone to abuse), I've created a more abstract system that has fixed point costs for a few very common concepts and then guidelines for what costs the GM should set for other ideas the players might come up with.  You can use one or both systems for items in the game; but I personally like the Daemonic Artefacts better, I like the idea that all powerful magic items actually have intelligences of their own.

Q: How will interactions with NPCs be reconciled with the bidding system? e.g. Having 2nd class in Might makes you stronger than the character with 3rd class and not as powerful as the character in 1st class, but how would that stack up against, say, an angry, methed-up kyklops?

A: The Cyclops would have its own level of Might; being a Cyclops it would probably be fairly strong, so it would likely have a Might Class on the low end of the Class "ladder"; in your theoretical example it might be 3.5th Class Might.

Q: Why did you choose the Greek mythos? What does it bring to the table as a setting for multi-world play that's better than the others available?

A: The Greek Mythos brings a great deal to the table in general. For starters, its the foundational mythology for our civilization. That means that even among the truly ignorant who couldn't tell you who Zeus is, they are still bound to relate to the overall concepts and themes of the Greek mythos that are completely impregnated in our culture. The very essence of legend comes from the Greeks.  This is vastly superior for setting purposes to using some kind of alien pantheon or to try to (almost always severely imperfectly) base your setting on foreign foundations that will not culturally resonate with the players.
Moreso than any setting from modern sci-fi/fantasy novels, players will start playing Lords of Olympus and will immediately "get" who the NPCs are and what is going on.
As for specifically "multi-world" play, the Greek setting is full of fantastic mysterious places and realms that aren't always explicitly "other worlds" (though Olympus or the Underworld basically are) in the myths, but that feel utterly otherworldly. Its an easy step from there to suggesting that they are in fact other planes.

Q: As the idea was mentioned on your blog, what are your thoughts on using the word "Fortune" instead of "Luck"?

A: I like the sound of "Fortune"; and honestly I thought about a lot of possible names for that fifth ability, but I think luck will do. Its careful not to overemphasize its significance. The luck attribute isn't supposed to be Fate or Destiny, nor is it supposed to represent a force (like the Roman Fortuna, embodied in an actual deity).  So choosing an unremarkable word like "Luck" was a way of making sure that the ability is kept in its correct context, as basic chance.
Fate is a different kind of force in the game, not represented by mechanics exactly but by the elements of the setting itself.

Please keep sending me these excellent questions, and I'll keep trying to answer them!

RPGPundit

Currently Smoking: Raleigh Freehand + Altadis' Byzantium
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: Spinachcat on June 18, 2010, 06:28:10 PM
I am big fan of Greek Mythos RPGs, but I am still waiting for an Amber game that uses dice.   And I am far from alone.

And yes, I've tried Amber and I'm a fan of the Wuj, but I didn't grok the system and wondered why we weren't just LARPing.

Why should we unwashed hordes consider looking at Lord of Olympus?
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: Lorrraine on June 20, 2010, 05:36:32 AM
Hi RPGPundit,

Greek Mythology has a lot of characters. Roughly how many characters do you plan to write up for Lords of Olympus?

Gods often have specialties (Music, Wine, Fertility, Metalworking, Marriage, etc). How do you plan to handle this in the game?

Do worshipers matter in Lords of Olympus? If so how do you plan to handle them in the game?

Can characters with the Immortality power die?

How powerful do you plan on making the Main Olympians gods relative to the power level of starting player characters?

Thanks,
Lorrraine
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: RPGPundit on June 25, 2010, 01:22:24 PM
Lords of Olympus Q&A Part III

Continuing our Friday series, where I answer questions from this thread on theRPGsite regarding my plans for the Lords of Olympus RPG.

Q: I am big fan of Greek Mythos RPGs, but I am still waiting for a game that uses dice. And I am far from alone. Why should we unwashed hordes consider looking at Lord of Olympus?

A: Well, let me be frank about one thing: when it comes down to it, there are some people that just don't like diceless games.
There are some that THINK they can't possibly like diceless, even though they've never actually tried; they can't imagine that the game would be satisfying without those little polyhedrals to chuck around.  These people, if they gave Lords of Olympus a chance, might change their mind.
There are some who say they don't like diceless, but their real problem is that they never played a GOOD diceless game. I would hate diceless games too if my entire experience of them was with Nobilis, for example. In your case, you mentioned to me that you played Erick Wujcik's Amber Diceless, so clearly you are not one of the people who fall into this category.
Finally, there going to be some people for whom diceless play just didn't convince them. You mentioned in your post that you "wondered why we weren't just LARPing".
What strikes me about that statement is that you may be feeling like diceless games are too freeform.  Lords of Olympus certainly won't be GURPS; and its purpose is still to have a game where from the point of view of the player, it all but is a LARP in the sense that they do not need to keep track of points and numbers or resources, they just have to know what their character is good at and bad at, and what they can do in a general sense.
So if you are a player who really loves doing lots of mechanical things with the system itself, Lords of Olympus may not end up being for you.
On the other hand, some people had issues with a game like Amber, for example, in that it seemed like there was far too little definition in the rules, too few structures of how to arbitrate things, and this seemed to leave everything up to the GM.
If that is your issue, Lords of Olympus may be, for you, an improvement over that kind of design, since I've gone to some lengths to try to create more structure in how things like Powers are managed, giving specific rules for just how much Ego is necessary to make certain effects, and how much Fortitude is needed to keep going with powers. In combat too, I am more explicit than in certain other games, when it comes to how to judge in the comparison of ability scores and how certain environmental influences should affect modify ability Classes.
So yes, a little more structure than previous successful Diceless games; which might be enough to move you and others to check it out; but I also don't want to be deceptive and pretend that its something other than what it is.
There is one final point here: you say you love Greek Myth; well, I think that honestly this is going to be the most complete treatment that the Greek pantheon and mythology has ever received in an RPG to date. So maybe that too will overcome your other doubts.



Q: Greek Mythology has a lot of characters. Roughly how many characters do you plan to write up for Lords of Olympus?

A: Here's the list of all the actual deities that will get a full entry in the book (in cases where they're mentioned as a group, ie. "the muses", that means they're treated as a group within a single entry):
Khaos, Phanes, Erebus, Tartarus, Nyx, Aethyr, Hemera, Momus, Nemesis, Eris, Moros, Thanatos, Hypnos, Morpheus, Phobetor, Phantasos, Uranus, Aphrodite, Eros, Harmonia, Gaia, the Cyclopes, the Hecatoncheires, Typhon and Echidna, The Furies, Pontus, Eurybia, Nereus, Amphitrite, Thaumas, Iris, Mnemosyne, the Muses, Coeus, Phoebe, Asteria, Hecate, Leto, Apollo, Asclepius, Artemis, Crius, Pallas, Perses, Themis, The Fates, Thea, Eos, Helios, Selene, Japet, Tethys, Tyche, Metis, Athena, Clymene, Atlas, Prometheus, Epimethus, Menoetius, Phaeton, Styx, Nike, Kratos, Zelus, Bia, Oceanus, Rhea, Cronus, Zeus, Dionysius, Hermes, Pan, Heracles, the Graces, Hera, Hephaestus, Ares, Phobos, Deimos,  Eileithya, Hebe, Pasithea, Hestia, Poseidon, Hades, Demeter, Persephone.

Apart from these, several of the lesser gods and demi-gods are detailed in specific entries (for example, the Hesperides, Hyades, Pleiades, Hyas, and Calypso will all be covered in the entry on their father Atlas).  There will also be entries on a variety of non-divine monsters that are well known in Greek Mythology (centaurs, nymphs, fauns, sirens, giant creatures; and specific creatures like Ladon, Scylla, Charybdis, the Kaukasian Eagle, etc).

I hope that's a good number for you...


Q: Gods often have specialties (Music, Wine, Fertility, Metalworking, Marriage, etc). How do you plan to handle this in the game?

A: There are a set of optional rules for having a "divine theme". I was uncertain how would be the best way to handle this, so I ended up creating three different optional rules for how to handle these themes; one where the theme is just window-dressing, one where the theme you choose makes a slight difference in terms of your handling that theme, and one where its a major defining element of your character.  All three are presented equally as optional rules for the game.

Q: Do worshipers matter in Lords of Olympus? If so how do you plan to handle them in the game?

A: Worshipers do not matter in terms of game mechanics, no.


Q: Can characters with the Immortality power die?

A: Yes; they can die by extreme violence, just as some gods did. Its just very difficult, between Immortality, the natural regeneration that high Class in Fortitude confers, etc.  Someone has to really want you to die for you to die in the game.


Q:How powerful do you plan on making the Main Olympians gods relative to the power level of starting player characters?

A: Its my intention that the PCs start out as fairly powerful, comparable to the other "children of" Gods.  They will start out less powerful than some young but famous gods like Heracles, and significantly less powerful than the major players of the universe like Zeus, Poseidon or Hades. These special NPCs are going to have "Above 1st Class" abilities; but in general the PCs will be very competent.

Please keep posting the questions in our Q&A thread, and I'll keep answering them every Friday!

RPGPundit
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: Simon W on June 26, 2010, 10:11:51 AM
I'm looking forward to this, a lot.

What do characters do in the game?

Will there be an over-arching plot of some sort?

Are there any adventures in the book?
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: Lorrraine on June 26, 2010, 11:27:01 AM
Hi RPGPundit,

Nice list of deities.

How do you plan to handle Allies?

How do you plan to handle contributions and advancement?

How do you plan to handle personal realms/worlds?

In terms of power level how do Lords of Olympus characters compare with Amber characters of Similar point values?

What do you think will surprise or intrigue an Amber GM when she reads the Lords of Olympus rulebook?

Thanks,
Lorrraine
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: RPGPundit on July 02, 2010, 05:07:52 PM
Lords Of Olympus Q&A Part III

Today again I answer questions posted by you, the fans, in the thread created for that purpose.  Remember that if you want YOUR question about Lords of Olympus to be answered, all you need to do is post it on that thread, and you will get (some kind of) an answer every Friday.

Ok, on to this week's questions:

Q: I'm looking forward to this, a lot. What do characters do in the game?

A: Characters are the children of the Olympians or the Titans. Most of them will be immortal gods in their own right, albeit lesser-known demigods. But essentially, what the characters do depends a great deal on what kind of a campaign the GM wants to run. The guidelines in the rules present a number of possible options for campaign structuring; in a standard Lords of Olympus game, the PCs would spend their time traveling through the multiverse, accomplishing great quests and adventures for their own purposes or in the service of their more powerful relatives. They would get caught up in the elaborate conflicts and relations between the divine family, sometimes being manipulated and hopefully sometimes manipulating others; they would scheme together or against each other to win the favour of Zeus (or another powerful god) because it is the only way to gain for themselves a place of authority in the multiverse.
It is possible to also start the game from a different perspective; characters could begin as mortals with the blood of the gods, and have to work in the campaign to earn the gift of Immortality. Its possible for some or all players to begin with no idea of their heritage, as mortals on Classical Earth, or Modern Earth, or some other place, only to have the truth revealed to them by good or bad means.
Beyond that, which is kind of the default game, there are about a half-dozen campaign seed scenarios that will be presented in Lords of Olympus as ideas for particular campaign situations; including the idea of a war in heaven (a revolt against Zeus, or the escape/return of the Titans), or even the possibility of a campaign where the Greek Pantheon are not the only Pantheon of Gods out there...

Q: Will there be an over-arching plot of some sort?

A: No, not an over-arching plot as such. The game supposes that the campaign would normally begin a long time after the Titanomachy (the war between the Olympians and the Titans), and even quite some time after the adventures of Heracles.  There will be plot seeds (like those mentioned in the answer above) but not a specific over-arching metaplot.

Q: Are there any adventures in the book?

A: There's going to be so much material in the book that while there will be campaign seeds and such, there's probably not going to be room to put a full-blown adventure in there.
In any case, the good news is that Precis Intermedia plans for Lords of Olympus to be an Open Game, so hopefully people won't have to wait for me to get around to it for there to be adventures for Lords Of Olympus...

Q: Nice list of deities. How do you plan to handle Allies?

A: In Lords of Olympus, there are two possible purchases related to relationships that a character can have at the moment of character creation: Patrons or Enemies.  The player can spend a certain number of points in exchange for having a deity who is their Patron. Players won't know who this deity is; it could be a close relative or a more distant one that has for some reason taken an interest in their character. Allies will always be working for what the ally considers to be the best interest for the character (but not always what the character would necessarily like); an ally will always be willing to put themselves on the line to protect and aid the character.
In exchange for a certain number of extra points for spending elsewhere, a player can also choose to have an enemy. This enemy will also not necessarily be known immediately to the player, he or she may even appear to be a friend at first.  The enemy hates the player character, either because of something the character did, or because of the mere fact of the character's existence (that somehow insults or inconveniences the deity). Depending on who this enemy is, the player character might find himself the victim of vicious assaults or of careful and elaborate schemes against him.


Q: How do you plan to handle contributions and advancement?

A: There will be guidelines as to how to handle Player Additions, which are things that players can do, to add depth to their character, or to the campaign as a whole, or to be helpful to the GM or the group; in exchange for some extra points (usually 5 or 10 points) for the construction of their characters. GMs are free to determine what kind of actions they want to allow for Additions; they can reject any potential addition, and they have the choice not to use these at all if they so wish.  Guidelines will include some examples of recommended Additions, as well as some helpful hints (from experience) of what kind of things are not really good Additions.


Q: How do you plan to handle personal realms/worlds?

A: Players can purchase their own Realm for as little as 1 point. There will be extensive rules and guidelines for creating Realms, and the various potential costs involved.  Realms can be more costly if they are close to certain key Realms, particularly the three principle realms of Olympus, Atlantis or the Underworld.  There is also a lesser cost if the player wishes for his world to be close to another specific world but not one of the aforementioned.  Players can also spend extra points to allow their Character to have control over the world's structure, to be able to change its laws and form. Other costs are involved if he wishes to have guardians at the entrances to his world, or to limit the possible accesses to the Divine Roads of the multiverse. Players can also choose to restrict the force of certain powers in his Realm.


Q: In terms of power level how do Lords of Olympus characters compare with characters of Similar point values from other Diceless Games?

A: That would be difficult to answer, because while Erick Wujcik's diceless RPG is certainly a major influence on Lords of Olympus, the games are not really the same. Also, everyone knows that in other Diceless games, the power level of characters tends to vary wildly depending on the preferences of the GM involved. I would say that in Lords of Olympus, as you are playing deities, the player characters have a fairly high power level, comparable to the higher end of the typical Diceless spectrum. It is possible in Lords of Olympus for a GM to shift some of the assumed values of abilities and powers, to make the power level of his characters lower if he wishes, or similarly to make power levels somewhat higher than the assumed default.


Q: What do you think will surprise or intrigue a fan of other Diceless games when she reads the Lords of Olympus rulebook?

A: I think there could be quite a lot of that. The setting is new and I think very exciting, it has some similarity to other games (dealing with the subject matter of a vast and very dysfunctional family of powerful multiversal rulers), but it is in no way a copy of any other setting; its one and central inspiration is the Greco-roman myths. I think just about anyone (whether they are fans of other Diceless games, or fans of Greek mythology, or neither in particular) will be very entertained and impressed with the gaming potential of this setting.
System-wise, fans of other diceless games may appreciate that, while remaining a toolbox, Lords of Olympus has more detailed outlines of how to use abilities and powers, and how the different ability Classes work in power-use and combat. The powers are based on certain principles, allowing for a lot of interesting variations without making powers too dominant over high ability Classes or player ingenuity:  there are relatively few powers that can be used quickly without advance planning, meaning power-based players have to be thoughtful about how they prepare themselves for a situation. The powers may sometimes seem familiar but they are also all original and have significant differences from other games, they are in no way just carbon-copies. The rules for things like artefacts, daemons, lesser magic, and NPC abilities are all original and innovative.  Lords of Olympus is a labour of love that is the product of my knowledge and passion of 20 years as a GM of Diceless campaigns and a lifetime of admiration for the Greek Pantheon.

RPGPundit

Currently Smoking: Raleigh Jopo + Planta's Image Latakia
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: Lorrraine on July 03, 2010, 04:47:21 AM
Hi RPGPundit,

Aside from the obvious (ADRPG and Greek myth) what sources of inspiration have you used in designing Lords of Olympus?

How do you plan to handle experience in Lords of Olympus?

How do Ego, Might, Fortitude, and Prowess differ from Amber's Psyche, Strength, Endurance, and Warfare?

Do you know yet how much Lords of Olympus will cost for a digital or printed copy?

What plans do you have to playtest Lords of Olympus?

Thanks,
Lorrraine
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: RPGPundit on July 09, 2010, 12:59:40 PM
Lords of Olympus Q&A Part V

As has been the case for the last several Fridays, I answer any and all questions posed on this RPGsite thread, regarding my upcoming Lords of Olympus game.

