[Interest Check] Christian-Friendly Campaigns/GM's/Players - CoC, Fate/Dresden Files, WoD, Superheroes, and more?

Hello there, my name is Angelus and I am a Christian gamer/role player. That probably sounds exceedingly lame to some folks, but I'm definitely not one to suck the fun out of games or anything if that's what you're worried about. So, I've found myself with a pretty wide open schedule lately and was hoping to get back into RPing on a regular basis. I'm usually the one who has to DM/GM for my friends locally but I would very much like to be a player for once. With that being said, I am interested in playing games that I only have a bit of experience with or haven't really played before (most of my experience is with D&D of various versions). As I am a Christian, it would be cool if there were a GM and players online who were a bit more selective in the content they engage with (I've had some unfortunate experiences). I'm not a prude by any means but do dislike over-sexualized and excessively "R-rated" themes. To clarify I'm not demanding that the content be rigidly PG or "Christian" either (though admittedly it would be neat to RP with folks that share my worldview). In fact I actually find a lot of the fictional content of most RPG's both philosophically and theological rich for discussion (not that I expect many to want to have such discussions, only that it doesn't bother me in the end). With all that said, here are the games I would love to be a part of if there were enough interest and a willing, competent DM/GM/ST: Call of Cthulhu - I've played this game before several times and really enjoyed the stories/horror theme, particularly anything with hauntings or cults and such where the investigators are called to take them down or uncover their secrets. Admittedly I wasn't gung-ho about the general "hopelessness" of the CoC universe and I would love to see a theistic twist/mitigation on the atheistic Lovecraftian nihilism, maybe even incorporating a "faith" mechanic of some sort to balance the "insanity" aspect of the game (though I admit this being one of the greatest appeals of CoC in the first place). FATE/Dresden Files - I have attempted to play this game twice, once with FATE Core and once with Dresden Files (which I believe is based on the same system), but both ended up flopping after only one or two sessions due to GM and player dropouts. I still think the potential for sharing a great story together with this versatile system sounds awesome and I would love to play either or (I've read half a dozen of the Dresden Files books and enjoy the universe it is set in, which does include a "faith" mechanic if I understand correctly). World of Darkness (Vampire, Werewolf, etc.) - I haven't played WoD for well over a decade and that was VtM and WtA. I've forgotten pretty much half the system, but I loved the intrigue and the unique universe that was presented. I was an atheist when I played this last though and I recall that the themes could get pretty hairy. Still, I think it would be cool to play Vampire the Masquerade in particular where my character is a Christian who really wrestles with the fact that he has been changed (perhaps forcibly?) and seeks to understand what it means to remain faithful to God as a vampire. Superheroes - Another of my favourite genres, I would love to play a character in a superhero-themed game of some sort, however I haven't taken the time to play any of the systems that fall into this category at all ( Venture City Stories, City of Mist, ICONS, and Mutant & Masterminds are the ones that come to mind). I also thought it would be cool to play a d20 Modern campaign that introduced a superpower mechanic of some sort (maybe there is one, I don't really know), or even just having some fun playing wannabe heroes at "street-level" as depicted in the movie Kick-Ass , hah. I think I'd prefer a low-powered, "fight the gangs of a city" type of deal until we uncover the "Boss" at the top kinda thing. Or may there could even have some kind of crossover between supers and supernaturals like vampires and stuff. The MMORPG City of Heroes did a pretty cool job of having crossover genres of aliens, magic, and science (not unlike Marvel and DC of course). Christian - While I'm not really going to hold my breath on this one, I think a supernatural-themed game with the Judeo-Christian mythos as it's central story arch and narrative would be pretty sweet to see (if it were done well). I'm not thinking of some PC's "out to convert" or anything (which I'd be curious if that could actually be decently role played without coming off as cult-like :P). I imagine it to be more like fighting demonic possessions and ghostly hauntings through exorcisms or diplomatic discussions to have them "cross over". Perhaps there could be some angelic visitations and holy artifacts needed to have obtained in order to defeat some great evil? Anyway, thought I'd throw it out there :D. As you can see I have lots of ideas or places I could see existing in RPG Land, so if anything strikes your fancy please message me in some form or just post a response (particularly if you're an experienced game master of some sort). Thanks for your time!

