So, while I was out a tropping, I hit on the entry for a game called
Bliss Stage.
For those who fear the link, the game is about a bunch of teens/preteens trying to save what's left of the world using mecha that are fueled by weaponized love. Having a strong relationship makes you powerful; loosing that makes FUN happen.
This game interests me, but I know I may never get to use it in either of my RL groups, so before I drop the $ for it, I want to see if there is any kind of interest in this type of RPG.
Of course, due to subject matter (sex is implicit, hyper-violence would be as well in my mind), it would have to be posted on some other forum, a detail which I'll cross when and if it comes up.
Thoughts?
Right Now:
Nearly all of the adult humans in the world succumb to a strange attack -- they fall asleep and cannot be awakened. They are not dead, nor do they seem to be suffering from hunger, thirst, or fear. In fact, they seem pleasantly happy. Because of this, it is called the Bliss.
+1 days:
Just over 50% of the adult population has been affected by Bliss, a trend that will continue in the coming days. The bulk of those who are not initially affected attempt to protect themselves and those who were affected.
+2 days:
As 75% of adults have been affected, the remaining adults mostly panic, attacking and fighting over any supplies or medical facilities. More people are killed over such things than succumb to Bliss over the next days.
+1 week:
A handful of military personal remain awake, as well as a few people desperately using any and all drugs to stave off sleep. The remaining military attempt to gather supplies and the surviving children into the best fortification they can muster.
+3 weeks:
Outside of a few isolated monasteries, themselves to remote to be known to the outside world, only one adult remains awake.
+ 1 month:
Electricity, water, and sewage have all stopped working.
Society begins to fray.
+1 year:
The surviving children have established themselves in a new, loose social order of gangs. Some begin to rebuild, some are content to loot, murder, and rape. The effects of the Bliss on older teenagers are seen.
Adolescents report seeing and even communicating with strange creatures in their own dreams.
The enclaves setup by the last military forces are often targeted by the gangs, often resulting in the decimation of one side.
+2 years:
Targetted attacks into the real world, launched by dreamcreatures, begin.
These attacks are carried out via remote drones -- some are planes or other vehicles but most take a giant human shape.
The tenuous society that children have formed is shattered.
Desperate gangs increase attacks on the enclaves, rapping up casualties on both sides.
+5 years:
A small but organized group, backed by a surviving adult, manages to destroy an alien remote -- the first victory in a five year war.
Attacks by drones on the enclaves intensifies.
+6 years:
Using technology scavenged from destroyed and captured remotes, a resistance cell manages to create an ANIMa creche: a device which a teenager may use to enter the dream physically. Initial experiments are disastrous.
Drone attacks have left most major cities and former military enclaves in ruins.
The warrens of rubble left save the renaming children, as the massive drones can only directly attack large targets.
+7 years:
Present time. Over the last year, trial and error has produced a technique by which pilots (as they are now called) can create an ANIMa, an armor for protection against the dream and a weapon to attack the dream aliens. Now, for the first time in seven years, there is a chance to for humanity to strike back. Now, for the first time in seven years, there is hope.
- Your resistance group is located somewhere
near where you are playing. Figure out where. Figure out their situation. - Figure out other details about your world: what the aliens look like, other strange effects in the world.
- Make up characters: An authority figure, some pilots, some anchors, some secondary characters.
- Assign ownership over the characters. Generally, each PC should run a pilot as well as an anchor. Any non-pilot character defaults to GM control if not assigned.
- Pick a pilot type for each pilot and assign their starting relationships.
- Pick out a number of hopes equal to your number of pilots, minus one. Being reduced to 1 pilot and/or fulfilling all Hopes triggers the Finale.
- Owning a character means you get to control his/her actions, including the consequences in most cases. Ownership can be transferred.
- You can only own 1 pilot, and should only own 1 anchor as well. The GM can run no pilots or anchors, outside of a few situations.
- Values are numbers assigned to characters are relationships between characters during the game of Bliss Stage.
- Pilot’s values measure the amount of damage they have sustained from their missions, in terms of actual harm and exposure to the dream world. These values are terror, trauma, and bliss.
- Relationship’s values measure the strengths of the relationship as well as its present condition. These values are intimacy, trust, and stress.
- Non pilots do not have any values. However, they may be harmed or killed in various ways. Any character who is harmed that suffers harm again is killed.
- The game of Bliss Stage is made up of a series of actions.
- The most common types of actions are mission actions and interlude actions. Other types of actions are briefing actions, fallout actions, breakdown actions, final actions, and resolution actions.
- The first action of the game is always a briefing action.
- A briefing action serves in introduce a mission, and is always called for by the GM.
- In the briefing action, the authority figure informs the pilots and anchors about the nature of the mission.
- Additionally, the GM should clarify any consequences of the mission, and answer questions from the players.
- When a pilot and anchor are chosen, the action ends.
- A pilot chosen for a mission may decline, at the cost of damaging his relationship to the authority figure and taking on some trauma.
