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[UristMcChladni]

You are, whether by design or chance, the first orc colonists in a new land. Largely without aid, you will have to build society from the ground up, finding resources and recreating technologies. In the process, you will redefine what it means to be an orc. Are you up to the task?

Spoiler: Current Players (6/6) (click to show/hide)

First come first served. That is, first complete character sheets.

Name: Falerion
MAD:1/3/3
Race:Goblin
Class: Scribbler
Abilities
Runic Experimentation
Description, monocled, Grey Skinned, wild eyed inventor. Mildly crazy

Name: Gunnel Stendoff
MAD: 3/2/2
Race: Orc
Class: Hunter
Abilities: Hunting

Name: Da Grasshappaz
MAD: 2:3:3
Race: Goblin
Class: Grunt
Abilities: Dah Fightazing!

Description: A rot lime green goblin with particularly bad posture. He likes to carry around a pointy stabbing stick, and pretend that he is a big boss, like the other Orks.

ame: Eou
MAD: 3:2:2
Race: Orc
Class: Scribbler
Abilities: Runic Experimentation

Description: Black skinned, white haired,  stern looking rune experimenter.

Name: Afnar
MAD: 1:3:3
Race: Goblin
Class: Hunter
Abilities: Hunting

Description: A dark green goblin who is well-muscled (at least by the standards of goblins)

Name: Ograds
MAD: 3:2:2 (Sum race and class values, stands for Martial, Arcane, and Diplomatic abilities)
Race: Orc
Class: Scribbler
Abilities: Runic Experimentation
Description: A Large Slightly red ork with a big nose and an abnormal number of scars, Its eyes are Blue, it is covered in green fur.

Spoiler: Waitlist (1/?) (click to show/hide)

You don't need to fill out a character sheet for the waitlist, as the races and classes available may have changed by the time you join the game.

Waitlist
SaberToothTiger
Maximum Spin
The_Two_Eternities

Spoiler: Starting Scenarios (click to show/hide)

These scenarios set the approximate starting conditions of the orcs. The population consists of players and NPCs. These NPCs are just mouths that need to be fed, although occasionally they may take initiative or convinced to act. They are also how many 'lives' you all have. Every person taken from the waitlist will be coming from the pool of NPCs. Everyone who has posted a character sheet or asked to be on the waitlist may vote.

Piracy might be the national past time of the orcs,   but navigation is not. Population: 15 Perks: Bonus weapons and armor at start Drawbacks: Limited initial food

You are sent abroad by a shaman experimenting with   transportation runes. He may even know where he sent you. Population: 20 Perks: The shaman may send things to you Drawbacks: The shaman may send things to you

You set off in search of new land but docked your ship   a couple meters inland. A qualified success in orcish terms. Population: 15 Perks: Extra food, others may follow Drawbacks: Limited weaponry and armor

This option is for those who think my ideas are lame Population: 10-30 Perks: You get to be creative Drawbacks: You will be punished

Additionally, please vote on lethality, which is a rough measure of how frequently we want player turnover. Possibilities are High (you'll get a couple of skills or items, but you'll quickly be leaving them to a successor), Medium (in between), or Low (you won't live forever, part of the game is about a dangerous environment and the discovery of new classes and races, but individual characters will be around for a while).

Spoiler: Character Creation (click to show/hide)

Pretty simple stuff
Name:
MAD: #:#:# (Sum race and class values, stands for Martial, Arcane, and Diplomatic abilities)
Race:
Class:
Abilities:

Description: As vague or detailed as you like

Spoiler: Races (click to show/hide)

MAD: 3/2/2  Perks: Relatively balanced stats  Drawbacks: Smelly

MAD: 1/3/3  Perks: Wily  Drawbacks: Fragile, this side up

More races will be discovered during play

Spoiler: Classes (click to show/hide)

MAD: 1/0/0  Abilities: Not so much an ability,  but they like hitting things

MAD: 0/0/0  Abilities: Runic Experimentation

MAD: 0/0/0  Abilities: Hunting

More classes will be created during play. All the NPCs in the colony are observing and learning from all the players, despite their total inaction. This means that if a player unlocks enough skills that they are categorized as a new class, this will become available to all future players.

