TheBookkeeper
Chieftain
You survey all that is. Long laid swaths of hills and valleys, peppered with forests of a much deeper philosophy. Quiet ranges of what could barely be considered mountains, their heights far surpassed by the depths of the void and vibrant ocean. Deserts and tundra, with temperamental vanities beyond their merit, and just the faintest newborn arctic polls. And so many people. This world is young, and ripe. Soon, you shall carve your design into the hills and mountains, leave your signature upon the seas and sky, so that every one of them knows your name. You will be the God of Gods.
But you’ll have to get there first. And you’re not alone.
Welcome to Creation.
Hey, interested people. This is a little project I’ve been kicking around for a few days now, and I think it’s about ready to launch. It’s an open game, and should be able to handle quite a sum of players, but we’ll need at least three people to start, not including myself. This is a point-based game, running on the relatively simple premise of godhood. You play as a deity, one of many, who begins as a minor Local God, but can rise to the ranks of True God over time.
Each round, these Gods are awarded a certain number of Acts—the base allocation is 2 (though this will increase over time), along with bonuses as rewards for influence over the world. This payment can also be affected with chance confluences of fortune, which will be randomly generated.
These Acts can then be spent to shape the world. To do so, the players submit their desired actions to the Bookkeeper (that’s me!) over PM, along with the Acts allotted to any action. The Bookkeeper (again, me) then determines the effectiveness of each action, and posts a summary of events at the end of the round. A round lasts one week, and the players should submit their actions to the Bookkeeper sometime in this period. Unspent Acts are saved for future rounds.
Role-playing aspects come in two varieties: first, in the way the world is slowly shaped by the Gods, as recorded by the Bookkeeper, and secondly, in the interactions between Gods. This takes place in between the Bookkeeper’s reports, and therein the Gods can seek council, solicit each other’s aid, develop rivalries… the whole pantheon shtick. Posts aren’t technically required, so long as players submit their Godlog on time (leaves of absence won’t be punished, save for the other players advancing beyond and/or taking advantage of the absentee).
So if anyone’s interested, give word. Like I said, any number of players can join (and unless proven otherwise, this rule will hold true throughout the run of the game, with should help with player decay), but we need a minimum of three to start. More info on the game system will follow in subsequent posts, should anyone like to play.
* * *
So, you want to be God? Maybe not The God, but a God, at least. Or maybe you do want to be The God, but that’ll have to wait, because you’ve got company. An entire pantheon in fact, seeking just like you to shape this world into what it should be. Where do you start? First things first, it’s important to figure out just what kind of God you are. So who are you?
Each God has certain Domains that they have regency over, which they can exert the greatest control over. For example, Poseidon was the God of the Ocean, or Thor, the God of Thunder. As a Local God, each God can have between one and three Domains to their name, but this can increase over time.
Gods can affect the world outside their Domain, but these effects will be extremely limited. Additionally, the more specific a Domain is, the greater a God can influence it. For example, a God of Lakes or Rivers would have much more sway over their chosen fields than a God of the Ocean over his. Even then, the precision of action of an Ocean God would dwarf that of a God of Water. Generally, you can think of it like this: if a Rain God and the God of All Waters clash over something rain-related, the Rain God is going to win. At the same time, a God of a Single Drop of Water is going to have a hard time influencing the world at all, so it’s important to find an appropriate middle ground between universality and specificity (some examples will be provided below).
A God also belongs to one of eleven Spheres, general groupings that categorize the Gods. The nature of the Domains should logically point to the appropriate Sphere, though a God can only have one Sphere, so there may be some compromise. A summary of the eleven Spheres of Design follow:
THE SPHERE OF CREATION
Drawing from the life-endowing force of the Sun, the Sphere of Creation is devoted to new life and rebirth. A subtle house, Gods of Creation will find the greatest long-term return for their influence over the planet.
Examples: Light, Healing, Procreation, Heroism, Hope
THE SPHERE OF FATE
Pushing luck and lives where they’re supposed to go, the Sphere of Fate influences the chaos theory of the world. Having some sway over their own fate, Gods of Fate often find elements of chance tilted in their favor.
Examples: Gates, Pathways, Wealth, Gambling, Winds
THE SPHERE OF PASSIONS
Rooted in mortal instinct, the Sphere of Passions explores the emotional spectrum of sentience, through moderation and extremity. Habitually empathetic, the Passion Gods have an easy time connecting with other Gods.
