7th Sea--Feeling things out. [Forum] [Dice]

[hellrazoromega]

Not really an interest check yet because I don't know how many even know about this game. So I have to ask how many here have access to or even know what 7th Sea is and for those that do who might be interested in a game some time in the not too near future?


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7th_Sea_(role-playing_game)

 

[Silent Wayfarer]

Would it be bad if I didn't know what 7th sea was but wanted to try it anyway?

 

[Skari-dono]

Never played it, read some about it, ran Legend of the Five Rings few years back which I understand uses similar/same basic mechanics (even had some crossover potential).

 

[hellrazoromega]

Think pirates and swashbucklers on the Roll and Keep System but a far more cinematic (less deadly) version than in L5R. The setting is basically an analogue of Renaissance Europe. Avalon is England, Inismore and The Highland Marches are Ireland and Scotland, Castille is Spain, Montaigine is France, Voddacce is the City States of Venice, Eisen if the Holy Roman Empire (Germany), Usura is Russia and Vendal is Scandinavia. Those are all rough approximations because while there are many similarites to those places there are stark differences as well. Many of the extremes of those places (good and bad) are played up for dramatic effect. Each of the above places has it's own unique form of magic (with the exception of Eisen and Castille, those two each used to have a unique form of magic but they were stamped out. Castille now has the Inquisition and Eisen has Dracheneisen which is a full plate armor that can shrug off even musket rounds). Magic is interesting but each form comes with its own price.


Each player choses whether to be a sorcerer of one of the remaining magic types or a swordsman(woman). If you are a half-blood sorcerer you might even mange both. Sort of like the schools in L5R there are a myriad of swordsman schools with different traits.


The world is also filled with secret societies that are highly dramatized versions of such organizations as the Free Masons, The Knights Templar and the Illuminati plus many others. There is intrigue in every shadow, enough secrets to choke a heard of horses, high adventure in every city or town and swashbuckling good fun all over--that is it in a nut shell.


The focus of the game can vary based on what the party wants. The GM's guide asks that the players take 100 points and divide those points among 5 categories, Intrigue, Action, Romance, Exploration and Military. Players can put an many or as few, even 0, of those points into a category. The GM then totals up those points to give him and idea of what the player want.

[QUOTE="Skari-dono]Never played it, read some about it, ran Legend of the Five Rings few years back which I understand uses similar/same basic mechanics (even had some crossover potential).

[/QUOTE]
Yes in 7th Sea the 'East' contains the Crescent Empire (Middle East) and Cathay. By the time the book came out for Cathay it sucked which was OK because I always used Rokugan as 'Cathay' anyway.

 

[Mei]

7th Sea! Do want!

 

[Silent Wayfarer]

After glancing over the rules and remembering a major source of inspiration for this sort of thing, I kind of want to make a Montaignard Valroux swordswoman/opera singer who holds the inhibitions of the church and lesser men in contempt.

 

[hellrazoromega]

[QUOTE="Silent Wayfarer]After glancing over the rules and remembering a major source of inspiration for this sort of thing, I kind of want to make a Montaignard Valroux swordswoman/opera singer who holds the inhibitions of the church and lesser men in contempt.

[/QUOTE]
Sounds like a member of either the Invisible College or the Rilasciare (Free Thinkers), but the later hates sorcery with a passion. The former is abour scientific study and contains some of the most brilliant people of the age (the analogues of people like Galileo and Newton) and many thank of themselves as above 'mere mortals'.

 

[Mei]

I've always liked the Castillians. They have a Zorro secret society.

 

[VectorPup]

I have wanted to play this game for so freaking long.

 

[Mei]

I hear ya, Vector.

 

[Silent Wayfarer]

Sounds like a member of either the Invisible College or the Rilasciare (Free Thinkers), but the later hates sorcery with a passion. The former is abour scientific study and contains some of the most brilliant people of the age (the analogues of people like Galileo and Newton) and many thank of themselves as above 'mere mortals'.

Hrm, I wouldn't say she's part of a secret society; more that she does what she wants and flips off people who disagree. I'll look into the societies more...

 

[hellrazoromega]

I've always liked the Castillians. They have a Zorro secret society.

Castillians are awesome! I actually used to hang out the writer of most of the Castillian content and the creator of El Vago, Marcelo Figueroa. Who also wrote most of the Lion stuff for L5R. Long before he went to work for AEG he worked at the store where I bought my games back in Diamond Bar CA, which was where I meet him. Cool dude who gave me fun Dev tidbits on 7th Sea and L5R back in the day.

 

[Mei]

Sweet! That's pretty awesome.

 

[hellrazoromega]

[QUOTE="Silent Wayfarer]Hrm, I wouldn't say she's part of a secret society; more that she does what she wants and flips off people who disagree. I'll look into the societies more...

[/QUOTE]
Wouldn't have to be just saying that line of thinking might fit one of those, of all of the Societies that Invisible College is all about thinking for yourself. That and the Explorers Society. It is just that some of the people in the IC are more about thumbing their noses at those they think are not as smart as they are (not all of them--but some).

 

[PirateLexi]

Hmmm if I can find a copy of the book, I'd be down. I know l5r pretty well but I've never touched 7th Sea itself.

 

[hellrazoromega]

Hmmm if I can find a copy of the book, I'd be down. I know l5r pretty well but I've never touched 7th Sea itself.

It bears many similarities to L5R such as ranks for swordsman schools (3 rather than 5) but as I said it is far more cinematic in that you can survive more damage and enemies come in 3 varieties Brutes, Henchmen and Villains. The Villains are a cut above the PC's (Boss fight), the Henchmen are just slightly below the PC's and Brutes are trash mobs that the average PC can take on in groups just like in any Swashbuckling movie you have ever seen. skills are roll and keep just like L5R except your stats are Brawn (Str), Finesse (Dex/Agl), Wits (Int/Wis), Resolve (Will) and Panache (Speed and some hints of Dex and Agl for stuff like fighting on a ship deck during a storm).


Books I dunno about but there is a character gen here


and a Google search will turn up several Excel versions.


Edit: to correct a few terms.

 

[PirateLexi]

Well lemme see what I can find, all else fails I get paid in a couple days and can at least afford the core book legally lol.


What I can see of it it does look pretty damn awesome though.

 

[solyrflair]

This is a game I was interested in playing at some point. Somewhere I have a book or two, but not sure which version I have. When you get an idea going, count me in.

 

[PirateLexi]

How do you feel about Sidhe?

 

[hellrazoromega]

The roll an keep version.


Sidhe are a tricky subject in my 7th Sea games. They are allowed but they are tire to Avalon in a huge way and spending time away from the does them more harm the longer they are gone, as my games tend to be globetrotters it can present issues for Sidhe. Add to that the fact that there are foul things that specifically hunt Sidhe in my games. So yes they are allowed but I give fair warning that it might not be a walk in the park.

 

[PirateLexi]

I might consider it, I'm still reading through everything, particularly all the magic types, so I'm completely still deciding lol

 

[hellrazoromega]

Indeed the magic types are quite varied with their own distinct flavors, it is one of the things that is so cool about the game.

 

[PirateLexi]

So is this still a thing?

 

[hellrazoromega]

Yeah, it maybe a bit before I can actually get it up and running as I am dealing with some real life craziness. But people are welcome to begin submitting character ideas for approval and laying the other groundwork--that should get us through some of the time.

 

[PirateLexi]

Cool beans. I'm working on something, probably won't be a Sidhe lol. Glamour magic is nice though, but so is Fate.