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The Play By E-Mail Rules Sections:
- The Brood: the Legacy Play by E-Mail
- The Comics
- Who are the Brood?
- MEGS Role-Playing Game
- Rules for the PBEM
is a planned, long-running campaign Play By E-Mail (PBEM) role- playing game (RPG), designed to last longer than a year. It is based in my personal, long running supers RPG world. The starting storyline and player character creation guidelines can be accessed by pressing the "New Character" button to your left.
The Brood PBEM uses the MEGS Role Playing system (DC Heroes, 3rd Edition rules or the new Blood of Heroes game from Pulsar Games). If you are unfamilar with these rules you may not enjoy the game as much as you might.
DC stands for Detective Comics. Marvel, of course, stands for Marvel Comics. DC Comics characters include Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Justice League of America and The Legion of Super-Heroes. Marvel Comics characters include Spiderman, the Hulk, the X-Men and the Avengers. If you are not at least marginally familiar with the characters from these comics lines, you might not have as much amusement in this PBEM as others.
At the start of things, even they don't know. However, the player characters will soon discover that at some time in the past, a brilliant scientist collected samples of genetic material from several prominent super powered beings. This scientist then experimented, combining the material in various ways, generating synthetic super beings. The players are the fruits of the scientist's labors.
The players start in the abandoned and sealed laboratory the scientist used as his sanctuary, deep in the bowels of Wundagore mountain. Little by little, they will piece together the clues that will give them a view of the world and their place in it. Hopefully, this will all happen before they are called on to prevent the end of all humanity.
MEGS is one of the best systems for roleplaying super-heroes that exists. You can learn about the current incarnation of the game system at Pulsar Games, Inc. who produce the current "Blood of Heroes" super heroic role playing game.
Player Requirements:
- Players must be Dedicated.
- This means that responding to each turn, even if to say "I am not
going to do anything" is required. 3 turns passing without a response
elicits a warning each missed turn. After the 4th missed turn in a
row, the player is ejected.
- Players need not be familiar with DC or Marvel comics history, or with the DCH RPG, but it will probably be more fun if they are.
- Each Player is not to be rude to the other Players
- Each Player should obey the game rules.
The Brood: the Legacy PBEM will be played in "Turns. There are two types of Turns, REGULAR Turns and COMBAT Turns.
Regular Turns:
REGULAR Turns run for an amount of time equal to SEVEN DAYS from
the start of the turn (GM's posting of the current situation). A
Character should try to do as much as he
or she can in this one REGULAR turn. This not only speeds up play, it
allows more things to happen in the turn itself. Some of the things that
can happen in a REGULAR Turn include:
- character conversation
- travelling and moving around
- giving things to others
- looking down corridors/examining objects
- initiating combat
- healing self/others
- doing stuff
If someone responds early in a Regular Turn, the other players may base their actions off of the early player, and the early player is allowed to respond in kind.
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eg: Ambrose sends out a message stating that he will
walk boldly down the corridor. Redshift sends out a message
saying she will do the same, and maybe attempt to hold Ambrose's
hand at the same time. Ambrose is allowed to send out a message
where he whispers "This is not the time" to Redshift. Redshift
may respond by shunning Ambrose. And this can all happen before
the 7 days of a REGULAR Turn have passed.
When asked, the GM will give immediate responses when applicable. For example:
-
My initial description: "You all see an idol at the end
of the corridor..."
Damien responds "Can you describe the idol further? It affects what I will do this turn."
My response (before 7 days pass) "It has a golden hue and it looks like a squat figure, vaguely humanoid, with a sort of bulbouos head and there seem to be squiggly things from the head, maybe tentacles or something."
Damien's next message (before 7 days pass): "I go up to the idol"
My response (before 7 days...) "You're just going up to it then. You will have to wait till next turn to see what's going on."
Damien's first message is obviously necessary. His second message is going to get a reply next turn (obviously). Damien would have been better off saying (as his second response):
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"I'm going up to the idol and if no one objects, I will shoot it
with my energy blast and scream 'BLASPHEMOUS DEMON!" at the top
of my lungs. If anything shoots at me, I dodge!"
That's a nice and descriptive action for a turn, it sets the stage in case of the unexpected: "If anything shoots at me, I dodge". But, I prefer that players aid in keeping up the story atmosphere, so turn responses should be written in third person. The best way to write Damien's response (above) would be:
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"Damien walks up to the idol, his hands glowing. He eyes the statue with
an unparalled hatred, and then, with blur, his arms shoot up and a beam
of destructive energy waftes out. The climbing angel screams 'Blasphemous
demon!!!" at the top of his lungs." NOTE: If anything shoots at me, I dodge.
or
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"Rock notices that Ambrose is feeding his face with the delictable treat
he was aiming for. Instead, he swings out with both arms in an attempt to beat him
senseless (Charging Attack), screaming 'Stop eating my pie!'."