Examples: Mercy, Courage, Fear, Vengeance, Lust
THE SPHERE OF LIFE
Inspiring and always inspired by nature, the Sphere of Life has sway over the organic beings of the world. More down to earth than many of their counterparts, the Gods of Life are often more aware of the ways of their worshippers.
Examples: Felines, Avians, Reptiles, Insects, Flowers
THE SPHERE OF DISCORD
With destruction as its calling, the Sphere of Discord is devoted to the natural violence of reality. With an inclination towards conflict, the Gods of Discord find themselves especially ready for confrontations with the other Gods.
Examples: Lightning, Hunting, Contest, Earthquakes, Epidemics
THE SPHERE OF CONSTANTS
Devoted to order and the pursuit of a universal truth, the Sphere of Constants is based around these principles. Stalwart in their faith, the Constant Gods inspire great loyalty in their subjects.
Examples: Leaders, Marriage, Mountains, Promises, Guardianship
THE SPHERE OF PERSUASION
Chasing a more subjective truth, the Sphere of Persuasion reigns over all that makes the world a more amusing place. Charismatic to a fault, the Gods of Persuasion find themselves near universally beloved.
Examples: Magic, Poetry, Music, Wine, Beauty
THE SPHERE OF KNOWLEDGE
With a knack for knowing, the Sphere of Knowledge is based around the sciences of civilization. Intuitively insightful, the Gods of Knowledge will often share their wisdoms in the spirit of cooperation.
Examples: Cities, Agriculture, Blacksmiths, Archery, Deceit
THE SPHERE OF WATERS
Ubiquitous across the planet, the Sphere of Waters touches not only the hydration, but also the weather patterns of the world. Due to the omnipresence of their element, Water Gods rarely find themselves wanting for power.
Examples: Rain, Rivers, Mist, Storms, Snow
THE SPHERE OF THE UNKNOWN
Founded from the netherworld, the Sphere of the Unknown reigns over death and the other mysteries of life. Quietly somber, the Unknown Gods have a deep connection with the afterlife.
Examples: Darkness, the Dead, Sleep, Dreams, Memories
THE SPHERE OF TIME
Drawing from the cycles of the moon, the Sphere of Time forever marks the passage of past to future. Sentient forevers, the Gods of Time are never forgotten, the always factor of an endlessly changing world.
Examples: Dawn, Calendars, Seasons, Night, Paradox
The Spheres have differing powers that will effect their Gods, as will be revealed over the game. For now, you should pick the Sphere that closest corresponds to the Domains and personality you want to play. Some Domains do not correspond clearly with a specific Sphere: Fire, for example, could belong to Creation for its life-giving qualities, or Discord for the opposite. These circumstances are left to the player’s discretion.
More important than Domain or Sphere will be the God’s creativity in deliverance. For example, a God of Calendars may seem insignificant, but he ultimately reigns over all human conception of time. At a whim, a powerful Calendar God could cast aside all distinction in time for humans, collapsing society as they know it—though a Local God who attempted this stunt would likely only cause a nuisance for record keepers and the annals of history. Creativity is key, and remember that you can affect the world outside of your Domains, but the further your desires travel from this jurisdiction, the less sway you’ll have.
Later in the game, Gods will be able to select additional Domains, enabling supplemental Spheres—we’ll cover that in more detail when we get to it. In the meantime, you’ve got the rest of your God to construct. Your finished character profile should be formatted like this:
Name: Followed by titles, if you’d like.
Sphere:
Domains: Followed by a short description of what generally these Domains covers.
Personality: A quick blurb will do… give us your archetypal characteristics and their invocations or subversions.
Worship: This is where it gets really fun. Go all out telling us your God’s preferred method of worship—where should it take place? Are there specific days that should be observed—solstices or equinoxes, seasonal markers, phases of the moon, or every other Thursday? What rituals are your worshippers supposed to undertake—are there sacrifices? What’s encouraged or forbidden among them? And how do you punish them if they fail…? This is mostly for flavor, but details like these can influence the Bookkeeper’s chronicles as well.
Relevant Symbols: Again, this is mostly just flavor, but creativity will always be rewarded in this game.
Once you’ve got all that done, your God is almost finished… all you need now is the Trump. Your Trump is an object that ties your God to the mortal world, and can range from something as majestic as a throne of marble and platinum to something as inconspicuous as a tattered rag. It’s important you keep your Trump a secret—the information should not be published with your profile, and should instead be sent to me directly (I'll remind everyone of this in a few days, when the system sees I'm not a spambot and opens my PM box). After all, if the other Gods were to discover your link to the earth, they could perhaps take advantage of you. It’s also important you remember the details of your own Trump, as such little things have a way of slipping a God’s mind. But that would never happen to you, would it…?
