In this space we shall discuss what the players and GM would like to see happen in the story itself. It should be things that make the players want to commit to the story as well as the GM. Finding the middle ground is where all the fun takes place and coming up with adventures that are not prewritten but solely based off character motives make games come to life.

As for the GM I will insert evil villains and monsters to help round out the players ideas and give them challenges inside of their stories.

This thread is now open for player input.

We will use this thread to discuss some ideas about the story itself. As players I will use the information from the players background to develop adventures around each players story. I highly recommend that you give me as much background information possible so I can develop that.

Unlike a table top game, this will be hard to include each and every person's story into an adventure just because of restraints of the system. I will try my best to include your story information.

So for this game I am developing a villain that is not yet decided. I would like to include the following in the game for sure:

- Ship Combat
- Inquisition
- Church Elements (hence the name)
- Reese
- Pirates
- Monsters (specifically random encounters meaning not all the time, I want monsters to be scary)

This brings up another point I had with one of our other players.

Monsters will come in 3 flavors. At any point you can ask me what flavor/category a monster is in.

Common (These are monsters that a plentiful in abundance, meaning that people encounter them pretty often so seeing them by themselves do not cause fear but in large groups might) Examples might be: kobolds, sirens, ghosts, etc

Rare (These monsters are much more dangerous because they are not pack hunters but can be. These are much more solitary and tend to be scary upon first glace.) Examples include Werewolves, Vampires, etc

Legendary (This monsters without a doubt are one of a kind. They are similar to villains and should be handled carefully by the players because they are strong.) Examples include Kraken, Dragon, etc

For the most part, you will be fighting men/women. This is not D&D and while the world does have magic, I find fights with real people make the game more enjoyable sprinkled in with monsters here and there.

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With that said, what would you like to see in the game? List below. Secret Societies? Any special heroes/Villains? What cities? What areas? Here's your chance to be heard.

I'm wondering how much of the game you think is going to be set on those things? Because I have to say, that is a list of things that Isabelle is not particularly well suited for. She's more for a courtly game of intrigue and social challenges. Riding around on a filthy ship for weeks on end is not how she imagines spending her time- and Isabelle is never at places where she doesn't want to be. Literally. She can teleport.

Not trying to speak for the GM here, but the game is called 7th Sea, not 7th Court. Sounds like Isabelle is going to have to grow as a person and find a reason to stay on that filthy ship. Just like Beileag is going to have to venture out beyond her own comfort zone when they do have to venture to a Court.

Personally, with a name like "The Cardinal's Blades", I came for the adventure and the swashbuckling, with some intrigue mixed in. I mean, we can spend some time at Courts as the story takes us (it would probably do Beileag good to work on those sorts of skills), but for my own part I wouldn't want to camp out there for the whole story.

I'm okay with travel to any city and the present mix of elements.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:14, Wed 17 Nov 2021.

Here's the great news. You a worried about something because you are thinking like you are in a normal roleplaying game. 7th Sea 2rd takes this and throws it on its head. Seriously this game is focused about being badass.

So combat focused characters are awesome because they are great a trading blows with villains but this isn't a regular game. Social heroes are just as good.

Let's say you come up against a group of five brutes. In a normal game you would say oh no my combat is.not up to snuff I'm going to lose. So I ask you okay what do you do then? I want to intimidate them to basically not fighting.

Awesome how many raises did you make this turn? Six. Do you want to burn five raises to do that? Yes. Awesome. The brute squad is defeated because they are intimidated by your presence.

Do you see the potential? Most of the skills can be used in combat. Intimiate, athletics - swinging around and wrestling, tempt do you want to seduce them by your beauty? Yeah this game let's you do that.

Let me put it this way. Think more like The princess bride and less like regular action movies. Each of you is like a character from Pirates of The Caribbean or any movie where the hero is just that good. You'll see.

Oh and another thing. Some of you are going to have magic. Just like everything in life there is good and bad with magic. I won't dive into the specific details but let's say yes, you can teleport because that is you gift but there's gm rules about what happens to you or others that follow. Let's just say it's not d&d you probably aren't using your magic that often. And with good reasons why.

"Because I'm not bloody walking through hell without a fucking good reason, that's why?"

(Purely an IC response I assure you, but the point stands?  Porte is not for the faint of heart. Sorcery in general actually.)
This message was last edited by the player at 00:31, Thu 18 Nov 2021.

