Concept Draft

Penny Dreadful MUSH is a game of Victorian supernatural horror, heroic adventure, and scientific romance using the True20 system. Players create intrepid adventurers of the late 19th century and, although based in London, pursue stories which take them to the farthest reaches of the globe (and beyond). Personalities from literary fiction exist in this setting alongside historical figures, and it is possible for veteran players to take on these literary fictions as characters of their own. Most stories are created by players who, acting as Narrators, guide a few of their fellow players through harrowing or amazing scenes to a dramatic climax (and rewards).

“Scientific romance” is the Victorian term for what we now call early science fiction, typified by the works of Jules Verne and HG Wells. Stories in this mode typically involve amazing inventions based on an understanding of physical laws different than our own, and can include travel to other planets, the discovery of Lost Worlds, or struggles against mad geniuses who seek to use their new inventions to terrorize mankind. The technology of the Scientific Romance often crosses over with the genre of heroic adventure in this “age of steam”; this style of story emphasizes swashbuckling melodrama, True Love, dastardly archfoes, and dashing heroes. Finally, the powers of magic and mysticism are explored by real groups like the Golden Dawn, by spiritualists and mediums, and in fiction that portrays awful monstrosities, the living dead, or Things Which Should Not Be.

No specific date is set for stories in Penny Dreadful MUSH. Instead, the setting is “Timeless Victoriana”, encompassing the second half of the 19th century. Some major events are definitively in the past (the American Civil War, for example) while others have yet to occur (the Martian Invasion), but by avoiding a specific date we allow literary and historical figures from throughout the period to appear as protagonists, supporting characters, or foes. The players are based in London but travel frequently throughout genteel Europe, to the rough and tumble Americas, the exotic Orient, the Dark Continent of Africa, the inhospitable poles, and even through space to the Moon, Venus, or Mars.

Characters can take many forms, but are at least nominally action-worthy. Supernatural and psychic talents exist and can be explored by those of intrepid spirit and keen mind. Military careers are common in a time of aggressive colonialism and new, ever more dangerous, weapons. Inventors can develop amazing engines encompassing everything from hand-held weaponry to fantastic vehicles. Many new inventions have already become fairly common in the setting of Penny Dreadful, and are available to adventurers with the resources (or pluck) to acquire them. (Player inventors can add their own patents to this catalog, ensuring their fortune and everlasting fame.) Limited super-human characteristics can appear in characters, but will be narrowly defined and single-purpose. Non-human characters (animals surgically altered to human shape, re-animated corpses , mechanical men) are rare but extant, and generally not as competent as ordinary mortals. After playing Penny Dreadful for a time, players have the option to apply for a literary character from the period; these characters are created using Mutants and Masterminds. They do not rise in skill or competence once created and players who have them are expected to act as Narrators, creating stories for other players to enjoy. The primary way most players interact with literary charactes from the period is when these characters appear in stories as non-player villains.

While some stories are designed and Narrated by Penny Dreadful’s staff, this is not the emphasis of the game. (Staff Narrators exist to ensure a minimum level of activity on the game, and their stories are differentiated not by scope or setting-impact but by access to secrets not known to the general player base.) Instead, effort is made to provide a large toolbox of antagonists, rewards, and story guidelines which make it easy for players to create and narrate stories for their fellow players. These stories require approval from an experienced Narrator, who checks to ensure the antagonists and rewards are appropriate to the level of the player characters. Once complete, the story is posted in a public place, and it becomes a part of the ever-growing world of Penny Dreadful MUSH.

Game Concept

Over a week ago, when we first mentioned doing a Western, I figured out an exchange rate for 1870 dollars and a way of finding Purchase DCs for 1800s era equipment in the True20/M&M system. After some more exploration, it looks like those numbers are going to work just fine for us at PDMUX, though I will also supply notes on converting $ to pounds and shillings. The economics may require a bit more testing, but it is in a workable state right now.

I intend today to sketch out a draft of the game concept: a brief essay which describes the game we are making and the sort of adventures people will have in it. Until Dee returns from his nautical excursion, this will be a draft text, and I will encourage all of you to suggest changes, additions, or removals in order to get us to a game we are all excited about. This concept essay will be our "Charter" if you will, the target to which we all are aiming.

In other to-do notes: rules for new inventions, and character packages for those who a) want to play a former animal, surgically altered into semi-human shape at the hands of Dr. Moreau (or a PC with enough skill); b) want to play a person assembled out of corpses and animated at the hands of a Frankenstein (or a PC with enough skill), or c) Mechanical Men. These packages may not work out; they may be unbalanced. But True20 is a pretty flexible system and since M&M lies underneath it there is some leeway. My intention is to make packages which are, if anything, substandard to normal human characters, thus ensuring that the monsters that result are both rare, and selected by players for their RP value rather than any min/max ability.