Hello Fellow True20ers,
My name is Joseph Miller, the semi-charmed designer of the Nevermore campaign setting in the upcoming True20: Worlds of Adventure book for Green Ronin. I figured it would be a good idea to set up a thread to answer questions (in a FAQ), present previews (such as the Design Diaries), and generally revel in the presence of the good people of the True20 boards. So commence the questioning, start up the lively discussion, and pass the fairy wine!
True20 Adventure RoleplayingTrue fun, true excitement, true adventure: True20! Nevermore: Land of Dreams and Nightmares FAQ and DiscussionModerator: The Mod Squad Nevermore: Land of Dreams and Nightmares FAQ and Discussion
Last edited by jaldaen on Mon Mar 13, 2006 8:27 am, edited 1 time in total.
Nevermore Campaign Setting FAQ
This post includes a number of frequently asked questions about the Nevermore campaign setting. If you have any other questions feel free to ask them below and I'll answer them ASAP:
Nevermore is an ever-changing world where reason fades into the mists of slumber and imagination emerges into a land of fanciful dreams and dreadful nightmares. It is a world where exotic and unpredictable encounters are as common as eddies swirling along a rocky shore. It is a realm of surreal landscapes awash with dramatic deeds and teeming with creatures both beautiful and bizarre. Nevermore offers a plethora of possible and even improbable adventures for those who traverse its strange domains. It pushes its inhabitants and visitors beyond the mundane and into a fantastic realm of near boundless potential for both good and evil. Nevermore amplifies and accentuates, twists and skews, it is a place where nothing remains the same for long and all who walk its lands are changed forever.
Nevermore assumes Narrators are using it as a fantasy campaign setting, however, the setting can be used for any genre or time period with a few tweaks of the background material. In light of this, the rules have been designed in such a way as to fit whatever genre and time period a Narrator sets his campaign in, whether it is Horror, Modern Fantasy, Future Fantasy, or something else entirely.
One thing about running adventures in a dreamland is that virtually anything is possible from grim and gritty horror-based encounters to high-flying wuxia action-adventures. Now it must be admitted that Nevermore has a fantasy bent due to the central role of the fey, but even that genre is not hard and fast. The descriptions given in the campaign material are designed to allow a wide range of interpretations and there are vast areas in Nevermore where anything is possible even modern and science fiction settings. In addition, Nevermore has a number of built in adventure hooks, storylines, subplots, and antagonists to drive a wide range of campaign types.
Once a decision on genre and time period have been made, it is important to make the world live and breathe by developing the adventure hooks, story lines, and subplots presented in this material into a unique vision of the dreamlands. Make sure from the moment the campaign starts that players understand that this is not just another dream. Their actions have consequences for the world around them as well as themselves. Nevermore should have real effects on those who adventure and invest themselves in it. Life and death should be just as genuine in the dreamlands as they are in the mortal realms. If using Nevermore in tandem with another setting make sure the events within the dreamlands foreshadow those within the other world, grant hints to the main storyline, or prove to be an integral part of foiling the adversary’s plans. This is where the ingenuity of a Narrator is needed most, the occasional side-trek to Nevermore is all well and good, but it is of greater importance to find a way to incorporate these side-treks into the main plotline of a campaign and thereby create a tangible benefit to the players’ successes within the world of Nevermore.
Nevermore is designed to be run as a campaign in its own right or as an add-on to another campaign setting. In the latter case, narrators can determine how much affect Nevermore has on their own campaign worlds. It could be used as a simple plot device or it could be an integral part of the plot of an adventure. The dreamscape setting also allows adventures to occur while the heroes are asleep in their own world meaning that the "rest" period can be put to use by a Narrator without impeding the course of a "real" campaign. Also what might seem like "days" in the dreamlands could all take place in the span of an evenings rest.
Currently, Expeditious Retreat Press will be releasing a series of short pdf products after the release of the Worlds of Adventure book in July. These products will provide more in-depth knowledge on the five domains within Nevermore and include: The Eye: Land of Hope, The Hedge: Land of Refuge, The Heartlands: Land of Reverie, The Wyrd: Land of Myth, and The Dreadlands: Land of Nightmares. There are also plans an introductory adventure and other support materials that focus on providing Narrators and players with unique ideas for their campaigns.
One of the key design concepts behind the Nevermore campaign setting was to provide a world, which is designed to do whatever the Narrator needs it to do. In light of this core concept, I developed five distinct domains within the dreamlands, each with its own unique features and themes. These domains offer Narrators the flexibility to run whatever genre and type of adventure they want in the world of Nevermore. The Dreadlands are a domain of living nightmares where the landscape and its inhabitants are almost all bent toward some evil end, especially the three terrible dreamlords who live here. This area of the dreamlands lends itself to horror campaigns and can include any genre (fantasy to science fiction). The Wyrd is the foil of the Dreamlands where fantastic locales and creatures can be discovered and explorered and the only limit to adventure is the imagination. This domain is a place of endless possibilities and as such any genre (fantasy to science fiction) or adventure type (mystery, exploration, etc.) can be found here. The Heartlands, where the fey rule, are split between the Seelie and Unseelie Courts, the former led by King Oberon seek a peaceful existance with the growing number of mortals entering Nevermore, while the latter led by Queen Mab want to cleanse the world of the taint of mortals and their Seelie kin. This region of the dreamlands is great for fairy and folk tale type storylines (the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson, etc.), which can be quite fantastic, but also have elements of horror. The fey have played an important role in the development of Nevermore's history, but mortals have grown in power ever since their arrival centuries ago and have changed the face of the land forever. As evidence of this power, the humans have joined the ranks of dreamlords founding their own realms and even establishing two new domains within Nevermore, the Hedge and the Eye. The Hedge was created to protect the Eye from incursions by the various nightmarish and chaotic forces within Nevermore and does so with extremely dangerous and difficult natural and unnatural obstacles. This area of Nevermore has a frontier feel. There is a great deal of unexplored wilderness and hidden dangers within this domain and constant incursions by the forces of evil, from the malicious fey to the nightmarish diaboli. The Eye, on the other hand, is the most populous and stable of Nevermore's five domains. Four of the most powerful dreamlords dwell here. Allied together their cities have prospered since Nevermore's last great war, the War of Songs, but the hard won peace is slowly drying up as the fires of old hatreds flare and new ones are sparked. This region is the most urbanized of all the settings and there is great opportunity for adventures of mystery and intrigue here.
I drew heavily upon "historical" fey, especially the Scottish concept of the Seelie and Unseelie courts, the blessed and unblessed fey. This concept is core to the presentation of the fey in Nevermore. This dualism is mirrored by Nevermore in its fanciful and nightmarish landscapes and inhabitants. Both opposing courts fight a subtle war against each other allying or using the mortals to bring about their vision of Nevermore. As such the history of the world ebbs and flows from darkness to light, good to evil, winding its way towards a doom both courts fear will be realized by the mechanations of the mortals. Most members of the Seelie court range in personality from the playful prankster to the solemn councilor and all are guided by a genuine concern for the future of the world and its inhabitants. The Seelie are the noble protectors and benefactors of the Nevermore's mortal races seeking to guide them and bring them hope. As for the Unseelie court, there may be a few baby stealing elves with pointy teeth, but most members are skilled in the arts of deception and cruelty and regard Nevermore as their rightful inheritance. The Unseelie are deceivers and malcontents ceaselessly crusading against mortals and their allies.
