looking to borrow some Ideas

After wrapping up a 3 yr game of Mage my group and I are trying something new. AT one point we took a few weeks to try out Changeling to see is we liked it and for the most part we did.

It has it's different qualities that are both good and bad and after playing powerful mages it is a bit of a step down. The Mage game was run in and around Providence RI but now we have decided to set West ward to Seattle. I'm not really familiar with Seattle so most info I have is from the Wiki and other things I find on the net.

I have settled down for in the main part of Seattle there are five (or six) main Courts. They consist of the 4 seasonal and a real small faction of Dusk Courtier. (I don't have Swords at dawn yet, hopefully next week, so I don't have a solid plan for them.), I have an Emmisary from else where of the Day and Night courts, but it is a single person each.

I am trying to set it up as an almost enlightened city, at least from the view down, to make it appealing to all. I have gone into some detail of the hedge ( I will relate later) and trying to give good forethought. I like the Idea of a Hob town from Dancers and have put on in along with a couple of mysterious places.

I am looking for a long term game and any good suggestion to miss out on some serious pit fall would be nice.

Kaewin:

After wrapping up a 3 yr game of Mage my group and I are trying something new. AT one point we took a few weeks to try out Changeling to see is we liked it and for the most part we did.

It has it's different qualities that are both good and bad and after playing powerful mages it is a bit of a step down. The Mage game was run in and around Providence RI but now we have decided to set West ward to Seattle. I'm not really familiar with Seattle so most info I have is from the Wiki and other things I find on the net.

I have settled down for in the main part of Seattle there are five (or six) main Courts. They consist of the 4 seasonal and a real small faction of Dusk Courtier. (I don't have Swords at dawn yet, hopefully next week, so I don't have a solid plan for them.), I have an Emmisary from else where of the Day and Night courts, but it is a single person each.

I am trying to set it up as an almost enlightened city, at least from the view down, to make it appealing to all. I have gone into some detail of the hedge ( I will relate later) and trying to give good forethought. I like the Idea of a Hob town from Dancers and have put on in along with a couple of mysterious places.

I am looking for a long term game and any good suggestion to miss out on some serious pit fall would be nice.

If everyone is used to playing mages and feels like this is a step down, you might want to get the option of Talecrafting (From Dawn) into the picture as soon as possible.  Changelings have a pretty good innate "Creative" power over Fate.  While some of the players will shy away from the system (It has inherent risks and terrible costs sometimes, like Magic) but it gives your players more freedom and sometimes more power, and it isn't limited by contracts, seemings, courts, etc.

That sounds good, I am just waiting for Dawn to get here in the mail (media mail, could it go any slower?)

This is just a guess, but if you're feeling that Changeling is a "step down" from Mage, you might possibly be overlooking some aspects of Changeling.  Contracts are not as open and free-form as Arcana, but they're still pretty versatile -- most can be used creatively to achieve results far beyond those to which they seem limited at first glance.  And Changelings have a large array of abilities available to them, many of them innate, that Mages would be hard-pressed to replicate.

Any Changeling with a Clarity of 6 or higher can naturally detect the presence of supernatural beings, items, or effects.  Certain forms of Mage Sight can provide the same benefit to some degree (and of course provide other benefits specific to the Arcana involved), but it's extremely nice to have the innate ability to notice the other supernatural beings walking around -- especially when they generally are unable to notice you.  The Mask does an excellent job of concealing Changelings from other supernatural creatures, and can generally only be identified by their auras.

Any Changeling can forge Pledges, and this is a very powerful and versatile ability.  If the characters aren't utilizing Pledges, then they're missing out on quite a bit of both fluff and crunch.  Pledges can provide free bonuses to Skills, and free dots in any Merit dealing with the mortal world -- including Resources, Contacts and Status (for mortal organizations), Danger Sense, and even fighting styles.  As long as the various aspects of a Pledge balance out and all parties agree to the terms, they can be as complex as you want and provide a huge number of benefits (at the cost of terrible consequences if the Pledge is broken, of course).  A motley bound by a sufficiently powerful Pledge can receive some pretty significant benefits.  And a clever Changeling can even use Pledges offensively as curses against unwary opponents who are careless with their words.

