Alien Invasion in The World of Darkness

[Leliel]

I, as some people know, have a thing for ETs. Seeing as the WoD is all about "Dark Mystery and all that, I saw an opportunity to apply my fetish. So without further ado:

How would you run an alien invasion of the nWoD?

I expect that they would have motives beyond "they want our recourses", this being a morally "grey"(pun intended) game. But I am not asking for help for myself; I just want this thread to be a "pool" of ideas for people who want to run this kind of game.

LET THE DISCUSSION COMMENCE!!!

[Xuincherguixe]

I'm not terribly familiar with WoD, but for the kind of world that it sounds like...

They wouldn't necessarily be invading, so much as harvesting. Earth itself has little that can't be found anywhere else. The only resources we have would be life. Which itself may be reasonably common.

Sentient life probably not so much.

The aliens may well be there to study people. And since it's World of Darkness, all the rest of the freaks too.


Another possibility is that they derive strength from suffering. Hence the weird "experiments". And, keeping people alive is advantage because hey, renewable resource.


And, one more loop to throw. Are they really aliens? Or is it some secret shadowy government organization pretending to be aliens. Could be mages too. You may even decide to go the route that one never does find out if it's the Aliens, or a secret society.

Or maybe just turn them into werewolf chow.


Still, the Aliens themselves should be pretty supernatural themselves, and strange. And strange things might happen if something drinks their blood.

[Om]

Aren't aliens something of an anti-thesis to the whole gothic horror of WoD?

[Blayze]

I suppose it'd be one way to explain the force behind the Hunters...

[Xuincherguixe]

Aren't aliens something of an anti-thesis to the whole gothic horror of WoD?

I can see it working if they're Lovecraftan Aliens.

[Logic]

Aren't aliens something of an anti-thesis to the whole gothic horror of WoD?Aliens would ruin the mood of the whole setting. No aliens will be invading my WoD campaign.

[Revlid]

Or maybe Old-One style aliens?
Or maybe have a Vampire buy a trashed up Camaro that turns out to be a giant alien robot out to save the Earth from the evil Decepticons? No? Too original?

[Indon]

Aren't aliens something of an anti-thesis to the whole gothic horror of WoD?

See the Technocracy book, Old World of Darkness. It's a Mage suppliment.

It describes who encounters aliens, but leaves the actual nature of the aliens open.

[Bluelantern]

I'm not terribly familiar with WoD, but for the kind of world that it sounds like...

They wouldn't necessarily be invading, so much as harvesting. Earth itself has little that can't be found anywhere else. The only resources we have would be life. Which itself may be reasonably common.

Sentient life probably not so much.

The aliens may well be there to study people. And since it's World of Darkness, all the rest of the freaks too.


Another possibility is that they derive strength from suffering. Hence the weird "experiments". And, keeping people alive is advantage because hey, renewable resource.


And, one more loop to throw. Are they really aliens? Or is it some secret shadowy government organization pretending to be aliens. Could be mages too. You may even decide to go the route that one never does find out if it's the Aliens, or a secret society.

Or maybe just turn them into werewolf chow.


Still, the Aliens themselves should be pretty supernatural themselves, and strange. And strange things might happen if something drinks their blood.

Add more Lovecraftian elements, and you have a game! :smallbiggrin:

I would make they absolute aliens, not only out of earth but out of this dimension, possible "people" who are either exiled or acidentally appeared here, the diferents clans (because all WoD races have clans) could be based on the cause of they exile in this dimension

[Closet_Skeleton]

Shouldn't this be in the Gaming (d20 and general rpg) forum?

What kind of alien invasion? The kinds that come to my mind are:

1. War of the Worlds/Independance Day style all out attack, a fleet of spaceships publicaly engaging human military forces. A campaign in this model might involve commando missions or insurgancy against a conquoring force.

2. Conspiracy theory style invasion, where undercover aliens take positions of power and slowly errode the freedoms of the native population. A campaign in this model would be about gathering evidence and trying to survive when your enemies are the most powerful individuals on earth.