Completed God profiles should be posted here, and once I've approved them, you'll be introduced to the game upon the start of the next round. Ready to take the world in your hands?
But you’ll have to get there first. And you’re not alone.
Welcome to Creation.
Hey, interested people. This is a little project I’ve been kicking around for a few days now, and I think it’s about ready to launch. It’s an open game, and should be able to handle quite a sum of players, but we’ll need at least three people to start, not including myself. This is a point-based game, running on the relatively simple premise of godhood. You play as a deity, one of many, who begins as a minor Local God, but can rise to the ranks of True God over time.
Each round, these Gods are awarded a certain number of Acts—the base allocation is 2 (though this will increase over time), along with bonuses as rewards for influence over the world. This payment can also be affected with chance confluences of fortune, which will be randomly generated.
These Acts can then be spent to shape the world. To do so, the players submit their desired actions to the Bookkeeper (that’s me!) over PM, along with the Acts allotted to any action. The Bookkeeper (again, me) then determines the effectiveness of each action, and posts a summary of events at the end of the round. A round lasts one week, and the players should submit their actions to the Bookkeeper sometime in this period. Unspent Acts are saved for future rounds.
Role-playing aspects come in two varieties: first, in the way the world is slowly shaped by the Gods, as recorded by the Bookkeeper, and secondly, in the interactions between Gods. This takes place in between the Bookkeeper’s reports, and therein the Gods can seek council, solicit each other’s aid, develop rivalries… the whole pantheon shtick. Posts aren’t technically required, so long as players submit their Godlog on time (leaves of absence won’t be punished, save for the other players advancing beyond and/or taking advantage of the absentee).
So if anyone’s interested, give word. Like I said, any number of players can join (and unless proven otherwise, this rule will hold true throughout the run of the game, with should help with player decay), but we need a minimum of three to start. More info on the game system will follow in subsequent posts, should anyone like to play.
* * *
So, you want to be God? Maybe not The God, but a God, at least. Or maybe you do want to be The God, but that’ll have to wait, because you’ve got company. An entire pantheon in fact, seeking just like you to shape this world into what it should be. Where do you start? First things first, it’s important to figure out just what kind of God you are. So who are you?
Each God has certain Domains that they have regency over, which they can exert the greatest control over. For example, Poseidon was the God of the Ocean, or Thor, the God of Thunder. As a Local God, each God can have between one and three Domains to their name, but this can increase over time.
Gods can affect the world outside their Domain, but these effects will be extremely limited. Additionally, the more specific a Domain is, the greater a God can influence it. For example, a God of Lakes or Rivers would have much more sway over their chosen fields than a God of the Ocean over his. Even then, the precision of action of an Ocean God would dwarf that of a God of Water. Generally, you can think of it like this: if a Rain God and the God of All Waters clash over something rain-related, the Rain God is going to win. At the same time, a God of a Single Drop of Water is going to have a hard time influencing the world at all, so it’s important to find an appropriate middle ground between universality and specificity (some examples will be provided below).
A God also belongs to one of eleven Spheres, general groupings that categorize the Gods. The nature of the Domains should logically point to the appropriate Sphere, though a God can only have one Sphere, so there may be some compromise. A summary of the eleven Spheres of Design follow:
THE SPHERE OF CREATION
Drawing from the life-endowing force of the Sun, the Sphere of Creation is devoted to new life and rebirth. A subtle house, Gods of Creation will find the greatest long-term return for their influence over the planet.
Examples: Light, Healing, Procreation, Heroism, Hope
THE SPHERE OF FATE
Pushing luck and lives where they’re supposed to go, the Sphere of Fate influences the chaos theory of the world. Having some sway over their own fate, Gods of Fate often find elements of chance tilted in their favor.
Examples: Gates, Pathways, Wealth, Gambling, Winds
THE SPHERE OF PASSIONS
Rooted in mortal instinct, the Sphere of Passions explores the emotional spectrum of sentience, through moderation and extremity. Habitually empathetic, the Passion Gods have an easy time connecting with other Gods.
Examples: Mercy, Courage, Fear, Vengeance, Lust
THE SPHERE OF LIFE
Inspiring and always inspired by nature, the Sphere of Life has sway over the organic beings of the world. More down to earth than many of their counterparts, the Gods of Life are often more aware of the ways of their worshippers.
