Archpaladin Zousha
2013-08-22, 01:45 AM
I recently had a flash of inspiration that I wanted to get out before I forgot anything.
I've got the itch to play something based upon classic fairy tales. A story-telling kind of game that plays with fairy tale tropes and the players are common archetypes of these sorts of stories. In terms of tone, I'd be going for a medium-to-dark sort of tone like the classic tales, but not to the extent of the Grimmification trope. The idea that the forest IS dark and there ARE cannibalistic witches in there, but you CAN thrust them in the oven if you're clever enough, lucky enough, or kind enough. That fairies CAN abduct children and turn annoying jerks into animals, but they can also protect and bless babies. And that a happy ending is always a possibility, though never a guarantee.
But...I've got no idea where to begin in terms of statistics or rules. I only know a few themes and ideas I've got.
Archetypes
One thing I want to emphasize is a kind of "character archetype" that serves as a kind of class or race (or both) based on common fairy tale characters. Their archetype gives them traits or advantages. Here are some that I came up with off the top of my head:
Royal: These characters are princes, princesses or other nobles of some sort, often on a quest to retrieve something or break a spell. They'd probably be more proficient in combat and stuff. It's kind of hard to name specific characters of this archetype, since many noble characters in fairy tales just tend to be called "the prince" or "the queen." Childe Rowland would probably be the best example, as would Kate Crackernuts or Fret-Frunners (probably the ONLY transgendered fairy tale character I've ever read about). Most evil stepmothers would fall in this category too.
Peasant: These characters are lower-class types that may be foolish, clever, or just plain lucky, but all tend to rely more on their wits and skills for getting out of trouble, rather than brute force, and who knows? They may get a kingdom of their own in time. The Brave Little Tailor, Beauty from Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, any of the many Hans or Jack characters, and Hansel and Gretel are the kinds of characters I had in mind with this archetype.
Beasts: These are, quite simply, talking animals. Some may be enchanted humans, like the Frog Prince, while others may be benevolent woodland helpers, or animals that live in their own societies and villages (like in The Hare and the Hedgehog). Such creatures would always have a little magic of their own (How else would they be able to speak, or utilize human tools and clothes?) and may have even more power depending on their nature, but their greatest skill would be in their guile. Almost any talking animal in any fairy tale I've read usually seems to be good at deceiving people, whether it's with a glib tongue or using illusions or conjuring for the benefit of some human they're fond of. Puss-in-Boots, the Big Bad Wolf, and the Bremen Town Musicians are probably some of the best examples of Beast characters.
Fair Folk: These characters are the mysterious little people, the alluring elves, and the brutish trolls. They can be benevolent or cruel depending on their whims or appetites, or how mortals respect them. Magic would be something they practically bleed and breathe. Rumpelstiltskin, the fairies in Sleeping Beauty, the Little Mermaid, the Ogre in Jack and the Beanstalk, these would be Fair Folk.
Witches: You know who these creeps are. Evil women, old or otherwise, that like to turn people into animals, eat children and generally make nuisances of themselves. I'd like for there to be "good" witches available that may avoid causing harm to other people or give advice, but in general I see witches more as antagonists than protagonists. The witch in Hansel and Gretel is probably THE greatest example. And who can forget the most scary-awesome witch of all: Baba freakin' Yaga?
Another idea I have is a sort of dualism between the powers of the Fair Folk and those of witches. The Fair Folk can empower humans with magical powers in exchange for their service and adhering to their rules. These people are called enchanters. Witches, on the other hand, can do whatever the heck they want, but they have to power it with sacrifices of blood. This is why so many witches are old hags. When a source of blood isn't readily available, the witch has to sacrifice her (or his) own, and casting really big, powerful spells ages them fast as a result. This is also why many witches turn to things like cannibalism or taking hearts of maidens. These allow them to utilize their powers at no cost to themselves, though if they use elaborate magical traps like the infamous gingerbread house, the magic gained from the sacrifice may just only be enough to maintain the trap, trapping the witch in an endless routine of sacrifices just to keep the source of sacrifices running. "Good" witches would have more self-control and use their own blood or life to use their spells, and as such tend not to be too powerful, as the more powerful the spell, the more life it takes from you. That's not to say that Enchanters are entirely good, though. They have to serve their fey masters, and sometimes those masters do strange or cruel things, and Enchanters themselves begin to develop short tempers in regards to rules of hospitality and propriety. They're able to maintain their youth (enchanters that look old CHOOSE to look that way, shapeshifting's a big perk) and are effectively immortal, provided their fey patron is pleased with them, and any weaknesses they might have aren't exploited by protagonists.
That's all the ideas I have for now, more may come later.
What do you guys think? Are there game systems and settings out there already that could fit these kinds of ideas or something? Or would this be something that could merit an entirely new system of rules?