Any Changeling can enter and manipulate dreams -- his own, those of his fetch, and others with whom he's forged a Pledge that includes the dreaming task.  Mages can do this with the Mind Arcana, but all Changelings can do it naturally.  This brings in a considerable number of options for both the characters and the Storyteller.

Changelings can perform feats of magic in front of witnesses without invoking Paradox, though it is a sin against Clarity 6 or higher.  Of course, there may be non-mechanical consequences to shapeshifting into a crow in front of a group of mortals, but the ability to do so without the risk of reality itself fighting back can be quite liberating for a former Mage player.

And of course the ability to enter the Hedge shouldn't be underestimated.  No other supernatural beings in the WoD have the ability to access the Hedge.  The Hedge is fairly hostile to non-fae.  Since non-fae can not easily leave the Hedge any more than they have the ability to enter it, simply luring a non-fae opponent into the Hedge places them at your mercy, even if you do not use the home-field advantage in combat.  The various goblin fruits and oddments that grow in the Hedge can likewise give Changeling characters a number of benefits.  And if nothing else, the Hedge is a wonderful setting for adventures.

And then there are the goblin markets, where anything can be bought or sold for the right price.  Any item, power or ability that a character feels he lacks can be purchased at a goblin market, as long has he is willing to pay the cost.

Finally, if you're missing the flexibility of Creative Thaumaturgy, you might want to take a look at Goblin Pledges [Rites of Spring p.38-39).  For the cost of a merit (Goblin Vow), a character can have similar flexibility of power within specified thematic purviews (one for each dot you take in the merit).  Of course, nothing in Changeling comes without a cost, so a Changeling with the power to craft Goblin Pledges with lightning or keys might be able to call down lightning to strike his foes, provide himself with a boost of speed (becoming as "fast as lightning"), open any door, or discover the "key" to solving a particularly vexing problem, he may be required to flick on every light switch he sees for a month, or lock every door through which he passes for the next week (which could be problematic when entering or leaving a public place like a store or restaurant).  On the other hand, this isn't necessarily any worse than incurring Paradox, and certainly tends to add more flavor.  You'll get a lot more mileage out of Goblin Pledges (and most other things in Changeling) if you think in terms of theme and symbolism rather than literally.  I have a character with Goblin Vow (Briars) that operates on the view that briars are greedy -- they tear at flesh, snatch and grab at clothing, and don't like to let go of something once it's in their grasp.  So his Goblin Pledges vary from having briars slow and injure enemies while he moves through them unimpeded (the latter thanks to his Contract of Elements (Wood)), to aiding Larceny attempts, to inflaming the greed in a mortals heart.

Mages have an amazing degree of flexibility with their powers, and have the potential to do most anything they want.  But Changelings can be just as flexible (though it must be approached in a slightly different way), and can be quite powerful in their own right.  If you're not taking advantage of these things in your chronicle, either as a player or a Storyteller, then that could certainly contribute to why you feel that Changeling is a step down from Mage.

I wasn't trying to make a unfair comparison I am just looking for a couple of god hints to not hit some obvious pitfalls. I got the book when it was new and I wandered this set of boards before the change over we just have not had a chance to delve real deep into it. When I started my mage game it was just a lark to try out a system I had bought the books for. If I knew then that the game would go on as long as it did I would have done some things different.

When you make a certain kind of character alot and get the feel of doing "with your eyes close" it can be hard to swing something new. When we first started mage one person bought the extra gnosis point with their merits while everyone else looked the other way. Later we found not doing so was foolish and handicapping. Not from a complete power-game aspect it just let the player have a wider ability to use magic. Ceratin rotes were over looked in the beginning that months down the road people scratched their heads and tried to figure out why they missed it.

