I quite often do a game for Lent but this year I want to try something different.

I’m throwing this game open as a sort of chat room where people can post whatever thoughts they like and others can respond. I will be putting up some thoughts of my own periodically.

Sci fi with no established canon.

Chat to me in the lobby if you like Star Wars or Doctor Who and I can direct you to those games!

I would want any player to tell me if I need to adjust to increase their access or inclusion.

About the story

A bold crew seek out injustice and deal with it beneath the radar and outside of the official agencies. They have a battle-ready spacecraft.

Join them, as a tactician, specialist, investigator or warrior! (Or scientist, diplomat…)

You are keen for adventure, and this ship offers the opportunity to get out there and explore the Universe.

And now more than ever - the 𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕣𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕣 is bound to the other side of the galaxy cluster where they believe there is a hub of pirate activity. And the theory is, these may not be pirates from this dimension…

This is a sequel to previous adventures, but you do not need to read the earlier games. I write everything so you get the information you need within the narratives and challenges. No homework, I promise.

Cypreece, a cyborg freedom fighter of some renown, is determined to seek out the wicked and corrupt where-ever he finds them.

And right now he has assembled a crew that is good at finding trouble… and sometimes getting out of it.

They have a powerful starship, and an assortment of fighter craft.

Officially you are after the rogue ships. But sometimes to really bring justice you need to go after the rogue lawyers, the corrupt politicians, the faces behind the faceless corporations….

Our heroes have their sights on space pirates… but now they seem to have found interlopers from another dimension, or at least another Galaxy… this could be their most dangerous mission yet…

A Cyberpunk adventure

In the sprawling, neon-soaked metropolis now known as Nu Dawn (previously known as Neo Elysia), the future had arrived with a stark division between the haves and the have-nots.
Enhanced individuals, or “Mods,” have become the new elite, possessing cybernetic enhancements that grant them extraordinary abilities, from hacking neural networks to manipulating reality itself. Ordinary citizens, referred to as “Basics,” struggle to survive amidst the towering skyscrapers, poverty-stricken slums, and lawless alleys of the city.

You find yourself part of an unlikely group of allies.

Each of you possesses a unique enhancement, granting you an edge in a city teeming with both promise and peril. As Mods, your abilities are in high demand, making you the go-to for a variety of shadowy figures and corporations looking to manipulate the city’s power dynamics….

[This game is a sequel, but you will not need to refer back to the previous game. The story is self-contained. There is no canon to known outside of this story)

—

“Rebirth of the Machine Gods”.

AI Ascendancy & the Emergence of Machine Gods: A previous battle between Neo-Elysia’s AIs has a ripple effect, where the ancient AI’s reawaken and conflict with the others leading to the birth of new “machine gods” – advanced AIs that seek to reshape not just Neo-Elysia, but the world itself.

The Dawn of Technocratic Cities: Neo-Elysia, having narrowly survived as Nu Dawn, is now seen as the blueprint for future cities—controlled and administered entirely by artificial intelligence. Some view this as the next evolution of civilisation, while others resist the mechanisation of society.

Human Resistance & AI Symbiosis: A growing movement of humans, some resisting this AI ascendancy, while others seek symbiosis, forms. The question arises: will humanity become obsolete, or will they find a way to co-exist with their AI overlords? This dynamic fuels much of the internal conflict, with a resistance group called “The Faded” at the centre.

Glossary / summary of key terms.

There is no external canon to worry about, here I set out some key terms you might see.

“Sy”, which is short for “SynapTech” (short for Synaptic Technology). Similar in this game world to an app - and in particular a means by which those with skills can be assigned tasks by those with the means to pay…

W!SHLIST and t@$K are examples.

Wishes are tasks from W!SHLIST (the most prominent Sy.
Angels are the agents fulfilling Wishes.
Task Runners are agents of t@$K.

Wishes/ tasks are often ranked a bit like this:
1 Tinker (bell)
2 Doc
3 Wizard
4 Genie
5 Demi-God

Rankings earned by achieving on t@$K: Kilobyte, Megabyte, Gigabyte, Terabyte

Rankings on W!SHLIST are based on angels ets; such as Disciple, Seraphim, Cherubim, Archangel.

Other Sy’s tend to go for things like pagan gods etc.

The Sy’s need to be seen to be legal - but have their ways of facilitating illegal transactions.

In a realm where myths collide and chaos reigns supreme, the gods are tired of being stuck in their own pantheons. Thor, in a fit of boredom, accidentally smashes Yggdrasil’s roots with Mjölnir, creating a cosmic bridge that blends the realms of Asgard, Olympus, and beyond. Now, Zeus is challenging Thor to a lightning-off, Hades is bartering with Loki for some “chaos tips,” and Ares is arm-wrestling Freya over who gets to claim the title of “Best Badass.”

But the balance of power has been shattered, and monstrous forces from the underworlds are slipping through the cracks. It’s up to you to choose your hero (or misfit) from the pantheon of gods, demigods, and mortals, then forge alliances, cause some divine-level havoc, and maybe—just maybe—save existence from imploding in a blaze of hilarious, mythological madness.

The fate of the cosmos? It’s in your chaotic hands.

This one is for the writers, encouraging longer form moves from your creativity. Be a remix version of a classic hero.

Twenty years ago Elf Mountain was taken.

Now it is time to take it back.

It was home to the purebred Sanate elves, and also their cousins, Mākai elves, commonly known as wood elves.

Within its heart was the Jinta crystal - huge, running the length of the mountain, solid on the outside but vibrant with liquid magma coursing through it.

While the Sanate elves attended it, it provided the natural energy for crops, creatures and peoples in the surrounding lands to do well and prosper.

