IC: Pool of Radiance or Space Opera
So, the itch to GM hit me again after quite some time. I have two well developed settings I could run, and I'd like your help, gentle reader, to give me direciton. In any case, the game will not start before late August. My posting rate should vary between twice weekly to once per day.
Option 1. Pool of Radiance (aka Ruins of Adventure), modeled more closely on the computer game version than the tabletop version, with tidbits from prior iterations of running this thrown in for fun.
If you're not familiar with the setting, here's the usual pitch:
Forgotten Realms, northern coast of Moonsea. The ancient trade city of Phlan has fallen into impoverished ruin. Humans have only started to reconquer the monster-infested city, and for now control only a small portion of it. The city council of New Phlan has decided to recruit adventurers to drive the monsters from the neighboring ruins. Using bards and publications, they spread tales of the riches waiting to be recovered in Phlan, which draws the players' characters to these shores by ship...
The plan is to have a pool of player characters that can mix and match for individual missions, with 3-6 player characters (plus henchmen and hirelings) on a single mission.
Question for the prospective players:
System?
1) AD&D 2nd edition, PHB only, without proficiencies and optional rules
2) AD&D 2nd edition, with all the books except C&T
3) Searchers of the Unknown
4) D&D 5th, PHB only (because I don't have the other books)
Lethality?
1) I'm a big softie :(
2) Hirelings and henchmen die first :>
3) I'll use a henchman to continue :/
4) My character lives and dies by the dice :D
Humanity?
1) Human-centric with a sprinkle of demihumans
2) Allow demihuman PCs
3) Allow monstrous PC races
Combat?
1) Streamline - players write intentions and roll for several turns in advance
2) Exact - map and turn-by-turn play
3) Somewhere in between
Option 2. Space Opera! Based on Emporex. Here, there are untold billions of humans living throughout the Universe. Systems of time-keeping have come and gone; some humans evolved further (or regressed farther) than the gentle reader can appreciate. This is a "and the kitchen sink too" setting, inspirations coming mainly from Dune and Star Wars (though human-centric). PCs belong to one of the four noble houses fighting over a newly opened sector in space. Characters have access to technology advanced to the point of magic, the planets they visit are based on tropes (desert planet, amazon planet, prison planet...), and action builds towards the great war where there is only one winning noble house. There are other House matters to think of, alliances to upkeep, obligations to place and honour...
The game runs on something similar to AD&D/Stars Without Number, but I'm open to suggestions.
Questions:
Lethality?
1) I'm a big softie :(
2) Hirelings and henchmen die first :>
3) I'll use a henchman to continue :/
4) My character lives and dies by the dice :D
Scale?
1) Keep it sword-and-planet sized
2) Occasionally commanding regiments is fine
3) Planets shatter under my PC's thumb
Focus?
1) All on my PC
2) I want to play multiple connected characters
Combat?
1) Streamline - players write intentions and roll for several turns in advance
2) Exact - map and turn-by-turn play
3) Somewhere in between
Which option sounds more appealing?
Thank you for your time!