If YOU have a question for me about the RPG, please post your question on that thread, and I guarantee that come Friday, you'll get something vaguely resembling an answer.

So, without further ado...

Q: Aside from the obvious (ADRPG and Greek myth) what sources of inspiration have you used in designing Lords of Olympus?

A: Well, its tough to say.  Certainly, in the first place I'd say that one inspiration was about 20 years worth of Diceless RPG campaigns.  I think that has to count as much for setting inspiration as for system inspiration, because it was all about giving me ideas about how to frame this kind of work.  Another influence of sorts is popular culture about the Greek myths and legends; but moreso in a negative sense. I wanted to create some twists regarding how people regularly look at the Greek gods, and some portrays of them that I felt were off the mark.
In particular, people expecting Eris to be a well-intentioned "trickster" because of the whole "Discordian" movement/religion/fashion will be rather surprised to see that I restore her to her proper place as a horrific being that causes destruction and pain. Those expecting Morpheus to be the hipster from Neil Gaiman's Sandman comics will be somewhat surprised too, though I play up on that reference in my description of Morpheus. And Heracles is not going to be a lovable oafish doofus like we've seen in many recent interpretations.


Q: How do you plan to handle experience in Lords of Olympus?

A: There will be Advancement, which is where you get points to spend that you use to buy stuff. That's the basic framework. Beyond that, there'll be a small horde of options for how to handle advancement, including the use of Wish Lists, and guidelines for the different things you could choose to award advancement for, and how that affects the game.
Maybe the most interesting option in there will be the plan for the Advancement Wish List, where players can (under GM supervision) decide which Goals really matter to them and the GM assigns advancement points based on accomplishing these goals.  It was something that got worked out with Alejo, and he probably got inspiration for it from Aces & Eights' wonderful system.


Q: How do Ego, Might, Fortitude, and Prowess differ from Psyche, Strength, Endurance, and Warfare?

A: Ego governs the use of psychic powers as well as willpower. There are very particular guidelines in the game for most of the magical Powers as well, where one's Ego Class is the main factor for how well you can perform a magical spell/power-use.
Might is the attribute that governs anything to do with lifting, pushing, breaking objects, or the application of brute force. It also determines how effective the PC's physical damage is, and the degree of damage that can be dealt with a physical attack. These things are quantified in the combat section. http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"> name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"> name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11">
Fortitude is one's damage resistance, constitution, and regenerative capabilities. It governs how much damage one can take before going down, how long one can keep going before collapsing exhausted, and how quickly one recovers. Beyond that, its also very important for the magical Powers; just like Ego determines how well you can use most powers, Fortitude determines how long you can use most powers for.
Prowess represents one's dexterity and skill at arms, as well as strategic thinking. Its used for any situation involving armed combat, leading troops in battle, and even playing games of strategy.  Piloting a vehicle, riding an animal, or organizing the logistics of an operation all base themselves on Prowess.


Q: Do you know yet how much Lords of Olympus will cost for a digital or printed copy?

A: I do not, not yet. Brett Bernstein would have to answer that question, and I'd figure he doesn't know yet, since I haven't finished the full text or sent him the final draft as of yet for him to organize into an actual product.  I suppose you could check out the prices Precis Intermedia has for many of its other fine products, and that might give you a ballpark guess.


Q: What plans do you have to playtest Lords of Olympus?


A: In a way, a lot of Lords of Olympus has already been playtested over the course of 20 years. Many of the innovations to how powers work, or the combat system of the game are based on my personal house rulings in other RPGs that have proven effective over time.
But aside from that I have a small team of loyal "phase 1" playtesters with me, who are many of the same people who assisted me on previous games. Their task right now is to look through the rules with a fine-toothed comb (since, as I already stated, mechanics-writing is not my strong suit) and try to recommend changes. A few changes have already been instituted, but on the whole there's been far less critical problems with this book than my previous ones, the impressions thus far (and remember, we're basically done the whole "mechanics" side of things) have been great.  But like I said, that's no surprise, because this is the product of two decades of preparation.

Keep those questions coming, folks!

RPGPundit
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: Lorrraine on July 10, 2010, 12:07:42 PM
Hi RPGPundit,

How does Lords of Olympus compare to your previous games, Forward... to Adventure and Gnomemurdered?

Does Hera kick ass?

How does World Walking differ from Promethean World Walking and from Pattern in the ADRPG?

Do any NPCs in Lords of Olympus have powers other than the ones listed as available for PCs?

Does Metamorphosis, at the non advanced level, deal with transforming the power user, transforming others, or both?

Thanks,
Lorrraine
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: Croaker on July 10, 2010, 05:29:27 PM
Greek mythology is full of superhuman monsters, from cyclops able to hurl boulders to the hydra.

Worse, there are the titans.

And yet, gods and demi-gods sometimes went toe-to-toe with these beings.

So, does one have to assume that the PCs will be able to have litterally superhuman strength? Or will they be more amber-like in strength, and have to rely on other means to win?

And what of powerful artifacts and weapons, like Zeus's lighting, Appollo's arrows, Aphrodite's belt (that made people fall in love with her), Hades helmet (that made its wearer invisible) or hermes sandals? Will these gods have these items? Will PCs be able to have similar artifacts?

While we're at it, what of Hephaistos and his forge abilities?
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: Evermasterx on July 12, 2010, 06:46:48 AM
Quote from: Croaker;393017
Greek mythology is full of superhuman monsters, from cyclops able to hurl boulders to the hydra.

Worse, there are the titans.

And yet, gods and demi-gods sometimes went toe-to-toe with these beings.

So, does one have to assume that the PCs will be able to have litterally superhuman strength? Or will they be more amber-like in strength, and have to rely on other means to win?

And what of powerful artifacts and weapons, like Zeus's lighting, Appollo's arrows, Aphrodite's belt (that made people fall in love with her), Hades helmet (that made its wearer invisible) or hermes sandals? Will these gods have these items? Will PCs be able to have similar artifacts?

While we're at it, what of Hephaistos and his forge abilities?

I love coincidences...
Right now, my PC are travelling in a greek-like shadow called Anevernum, in the effort to learn about their pasts, and to become what they really are...
Some big villain (Finndo) is preparing revenge manipulating them, forgotten offspring of elder amberites... bearing deadly presents for Amber, when they will come back there... Timeo Danaos et dona ferentis...
Well, they went to Delphi, to talk with the Oracle, and bribeing to be admitted, met and defeat the Hydra, the Sphinx, the Lion of Nemea, the Minotaur, the Lamia, met Apollo, Pan (o so they believe), fight with Argos against the Spartans, sail across the mediterranean with an empowered ship at the speed of 20 knots, eating and drinking with the centaurs, learning magic from the satyrs, and so on... What a fun!
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: RPGPundit on July 16, 2010, 06:13:51 PM
Lords of Olympus Q&A Pt. VI

Here are some more questions and answers regarding my upcoming Lords of Olympus RPG.  Remember, if you want to ask a question about the game, post it to this thread, and it will be answered every Friday!

Here we go:

Q:How does Lords of Olympus compare to your previous games, Forward... to Adventure and Gnomemurdered?

A: I don't know if here you meant how it compares as a writing project, as a system, or as a game; so I'll try to answer all three: as a writing project, Lords of Olympus is the biggest RPG I've ever tried to write. Its much more work than either of my two previous games, though perhaps less difficult to write than FtA! because its not my first time trying to design a game, and the system is easier for me.
Speaking of that, as a system, Lords of Olympus is more rules-lite than FtA!, less rules-lite than Gnomemurdered. It has rules that are fairly complete but more straightforward than the heavier crunchier mechanics of FtA.
As a game, they're all EXTREMELY different games (the "Nine Princes in Aembar" scenario in Gnomemurdered notwithstanding); I don't think a lot of game designers go the distance of so much disparity in their style as I have with these three games.  I suspect that if people liked the SYSTEM of FtA! or of Gnomemurdered, they won't necessarily be any more drawn to Lords of Olympus than anyone else; on the other hand, if what they liked was the setting and style of those two games, then they'll like Lords of Olympus as well.


Q: Does Hera kick ass?

A: Short answer; yes. Long answer: it depends what you mean by "kick ass".  Hera in my setting is not the kind of character that will come up to you kick the living crap out of you physically (that would be Heracles), or that will stab you through the throat before you can finish even thinking of going for your blade (that'd be Athena), or that will bring down the fury of raw divine power on you until there's nothing left of you but ash (that'd be Zeus). Hera kicks ass in the sense that she's possibly the most deviously scheming Olympian of them all, and she will learn all of your secrets, use them against you, and twist you to her service or destroy your life piece by piece until you beg for death. She is the Queen of the Gods, and my inspiration for her would be Livia, the Roman Empress, who most definitely "kicked ass" in my book. A powerful PC might be able to beat her up, but she is definitely the most powerful woman in the multiverse, and will wreck you if you get in her way.


Q: How does World Walking differ from Promethean World Walking?

A: World-Walking is the power, granted by the Gods, of being able to travel across one, two, or all three of the Divine Roads (the Olympian Road, the Atlantean Road or the Hadean Road). These are paths that twist and wind their way from Olympus, Atlantis, or the Underworld and span all across the multiverse.  Characters with World-walking must find a place where the universe they are currently in connects to the Divine Road they wish to travel, though real masters of World Walking can also create those points of entry (and it must have certain geographical features, different for each road, for the entry to be found or created).
The "Promethean World Walking" power is a bit different.  There, you are accessing one of the Divine Roads, but not by the boon of the Gods; you are doing so because you have discovered secret and forbidden magics that let you break into the roads like a sneak-thief in the night: It requires a great deal of work, rituals that take time to open a gateway, and shew-stones that will let you find those gateways in the first place, and perception-altering substances to let you cross through; and when you enter the road everything is much harder than if you were actually supposed to be there as if the road and those creatures that may be found on it KNOW you don't belong there. But it allows one who lacks the boon of any of the three principle gods to even so travel across the multiverse.


Q: Do any NPCs in Lords of Olympus have powers other than the ones listed as available for PCs?

A: Well, yes. For starters, there's the Primordials. They're True Immortals, they can't ever actually die. And besides that, they have incredible levels of power in general, able to do things that are off the scale of a PC. They can become not just entire vast objects (rivers or mountains or the sky or the earth or the night or freaking sleep) but they can become ALL of these objects, everywhere, in the entire multiverse. And they can do this while also taking human forms, in multiple places at once. And they can transport those bodies across the multiverse, without using the Roads or other methods normal deities do.
Of course, the Primordials are a whole other level from the normal gods;  but even among the Titans and the Olympians, yes there are a few of them that have certain powers that are beyond what PCs have (For example, Nereus has a level of Advanced Metamorphosis which could be called "exalted Metamorphosis").


Q: Does Metamorphosis, at the non advanced level, deal with transforming the power user, transforming others, or both?

A: At the non-advanced level, Metamorphosis has to do with transforming the user.


Q: Greek mythology is full of superhuman monsters, from cyclops able to hurl boulders to the hydra.
Worse, there are the titans.
And yet, gods and demi-gods sometimes went toe-to-toe with these beings.
So, does one have to assume that the PCs will be able to have litterally superhuman strength? Or will they be more limited in strength, and have to rely on other means to win?


A: First, we need to differentiate some monsters from other. There are some monsters that have Divine Blood. Other monsters, however, do not, they are either weak multiversal copies or their divine blood has been diluted through milennia of distance from the divine monster that spawned their ancestors.  So for example, in the Lords of Olympus game, there is a big difference from the statistical power of one of the three original Cyclopes (the children of Gaea and Uranus), or one of the thousands or millions or billions of common Cyclops you can find in some world or Realm.  The former are much more powerful.
There are also three classes of deities in the game: Primordials, Olympians and Titans. The Primordials are of a power level that goes beyond anything the PCs are supposed to handle, they are almost mythos-like entities; the oldest of which have nothing even resembling human intellect or personality, the latter "generations" of Primordials having more and more humanlike facades (but that's really all they are, scratch the surface and you realize that the "Personality" of a Primordial like Hypnos, or even Gaea, is completely unidimensional and insane).
The Titans and Olympians both basically have the same range of power-levels; an old or mighty Titan will be similar in strength to an old or mighty Olympian; a younger or weaker Titan will not be better than a young weak Olympian.
In the game, abilities are quantified by "Classes"; the lowest class is Mortal Class. At this level of Might (the ability that governs "strength"), to answer your question, you would be of the same strength as a regular average human being. Everything from a child to a guy who works out often would fit under the "Mortal Class Might" category.
Then you have  Heroic Class. Heroic Class is the level of those great mortal heroes, the most amazing humans, the absolute border of human capability, as well as those mortals who were given a little extra by the gods, or those gods who are very notably weak for some reason.  Heroic Class Might is capable of dealing mighty blows, able to kill a regular mortal with a single good punch if it strikes true. He is able to lift and hold up one end of a car, and throw objects http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"> name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"> name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11">of considerable weight for considerable distances.
The next class up is Olympian Class. This is the class level for a typical deity (Titan OR Olympian, despite the name of the class), and represents a level beyond what any mortal without divine blood could possibly achieve. Someone with Olympian class Might can lift up a car with his bare hands and throw it a few feet. He could uproot a thick tree without mechanical assistance. He could punch right through any type of normal wood, and with enough effort could punch his way through weaker kinds of stone or metal.  He can easily kill a mortal with a single blow of his fists. And it would require four or five mortal men to pin him down, with great effort.
A PC spending zero points would begin the game with Olympian Class Might.  Beyond that are the Numbered Class ability levels.  Characters with numbered Classes in Might (ie. that have put points during the bidding war, or later on, into the Might attribute) will be capable of even more impressive feats of strength.  And older gods will have abilities rated at different classes above 1st Class. Some of the mightiest gods, like Atlas or Heracles, will be able to do things with their strength that is beyond mortal understanding, like holding up the sky itself.

Q: And what of powerful artifacts and weapons, like Zeus's lighting, Appollo's arrows, Aphrodite's belt (that made people fall in love with her), Hades helmet (that made its wearer invisible) or hermes sandals? Will these gods have these items? Will PCs be able to have similar artifacts? While we're at it, what of Hephaistos and his forge abilities?

A: Yes, the gods will have these items. PCs can have similar objects, though usually not at the same level of power as Zeus' Thunderbolt; unless the GM really wants them to. There are two distinct types of magic items in the game: "Daemonic Items" (magical items that have had a daemon, a disembodied spirit, trapped within them), or Olympian Artefacts (objects that have been created through powerful Olympian magic of the sort Hephaestus uses at his forge).

That's it for this week. Make sure to keep those questions coming, and you'll get answers about this developing game every Friday!

RPGPundit
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: Lorrraine on July 16, 2010, 11:25:05 PM
Hi RPGPundit,

Will Lords of Olympus have an index?

What can you tell us about the art for Lords of Olympus?

Given that Lords of Olympus includes Hades and the Underworld, does it include rules for continuing to adventure after death?

How much information will Lords of Olympus have on various important Realms such as Atlantis, Olympus, and the Underworld?

What music would work well as a soundtrack for a Lords of Olympus game?

Thanks,
Lorrraine
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: Spinachcat on July 16, 2010, 11:58:14 PM
Can you give us a detailed blow by blow example of the system in Physical Combat and in Social Conflict?  I have never been in a good diceless game, but plenty of good LARPS.  I am interested in seeing what happens in LoO.
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: Lorrraine on July 19, 2010, 04:03:33 PM
Hi RPGPundit,

Quote from: SteveRubio


Should we assume that at the very start of the game, Hera Knows. And if we have to ask if she Knows, then she already Knows and we don't want her to Know? Especially if the PC in question is the offspring of Zeus on one of his JFK-like extramarital shenanigans?

How will things be rated once you go "above first class"? Obviously Atlas and Herakles are above 1st class in terms of Might, but if it became necessary to determine which was stronger, how would that work?
.


Ganked from the comments on the Blog because I like the questions.

Thanks,
Lorrraine
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: jibbajibba on July 20, 2010, 09:32:25 AM
You have a list of powers and stats which are similar to Amber. In general gods have unique powers, the things they are gods of. This is perhaps less obvious in Greek mythology where gods are often involved with fairly mundane quarrels but nonetheless Aphrodite can make any mortal fall in love with her, Demeter can cause crops to grow, Herakles can take over from Atlas and hold the sky on his shoulders etc .. These are the elements that give the gods their domains, their spects if you will.

Now I can see how you can ignore that and just have the gods and PCs that happen to get certain jobs so to speak, but I can't help to feel that having an aspect say being the God of the West Wind or the God of Secrets, or the Goddess of Loathing or whatever would make PCs and NPCs feel more like gods and less like other immortal beings able to travel the multi-verse.