NOTE: I take some liberties with the turns in order to keep a consistant and interesting story. This will turn out more like a story than an RPG. Anything I actually *force* your character do (such as Frosti saying something in a Turn Summary) is how *I* interpret your character's reaction. If my actions are incorrect, please go ahead and change the story to your liking so that it fits with your interpretation, and mail the response to the appropriate recipients. Also realize that anything that *I* make your character do is automatically successful. If *you* do it, I'm going to roll the dice if it's necessary. Please feel free to correct me at any time.
Combat Turns:
There are two types of Combat Turns, the FIRST Combat Turn and
standard Combat Turns. The time between the last Regular Turn and the
FIRST Combat Turn will be 7 days (for orientation purposes). Afterwards,
each Combat Turn will be the length of FOUR DAYS from the sending of
the FIRST Combat Turn. Each message will be dated.
Initiative and Default Actions:
Every Combat Turn, the GM will give out a list of Initiatives, and that will be the order comabt will occur in. Combat will be fast and furious. If you miss a Combat turn, I will assume you are either Doing Nothing, or Performing your Default Action. On the FIRST Combat Turn, you should always send a messsage stating what your Default Action will be in case you miss a Combat Turn for any reason. Default Actions can change at the Player's whim.
Automatic Actions, and Dice Actions:
Each Character is given three actions each Combat Turn, consisting of
one Dice Action and two Automatic Actions, which can be used in any
combination.
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An Automatic Action is any action, such as movement or giving
vocal orders, or grabbing an axe off of the wall, that does not
require a roll. Only one Automatic Action each Turn can be used
for movement of any sort (flying, jumping, running, etc...).
A Dice Action is any action that requires a die to be rolled. This is usually an attack action, but could be used for perception or healing oneself. If anything warrants a Dice Action, the GM will roll it himself. If you will be performing a Dice Action in a specific turn, please tell me beforehand if you want to spend Hero Points on it and if so, how? (On the AV, EV, OV, or RV?) One Hero Point equals one point of each value.
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Typical AV values are either your numerical amount (APs) of a specific
Power such as Energy Blast: 5 (APs = 5, AV = 5), or your Dexterity Attribute.
Typical EV values are either your Strength or your APs of your attacking Power.
Typical OV values are Dexterity or any defensive values such as the Dodge Skill.
Typical RV values are Body and/or Defensive Powers such as Force Field and Skin
Armor.
Actions are declared before combat begins, but if your action is nullified by anyone else's action, you lose your action. If you declared an Action, and it gets nullified, you go to Default Action (if you declared on earlier). For Example:
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Turn order is Hotshot, Evil Platapus, and Damien.
Hotshot has decided to shoot at the Evil Platapus. Damien
does the same. Hotshot shoots first and hits Evil Platapus.
Evil Platapus's turn consists of wadling away. Since Hotshot's
blast wasn't enough to incapacitate Platapus, Platapus wadles as
far as he can, which is beyond the range of Damien's shot. Damien's
turn has been nullified because Platapus has gone beyond the
range of his power. Damien does not take a shot. Damien's
Default Action was to set up a Mystic Shield, so he does so now, even if it
is not necessary.
NOTE: Please do not assume that since you as a Player may have a specific skill, that your Character does as well. This has come up before.
Response Messages to Turns should be sent to a variety of addresses, depending on the type of response and what Characters can witness the actions.
NOTE: If a Player misses responding for 3 Turns in a row, he/she will be removed from the game.
Every character will be sectioned into a Group whose contents depend upon which other characters are nearby. For each Turn, there will be a list made of what Groups exists and of who is in which Group. Messages sent to your group are considered Public. Other messages are considered Private and should just be sent to the Gamemaster. The Gamemaster will control how messages and what messages get sent to the Lurkers. Feel free to forward responses to them.
Examples of Public responses include:
- Asking a group question or "normal question"
ie: "What does the idol look like?" - Posting something that you want to do publically
ie: "I am going to shoot my energy blast at the Daxamite and then run over to the victim and ask if he needs any help." - Posting a general message
ie: "Anyone live in the Detroit area?"
or "My origin is to be from the planet Wynath, anyone else want to be my characer's twin?"
Private responses could consist of the following:
- Obviously personal moves
ie: "I'm going to stab Damien in the back if I can" - Private Character questions
ie: "If I'm going to betray the group, would now be a good time?"
ie: "How do my secret Mob connections work?"
Other Types of Posts:
- Do not post any chain letters or I will kick you out no matter how important the chain letter may seem to you (this includes "Virus Warnings")
- Jokes that relate to the game are appropriate.
- General Announcements of a Personal Nature are acceptable.
If you would like to join as a Lurker (either because the game fills up or you just prefer things that way), you may do so by sending an E-Mail to Uncle Dave requesting addition. Lurkers can join the game as a New Player on a First Come/First Served basis when openings occurr.
Lurkers are not allowed to post to the game or respond to turns.