Spoiler: Abilities (click to show/hide)

Runic Experimentation – Unlocks the eponymous action, which is rolled at 1/2A rounded up. Bonus levels in Runic Experimentation add +0/1/0 while attempting. All magic is derived from the ability to represent in runes both reality as it is and reality as you desire in appropriate detail. But you don’t speak the language. Time to start doodling. Requires a medium (chalk, blood, etc). You can define the scope which will dictate the number of successes needed (unitary – 1, secondary – 3, tertiary – 5, and so on). For example, unitary experimentation might reveal the rune for fire, air, speed, chaos, order, or a similar fundamental concept. Secondary might reveal ways you can make fire and air interact. Tertiary might reveal how to take some of those interactions and build upon them to a larger intent. Think of it as learning words, then phrases, then sentences.

Hunting – Gives +1/0/0 when fighting prey, loosely defined as a mundane non-humanoid of lesser intelligence that an orc could be expected to eat or use the parts of. Also lets you roll a number of die equal to your hunting level when looting, and each success increases the amount and rarity of the discovered material.

More abilities will be discovered during play. Actions are level up when a certain number of trivial/challenging/epic tasks have been completed. A task is defined as trivial if it requires 2 or more less die than the user possesses, challenging if it requires the number of die the user possesses plus or minus 1, and epic if it requires 2 or more more die than the user possesses, all of this ignoring equipment/situational bonuses. Epic tasks will only be possible if your equipment and situational bonuses give you at least a 2. Any experience can be downgraded (i.e. challenging to trivial). Failed tasks also give trivial knowledge. If an epic task is failed, I reserve the right to offer you extra consequences for failure in exchange for gaining epic experience. MAD advance in the same fashion, but the requirements are at the +1 level (i.e. it takes 2/2/0 to advance from A1 to A2, while it takes 3/1/0 to advance from Hunting 1 to Hunting 2).

Level	T/C/E
0	3/0/0
1	3/1/0
2	2/2/0
3	2/3/0
4	2/3/1
5	2/2/2

Spoiler: Actions (click to show/hide)

One rule for all non-combat actions. Actions will require some number of d6 be rolled, determined by an applicable ability or, if no such ability is present, the most applicable MAD stat divided by 2 rounded up. Any die showing 4-6 is a success. If the number of successes exceeds the difficulty of the task, determined by myself or the player depending on the nature of the task, or the opponents roll in an opposed roll, then you succeed.

Okay, one more rule. If it looks like it's an action based entirely on luck, a d6 will determine the outcome.

In combat, which here includes physical, magical, and verbal sparring, you can split your die into attack and defense pools. Attacks occur simultaneously. Excess attack successes, subtracting defense successes, will decrease the relevant stat. If M or A reach 0 the opponent is unconscious. If D reaches zero the opponent acts on the content of the argument. Combat of any type can be joined by different actors only if there are unequal numbers. If it's a 3 vs 3, say, you'd pair off, but in 3 vs 4, one will be outnumbered. The outnumbered party can only direct their attack die at one opponent, and takes a -1 to defensive die. This puts a large incentive on playing the defensive and hoping an ally can join in.

Two notes here on diplomacy. First, unlike the other types of combat, diplomacy lets you set the terms of victory, but that also determines the situational advantage of the enemy. If you are trying to argue something massive, the defender will receive bonus defense die. So you won't have much luck just asking your opponents to off themselves. It's like a fighter choosing their ground to gain advantage. Second, diplomatic arguments between players are allowed, but they should only be used sparingly, and only if both players are okay with the possible outcomes. If a player doesn't believe their character could be convinced of something, or would not enjoy playing their character after a specific change, then it's not happening. On the other hand, if two people have different ideas on how to manage shared resources, say, a diplomatic bout would be a good way to determine whose plan is implemented.

Let me know if anything is unclear. I'm going to gradually reformat the post to make it more aesthetically appealing, and add more background once a starting scenario is chosen. A poorly drawn map may also be added, depending on enthusiasm.

[dgr11897]

Name: Falerion
MAD:1/3/3
Race:Goblin
Class: Scribbler
Abilities
Runic Experimentation
Description, monocled, Grey Skinned, wild eyed inventor. Mildly crazy
Scenario 2 gets my vote.

[Doomblade187]

Name: Gunnel Stendoff
MAD: 3/2/2
Race: Orc
Class: Hunter
Abilities: Hunting

Scenario 2/3.