It's not about the mechanics- I know how the rules work. It's that I worry I made a character who is primarily interested in the parts of the setting- courtly intrigue, romance, politicking- that don't seem to be on the agenda of what this game is going to be about? Like, this isn't a criticism at all. I'm mostly concerned I made 'Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Film'. If so, I may want to turn that around before it's too late.

I'm amenable to intrigue as it's part and parcel to any 7th Sea game.  And given that personal stories really help drive things, if you want to see them, then I have no doubt they'll show up.  This is why we're having this conversation after all, no?  That and you're far from the only noble, or noble adjacent character.

Plus, there's no reason we all have to run around all together all the time.  In fact it's not realistic at all.  So plenty of opportunities for different types of adventures, provided we can get you on that damn boat.

So really, play what makes you happy, and I'm sure we can find a way to make it work.

I do know I'm somewhat concerned because I have exactly zero ranks in Sail, so I may want to change that before we move ahead. Although I do say I would like some courtly intrigue stuff, given how many nobles are in the game and how international politics can easily come into play. I'd also like to see some exploration of the Syrneth, because that's always been one of the more fascinating parts of the setting.

I hear you, Isabelle. But I would also second the ‘play what makes you happy, and I’m sure we can find a way to make it work’ sentiment. I'm hoping for a blend of social intrigue and swashbuckling action, myself.

Things I would like to see included in the game: Vodacce, of course! But I'd like the setting to take the PCs unexpected places. Other Nations too (I’m not very interested in Vesten, but that could be Lukesa’s prejudice speaking). The Commonwealth seems like an interesting setting, and some Objectionist-Vaticine conflict seems like it might be fun, too. I'd like some skulduggery, spy stuff, smuggling, secret societies - seems as if there are a number of PCs with secret society ties. I'd like a glittering party with undercurrents of danger. Lukesa's related to Donello Falisci and betrothed to a Villanova, so I'd like to see them show up eventually, in some capacity. I'd like to see sirens! They seem neat. Maybe some false accusations. I'd like some Court stuff, and I'd like hiding in super seedy locations. I... feel an overwhelming need to watch BBC's Musketeers now, ha. Not sure how helpful this wish list is as it boils down to 'all the stuff!'

I think Isabelle(and Lukesa? Vincent?) will have plenty to do if your character can be convinced to go there- I know I didn't build my girl to be able to successfully convince shit to stink, so it would be helpful if others can, lol. I'm also pretty sure that politicking happens any time three or more human beings get together -even some of the pirates have a social organization here, after all- so Courtly/social types should be fine.

Beileag would be fully enjoy the irony of teaching an Avalonian about ships if that situation ever comes up, Vincent :)

I second the Vodacce. I want to see my straight-shooter quietly freak out over maneuvering in that comparative serpents' nest of a society.

I wouldn't mind elements that would expose my girl to more intellectual elements, like exploration of the Syrneth, that she doesn't think are at all in her wheelhouse now. Character growth :)

Okay, so let's start over. This list is not a list of things that are going to happen. They are a list of things I would like to see happen. So basically players vote, it's as much your game as my game so I take into consideration that aspect.

With the ship combat remember two things, #1 it's hard to get a ship. #2 it doesn't mean that all the action would take place on a ship it, means I'd like to explore combat between ships maybe at least once in our little campaign. Not all the time.

Next would be courtly intrigue and romance. That will be included in the game for sure. You are going to meet people great and grand and be in courts from all over the world, that's my plan at least. Setting you in one part of the world is in an injustice because you don't get to see the rules change from nation to nation which is part of the fun.

Casting magic in Castille? Might not want to do that. Doing it in Avalon? Yeah that's common place.

With that said, the game will be divided into probably about 60/40 split. Of Action and Intrigue. It will never be 100% aboard a ship, 100% on land, 100% courtly intrigue, 100% action, or 100% fights.

The best way I can explain to you, Pirates of the Caribbean with more stuff thrown in and by stuff I mean really flavorful heroes, villains and monsters.

Will you have mystery's to solve? Yes
Will there be traps that will make you think? Yes
Are there villains who will plot against you by throwing things in your way? Yes
Will be there be Syrneth artifacts? Yes, will you get some...well we will see :)

7th Sea is a game of so many things that you can't pigeon hole it into one category. One second you can be aboard a ship traveling because this is the main method of travel (even if you teleport). The next second you can be in a court at Avalon.