Do you have any mechanics to cover that sort of stuff or not? Have you considered and rejected it and if so what was your reasoning?
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: Rubio on July 20, 2010, 10:42:16 AM
Quote from: Lorrraine;394901
Hi RPGPundit,
Quote from: SteveRubio from the Pundit's blog

Should we assume that at the very start of the game, Hera Knows. And if we have to ask if she Knows, then she already Knows and we don't want her to Know? Especially if the PC in question is the offspring of Zeus on one of his JFK-like extramarital shenanigans?

How will things be rated once you go "above first class"? Obviously Atlas and Herakles are above 1st class in terms of Might, but if it became necessary to determine which was stronger, how would that work?



Ganked from the comments on the Blog because I like the questions.

Thanks,
Lorrraine


I was just about to re-post these questions of mine on the thread myself, but apparently I have been saved the trouble.
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: RPGPundit on July 23, 2010, 06:18:17 PM
Lords of Olympus Q&A Pt. VII

Here we are, for the seventh week in a row (incredible!) answering your questions about the upcoming Lords of Olympus game.  The game is chugging right along now that I've gotten to the section on the gods themselves, and while I don't know if I could really get it done before I go on my vacation in mid-august, I hope at least I'll be very far along it.

Anyways, as always, if you have a question for me about the Lords of Olympus game, please send it to this thread.

Here are this week's questions and answers:

Q: Hi RPGPundit, Will Lords of Olympus have an index?

A: Well, that's really more of a question to ask my publisher, Precis Intermedia. In my personal experience, a really well- written complete table of contents is more useful than an index, but I hope that my book will have both. But those kinds of layout decisions will be up to the publisher. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.


Q: What can you tell us about the art for Lords of Olympus?


A: I can tell you that I won't be doing it, thank Apollo!  That will be the business of my publisher, Precis Intermedia. I can only tell you (as total hearsay) that from my conversations with Brett, it sounds like he plans to make an investment in the art and is looking for all-original art; though please by no means take this as authoritative.   Maybe Brett himself will show up and clarify things in the comments of today's entry, but the art for the game is not my area.
I can tell you one thing, I would hope that, even if there's not a single other piece of art in the book, the one thing I would really try to push for is an illustration of every single deity; I think that's a really important element, to have drawings of each of the NPCs, and that these drawings be based on the descriptions provided.


Q: Given that Lords of Olympus includes Hades and the Underworld, does it include rules for continuing to adventure after death?

A:  You're actually asking several important questions here, namely, how have I handled death in general. Greek Mythology is fairly contradictory in its different tellings (and there's strong evidence that this is in part because religious beliefs changed strongly over time; the greek gods that they believed in during the time of Homer were not the same as those of Alexander, and neither were the same as those of the time of the Romans, obviously). There are all kinds of contradictory areas: the idea of whether gods can die at all, who was the child of whom, who was the wife of whom, just who got thrown into Tartarus and who didn't, etc.
In regards to the question of death, as with any of these other areas, I've had to make certain choices, and what I chose for the Lords of Olympus game is that death works like this: Primordial gods cannot die, period. Not in any way.  Mortals, of course, can die, and when they die a spirit that was apparently of that mortal appears for "processing" in the Underworld.  And as for Olympians and Titans, who are greater than mortals and less than Primordials, they live forever and do not age, but can die by violence. If they do, they do NOT reincarnate as a spirit in the underworld, they just end up becoming sort of one-with-the-multiverse; It is possible for certain very powerful beings (ie. The Fates, Zeus (perhaps only by invoking the Fates), and possibly Hecate) to bring a god back to life.
So are there rules for continuing to adventure after death? Not exactly rules as such, because the default assumption of the game is that you are playing a god, not a mortal. However, there is a complete step-by-step description of what happens to a mortal spirit after it dies and goes to the Underworld, so it would be very easy to infer from that how you could run such a thing.


Q: How much information will Lords of Olympus have on various important Realms such as Atlantis, Olympus, and the Underworld?

A: There are fairly significant descriptions of all three of these (but not SO significant as to not leave anything up to the individual GM's imagination), as well as several other important places like the Shadow Realm of Erebus,  Modern Earth, Classical Earth, Other Earths, the Pillars of Heaven, Hera's Realm, The Islands of Chaos, Scylla and Charybdis, The True Oracle of Delphi, Arcadia, and other Divine Realms and worlds.


Q: What music would work well as a soundtrack for a Lords of Olympus game?

A: Huh. That's one of those artsy-fartsy subjective kind of questions, isn't it?  I guess the answer would be "the fuck if I know, it depends on what campaign you run".  Are you running a game focused on Classical Earth and the great heroic adventures? Then you'd probably want soundtrack music from Gladiator or something.  Running a game full of intrigue where the players spend a lot of time scheming on Olympus? You might need to theme song to I, Claudius.  Running a game of interdimensional adventure? Then I guess you might want something psychedelic (though you might also vary from session to session depending on where PCs were).  Running a game set on Modern Earth? Then you could end up using almost anything, from Queen to the Cure, ABBA to Sinatra, Dave Brubeck to Radiohead.  And yes, I was just thinking of six different deities when I chose those particular artists, try to guess which ones!


Q: Can you give us a detailed blow by blow example of the system in Physical Combat and in Social Conflict? I have never been in a good diceless game, but plenty of good LARPS. I am interested in seeing what happens in LoO.

A: Well, for starters, there is no "Social Conflict", not in the sense of mechanics. A "blow by blow" of social conflict would look like one or more players speaking in-character, arguing with, lying to, or trying to manipulate one or more other characters who would also be speaking in-character. And how well the character would do would depend largely on how clever the player himself was, there is no "intelligence" or "charisma" stat in Lords of Olympus.
As for Physical combat, how that plays out can vary quite a lot too. Because a GM can choose to resolve physical combat quickly or make it drawn-out. In a situation where its very clear that there isn't really much of a challenge for one side, the GM can choose to just resolve the whole conflict with only a few words.  For example, if a PC with good abilities is fighting a group of four mortal bandits with no special powers or weapons, it will be convenient for the GM to merely state "ok, you take them all down", maybe adding "Do you kill them all, or try to leave one alive/do you let them run if they try to/etc?"
On the other hand, when combat is more significant or challenging than that, the GM should run an elaborate conflict. In this case, he should take notice of the environment where the fight is happening (including any special rules that world may have), where every participant is located in the environment, and how ready they are at the start of the fight. Then he should play it out more or less in "rounds"; where he first asks every player who participates what they would want to do as their immediate choice of action, then think of what each NPC would want to do.

Players should describe their character's intended actions, not what they hope the results will be. A player's description of action should only be long enough that it does not depend upon any specific result, stating only his actions for the situation as it currently exists.

Example: A player should say “I’ll try to knock down the door with a solid kick, ready to shoot if there’s anyone behind it”

A player should NOT say: “I break the door down and then shoot everyone there, then I go and loot the bodies and look out the window”.
Then the GM should compare Ability Classes (and make judgments regarding the environment or actions and whether these modify the comparison of ability Class), and then decide and explain what happened in that exchange, and repeat the process until combat is done.

The GM should still consider just how much detail is required; it is possible to have a moderate level of detail in actions, or a very specific level of detail.

For example, if two characters are in a battle together where the GM wants a moderate level of detail, it could be enough for the first character to state “I’m going to fight cautiously, keeping my guard up, testing to see how good the other guy is”, and the second to say “I’m going to strike fast and hard, hoping to overwhelm the other guy”.

On the other hand, if a heavily detailed conflict was preferred, the first character might have to state something more specifically, such as: “I’ll be holding my shield close to my body, and circle around slowly, watching to see if he lunges to block; if he does lunge I’ll try to push him as I block to see how strong he is compared to me”.  The second character might state “I lunge forward with a piercing strike toward his chest, leaning into it on my right knee and using my left bracer to try to push back his shield if he seeks to parry”.
I hope that more or less answers your question.


Q: Should we assume that at the very start of the game, Hera Knows. And if we have to ask if she Knows, then she already Knows and we don't want her to Know? Especially if the PC in question is the offspring of Zeus on one of his JFK-like extramarital shenanigans?

A: Well, I may have exaggerated the case just slightly with Hera. She isn't omniscient, just very clever. There will be things she won't know about, of course. Its more like, what she does know she has the capacity to learn most anything about.  And yes, Hera's particular obsession is making life miserable for Zeus' mistresses and bastards.
If you want a goddess who knows everything that's going down, that would be Themis, who may be one of the few women in the multiverse to be even more terrifying than Hera. We are talking about a goddess who slept with Zeus, and then managed to become Hera's "BFF" anyways, while still being one of Zeus' most trusted advisors; not to mention that part about sacrificing her own baby daughters to the Primordial of Doom so that they, and she, would gain power over Fate itself. Oh, and she may have secretly been responsible for the whole Titan-Olympian war thing.
Frankly, there's a handful of female deities who are just total powermongers and schemers, capable of finding out your worst secrets if they know to look, and able to Finish You rather brutally. Themis is the "nice" one. Hera is the one you have to watch out for if you're connected to Zeus in the wrong way.  And then there's Hecate. Oh boy.


Q: How will things be rated once you go "above first class"? Obviously Atlas and Herakles are above 1st class in terms of Might, but if it became necessary to determine which was stronger, how would that work?

A: I decided that the easiest way to work the question of Classes for NPCs, and how to compare them to PC classes, is to all have them on the very same ladder of values. The Numbered Classes are to indicate where the PCs fall with respect to their generation, and they also form the basis for comparison to most beings in the multiverse, including many of the gods in those abilities that they're not truly exceptional at. But those deities who are incredibly powerful, or incredibly good at certain specific things, will have Classes that are rated at "above first".  These are rated as "1st + 1", "1st + 2", "1st + 3", etc. So they would be compared, to each other or to the PCs, in the same way you'd compare anything else.  Just like a character with 3rd Class is better than a character with 5th Class, or either are better than a character with Heroic Class; so a Character with "1st+3" is better than a character with 1st, or than a character with "1st + 2". You can also have "tied" Classes above 1st also; where you're almost equal but just slightly worse than the guy or gal who got to that Class level first. Player characters, at the start of the game, can't begin with a Class higher than 1st, but characters who reach 1st Class can advance to "above first class" levels in Advancement.


Q: In general gods have unique powers, the things they are gods of. This is perhaps less obvious in Greek mythology where gods are often involved with fairly mundane quarrels but nonetheless Aphrodite can make any mortal fall in love with her, Demeter can cause crops to grow, Herakles can take over from Atlas and hold the sky on his shoulders etc .. These are the elements that give the gods their domains, their aspects if you will.
Now I can see how you can ignore that and just have the gods and PCs that happen to get certain jobs so to speak, but I can't help to feel that having an aspect say being the God of the West Wind or the God of Secrets, or the Goddess of Loathing or whatever would make PCs and NPCs feel more like gods and less like other immortal beings able to travel the multi-verse.
Do you have any mechanics to cover that sort of stuff or not? Have you considered and rejected it and if so what was your reasoning?


A: I'm glad you asked that. I realized that for some players of this game, having a divine thematic to their player character would be very important, it would be something that would make it feel much more authentic to greek mythology. For others, this would be something they might want as flavouring but not as the central aspect of the game. While yet others might not want this at all.  So what I ultimately decided to do was to create three sets of optional rules regarding these kinds of Thematic Divine Aspects, as well as guidelines for the GM to decide what kind of themes he would consider acceptable in his game; since offering very broad themes (ie. "God of the sky") can clash with existing deities and make themes very powerful, while narrow themes can create a very different effect; offering modern themes ("god of the internet/automatic weapons/space travel/etc") can create a very different feel of play than sticking to classical themes only, etc.
In the most basic least-intrusive option, players should choose a theme for their deity, but this theme is basically window-dressing to add flavour to the character.  In fact, in the greek mythos, this isn't entirely inappropriate, as only a few deities seem to actually do things directly related to their theme as you described, and those can still be handled by the use of other powers (Aphrodite has a more powerful version of Enchantment, Demeter uses Olympian Magic to make crops grow, etc). But there are two other options beyond that basic one, the moderate-level where theme can provide a mild but not insignificant bonus when the PC is dealing with issues or situations directly related to their theme; and the most-significant option where making an action or situation connect to the character's aspect makes them considerably more powerful in terms of abilities and subsequent increase in their powers. Of course, this is fairly game changing as an option, because undoubtedly players will be looking to try to "invoke" their theme at every possible opportunity.

Keep those questions coming!

RPGPundit

Currently Smoking: Mastro di Paja Bent Apple Media + H&H's Namaste
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: Spinachcat on July 23, 2010, 07:44:25 PM
Quote from: RPGPundit;395770
A: Well, for starters, there is no "Social Conflict", not in the sense of mechanics. A "blow by blow" of social conflict would look like one or more players speaking in-character, arguing with, lying to, or trying to manipulate one or more other characters who would also be speaking in-character. And how well the character would do would depend largely on how clever the player himself was, there is no "intelligence" or "charisma" stat in Lords of Olympus.


If a PC and a NPC are both skilled in Diplomacy (or whatever equivalent skill in LoO), how is the conflict solved in game?  What mechanically do the players do in this situation since there are no dice to roll?  

If a player bluffs the other players, and one of the other players is playing a god who has an ability to see through lies, how would that operate in game?

I know how to adjudicate all this on a tabletop, but I do not know how a GM does this in a diceless game.  In a LARP, we either rock/paper/scissors or the PC powers are hard-coded - AKA "Detect Lies" means the other player would have to reveal if he was actually fibbing in his bluff.

Quote from: RPGPundit;395770
On the other hand, when combat is more significant or challenging than that, the GM should run an elaborate conflict.


How is Initiative determined?  Obviously Hermes goes first, but who goes next?

Quote from: RPGPundit;395770
Then the GM should compare Ability Classes (and make judgments regarding the environment or actions and whether these modify the comparison of ability Class), and then decide and explain what happened in that exchange, and repeat the process until combat is done.


If the Ability Classes are equal, what is the determining factor in deciding the victor?

How does David fight Goliath?  AKA, if the PC is outclassed by a far greater foe, how is trickery + luck + whatever measured by the LoO system so the lesser opponents have a chance of victory?    And what if there are multiple David-wannabes in the battle?
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: Lorrraine on July 25, 2010, 12:19:42 AM
Hi RPGPundit,

How will Lords of Olympus handle prophecy?

Could Primordials work as PCs for an extremely high powered game?

Who would win in a race between Iris and Hermes?

Do any means of travel between worlds exist other than World Walking and Promethean World Walking?

How do Ineffable Names compare to Power Words?

Thanks,
Lorrraine
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: Rubio on July 26, 2010, 01:02:54 PM
I'd like to second spinachat's query as to divine powers that involve seeing through lies, or magic like Aphrodite's that makes people fall in love. E.g. how would Aphrodite's powers affect a PC that's trying to keep information from her? Would you just automatically say "don't bother trying, Aphrodite is better than you"? Or would that require roleplay? In that case, Aphrodite doesn't really have any magic that the GM's ability to convince a (potentially belligerent) payer to open up and let information slip.

On to an actual question or two:

Can you provide a play-by-play of character creation?

Can you provide a more concrete blow-by-blow of the following combat situation: A God and a Hero are walking into a building loaded down with guns. They have to get through their enemies Matrix-style (why yes, this IS the lobby scene), which consists of a Mortal security force of about two-dozen that has a Kyklops and a cthonic beast that resembles a low-rent Kerberos as backup.
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: Cylonophile on July 26, 2010, 03:24:19 PM
After seeing the title and premise, I was just curious to know if this game was related to the mid 80's game "Heroes of Olympus"?

http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/reviews/rev_2038.html
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: RPGPundit on July 30, 2010, 03:25:48 PM
Lords of Olympus Q&A Pt. VIII

This is the eighth installment of the amazing series of questions you've all been asking me about the upcoming Lords of Olympus game; along with my answers to the same.  If YOU have any questions about the game, please post them on this thread in theRPGsite, and you'll get your answer every Friday!

Ok, here we go again:

Q: If a PC and a NPC are both skilled in Diplomacy (or whatever equivalent skill in LoO), how is the conflict solved in game? What mechanically do the players do in this situation since there are no dice to roll?

A: Again, Lords of Olympus has NO social mechanics. One big part of the game is social play and machiavellian (or should that be julio-claudian?)-style scheming, while having to follow the complicated rules of respect that the Olympian society is based on.
Does it seem weird that something this important isn't resolved by rolling a die or looking at a number? I don't see why it should be. The way this situation would be resolved is by the PC and NPC each making their respective arguments, the other players deciding who they want to believe/listen to/follow, and the GM making the same decision for the NPCs. Of course, a player character could cheat. He could use Enchantment to have affected the mind of one or more of the listeners.  He could have used other powers to affect the preferences of the crowd of mortals he's orating to. He could have kidnapped the NPC's daughter, and slipped that NPC a note about it a minute before the big debate began.
There are all kinds of things that the PC can do to give himself an edge in a diplomatic situation; having a fiddly number to give him a mechanical bonus is not one of them. In Lords of Olympus, you actually have to ROLE-PLAY.


