So after getting the okay from most of my players I'm ready to not only start the Out of Character thread for our Hero:Scion game I'm also throwing the OOC thread open to any Booters that want to contribute critiques, comments, relevant and cool historical factoids, etc. All I ask is that people who post keep the natural Booter inclination for tangents to a minimum (in addition to the normal forum standards of behavior of course).

This thread is a continuation in some ways of the call to play thread that people can refer back to if they so choose.

Sweet! We're all set up an official now.

So what I'm envisioning in terms of feel is this. Take the harsh but intense action of films like Ronin and the Bourne series, add the intrigue of John Le Carre novels and place it all in the early days of World War 2. This is the worlds base line. As the PCs come into their own and realize 'hey we probably don't need to sneak into the German base, we can just kick the gate down and waltz in'; that's when I'll start throwing competing weirdness at them. I'd like to hold off on that as long as I can to have the game grounded in a gritty reality initially but ultimately it will be up to the players. Hopefully the desire to be covert will temper some of their more over the top inclinations.

If you have any questions, comments or tweaks for what I've laid out let me know.

So how do I intend to handle the mechanics and such? That's an excellent question Timmy. Here's a cookie for being clever.

I'm going to run the game fairly rolls light. In specific conflict scenes where I want turning points and/or scenes with major NPCs I'll handle the rolls so the application of modifiers does not bog things down. I will indicate a scene like this has begun by ending my post with "CONFLICT SCENE/" and end it with "/CONFLICT SCENE". There are only two other situations where I'll require a roll. If you are attempting something that requires a skill that the character doesn't have but they are attempting anyway or if the player is attempting something that is such a huge long shot that it's almost impossible. In cases like these I will state that a roll is necessary. Don't worry I won't sandbag the roll. There will always be a slim chance to pull it off (unless according to the game mechanics it is impossible). Other wise the players are free to narrate their own failures and successes. If they so choose they can add rolls of their own to add a level of unpredictability to those scenes I haven't indicated as significant.

A special note on legend and relics. In Scion it's supposedly all about growing your hero through legendary exploits that bring attention and fame to your character thus powering them up in a sense. This might seem a little antithetical to a covert adventure. The compromise is this. Anytime your character does something of note even though ultimately no one will necessarily know who did it; they gain legend as though it was a similar deed done openly.

In the case of relics it may be impractical (kind of an understatement) to carry them with you everywhere. If you need to stash your relic some where I'm giving an innate ability to relocate said relic. There is an exception to this if the relic is something the character has just obtained or the relic is in the presence of a person/creature of equal or greater legend rating it becomes very difficult to locate. Think of the relic as a candle in a dark room. Pretty easy to find unless other and even brighter light sources are nearby. The greater the disparity in legend rating the more difficult the relic will be to locate and the more distance the NPC can be from the relic and still have this affect.

So people, what are you looking for in this game? What can I do or include to insure you are have the best experience possible and keep coming back?

Ok so quick clarification question: When you say relocate basically hammer space type storage, or summon from somewhere safe type ability?

And going from a realistic setting to a over the top seems like it would be the nature progression of these types of games.

Correct me if I am wrong, but it seems like you want a progression from something like The 39 Steps, The Manchurian Candidate, The Odessa File or The Bourne Identity to something more like Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, Dr. No or Rocketeer and ultimately ending up at Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth or Captain America. Is that correct? If so, I am 100% on board.

So clarification, by relocate I mean find again. The idea is that if a character is ever separated from their relic/s they will have an innate ability to find it even if it's carried off by some one else.

And yes you're right about the natural progression to a point though most games will start with a supernatural focus as the characters' reason for being. I intend to start well based in reality and maintain that level for as long as practical.

Pretty much except I'd shove Bourne Identity and Pan's Labyrinth into the middle as Jason Bourne is pretty super human and in Pan's Labyrinth it's unclear if the supernatural stuff is really happening or just in the mind of a child. Other than that you got it.