I want to get in pretty good from the start. I have read all the books (except Dawn and half of Goblin Markets) and as the Storyteller I want to see what I have missed..

This is a Taste of what I have, I hope you enjoyment and tell me if it sounds ok.

·       The Hedge of Seattle

 

o   The hedge of Seattle is a complicated place. In the downtown area it looks like vast buildings and alleys that stretch up into the sky. It has a twilight sky; lit by street lamps of all ages. The walls are buildings with thick almost unbreakable buildings. The doors are mostly stuck fast as many are not even real. Hobgoblins have carved lairs here and hidden in the area is a Hob town. The streets are cluttered with trash, boxes and old broken down cars. Some of the streets are blocked by vast walls and steep piles of junk with razor sharp pieces metal (thorns). Every so often bonfires erupt into existence that last from anywhere from minutes to days. One fire has been burning for a decade. In one plaza of a couple of office buildings a Goblin Market appears every full moon and the couple of nights on either side of it.

o   Down alleyway there are places to hide with stairs both up and down. Side doors lead into vast chambers and interiors of buildings. There are plenty places to hide but they sometimes lead to dead ends and the occasional creature of sorts has taken residence in the back ways. If you are truly brave you can go underground into the sewers and various pipes. Down below travel can be quick or stretch on. The darkness stretches on and things seem to make noise in the dark. Rumor has it Something big lives down there and an uncareful changeling has disappeared into the shadows.

o   One certain nights of each month (it varies) the hobs gather in a theater erected in one of the parks and have performances. All are invited to join in at performing exceptional can garner much renown and goodwill from the Hobs; but forewarned if you fail to perform at least well they have been known to pull the offender off the stage and tear them to bits. The risk can be good or bad, your choice.

o   As one gets away from center of the sprawl thickest show up and block off streets that become wilder and the buildings become scarce until they are gone and only the Hedge is there. The dark things roam these paths. Hidden groves of Goblin Fruit can be found, beware those that tend or Guard such places. Hidden along a trail is a pool of water that, is rumored, to give answers to questions to aid those in need. But like the night follows the day there is also a pool that lies and gives false and sometime detrimental information. Out here among the wild the turn of the day follows the real world. Off to the west the city will glow with orange light but if you look to the South and the weather, moon and stars are right it is said you can see Arcadia.

o   The city is on a peninsula so it is possible to travel to the water and swim away if you wish, but this is a hedge sea and you never know what lurks deep in the water. There are some goblin boats willing to take people across the water and one goblin market is known to appear on a flotilla of boats off the shore every 15^th of the month for those willing to travel there.

o   A changeling known as Captain Tracy also plies his trade in the water. He knows the watery hedge well and can take people to places they need or to just fish. He is very knowledgeable but there are sinister rumors about him, he might eat the flesh, so some are not willing to chance it.

o   Off the coast, this is another rumor and one has take stock in tales at their pleasure, are three islands that mimic the real world. They are free off the Hedge. There are no thorns there if the legends are right. One of the islands seems a bit ephemeral and is said to connect to the spirit world. A second has plinths with strange runes carved on them. It seems wild and prey animals have been seen there. And the last is a wonderment of peace. A lodge rests here and those who have been have said it was peaceful while others have claimed they felt watched and others who were said to hunt have never returned. But you never know with such things.

o   One other thing of note is the Minstrel. One does not know if he is a Hob, Changeling, Gentry or something stranger. He wanders the Hedge and plays music. He might ask for a story or a bit of food. When he is near all seems at peace and the ill feeling that sometimes pervades the hedge is not there. He might ask one to rest the night with him and swap stories. He seems to always have luxurious s meals. The areas remains safe and as of yet no information nothing hostile has ever be reported. Of course one is more likely to hear him than see him. The paths twist and turn and you never real know how close he is.