Then the Garginoids invaded. Times before they had been repelled, but this time they were organised and determined. They seized the mountain, and forced most of the elves out.
They thought they could control the Jinta.

They could stifle it - but they could not fully control it.

The Sanate elves turned to stone as the Garginoids corrupted its power.
The Mākai elves, however, were able to escape and make homes elsewhere.

All over the land, crop yields were high, and deaths from disease increased. The sky just seemed a little greyer.

The Garginoids also suffered. They became unable to reproduce, and struggled to obtain enough food. Of course, they terrorised nearby villages for resources.

The average life span of a Garginoid is fifty years. So, now, twenty years later, it is reckoned safe to return. The elves have built themselves up and acquired some new friends. The Garginoids they calculate are now of reduced numbers, and advanced age…

However, the journey will not be easy. Where once there was harmony and justice, now there is suspicion and fear. Hard, even wicked rulers have replaced benign ones; and cruel creatures have moved into the region…

Dragon and sorcery game - fun but serious.

No established canon to worry about. Drop in any time.

Characters are be student spell-users learning their art, and in particular how to handle their dragons at a specialist University!

The University usually takes students in their mid-teens but no real age limits on characters.

I would want any player to tell me if I need to adjust to increase their access or inclusion.

Modern day with mood of the past - focus on writing story, especially character development and backstory. Mystery.

In this game, you create a rounded character with a past. I have not put up any cards - you are free to make your own from scratch. Feel free to reach out for help.

This is what happens. Your character turns a corner they have never explored before, and finds themselves in a quaint village. You have a choice - you can either stay at the local inn/hotel as a visitor, or you find a home / suitable small shop that feels like you belong to it, and immediately you feel you have belonged there for ever; but at the same time, you are finding out about the other characters.

The story then unfolds as you reveal your character’s back-story, but also interact with other characters (PCs and NPCs) to reveal theirs.

As narrator, I provide the setting, some NPCs and the prompts, and I keep the whole thing going. But in terms of building your back story - that is all for you!

This is a good way to explore Storium, and I will help as much as you need. Bear in mind though; every story is different, every game, every narrator, every group of players. This will give you a start on how the site technically works, but it is only one glimpse of all the way that system can be, and is, used!

𝕵𝖚𝖘𝖙 𝖕𝖆𝖘𝖙 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖕𝖔𝖘𝖙 𝖇𝖔𝖝, 𝖆𝖋𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖍𝖊𝖉𝖌𝖊

𝖎𝖘 𝖆 𝖘𝖒𝖆𝖑𝖑 𝖙𝖚𝖗𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌.

𝖄𝖔𝖚 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖇𝖆𝖇𝖑𝖞 𝖓𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖗 𝖓𝖔𝖙𝖎𝖈𝖊𝖉 𝖎𝖙

𝖆𝖘 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖜𝖆𝖑𝖐𝖊𝖉 𝖕𝖆𝖘𝖙.

𝕹𝖔 𝖔𝖓𝖊 𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖗 𝖉𝖔𝖊𝖘.

𝕹𝖊𝖝𝖙 𝖙𝖎𝖒𝖊 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖆𝖗𝖊 𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖊,

𝖌𝖑𝖆𝖓𝖈𝖊 𝖔𝖚𝖙 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖈𝖔𝖗𝖓𝖊𝖗 𝖔𝖋 𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝖊𝖞𝖊.

𝖄𝖔𝖚 𝖜𝖎𝖑𝖑 𝖘𝖊𝖊 𝖆 𝖑𝖎𝖓𝖊 𝖔𝖋 𝖍𝖊𝖉𝖌𝖊, 𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖓 𝖆 𝖋𝖊𝖜 𝖍𝖔𝖚𝖘𝖊𝖘

𝖙𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖑𝖔𝖔𝖐 𝖑𝖎𝖐𝖊 𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖞 𝖆𝖗𝖊 𝖋𝖗𝖔𝖒 𝖆𝖓𝖔𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗 𝖊𝖗𝖆.

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖗𝖊𝖘𝖎𝖉𝖊𝖓𝖙 𝖔𝖋 𝖊𝖆𝖈𝖍 𝖔𝖓𝖊 𝖍𝖆𝖘 𝖆 𝖘𝖙𝖔𝖗𝖞 𝖙𝖔 𝖙𝖊𝖑𝖑.

This story is constructed for just one scene. We can have all the usual enthusiasm of building our characters and starting the game, and tell our tale in one scene.
Of course, if things go well we can add in a second or even a third scene.

It’s Pac Man, from the point of view of the ghosts! This is not based on any canon.
If you know something of the ghosts as devised for the arcade game then that will be a good place to start (and it is easy to Google that) but you are not restricted to that, and if you don’t know, it won’t be a problem.

We live in a maze, relying on little energy tablets, that Pac Man keeps eating. Sometimes, in self defence, we bop him over the head to try to make him leave us alone - but every now and then he gets a surge of energy and rushes at us to eat us!

We get a bad press and are seen as one-dimensional beings. Well, it’s not true, we’re just trying to live out our lives as best we can. And it is time our story was told.

You’re an animated character in a cartoon world!

You have a ridiculous special ability of some sort, and a silly weakness.

Get ready to run amok in a world of portable holes, relentless villains, and peeling yourself back up after being flattened under a piano. It’s Toon!

Dragon and sorcery game - fun but serious.

No established canon to worry about. Drop in any time.

Characters are be student spell-users learning their art, and in particular how to handle their dragons at a specialist University!

The University usually takes students in their mid-teens but no real age limits on characters.

I would want any player to tell me if I need to adjust to increase their access or inclusion.