Nevermore was inspired by the work I did on Dreamscapes for Adamant Entertainment. While exploring the unique elements of running a dreamscape campaign, I was inspired to start writing a campaign setting based on the twist that it existed as a dream... the collective dreamland of the fey to be exact. Then I imagined what could happen in such a place and sarted to play the "What if" game: What if the fey split into two opposing courts (Seelie and Unseelie) with different visions of what the dreamland should be like? What if mortals entered the world? What if the Unseelie attempted to drive these mortals out? What if to protect the mortals one of the Seelie opened a channel into the waters of forgettfulness, which surround Nevermore causing the dreamlands to enter into a Forgotten Age? What if by the time this age ended the mortals had learned the secrets of dream weaving and become powerful dreamlords? What if the Unseelie used their powers of deception to lead the mortals into an Age of War? What if the world was wounded so deeply by these conflicts turned into a land of nightmares? What if the blood of a god and the tears of a child drowned the flames of war and brought about an Age of Serenity? What if the agents of evil are again stoking the forges of war and revenge? How long could this pool of peace last against the forges of hatred and revenge? What would the next age of Nevermore bring? Would it be an Age of Dreams or Nightmares, or both? Last edited by jaldaen on Fri Mar 17, 2006 10:37 pm, edited 4 times in total.
Nevermore Design Diary #1: What is in a Name?
Nevermore Design Diary #1: What is in a Name?
For the past few years I have devoted myself to a name and a concept. The name was Nevermore and the concept was the creation of a unique campaign setting. The former sprung from reading too much Edgar Allen Poe as an adolescent and the later from a desire to do “something completely different” as an adult, which may in fact come from watching one too many Monte Python skits as a child. And thus it might be said that my entire life has lead me to this moment, to this designer’s diary, and to the question I hope to answer for you today… What is Nevermore? The Short Answer Nevermore is a True20 capstone dreamscape campaign setting. Translation, please? Nevermore is a surrealistic and living capstone campaign setting designed to be used in conjunction with other campaign settings (True20 and even d20, with a few modifications) or as a standalone campaign setting. Now the above translation might not be the most thorough, but it does hit the important themes I wanted to found the Nevermore setting upon and the ones I will discuss within the rest of this designer diary. Surrealistic Setting– The Ever-Changing Pillar Nevermore is first and foremost a dreamscape campaign setting and this is the “hook” that drives the setting and influences every bit of crunch and fluff in Nevermore. The campaign material is designed to transform the races and roles of the world into more fantastic versions of themselves by building upon the True20 Core Rules. In addition, the rules expand the possibilities available to characters when they take an action. I won’t go into details at the moment (as doing so would mean I’d have a very long design diary and nothing else to talk about later), but as with all good fishermen I will put a worm on my hook, and mention that “Dream” Conviction will play a very important role in portraying the surreal abilities available to characters within the world of Nevermore. Living Setting– The Breathing Pillar A central theme in the design of Nevermore was the desire to bring the bizarre, fantastic, and grotesque to the fore, not only as props, but also as living and breathing elements within the realm. Toward this end I spent a good amount of time and effort over this past few years, shaping the setting in such a way that the land itself, could interact with adventurers on a meaningful basis and play a central role in their campaigns. This decision to essentially “personify” the world was a pivotal one and naturally led to the notion that Nevermore could be likened to a living and ever-changing creature, a shapechanger of sorts that could birth both dreams and nightmares. So how do you design a campaign world that is ever-changing and shifts landscapes, seasons, and even creatures upon a regular basis? Capstone Setting– The Overarching Concept From the above translation you can probably figure out what I mean by “capstone”, but what exactly are the implications of such an approach to a campaign setting? There are quite a few, especially when creating a setting that is bizarre in both nature and scope. After all, how does one create a campaign setting suitable for any level or theme of play and still make it different enough to draw out the surreal spirit of Nevermore? Using the time honored design philosophy of K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid) I decided that the best way to make Nevermore accessible to almost any campaign setting was to provide simple rules that grant the Narrator some easy to follow guidelines, but are flexible enough to allow Narrators to use Nevermore as they see fit, instead of how I see fit. In many ways Nevermore is not just designed to be a campaign setting, but also a supplement on how to run and play dreamscape adventures. It is also designed to be adaptable and the rules accommodate everything from side treks to campaign length adventures without undue interfere with what is going on in your normal campaign (since adventuring in Nevermore occurs while the characters are “asleep”). To be sure, the Nevermore campaign will require both imaginative and flexible players and Narrators, but the reward will be well worth the extra effort. Actually that is a good question to delve into in the next designer diary entry… so stay tuned for: Designer Diary #2: A Shapechanger Named Nevermore and a more in-depth look into Nevermore and the concept of the “living” campaign setting.
