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Fatemaster Friday - Wyrd Inspiration


Kimberly

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Heya Breachers!

The discussion topic for last week’s article was surprising moments in play for your players. Here’s what @stump_chunkman shared with us!

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I ran a game where a Fated  (@Thepolishammer83) made a date with another NPC, a tall woman with a harpoon launcher and sharp teeth. Unbeknownst to the group, they killed a powerful other character with ties to the Cult of December during a train heist. Well, turns out you might get stood up for your big date if you kill your would-be girlfriend's sister. Surprise! Your romance is now your nemesis!

Sometimes, inspiration for a session or campaign just hits you, but what to do when you’re struggling for inspiration? Say you’ve got the itch to start on your game’s next session, but you’ve just finished an storyarc and you don’t know where they should go next. Perhaps you want to add some Fatemaster Characters that are inspired by history, or want to add some new threats or locations to your games. Well, let’s talk about some of my favorite ways to generate inspiration for TTB

One of the most fascinating parts of the ‘Fauxverse is the references to real world historical facts, literature, music, and more. For example, many in our community have made the correlation between Malifaux’s Phiona Gage and the very real Phineas Gage. Why not take this same approach to your games, and interject some of the stranger parts of history or other real world inspiration into your TTB games! Looking to history, music, movies/television and other media for inspiration can give you that little extra push you need when facing Fatemaster’s Block.

Did you know that the US Army had a Camel Calvary for a short time? Could you imagine what a trip through the breach might do to those animals? And what would happen if some unwary Fated encountered some creatures that used to be camels in The Badlands of Malifaux? Or maybe you want to make Fatemaster Character based on Charles Edward Boles (aka Black Bart), who leaves poetic messages at the scene of each heist for the Fated to find. Or maybe you borrow elements from your favorite spaghetti western, or Victorian drama for descriptions of places. The ‘Fauxverse is a strange place that can have some interesting parallels to the real world history.

When I’m searching for inspiration, I tend to search out strange and interesting facts about history and use that as a jumping point for my own ideas. If I wanted to bring the “First Emperor of America” Norton I into my TTB game, I’d likely make him an Outcast or an Arcanist. Perhaps instead of Emperor of America, he’s declared himself Emperor of Malifaux. The ramifications of such a statement could lead to a really fun adventure for your players. Perhaps he hires the Fated for a job, and they have to deal with this eccentric man as they try to complete the assignment!

History and media are filled with unique and fun elements to throw into your TTB games, and with a bit of research and planning you can interject some excellent weirdness into your homebrew games. This week, I want to know what real world inspiration you’ve drawn from for your games? Are there any weird history facts you’re itching to add to your games?

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Malifaux has a certain Wild West vibe (duh!): ghost towns, great railroad building, pioneers, gold rush, badlands...
After reading snippets of Earthside lore (mostly taken from Malifaux and older TTB books) I had an impression that in-game United States were weak and deplorable country, not a rising economical and naval power we know from real world history.

I assumed that  all the energy, manpower and resources that were spent on colonization of the Wild West in real world, in 'faux verse were redirected  to both attempts of establishing settlement in Malifaux.

There was another wild, promised land full of riches and dangers, one much more impactful for a history of my region than the Wild West. I am talking about Siberia. I assumed that, like in the Wild West scenario, most resources and manpower spent on development of Siberia were sent through the Breach instead.

One of my players created a Fated character, who was a Polish activist with plans of politically unifying Polish convicts sent to Guild mines.

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3 hours ago, Pikciwok said:

Malifaux has a certain Wild West vibe (duh!): ghost towns, great railroad building, pioneers, gold rush, badlands...
After reading snippets of Earthside lore (mostly taken from Malifaux and older TTB books) I had an impression that in-game United States were weak and deplorable country, not a rising economical and naval power we know from real world history.

I assumed that  all the energy, manpower and resources that were spent on colonization of the Wild West in real world, in 'faux verse were redirected  to both attempts of establishing settlement in Malifaux.

There was another wild, promised land full of riches and dangers, one much more impactful for a history of my region than the Wild West. I am talking about Siberia. I assumed that, like in the Wild West scenario, most resources and manpower spent on development of Siberia were sent through the Breach instead.

One of my players created a Fated character, who was a Polish activist with plans of politically unifying Polish convicts sent to Guild mines.

I love this! Pull from what's impactful and meaningful to you and your players! A+

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Thanks, Kimberly. :)

I knew about Norton I thanks to Neil Gaiman's graphic novel, but I've never planned to incorporate him into Malifaux session... until now. Personally, I would use this Don Quixote-like character partly as a comic relief, of course, but my main goal would not be ridiculing him. Instead, I would like to show him as a harmless lunatic with a great dose of dignity, as well as compassion and high ethical standards. He could be in stark contrast to pragmatic and cynical leadership of the Guild and the Union. Imagine a semi-political campaign, like In Defense of Innocence or Northern Aggression with Norton I in it. I know my players would have a good laugh, at first. Later on, they may experience an unease knowing that all the real politicians in adventures are in many ways lesser persons than a lunatic. Maybe my players would experience a bittersweet epiphany that decency and compassion can be only found in a soul  detached from reality. I could also tempt them to start supporting Norton I, though my players are to smart to fall pray to that - after all, he may be a decent person, but he's still insane.

* * *
Another history-inspired idea: a detective occult crime story featuring Ressurectionist's artefact, infamous Hand of Glory , inspired by the murder on the Wychbury Hill .

 

 
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My very first major story arc involved several well-educated fans of Tesla attempting to make his wireless electricity transmission idea work by using the spirit world as a medium (which mostly resulted in a lot of ghosts getting riled up because they kept getting electrocuted). 

A shorter story involved two engineers working on a visual equivalent of the aethervox; both of whom were based on actual inventors (Alan Archibald Campbell-Swinton and Boris Rosing) who made a big step towards the television.  

Not run it yet, but I'm planning a story in which a famous French composer pays a visit to Malifaux and then disappears:  "The Abduction of Claude Debussy".

 

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