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URBAN FANTASY HERO -- What Do *You* Want To See?

Steve Long

By Steve Long
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Steve Long Grand Master

Steve Long

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Re: URBAN FANTASY HERO -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

OK, I can summarize briefly then:

 

Chapter One: analysis of the genre -- its elements, tropes, themes, subtypes, mixing genres, etc. "Subgenres" (really sub-subgenres) covered include Hidden History, Low Urban Fantasy, Monster Hunters, Monster Warfare, and Open Magic.

 

Chapter Two: character creation. Includes Package Deals (about a dozen), review of various game elements and how they appear/function in Urban Fantasy, etc.

 

Chapter Three: GMing advice, tips, suggestions, and the like.

 

Chapter Four: four example settings/scenarios. This is the meatiest chapter in the book, longer than the other three put together. The settings are:

 

Hudson City Shadows, a lightly Open Magic setting loosely inspired by the Harry Dresden novels. It includes a complete magic system and dozens of example spells, though the spells are much "flashier" and more overtly powerful than in most UF novels, as suits gaming. Includes several different factions (human wizards, the Vampyri, the faerie-folk), with character sheets for prominent NPCs. Includes some general information on adapting Hudson City for use as an Urban Fantasy setting.

 

Invasive Species, a Monster Warfare setting created by Jason Walters. The "native" monsters of the Secret World of Reno, NV are involved in a conflict with immigrant "newcomers"; how will your PCs get involved? Includes Package Deals for many different types of monster PCs, and for the human Danites who hunt all of them.

 

The Sixth Sun, a fully Open Magic setting loosely inspired by the RPG Shadowrun (though very different from it in most ways). Includes a complete magic system (with several sub-systems or variants) and dozens of example spells.

 

Lines Of Contention, a Hidden History scenario/setting based in Hudson City. The events depicted center around a wizard's attempt to gain control of one of the city's magical assets. Includes a complete magic system flavored for the setting, with carefully-ranked and organized abilities and spells for magi.

 

 

And believe me, when I say these magic systems are complete and detailed, I mean it. I spent a lot of time creating a distinctive system for each of my three settings, and spells to go with it. All three are very different from each other and don't rely on outside books. I particularly like the one for Lines Of Contention, though it's probably the least appealing to the average gamer. ;)

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Steve Long Grand Master

Steve Long

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Re: URBAN FANTASY HERO -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

To give another glimpse behind the creative curtain, here are a couple things that got cut:

 

--I cut the setting/scenario Lycanthrope House, about fraternity and social life at a university in an Open Magic world where people go to college to study magic. I did this partly to save time, partly because I didn't want to have to create yet another magic system, and partly because it seemed the most "derivative" and least interesting of the ones I had planned. Perhaps I'll do it as an HPA someday.

 

--Lines Of Contention was originally conceived as A Wicked Pack Of Cards, a setting/scenario in which T. S. Eliot was secretly a master wizard and The Waste Land and his other major poetry may (or may not) contain coded arcane references and occult lore. It was a great idea, and I still want to do it, but it would have taken way too much research time to get it right. To do it the way I want to I'd need to become an armchair expert on Eliot, his poems, and the history of St. Louis, and I don't have the time for that right now. Again, someday. ;)

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Chris Goodwin Grand Master

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Re: URBAN FANTASY HERO -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

--Lines Of Contention was originally conceived as A Wicked Pack Of Cards' date='[/i'] a setting/scenario in which T. S. Eliot was secretly a master wizard and The Waste Land and his other major poetry may (or may not) contain coded arcane references and occult lore. It was a great idea, and I still want to do it, but it would have taken way too much research time to get it right. To do it the way I want to I'd need to become an armchair expert on Eliot, his poems, and the history of St. Louis, and I don't have the time for that right now. Again, someday. ;)

 

Kenneth Hite wrote a piece on The Waste Land in Pyramid several years ago. Hint, hint. :eek:;)

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Steve Grand Master

Steve

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Re: URBAN FANTASY HERO -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

To give another glimpse behind the creative curtain, here are a couple things that got cut:

 

--Lines Of Contention was originally conceived as A Wicked Pack Of Cards, a setting/scenario in which T. S. Eliot was secretly a master wizard and The Waste Land and his other major poetry may (or may not) contain coded arcane references and occult lore. It was a great idea, and I still want to do it, but it would have taken way too much research time to get it right. To do it the way I want to I'd need to become an armchair expert on Eliot, his poems, and the history of St. Louis, and I don't have the time for that right now. Again, someday. ;)

 

That sounds a bit like what Deadlands did with Hoyle, that his rules on card games were actually specially-coded spells. :thumbup:

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BobGreenwade Grand Master

BobGreenwade

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Re: URBAN FANTASY HERO -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

--Lines Of Contention was originally conceived as A Wicked Pack Of Cards' date='[/i'] a setting/scenario in which T. S. Eliot was secretly a master wizard and The Waste Land and his other major poetry may (or may not) contain coded arcane references and occult lore. It was a great idea, and I still want to do it, but it would have taken way too much research time to get it right. To do it the way I want to I'd need to become an armchair expert on Eliot, his poems, and the history of St. Louis, and I don't have the time for that right now. Again, someday. ;)
The Eliot Code! :D

 

(Maybe it would have been easier to do the Yankovic Code....)

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Spence Grand Master

Spence

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Re: URBAN FANTASY HERO -- What Do *You* Want To See?

 

OK, I can summarize briefly then:

 

Chapter One: analysis of the genre -- its elements, tropes, themes, subtypes, mixing genres, etc. "Subgenres" (really sub-subgenres) covered include Hidden History, Low Urban Fantasy, Monster Hunters, Monster Warfare, and Open Magic.

 

Chapter Two: character creation. Includes Package Deals (about a dozen), review of various game elements and how they appear/function in Urban Fantasy, etc.

 

Chapter Three: GMing advice, tips, suggestions, and the like.

 

Chapter Four: four example settings/scenarios. This is the meatiest chapter in the book, longer than the other three put together. The settings are:

 

Hudson City Shadows, a lightly Open Magic setting loosely inspired by the Harry Dresden novels. It includes a complete magic system and dozens of example spells, though the spells are much "flashier" and more overtly powerful than in most UF novels, as suits gaming. Includes several different factions (human wizards, the Vampyri, the faerie-folk), with character sheets for prominent NPCs. Includes some general information on adapting Hudson City for use as an Urban Fantasy setting.

 

Invasive Species, a Monster Warfare setting created by Jason Walters. The "native" monsters of the Secret World of Reno, NV are involved in a conflict with immigrant "newcomers"; how will your PCs get involved? Includes Package Deals for many different types of monster PCs, and for the human Danites who hunt all of them.

 

The Sixth Sun, a fully Open Magic setting loosely inspired by the RPG Shadowrun (though very different from it in most ways). Includes a complete magic system (with several sub-systems or variants) and dozens of example spells.

 

Lines Of Contention, a Hidden History scenario/setting based in Hudson City. The events depicted center around a wizard's attempt to gain control of one of the city's magical assets. Includes a complete magic system flavored for the setting, with carefully-ranked and organized abilities and spells for magi.

 

 

And believe me, when I say these magic systems are complete and detailed, I mean it. I spent a lot of time creating a distinctive system for each of my three settings, and spells to go with it. All three are very different from each other and don't rely on outside books. I particularly like the one for Lines Of Contention, though it's probably the least appealing to the average gamer. ;)

 

Emphasis mine

 

Woot! Now that is home run :D

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