BananaMuffin
Lucky Number Seven
Hello! I've written up this concept for an RP a couple of years ago. I've always wanted to try and post an interest check for this game but I have never GM'ed before and honestly I'm afraid of this game falling apart because I've blundered on my end, especially if it's because I wasn't building an engaging enough environment. So I'm not planning on GMing this for a while, not until I've gotten comfortable enough to break out of my natural social recluse state and GM a game that people will enjoy being in. Yes, I'm asking for advice for a game that may take years to happen, however, I still think it has good potential for a really fun RP so I want to share and work on refining this idea so that it'll have the best chance it can have in lasting to the end at least once.
There's some vague lore with some possible mechanics in the spoiler above, but the main gist is that your spirit has been ripped from your body and that you’re now a ghost trying to survive in a spirit plane full of monsters. It was meant to be a relatively short and fast-paced game where the players could choose a point on a map to pursue their end goal: Their body, and come up with their antagonists that would keep them from achieving their end goal: the monster that ripped them out of their body.
Any and all criticism and feedback is welcomed, though if we wanted to get into specifics I have these questions in stock:
- Should this be a story-driven game or a survival-driven game? I'm asking because the rate at which characters might die would probably skyrocket if it was survival-driven. I always envision these ghosts as glass cannons, able to punch hard but barely able to take a hit, using teamwork or technique would make up for their lack in defense. Each run would be shorter, characters and players can come and go quicker, and it'd add higher stakes if it was survival based. However, in a plot-driven game, you'll have more control over what happens to your character, a better chance to get a satisfying ending, and more chances to focus on character development and world-building.
- What would be a good ceiling when it comes to player input and power scaling? Should there even be a soft ceiling at all when it comes to NPCs like monsters? I know there should probably be a limit for metagaming and powerplaying but I don't want to limit the powers of monsters because they're suppose to be powerful, but I do want a way for players to beat the game if monsters end up invincible.
- Should the characters be able to grow mechanically? Like gain skills that would make it more interesting to play through till the end?
-Should there be racial traits? I plan on allowing all types of characters including non-human, but I feel that because they'll be ghosts it would be more of a surface level thing and not have much affect on the gameplay.
-Should I limit the number of players to a small group? If not and if it ends up gathering more interest, should I try what Isekai Hell did and have different threads for groups to focus in their own plots and characters?
I'll probably have many other questions that'll be too late to ask at some point, but for now I am only asking for yourfinancial support. Thank you in advance for reading through this somewhat long jumbled post, and if you actually respond then you'll be blessed by an insomniac muffin.
~Setting~
It takes place in a fever dream-ish maze of a city where you have to get through shifting heights of apartment buildings, skyscrapers, streets, and sidewalks. The more mainstream parts would be full of people who can’t see you or the monsters phasing through them. You’ll realize that you aren’t able to escape the city borders and that every time you try, you end up looping back to the other side of town like a pacman level.
~Monsters~
Monsters don’t really have a standard appearance, they can look just about anything and anyone. Many of them settle for something creepy and intimidating when lurking around the spirit plane. The only consistent part about them is their size, which increases overtime as they grow stronger. Whether or not it should grow resulting from player death or simply by existing is undetermined.
Monsters around the size of a human and larger can warp the spirit plane around them more intensely, altering themselves and their surroundings to their liking. They could even shrink to a more manageable size, though anyone far away enough will see their true form. The bigger they are the more spread out and intense the effect is, however a monster would not be able to alter a player still tethered to their body.
Titans would be the main monsters that players will create since they will be the monsters strong enough to enter the mortal world and steal people's souls for whatever purpose they desire. They will be in an incredible weakened state in the mortal world, only able to shapeshift into beings up to humanoid size but unable to harm directly. However, they can drag someone's soul to the spirit plane via physical contact (or eye contact if they're stronger than the average titan). There they can overpower ghosts and break their connection to their bodies.
~Characters/Ghosts~
Right now, your body is in a coma. Whenever your soul is ripped out of your body by something, you'll usually still be tethered to your body, allowing you to connect back to it and return to the mortal realm. Once you return, you’ll no longer be able to see anything related to the spirit plane, including the other players. With that, your character is out of the game (unless they're brought back in again). Your character can also be out of the game if your soul is sustains enough damage or if your body is destroyed in the mortal realm, though I'm debating whether untethered ghosts would be stuck in the spirit realm and be able to help others.
Weapons can just about be anything that was on your person when you were ripped, even if you were only holding it. This includes but not limited to handbags/purses, baseball bats, glasses, pillows, katanas, chainsaws, and construction beams. However, any weapon you have is essentially an extension of you. They can be retracted and then resummoned, meaning you don't have it stuck on your hand - but they can't be let go of and if they get hit, you get hit.
Whenever a character is getting close enough to their bodies, the monster that pulled them out can sense them and how close they are. So prepare for one final boss battle that determines whether you make it back into the mortal realm or not.
~Miscellaneous Ideas~
The amount of spirit a person has helps build up their defense and their attacks. It stems from a person’s determination and/or faith. Faith is not only found within religious individuals but within anyone who puts their faith into anything, like believing that sliced bread will stay forever.
Ghosts will be able to manipulate objects in the mortal realm, and so ghosts have two kinds of attacks: Spiritual and Physical. Ghosts and Monsters are both very susceptible to spiritual attacks, everything in the mortal realm is susceptible to physical attacks.