Q: If a player bluffs the other players, and one of the other players is playing a god who has an ability to see through lies, how would that operate in game?

A: Where would this guy have gotten that power? What kind of GM would give it to him? I would assume that if he really has the power to "see through lies" (no such power exists in the game, per se), then the guy trying to bluff would be screwed, wouldn't he? Of course, if what you're talking about is a mental link or the likes, then I guess that it would depend on the comparison of the character's Ego Class; not to see if the one guy is a better liar (again THAT DEPENDS ENTIRELY ON YOUR ABILITY TO ROLE-PLAY THE LIE CONVINCINGLY) but to see if the other guy is mentally powerful enough to read the other's thoughts and know he's lying that way.


Q: How is Initiative determined? Obviously Hermes goes first, but who goes next?

A: Hermes doesn't necessarily "go first", first of all. Hermes might be taken by surprise. But anyways, the precise way you handle each "round" of combat is by having every one declare their intended action first, and then the GM adjudicates how it all resolves itself, simultaneously. So there isn't any initiative exactly; instead the GM would determine that if two characters are attempting tasks that are incompatible, one of the two would succeed. For example, if two different characters are trying to reach for and grab the Orb of Fate, then the GM would have to determine who gets to it first. Are either of them supernaturally fast? Are either of them closer to it to begin with? Does one of them have the ability to fly and the other has to jump through a crowd? If not, if they both start off somewhere exactly equally distant from the orb and have exactly the same environmental qualities affecting them, then the one with higher Prowess would manage to grab the Orb first, leaving the other guy next to the Orb's pedestal but empty handed.


Q: If the Ability Classes are equal, what is the determining factor in deciding the victor?

A: If the ability classes are equal, then the combatants should end up nullifying each other's attacks; they keep blocking each other's hits, they are gripped together wrestling, they are both mentally concentrating all of their Ego in a gridlock against the other, etc.  That would be the moment for one of the two players to attempt to switch the battle to some other ability; though this usually involves a risk (if you're locked in the heat of battle with the other guy, you'd better hope that "dropping your guard to try something" ends up being successful).  Another alternative is if one of the characters tries to get the other to make a mistake by using some element of the terrain or surroundings to his advantage, or the other guy's disadvantage.  That turns a tie in the attribute to a near lead for the guy with the advantage.  If neither character wants to try anything else, and they just keep at it, then the next factor would be Fortitude; if one of the two characters has a lower fortitude, they will begin to tire faster than the other, and their ability to keep up their defense will start to fail, effectively making the other guy superior. The guy you're arm-wrestling against starts to waver under the strain, the guy you're sword-fighting with starts to get winded and can't get his blows up as fast, etc. If by some crazy chance Fortitude is also tied, then Luck would be the next factor to consider. In such a scenario, after monumental efforts, one of the two characters would just have an unlucky break; slipping a little, sweat in his eyes, his sword gets caught for a second on the edge of the other guy's shield, etc.
If they're tied on all three factors, and both refuse to change their mode of attack or use anything at all in their environment, then both characters would just keep going, ineffectively attacking each other until they both collapse, exhausted, at exactly the same time. Its a pretty unlikely scenario; not only does it require exact ties on all three abilities, and a total unwillingness to do anything about it on the part of both characters, but really, why doesn't the GM do something at that point? I'd probably have have Momus come along and laugh at them both, if nothing else.


Q: How does David fight Goliath? AKA, if the PC is outclassed by a far greater foe, how is trickery + luck + whatever measured by the LoO system so the lesser opponents have a chance of victory? And what if there are multiple David-wannabes in the battle?

A: I don't think David was outclassed. Sure Goliath had more Might than David, but David clearly had better Prowess, and he probably had a better Ego Class, or at least he'd gained the incredible power of "A man after God's own heart". He also probably had a pretty high luck score.
But in any case, as to your question, luck has a built-in measurement, the Luck ability.   There are guidelines in the game as to how much weight to put on Luck (which advises moderation, ie. luck should matter enough that people care what their Luck score is, without feeling that Luck is MORE important than the four principle Abilities).
As for trickery, that depends on the player's cleverness, and the GM's judgment, with quite a few guidelines for how to adjudicate situations presented in the Lords of Olympus book.   I mean, there are plenty of instances in Greek mythology of MORTALS getting the drop on the Gods, so really that shouldn't be that much of a problem for young gods to do.  But it does depend on being clever, and not just saying "I use my four-dot "Trickery" social skill! Look at me, I'm roleplaying!!"


Q: How will Lords of Olympus handle prophecy?

A: Prophecy plays a huge role in the Olympian mythos. In the game, Prophecy appears in a number of different contexts. For starters, there's the power of Scrying, which is kind of your run-of-the-mill prophecy, more fortune-telling than prophetic vision, but that can be equally powerful or truthful in the hands of a skilled practitioner.  This kind of "prophecy" or augury is not actually a measure of fate, but an extrapolation of a probable future based on a keen awareness of present events (thus dependent on the Ego Class of the user), but they are still only visions of possible futures.
The next step beyond that is the prophecy of pilgrimage sites and prophetic oracles, where people can receive much more definite oracles. The Oracle of Dephi, for example, is NEVER wrong; it is sometimes misunderstood, but whatever answer someone receives from the oracle WILL come to pass. Players beware! Of course, the GM is given some basic guidelines like "don't make a really specific prophecy you don't later want coming true, blockhead!"
The Primordials are also capable of prophecy, though this is more like an extension of the Olympian Magic power of Blessings and Curses; wherein the Primordials by declaring their prophecy are in a way creating the future event they wish; like when Uranus, defeated and about to be castrated, made the "Prophecy" that Cronus would one day also be overthrown by his son. Player Characters can create these kinds of prophetic curses and blessings, but usually on a less significant scale.


Q: Could Primordials work as PCs for an extremely high powered game?

A: I wouldn't really think so. They are pretty much off the scale of the power levels of the Lords of Olympus game. You could do a game where player characters are lower-generation Primordials; guys like Morpheus who are at a more manageable power level and have a personality which effectively simulates human consciousness and emotion. But the big guys like Phanes, Nyx, Tartarus, or Khaos? I'm not even giving them ability Classes.
An Extremely-high powered game in Lords of Olympus would be more like playing the elder Olympians or Titans.


Q:  Who would win in a race between Iris and Hermes?

A: In a short-distance race, it would be very close, but Hermes would probably win by a nose. In a long-distance marathon, Hermes would definitely win.


Q: Do any means of travel between worlds exist other than World Walking and Promethean World Walking?

A: Yes; the other main one would be through the use of a Scrying Gate, which requires Advanced Scrying. It allows you to create a magical portal between dimensions. Aside from that, many of the Primordials seem to have means to travel between the worlds without any necessity of the divine roads, many of them can often bi-locate as well. There is also the Dream Realms of Hypnos and Morpheus, which can kind of count as a sort of travel as well, though its more of an astral travel.


Q: How do Ineffable Names compare to Power Words?

A: Ineffable names are basically power-words, yes. There's even the equivalent of "Power Word:Stun" and "Power Word:Kill" there.


Q: I'd like to second the query as to divine powers that involve seeing through lies, or magic like Aphrodite's that makes people fall in love. E.g. how would Aphrodite's powers affect a PC that's trying to keep information from her? Would you just automatically say "don't bother trying, Aphrodite is better than you"? Or would that require roleplay? In that case, Aphrodite doesn't really have any magic that the GM's ability to convince a (potentially belligerent) payer to open up and let information slip.

A: Aphrodite's Girdle allows her to enter a mind link with any male in her line of sight at will. Her Ego class is effectively increased by the artefact, for the purposes of Enchantment, which Aphrodite almost exclusively uses to make men fall in love with her. Someone who is affected by Enchantment is not merely mind-controlled in the way that can be done with regular Ego conflict; they are changed in terms of their personality, to believe what their assailant wants them to believe.  So in game terms, Aphrodite would make you fall in love with her, and your character would WANT to tell her everything.  Of course, for her to do this, her girldle-enhanced Ego would still need to be higher than yours, so characters with ridiculously high Ego could just rebuff her.
What I would "say" in this case is not "don't bother", I would explain to the player that his character is enchanted, and would hope that he'd have the maturity to roleplay it correctly.
Of course, if people are hiding something from Aphrodite, and they know she knows it, they might want to take some further precautions to avoid her being able to affect them. Her girdle's powers only work on men; they could use Metamorphosis to take female forms. Or they could take the form of an animal and see if that works. They could make a point of avoiding any encounter with Aphrodite that isn't in a very public place. They could have people in a mind-link with them already, set to interfere if Aphrodite tried something, etc.


Q: Can you provide a play-by-play of character creation?

A: copypasted right from the book:

Character Creation: Summary

   1. The Bidding War: players bid on the four basic abilities: Ego, Might, Fortitude and Prowess.
   2. Classes are established in the four abilities, players have the option of buying down abilities at Olympian Class to Mortal or Heroic Class; or buying up to empty or Tied-Class Numbered abilities.
   3. Players can purchase Patrons or Enemies, and negotiate player “additions” for bonus points.
   4. Players use remaining points to purchase Powers, Daemons, or Realms.
   5. Any remaining points, or negative point-deficits are designated as the player character’s “Luck” score.
   6. The GM assigns player character’s divine parentage. The GM will either inform players of their divine parent’s identity, or inform the player that their character does not know the identity of his divine parent.
   7. Players establish their character’s background, age, and appearance, and optionally their divine thematic aspect. Players also collaborate with the GM to establish the character’s basic history up to the starting point of the campaign, making note of activities which would indicate significant skills or knowledge the player character holds.
   8. Players conduct the Character Questionnaire, as a group, or individually with the GM.



Q: Can you provide a more concrete blow-by-blow of the following combat situation: A God and a Hero are walking into a building loaded down with guns. They have to get through their enemies Matrix-style (why yes, this IS the lobby scene), which consists of a Mortal security force of about two-dozen that has a Kyklops and a cthonic beast that resembles a low-rent Kerberos as backup.

A: I'm not too sure what you want from me here; what would happen there would depend a great deal on what the characters chose to do to handle the situation. Not to mention the abilities of the opponents they're facing. Twelve mortal cops (all with Mortal Class Prowess) would, collectively, be the equivalent of a single opponent of the lowest numbered prowess class in the campaign. So if the character's prowess is slightly higher than that, he should probably do o.k. in the battle, particularly being helped by someone with Heroic Class Prowess.
Of course, the Cyclops (I assume you are referring to a regular,  monstrous Cyclops and not one of the three Cyclopes of Olympus), and the cheap Cerberus-knockoff could complicate things further. Individually, either of them would probably be inferior to a combat-oriented Olympian. But collectively with the mortal guards and each other, it'd be tough. Having thought ahead and prepared some powers could be really practical. Does the character have enough skill in Advanced Olympian Magic that he could craft a spell to make it so that the Cyclops and hellhound can't actually exist in this universe? That would definitely easy things up. But if not, he might be able to use regular Olympian Magic to make the video cameras malfunction to buy them time before the heavy reinforcements arrive.  And of course, if you have Ineffable Names then the Name of Death would be pretty useful, since it would let him kill any of the mortal cops even without having a really clear shot.
Assuming the player character wasn't going to use any powers, didn't have anything prepared, etc and was just going to fight it out; the best strategy would be not to ever get himself in a position where all of his potential opponents could collectively fight him at once. 12 cops together, or 3 or 4 of them plus a Cyclops, can be a significant danger. But if the player character maneuvers through the room, using the desk, the columns, etc. as cover to avoid all of them being able to attack him, he is vastly superior (assuming he has some kind of Numbered Class Prowess) if he's handling up to 4 of them at a time. His Heroic Prowess companion had better either stick very close to him and give him some backup, or had better go off and hide somewhere and then try to peg off/face only one or two of the guys at a time. It would not necessarily be an easy battle, but it could be winnable if they use good strategy and keep their opponents divided.


Q: After seeing the title and premise, I was just curious to know if this game was related to the mid 80's game "Heroes of Olympus"?

A: No. In fact, I'd never even heard of that game until you brought it up. It has nothing to do with Lords of Olympus, and seems to be a game about playing greek mortal heroes in a purely classical setting. I don't really see how you could think there's any connection, aside from the "greek" thing.

RPGPundit
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: Lorrraine on July 31, 2010, 12:01:58 AM
Hi RPGPundit,

What sorts of things can a character with Elementalism do?

What sorts of things can a character with Glamour do?

Can you provide a sample character writeup from Lords of Olympus?

In Amber the Death Curse provides an incentive for Amberites not to kill family members. Do the Furies provide a similar incentive not to kill family in Lords of Olympus?

How exactly would a PC ranked at First Class advance to above First Class?

Thanks,
Lorrraine
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: Rubio on July 31, 2010, 07:50:33 PM
Quote from: RPGPundit
He could use Enchantment to have affected the mind of one or more of the listeners.


Okay, how would this affect a player? Would the player be informed of it and told that they don't have a choice as to whether or not to comply with the Enchanter?

Basically, the question that I feel you haven't quite answered yet is how will adversarial mental control be handled, whether it is used by the PCs or against them?

Quote from: RPGPundit
There are all kinds of things that the PC can do to give himself an edge in a diplomatic situation; having a fiddly number to give him a mechanical bonus is not one of them. In Lords of Olympus, you actually have to ROLE-PLAY.


That's all well and good, but does that indicated that if an individual player can't think quickly on his/her feet, they are prohibited from playing certain characters (notably those characters that are witty)? Similarly, will someone who is mostly at the gaming table for sociability and doesn't really do too much cut-throat scheming be at a disadvantage?

Quote from: RPGPundit
So in game terms, Aphrodite would make you fall in love with her, and your character would WANT to tell her everything. Of course, for her to do this, her girldle-enhanced Ego would still need to be higher than yours, so characters with ridiculously high Ego could just rebuff her.
What I would "say" in this case is not "don't bother", I would explain to the player that his character is enchanted, and would hope that he'd have the maturity to roleplay it correctly.


Considering that Aphrodite is one of the big-name Olympians, I'd figure that only the highest-end of PCs would even have a chance of having a higher Ego ability than her. Similarly, the challenge would indeed be to be machiavellan/julio-claudian/karl rove-esque enough in your planning to not end up in the same room with Aphrodite in the first place.

My assumption was that they were unable to resist her abilities and the mental compulsion has taken effect.

In this case, it's up to the player to actually comply with the mental compulsion? If so, would you characterize this as a high-trust system?
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: RPGPundit on August 06, 2010, 05:21:56 PM
Lords of Olympus Q&A Pt. IX

Here we are at the NINTH installment of the Lords of Olympus Q&A.  I wasn't ever expecting that people would have so many questions and show so much interest in the game as to keep this going for so long.   Thank you very much!
As always, here are the rules of the game: You post a question in this thread, and every Friday I will post a blog entry here where I answer your questions from the past week.

And now, without further ado, this week's questions:

Q: What sorts of things can a character with Elementalism do?

A: Elementalism allows a character to cast spells related to one, two, three or all four of the classical elements (earth, air, water, and fire).  Someone with Olympian Class Ego will be able to do magic for three out of four elements. Elementalist magic takes the form of pre-prepared spells that must be memorized. A character with Olympian Class Ego can have up to 4 spells memorized at any given time. Spells allow you to create, alter, or dispel the element in question, make elemental attacks or defense, adapt to survive in that element, or move through that element. Each element also has a signature spell particular to its type.


Q: What sorts of things can a character with Glamour do?

A: Glamour is the magic of illusion, allowing you to manipulate light, sound colour and image. Characters with glamour can create light, sound, darkness, illusory transformations, complex illusions, or to become invisible; and may create Glamour Wards to generate one of these effects when a certain condition is met.


Q: Can you provide a sample character writeup from Lords of Olympus?

A: Do you mean an example of what a player character's stats would look like? Sure.

Sample Character: "Aischylos"

Ego:        Olympian Class
Might:      Olympian Class
Fortitude: 3rd Class
Prowess: 2.5th Class

Powers: Immortality, World-Walking (Olympian Road), Olympian Magic

Other: Patron, Enemy, Daemonic Sword (2 point Supernatural Weapon)

There you have it! Of course, those are just stats. The real important stuff is what you would write in your notes: details on your history, things you know (be they skills or secrets), answers from your character quiz, etc.


