Cloak and Dagger Espionage The Golden Empire is crumbling. Treachery, betrayal, and corruption has taken deep roots in the hearts of the citizens. Emperor Abraxius Buxares Olegea is dead, and his lack of an heir has created a power vacuum that the seven great houses wish to fill. There is no-one left to trust. The honor of the past is dead. The end of the Empire is coming. Where will you stand? The Setting If you know Fantasy Craft, you're probably aware of the ADVENTURE COMPANION supplement. Inside, you'll find the Cloak & Dagger campaign setting. It eschews the typical Gothic medieval fantasy setting, laying the stage for subterfuge over dungeoneering. The book says it best: "The Cloak & Dagger setting blends the most distinctive elements of the cultures of antiquity — Rome, Hellenistic Greece, Egypt, Persia, the Celtic tribes, and the Huns — with the tension and labyrinthine plots of a modern espionage thriller. The Silent War is a dark time for the Golden Empire, marked by rampant greed, shifting political alliances, blind nationalism, and constant betrayal. Life for characters operating in this wilderness of mirrors is dangerous indeed, for there is little they can trust save the support of their closest allies and the edges of their blades." Monsters have all but been defeated, retreating to the dark corners of the world. Elves, gnomes, halfings, and dragons don't exist. The dominant race is humans, and the various sub-species of them that make up the Great Empire. There is magic, but it is rare and hard to wield. The gods have abandoned mortals, leaving them to their destiny. If that sounds interesting to you, awesome! Further information can be provided. The System In a way, Fantasy Craft is a distant cousin to Pathfinder. Pathfinder took the 3.5 rules and polished them to perfection; Fantasy Craft took the rules and made an entirely different, cinematic fantasy game altogether. The class system has been completely reworked, replacing the archetypal classes with things like Emisarries, Soldiers, Couriters, Sages (not magic), Scouts, and Burglars (not necessarily the backstabbing rogue ones. Literal burglars.) It streamlines combat, encouraging a more cinematic style. Gone are full attacks, encouraging more movement on the battlefield. Magic items are no longer essential to the power level of your characters. Instead, prizes can include contacts, dwellings, renown, and favors. Some classes are tailored specifically for non-combative roles, and the game fully supports them. The hardest part of learning Fantasy Craft is creating a new section in your mind palace for a slightly different set of rules, independent of 3.5 D&D and Pathfinder. But, it can be done—and I highly encourage it! Fantasy Craft is, hands down, my favorite fantasy RPG system. That said, we'll be starting at first level. Being new to the system isn't going to be a problem. I don't expect everyone coming in with intimate knowledge of the rules. The Game Players will begin the game as freshly appointed specerus for House Tertio. They must use cunning, guile, stealth, and combat prowess to win secret victories against the usurpers and pretenders vying for the empty throne. Almost always alone (outside of their fellow specerum ), these agents typically do their work in plain sight, right in the heart of the vipers nest. To be caught is to be killed. The world doesn't exist in blacks and whites, but merely shades of gray. This is a mature game—as such, expect a Joe Abercrombie vibe to it. There are no white knights in shining armor, just like there is no singular big bad evil guy that is alone in plaguing the land. Instead, think of everyone in power as a mix of both: they believe themselves to be the last white knight, and yet are also the root cause of the Empire's problems. There is no right or wrong, not in the axiomatic sense of the words. Characters aren't invincible heroes. Typically, you'll be at odds with the enemy and outnumbered. Fighting isn't going to be the solution to every encounter. With the "Fragile Heroes" campaign quality, that means characters can die as easily as the enemies they're going up against. If you're a player that likes to roll into a dungeon swingin', this probably isn't going to be your type of game. Everything Else The game will be (most likely) on Monday nights, starting around 8-9 EST. It will probably go for a few hours. I cannot possibly do Wednesdays or weekends (including Fridays.) For now, the game will be text-only. I'm looking for an semi-verbose type of narrative, and a group of players that can interweave that story beautifully, no matter how dark and bloody it gets. It will also be... Mature. There is going to be sex in the game. And manipulation. There is going to be blood and outright murder. There may even be romance, depending on the characters and players. If that kind of stuff excites you, you have a problem. Go see a doctor. Maybe get medicated. And then join the game. Who the heck is slyglass ? That's me! But please, just call me sly (Gosh, that sounds pretentious.) I'm Andrea, 23, living up here in beautiful Canada. I've been doing role-playing games for some time now, and am prone to over-writing. Just see above. My favorite books are the Gentleman Bastard sequence by Scott Lynch, and anything by Joe Abercrombie. P.S. Yes, I'm crazy and prefer slyglass to Slyglass. Don't ask. Okay, cool. Stop rambling. How do I join? You're interested? Excellent! Just let me know what kind of character concepts you have in mind, any extra information you need, and preferences you have. Tell me what your play style is, and if you prefer text based games or chat based. And don't forget to introduce yourself!