If you'd permit me to make a suggestion,  you might also consider looking in Blue Rose . It's a fantasy game that centers on the idea of "romantic fantasy" (not to be confused with "fantasy romance") and highlights themes like friendship, loyalty, and honor, unlike some of the more grimdark offerings currently out there. It's a pretty good game, particularly the AGE version, and might have more of a vibe in line with what you're looking for.

Kudos. It takes guts to post something like this. Good luck.

Just putting this out there, but apparently Call of Cthulhu has a sort of spin off title called Dark Ages I think, set during the Dark Ages of Europe (Post Roman Collapse but pre-1066) Christianity is present in the game due to the setting and I think you might have fun if you look for a CoC Dark Ages game! Good luck though, since I've never seen on, but I'm sure if you ask someone will point you in the right direction 

Jim S.  said: If you'd permit me to make a suggestion,  you might also consider looking in  Blue Rose . It's a fantasy game that centers on the idea of "romantic fantasy" (not to be confused with "fantasy romance") and highlights themes like friendship, loyalty, and honor, unlike some of the more grimdark offerings currently out there. It's a pretty good game, particularly the AGE version, and might have more of a vibe in line with what you're looking for. Hey, thanks for the suggestion man! Looking at the preview of the content it seems like it might be an interesting setting and gaming system for sure. With that being said, I am unfortunately not all that into the high fantasy genre right now. I've played so much fantasy/D&D IRL that I'm completely burnt out toward it in general. I'm much more keen on a more modern, "realistic", and even gritty world (not that I don't like themes of friendship, loyalty, and honour, heh). Faith  said: Kudos. It takes guts to post something like this. Good luck. Thanks for the support! Daniel said: Just putting this out there, but apparently Call of Cthulhu has a sort of spin off title called Dark Ages I think, set during the Dark Ages of Europe (Post Roman Collapse but pre-1066) Christianity is present in the game due to the setting and I think you might have fun if you look for a CoC Dark Ages game! Good luck though, since I've never seen on, but I'm sure if you ask someone will point you in the right direction  Thanks Daniel, I'll definitely check it out. I know some of my usual players would definitely be game for a medieval-ish campaign :D. That being said though, I'm a bit more into a modern setting right now. I'm thinking more along the lines of Constantine for example (I liked Keanu Reeves' depiction of the character in the 2005 film).

Jim S. said: If you'd permit me to make a suggestion,  you might also consider looking in Blue Rose . It's a fantasy game that centers on the idea of "romantic fantasy" (not to be confused with "fantasy romance") and highlights themes like friendship, loyalty, and honor, unlike some of the more grimdark offerings currently out there. It's a pretty good game, particularly the AGE version, and might have more of a vibe in line with what you're looking for. I'm quite fond of Blue Rose, myself, but given the OP, it's probably worth pointing out that BR is expressly LGBT+-affirming. That may or may not suit a devout Christian, but it's probably best to be informed on the matter!

Angelus Christos said: FATE/Dresden Files - I have attempted to play this game twice, once with FATE Core and once with Dresden Files (which I believe is based on the same system), but both ended up flopping after only one or two sessions due to GM and player dropouts. I still think the potential for sharing a great story together with this versatile system sounds awesome and I would love to play either or (I've read half a dozen of the Dresden Files books and enjoy the universe it is set in, which does include a "faith" mechanic if I understand correctly). Hello Angelus, If you are interested in Fate and the Dresden Files, Roll20 has a Fate community called Fate Corps . We have a players and GMs listing by time zone, a listing of current Fate games and topics of interest for Fate players. We have had a number of Dresden Files games and I have run two myself. So please join us! /Matt

With the OG designer being admittedly Christian (Gary Gygax) R.I.P. Tolkein and Lewis both admittedly Christian, and its hard to not see the comparison to D&D and these fantasy worlds. if you do a search you will find back in the early stages of the game they did in fact mention some things about Christianity, but this is a fantasy world and there was a HUGE amount of Satanic Panic, we are talking mid 70's though late 80's when burning music albums and D&D games was actually something Christians did. Messenger of Christ or "Angelus Christos" roughly translated All I know is if you want to play a Cleric or Paladin who chooses the Almighty as their God I am sure most DM's would indulge so long as you follow RAW in 5e. Chris Perkins let Evilyn Marthain convert a goblin to Lathander, and later Evilyn converted some else to the Light, I think the game uses many deities with Christian themes, but think the Almighty has His own Trademark so they stayed clear, if you understand my meaning. I certainly would not mind in the least if you wanted to run a PC as an Evangelical Christian so long as you could work out the RAW of 5e. I think the Haunted One background choice has the Van Helsing *vibe* Anyway, I didn't intend for this post to be so long, you asked for Interest, I am interested. Joe

