So I actually was thinking a bit about the whole Grail War in Cross Effects thing, and randomly came up with a concept that might actually be pretty cool. ...Also, forgive me if this OP initially comes off as a jumbled mess, this is more of the Drafting Phase thread than anything, plus I'm stupid enough to write this when half conscious. So here it goes anyway!
So yeah, Grail War RPs. They happen. But one thing I honestly think they could benefit from is some good old fashioned player cooperation beyond the whole allies thing. Honestly, the whole thing with Servant and Master teams being played by the same person or one being played by the player while the other being played by the GM removes something of a more... interesting element of the whole concept in my eyes. So here's my brilliant idea that according to Mike actually happened before in the distant past but I wasn't there to see that so eh.
Each Master and Servant on an individual team is controlled by separate players, forcing the two to collaborate and cooperate with each other in order to win the Grail. Means of course will need to be devised to get around the sheer number of players needed, but yeah. That's it. And it's honestly one small difference that I think will make things *much* more interesting.
Details and stuff? I'll let you guys chime in on that. I don't think it's a good idea to specify a War or even a Brand Spanking New Free Form War without general details being hammered out first. I'll update the OP with various details, such as who'd be up for GMing, more solid ideas as to how this will all work, etc. It's fairly ambitious and big, but hey, with how well Cross Effects is apparently working out, why not? Could be worth a shot.
Established things:
GM: Arch-Magos Winter
Players:
Alice
Daiki
Cherry Lover
Milbunk
Soldat der Trauer
Nachos
Elf
Lycodrake
Ambiguous_Ayakashi
Mooncake
Servant Class Availability:
Saber: Open
Archer: Taken
Lancer: Taken
Rider: Taken
Caster: Open
Berserker: Open
Assassin: Taken
Master Slots:
There are 3 Master slots remaining.
Rules Stuff:
OK, some basic rules updates -
>Non-Hassan assassins allowed.
>Berserker and his/her Master will likely be played by the same person, and I'm considering allowing the same person to play a master/servant pair that isn't this. Or I'll play Berserker. Either way.
>First come first served for Master slots; once those are all gone they are all gone. We've got three people who've submitted Master sheets. Better move fast if you want one.
Settings Stuff:
And now a little setting information.
Basically - shit got real during WWII. The War scheduled during that time (the third war) went off without a hitch, despite the possible threat of a theft of the grail. And so the three families breathed a sigh of relief... only to have it blow up in their faces in 1946. The American occupation of Japan was a time of chaos and confusion among many Japanese magi, and the Tohsaka were no exception. So when a group of American magi managed to steal the grail, it wasn't noticed for a good twenty years - enough time for the group to set the ritual up in another location. The panicked families attempted nearly every route possible to discover its resting place, but the secret had died with the men who'd moved the grail. And what a location it was.
The North American West had always been a spot relatively untouched by the magus association. Possessing little to no authority over these magi on the very edge of their domain, the Association's basic system of power, the Second Owner model, was rarely in place in many western cities. As such, they became havens for renegades and Sealing Designates, families forced out of their dominions, and other assorted scum of the magical world. And it was here that the Grail was repurposed.
The Black Hills have always been a hotbed of spiritual power, and unclaimed leylines. In fact, similar to Fuyuki, a ley line convergence of significant spiritual power was found within it, the perfect home for the ritual to be transplanted. This convergence point centers on Mount Rushmore, a national monument and symbolic structure of America itself. A lucky circumstance lead to the rediscovery of the grail, fifteen years after the ritual was supposed to have taken place. The transplant delayed the War, but with five years left on the clock before the ritual would trigger again, the rush began.
That was nearly five years ago.
This is the siren call of the west. This is the clash of heroes on soil none of them tread before. This is the Fourth Heavens Feel, and who ever wins, one thing is certain - this will not end the struggle over this miracle.
Einzberns - Currently going crazy looking for someone to throw their weight behind that will actually give them the grail and or they can easily betray and not have anyone give a shit about that.
Matou - Depending on what happens here, we could go several ways. I was thinking the family actually recovered, after some members managed to slip out of Zouken's control and flee to Sanfran. So we've got two 'Matou' familys' - the zouken controlled japanese branch, and the Makari branch, the exiles. There's also a few family members hailing from Eastern Europe, but that's besides the point.
Tohsaka - Pretty much nothing has changed, in many ways (Kariya is still beta even in an alternate universe). Their ego took a major hit, but as they arguably 'won' the last grail war (And got a Finnish waifu out of it) they aren't all that concerned really. Rin's currently tearing it up in the Clock Tower. Sakura's a schoolteacher. Never heard about magic, doesn't even know her husband is a magi.
Kirei - Was dispatched to the Mount Rushmore area. He's not currently acting as a priest.
Kiritsugu- He lost a leg to a landmine in Cambodia about five years ago. The magus community breathed a collective sigh of relief when they heard he was retiring. Maiya though is... an unknown. Nobody is sure where she is. Kerry isn't saying either.
Uryuu- He ended up caught by the MP's on an army base he managed to perform his last bit of art on. He hung.
Waver- Last time anyone heard from him, it was in Chicago. He's made a name for himself a bit actually, as a freelance alchemist.
Shirou- He's not a full on magus, but he's not like he was in F/SN. Practices in Fuyuki. Without the fire, he's... actually done rather well for himself. He's currently a store owner of a bike shop - motorbike.
Bazett- She's... an unknown. Even to me, I'm not sure what's happened to her. She's still an enforcer though.
The city this will take place is Rapid City, Ohio. For an non-'Muricans and any 'Muricans that want to get more familiar with the place, here's a wiki link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapid_City,_South_DakotaSheets:
Alright, Master Sheet Time.
Name:
Gender:
Age:
Origin:
Affinity:
Magical Tradition:
Now the next stats go from A to E. You start at D for each one (Except for Crest Generation, which goes down to F and starts at C, and Master Potential which starts at E), and get 5 points to distribute. Each rank up costs one point. You can take away from starting stats for extra points. It costs one point to increase each attribute.
Circuit Quantity:
Circuit Quality:
Master Potential:
Crest (Generation):
Circuit Quality and Quantity dictate your potential as a magus - along with Crest . The higher your Crest, the more prestige your character has in the magical world, and the more family specific spells you have access to. For a price (one point) you can also choose a Sorcery Trait for your master. For another point, you can choose a nonstandard element (One that isn't one of the following: Fire, Earth, Wind, Water, Spirit, Metal) or a second of the standard.
Every point of Master Potential gives you a chance of increasing a Servant attribute.
So for example, you could have the following stat spread -
Circuit Quantity: C
Circuit Quantity: C
Crest: C
Master Potential: C
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So we can do a fun RPing thing together and have all this stuff hammered out ahead of time.