And now for some mood-music, courtesy of my favorite TV show when I was a kid. :smallsmile:
I've got the itch to play something based upon classic fairy tales. A story-telling kind of game that plays with fairy tale tropes and the players are common archetypes of these sorts of stories. In terms of tone, I'd be going for a medium-to-dark sort of tone like the classic tales, but not to the extent of the Grimmification trope. The idea that the forest IS dark and there ARE cannibalistic witches in there, but you CAN thrust them in the oven if you're clever enough, lucky enough, or kind enough. That fairies CAN abduct children and turn annoying jerks into animals, but they can also protect and bless babies. And that a happy ending is always a possibility, though never a guarantee.
But...I've got no idea where to begin in terms of statistics or rules. I only know a few themes and ideas I've got.
Archetypes
One thing I want to emphasize is a kind of "character archetype" that serves as a kind of class or race (or both) based on common fairy tale characters. Their archetype gives them traits or advantages. Here are some that I came up with off the top of my head:
Royal: These characters are princes, princesses or other nobles of some sort, often on a quest to retrieve something or break a spell. They'd probably be more proficient in combat and stuff. It's kind of hard to name specific characters of this archetype, since many noble characters in fairy tales just tend to be called "the prince" or "the queen." Childe Rowland would probably be the best example, as would Kate Crackernuts or Fret-Frunners (probably the ONLY transgendered fairy tale character I've ever read about). Most evil stepmothers would fall in this category too.
Peasant: These characters are lower-class types that may be foolish, clever, or just plain lucky, but all tend to rely more on their wits and skills for getting out of trouble, rather than brute force, and who knows? They may get a kingdom of their own in time. The Brave Little Tailor, Beauty from Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, any of the many Hans or Jack characters, and Hansel and Gretel are the kinds of characters I had in mind with this archetype.
Beasts: These are, quite simply, talking animals. Some may be enchanted humans, like the Frog Prince, while others may be benevolent woodland helpers, or animals that live in their own societies and villages (like in The Hare and the Hedgehog). Such creatures would always have a little magic of their own (How else would they be able to speak, or utilize human tools and clothes?) and may have even more power depending on their nature, but their greatest skill would be in their guile. Almost any talking animal in any fairy tale I've read usually seems to be good at deceiving people, whether it's with a glib tongue or using illusions or conjuring for the benefit of some human they're fond of. Puss-in-Boots, the Big Bad Wolf, and the Bremen Town Musicians are probably some of the best examples of Beast characters.
Fair Folk: These characters are the mysterious little people, the alluring elves, and the brutish trolls. They can be benevolent or cruel depending on their whims or appetites, or how mortals respect them. Magic would be something they practically bleed and breathe. Rumpelstiltskin, the fairies in Sleeping Beauty, the Little Mermaid, the Ogre in Jack and the Beanstalk, these would be Fair Folk.
Witches: You know who these creeps are. Evil women, old or otherwise, that like to turn people into animals, eat children and generally make nuisances of themselves. I'd like for there to be "good" witches available that may avoid causing harm to other people or give advice, but in general I see witches more as antagonists than protagonists. The witch in Hansel and Gretel is probably THE greatest example. And who can forget the most scary-awesome witch of all: Baba freakin' Yaga?
Another idea I have is a sort of dualism between the powers of the Fair Folk and those of witches. The Fair Folk can empower humans with magical powers in exchange for their service and adhering to their rules. These people are called enchanters. Witches, on the other hand, can do whatever the heck they want, but they have to power it with sacrifices of blood. This is why so many witches are old hags. When a source of blood isn't readily available, the witch has to sacrifice her (or his) own, and casting really big, powerful spells ages them fast as a result. This is also why many witches turn to things like cannibalism or taking hearts of maidens. These allow them to utilize their powers at no cost to themselves, though if they use elaborate magical traps like the infamous gingerbread house, the magic gained from the sacrifice may just only be enough to maintain the trap, trapping the witch in an endless routine of sacrifices just to keep the source of sacrifices running. "Good" witches would have more self-control and use their own blood or life to use their spells, and as such tend not to be too powerful, as the more powerful the spell, the more life it takes from you. That's not to say that Enchanters are entirely good, though. They have to serve their fey masters, and sometimes those masters do strange or cruel things, and Enchanters themselves begin to develop short tempers in regards to rules of hospitality and propriety. They're able to maintain their youth (enchanters that look old CHOOSE to look that way, shapeshifting's a big perk) and are effectively immortal, provided their fey patron is pleased with them, and any weaknesses they might have aren't exploited by protagonists.
That's all the ideas I have for now, more may come later.
What do you guys think? Are there game systems and settings out there already that could fit these kinds of ideas or something? Or would this be something that could merit an entirely new system of rules?
And now for some mood-music, courtesy of my favorite TV show when I was a kid. :smallsmile: