Low Fantasy Roleplay Game:
A Murder-Hobo's Fairy Tale
This is an advertisement for a game of classic sword and sorcery action. There seems to be a demand for that right now. If you would like to participate, please place the title "A Murder-Hobo's Fairy Tale" in top of your comment by using the Heading command or type two pound signs at the beginning of your line.
Format: Play by post, hosted here in this thread. I can run this game if there is interest by at least two players, but I wouldn't want for than five at a time. I can structure this game so that players may drop in or out at will. I intend to update this thread maybe as often as twice per day but more realistically as slowly as one every other day. Yes, some dice rolling will be involved, but I personally prefer the honor system. Roll your dice at home or use an online dice roller webpage. If someone wants to cheat, one may but one is robbing oneself of the most fun part of the game -- the unpredictability.
Themes: Exploration, light magic, adventure, and swashbuckling action
The System: I have something in mind, but you don't have to worry about that now. The system I am thinking of using involves rolling a ten sided die. The formula is D10 +Attribute +Skill vs Target Number. Higher rolls are better. Attributes range from 1 to 5, and skills range from 0 to 5. Thus it's mathematically possible to roll as low as a 2 and as high as a 20. Target numbers will usually be set by the scene, so a tavern scene might have a low target number of 5 with easy successes but a climactic battle against a gorgon might have a target number of 15.
Seriously, we will develop your character's stats as we go along. Thus, I don't need to host a character building session. The C.O.R.E. rules are available under a Creative Commons license and can be found at archive.org if you want to look them up now. All I really need from prospective players is a character's name and a vague concept. An archetype from D&D like a Rogue or a Bard will do. Standard fantasy races are available and probably others with permission.
The setting: The Living Realms is a large archipelago that hum with magic power. The entire area is surrounded by a dangerous fog bank from which no sailor has ever returned. Hundreds of small villages are scattered about, but the central authority lies with a cruel king at the center. He rules through the two-pronged power of his massive navy of sailing ships and the eldritch power of the Elementalists Guild. Their red sails strike terror in the hearts of all who see them. None may sail the seas except by their own muscles and oars because the king binds the winds to serve only his interests. Recently though, a discovery of a network of invisible ley lines connecting the islands has broken the Guild's monopoly on trade. Small steampunkish paddlewheel boats tracing the ley lines can move faster than even the emperor's great personal warship pushed by elemental winds. For the first time in generations, adventurers are sailing out past their hometown lagoons and reefs to rediscover the wonders and treasures of their neighboring islands. Ruins of castles and mines filled with dangerous creatures and forgotten treasures await.