One thing that struck me is that as I have received more training in the traditional Christian Philosophic tradition is that fantasy "gods" are clearly nothing of the sort and so they are less problematic. They do not have any of the properties of divine simplicity, necessity, etc that is intrinsic to being God in the Christian tradition(and the more Christian aligned forms of Jewish and Islamic thought that the greats in the Christian tradition like Aquinas borrowed freely from). Similarly, "angels" and "demons" are only homages to their real world equivalents and have so little in common so as to be less problematic. Contingently there are not beings of the sort posited by fantasy, but there easily (from God's perspective)could be. In my world building, there is always Deus who does not function as the in game "gods" and so makes little to no appearance but is the necessary(in the philosophical sense of not being contingent) triune God who actually was the original creator. I would ironically be much more uncomfortable with an in game cleric who could harness the true God's power outside of the sacraments than with a psuedo cleric. 

MattBx8 said: Hello Angelus, If you are interested in Fate and the Dresden Files, Roll20 has a Fate community called Fate Corps . We have a players and GMs listing by time zone, a listing of current Fate games and topics of interest for Fate players. We have had a number of Dresden Files games and I have run two myself. So please join us! /Matt Hey Matt, thanks very much! I will definitely check you all out! :D 

Hey Angelus, A lot of stuff resonated with your post with me, being of a similar faith and all. I am running a homebrew game based on the Call of Cthulhu system, but is set in a different world, period and setting (around the middle Victorian ages around 1860-1870). I didn't like CoC's hopelessness either, and am focusing on a more story-driven game with players investigating and experiencing strange happenings in the setting (monsters appearing, etc). If this sounds like something you'd be interested in checking out, please let me know. I'd be glad to have you!

I am curious about your opinions on D&D/Pathfinder. Are you avoiding them? Or do you just not have experience with them?

Wu said: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmicism" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmicism</a> Not sure CoC is fit for you, considering Cosmicism is at the very foundational core of anything Lovecraftian by nature. Removing that is to remove the very essence of what makes it what it is. Why not just play god-flavored BRP instead? Same rules, none of the cosmicism that you seem to have a problem with. Thanks for the advice man. I'm aware that introducing a theistic element to CoC is essentially undermining the core of Lovecraftian nature, but I guess it's both the system I appreciated playing in addition to the setting and world it is set in. I would argue that Cosmicism isn't all that big of a hurdle for a theistic introduction. Suffering and overwhelming forces face people in real life with no seeming relief, escape, or purpose. Mankind often appears to be the weakest, most meaningless addition to the universe, but in this there is a real story of strength and ability to overcome. I won't get preachy on a public game forum though ;P. But you're probably right that a "god-flavoured BRP" might better suffice. I suppose I never thought of it :). John M. said: I am curious about your opinions on D&amp;D/Pathfinder. Are you avoiding them? Or do you just not have experience with them? Oh, D&amp;D and Pathfinder are great games for sure, I just happen to be in two campaigns in those settings already with friends and an online guild for Guild Wars 2. While I've played a ton of D&amp;D over the years, I'm honestly not a huge fan of the fantasy medieval-ish setting. I guess I'm just tired of old hat :). I find more modern/"real world" campaign settings more my style ;)

If you're interested in using the Judeo-Christian mythos then I suggest you look up the d20 rpg "Testament".&nbsp; It's role-playing in the Old Testament during the times of Joshua, Moses, etc.&nbsp; It takes a fair bit of Babylonian and Egyptian mythos as well, but the focus is on Yahweh and his followers usually.&nbsp; It does go full fantasy with its elements so you do have half-nephilim, leviathans, and other fantastic things. Lots of good role-playing opportunities in those times, whether you follow the Biblical canon closely as spectators/aides to the Judges to re-enact moments or let the players demonstrate their own acts of faith. Good luck and God bless trying to find a group that can get in the right mindset for that type of game though.&nbsp; They're out there but you may need to dig a bit.

Hey Angelus, I have a spot open in my Star Wars: Dawn of War campaign. We are using the Fantasy Flight Games rules also sold as the Genesys system.&nbsp; The game is every other Friday from 8pm to 12am EST. Next game is 7/10. Please send me a PM if you’d like to chat on Discord to share our play styles, game details, and other stuff.