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Now that Barry's game is finding its footing, I thought I would mention I am, and have been, working on putting together a game of my own to bring to the forum. I have been away for a time and so I am a bit rusty. it's been quite a while since I have GMd here.

This is just the barest bones of the idea...

20 year olds in a school setting... college... It would be their first year in this school.

Yes, you're right, the math doesn't add up. It will, soon enough, I think.

And yes, I know Gypsy is running a young adult college game. I think mine will be different enough so that we aren't crossing paths.

I will not be taking many players. It's my first game in a long time and I just don't feel I can, nor want to, juggle a lot of player/ characters. Fastest way to fail is to take on more than I can handle.

Many people here know my style. I am loose with rules and not much of a system person. For those that like that kind of game- I commend you. It's just not how my brain works. No judgements. There are different styles and different games for different people. I say this, because I want people to make an informed choice in their interest. And I take no offense for those who pass on by and those who openly decline.


That is all I can offer at this moment. Just a feeler...

I’m always attentive for your games. I like them, both partifcipating and reading if I wasn’t in ‘em.

Day 2. I am cleaning up the collected information I have gleaned from quite a few sources.

So yes, you could infer that there is an existing IP that I am adapting for this game. And no, this IP has not been turned into an RPG as of this time.

Gryphon has kindly given me permission to use the rules he created for his Platform 9 3/4 game. S o there will be some structure and some mechanics. It is just very lite! Thank you G! I appreciate the help.

Interested!

I find your games intriguing, but I'm not best fond of educational settings.

It's... umm... A different kind of school.... teaching a different kind of lesson(s).

But I do understand. I appreciate the feedback AJ. Keep an open mind because the teasers will be coming soon. Pacing things out as I setup my materials for the game, and put the 'system together for characters.

Will this be similar to the previous school game you tried?

I have tried so many things that I have forgotten more than I remember.

But while I can't remember what my previous school game was, or even that i ran one... I can rest comfortably assured that this game is not like that at all.

I'm possibly interested

I'm interested!

Think it was Mask or something like that

You are right- MSK, I think.

No, nothing like that- definitely not superhero kids.

In fact I think I will put up the first teaser tonight.

Cool will look out for it...

In the world where our story begins, a comfortable life is a privilege reserved for the elite. For everyone else, the harsh reality is a modest existence for some at best, and poverty for the rest. Navarre is a nation at war. It has been locked in a seemingly unending struggle against it’s vile neighbor to the east, Poromiel, for hundreds of years now.

A massive range of mountains divides the two nations, but Navarre’s borders are constantly being tested. This war has gone on for so long that few even truly know why the war started in the first place. Regardless, there seems to be no end in sight to this bitter struggle. Too many lives, countless at this point, have been lost and too much blood has been spilled.

The last bastion of Navarre’s defenses are the magical Wards that keep Navarrian citizens safe from Poromish incursions. A wonderment of magical glory and a testament to Navarre’s power and prestige.

****


An Important Message From the Navarran Military Command-
To All Citizens of the Six Provinces of Navarre

Our defenses are as strong as ever, and our great military leaders work tirelessly to keep all citizens safe and protected. But the Wards don’t stop the foot soldiers of the enemy. That’s why Navarre needs you. Conscription Day is is coming soon. Your Provinces are already preparing this year’s lotteries to help Navarre meet it’s recruitment numbers. Testing centers will be ready to receive all applicants. We want to find the right opportunity for you to help Navarre meet the challenges we face in this struggle for our continued independence as a nation.

For those who demonstrate an above average talent, the opportunities are boundless. At Basgiath War College, you can be taught and trained in one of the four elite branches of service. Whether you are a Healer, a Scribe, or an officer in our highly trained infantry, you can rest assured that your gallant efforts are greatly appreciated by the entirety of our great nation and by the citizens you protect. But for those rare few who show exceptional physical fortitude and mental aptitude, the rarest of opportunities awaits you at Basgiath. You could be among the few, the proud, the elite corps of warriors known as…

Oooo.. I've been resisting this and other games over the last few months.. trying to keep my DL investment at a manageable level. The chance of PP as a Gm was almost enough to tip me over the edge.. but the sheer mention of Dragon Riders. Nooo.. can't resists!

Tossing my hat into the ring.

👍

My vanity plate includes the letters DRAGN.

My backyard includes not just one, but two giant dragons about 8 feet tall.

And the very first excursion on my upcoming vacation will be "Explore the Dragon's Dungeon". Sure, GoT and not your world but dragons are dragons.

So of course I'm interested.