Q: Do the Furies provide an incentive not to kill family in Lords of Olympus?

A: There can be various reasons not to kill family in Lords of Olympus.  The Furies are generally not one of them.  You see, the Furies and Nemesis are two powerful forces of vengeance, but each of them really are mainly concerned with the Mortal realm.  Nemesis punishes those who violate the laws of gods, and the Furies those who violate the laws of men.  If you're a mortal and you disrespect the gods or defy divine will, Nemesis might come to hunt you down. If you're a mortal who breaks an oath or betrays family, the Furies might be called upon to exact vengeance.  But other gods are somewhat out of these goddesses' jurisdiction.
But there are tons of reasons not to kill another god.  For starters, pragmatism. Its one thing to kill a mortal, because if you do some special punishment to last the rest of a mortal's life that's what.. 50 more years, tops, anyways? But a god... if you kill a god, he's just dead; but punish him for the rest of his life and you have untold aeons of suffering! In the second place, there's the edict of Zeus, who forbids murder among the gods.  Even Hera has been very careful about this, she'll gladly try to kill bastard children of Zeus when they are still mortal, but if they are raised up to immortality, then killing them is generally out (unless she's really, really devious about it).   If you kill a god, and get caught, you'll face a trial in the Olympian court, where each and all of your old enemies will be able to revel in putting forth reasons why you should be cast into Tartarus or slain (death being the lighter of the two sentences there).
Even assuming you get aquitted, there's the question of vendettas.  Everyone on Olympus has a web of connections and alliances, and if you piss off a guy, attack him, beat him, kill his mortals or his sheep or his favorite horse, that's one thing, that's between you and him; but if you take it to the point where you kill the motherfucker, then you're making it about all these other people, you're inconveniencing them. And then they're all going to have very good reasons to fuck you up.
And finally, of course, there's the question of the Olympian's curse.  Anyone with Olympian magic can use some of their personal divine energy to utter a fated curse, very difficult to get around, that has all the potential of making your life and the lives of others very miserable.  You might be able to kill the other guy before he can utter a curse at you, if you're lucky, but then there are his relatives, kids, best friends, etc; and you'd better hope that none of them cared about him so much that they would give up a portion of their divine power just to make the murderer pay.


Q: How exactly would a PC ranked at First Class advance to above First Class?

A: Through advancement. When the GM wishes to give advancement, players will all write their Advancement List, a list of their different priorities of what they would like to advance in.  Players can put as an item on the list to advance any of their four Abilities.  If the Advancement is sufficient that it can be obtained, the player would advance one Class level in an Ability.  So a character who was 3rd Class in Prowess wants to advance their Prowess, and put it at the top of their list. The GM would then advance that character so that their prowess would now be 2nd Class (or 2.5th Class if someone was occupying that Class level already). If a character is 1st Class in an Ability, he can also request advancement in that ability as per usual.  The GM, if he grants the advancement, would then advance the character to 1st+1 Class (or 1st+1(tied) Class, most likely).


Q: how would Enchantment affect a player? Would the player be informed of it and told that they don't have a choice as to whether or not to comply with the Enchanter?
Basically, the question that I feel you haven't quite answered yet is how will adversarial mental control be handled, whether it is used by the PCs or against them?

A: There are two kinds of mental control; the first is direct mental domination caused when someone makes a mental link with you and then overwhelms you by force of Ego. This is a "brute force" kind of control, where the character is just a puppet of the assailant and his every action must be directed by the same. In these cases, a player character controlled in this way would be out of the player's control, and the GM would only describe to him what the attacker is making his character do.
The other kind of mental control is through Enchantment; This is much finer and more subtle. A player character might not even know he is enchanted. Generally, Enchantment if it is done right by the caster will work in such a way that others will not even realize that the character is mentally affected (whereas with domination it is almost impossible to hide the fact for very long). There are generally three ways a GM could handle this kind of mental control.  First, if an Enchantment is extremely specific, and only comes into play conditionally, or affects very subtle perceptions, the GM might not even tell the player about it. An enchantment might only activate if certain conditions are met, and until that time a PC is completely normal. Or an enchantment might only affect very specific memories or behaviours; the GM might need to inform the player that the character remembers something differently than what the player recalls.  A GM who is very skilled might even play some Enchantments entirely by how he describes things to the Player, if an Enchantment is meant to affect perceptions.
Sooner or later, however, its probable that the Player will need to know his character is affected by an Enchantment. At that time, the GM has two remaining options: he could simply take control out of the player's hands, either on specific issues, or entirely, just telling the player how he reacts.  This is allowed, but its not what's recommended in the game.  Instead, the best way to handle Enchantment would be to sit down with the player and explain to him exactly how the enchantment has changed his memories or perceptions or personality, and provide some guidelines to the player about exactly how he should portray these changes. The GM can veto the player's actions after that if he feels that the player is trying to "give away the game" (ie. metagame) or act in bad faith.   The ideal is where a player is mature enough to be eager about effectively and correctly interpreting this situation with his character. The GM should only remove autonomy from the player's control of his character as a last resort, if the player is clearly and willfully not getting it.


Q: (Does the lack of "intelligence" attributes or social mechanics mean that) if an individual player can't think quickly on his/her feet, they are prohibited from playing certain characters (notably those characters that are witty)?

A: Here's the thing: I've never ever seen a mechanical substitute for intelligence or social grace in an RPG that acted as an effective prosthesis for those players who lack in these things anyway.  You can give a character a +25 to Diplomacy and Bluff, but if the PLAYER is socially inept, he still won't know when or how to use these things. He'll screw it up anyways. You could give a character a 22 INT or an I.Q. of 250, but if the PLAYER isn't that bright, god help him, then the character will still come off as dumb because of the choices he makes and the things the dumb player has him say or do.
So to answer your question: would a player be "prohibited" from playing a clever or charming character if the player himself is thick or boorish? No, no one is prohibited, but the reality of the situation is that he wouldn't actually pull it off. What I would say is that how a player describes his character at the start of a campaign is always more about how that character sees himself than about how he really is.  And there are tons of people out there who think they're brilliant or graceful when they're actually anything but.  In one campaign I ran I had one player who'd gone to great pains to describe that his character cared deeply about mortals and treated them like equals, and then went on to do anything but for the entire campaign.  In another, I had a player who described his character as a "diplomat", who went on to always get angry and blurt out insults or make threats and always refused to give ground on any issue.  On a different note, I've had plenty of times where I've seen really clever and involved players say that they're going to play a character who's stupid, but those characters inevitably end up becoming party-leaders who think up ways to solve the problems, because the player can't help himself.  So really, you can't make mechanics that are meant to save you from playing your character differently than you would like to describe him initially.

Q: Similarly, will someone who is mostly at the gaming table for sociability and doesn't really do too much cut-throat scheming be at a disadvantage?

A: The Lords of Olympus game need not necessarily be about cut-throat scheming, that depends on how each GM wishes to frame his campaign.  There's certainly tons of material in the setting that would help for such a campaign, but you can just as easily make your campaign about going around the multiverse engaging in great heroics, performing adventurous tasks for Zeus or some other big gun, players starting as mortal bastards of the gods and questing for immortality, the Olympians as a whole facing some new major threat, etc etc.

Q: would you characterize this as a high-trust system?

A: Ideally, yes. Without a doubt, Lords of Olympus works best when the players trust the GM and the GM trusts the players, and the players trust each other (as players, not necessarily character-to-character).  If everyone acts maturely, it'll be a much better game. But really, can't you say that about just about any RPG?

Keep those questions coming, folks!

RPGPundit

Currently Smoking: Mastro de Paja bent billiard + Altadis' Fox & Hound
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: Simon W on August 07, 2010, 04:15:32 AM
I've only got one question left "How much longer we gotta wait for this?".
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: Lorrraine on August 07, 2010, 11:32:12 AM
Hi RPGPundit,

How does a GM know how many advancement points to charge a player who wants to raise her character's attribute to a class above first class?

Do you place any limits on how much luck a character can have, positive or negative?

What Ineffable Names can a character have?

Which Elder Olympians have the highest class in each attribute?

Do Daemonic Artifacts have their own Ego class and the ability to resist orders like an intelligent sword in D&D?

Thanks,
Lorrraine
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: Croaker on August 07, 2010, 03:57:29 PM
I'd add what importance can have luck in-game? How much of it can compare to, say, a rank?
What are the effects of maximum luck?
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: warp9 on August 08, 2010, 01:04:54 AM
Quote from: RPGPundit;397605
Q: (Does the lack of "intelligence" attributes or social mechanics mean that) if an individual player can't think quickly on his/her feet, they are prohibited from playing certain characters (notably those characters that are witty)?

A: Here's the thing: I've never ever seen a mechanical substitute for intelligence or social grace in an RPG that acted as an effective prosthesis for those players who lack in these things anyway.  You can give a character a +25 to Diplomacy and Bluff, but if the PLAYER is socially inept, he still won't know when or how to use these things. He'll screw it up anyways. You could give a character a 22 INT or an I.Q. of 250, but if the PLAYER isn't that bright, god help him, then the character will still come off as dumb because of the choices he makes and the things the dumb player has him say or do.
So to answer your question: would a player be "prohibited" from playing a clever or charming character if the player himself is thick or boorish? No, no one is prohibited, but the reality of the situation is that he wouldn't actually pull it off. What I would say is that how a player describes his character at the start of a campaign is always more about how that character sees himself than about how he really is.  And there are tons of people out there who think they're brilliant or graceful when they're actually anything but.  In one campaign I ran I had one player who'd gone to great pains to describe that his character cared deeply about mortals and treated them like equals, and then went on to do anything but for the entire campaign.  In another, I had a player who described his character as a "diplomat", who went on to always get angry and blurt out insults or make threats and always refused to give ground on any issue.  On a different note, I've had plenty of times where I've seen really clever and involved players say that they're going to play a character who's stupid, but those characters inevitably end up becoming party-leaders who think up ways to solve the problems, because the player can't help himself.  So really, you can't make mechanics that are meant to save you from playing your character differently than you would like to describe him initially.
I would argue that it is possible to enforce behavior which is more consistent with the character's stats.

Take for example the charismatic player who is playing the non-charismatic character. . . . Let us say that this PC becomes group leader---at the very least the GM should consistently remind the other Players that they are not responding to the character as they should be (they should probably be shunning the low-charisma character, rather than making him their leader). Make the guy wear a tag at the game table that says: "Hi, I have a very low charisma!"

The same thing goes for intelligence, not every actor who plays Sherlock Holmes is ultra-smart, but with the right set-up it is possible to create the illusion of intelligence. There are actually a number of points in the Amber DRPG book which relate to this point. One good example is the "look at the board" thing (on page 79). Or the "Being Smarter than you are" thing (on page 223), this deals with the GM playing elder Amberites, but the idea of creating the illusion of intelligence can be applied in other areas as well.

All of which doesn't mean this is a totally easy process, but I do think it is possible to give a PC abilities in charisma and/or intelligence which are not possessed by the Player. And if the player doesn't, as you say above "know when or how to use these things," the GM can give helpful suggestions and hints there too.

I'm not sure that the real barrier here is that one can't create mechanics, but that there is a resistance to having enforcement of a character's stats. For example, I can think of one specific case where the GM simply felt that the role of the PCs was to figure things out and talk things through. This GM felt that things like giving a stupid player the correct answers because of his character's high intelligence, was a violation of the basic purpose of playing the game.
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: RPGPundit on August 13, 2010, 05:09:45 PM
Lords of Olympus Q&A Pt. X

This Q&A, as always, answers questions people have posted about my upcoming Lords of Olympus RPG in this thread. If you have a question about the upcoming game, please ask it there, and I'll answer it here every Friday.

In today's session, we also have a spot of BIG NEWS. See the first question for details...

Q: I've only got one question left "How much longer we gotta wait for this?"

A: I'm not sure, but less that you might have thought.  You see, (and here's the big news), I've finished the manuscript. Its done. It is now in the hands of God and Bernstein as to when the book is actually released (it has to go through editing, layout, illustration, etc).  But we are ahead of schedule, as it were, since I had never expected to have the rules done this early on. This last month was incredibly productive for me.


Q: How does a GM know how many advancement points to charge a player who wants to raise her character's attribute to a class above first class?

A: The GM gets to pick the values in terms of point costs for Classes above first. The game includes some guidelines about more or less how to score each class level, and suggestions about how the game and balance of power between PCs and NPCs varies depending on the kind of cost you put on these "above first class" abilities.


Q: Do you place any limits on how much luck a character can have, positive or negative?

A: The default version of the rules does not; but it states very clearly that the GM can, as an optional rule, impose a limit to bad (negative) luck.  The way the system is set up there probably shouldn't be any limit to positive (good) luck, but there are highly diminishing returns making it pointless for someone to try to hoard excessive Luck points.


Q: What Ineffable Names can a character have?

A: Well, let's see: there's "AUB", "EOUD", "IOZ", "OUM", "IOYEIOY", "IAMADA", "ERIOZ", and quite a few more. There are 17 different Ineffable names provided in the manual, and GMs could always invent a few more.
Hmm, I get the feeling that maybe you wanted to know what the names did, not just what they sound like... just in case that's so, I'll mention that the above are "flash of insight", "stunning word", "flash of light", "Flash of darkness", "Thunder", "Pass through nature", and "Decay", respectively.


Q: Which Elder Olympians have the highest class in each attribute?

A:  Hecate has the highest Ego Class. The highest Might class among the gods is Heracles, though Typhon is actually one Class stronger. The highest Fortitude belongs to Atlas. And the highest Prowess class is Athena's.


Q: Do Daemonic Artifacts have their own Ego class and the ability to resist orders like an intelligent sword in D&D?

A: Daemons all have an intellect, though not all are capable of communication.  Most Daemons are extremely loyal to their masters (ie. the person who put points into them), but it is not unheard of for a Daemon to try to leave or turn on its master if it is very badly abused. Also, some Daemons will not always obey orders correctly.
None of this has much to do with the Daemon's Ego class. Since Daemons are willing servants (in fact, the word "daemon" means a supernatural "helper" or "servant), they don't usually get into Ego combat with their master.  Of course, its possible for someone else to control or manipulate them through ego-conflict.  Daemons who don't have any points invested in Ego start the game with Mortal Class Ego.  A player can boost that up to Olympian Class for a little as two points (if he spends 2 points, he boosts 2 of the Daemon's abilities to Heroic Class and 2 of the abilities to Olympian Class).


Q: I'd add what importance can have luck in-game? How much of it can compare to, say, a Class?

A: The rules are pretty explicit in that Luck is a factor that tends to affect things like what happens to a character on a journey, how serious a mishap might be for a character, or what people's very first impressions of a character might be.  Luck can be quite important, but it should never be MORE important than a PC's Ability Classes or a PC's wit and cleverness. In any given conflict or battle, the most important factor will always be the Ability Classes and Powers being used, the WAY that the characters are using them (ie. the cleverness of the PC's actions), then Fortitude if a combat lasts long enough, and luck is the fourth and least influential factor.  Of course, a character with a really high extreme of good luck or bad luck could have something happen that would interrupt the fight itself in a major way; but in general terms while Luck is important, "betting it all" on Luck is a suckers' gamble.


Q: What are the effects of maximum luck?

A: Luck in Lords of Olympus is relative.  That is, a character with bad luck still has bad luck, even if everyone else has worse luck than he does, and a character with good luck still has good luck even if everyone else has better luck than he does. But whoever has the lowest Luck Score in a group and whoever has the highest Luck Score in a group will tend to have more extreme things (or less terrible things) happen to them.
It depends also somewhat on the spread. If the group are all close together in luck, within a few points of each other, the luck is less extreme. But if one character is way out of the curve with either good or bad luck then the GM will want more crazy things to happen to him.
For example, let's say a bomb goes off in a room where all the PCs were standing: The GM judges it took them all by surprise, none of them had any special magical protection or enough Prowess to avoid the blast. The character with extremely good luck would likely have had shrapnel hit only non-vital areas; and thus unless his Fortitude is very low, he can just walk it off. The characters with medium-luck were probably hit moderately, each of them taking injuries that could be incapacitating or highly inconveniencing if their Fortitude isn't very high.  But the guy with the worst luck, he gets hit with Shrapnel in the eye, or a piece of metal pierces a lung. He'd better have really great Fortitude if he doesn't want to be out of action for quite a while.


Q: I can think of one specific case where the GM simply felt that the role of the PCs was to figure things out and talk things through. This GM felt that things like giving a stupid player the correct answers because of his character's high intelligence, was a violation of the basic purpose of playing the game.