- Mission actions are when the pilots enter the dream world, form their ANIMa, and fight aliens. They are led and monitored by an anchor.
- Most mission actions are automatically called for. To open a mission action, the anchor describes the pilot’s immediate surroundings and situation. If it is the first action, the pilot then forms his ANIMa. If the anchor has lost control of the dream, the GM and other players may contribute to the description.
- When the pilot is either in danger or might accomplish a mission objective, the action has reached a climax.
- Before this, the anchor may cancel the mission if she has control.
- At the climax, the pilot takes up dice equal to the total intimacy of all relationships in his ANIMa. The GM can use the pilot's Trauma to make this roll more difficult in a number of ways.
- The pilot then rolls dice and choose which dice to use for the categories of mission success, pilot's safety, and relationship safety for each relationship.
- The players involved describe the outcome, and bridge to another mission action.
- Interlude actions focus on the pilot’s relationships.
- Generally, the GM calls for interlude actions, but pilots who have completed a mission also gain that privilege.
- To call for an action, simply name the characters involved, and the owners of those characters decide the situation that they meet in.
- The judge of an action may not control a character in the action, and is generally the player who last benefited from an interlude.
- To open the action, the GM describes the environment.
- The players of the characters show them interacting, describing what they say and do.
- When the judge has decided on the result of the action, she calls the action to a close.
- The possible results are intimacy building, trust building, trauma relief and stress relief. “No result” is not possible. There are other restrictions on when certain results may be given.
- Anyone can declare that the trust of any character that they own was broken during the action. The trust in that relationship goes down by one, and the player who broke trust gets the privilege to immediately call for a follow-up action.
- Keep calling for interludes until the GM calls for a new briefing action.
- A pilot can go out by passing 6 trauma or 108 bliss.
- If a pilot passes 6 trauma, they die a traumatic death. When a pilot dies a traumatic death, their player gets to go into all the details of how they die violently right then and there. If, in doing so, a hope is resolved, that’s all good. If a hope is not resolved, the pilot’s player picks one of the hopes and crosses it off. It will never be resolved.
- If a pilot passes 108 bliss, they immediately get to decide how the pilot goes out, in any way that means that they are no longer part of the resistance cell, or in any way that they become the new authority figure. Afterward, they may stage an action which resolves any one hope.
- Once all hopes are resolved, the one remaining pilot may initiate final resolution at any time. Final resolution ties up all the hopes and gives a vision of the future of humanity. It is the last action of the game.
The Innocent Sweetheart is the youngest pilot, under
trained and inexperienced. Special: +1 trust to any one relationship.
The Eager Young Soldier is a still a novice ANIMa pilot, but
excited to do his part in the war. Special: Add one trust or one intimacy to the relationship with the authority figure
The Devoted Lover is a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. Special:
Starts with a very powerful relationship (5 intimacy); Add one stress to any two relationships
The Rising Hero doesn’t know it, but everyone in the group looks up to her and respects her. Special: Add one trust to all relationships with other pilots; More powerful default relationships
The Carefree Hedonist says that he has no regrets. He flits from party to party and lover to lover without so much a second thought for anyone’s feelings. Special: Add one intimacy to any relationship. Extra starting relationship.
Seasoned Veteran is the oldest pilot. She is bitter and haggard from battle; the scars on her heart and soul may never heal. Special: Pick any two relationships and destroy them. Starts with 1 trauma.
All of these are going to be Intimacy/Trust. When you pick a template, you can assign these values to any Pilot, Anchor or the Athority Figure. The last entry is a default for all other characters.
Innocent Sweetheart: 3/2, 3/2, 2/5, 2/4, 2/1, 1/3, (1/2)
Eager Young Soldier: 4/1, 3/2, 2/3, 2/2, 2/1, 1/4, (1/2)
Devoted Lover: 5/3, 3/2, 2/3, 2/3, 2/1, 1/3, (1/2)
Rising Hero: 4/2, 4/1, 3/1, 2/2, 2/1, (1/3)
Carefree Hedonist: 4/2, 4/1, 3/2, 3/2, 3/1, 3/1, 2/2, 1/4 (1/2)
Seasoned Veteran: 5/1, 4/2, 3/3, 3/2, 3/1, 2/4, (1/2)
Nell is driven
At her option, after the pilot has placed his dice, she may reroll one or more die placed in mission.
Nathan is kind
At his option, after the pilot has placed her dice, he may reroll one or more die placed in nightmare.
Megan is temptestuous
At her option, after the pilot has placed his dice, she may reroll one or more die placed into her own relationship.
Jenny is savvy
At her option, after the pilot has placed his dice, she may reroll one or more die placed into someone else’s relationship.
Grace is comforting
At her option, after the pilot has placed his dice, she may reroll one or more die placed into a threatened or endangered category.
Iris is experienced
At her option, after the pilot has placed his dice, she may add one stress to her relationship to the pilot to reroll any one die.
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Topic: Bliss Stage anyone? (Read 1832 times)