[Campaign Idea] Power Metal Fantasy!

Alright.  So all of this planning for Mage is already shaping up nicely, so I figure I might as well talk about something different today.  I’ve realized that a lot of my campaigns are pretty heavy on the Philosophy and morals, tales that make you question what you’d do if you were put into (thankfully, improbable) situations that can change your life forever.

I like what I do, and how I pull it off.  But sometimes, you just need to chuck all of that out the window and game like there’s no tomorrow…. and so I figured I’d build this campaign idea that I could run sometime.

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Death Dealer by Frank Frazetta

Power Metal Fantasy is a non-apologetic game of Heavy Metal-Inspired Swords & Sorcery.  Imagine all of the cheesiest Heavy Metal Album covers you’ve ever seen, with lava, chrome, steel, spike, skeletons, demons and scantily clad chicks.  That’s that image we’re going for.

Take Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Barbarian, and Korgoth of Barbaria brand of Sword & Sorcery and slap on Dragonforce, Nightwish and Lordi and you’ll get an idea of just what kind of fantasy setting we’re looking at here.

Setting Conceits:

• Strength is Paramount – Strength in all its forms are what determines the heroes from the commoners.  If you’re not capable of defending what you have, then you never deserved to have it to begin with.
• Armor is a Stylistic Choice – Chainmail Bikinis and Loincloths are perfectly okay, since armor (or the lack thereof) does not influence your level of protection.  In mechanical terms, the system must be able to divorce a defense value from the armor that you’re wearing.
• Rare, but Powerful Magic – Swords & Sorcery magic is often laborious, fraught with danger, and only belongs to the bad guys.  Occasional heroes might have magic, but it’s never a trivial thing as it is with High Fantasy.  Necromancy, Infernalism, Enchantments and Illusions tends to be the forms that magic takes.
• Hordes of Mooks – The average guardsman, bar brawler, soldier are pathetic mewling weaklings compared to the heroes.  They’re hardly even opponents… they’re scenery.
• Gods and Monsters – Actually, gods are monsters.  The ones that actually manifest are often of the demonic variety, or the type that H.P. Lovecraft loves to write about.
• The Undead – No alternate character races in this campaign setting… everyone’s human.  However the bad guys get to play with this little tweak.  Liches, Mummies and Zombies are practically a staple.
• Greatest “X” in the Known World – Niche protection never had it better.  If a given character is said to be the best archer, then by Crom, he’s able to shoot a d*ck off a fly at fifty paces!
• R-Rated – Violence, Sex, Gore and Cruelty are to be expected…
• Maybe its the Far Future! – Maybe. 😉

Now, I understand that this could be pretty much any sort of Sword and Sorcery setting, but where does the Metal come in?  Well, it’s hard to put into words, but it all stems from the tone of the game and the inspirations used.  I suspect I’ll have to end up changing my narrative tone to something more… heavy-metal-ish, and sprinkle a few references to Metal groups, songs, and albums all over just to make things interesting.

Influences:

Aside from the ones mentioned earlier here are a few good examples of stuff that would help inspire this:

• Hokuto no Ken / Fist of the North Star
• Berserk
• Bastard!! Heavy Metal Dark Fantasy
• Legend by David Gemmel

System Recommendation:

HERO, definitely.  I’m certain other games can do this, but for the purposes of mangling a setting from nothing, I like building things from the ground up.  If I need a demon, then I just build one.  If I need a dragon, that shouldn’t be too difficult.  A slavering Ape-God from a lost civilization?  Easy.  A Chrome Spaceship that fires lasers upon the frightened populace?  That too.

I’d have to put a little more elbow grease if I’m serious about actually building characters for this, but I’m confident I’ll be able.  Epic stories, a healthy dose of ass kicking, drinking and whoring, stealing into temples, profaning gods… all in good fun and in the spirit of Metal.

*Throws up the horns*

Rock on!

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Also, I’m very open to suggestions for this one.  If anyone’s got any ideas, I’d be very glad to hear them!