Examples: Felines, Avians, Reptiles, Insects, Flowers
THE SPHERE OF DISCORD
With destruction as its calling, the Sphere of Discord is devoted to the natural violence of reality. With an inclination towards conflict, the Gods of Discord find themselves especially ready for confrontations with the other Gods.
Examples: Lightning, Hunting, Contest, Earthquakes, Epidemics
THE SPHERE OF CONSTANTS
Devoted to order and the pursuit of a universal truth, the Sphere of Constants is based around these principles. Stalwart in their faith, the Constant Gods inspire great loyalty in their subjects.
Examples: Leaders, Marriage, Mountains, Promises, Guardianship
THE SPHERE OF PERSUASION
Chasing a more subjective truth, the Sphere of Persuasion reigns over all that makes the world a more amusing place. Charismatic to a fault, the Gods of Persuasion find themselves near universally beloved.
Examples: Magic, Poetry, Music, Wine, Beauty
THE SPHERE OF KNOWLEDGE
With a knack for knowing, the Sphere of Knowledge is based around the sciences of civilization. Intuitively insightful, the Gods of Knowledge will often share their wisdoms in the spirit of cooperation.
Examples: Cities, Agriculture, Blacksmiths, Archery, Deceit
THE SPHERE OF WATERS
Ubiquitous across the planet, the Sphere of Waters touches not only the hydration, but also the weather patterns of the world. Due to the omnipresence of their element, Water Gods rarely find themselves wanting for power.
Examples: Rain, Rivers, Mist, Storms, Snow
THE SPHERE OF THE UNKNOWN
Founded from the netherworld, the Sphere of the Unknown reigns over death and the other mysteries of life. Quietly somber, the Unknown Gods have a deep connection with the afterlife.
Examples: Darkness, the Dead, Sleep, Dreams, Memories
THE SPHERE OF TIME
Drawing from the cycles of the moon, the Sphere of Time forever marks the passage of past to future. Sentient forevers, the Gods of Time are never forgotten, the always factor of an endlessly changing world.
Examples: Dawn, Calendars, Seasons, Night, Paradox
The Spheres have differing powers that will effect their Gods, as will be revealed over the game. For now, you should pick the Sphere that closest corresponds to the Domains and personality you want to play. Some Domains do not correspond clearly with a specific Sphere: Fire, for example, could belong to Creation for its life-giving qualities, or Discord for the opposite. These circumstances are left to the player’s discretion.
More important than Domain or Sphere will be the God’s creativity in deliverance. For example, a God of Calendars may seem insignificant, but he ultimately reigns over all human conception of time. At a whim, a powerful Calendar God could cast aside all distinction in time for humans, collapsing society as they know it—though a Local God who attempted this stunt would likely only cause a nuisance for record keepers and the annals of history. Creativity is key, and remember that you can affect the world outside of your Domains, but the further your desires travel from this jurisdiction, the less sway you’ll have.
Later in the game, Gods will be able to select additional Domains, enabling supplemental Spheres—we’ll cover that in more detail when we get to it. In the meantime, you’ve got the rest of your God to construct. Your finished character profile should be formatted like this:
Name: Followed by titles, if you’d like.
Sphere:
Domains: Followed by a short description of what generally these Domains covers.
Personality: A quick blurb will do… give us your archetypal characteristics and their invocations or subversions.
Worship: This is where it gets really fun. Go all out telling us your God’s preferred method of worship—where should it take place? Are there specific days that should be observed—solstices or equinoxes, seasonal markers, phases of the moon, or every other Thursday? What rituals are your worshippers supposed to undertake—are there sacrifices? What’s encouraged or forbidden among them? And how do you punish them if they fail…? This is mostly for flavor, but details like these can influence the Bookkeeper’s chronicles as well.
Relevant Symbols: Again, this is mostly just flavor, but creativity will always be rewarded in this game.
Once you’ve got all that done, your God is almost finished… all you need now is the Trump. Your Trump is an object that ties your God to the mortal world, and can range from something as majestic as a throne of marble and platinum to something as inconspicuous as a tattered rag. It’s important you keep your Trump a secret—the information should not be published with your profile, and should instead be sent to me directly (I'll remind everyone of this in a few days, when the system sees I'm not a spambot and opens my PM box). After all, if the other Gods were to discover your link to the earth, they could perhaps take advantage of you. It’s also important you remember the details of your own Trump, as such little things have a way of slipping a God’s mind. But that would never happen to you, would it…?
Completed God profiles should be posted here, and once I've approved them, you'll be introduced to the game upon the start of the next round. Ready to take the world in your hands?
