Law Dog Posted August 19, 2016 Report Share Posted August 19, 2016 Hello! I am starting up a new TtB campaign soon, and one player rolled the special event where their character was kidnapped as a baby and raised as a Neverborn (Pulled a Red Joker.) The other players thought it was a cool idea and wanted to know if their characters could be similar,and have hit upon the idea of playing as a group of Fated Neverborn working to bring about the supremacy of one of the Tyrants (which has yet to be decided.) Has anyone run a game along these lines? I'm not opposed to it, and I think it could be really cool, but I'm worried that it may give one or two of the players a chance to derail things by killing everything in sight and generally being jerks because "Hey, we're evil at heart." I know the Neverborn are definitely not two-dimensional cardboard cut outs of villains, but any tips you guys might have for how to run a game this way would be appreciated! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampers&nd Posted August 19, 2016 Report Share Posted August 19, 2016 one of my players is neverborn, and recently another pretty much threw his lot in with them too. It works for me because they are both more subtle players- think lucius or lynch rather than Lilith or collodi. Point out to them that even the most powerful neverborn move incognito amongst humans most of the time and let them feel more like Machiavellian conspirators rather than action movie thugs. If that doesn't work remind them that any overt neverborn aggression gets dealt with by The Ortega's on the one hand, and by Lilith if it isn't part of the 'plan'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Bear Posted August 19, 2016 Report Share Posted August 19, 2016 I'm particularly interested to see From Nightmares and rules for playing the Twisted (black blood corrupted humans like Angel Eyes and Tuco). I imagine there will be more material coming for that sort of game, but probably not fast enough to help your new group! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Law Dog Posted August 19, 2016 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2016 11 hours ago, Ampers&nd said: one of my players is neverborn, and recently another pretty much threw his lot in with them too. It works for me because they are both more subtle players- think lucius or lynch rather than Lilith or collodi. Point out to them that even the most powerful neverborn move incognito amongst humans most of the time and let them feel more like Machiavellian conspirators rather than action movie thugs. If that doesn't work remind them that any overt neverborn aggression gets dealt with by The Ortega's on the one hand, and by Lilith if it isn't part of the 'plan'. I'm hoping for that kind of game! One of the players tends to lets his wish fulfillment get a little out of hand when he plays, but he's a good guy outside of gaming and I'd feel bad not inviting him. :/ Judging by how he's played "evil" characters in Pathfinder, I can see him getting out of hand quickly. I put "evil" in quotes as I know that the Tyrants and most of the Neverborn fit the descriptions of evil, but I wanted to put in a custom Tyrant that is neither good nor evil and call it Legacy. Legacy takes the form of a giant carnivorous book whenever it is summoned and its goal is to make sure that Malifaux lives on, no matter what the cost may be. This means occasionally be proactive and foiling the plots of the Resurrectionists, Arcanists, and others, though at the same time hammering down on those that try to change Malifaux to be different than it always was. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampers&nd Posted August 19, 2016 Report Share Posted August 19, 2016 that's a cool idea:) gives lots of scope fir plot hooks, remember it doesn't need to a tyrant, there are plenty of other powerful entities out there (buggy, riders, emissaries etc). And in general the neverborn want the tyrants destroyed rather than helping them (except nytemare, who seems to have a permanent hall pass) as for the potentially out of hand player, Ove had one of those in other systems, one trick I've found working is giving them some sort of geaes or moral rule as a character flaw, one that can rein in their worst aspects, (for instance- if he's prone to getting too killy give him an attack trigger he must take that causes him damage if the victim is innocent/unarmed etc, representing an inner spirit tortuting him to be 'good', balance it out with a second trigger giving bonus damage against 'evil' to keep him interested.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Law Dog Posted August 20, 2016 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2016 Ooh, that's a good point! And Legacy could be left as a mystery as to what it really is. Is it a Tyrant? Is it a Neverborn? Is it something else? Thank you for the help! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parker Barrows Posted August 23, 2016 Report Share Posted August 23, 2016 On 8/19/2016 at 8:20 AM, Cinnamon Bear said: I'm particularly interested to see From Nightmares and rules for playing the Twisted (black blood corrupted humans like Angel Eyes and Tuco). I imagine there will be more material coming for that sort of game, but probably not fast enough to help your new group! I think Twisted is the general term for Neverborn Fated. Human-who-became-Neverborn is just one kind. At least, that's my understanding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfpact Posted August 23, 2016 Report Share Posted August 23, 2016 ...I'm confused... I thought as a general rule the Neverborn opposed the Tyrants? And honestly, though they do some awful things, from my (limited) lore understanding the Neverborn aren't exactly unjustified in taking umbrage with humanity invading, after what they've suffered through. (That could be my bias as a lover of the faction, but that sad history was a draw in the first place. Unless the lore shifted from the 1E stories, Vik and the Doppelganger, etc.?) That'd be my angle to push - that the 'Born are inhuman but definitely (with a few exceptions) are not thinking of themselves as evil or doing awful things for no point but 'the evulz'. A band of dark heroes, nobly fighting to repel the invasive thieves and tyrants from another dimension who have set out to steal away a home they've suffered dearly to free from the tyranny of mad demon-god-kings... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Loki- Posted August 23, 2016 Report Share Posted August 23, 2016 Yeah, Neverborn generally oppose the Tyrants. Some work with them either unknowingly (speculation is Pandoras Box is the prison for Despair) or cautiously (the Neverborn work with Nytmare whom some suspect as being a Tyrant). Actively working to help them gain power seems at odds with the games fiction though. Remember, a powerful being doesn't need to be a Neverborn or a Tyrant. For example, there's the Hungering Darkness, who is not a Tyrant or Neverborn, but has been around for as long and is working with some Neverborn to spread its influence. Legacy could simply be like this, a powerful, non-Tyrant entity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parker Barrows Posted August 23, 2016 Report Share Posted August 23, 2016 I don't think there's a problem with some Neverborn serving a Tyrant. Sure, the vast majority do not, but there's always the possibility some wind up being turned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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