Kaewin, asking us to comment on that much info at once is not going to net a useful response. Bottom line it for us. What's the setup and the main drama? Keep it to maybe two paragraphs. And loose the title font, it looks cool, but it's getting in the way.

Mister Knightshade:

Kaewin, asking us to comment on that much info at once is not going to net a useful response. Bottom line it for us. What's the setup and the main drama? Keep it to maybe two paragraphs. And loose the title font, it looks cool, but it's getting in the way.

Until I saw it here it didn't look like that much text at the time.

Sorry about the font I didn't realize that the color and size would follow me here. When I posted it at this other site I go to it got converted to regular text.

You may not borrow my ideas, I insist you steal them (ie take them and make them your own)

Here is what I wrote about that part of the Northwest for the rumor text for play changeling players

"The major trods of the Pacific Northwest are the Great Northern Passage, a Hedge waterway that roughly follows the Columbia connecting to the Great Lakes and the Mississippi,  and the Ivy Trod which roughly follows I-5 from Portland to Seattle."

"The Slave Markets of Seattle are a horror of inhumanity. There humans are sold as fish are in Pike's Market. The Privateers of Vancouver come here by their Hedge Pirate ship, to trade when they can't capture enough to meet the quota for their True Fae masters. There is a very short trod that leads straight to Arcadia from the market, and many ill fated humans are browsed by potential Keepers here in stalls run by monstrous Hobs and Banished Fae. The Lost here fall into two categories: escaped refugees who will either leave the area or are captured and resold to Fae masters; the loyalist slaves of Hobs or True Fae luring hapless mortals and foolish Lost into captivity.

Like a beacon of hope the Silicone Spire is a fortress of free Lost, that harasses and attempt to foil the Slave Markets of Seattle. The freehold of Silicone rose about two decades ago in Redmond Washington, though the Great Spire Fortress in the Hedge that they inhabit is older than memory.  There are said to be strange courts there.  Unfortunately its proximity to the Slave Markets make traveling to it very unsafe, also their tests and pledges of loyalty are severe."

Given that the Dusk court needs dire odds to struggle against, proximity to something so awful and worth fighting would be a good reason for a permanent base for them.

I like that, with couple of little twists I can use that. I have to change the city, but right nearby is Tacoma....... and they already know Tacoma is a bad place to be. This kind of thing may have supplanted the old order and starting a new order. One of my players was playinga solo game with me and he became aware of an army marching thru. I had a hint for something else but that would be just as sinister. Maybe a three way Gentry war.

Your idea has sprouted and taken root in my mind, I will have to use it.

First off - some very cool ideas for how Seattle's Hedge works, and I like the imagery. :)

Now, as far as the freehold itself - I'm getting the idea that this freehold is, at the root, functional, and pretty much everyone knows it. In that case, any advice I give about dysfunctional freehold relations is obviously a no-go, so I'll avoid that. However, it might be interesting to decide where the freehold's stress points are, because if it gets too heavily involved in the city someone might use them. Is there someone in the freehold who's a secret privateer? Maybe someone who is actually trustworthy, but people think that he's a privateer (members of the Barony of the Lesser Ones or the Order of the Black Apple are excellent choices for these).

The big danger is, the larger the freehold and the more friendly it is, the more outside dangers there have to be. Otherwise, your players are going to just say, "We tell the King about it" when confronted with problems, and the problems will be solved. If the freehold's power players are busy a lot, that's less true (and a three-way gentry war will certainly do that, so probably a good direction to go in).

Possibly another option is someone coming in to try and shake up a system that has been working well, for their own goals. Bridgeburners are good antagonists for that, especially the saner ones. Also, having enemies in the freehold who are basically rational, and who you can't justify killing makes for interesting moments. What do the players do if their freehold contains both a police officer and a gang leader? The two are both loyal, and trustworthy, but they're also engaged in a feud that has a nasty habit of drawing in resources.