[UristMcChladni]

Updated the OP to reflect both you character, and made it a little more aesthetically appealing.

Name: Gunnel Stendoff
MAD: 3/1/1
Race: Orc
Class: Hunter
Abilities: Ability

Scenario 2/3.

You docked yourself some arcane and diplomatic abilities. I restored them, unless you actually want them lower. Also put hunting instead of ability.

[zomara0292]

Name: Da Grasshappaz
MAD: 2:3:3
Race: Goblin
Class: Grunt
Abilities: Dah Fightazing!

Description: A rot lime green goblin with particularly bad posture. He likes to carry around a pointy stabbing stick, and pretend that he is a big boss, like the other Orks.

Scenario 2 gets my vote

[flazeo25]

Name: Eou
MAD: 3:2:2
Race: Orc
Class: Scribbler
Abilities: Runic Experimentation

Description: Black skinned, white haired,  stern looking rune experimenter.

Scenario 2

[UristMcChladni]

Alright, we're at four of six, and scenario 2 is definitely the winner. I'll write it up tonight and if we don't get any more interest before tomorrow we'll just start with four players.

[RulerOfNothing]

Name: Afnar
MAD: 1:3:3
Race: Goblin
Class: Hunter
Abilities: Hunting

Description: A dark green goblin who is well-muscled (at least by the standards of goblins)

As for the lethality vote, I am going for medium.

[crazyabe]

Spoiler: Character sheet (click to show/hide)

Name: Ograds
MAD: 3:2:2 (Sum race and class values, stands for Martial, Arcane, and Diplomatic abilities)
Race: Orc
Class: Scribbler
Abilities: Runic Experimentation
Description: A Large Slightly red ork with a big nose and an abnormal number of scars, Its eyes are Blue, it is covered in green fur.

Scenario 2, Medium

[SaberToothTiger]

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Name: Vit
MAD: 3:2:2
Race: Ork
Class: Hunter
Abilities: Hunting

Description: Stoic. Says little. Always seems tired.

Scenario 3, High

[UristMcChladni]

Saber, you're on the waitlist. We're going with scenario 2, modest fatality rate. Lets see how this goes!

Twenty of you were asked to stand in a large circle consisting of interlocking runes. Already instead were four chests, hopefully loaded up with sufficient supplies. Probably not. You weren't chosen from among the cream of the crop. Those chosen for shaman to experiment with were often considered expendable.

One of the five shaman standing in around the circle spoke up. "You have been chosen to lead a new expedition. We believe we can send you beyond the Bluespire Mountains. We have already sent scouts the long way around. When you arrive you are to wait among the foothills until the scouts find you. That should be simple enough even you mush for brains can understand it."

From somewhere in the middle of the of the pack a voice asked. "But why do you need twenty of us? Couldn't one do that?"

The shaman pushed his glasses up. "There exists another outstanding question on the rate of combustion during transport, and twenty was considered a sufficient number to estimate the rate of that phenomenon. Good luck."

With that the circle glowed red, the shaman took on a hazy appearance, and you could taste fire in your mouth. In an instant,though, the world snapped back into place. You stood on a beach, certainly unlike anything near the Bluespire Mountains. But nobody was on fire, so at least the shaman was wrong about everything.


In the chests you find 5 hides, enough food to feed the group for 5 days, 4 spears (+1 attack die), and 6 knives (no combat benefit). Not exactly a wealth of equipment, but it'll do you for a while. Except the complete lack of water.

Spoiler: Promised Poorly Drawn Image (click to show/hide)

[Maximum Spin]

Since it is explicitly stated that more discovered classes will be available for future players, am I right in inferring that I needn't make a character sheet to get on the waitlist?

[flazeo25]

Eou twists his head downwards after experiencing that awful feeling, he gazed at his pitch black body and saw that he was still alive at least.

"Curse you shamans, what the hell were they thinking sending us out here!" Eou snarled slowly to himself.

[UristMcChladni]

Since it is explicitly stated that more discovered classes will be available for future players, am I right in inferring that I needn't make a character sheet to get on the waitlist?

Yup! Had that written somewhere but apparently deleted it. I'll get that fixed momentarily.

[The_Two_Eternities]

Waitlist me too. I like the sound of this.