A board to discuss families; which you might want to play, what they might be like and how they might fit in with the others and the world at large.

I'm pretty easy with families. I have the core rulebook, Engine of Life and End Times and am happy with pretty much any family from there. I have to say that in my head I see this game as  more sci-fi than metaphysical so can't see much of a place for the Serene Choir (EoL) or Eldritch Servants (EG). Equally I think throwing time travel into the mix is just confusing (so Timestream Refugeess from EoL) and I just don't like the Coalition (EoL) or the Failed Guardians (EG).

All that said if you really want to play one of those playbooks and can make it fit within the world as we develop it then it's not an absolute veto.

Whilst the GM has said they aren't keen on them, I pitched an idea for Eldritch Servants as part of my submission, as Lovecraft Horrors was one of the ideas they put up for the cause of the Fall.

I've included below what I sent them, but just because I think it would be an interesting idea, doesn't mean it is something that would work for everyone else.

I picture a group of scientists, looking into wormholes, parallel universes, and finding a way to one.

Exploring it, they discover an ancient city, that shows no sign of ending, and call it the Endless City.

From there they discover it allows them to access other places.

The problem when you make a door to somewhere, is things can come through the other side...

Initially subtle influences, strange goings on, until several scientists are corrupted and helping to create massive portal to beyond (*cough* CERN *cough*)

Only once things become to come through, and the world falls apart, do they realise what they have done, and the visions of a better world were a deception.

Retreating to the Endless City, using it as their stronghold, finding more connections back home.

But just as they were corrupted, were others?
Were they devoted to the Eldritch? How were they rewarded?
Were they infiltrated? With key individuals working in the shadows to support?
Were they hostile, fighting back in some way?

How were the scientists changed by the Eldritch?
Have they become cultists, using the knowledge of the Eldritch for their own gains?
Do they have powers within their blood, flowing through their lineage?
Have they been twisted and uplifted somehow?

Having to survive the ruined world, amongst other families, raiders, monster and what knows else, how have the scientists learned to defend themselves?
Do they use weapons crafted of otherworldly materials?
Or perhaps can speak words that kill? (Weirding Module?)

Do they still believe in science, when the walls of reality are broken, encountering non-Euclidean geometry?

Are they wanting to help fight the Eldritch and save the world, or realise it's too far gone and better to serve the Eldritch then risk their wrath?

If that doesn't fit the vibe the rest of you would like, I'm happy to be another family. I'm more into knowledgeable/supportive families, rather than the more martial oriented ones. So more Enclave and Cultivators, and less Tyrants or Order.

In a game that died just after we made families here on RPOL a while ago, I made a family based on the Cultivators, called the Sky Farmers because they were the only family to be Settled, and owned a singular skyscraper that uses hydroponics to grow food for the Homeland. Otherwise, I've got no experience with families, and curious to see what people want to play, and in what way.

Hmmm. It seems we're leaning toward a Ruins with hints of echos here and there setting.
I'm pretty attached to Synthetic Hive as my family.

no comment on Eldritch Servants.

Well, with the Synthetic Hive and Eldritch Servants, we're veering pretty far from  'ruins with a touch of echoes'. If we're staying close to the ruins/echoes side I'm thinking about The Enclave of Bygone Lore, but if we're gonna go weirder for the setting (AI robots and Lovecraftian Horrors) then I may want to join in with 'The Deathless Elite'

The Cultivators look like fun, and I think would fit well with the level of weirdness we seem to be building up.  But if that's a no-go for whatever reason I could also go with the Tyrant Kings, or with the Enclave if Player 2 decides not to play them.

Oh, ahaha, whoops, I mixed up echos ruins and mirrors a bit.

Well, I'd also be cool with playing The Coalition with Guardians+Hive, having some elements but being basically human and not too far out there, if that's cool?

If I've followed everything correctly I think people are thinking of the following families:

Player 1 - Eldritch Servants

Player 2 - Deathless Elite

Player 3 - Lawgivers

Player 4 - Synthetic Hive

Player 5 -

Player 6 - Cultivators

Is that right? No problem at all if anyone wanted to chop and change but thought it might be good to pin things down where we can and start to put some flesh on the bones!

Could we have our own family threads, so we can detail our creation, but also add some flesh to our own bones too!

Then use one of the communal threads to share how much we have messed up America, as well as discuss the various Treaties we would have, and why.

Sounds good - do people want to fire family names (and confirmed Playbooks) at me and I'll whip up some individual threads and then an inter-family relation type thread too.

I will try to finalize my thoughts tonight.

Sure. I'll confirm the Deathless Elite. As far as the family name goes...we're The Eternal Olympians . Yes, a bunch of very rich people, who perfected the cloning and copying of memories as in the book/show Altered Carbon fashioned themselves as Gods. They abandoned their old names and took upon themselves the monikers of the Greek Gods of old - Zeus, Apollo, Artemis, Hera, etc. Most picked their name because they felt a kinship to the stories of that particular god. Given their immortality, some of them have started to act with the hubris attributed to the Greek gods as well.

It will be interesting to see what happens when a small group of elite self styled gods have to deal with the other families of the post apocalyptic Earth ;-)

One thing I would say Player 2, is this won't be the first time the families meet - It's why we will have treaties and connections with one another already.

But things are starting to impact us all. Do we work together? Not all of us have a giant mountain fortress to hide in ;)

Oh of course. I meant in creating our connections, I'm curious to see how things go.

Also even rich, spoiled immortals need things that they can't produce themselves and they need to manipulate...er..interact with others to get things that they want :-)

I will confirm the Cultivators for my family, and I'm thinking to call them the Protean Foundation.  I think their background is that they split off from the Olympians a while back due to philosophical and political differences - Player 2, how does that sound to you?

I don't think that will work Player 6, as I imagine that there are only like 6-10 Olympians in total (not including their servants). My Family is a handful of immortals from the Pre Fall, so there wouldn't be a large group to split off from.

Fair enough.  I think I'll keep the name though.

May be wrong, but, when I was reading them, I was under the impression that the leadership was immortal but they had underlings, followers, and such that weren't.

Anyway, sorry for my delay.  Everytime I read a family, I have an idea for doing it.  I am truly trying to narrow down my ideas to see which I want to do the most.

Yes, they have underlings but the Family is a handful of immortals. The servants and such are loyal/controlled by the Family. I have yet to flesh it all out, but we're talking a small group of potential main characters and a number of unnamed underlings to support them.

Well my Lawgivers will be named the Bennington family. With my first main character being Henry Bennington.

*said slightly in character* Lawgivers? How..quaint. I guess someone has to keep the peace amongst the rabble. Those of us above the law can take care of themselves, thank you very much :-)

In reply to Player 2 (msg # 19):

It was my understanding that such underlings, minions and the like, would still mechanically fall under the mantle of Family, even if in-character, the Olympians only refer to each other immortal as "family members" and their peons as "peons."

That's the whole point of treaties and such. I mean, just because we agree on something openly doesn't mean that behind the scenes there aren't machinations to change things :-)

I honestly haven't decided on the attitudes of my family yet, but I'm leaning towards a thinking that they resent having to rely on other families for things. That may change as I dig into the play set - maybe they are content to let you all play in your little sandboxed as long.as.you don't try to impose your will upon them.