I also respect your need to keep it small and will happily go into lurk mode if you're at capacity

Teaser #2

Welcome to Basgiath War College! (BWC)

Military service is mandatory in Navarre. It is a fact of life for a nation that has been at war for more than 600 years. Every year, on the 15th day of the 7th month (Jularis), the day that is known as Conscription Day is celebrated across all of Navarre. That’s the day when two thousand or more 20 year olds from all across the six provinces of Navarre arrive at Basgiath War College. These are future officers in Navarre’s military forces. Their passing scores on the Universal Entrance Exams have earned them a place in upper echelons of Navarre’s Military Services.

On Conscription Day, all candidates initially gather in the valley at the base of Basgiath Mountain, specifically within a massive, fortified area known as the Conscription Gates. These gates do not lead toward the main entrance of the fortress. That was another road in another valley entirely.

Conscription Day starts very early and the candidates, and often their families, have travelled great distances from all across Navarre to arrive at the War College before dawn. Now they waited in long, heavily guarded lines to be processed. The guards were there to ensure everyone’s safety of course, nothing more. All the way up at the head of the lines, clerks verified the candidates' identities, recorded their quadrant of choice, and confirmed their exam results to ensure that the every candidate was actually qualified for the particular quadrant/school they had indicated.

With the scribes at Basgiath War College having already done all the tabulating, calculating, record keeping, information collecting, and associated paperwork, the candidates could be quickly parsed into their proper Training Quadrants with efficiency.
At the dawn’s earliest embrace of the sky, with the faintest orange glow on the distant horizon, Clerks were making sure the thousands of conscripts had their proper paperwork, and been placed in the proper lines. Now came the wait for the moment they would be led inside the massive Fortress School.

And that moment would come all too soon. The Conscription Gates opened and clerks and guards began to escort the candidates in three of the lines up the valley rise toward a smaller gate in a massive stone wall that reached a hundred feet or more, with towers beyond that punched upwards like daggers.

And then there was the fourth line.

In the midst of the backdrop of a foreboding mountain range with razor sharp peaks that touch the clouds, and thousand-foot drops into deep valleys, we will follow the lives of a few candidates found to be exceptional, and worthy enough to be admitted into the ranks of Navarre’s most elite military force. This was the fourth line.

These particular few will have to pass a rigorous and demanding training program that will hone them into warriors worthy of the bond they hope to achieve.

Whether they arrived through voluntary enlistment, the lottery, judicial punishments, or a deal brokered in the wake of a shattered insurrection, the three hundred and sixty some candidates waiting in this fourth line were now being led to their left, toward a different entrance than everyone else in the other lines. Ahead, those in line could see that there was a treacherous looking staircase cut and chiseled out of the side of the cliff. Hundreds of steps up the sheer wall. And there was no railing.

Aqua, I can beat that. My house is called DragonFyre. I have a dragon mural covering a long wall on the stairs from ground to first floor. I must have over 50 dragons - ornaments & pictures in the house, at least one in EVERY room including bathrooms and a 2 foot high dragon greeets all visitors at our front door.

Not dragon mad, no, never...

And I want pics of the garden pair!

Definitely interested, but do I need to read the first book first?

no, you don't have to read the book(s)... BUT we will be following some of the storylines in our game. Reading the First Book would be a Spoiler kind of thing. That's up to you.

DL games move slowly. so, if you want to read them then you can. these books got me back into a gaming mindset again.

i have obviously given a couple keywords in teasers that any one can google search The Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. There are 3 books currently available. the 4th may be out before the end of the year.

Teaser #3


Someone nearby you whispered in a voice that cracked with nerves and tone of despondent resignation, “I heard that’s called the ~Stairs of Death~”. Another voice, behind you, dismissive, derisive, arrogant, retorted, “What a stupid name.”

At the base of those craggy, ancient steps were several more clerks and two scribes with tablets, waiting, watching. As the line came to a halt, allowing the clerks to check all those very same things that were checked earlier, a few nervous glances from those in the line around you revealed that there was an entrance where the treacherous stone steps ended, at the base of a large tower that rose even further up… and up. It was a lot of steps to get there though This tower entrance had a gate and there was a heavy banded door. Both were open and waiting to invite a new group of candidates to the next part of their journey.

Basgiath War College would be the candidates’ new home for the next three years.

Only If...

Teaser #4

...if they survived their first day, that is. And their odds were already not looking good.

At Basgiath War College, in the halls of the Riders Quadrant, the line between student and corpse is razor-thin, and the curriculum is written in blood.

Perched atop a treacherous mountain fortress, this elite military academy forces the cadets to endure lethal trials just to prove they belong.