3. Refugee influx, hordes of aliens who've lost their homeworld looking for a new habital planet. Possibly with multiple factions, some wishing to conquor or completely terraform (or de-terraform) earth while others wish to co-exist. A campaign in this model might involve diplomacy and stopping alien plots.

4. Raid, the aliens want prisoners or materials but have no desire for any long term involvement with earth. In this campaign the PCs might want revenge against the aliens or to rescue a friend.

5. Trojan Horse style invasion, like in the 'V' TV series. Aliens appear and claim to be friendly while secretly attempt to take control of earth. A campaign in this model might involve gathering evidence of the alien's treachery and fighting alien agents.

6. Exploration, the aliens only want to study life on earth and have no expansionist motives. The PCs might be develope vendetta against the aliens if they have no respect for the native life.

7. Government conspiracy. Instead of the aliens being the villains, it's humans with alien technology or funding.

8. Reclemation force. Similar to any of the other options, except that the aliens once had control of earth and left behind technology that they want to reclaim. Some of the freaky world of darkness races could be decended from aliens and the PCs can get some ancient high tech toys.

[Leliel]

To those who belive aliens in the nWoD would "ruin" the mood: Firstly, the main theme of the NEW World of Darkness is "Dark Mystery"(A concept I think "mysterious alien invaders" personify), not Gothic Horror. Secondly, what is it about a superior invading armada isn't horiific? You have this vastly tecnologically and mentally superior force with almost complete disregard for native life, who may I metion, has no end whatsoever to the number of reinforcements they can muster. I'd say thats a pretty bleak picture right there.

And yes, this should be moved. Thanks for pointing that out.

[banjo1985]

I think that you would have to be very very careful not to turn it into something that's just weird and epic rather than mysterious. The aliens would have to be underhanded, invading the Earth in secret, possibly through possession or taking on the forms of humans. Maybe vampires, werewolves and mages are the only things on Earth that can see the aliens for what they really are, and it's up to them to try and stop them without sending civilisation into panic.

The aliens would probably also have to be...well..alien. I mean in mindset. They should be impossible to relate to, it makes them more dangerous and mysterious, keeping with the tone of the standard game.

So yeah, I think it would work, but it would have to be done very carefully.

[Leliel]

I think that you would have to be very very careful not to turn it into something that's just weird and epic rather than mysterious. The aliens would have to be underhanded, invading the Earth in secret, possibly through possession or taking on the forms of humans. Maybe vampires, werewolves and mages are the only things on Earth that can see the aliens for what they really are, and it's up to them to try and stop them without sending civilisation into panic.

The aliens would probably also have to be...well..alien. I mean in mindset. They should be impossible to relate to, it makes them more dangerous and mysterious, keeping with the tone of the standard game.

So yeah, I think it would work, but it would have to be done very carefully.
I like it all, except the part about supernaturals being the only ones being able to see through the disguse.

What about players who want mortal PCs?

:smallbiggrin:

[blackout]

Players want mortal PCs? :smalltongue:

[Bluelantern]

A race like Martian Manhunter... good or bad idea?

[malonkey1]

A race like Martian Manhunter... good or bad idea?

Could be interesting...Or perhaps an escaped hybrid. Could let players join in as an "alien" but still remain at least partly human in nature.


Players want mortal PCs? :smalltongue:

What do you call Hunters, other than well-prepared mortals?

[The Glyphstone]

Mages are technically still mortal.:smallbiggrin:

[malonkey1]

Mages are technically still mortal.:smallbiggrin:

Also true. As are low-Wyrd Changelings, and arguably, Sin-Eaters.

[Tebryn]

Mages are technically still mortal.:smallbiggrin:

Pssst. Check the date dude.

[The Glyphstone]

Pssst. Check the date dude.

Deeeerp. I'll go....um....find a phone booth to inform my friend, who looks just like me but has tentacles and posts in red text.