It's going to eb and flow. I am still developing the villains and heroes you would be more likely to run into.

But part of the adventure is exploration of all things 7th Sea. Learning history, lore, avoiding traps and bad guys and danger. Making a villain/hero fall in love with you.

If that's not your bag. And you thought this was something else. Then, that's cool. I get it. No hard feelings, sorry this wasn't your thing. But if you are here for the ride and a ride it will be, then enjoy your stay and get ready for something that's unlike other games.

Father Carlos is a bit of a jack of all trades but I can see situations in all the things listed where someone with more courtly or persuasive skills would come in very handy...... Look at the group we can't all go round solving things with the pointy end of a stick..... Sometimes a word in the right ear of a coin in the right hand works better than a point in the belly and less arkward with the local authority

To add to the wishlist: I would not be opposed to running across Bonnie McGee at some point- Beileag would fangirl so hard.

Or if she were to somehow acquire sorcery at some point- preferably one of the benign/neutral varieties, but if it makes a good story... ;)

All of that is certainly possible. :)

I don't mind Gabrielle being on a ship despite not being skilled for it - being stuck in the 'wrong' setting can be fun - but I think there needs to be a good excuse. Maybe Lady Arabella is a passenger, and she's along as her maid/bodyguard?

Gabrielle has never even been on a boat before, and might initially suffer from seasickness :)

I'd also like to see at least one big courtly ball - it seems to fit swashbuckling stories so well, if only to stick the heroes in a situation where drawing a sword can't be the first reaction to any problem!

There will be many balls that you will have to attend. Or at least I hope, it all depends on the direction you pick.

So, to safeguard myself from making a faux pas, when we post an action (my post for example) do we assume success unless you say otherwise, or wait until you dictate success or failure?

Same question from me, actually. I'd be fine with making a wits + notice roll to make sure the crew is behaving normally and not like they're about to sell us out to pirates or something.

(Or I think that would be the right roll. We never got beyond the first risk in the one other game I've played, due to GM ghosting.)

You technically don’t make rolls until there is a dramatic scene or action scene. So assume whatever you are doing until then succeeds unless it is of course changing a characters actions. If that makes sense.

I get it. Sorry, D&D has made it's mark, and sometimes GMs decide if every action that requires skill succeeds or not, with background rolling or raw stats. But, anyway, thanks for clarifying.

So I did screw up technically in explaining that.

So unlike D&D or other games. Drama and Action do the rolling. As a matter of fact I don't roll anything until it is a villain or monster. Basically I use my danger pool to increase challenges.

The basic rule of thumb is you roll when the action involves a danger or consequence which you can tell me if you think there might be one.

Here are some D&D examples with examples from the game itself.

Lets say the heroes are trapped in a pit. In normal d&d you would make skill roll or attribute roll to get out of the pit.

Thing is there are no consequences other than failure so that's less fun. 7th Sea would skip this roll and just say you get out of the pit.

Now lets take the same pit same situation but now it has spikes and up above you can hear someone getting closer. Now you are talking, this has consequences. So now you roll to get out of the pit. Normally it cost you 1 success to get out of the pit but I up the difficulty. I spend a danger point and now it's 5. If you don't get out you'll take wounds from the spikes, I could also make the people coming to the pit get closer and closer which starts combat.

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So another example on the deck of a ship you want to talk to someone. No roll.

However now you don't just want to talk you want to find out if someone on the ship is lying to you. Now you have a consequence which is that person could discover that your snooping which could cause conflict. Of course, other people could also get mad at you.

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Jumping into water. You do it.

Jumping into water with rocks. Yeah now your talking, oh I spend my one raise. Yeah you do but guess what, I spend a danger point and you didn't notice their was a rather large shark near by.


See how it works now? It's much different than D&D where you roll to just do about anything. Now you typically roll to do something or as a group for them most part. Unless there is something that could happen to the character themselves.

So I can assume Beileag sees nothing unusual or alarming in the crew's behavior? I know it has no immediate consequences, but it does kind of fit into the "now you don't just want to talk, you want to find out if someone on the ship is lying to you" category of potential consequences.

Correct you don't see anything out of the usual for the crew.