Blood and Breath (Orpheus Protocol; alternate setting); Gauging Interest

Greetings all! The other Orpheus Protocol game I started on here is getting toward the end of its first "session", mechanically speaking. What I've learned from it is that I definitely have the time and energy to run two of these in tandem. More on that below. For those of you not familiar, the system in question is The Orpheus Protocol, a little "intrigue and cosmos" crunchfest created by Rob Stith of Varcolac Press. I'm looking for five players ready for a long-term game, with some wiggle room for a few more short-termers who want to be part of something for a story arc or two.

The System: I own a copy of the rules, and no one playing needs to have them, as I intend to post what is needed for starting out, and walk everyone through learning as we go. I am expecting most or all of my players to have no experience with the system, so if you don't have the book I'm totally chill with that and prepared to help every step of the way. If you want a peek at whether this is for you, there are options. At the site linked below, there is a podcast currently in its fifth season, with a running narrative going back to the earliest days of the system's development. On that site, you will find links to the prototype rules. They are good for answering "Is this something I'd like", but I will be using the finished edition that is available on DriveThruRPG, which has some cohesion differences and additional content. I will make a series of posts in the actual game thread (when I create it), to brief you on the "need-to-know" and how I am adapting The Orpheus Protocol for pbp use (and the setting I will be constructing).

Link: Click here to visit the official site for the Orpheus Protocol podcast and system.

My Commitment: I work a full-time job, but I do late hours and have a lot of free time on weekends. My "office hours" as GM (or "Director" per this system's terminology), are 10 AM to 2:15 PM Eastern (weekday slot 1), 12:30 AM to 3:00 AM Eastern (weekday slot 2), and 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM (weekends). The story will make a major move forward 1-2 times a week, though I will pace myself based on how quickly the entire player body gets their update in.

Venue: This game will be run exclusively on GamersPlane, but if enough players are interested, I'd be open to a little group on Discord for chitchat and coordination outside of the narrative. If I do, I will be inviting the players from the other Orpheus Protocol game I'm running on here, as well. Worth knowing, I will not be doing voice chat and that is not likely to change.

What I Expect: While I will take players from any time zones, my hope is that you will be active during my time slots shown above, to maximize our ability to interact in a quick manner. This is not a requirement. I don't want anyone foregoing sleep to catch me online unless that is your healthy lifestyle like it is mine. Let's talk involvement timing. If you can put in 3 minutes each day, that's about 20 minutes of play per week. That is the minimum of what I expect, and can be managed most days without need for an exception. If you can't swing it, I suggest looking for other games, and I mean that in the nicest way. My ideal is that you will be ready to contribute a total of 3 hours per week (I’d say in bursts of 10-30 minutes a few times a day, on the days that you are able to log on).

Feedback: I thrive on communication and critique, so please talk to me about what went well, what could be improved or done differently, and just general chatter. I'll either have a chat thread, or possibly do that Discord thing.

Character Creation: I'll discuss the details of this if we can get enough of a crew together. I will be wanting to walk each person through the process, even if you are experienced with the system. This promotes cohesion and makes for the best story.

The Setting: The default "setting" for this system takes place "in our modern world" but overlaid on occult secrets and eldritch horror lurking just out of sight. We will not be doing that. See my next post.

Setting

For this campaign, I intend to draw heavy inspiration from Bloodborne and upcoming game The Duskbloods, as well as some general vibes from Darkest Dungeon and Fallen London. Knowledge of these games is not necessary at all, as I will explain the feel below.

Our story will be set in the city of Calgrave, in the Kingdom of Revalgia. The streets are cobblestone, with old blood soaked into the cracks. Gaslamps light the streets, regularly tended by lamplighters. Men wear felt hats and coattails, women wear bodices and long gloves, and the children of the wealthy play in the street with paupers, orphans, and stray dogs, dodging stage-coaches and streetcars.

Where the game was written with the expectation that supernatural horrors like Vampires, Werewolves, and Draugr run and hide, pursued by agents of a clandestine organization, these creatures have a different fate in Calgrave. Many linger among the aristocracy, hiding their natures to some degree, or simply choosing to flaunt the unnatural. The commoners know that they dwell in a city rife with monsters, but why is this news? The aristocracy of real Victorian London was also overrun with "monsters", after a fashion. These are just more...honest.

