Re: [DL] Hope Mongers

[Brett Dixon <balance@tubas.net>]

On Tue, 5 Mar 2002, Brom Clancy wrote:

> > The main hing here is that to make that sort of
> relic reliably, the hero
> > would already have to be pretty amazing.
>
> True, which is why i suggested a whole posse who
> quietly follows the "Hero" around, secretly useing
> hexes and such to make the already amazing hero look
> even better.

Ahh, OK. It's an interesting concept... However I'd be wary of falling
into a common GM trap of having NPCs that overshadow the players
themselves... But if the story is about this process getting broken and
the posse having to help fix it, I could see possibilities. I'd avoid
having anything approaching the idea of mass-produced relics, however.
Then again, I'm very secretive about introducing relics and don't explain
their powers until they've been 'adopted' by a character.

For example, the heroes inherited a cavalry sabre from a deranged killer
who was trying to implicate the south. THey know it's Something Special,
because when the sweet, innocent Blessed farm girl picked it up her words
seemed strangely powerful.

The exact effects? I'll leave it up to your imagination. If someone
chooses to use it, they'll get to know more...

> > I think this would hurt the image of the Agency and
> other forces.
>
> Exactly, the agency and the rangers use intimidation
> to cover things up and by doing so become objects of
> fear themselves.

Yes... That's what I see as an important aspect. The agency (and rangers,
to a lesser level) are a lesser evil compared to the reckoners, but they
are still a force to be dealt with.

The Agency memebers my posse encountered have been characters who
ultimate goal is good (stop abominations) but they provide an excellent
example of the danger of thinking that the ends justify the means.

The posse can't stand them. But they'll take the bribes they sometimes
use. (After all, since the town is now in Southern hands, taking bribes
from the North could be... interesting... to explain later.)

> I'm sorry if I din't make that part clear, I was in
> no way suggesting that the agency would be behind
> such a plan. I had thought of a charater concept of a
> early day pinkerton agent getting a clue what was
> going on for real, who decided that the whole concept
> of the Agency was a bed ideal. So when the Agency was
> being formed, he took the option to stay with the
> pinkerton detective agency and then quietly retired
> to start up the whole liveing legend progect. Sort of
> a metaphysical Mad scienctist.

Again, I apologize for making a mistake reading your origional post.

>
> And if you think keeping the charaters ignorant of
> whats really going on is a good ideal, I'd agree.
> This was just a concept I'd thought I'd throw out
> thier in case someone wanted to grab it up and run
> with it.

It is interesting... I'm worried that the 'hope level' concept would make
the setting two easy and safe, but there's always a room for temporary
rewards like this when the players do something heroic. (Say, a Kid posse
member blows the head off the rampaging beast, maybe this'll be rewarded
later when the posse needs help with a small army of the things!)

See, this list can ahve a calm debate without degenerating into an
argument...