It takes place in a fever dream-ish maze of a city where you have to get through shifting heights of apartment buildings, skyscrapers, streets, and sidewalks. The more mainstream parts would be full of people who can’t see you or the monsters phasing through them. You’ll realize that you aren’t able to escape the city borders and that every time you try, you end up looping back to the other side of town like a pacman level.
~Monsters~
Monsters don’t really have a standard appearance, they can look just about anything and anyone. Many of them settle for something creepy and intimidating when lurking around the spirit plane. The only consistent part about them is their size, which increases overtime as they grow stronger. Whether or not it should grow resulting from player death or simply by existing is undetermined.
Monsters around the size of a human and larger can warp the spirit plane around them more intensely, altering themselves and their surroundings to their liking. They could even shrink to a more manageable size, though anyone far away enough will see their true form. The bigger they are the more spread out and intense the effect is, however a monster would not be able to alter a player still tethered to their body.
Titans would be the main monsters that players will create since they will be the monsters strong enough to enter the mortal world and steal people's souls for whatever purpose they desire. They will be in an incredible weakened state in the mortal world, only able to shapeshift into beings up to humanoid size but unable to harm directly. However, they can drag someone's soul to the spirit plane via physical contact (or eye contact if they're stronger than the average titan). There they can overpower ghosts and break their connection to their bodies.
~Characters/Ghosts~
Right now, your body is in a coma. Whenever your soul is ripped out of your body by something, you'll usually still be tethered to your body, allowing you to connect back to it and return to the mortal realm. Once you return, you’ll no longer be able to see anything related to the spirit plane, including the other players. With that, your character is out of the game (unless they're brought back in again). Your character can also be out of the game if your soul is sustains enough damage or if your body is destroyed in the mortal realm, though I'm debating whether untethered ghosts would be stuck in the spirit realm and be able to help others.
Weapons can just about be anything that was on your person when you were ripped, even if you were only holding it. This includes but not limited to handbags/purses, baseball bats, glasses, pillows, katanas, chainsaws, and construction beams. However, any weapon you have is essentially an extension of you. They can be retracted and then resummoned, meaning you don't have it stuck on your hand - but they can't be let go of and if they get hit, you get hit.
Whenever a character is getting close enough to their bodies, the monster that pulled them out can sense them and how close they are. So prepare for one final boss battle that determines whether you make it back into the mortal realm or not.
~Miscellaneous Ideas~
The amount of spirit a person has helps build up their defense and their attacks. It stems from a person’s determination and/or faith. Faith is not only found within religious individuals but within anyone who puts their faith into anything, like believing that sliced bread will stay forever.
Ghosts will be able to manipulate objects in the mortal realm, and so ghosts have two kinds of attacks: Spiritual and Physical. Ghosts and Monsters are both very susceptible to spiritual attacks, everything in the mortal realm is susceptible to physical attacks.
There's some vague lore with some possible mechanics in the spoiler above, but the main gist is that your spirit has been ripped from your body and that you’re now a ghost trying to survive in a spirit plane full of monsters. It was meant to be a relatively short and fast-paced game where the players could choose a point on a map to pursue their end goal: Their body, and come up with their antagonists that would keep them from achieving their end goal: the monster that ripped them out of their body.
Any and all criticism and feedback is welcomed, though if we wanted to get into specifics I have these questions in stock:
- Should this be a story-driven game or a survival-driven game? I'm asking because the rate at which characters might die would probably skyrocket if it was survival-driven. I always envision these ghosts as glass cannons, able to punch hard but barely able to take a hit, using teamwork or technique would make up for their lack in defense. Each run would be shorter, characters and players can come and go quicker, and it'd add higher stakes if it was survival based. However, in a plot-driven game, you'll have more control over what happens to your character, a better chance to get a satisfying ending, and more chances to focus on character development and world-building.
- If it would work better as a survival-driven game, how should the mechanics work? I know I want to keep it simple and interesting enough that anyone could hop in, understand quickly and have fun, but I know some players don't like using dice mechanics and it'd be unfair that you lost your character to a tiny gremlin just because a randomizer said so.
- If it would work better as a plot-driven game, what are a good amount of encounters between a character or group's starting point and their final face-off with the beast? I know there should be enough plot twists and new discoveries for people to stay engaged for as long as possible before they feel burned out or feel like it's dragging on for too long, I just don't know what would be a good number of scenarios to make before the RP's up.
- What would be a good ceiling when it comes to player input and power scaling? Should there even be a soft ceiling at all when it comes to NPCs like monsters? I know there should probably be a limit for metagaming and powerplaying but I don't want to limit the powers of monsters because they're suppose to be powerful, but I do want a way for players to beat the game if monsters end up invincible.
- Should the characters be able to grow mechanically? Like gain skills that would make it more interesting to play through till the end?
-Should there be racial traits? I plan on allowing all types of characters including non-human, but I feel that because they'll be ghosts it would be more of a surface level thing and not have much affect on the gameplay.
-How should magic and guns work? In this world, everything on a ghost is basically a projection of their soul so it may not work as it did in the mortal realm. What if gunshots and projectile magic had tangible trails- they'd basically be like tendrils, able to hit far and pierce enemies but susceptible to being cut and hurting your character!
-Should I limit the number of players to a small group? If not and if it ends up gathering more interest, should I try what Isekai Hell did and have different threads for groups to focus in their own plots and characters?
I'll probably have many other questions that'll be too late to ask at some point, but for now I am only asking for your