A: That's not really a question, but yes, I basically agree. That's part of why Lords of Olympus has no stats for Intelligence. I think that you can simulate characters who are very perceptive, which in Lords of Olympus is governed by either Ego or Prowess, depending on the circumstance. You can also simulate characters who are very knowledgeable, which is handled in Lords of Olympus with skills and background. But intelligence? No. Unless you really want to just go along spoonfeeding choices to a player so that he loses any real autonomy, no.  Because you see, Intelligence isn't the same as education or perception. You can see things and know things, but not have a real idea how to make good choices based on those things. That's the the kind of thing that depends on the player, and can't really be "faked" unless you turn the character into an NPC for all intents and purposes.

RPGPundit
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: Lorrraine on August 14, 2010, 05:04:50 PM
Hi RPGPundit,

Congratulations on finishing the manuscript. How many pages?

Did you include an option for partial powers?

What sort of guidelines did you include for characters ganging up on a single opponent or individually fighting multiple opponents?

How does the damage that someone with a high strength class can do using an ordinary sword compare to the damage someone with Olympian class strength can do using a daemonic sword?

If a character has a high Ego Class and no powers what could they do with it?

Thanks,
Lorrraine
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: RPGPundit on August 18, 2010, 03:10:24 AM
This is just a little programming note, to let you all know, that as I'm going to be on my Pundit Canada Tour 2010, I might not be able to provide Q&A entries every single Friday.  But rest assured, that if you post a question on this thread, your question will be answered whenever the very next Q&A entry is posted.

So keep those questions coming!

RPGPundit
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: RPGPundit on September 10, 2010, 12:01:28 PM
Lords of Olympus Q&A Pt. XI

So, I'm sorry for the delay but as you all know I'm on vacation.  But as promised, here is the continuation of my interview series for the upcoming Lords of Olympus RPG.

Without further ado, here come the questions:


Q. Congratulations on finishing the manuscript. How many pages?

A. This number is highly subject to change. However, the manuscript in its current form has 319 pages.



Q. Did you include an option for partial powers?

A. In one sense no, each power in the game is a full power.  However, in the game I opted to have more powers that have more limited effects. There are several powers that have basic and advanced versions.  Also, the one power you might be able to claim has "partial" versions is world-walking.  You can pay to be able to walk one divine road, two roads, or all three roads.


Q.What sort of guidelines did you include for characters ganging up on a single opponent or individually fighting multiple opponents?

A. There are full rules for how to handle multiple opponents.  In essence, you choose one opponent to count as the main opponent, which is always the opponent using the highest Ability Class if there is any differentiation.  That is the base ability class that the PC is fighting against.  Every additional opponent that is in a position to make a meaningful attack that round counts toward adding to the main opponent's effective ability class.


Q. How does the damage that someone with a high might class can do using an ordinary sword compare to the damage someone with Olympian class Might can do using a daemonic sword?


A. Daemonic weapons add to your penetration power, not to your damage as such.  They work to render your armor and other barriers useless. So someone with a high Might Class will do more damage with an ordinary sword as a base, but the Olympian Might guy will be able to ignore the armour of the opponents he hits, so in some cases he might have the advantage.


Q. If a character has a high Ego Class and no powers what could they do with it?


A.  A character with high Ego Class and no powers would need to be physically touching his target, or engaging in prolonged eye-to-eye contact in order to use his Ego against an opponent.  Assuming he could do that, however, even without any powers he would be able to read minds, dominate the will of an opponent, attack them with a mental blast, send them a silent telepathic communication, or attempt to make a mental defence against mental attacks from his enemies.


That's it for today.  If you have a question about the Lords of Olympus game, please post it on the thread on theRPGsite, and I will try to answer it on the very next Friday that I have a second to spare!

RPGpundit

Currently Smoking: Crown Cutty + My Mixture 2.0
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: Lorrraine on September 12, 2010, 04:12:28 AM
Hi RPGPundit,

Quote from: RPGPundit;403570
In Lords of Olympus, certain environmental, exhaustion, injury, or magical factors can effectively reduce or increase the Ability Class of player characters.


What types of magical factors could increase the ability classes of a player character?

How does Lords of Olympus handle character creation if a GM only has one or two players which makes the typical Bidding War less than ideal?

How do Metamorphosis and Advanced Metamorphosis differ from the Amber Diceless powers of Shapeshifting and Advanced Shapeshifting?

What does the Ineffable Name "AUB" (Flash of Insight) do in terms of game mechanics?

How does Lords of Olympus handle questions of who gets to act first?

Thanks,
Lorrraine
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: RPGPundit on September 24, 2010, 04:08:38 PM
Lords of Olympus Q&A Pt. XII

Here again is another update of our Lords of Olympus Q&A.  Look for an update about the status of Lords of Olympus on this blog fairly soon.

Remember, if YOU have a question for me about the Lords of Olympus RPG, please write it on theRPGsite in this thread. I will answer it every Friday.

So, on to the questions:

Q: What types of magical factors could increase the ability classes of a player character?


A: The Advanced Metamorphosis power, Ineffable Names, Daemonic Artefacts and certain powerful Olympian Artefacts.



Q: How does Lords of Olympus handle character creation if a GM only has one or two players which makes the typical Bidding War less than ideal?

A: I would recommend that the player use one of the various alternative methods of character creation presented as an option.  There are five alternative methods of character creation, assuming one doesn't want to or lacks the correct infrastructure to do a good Bidding War.


Q: How do Metamorphosis and Advanced Metamorphosis differ from shape-shifting?

A: Metamorphosis in its basic sense lets you have a few set forms that you can easily change into; the power to shift into other forms with some time and effort, the power of Adaptive Metamorphosis to change quickly in reaction to dangerous environments, the Primordial Form which a PC metamorphoses into in cases of near-lethal injury, and Metamorphic Healing which allows them to regenerate wounds quickly.
Advanced Metamorphosis allows a character to metamorphose his essence or personality, imitate natural abilities as well as forms, shape-change others as well as himself, and to create an Eidolon or duplicate body of one's self.


Q: What does the Ineffable Name "AUB" (Flash of Insight) do in terms of game mechanics?


A: It allows the person to have a very brief one-second-long vision of one minute into the future of his current location.



Q: How does Lords of Olympus handle questions of who gets to act first?

A: In Lords of Olympus there is no concept of "initiative"; its assumed that everyone is doing things at the same time. In cases where two characters' intended actions would be exclusive (in other words, only the faster of the two gets to succeed), it is generally Prowess that determines who gets to act first.


Please keep the questions coming, folks!

RPGPundit

Currently Smoking: Stanwell Rhodesian + Planta's Image Latakia
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: Lorrraine on September 25, 2010, 03:34:10 AM
Hi RPGPundit,

How does the Eidolon of a character with Advanced Metamorphosis differ from the character's original body?

What would Wonder Woman's character sheet look like if you wrote her up as a Lords of Olympus character?

What Stats and Abilities would the Gnomes from Gnomemurdered have as monsters in Lords of Olympus?

How long could a character with First Class in Fortitude fight continuously before they started to feel the effects of exhaustion?

What sorts of questions do you ask in the Lords of Olympus character questionnaire?

Thanks,
Lorrraine
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: RPGPundit on October 01, 2010, 03:45:35 PM
Lords of Olympus Q&A Lucky #XIII

So we're back with the 13th entry of my ongoing Lords of Olympus Q&A.  First, as always I will mention to everyone that if YOU have a question for me about this upcoming RPG, and want me to answer it here, please write your question in this thread on theRPGsite.  Your questions will get answered, usually every Friday.

Now, on to the questions:

Q: How does the Eidolon of a character with Advanced Metamorphosis differ from the character's original body?

A: Well, an Eidolon will have an identical appearance to the Player Character, at least at first (he could be metamorphosed to look different, of course).  But one important difference is that he might vary in size. the character must use his own physical material, usually blood or flesh (hair and fingernails do not work, nor does waste material).  An Eidolon will be limited in size by the amount of material the character uses, though he need not collect it all at once, if he stores it carefully.
The other big difference is that Eidolons have very limited life-spans, anywhere from 2 days to 2 weeks, depending on the creator's Ego Class.


Q: What would Wonder Woman's character sheet look like if you wrote her up as a Lords of Olympus character?

A: Wow, a difficult question. I think it depends on what kind of power level you assume Wonder Woman to be. I think she would probably have Heroic Class Ego, Olympian Class Might, Olympian Class Fortitude, and Olympian Class Prowess.  Some people might argue that she should have Low-Numbered Class Might and Fortitude. She would have no powers of her own, though she would have some items; 1- or 2- point cuffs on her hands, and an important and powerful Olympian Lasso, which would have the power of implanting a Geis on anyone she catches in it, obliging them to tell her the truth if their Ego Class was lower than the artefact's creator (I forget who it was who gave that lasso to the Amazons, was it Athena? If so it would be a whopping 1st+4(tied) Ego Class!).


Q: What Stats and Abilities would the Gnomes from Gnomemurdered have as monsters in Lords of Olympus?

A: A good question. If you've read Gnomemurdered, you'd know that there are actually Gnomes of four different power levels in the game: Gritty, Heroic, Super-Heroic, and Godlike. These would roughly correspond to Mortal, Heroic, Olympian and Numbered Class; so Gnomes of each power level would probably have those Classes in their various Abilities, with Gnomish leaders of each type probably having one Class higher than their underlings. Of course, there'd be some interesting powers and abilities among the more special gnomes, like the Heavy Weapons Gnomes or the Cuddly Death Gnomes; some of those would be hard to convert to Lords of Olympus stats.


Q: How long could a character with First Class in Fortitude fight continuously before they started to feel the effects of exhaustion?

A: A Character with Olympian Class Fortitude can continue to fight for 12 hours without stopping, of course by then he'd be exhausted.  A 1st Class Fortitude PC would be able to fight for days on end, but he'd probably start to feel the effects of exhaustion after about 12 hours of constant fighting. Note however, that this assumes fighting WITHOUT taking injury. If the character receives injuries, it will accelerate the process of exhaustion as his body has to struggle with the injuries.


Q: What sorts of questions do you ask in the Lords of Olympus character questionnaire?

A: Here is a random selection of only a few of the questions listed (though GMs are also encouraged to make their own particular questions):
-Is your character a night owl? What does he spend his nights doing?
-If your character has the choice between making a big entrance and immediately drawing attention to himself, or slipping in utterly unnoticed, which would he prefer (if all other factors were equal)?
-What does your character often dream about?
-Would other people around your character be able to easily notice if he is angry or upset? Why or why not?
-Would your character think it better to be right, or to win?

That's it for today; keep those questions coming!

RPGPundit
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: Lorrraine on October 07, 2010, 11:46:59 AM
Hi RPGPundit,

How quickly could a character with First Class in Prowess run a mile?

How much weight could a character with First Class in Might lift?

What geographical features does a place require in order for it to connect to the Hadean road?

What can Nereus do with Metamorphosis that a character with merely Advanced Metamorphosis cannot?

Aside from the source, how does Olympian Magic differ from Primordial Magic?

Thanks,
Lorrraine
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: RPGPundit on October 08, 2010, 04:26:23 PM
Lords Of Olympus Q&A XIV

Here we are again, for the 14th session of the Lords of Olympus Q&A. You must know the drill by now: post your questions to this thread on theRPGsite, and I will respond to them here every Friday.

Ok, let's get to it:


Q: How quickly could a character with First Class in Prowess run a mile?

A: Prowess affects dexterity, skill at arms, reactions, co-ordination, and strategic thinking.  Someone with 1st Class Prowess would certainly be able to run a mile faster than the faster mortal human athlete, by a good length. I would say that someone with Olympian Class Prowess might be able to run a 2 minute mile, and someone with 1st Class Prowess might be able to run a 1 minute mile. Note that running longer distances would depend at least as much on Fortitude as on Prowess.


Q: How much weight could a character with First Class in Might lift?

A: A character with 1st Class Might would be strong enough to lift a regular-sized car without too much trouble and throw it several feet. He could uproot a largish tree by its roots. That should give you a general idea.


Q: What geographical features does a place require in order for it to connect to the Hadean road?

A: To connect to the Hadean Road, a world must have some kind of underground spaces, natural or man-made.  So caverns or tunnels.


Q: What can Nereus do with Metamorphosis that a character with merely Advanced Metamorphosis cannot?

A: I do not go into details about this, leaving it to the GM to decide which specifics they want to give Nereus, depending on how powerful they want to make him.  What I do specify is that Nereus should be able to perform "tricks" with metamorphosis that go beyond the limitations of the normal description of that (Advanced) power, as he is a great master of Metamorphosis.  


Q: Aside from the source, how does Olympian Magic differ from Primordial Magic?

A: Olympian magic is the power of Order, it is the magic that is the birthright of those who are the current masters of the multiverse (the Olympians).  It is the power to shape reality, to affect probability, to give boons and curses, and to hold back the powers of entropy.  In its greatest manifestations, it allows one to create worlds, or in a backwards kind of way, to destroy them.
Primordial Magic, on the other hand, is the magic of the Primordial entity Khaos, it is the birthright not only of the Olympians but of all the deities (Primordials, Titans, and Olympians).  It is the power of entropy, and can be used in combat, for summonings, to fill beings or objects with entropic power, to manipulate the laws of reality, or in its most powerful form to summon Khaos itself to destroy a world.

Well, that's it for today.  Keep up with the great questions!

RPGPundit

Currently Smoking: Raleigh Freehand + Planta's Image Latakia
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: Croaker on October 11, 2010, 01:12:31 AM
How much might would a giant monster like the Hydra have?

Is there any way for a character to have truly superhuman strength, on par with, say, your average spiderman?

Does the setting have technological universes? If so, how does it handle cross-tech or magic?

What stat do you use for Hand to Hand?
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: Lorrraine on October 12, 2010, 06:51:26 AM
Hi RPGPundit,

How do Olympian Magic and Advanced Olympian Magic differ from ADRPGs Pattern and Advanced Pattern?

How do Primordial Magic and Advanced Primordial Magic differ from ADRPGs Logrus and Advanced Logrus?

If someone with First Class in Might successfully punches someone with First Class in Fortitude how bad of an injury would the one punched get?

Does Lords of Olympus include writeups of any characters suitable as starting PCs?

How quickly could a character with First Class in Fortitude regenerate their sight if they had their eyes burned out like what happened to Corwin?

Thanks,
Lorrraine
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: RPGPundit on October 15, 2010, 01:58:21 PM
Lords Of Olympus Q&A XV

The fifteenth Q&A entry already.  Jesus, I can't imagine what this will be like when the game is actually in print! Anyways, here we go again: if you have a question for me about Lords of Olympus, post it on this thread in theRPGsite, and I will answer!

This week's questions:

Q: How much might would a giant monster like the Hydra have?

A: Hydras’ Ability Classes vary in range from Heroic to Olympian, typically, but some very powerful ones, like the Lernaean Hydra slain by Heracles, have higher scores in Might and Fortitude.


Q: Is there any way for a character to have truly superhuman strength, on par with, say, your average spiderman?

A: I would think that the ability to toss around a car would be "truly superhuman" strength.  Anyways, I can think of a few ways.  First of all, a character might "cheat" his way to it by going to a world where the laws of reality worked differently enough that he would be much stronger than the average inhabitants; of course, anyone else from outside that world would be too. He could likewise change the laws of reality in an existing world to attempt the same thing.  Finally, he could theoretically keep buying advancements "above first class" until he got to levels of Might Class to rival Heracles or Atlas.  It might even be possible that some really remarkable artifacts could grant him super-superhuman levels of Might.


Q: Does the setting have technological universes? If so, how does it handle cross-tech or magic?

A: The setting does indeed have technological universes.  Our own world, if you consider that a "technological" universe, features relatively prominently in the setting material.  Likewise, its stated that just about any universe imaginable can theoretically exist somewhere along the three divine roads. So yes, there are all kinds of levels of high-tech worlds out there.
In the game, worlds are classified in terms of different qualities, for things like physical laws and characteristics of that world.  Just like one of these qualities is the "Magic level" of the world, another would be the "Technological level" of the world. Characters who are skilled in Olympian or Primordial magic can affect these levels.  Some worlds might have both high-magic and high-tech, some might have only one of the two. Because physical laws are different from world to world, its quite normal for certain kinds of technology having trouble working on a different world than its origin (unless that world has sufficiently similar technological qualities); and the same can theoretically apply to magic.


Q: What stat do you use for Hand to Hand?

A: When the character is grappling, wrestling or boxing with an opponent, he is brawling with Might.
It is possible for a character to try to rely on Prowess when unarmed if he is attempting to use his agility rather than brute strength to strike. Likewise, a character with a weapon in his hand can be striking with pure Might, using his weapon only as a brute extension of his strength.  However, even in those cases, the strength of a person’s blow is measured by Might, while the ability to evade being struck is measured by Prowess.


Q: How do Olympian Magic and Advanced Olympian Magic, and Primordial Magic and Advanced Primordial Magic, differ from certain powers in other games?