Nevermore Design Diary #2: A Shapechanger Named Nevermore
Nevermore Design Diary #2: A Shapechanger Named Nevermore
When we last left our intrepid designer he was speaking about the ever-changing world of Nevermore, and asked the question: How do you design a campaign world that is ever-changing and shifts landscapes, seasons, and even creatures upon a regular basis? Two Concepts, a Designer, and a Baby So I had made the decision, for better or worse, till death do us part, to wed the dreamscape hook with the “Living” campaign setting theme. Soon a cadre of concepts was born and I had my hands full trying to potty train them so they would be presentable in public. As with childrearing, rules design is sometimes a joy, other times a headache, and on occasion a little bit of both. One must also nurture them and allow them to stretch their legs and run around for a while. Now unlike children, rules can legally be redesigned and even dropped entirely from the family. This was true for Nevermore and it has gone through no less than four complete revisions to get to its current incarnation in the True20 rules. There are a few concepts however, which have made it through their adolescence with a minimum of disciplinary problems and have their heads on straight enough to talk about them as a proud father would his son or daughter… Cycles: As Nevermore Turns… Nevermore has no day or night, but it does have what are called “cycles”. At the beginning of each cycle there is an event called the “turning”. This phenomenon causes the atmosphere (which includes celestial bodies and seasons), the lands, and even some of the inhabitants of Nevermore to change in subtle and sometimes drastic ways. As implied by the preceding sentence these shifts fall into the following categories: atmospheric, domain, and progeny. Domain Shifts: Making a Mountain out of a Mole Hill Domain shifts change the landscape of Nevermore from the sudden eruption of a mountain from the ground (where a mole hill once was) to the almost unnoticeable rearrangement of the cobblestones in the streets of a city (but perhaps includes a secret code). These transformations can provide both flavorful settings and potential adventures for both players and Narrators to explore. In addition, they make Nevermore into another character, albeit a mysterious one, in the lives of the adventurers who explore its domains. Atmospheric Shifts: Not Just Weather Patterns Anymore Atmospheric shifts deal with the climate of Nevermore, but not just the weather patterns, it also changes the heavenly bodies displayed in a certain domain and even the perception of colors and light. One cycle a domain might be plagued by a blizzard, while after the next turning it might skip spring and summer and head directly to autumn. So too the heavenly bodies shift from one cycle to the next with no set suns, moons, and stars. Finally, this kind of shift can alter the hues of a domain and cause green things to appear red, or turn all color into shades of black and white. These changes can be used to create a particular mood a Narrator might want the players to feel or foreshadow things to come in their current adventure. Progeny Shifts: Now that is a Dreamspawn of a Different Color The last shift is called the Progeny shift and it affects dreamspawn and nightmares… Wait a Minute! What Are Dreamspawn and Nighmares? In short, they are the “progeny”, or offspring of Nevermore, created from its essence and making up most creatures and ordinary folk in the world. If you were to think of Nevermore as a movie the progeny would play roles in the extra and bit parts. They are in truth a part of the setting and thus shift along with it at the turning of each cycle. A nameless merchant one cycle could suddenly become captain of the guard during the next, or a kindly old lady with a walking cane could turn into a mean old matriarch wielding a cutting board. We Now Return to Your Regularly Programed Progeny Shifts… … Progeny shifts change the psychological, emotive and physical characteristics of the dreamspawn and nightmares throughout a domain. They can be slight changes such as a random dreamspawn the adventurers are in contact with having his facial features slightly changed. Others can be breathtaking, such as random dreamspawn and nightmares changing their attitudes or creature types. Of course domain, atmospheric, and progeny shifts are not the only ways Nevermore is transformed. In fact there are many ways in which characters can cause the world to change through subconscious thought. But such a discussion must wait until next time when we discuss: Nevermore Design Diary #3: Dreamweaving: What the Government Doesn’t Want You to Know.
