Call for Players

I'm getting ready to GM the next campaign using the Escalation system, which I've named Newton. It's time to call for players.

Newton will be an ensemble game like BSG, so everyone will play multiple characters. Newton departs from recent games like BSG and Flying Age in two ways: First, it's less epic. The narrative will follow the day-to-day lives of people in a small town. Second, it's more stationary. The plot will stay in the small town and in the surrounding countryside. Attached is a brief document that gives some of the basic background on the world. It's not too detailed by design; a lot of details would be irrelevant to the campaign, plus it's more fun if players can make up their own details as they go along.

One thing you should know before signing up to play is that this world is not a nice place, and no one in power stays there by being a totally nice person. Think "old west:" pragmatism is the word of the day. What this means is that to play in this, you're going to have to be willing to play characters who are capable of doing questionable or outright wrong things for their own good. The focus of the game will be conflict between characters. If all this isn't your cup of tea, that's fine, I want everyone playing to have fun, and after BSG I think it's better that I make the tone of the game clear now rather than disappoint anyone later.

Each player will start with three characters. As in previous games, it's likely you'll pick up more, even just as bit parts. In our new revision of the system, the mechanical building of the character happens mostly as the game goes along, so just focus on personality and background.

For each character, you should write a paragraph or two describing them and their background, and a sentence or two about their dramatic axis--that is, the thing that most motivates and affects their decisions, the thing that their drama revolves around. You don't have to write a lot, just enough to define the character in broad strokes.

The first character will be a major landowner in Newton. This could be a member of the Newton family, or a member of one of the other families that helped found Newton. They can be anywhere from young adults to elderly. They shouldn't be "idle rich;" even the well-off in Newton still do *something.* It could be something like leading the local militia or negotiating trades, or you could run a store or business of some sort. Above all, though, this character will have three things: power, a desire to hold onto power, and most importantly an agenda for Newton. This agenda could involve any number of things. You could want to preserve Newton as it is, as a small wilderness post, ignored by major powers. You could want to build it into a bigger town, or into a city-state of its own. You could want to accomplish your goals through economics, through politics, or through force. You could want to establish a new form of government or to reinforce the existing rule.

The second character will be someone less powerful but still important to the community, who will be aligned with one of the *other* players' first characters, as friends, business partners, or just someone who has a similar agenda. They should still have a distinct personality and background.

The third character will be someone not allied with anyone's first or second characters (at least, not initially allied). This should be someone who isn't a patriot of Newton. This isn't to say they'll be an outlaw. They should still live and trade in or around Newton, and like the first two characters they should have an agenda--just not one that involves the good of Newton. Your agenda doesn't necessarily have to be directly opposed, but it should be one that will bring you into conflict with the interests of other characters.

So, if you're interested in playing, the first thing I need is your first character, since you need someone else's first character to align your second character with. As always, email me if you have any questions.
(by Luke)