A: Olympian and Primordial magic, and their advanced versions, might have certain vague similarities to powers you could theoretically find in other games, but they are entirely their own thing.  In particular, the way that they function (which is quite clearly outlined) is unique to the Lords of Olympus game.
Neither Olympian magic nor Primordial magic allow a character to travel from one universe to another; you need world-walking for that.
As a general statement, Olympian magic like many other powers in the game require time and attention to utilize, they tend not to be all that useful in the heat of battle or in a tight situation unless the player character has been very careful in planning things through ahead of time. Olympian magic requires at least five minutes to craft a spell of probability, for example.
Primordial magic can be a bit more useful in battle, since evoking the maelstrom (basically a kind of entropic hole in space and time) takes only a few seconds, and it can be useful to give yourself a kind of magical shield and some space between you and opponents.  Lines of force can also be useful in combat, being used for reaching out and making mental contact with opponents and (if the caster is really in a tight spot) can even be solidified with concentration to use as a kind of weapon. Olympian Magic, on the other hand, gives the user some protection against the entropic power of Khaos that the Primordial magic depends on.


Q: If someone with First Class in Might successfully punches someone with First Class in Fortitude how bad of an injury would the one punched get?

A: The answer would depend on a great number of factors.  First of all, the way the player described his PC's attack. How is he punching, where is he hitting on his opponent's body? Is the defending character using some kind of armour? Is the "defending" character taken unawares, or was he braced for impact? All of these things can ultimately affect the situation; so can environmental factors, as well as whether the character taking the hit was already injured, or exhausted, or if he's at top health.  Generally speaking, a single blow from a 1st Class Might character to a 1st Class Fortitude character where both are otherwise unaffected by other considerations, and where the guy taking the blow knows that its coming, and the location of the hit is neither particularly protected or particularly vulnerable, will take a serious enough hit (a Severe Injury) that will leave him dazed for a moment and might (if the hit is in an appropriate area) break a bone or two. But barring other factors, a single hit from a 1st Class Might blow would not be enough to leave a 1st Class Fortitude character out of the action (though if he can't figure out a way to stop himself from taking a few more of those blows, he'll be in serious trouble).


Q: Does Lords of Olympus include writeups of any characters suitable as starting PCs?

A: Along with the larger examples of how to handle the Bidding War, etc. there is a single full description of a character being created. Some of the less significant deities could also theoretically be usable as starting-level PCs.  But honestly, the game isn't meant to be run that way; you could do it, but that would miss out on a huge chunk of the fun: Character creation!


Q: How quickly could a character with First Class in Fortitude regenerate their sight if they had their eyes burned out?

A: Assuming the player character doesn't have the Metamorphosis power, a loss of a body part (like an eye) would take between several months to several years to heal.  The eye being a particularly complex body part, it would be at the higher end of that spectrum, possibly taking a decade or longer if no outside assistance is used.


Keep those questions coming!!

RPGPundit
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: Simon W on October 27, 2010, 02:21:46 PM
I'd like to know where you are at with this?
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: RPGPundit on October 29, 2010, 02:46:36 PM
Lords of Olympus Q&A Pt. XVI

So, here we are again with another question and answer entry regarding the upcoming Lords of Olympus RPG.  Remember, if YOU have a question for me to answer about this game, post the question to this thread.   I will answer any questions posted over the course of the week on the Friday of that week.

Today we have just one question, but that shows you the dedication I have to answering, we're not putting it off till next week.  Here we go:



Q: I'd like to know where you are at with this?

A:  Where we are at is as follows: the text of the book is done.  Complete.  Finished.  The book is currently at the editing stage, where it has been stuck for the last while due to the sheer number of projects Precis Intermedia is working on.  That's basically out of my hands now, and in a sense out of Precis' hands unless they chose to bump Lords of Olympus up the ladder of priority.   What's left now is basically for the text to be reviewed, to have artwork added, layout, and then publication.  All of which I hope will be relatively quick and easy once it starts to really get rolling.
I'm certainly not going to give a publication date or anything like that; it wouldn't be my place, first of all, since that should be the sort of thing that the company decides; and I'm pretty sure Precis has no idea how soon right now either (though they can feel free to correct me if I'm wrong about that).  What I would say is that if it was published before the end of the year, that would be a really big surprise to me. Odds are it will come out sometime in 2011.

Keep the questions coming, folks!

RPGPundit
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: EBM on November 18, 2010, 08:46:47 AM
Pundit any idea which artists are going to be used or is that wholly a Precis decision?

Also my favourite power in Amber is Trump Mastery.  Is their an equivalent to Trump in Lords of Olympus and if so does it work in the same way?  Will it still be called Trump? as that word elicits a juvenile reaction here in England. :p
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: RPGPundit on November 19, 2010, 11:26:53 AM
Lords of Olympus Q&A Pt. XVII

Here's number 17 of the Questions and Answers series for the upcoming Lords of Olympus RPG. Since its been a couple of weeks since the last one, I'll repeat the instructions for how this works. If YOU have a question about the Lords of Olympus game, just write it in this thread on theRPGsite.  Then, every Friday, I will answer any new question in this blog. Its that simple!


Quote
Q: Pundit any idea which artists are going to be used or is that wholly a Precis decision?

A: This is ultimately a Precis Intermedia decision. Precis will, as publisher of the book, choose what artists they use.  If past history of my collaboration with them on Gnomemurdered turns out to repeat itself, they will send me the art to inquire as to my opinion on it, to get my "OK" as it were, as a courtesy (they are not required to, but being a good company pay some attention to what the designer thinks would work).  Also, if history with Gnomemurdered turns out to repeat itself, whatever type of art Lords of Olympus ends up with, it should be pretty spectacular.
I do not yet know what kind of art Precis will be using, but Brett Bernstein commented to me that he plans to make the art a fairly big deal for this product.  It ought to be, I think, since there is going to be so much potential visual richness to this game.
What type of art do you think Lords of Olympus should have? Let us know!



Quote
Q: my favourite power in another RPG is Trump Mastery. Is their an equivalent to Trump in Lords of Olympus and if so does it work in the same way? Will it still be called Trump? as that word elicits a juvenile reaction here in England.


A: Lords of Olympus will not have any power that is directly imitative of any power in the Amber RPG.  All of the powers in Lords of Olympus are their own thing, based on the elements of the setting I have created, and are not in any way a direct copy of any element of any other RPG setting.   However, all RPGs have certain similarities. And if what you are asking me is "which power in Lords of Olympus will be most similar to the "Trump" power in ADRPG?", I would have to say that probably Scrying is most similar.
But its a good example of how Lords of Olympus is a totally unique game, not in any way a mere "Clone".
Scrying is the power to see distant places or people. You do this with some kind of a Scrying implement: A pool of water, a black crystal or stone, the liver of an animal, etc (you can optionally do it with more "Modern" methods like tarot cards, runes, etc., but the above are far more in tune with the style of Greek Myth). Characters can, by concentration, see other places or people with this power; their Ego Class determines how long it takes, and how clear the vision will be.  He must try to make a mental contact with the person he is scrying if it is a sentient being, with Ego Class determining whether success happens or not.  If so, he can try to do any of the typical mental tricks of communication or combat.  He can also use Scrying to get visions of the future, his Ego Class determining how clear they will be.

With Advanced Scrying, one can communicate with the spirits of the dead, cast magic through a scrying connection, create barriers to scrying, force connections, or even create a Portal.

I hope that this description is illustrative of the uniqueness of the Lords of Olympus game.

RPGPundit

Currently Smoking: Mastro de Paja bent apple + H&H´s Namaste
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: Croaker on November 20, 2010, 02:48:43 PM
Quote from: RPGPundit;418330
He can also use Scrying to get visions of the future, his Ego Class determining how clear they will be.

How the hell do you make it work????
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: RPGPundit on November 26, 2010, 10:30:13 AM
Lords of Olympus Q&A Pt. XVIII

So here we are again with another version of the Lords of Olympus interview thread.  As always, if you post a question to this thread on theRPGsite, I will try to answer it to the best of my ability (usually every Friday).

Only one question today:


Quote
Q.  How the hell do you make visions of the future work in Scrying?!


A: The main function of the Scrying power is to allow the character using it to gain a vision of a place or person in the PRESENT. But Scrying can also be used to attempt to obtain some kind of a divination of future events.  A Scryer can attempt to do a "general divination", which essentially leaves it to the GM to determine what future events he gets any indications of; or, he can attempt to perform divination on some kind of general subject. Visions of the future are always fairly vague, but the accuracy of these visions is dependent on the Scryer's Ego Class. Characters with Olympian Class Ego or higher (ie. the typical PC who bothers to have Scrying) will be able to get visions of specific incidents, in full detail, though context may still be missing.
But it is important to note that these visions will be subject to both interpretation and change; divination at this level is only really an extrapolation of probable future events, not a fixed vision of an unchangeable future.
In the Lords of Olympus game, there is a concept called "Fate"; visions gained by regular Scrying are not that, however, but mere prediction.  Fate is "true prophecy", a foretelling of events that once proclaimed is inescapable (or at least, inescapable without directly involving some massive force of will from Primordial-level power). Even the most powerful of the Olympians, even Zeus himself, cannot escape Fate. The best that can be hoped is to bend Fate in some way or another, not avoid it.
But again, Fate is the domain of proclamations, prophecies, boons or curses, from the most powerful Gods, Primordials, or sources of absolute prophecy like the Oracle at Delphi.  Scrying is different.
As the GM is in control of what divinations the Scryer PC receives, there's no reason for the GM to be afraid of the divinatory power of scrying.  The GM is free to provide weird or cryptic visions that are subject to interpretation, but is encouraged instead to give glimpses of scenes that will be very clear in their vision but unclear in their context.  Because divination with Scrying is not Fate, it can be avoided.  For example, the GM may wish to give a PC a vision with Scrying of Ares fighting a duel with them on Olympus.  The PC receiving the vision will not necessarily know when this is happening, or why; he'll just see what he sees.  The GM is then free to have Ares show up at any point in the campaign's future to challenge the PCs, and depending on what has happened since then, the "duel" could be anything from a game to a test to a deadly serious blood-match.  In turn, the PC could then try to escape this vision by carefully avoiding being on Olympus when Ares is.

RPGPundit
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: danbuter on May 17, 2011, 07:55:56 AM
Would the game be suitable for running something like Hercules and Aeolus wandering around Greece fighting monsters and not getting into godly family squabbles? Or at least limit the family politics to the occasional one or two night adventure?
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: hyaxinth on May 21, 2011, 05:10:14 AM
like that ?

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/independent/immortals/
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: Evermasterx on May 21, 2011, 05:52:46 AM
Quote from: hyaxinth;459722
like that ?

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/independent/immortals/
is that golden bow conjuration-powered? :p
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: RPGPundit on May 27, 2011, 01:03:44 PM
Quote from: hyaxinth;459722
like that ?

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/independent/immortals/


Is there a trailer for this that doesn't require fucking quicktime??

RPGPundit
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: RPGPundit on May 27, 2011, 01:15:00 PM
Lords of Olympus Q&A Pt. XIX

Well, its been quite a while since we had one of these, so let me recap how it works.  If you want to know something about the upcoming Lords of Olympus game (currently in post-production by Precis Intermedia, and I'm assured that progress is being made), then you go to this thread; post your question there.  I'll answer them every Friday, on this blog, and on the thread.

So, today:


Quote
Q: Would the game be suitable for running something like Hercules and Aeolus wandering around Greece fighting monsters and not getting into godly family squabbles? Or at least limit the family politics to the occasional one or two night adventure?



A: Yes, you can certainly run a game like that.  It is not the default assumption of the game; but you can create starting-level characters that are NOT yet Immortal (or theoretically, even characters that do not have the blood of the gods in them). And you can have a whole campaign of characters wandering around Classical Earth, or traveling haphazardly across one of the divine roads to a number of different worlds, without getting involved in "family politics".  There are rough stats for most of the classic greek-myth monsters in the game, as well as guidelines about how to stat others.


So, I know its been a while, but Precis has got to get the damn book out someday, and meanwhile if you've got a question about the game, please feel free to post it on the thread, and it will be answered!

RPGPundit
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: danbuter on May 27, 2011, 02:06:44 PM
Sounds great! I'll be buying a copy :).
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: RPGPundit on June 03, 2011, 08:09:01 PM
Quote from: danbuter;460883
Sounds great! I'll be buying a copy :).


Glad to hear it! Now we just have to wait for it to actually come out...

RPGPundit
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: Lorrraine on December 20, 2011, 08:52:45 AM
Hi RPGPundit,

So, given that we won't have the opportunity to buy Lords of Olympus for Christmas this year, can we at least get a preview? I would love to see what the writeup for one of the major NPCs looks like.

Thanks,
Lorrraine
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: RPGPundit on December 28, 2011, 12:51:02 PM
Lords Of Olympus Q&A Part XIX

This is a new installment (after some time) of the Lords of Olympus Q&A thread.  To see the previous ones, and if you want to ask a question, go to this thread on theRPGsite; all questions posted there will be answered once a week!

One question I've been getting a lot from people is "when is your damn game going to be published"?  To which my answer is, "i have no idea"; I'm beyond frustrated with this. I am in the dark as any of you, so please, if you are interested in getting this book in print quickly, I would ask you to contact Brett Bernstein at Precis Intermedia  (http://www.pigames.net/)games and tell him to make Lords of Olympus a priority.  Its been a YEAR AND A HALF since I finished writing LoO and handed it over to Brett, there's no reason why it has not seen print yet other than differing priorities. I'm not going to be waiting another half-year, one way or the other.

In the spirit of doing something other than very very highly justified bitching, there's actually a new question:


Q: So, given that we won't have the opportunity to buy Lords of Olympus for Christmas this year, can we at least get a preview? I would love to see what the writeup for one of the major NPCs looks like.


A: Yes, I'm very sorry that you weren't able to get LoO by christmas. I had been promised... well, I'd been promised many things. I'd been promised August, September, "End of October at the latest", and in the latest round, "Next monday" (which was now 2 weeks ago).

And all this, mind you, for a "pre-release" version with no art.
I can't honestly understand it. I can't understand how, when there's art to be had from the fucking rafters for this, when you could use anything from classical statues to 18th century masterpieces to utter shitloads of comic/cartoony stuff on Deviantart, we're going to get something with no art.

Why? Why the fuck are we not going whole hog on this? Why was it not released 12 fucking months ago, when it was hotly anticipated FIRST NEW "DICELESS RPG" BOOK IN THIS STYLE IN ALMOST 20 YEARS??

Why does fucking "stormrift" get a full release and we get the promise of maybe sometime soon if-we-get-around-to-it a no-art pdf pre-release?!

So yes, dear reader, I will gladly give you a preview for what it's worth. I've only been giving "previews", after all, for the last EIGHTEEN FUCKING MONTHS since I started the Q&A thread in JUNE 2010. Because I think that Lords of Olympus is an unbelievably awesome game, that will be potentially hugely well received, even if certain other people seem to have no faith or interest in it.

So here, without further ado, is Dionysius, the God Who Comes, god of the Future, to whom I invoke in this hour that he may create that just inevitability and shatter all barriers to the publication of Lords of Olympus.  IO DIONISIOS! IO ISCHUROS! IO ATHANATOS! KAIRE PHALLE KAIRE EPIPHANIOS! HAGIOS HAGIOS HAGIOS IAO!



Dionysius

The God Who Comes. Lord of The Future. Twice Born. Resurrected. The son of Zeus.  The Son of Time.  God of Wine. The Drunken Lord. Lord of the Feasts. The Liberator. The God who drives men mad. Master of the Maenads. The Beautiful God. The Epiphany.

Dionysius is the youngest of Zeus’ sons thus far,and according to a secret prophecy is destined to take Zeus’ place as Ruler of the Gods.  He looks like a youth of exceeding beauty, and almost feminine features and demeanour.  His dark hair is long and has soft curls, he has rosy cheeks and fine skin, often nude or dressed with a soft-fitting flowing toga, or dressed in leopard-skin when seeking adventure. He usually wields the Thyrsos, or pinecone-tipped staff, and is not uncommonly seen holding a cup of wine.

History: Dionysius is the youngest current son of Zeus, his mother was a mortal princess named Semele. When Semele was still pregnant with Dionysius, Hera learned ofthis latest infidelity and tricked Semele, appearing to her as an old crone,accusing the princess of being a liar or a fool who had been tricked.  Semele demanded of Zeus that he reveal himself in his true glory, to prove he was who he said he was; Zeus obliged her because he had sworn to his lover that he would deny her nothing, but when he showed her his true divine nature in its full glory as Ruler of the Multiverse,it was more than Semele’s mortal body and mind could take, and she died. Zeus took the unborn child from her dead womb, but it was clear the infant could notyet survive; so Zeus used his power to draw the infant into his thigh, where the child survived until it could live on its own, at which point Zeus released the child again.  Thus Dionysius was twice-born (once from Semele, and once from Zeus).