The upper class is divided into four vague categories: the Lambs of Slaughter, the Order of the Argent Pyramid, the Masters of Our Fate, and the Eclipse Families.
The Lambs of Slaughter are called this by the other three, regarding themselves as "normal people" or "Proper Society". These are the nobles, merchants, and scholars who may have great connections in and around Calgrave, but know next to nothing about the supernatural. They are commonly seen hosting séance parties, hiring spirit mediums, and seeking fortune tellers, but they believe this is the thrust of the unnatural in the Kingdom.
The Order of the Argent Pyramid are those of soldiering careers, royal blood, religious appointment, or occult education who know more about the supernatural than most people in the Kingdom. The playable Archetypes represented here are: Soldier, Emanant, Hermeticist, Hero, Pathokinetic, True Faith, and Weapon Bearer.
The Masters of Our Fate are those on the deeply occult side representing "high Humanity" elements of the Strange. They are set apart by having supernatural faculties, and a strong desire to maintain their souls by making limited use of those faculties, and prolific use of self-care and spiritual attunement. These families are the ones whose "low Humanity" counterparts are seen among the commoners, scrounging in the streets or lurking in the catacombs and dark corners. The playable Archetypes represented here are: Draugr, Medium, Nephilim, Telekinetic, Werewolf, and Witch.
The Eclipse Families are those on the deeply occult side representing "low" or "plummeting" Humanity elements of the Strange. They are set apart by having a strong desire to wield their supernatural faculties as a cudgel against their rivals and the common masses, preferring indulgence and hedonism over self-care or attunement. Whether they have high or low Humanity, the Families embrace their own, keeping them out of the streets and gutters. The playable Archetypes represented here are: Occultist, Psychic, and Vampire Thrall.

Those of you familiar with the system will have noted that I have not mentioned the Cyborg. Obviously, in this setting, "cybernetics" is not a developed field. Rather, the galvanic reconstitution of man (as demonstrated by Victor Frankenstein), has led to a subordinate class called the Kadmon, boasting the Unique Mechanic "Galvanic Dynamo", and the abilities "Precision Clockwork", "Lightning Harness", "Patchwork Anatomy", "Quicksilver Skin", "Full Steam Ahead", and "Lycanthrope Taxidermy". The Kadmon will not be available to select at character creation, largely seen as NPCs, or opportunities given to players who have sustained extreme physical damage (or "death"). Note: all Kadmon characters, including player characters, are beholden to the House of Revivification (among the Masters), and all those with the Galvanic Dynamo mechanic have a built-in kill switch with a madman at the trigger, in case they decide to openly oppose those who brought them back.

As a final note, which will receive more elaboration in the game thread, there are several modern elements of the core game, such as the Cybersecurity and Drive skills, firearms, and grenades. Some of these will be getting a slight re-flavoring to be period appropriate or outright steampunk. Others, particularly the Cybersecurity skill, will be replaced wholesale.


THE META

Here's some open declarations about where I stand as Director. This game is a safe place for real people among the LGBT, marginalized minorities, and those needing a friend. It is certainly NOT a place for minors, due to the 18+ content you can expect to find in the narrative. When I say "real people", I mean that some scary, disgusting, potentially offensive shit may happen in this story, which some kinds of people may find particularly alarming. I will be exercising use of safety tools and encouraging their use among players, for this very purpose. Understand that none of that content is meant to be targeted at the real people playing the game, and does not express any views I hold. Best way to do a horror game (which is definitely what this is) sometimes calls on some well-played offensive material. We'll be discussing in-depth where lines lie between "the fun kind of bad" and "unacceptable".

This game, and any game I run, is not a safe place for bullying, use of in-character actions to hurt real players, the posting of any disturbing content or materials sourced from outside our narrative, and the practice of bigotry against (or exploitation of) any variety of real people. Such activities are the fastest possible route out of my game.

Ooh, have you ever heard of Dolls of New Albion? It's a musical about people being brought back as clockwork robots. You reminded me about it with the Kadmon description, and you might like it if you enjoy similar plots; it has a lot of drama and societal strife.

Anyway, more on topic, I definitely like what I'm seeing, though I'm not sure if I have capacity for another game. ;...; Also I'm in your other one, so don't want to be a hog. But if you need more people to fill out the group, you know...

I like the fact that you put so much energy and intent into your gaming. Since I am in your other game and completely new to the system, I think that will be enough for now, but I want to wish you well.

Yeah, I appreciate you guys pitching in, but I'm definitely looking to grab different players for this one. It's meant to be run alongside yours, not run with the same people. Thank you though!