For now, at least, I'm moving this project to some daily discussion of game mechanics. While it will be obvious that I'm leaning heavily on Villains & Vigilantes for these designs it's likely going to end up being a complete game on its own. I strongly recommend that you pick up the Monkey House Games V&V 2.1 for your own enjoyment; there are reasons why I recommend that one.
As an aside, there's this lovely note on the back of my copy of the Hobbit: "This paperback edition, and no other, has been published with my consent and cooperation. Those who approve of courtesy (at least) to living authors will purchase it, and no others." Fascinating historical note there.
Anyway lets take a look at how we want to structure this game. We'll start with an Introduction, which is essentially our mission statement:
New Salem: Renaissance is a super-hero role playing game designed to emulate the feel of Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli's Batman: Year 1, which was in turn emulating early super-hero and crime comics. In doing so it is aiming for a play style similar to the NSR, in which the action is player-driven, consequential, and emergent. There is no "story line" and no plot that the PCs look for to thwart the villains. The villains have already one. You're bringing the plot to them.
The city of New Salem is woefully corrupt both amongst its wealthy classes and in the existence of the Syndicate, a powerful organization tying together the city's various criminal enterprises. With the legal and law enforcement systems too compromised to protect its citizens, the player characters must act as costumed vigilantes to investigate, fight, destabilize and hopefully dismantle the Syndicate, while also reducing corruption amongst the citizenry by acting as points of light proving it is possible to fight and reform a corrupted system.
It is there job to bring a Renaissance to New Salem. It is not guaranteed. And it will not be easy.
I think that gets the basic point across.
Tomorrow we're going to tackle Alignment and Charisma, what it meant then and how we intend to use it now.
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