When Hera learned that the child lived, she sent giants to attack the infant; the child’s nymph-guardians were insufficient to protect him, and the giants tore Dionysius to pieces. Zeus arrived and slew the giants, but by then the child had died;Zeus saved the infant Dionysius’ heart, and with the aid of the goddess Demeter he re-created Dionysius, for his divine essence yet lived.  Thus Dionysius was resurrected.

After this,Zeus was determined that the child be kept safe. He put Hermes in charge of protecting the boy, and Hermes gladly took on this responsibility.  Hera was unceasing in her efforts, however,and Hermes feared that the goddess had become so obsessed with the child’s destruction that Dionysius could not be safe if he wasn’t hidden somehow.  So he took the boy to the mortal king Athamas, who was instructed to disguise Dionysius by raising him as a girl.

Living in hiding disguised as a girl, Dionysius one day encountered a young satyr boy, Ampelos. The young satyr fell in love with Dionysius, thinking him a girl, and the two became inseparable for a time, until Ampelos died gored by a bull when he was trying to show off for his lover. He was given consolation by Pan, Ampelos’ sire; the goat-footed god recognized Dionysius’ true identity, and he consoled the youth by showing him how where Ampelos was buried the fates had made grapevines grow, explaining in this way the circle of life and death in nature.  Dionysius from that day forth became a lover of wine and became the closest of friends with Pan, who joined him on many adventures.

By this time, Hera discovered Dionysius’ location. She first drove king Athamas mad as a punishment for having participated in the cover-up; in his madness he slew his own son, and wracked with guilt he fled into exile in the wilderness.

By then, Dionysius himself had reached young adulthood, and had begun living openly as a male again; he was beginning to show the seeds of greatness; he had been accepted as a student of the wise mortal Silenus, a prophetic hermit who had been cursed to have the ears and tail of a donkey.

Silenus was a kind of drunken-master, capable of channeling great wisdom and prophecy but only while inebriated; he taught Dionysius many secrets about both life and wine. His philosophy was one of living in the moment, and living in tune with nature,ideas shared by Dionysius’ friend Pan. He also spent time as a student of the wise centaur Chiron, a son of Cronus; who taught him to be open to all things,and to consider everything from all possible sides. He taught Dionysius the spirituality of living fully.

Hera saw the potential of the young man, and decided to ruin him subtly by encouraging the worst sides of his nature; she manipulated him to indulge excessively in drunkenness,dance and licentiousness, making enemies by his own imprudence all around him and gaining a terrible reputation. Her expectation was that in this way his life would be wasted and he would be denied a place among the gods.

But more and even greater powers than Hera had taken an interest in young Dionysius: the Primordial Phanes had secretly issued a prophecy that Dionysius was destined to one day supplant Zeus as ruler of the multiverse (this was, and still is, a secret unknown to most of the gods, including both Zeus and Hera).  Wise Chiron received this prophecy, and he sent secret word of it to Rhea, mother of the Olympians.  She temporarily left her long period of hermitage, traveling in secret to Classical Earth, where she rescued the drunk and desolate youth, initiating him into secret rites and teaching him some of the magical powers.

Rhea had learned that Zeus and Hera were arguing worse than usual, and that Zeus had declared that those who were loyal to him should invade a favoured world of Hera’s, a world that could be called “Classical India” in the sense that it is a fantastic parallel of ancient India in the same sense that “Classical Earth” is a parallel of the Mediterranean region from the Greek myths; this world is adjacent to Classical Earth.  Rhea encouraged Dionysius to lead a campaign against the Brahmin Wizard-kings of “Classical India”, who were devout worshipers of Hera as a mother-goddess.

Dionysius raised up an army on Classical Earth, joined by Pan and the satyrs, and with magical creatures that Rhea gathered for them (including many Cyclops), and he marched his army into Classical India where he fought against the Brahmin Wizard-King Deriades.  Dionysius fought the war with wit and trickery as much as skill at arms (for which he isnot particularly famous), on more than one occasion tricking the Indian forces into becoming drunk before battle so that they would be defeated easily.  He was helped greatly in his campaign by both Pan and Heracles, the latter of whom Dionysius met along the way and who was eager to fight for the cause of Zeus.

Eventually, the war became a great conflict that spanned that entire world, as Deriades sought allies throughout Classical India,including followers of Poseidon who was also worshiped there; this led to an alliance between Poseidon and Hera, against Dionysius and Zeus’ other champions, since that time Poseidon has also disliked Dionysius for his wanton destruction in that world, though he tends to reserve a deeper dislike for Pan, who was responsible for several humiliations of Poseidon’s champions.  Hera pulled out all the stops for this conflict, at one point getting Iris to secretly recruit the Primordial Hypnos to make Zeus fall into a magical sleep, and recruiting the Fury Megaera against Dionysius.  Hermes in turn rescued Dionysius’ forces from defeat, and later Zeus awoke and made decrees limiting how the gods were allowed to interfere in the war, evening the playing field.


Finally, Dionysius slew Deriades in battle, winning the war for the side of Zeus, though in their journeys returning to Classical Earth Dionysius’ forces had to fight subsequent battles against the agents of Poseidon once more.

Dionysius returned triumphantly to Classical Earth, where he was received in Athens as a great hero.There he created several rites and orders; though over time Dionysius’ darker and more chaotic qualities, which had been tempered by his experiences but were far from gone, led to many of his rites being forbidden.  In particular, his bacchanalian rites were infamous for encouraging women and girls to drunkenness and sexual misconduct,and even violence, and they were forbidden throughout the civilized world.  The most devout female followers of Dionysius came to be known as the Maenads, who were granted magical powers by Dionysius,and rejected all the laws of men; like Dionysius himself, the Maenads were known for their power to drive men to madness, and unlucky or foolish men who were seduced or happened upon the Maenads would be brought into their drunken orgies, the climax of which involved the men being torn to pieces by the frenzied Maenads.

By this time, however, Dionysius had definitively won Zeus’ heart, and Zeus granted Dionysius immortality, making him an Olympian god.

Dionysius still had Hera to contend with. He ultimately dealt with the jealous goddess by tricking her into a profound drunkenness and seducing her, after her son Hephaestus (angry at his mother over her treatment of him) had bound her to a magical chair she could not rise from. Hera became pregnant and gave birth to Pasithea, the mad goddess of drug-induced visions, who later became the wife of Hypnos and mother to Morpheus, Phobetor and Phantasos (who are thus Dionysius’ grand-children).

Humiliated by Dionysius’ seduction, Hera was for once truly beaten at her own game, and has since left Dionysius alone; she does not know of the prophecy concerning his destiny, but she has come to fear and suspect his real potential. Zeus himself was deeply angered by Dionysius’ seduction of his wife,but he did recognize that not only did Hera deserve it, but that it also seemed to effectively humble her.  Even so, Zeus too has begun to have some misgivings about Dionysius’ nature and potential.

Dionysius was given authority over the Oracle of Delphi during the winter months, when the regular Delphic oracle is forbidden from operating.  He spends time there during that part of this Realm’s year.  Apart from Delphi and Olympus,Dionysius also spends much time in his friend Pan’s Realm of Arcadia, as well as traveling the multiverse.  Wherever he goes he brings abandon and reveling, as well as chaos and madness.  He is a tireless traveler, having perhaps visited more of the multiverse than any other Olympian. In his travels, he has done many deeds, good and bad, but all of them great; to those mortals who reject or insult him he has cursed with madness and caused bloodshed and murder, to those who revere him he has brought freedom from oppression and secret knowledge and power. He has had lovers both willing and reluctant. He has caused lovers to go mad with lust for him, or victims of his seduction (like the nymph Aura) to become violently insane. Aside from Pasithea, he has had many children, thus far all of them mortals.

Dionysius himself is not aware of his secret destiny; his tutor Chiron whispered it to Prometheus before Chiron’s death, and Prometheus has been secretly watching Dionysius from afar, trying to guide this still-young god away from his more destructive qualities, and hoping to forge him in both power and wisdom into a deity that would be capable of replacing Zeus and becoming a better ruler of a finer multiverse.



Abilities and Powers:  Dionysius has the following Ability Classes:

Ego:                1st (tied) Class

Might:             Olympian Class

Fortitude:        High Numbered Class

Prowess:         High Numbered Class

Dionysius has the powers of Advanced World-walking, Promethean World-walking, Advanced Olympian Magic, Advanced Metamorphosis, Primordial Magic, Scrying, Enchantment, Glamour, Ineffable Names, Elementalism, and any other powers the GM may wish to assign.

Dionysius additionally has learned advanced secrets of Enchantment, which allow him to conduct the rite of the Bacchanalia, where he can draw anyone of lesser Ego Class than his own to lose their mind, joining in the orgiastic feast of the Maenads and satyrs, engaging in drunkenness, sex, and sometimes murder. He can also use this power to drive mortals mad, temporarily or permanently; in fact, his power is such that he can’t completely prevent this effect, meaning that if he spends too much time in any single place of mortal habitation, he will gradually lead those mortals exposed to his presence to become more and more insane, gradually letting go of their inhibitions and giving in to their darker or more carnal desires, abandoning their social conditionings and becoming beings of pure passion. Those women who are subject to this effect may eventually join the ranks of his Maenads.

The Maenads of Dionysius are wild women fanatically loyal to him, they have been gradually changed by his power so that they have Heroic Class in all their abilities, and they remain beautiful and youthful for much longer than mortal women usually do, becoming something closer to a nymph than a regular human being.

Dionysius’ Pinecone-topped staff, theThyrsos, has the power to turn water or other non-alcoholic liquids into rich delicious addictive wine; the Thyrsos can also be touched to the earth where it will expel a honey-like substance from its tip, causing grapevines or ivy to grow from the earth.


Personality: Dionysius is a child of destiny. Like his friend Pan, he lives in the now, but he doesn’t do so in the more animal-like way of Pan, but rather in a profoundly conscious way; he is the God Who Comes, the prophesied spirit of a future reality.  In this regard, he is something more than just an Olympian; he’s a messianic figure that is almost Christ-like in many ways.  He believes in liberation,which can translate to licentiousness and anarchy in the physical sense, but for Dionysius this is part of a deeper spiritual liberation, a freedom of consciousness that parallels the enlightenment of the Buddha. In a sense, he is the union of the eternal with the temporal, completely in the moment but never entirely of this world.

That is the philosophical perspective, and represents Dionysius’ potential, a potential he’s beginning to show more and more; but in practical terms, Dionysius is currently just a half-mad agent of anarchy. Not unlike Prometheus, he defies all the rules and conventions, and doesn’t fear the consequences. He creates havoc wherever he goes in the mortal world.  Most gods think of him as a deeply immature and irresponsible youth, possibly dangerous with regards to the violence and rebelliousness that swirls around his person.  Some who know him slightly better (like Apollo or Hermes) think of him as a young god with incredible potential, but potential that he seems happy to waste on drunkenness and orgies; many of these gods blame poor influences (particularly Pan’s) on the waste of Dionysius’ talents.

Only a few of the wiser gods see that Dionysius is much more aware of himself and what he really could become than he lets on, and realize that right now, Dionysius is struggling with himself to transform himself into the god he is destined to be.These wiser gods either see great hope in Dionysius, or fear him greatly,sometimes without really understanding that the cause of their fear is that he represents the potential end of the multiverse as we know it, and the rebirth of a new multiverse that could be either amazing or truly horrific, depending on just what kind of god Dionysius ultimately becomes.  Those few who know the secret of his destiny,like Rhea or Prometheus, wish to guide him to make this destiny a great one.

In terms of relationships, Dionysius is an unpredictable character. He will at times engage in events with great seriousness or dedication, only later to lose all interest or become distracted by wine or lovers; this makes him an unreliable friend to all except those who take an equally cavalier attitude to things. Right now, Dionysius is still very much the “enfant terrible” of the Olympian court,always happy to shake things up and create controversy. Feeling that he’s proven himself enough to Zeus and even given Hera her comeuppance, he doesn’t have much interest in the various schemes or conspiracies surrounding the king and queen of heaven, but he will at times become an interested conspirator and participant in other squabbles or secret affairs of the rest of the Olympians.

Like many Olympian gods, Dionysius is fond of both women and men, but unlike most of the male gods, Dionysius prefers to take the “passive” role in his affairs with men, allowing himself to be taken as though he were a woman (something that the Olympian Gods, like the Greeks, usually consider to be somewhat humiliating as a rule).  In part because of his natural beauty and in part perhaps because he spent much of his early life disguised as a girl, Dionysius does not feel the need to show off masculine or macho characteristics, and is rather effeminate in his appearance as well as his demeanour.

Dionysius will often leave the worlds most frequented by the gods, and go traveling, alone, accompanied by the Maenads or by his friend Pan or by other gods; in these journeys he seeks to experience all the possible experiences that a living being can discover in the infinite worlds.  If he spends too long without going traveling, Dionysius tends to become anxious and uneasy; when he travels, he inevitably encounters all kinds of adventures, but unlike other wandering gods he does not travel seeking out adventure; rather, he seems to be searching for something, he knows not what. Wherever he is, Dionysius is looking out at the horizon; even as he is totally engaged in the experience around him,another part of his being is already eager to see what comes next.  He knows that he is somehow different from anything else in this multiverse, but he has not yet found or decided what he is to be.


Location: Dionysius spends time on Olympus, Delphi (in the winter months of that world),and Arcadia;and equal time traveling all across the multiverse. He is as comfortable in the wild and savage places as he is in the bustling metropolises of countless worlds. He is as likely to be found on a “classical” world as he is in fantasy worlds, apocalyptic wastelands, Modern Earth or futuristic realms. In worlds where he finds oppression he often acts in his role as a Liberator, inciting rebellion and the overthrow of tyrants or monsters. In other worlds, he is often an agent of chaos, reveling in decadence and the fall of the established order.


Closest Relations and allies: Dionysius’ closest friend by far is the goat-footed God,Pan. He frequently spends time in Pan’s realm of Arcadia, and Pan often travels with him on adventure (usually when Dionysius is traveling to less civilized, wilder places). Aside from this, Pan is generally well-regarded by Zeus, Hermes and Apollo, though all three often worry about the young god’s seemingly mercurial nature and his apparently immature and rebellious behaviour.

Prometheus, and Rhea as well, know of his prophesied destiny and seek to guide Dionysius from the shadows; other powerfully visionary gods (like Themis) also suspect of Dionysius destiny and try to keep an eye on him to decipher just what he is meant to be. Younger gods like Heracles see Dionysius as a great but eccentric deity, fun to be around but only in small doses. Many other deities see Dionysius as an uncouth delinquent with a bad attitude and tend to dislike him.The Primordials themselves keep an eye on Dionysius; Phanes was the source of the prophecy of Dionysius’ destiny, Eris adores him as an agent of chaos and seems to want to encourage that darker side of him. Hypnos took Dionysius’ daughter Pasithea as a wife, in part through Hera’s machinations as she soughtto gain some control over Hypnos’ power, but in part also because Hypnos wishedto tap into some of Dionysius’ power by having sons of his blood.

Hera still dislikes Dionysius and distrusts him intensely, but she was so affected by his seduction of her that she now fears him for reasons she doesn’t fully understand, and would prefer for the moment to avoid him. Poseidon resents Dionysius’ defeat of his forces in the war in Classical India, and Dionysius would not be welcome in Poseidon’s undersea territories.  The Muses dislike Dionysius not only for his chaotic and decadent ways, but also because his Maenad followers murdered Orpheus, the mortal son of the Muse Calliope.

Note that if Zeus (or many other Olympians) were to learn of the prophecy surrounding Dionysius, they would be horrified by this and would likely seek Dionysius’destruction.


Notes as a Parent: Dionysius has had many children throughout the multiverse; any Player Character who had Dionysius as a father would probably have been raised by their mother and may not even know of their heritage.  Having Dionysius as a father would lead to all kinds of complications for a Player Character, as the young god is a highly controversial figure. They would quickly get caught up in either Dionysius’ own adventures or the intrigues of the Olympian court surrounding his person.  Dionysius himself would likely be a relatively poor parent, at his best seeking to inculcate his own philosophy on his offspring, or at his worst simply ignoring any child (like he has largely done with Pasithea). Of course, any child of Dionysius might play a part in Dionysius’ ultimate destiny, which could be a central element of a campaign should the GM wish it to be so.  

RPGPundit
Title: Who wants to interview me about Lords of Olympus?
Post by: RPGPundit on September 08, 2012, 01:16:30 PM
I'm going to close this first Q&A thread, and open a new one now that the game has been released.

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