Nevermore Design Diary #3: Dream Weaving: What the Governmen
Nevermore Design Diary #3: Dream Weaving: What the Government Doesn’t Want You to Know
Have you ever had the experience of realizing you are in a dream? Have you ever changed your dream consciously? This is called lucid dreaming by some in the government, but in Nevermore it is called dream weaving and it plays an integral role in the way the dreamlands and characters interact with each other. Now how does one dream weave? Well, that is the secret the government doesn’t want you to know and the one I’m about to reveal, but first I need to talk about Dream Conviction. What is Dream Conviction? Dream Conviction represents the subconscious energy a character possesses and his ability to enhance himself and influence his surroundings in a Nevermore. The spending of Dream Conviction is similar to that of Conviction, but represents bending the essence of Nevermore to the character’s will in order to produce some extraordinary effect. What Dream Conviction Can Do For You... Dream Conviction can be used to create a variety of surreal effects within Nevermore. The following list of uses for Dream Conviction has been liberated from an ultra-top secret government dream lab facility. Unfortunately, I was unable to obtain all the data they have gathered on this newly discovered energy before I severing the link, but it’s a start. Walking on Sunshine Dream Conviction can be used to perform improbable deeds of skill, such as balancing on a beam of light, climbing a waterfall, and leaping buildings in a single bound. That Little Something Extra Extraordinary feats can be preformed and unbelievable challenges can be overcome through the expenditure of Dream Conviction, giving a character the edge he needs during a particular encounter. That Was a Close Call With Dream Conviction, a character can call upon the assistance of Nevermore when in need to escape from desperate and dire situations, even certain death. These Weaves are Made for You… Last but not least, a character can use Dream Conviction to influence Nevermore’s progeny, atmosphere, and landscape. With Dream Conviction a character can create a delicate butterfly to deliver a message, summon a nightmarish skeleton to serve some vile purpose, calm a raging fire, call forth a terrible storm, raise an ivory tower to shelter in, or bring low a hillside with the wave of a hand. A character can also use his influence with Nevermore to call forth boons and blessings upon himself from curing wounds to seeing visions of things to come. There are even dream weaves, which are created when important inhabitants of Nevermore die or are reborn. Backlashes: I Can’t Let You Do that Dave… The practice of bending Nevermore to a character’s desires through Dream Conviction is not without its hazards. Pushing the world too far and too fast can create a negative reaction by the world to a character’s actions. These backlashes can range from minor inconveniences, such as tripping over a banana peel to world-altering events, like a gigantic chasm opening in the earth and swallowing an entire city. So now that you know more about Dream Conviction I think you are ready to know the most interesting discovery in the ultra-top secret government files. But first I need to change computers, states, and a few other details of my personal background to keep the Government off my trail. So I will see you again in a few weeks (hopefully) when I unveil the most intriguing information the government does not want you to know: Nevermore Design Diary #4: Dreamers and the Dreams They Dream.
Slight confusion...
You stated earlier that Nevermore was a fantasy setting and only a fantasy setting (at least for now) but in the later descriptions you start talking about "government" like there's a big real world MATRIX/HARSH REALM/THOMAS COVENANT/BRIAN LUMLEY/MANHATTAN PROJECT conspiracy-thing happening. Can you clarify?