Governed by a ruthless hierarchy, guarding ancient secrets, these young hopefuls will discover the only thing more dangerous than the enemies outside the wards is the person standing right next to you.

If they can survive this, then perhaps they might prove themselves worthy of standing before a dragon. But on that day, it would be wise to remember that dragons do not bond with "fragile" humans—they incinerate them. Remember... The line is razor thin… Those who survive their encounter with a dragon gain the power to wield magic, while those who fail are reduced to ash.

It had all moved so quickly, or slowly, or simply without them. Upon arrival there was simply someone cleaning up administratively. No pomp. No circumstance. They presented their credentials. An exasperated sigh and flick of the chin upwards was their acceptance. and thus the climb began....

We will begin in the line... good call. Still setting things up. Today, my wife made be social and go out and meet friends. I hadbeen hoping to get a lot more set up today.

LOL no worries. I like the idea of being the last in line. Look forward to more.

I have not read her stories. But love the idea.

And you all know I'm a loose...rules... person. LOL

Dragon rider college is sufficiently distinct and original that I'm keeping an eye and giving due consideration.

Teaser #5 (the last one)

The Kingdom of Navarre is a land of jagged mountains and ancient stone, isolated from the rest of the world by massive magical wards that keep a terrifying darkness at bay. For six hundred years, the kingdom has maintained a militaristic society where power is everything and the dragon-riding elite serve as the ultimate line of defense.

However, beneath its proud exterior of tradition and strength, Navarre is a place of strictly controlled information and hidden history. While the citizens believe they are safe within their borders, the cracks in the kingdom’s secrets are beginning to show, revealing that the greatest threat to Navarre might be the very lies it was built upon.

Definitely interested!

I have to admit - I've used ChatGPT to catch up on some of the major themes. Enough that I think I have a character concept. Look forward to the next steps. And to find out if the AI was correct! LOL

I will be following some of the storylines from the first book, since it's a school setting, and those first few days/weeks/months are very important. obviously you are welcome to read the books or research stuff to get a feel for the world and such. Just know that there are some things I m not putting into the resources that I am posting in the forum. Simply because your character's would not know about them... Most people in Navarre know nothing about a few things.

Also- I will deviate from some concepts as somethings are very tightly woven around the central characters in the books.

For those who might be thinking of character ideas... I would suggest you think of a couple ideas hat you might enjoy playing. Don't get too far in the development though. I will be working with each player to make sure they understand the background they need to know in order to succeed in that role.

I am continuing to build the character generation information for this game. Gryphon was gracious enough to allow me to use the concept of the system he created for Platform 9 3/4. I am grateful- but it is a slow process. While framework will work, I am having to create new traits and flaws and such because things that happen at hogwarts school don't translate very well in a dragon riding school. <g>

As I go along I am also adding new stuff to the forum for people's amusement and edification.

Please note that some of this information is simplified for what a first year candidate/cadet might know. certain backgrounds might know more about certain things. That will be handled in chargen when the time comes.

If you have questions- feel free to ask them here. You might not get as full an answer as you might like, but you will get an answer that serves the integrity of the mystery of the game and the world.

I know nothing.. prefer it that way Happy for you to take the time you need PP.

But do you have a pub in your furnished basement called "The Rose and Dragon" complete with a coat of arms with the tagline "My love for you will always burn"

Which is a lyric from the song Candle in the Water, from Disney's Pete's Dragon movie, and I'm using Pete's actor as my character picture in Platform 9 3/4?

But I do think you have me beat. All hail dragons!

I'm exploring character generation ideas, and thinking this particular group would have a very narrowly focused set of skills which to me somewhat defy chargen diversity. I mean, to be elite you already have to be the best of the best in most things that will matter practically. I'm sure you know this and are working with it, but I am curious about that aspect...

And is training potentially character-fatal?

this is a dangerous world. human life is cheap. conscripted enlisted ranks in the infantry has a very high mortality rate. cannon fodder. infantry officers (those training in one the quadrant schools at basgiath is not much better.

but you guys are trying to become cadets in the elite riders school/quadrant. they only want the best of the best. the goal is to bond with a limited number of dragons. thus the training itself is brutal... weed out the weak.

the answer to your question is tricky. so let's just say this, i don't want to kill off my PCs. then there would be no game. BUT... No one sails through unscathed... and I won't stop another PC from killing a rival PC. we'd have to figure that out.

<perks up>
PC on PC violence? Uhm... No I would never.






Would I?


Of course not.

Aqua - I don't have a basement!