IHMN Gothic - what is missing?

[Craig]

As many of you know by now Charles and my objectives for the coming twelve months are to complete and publish:
1. Blood Eagle: skirmish wargaming in the legendary Dark Ages, and
2. IHMN Gothic: the third unique supplement for our original milieu,
in that order.

Gothic will include all the elements you currently see in the free section on the blog (https://inhermajestysname.wordpress.com/ihmn-gothic/). This comes to about 25,000 words and the book will need at least 40,000 words as it will be the same size and format as Daishō.

Now we have already covered a wide range of gothic companies, beasts and equipment, yet we are not going to be the sole arbiters of content for Gothic. Is there anything you think that we have missed, which you would like to see covered in our own inimitable style?

Note that we are not asking for fully-worked up examples with lists and points, more a number of concepts and elements. So take a look at what we have produced so far and take into account that IHMN Gothic is presently a European and mostly not anglo-centric book.

Any ideas we use shall be credited to the originator and will get their name in the acknowledgements in the book.

[Tordenskjold]

Consistent and collected rules for vampires, silver and holy weapons, smiting the undead etc. The rules for vampires and holy stuff got a little messy both in IHMN's main books and in the current Gothic supplements due to the introduction of new rules. Maybe a zero point trait called 'unholy' to signify that this creature is affected by holy/silver weapons, made obligatory for undead and wizards?

Ideas for terrain, maybe special rules for fighting inside buildings/dark crypts and the like - a game where you make a lot out of that side of things would be more distinct than one where all combat is assumed to take place on an open, outdoors battlefield.

I personally like the companies as they are presented thus far. Don't see much need to expand those.

[Davies]

Prague Golem as part of a Jewish cabal, maybe some kind of inmortal gentlemen company(Melmoth the Wanderer is the first who came to my mind), more beasts, ghosts or even ghost hunters (I know, I know, Carnacki and John Silence are anglo-centric characters from the distant twenties, but I like the concept)
Also, a non-official Penny Dreadful list would be nice.

[Eisenfaust]

Rules for ghosts/spirits and ghostbusting/spectral eliminations and incarcerations.

More as it occurs to me.

[Craig]

Thank you chaps, keep it coming 

[Tehet]

Okay, how about a travelling circus?

One I had in mind but never got around to listing was the Circus de Morte much less stylish than the Venetian version and totally evil.

The clowns would be escaped murderers, permanently covered in facepaint and contracted to serve or die. The circus would include all the usual strongmen, knife throwers, animals and the like with a moriarty/demon like ringmaster. A form of exotic cult...with a freak show (leftovers anyone?)...

The Circus, travelling around the sparse settlements of Eastern and Central Europe would have a sideline in white trafficking, visiting a rural village or town to perform and then after identifying suitable victims in the crowd, sending out agents to kidnap them before slipping away in the night. They then take them for sale to Barbary pirates whom they meet at clandestine locations on rivers like the Dnieper and Rhine or secret cults in need of sacrifices.

The possibilities would be endless and we all need sinister clowns...

Inspired by TV series such as Carnivale and American Horror, films such as the Vampire Circus and Circus of Horrors and a very warped imagination!




 

[Eisenfaust]

Your zombie article should probably go in there, perhaps as an appendix.

[warlord frod]

The elder Gods of Cthulhu and backwoods Bayou types who might be confronted by them or some ancient cult in the Southern U.S. (I know the english paranormal investigator team is more typical but I'm trying for something a little different  )

[mellis1644]

More mystical power options would be my request.

[Eisenfaust]

Bedlam staff and patients. Mad doctor, orderlies, nurses, spirits, crazies.

[Comsquare]

As many of you know by now Charles and my objectives for the coming twelve months are to complete and publish:
1. Blood Eagle: skirmish wargaming in the legendary Dark Ages, and

Blood Eagle sound interesting, any more infos about that?

[Denizen Kane]

I second the idea for some rules that can bring the action indoors. Then again that does verge a bit more to RPGing!

[Sendak]

Hello Craig,

 I respectfully tender my favorite illustrative tropes, memes, and themes for your consideration.

1.) Mummy and Minions a bit of the dust of the ancient world i.e. Egypt, Peru, Siberia migrating to the “modern” era and having a powerful influence through various esoteric objects.

2.) Abominations and Leviathans i.e. very grotesque powerful beings quietly converting humans [the ‘civilized’] to their own purposes whilst keeping to their damp lairs far from the reaches of sunlight.

3.) Arcane Alchemist who are more interested in ‘a grand scheme’ than turning lead into gold. That ‘grand scheme’ could be more to radium than Madame Currie et al ever imagined.  Many projects fill the laboratories such as testing methods of energy production (via splitting atoms). The Arcane Alchemist is protected by a cadre of polonium powered Robots.

4.) Mad Industrial Genius with financial wherewithal and a network of international ‘stock-holders’ to have a massive influence society.

5.) Inspectors, Detectives, Skeptics, and Investigators, those whose professional duty is to suss out or get to the bottom of mysteries, crimes, or disruptions of the public tranquility.

6.) Swarthy Anarchists a league of dedicated ideologues leveraging various groups against the hegemony of the so-called ‘world-order’.

7.) Maniacal Baron / Warlord desires above all else and is possessed by the notion he must have  his place in the sun, where he are the apex of all power in the world in order to fulfill his dreams of dynastic grandeur that will last a thousand years to his eternal glorification.

Regards,

Sendak

[twrchtrwyth]

I agree with the tightening of the silver/blessed etc. weapon rules. Vampire and werewolf etc. should be talents that can be bought. In campaigns therefore models could turn into vampires, etc. by adding the talent. Different levels of the talent could indicate age for a vampire, etc. The vampire talent as an example could add a bonus to pluck, FV and/or armour, so the cost would be variable for the pluck/FV part and increase the base armour 7 to 9/10. Or it could give the model a fixed pluck, FV and armour based on the age of the vampire. Silver/blessed weapons would reduce the pluck and/or armour of a model with a specific talent, silver for werewolves and wooden stakes for vampires for example.

An idea for a non Anglo company, Gwylliaid Cochion Mawddwy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Bandits_of_Mawddwy

[LCpl McDoom]

Ideas (in no particular order of priority):

* Expand the combat environment further, as mentioned by a few here with ideas/rules for interiors/underground/etc.,
* More detailed section for the Weaponry (IHMN Gothic Part IX Armoury)
* Expanded section on Gothic talents & mystical powers (IHMN Gothic Part X)
* Artefacts and treasure items that provide various Gothic-themed benefits and bonuses, and can be included in to campaigns as rewards/aims/etc.
* A large Gothic inspired Bestiary with extra material/beasts/nasties.
* Flaws - weaknesses that come into play when a leading character figure rolls equal to it's Pluck (at present, a Knock-down) - e.g., such as 'prone to flail/panic fire' (figure attacks/opens up on nearest friend).
* Global Gothic chapter - adventure/story seeds from around the world, drawn from the regional legends/mythology.
* Rules for Mobs/Swarms/Hordes


Additional Companies - work underway:

* My 'Prokop' Company of Neo-Hussites
* Austro-Hungarian Company for my female hussars
* Swiss Papal Guard, sent out to secure 'heretical artefacts'.
* Khmer River Pirates
* The White Lotus
* The Imazighen