Good question, and I apologize for any confusion I might have caused. The Nevermore campaign setting has a lot of fantasy elements due to the importance of the fey (which in this setting includes everything from elves to orcs). As such, its primary presentation assumes the Narrator is using a fantasy setting, however after listening to the many questions and comments from others I realized I needed to emphasize how this setting could be used for any genre or time period a Narrator wants. I also realized in the spirit of True 20 that I should try to keep the setting open to Modern Fantasy and Future Fantasy interpretations, as such the rules are designed in such a way as to be useful in whatever genre and time period the Narrator needs. Right now I'm doing a bit of rewriting on the core Nevermore material and I'm hoping to fit in a section about running Nevermore in Modern and Future settings. If this material does not fit I'll probably release it as a free web enhancement when the WoA book comes out. So in short, your confusion is warranted, because as I've gone through the process of explaining Nevermore to others my own understanding of how the setting and its rules could be used has evolved and since there is still a little bit of time left for revision I'm hoping to use it to make Nevermore as useful and adaptive as it possibly can be. I hope this has clarified things for you (and any others who were confused). If not, please keep hammering me upside the head with questions and comments... sooner or later something coherent will come out. 
Updated the FAQ with new and imporved answers. If any more questions pop up or any more clarifications are needs just let me know and I'll get the answers to you ASAP.
Keep on Dreaming! Joseph P.S.: I'm currently considering what I should do for the introductory adventure for Nevermore... any preferences on genre or adventure type? What elements of the setting would you like to see explored (the fey, the dreamlords, something else entirely? What domain should I base the adventure in? Should this be a poll? A contest? Hmmm... I'll have to think about that one.
Well, I'm a fan of Fairy kidnappings, something along the Books of Magic line. Having read a few issues of the Ironwood comic, a simple mcguffin hunt/chase can always work well, and Ironwood seems and appropriate reference (even though it's cheesecake). Could have a group of freinds of a person in a coma enter his dreamstate one night for a rescue op. DD
Maybe an introductory adventure where a friend of one of the PCs is in a coma/permanent vegetative state, because their mind/soul is being held captive in the dream world, locking them in a state of perpetual nightmare. The PCs must journey into the nightmare to free their friend's conciousness so it can return to it's body?
This could be the PCs first foray into the dream world. Perhaps they may even have to become permanently trapped in the dream-wolds themselves in order to release their friend. Matthew E. Kaiser
Freelance Writer 
Looks like two votes for a dreamland rescue op... I also like the fairy kidnapping angle. In fact, I had just wrote an adventure hook about this into the Heartlands domain material the other day.
And one vote for... Kung Fu faeries... maybe these could be the villianous kidnappers?
Now here's another question do you prefer an introductory adventure have pre-generated characters? Or do you prefer that extra space be put towards more of the adventure? Keep on Dreaming! Joseph
Actually, how about this... Most people when they dream usually haver multiple dream sequences, which may or may not 'linked' by a common thread... How about the kidnappings have you chasing over several 'scapes each with their own 'rules' and physics? Oh, and make that a third vote for the kidnappings.
Not certain I'll be able to fit all that into an introductory adventure, but I'll see what I can do (might be able to slip in two or three different 'scapes for players to explore)... as for the kidnapping plot that makes three votes for it... Anyone else have themes/ideas they'd like to see explored in Nevermore's introductory adventure? Keep on Dreaming! Joseph
Hello Fellow True20ers,
The last month has been busy busy on the True20 front for me... so busy I have not had a chance to put together another Design Diary. However, I do have good news... I have turned in the final draft for the World of Adventures book... thanks to all the playtesters who helped me polish the rules to a fine sheen. I have also written the first supplement for the Nevermore setting entitled "The Heartlands: Land of Reverie." This supplement details the lands of the Seelie and Unseelie courts and the unique adventure opportunities available to those who wish to adventure in their domain. In addition, I am putting the finishing touches on "Liber Artefactorum"... a book which contains a complete set of rules for creating supernatural items of every type imaginable (arms & armor, potions and scrolls, staffs and wands, etc.). It is designed to be use with the True20 core rules and will include a Nevermore specific supernatural item section (along with histories, adventure hooks, etc). I've had a great deal of fun (and headaches) putting these rules together and thus far they have been working quite well. As for a Design Diary... keep an eye out for it as I should be able to do some work on it in the next week or so.
Till then... Keep Your Dreams Alive! Joseph
Who is onlineUsers browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest |
