The Campaign Builder's Guild

Quote from: Light DragonGood luck Polycarp!, I'm still looking forward to trying out Clockwork Jungle if you can successfully organize another round at it--maybe next time more people will show up?

I should have some free time after Christmas and during January.

January would probably be the best time for this.  I'll keep people posted.

Excellent.  I'll do my best to make it to this one (by the way I'll be free up till the 6th of January, not that you have to schedule it round me... after that I could still possibly do it, but it might be trickier) - I feel bad about missing the last one.

Anyway, sounds like the 15th will work for mine.  3 players is fine, though if anyone wants to play Cagnazzo they're welcome to join as well.

Not to steal any thunder, but just for planning for Jan/the end of the month- I do have a Gloria scenario planned out (as per Steerpike's suggestion) If there's any interest, please post here or PM me.

Gloria is here: http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?65170. The adventure will take place in the City of Gloria. Gloria is a game of bureaucracy, business, espionage, and trade. Capitalism is good and Socialism is evil.
 
--
FOR ALL

"There is Blood on the Wall, and Blood weaved into the very seems of your clothing... The Blood of the Proletariat, pricked open, sucked down and squeezed dry by the Capitalists of Gloria." -Minstrel Florentine Tenebria
.

Dr. Alexander Shostakovich, Esq.
"Licensed" Doctor of Business Incorporation and Law.
[ic=Alexander]A message arrived yesterday in your study, it was addressed in lilting, cursive script. It came in an envelope, kissed closed with waxen lips; droplets of wax fell off as you twisted the paper open.

"A most unfortunate event has come to pass." The letter began. "My protectors have deserted after receiving threats inspired by that dreadful Socialist Minstrel. The Authorities have their hands full dealing with the fallout from Uldred Mac's banking pyramid real estate investment scheme and give no time to my complaint. Fifty trading credits are included in this envelope. More will follow when you accept.

"And you will accept."

Included in the envelope package is a pressed copy of your forged Doctorate degree from Tientan University, home to Gloria's greatest business school. That forgery had been difficult to make; and it had been even more difficult to bribe your way onto the rolls of the University and into the academic records.

On the back of it is written "If you could flim-flam these fellows, you can surely mislead my persecutors." ~The Lady Marianne Wintry.[/ic]

Character Notes:
Virtues Held: Luck, Pluck, Practical
Virtues Lacking: Chastity, Humility, Moderation, Order.
Knowledge: Setting Up Businesses, Anti-Takeover Techniques, Harsh Competition, Legal Work-Arounds.

[ic=Alexander]You are a real inglorious bastard; slick, in a used-car salesman sort of way, you worked your way up from the docksides and threw that past behind you. You forged a degree, took a few self-enrichment classes from the Chamber of Commerce, got a real degree from a medium-ranked law school and set up shop as a Doctor of Business Incorporation and Law in the Exchange District just West of the Financial Center.

Twelve people work under you and you have nearly the maximum of 75 permitted investors in your S-Corporation. You have been doing well and are well capitalized. You could probably weather the blackmail with the amount of business you have these days, you're a self-made man. But you once had a thing for the Lady Marianne and she's extremely loaded and recently divorced. Perhaps pulling off this scam will get you back into her favor.[/ic]

TWO

Pavel Gershwin, 43
Virtues Held: Industry, Success, Resolution
Virtues Lacking: Self-Improvement, Sincerity, Tolerance
Knowledge: Interrogation, Intimidation, Propoganda

[ic=Pavel]You are a sting officer, searching out Socialist dissidents in Gloria's underbelly for fat contracts. You specialize in "rescues" of Gloria residents youth from the Socialist cults and reeducating them into the glories of Capitalism.

You don't take crap from anyone and all save the most zealous capitalists garner your disdain. In private though, you are one lazy guy. You just do what you feel and act on your emotions all the time. You have little tolerance for people who think different from you, but you don't show it- instead you smile sweetly and then do something passive aggressive that will hurt them some time later... something that can never be traced back to you. Those who do not live up to your rigid code may soon regret having lived at all after they encounter you.

But your public life is the one that benefits society. You do a good job. And people respect you for it. You have probably done more good for Gloria on balance, than bad.

The Lady Marianne Wintry hired you to help out with a "situation" and to track down some Socialists who were roughing up her corporations.[/ic]

[spoiler=Pavel]IT WAS WHAT IT WAS. SHE COULDN'T HAVE BEEN CLEARER. THE SITUATION WAS GOING TO GO DOWN AND THE SOCIALISTS WERE GOING TO GET THE UPPER HAND ON THIS PRETTY LITTLE SOCIALITE. SHE NEEDED MY HELP, THE 'LADY DID. AND YOU KNOW WHAT-- I'M A SUCKER FOR LOADED LADIES. HALF A GOOD YEARS WAGES WERE DEPOSITED IN MY ACCOUNT THE NEXT DAY, AS A DOWN PAYMENT.
-Pavel Gershwin's Journal. Volume III. Entry 1345[/spoiler]

THREE

Virtues Held: Justice, Resolution, Self-Improvement, Sincerity
Virtues Lacking: Humility, Order, Practicality
Knowledge: Artwork and designs, Imagination, Salesmanship.

"Good God." -Maxine Huntress, 27 Consumer Artist

[ic=Maxine]
The news was not good. Your cousin had been blackmailed and she needed your help. People were threatening to expose her youthful romance with a Socialist socialite if she didn't shut down her operations in Gloria or transfer ownership of them to "CreditSpace Corp."

Well, you can't have that happening. Lady Marianne had helped you incoporate your Consumer Artistry Emporium three years back as an angel investor and you owed her repayment with interest.

Seems like she wants you to go to work for a shell corporation set up by some fellow as a clothing designer, draw out the blackmailers by hooking up with the Socialist underground and.

By the Demons... Maxine didn't owe her cousin that big of a favor. No one could. The proposal was crazy. But along with the request came a few interesting things that made Maxine's mouth salivitate. In the envelope was one of twenty-three metallic keys that once turned in the Artists' Hall would permit display of artwork to Gloria's wealthiest investors. Along with the key was a note- "a gift from the divorce, my dear."

You had been hoping beyond hope for years that your cousin's latest husband, a scion of the Wintry family of art patrons would favor your work and would help you get into the Artists' Hall. Now, your chance had arrived. You had 12 months to use the key. This project better not take more than six.[/ic]
 

FOUR

Hijra

Llyrian Reljik, 89.
Former Sweatshop Supervisor.
Virtues Held: Industry, Resolution
Virtues Lacking: Cleanliness, Tranquility, Sincerity
Knowledge: Factory Protocol, Hard Work, Kicking Ass

[ic=Llyrian]You are between jobs after your anger got the best of you and you snapped a lazy foundry-worker's neck and your former employer decided he'd have no more of increasing liability premiums.

An artist, Maxine Huntress, offered you employment as a supervisor in her new textile factory. She noted that the job would be hot and smelly and the place it would be located would be in the festering undeveloped swamps (for tax reasons). She warned you that the job would be hard. But you are used to hard jobs. And the pay for this one was astronomical.

But there was a catch. You are to blend with workers and to draw out socialist dissidents. Your name came to the lady's attention as that of an informer against Socialists, and you live up to that reputation. You cannot stand wistless humans who complain and refuse to work as hard as a Hijra. But here she is asking you to complain and act meek and scrape and grovel- this offends your sensibilities.

But the pay is so good.
[/ic]



--
Notes for all:

-Remember, you're the GOOD guys in Gloria. You're not evil, you don't just kill people... unless you're Llyrian- it's sort of hardass like that. Try to approach the characters from the standpoint that they are very driven capitalists- like the characters in Bioshock. To them; Hard work= good, Money=good, Order=good. Laziness=bad, Excessive Charity=Bad, Altruism=Bad.

-The Knowledges are there for what you probably know a lot about.
-Virtues Lacking are to suggest that when I type, say, this is a MODERATION situation- you do something entertaining and completely immoderate if you LACK moderation. Also feel free to act up if you think it is a MODERATION situation and I have not yet declared it as one.

About Steerpike's event coming up - I've recently made a contact with a friend of a friend about a job, and I'm going to be having an interview on Monday, the day before our event.  I don't know if I'll get it, but if I do, I know this person wanted some work done really soon.

I'm not backing out at this point, just saying that there is a possibility that Tuesday may not work if I end up working for this guy.  I will most assuredly let you know more when I do.

No worries Polycarp!

And for Light Dragon's game, I'd love to play Pavel... sounds like a real slimeball.

If anyone else wants to play, there's still a spot open.

Update - While I may or may not have gotten the job (I'm not sure yet), I do know that I won't be starting tomorrow, so 11 should be just fine.

Excellent!  I'm just now finishing up my notes for the session.

Good luck with the job.

Anyone else interested in Gloria? Tentatively, we could do a game this sunday or monday if enough people show interest by saturday? Or we could plan more long-term and do something in the middle of next week (assuming that people are now on vacation from work or school).

Ok. No other interest then.

So, when are you planning on holding your game, Polycarp!?

Quote from: Light DragonSo, when are you planning on holding your game, Polycarp!?

I'm on vacation right now - thus my recent and continuing absence - but I would like to schedule it for some time in January.  I haven't decided exactly when.

Let's do this already!  January has come and gone, and it's past time that I actually host one of these very fun events (at least, they have been so far).  Let's start by setting out a time.  I've got a pretty normal 9-5 schedule (PST) and I'd prefer not to do this on a weeknight.  It would probably be a bad idea to hold it in the next two weeks as we're going through some moving/open house stuff right now.  Let's start with the weekend two weeks from now (the weekend of the 26th).  Friday night would probably be my preference, but Saturday/Sunday any time are fair game (though not late Sunday night).

If you'd be interested in playing in a CJ no-stats game with an inexperienced but verbose GM, please let me know if you'd be available that weekend - and if so, what day/time during that weekend.

I'll post characters/details once we have figured out our schedule.

I can do friday or saturday at almost any time in a couple weeks. So sign me up. Once we get another person or two and a more certain time I'll make you a news post.

That's during my reading week so that works out very well.  Friday night PST would work just fine for me.

I can say a tentative maybe. Friday that week is better than saturday, but the week after that would probably be better for me.