Post by ◊ Puppy ◊ on May 22, 2016 7:03:51 GMT
Q. How long ago did that big war end, anyway?
A. The war ended 5 years before the start of play on F&G and had raged on for roughly 20 years before that. Yes, that means any character between the ages of 6 and 24 were born during the conflict.
Q. What, exactly, is this 'Accord' thing I keep hearing about?
A. The term 'Accord' refers to the Argent Accord, a peace treaty signed by the four (4) nations (Astilon, Abrea, Therin and Ederhund) that united them against the Coterie forces. After the war ended, the nations agreed to continue honoring the Accord, though with some amendments that each nation hopes will end up benefiting their cause more than others. This serves as the basis for much of the political intrigue going on between the ambassadors of each nation. Members of the treaty are referred to as the 'Accord Nations'.
Q. Why doesn't F&G offer different playable races like most fantasy RPG's?
A. It was strictly a creative decision. The addition of multiple races would only increase the amount of reading a newcomer to the setting would be subjected to in order to properly begin play. It also cuts out the bad habit many have of playing races rather than characters as they're commonly depicted in other media (i.e. dwarves are gruff, loud and like drinking, elves are willowy and mysterious et al).
Q. Dragons are mentioned briefly in one part of the setting and nothing else. What's the deal with dragons and other mystical creatures?
A. Much like the races, adding a horde of mystical and fantastical monsters and beasts to the world only complicates the setting itself. If you're looking for epic battles with creatures of legends and myths, I'm sorry to say this isn't the world for that. Even though, yes, there are a number of fantasy elements in this setting and we reserve the right to introduce creatures of some sort in the future, it will all be done with the narrative and spirit of the setting in mind.
As for dragon's specifically, they were wiped out in the final battle that took place where the Shattered Isles are now located. They were massive, wondrous beasts, but beasts nonetheless. The few who had ever seen them or had the chance to be near them would know them as cunning and intelligent animals with terrible breath weapons (fire, acid, frost). Sadly, all the dragons met their end years ago. wink, wink
Q. I want my character to run a tavern/inn/pirate ship/shop/etc., can I get that into the site's canon?
A. Yes! All you have to do is contact ◊ Puppy ◊ with your idea. One of the main goals of F&G is to provide a number of tools for members to create their own content. So long as it fits within the narrative of the setting, adding to the site's canon and making it your own is highly encouraged.
Q. I want to play a king/princess/royal etc. Can I?
A. Yes, although there are certain caveats to that. Goldcrest is a self-governed city state and there's only one nation (Astilon) that actually has royals of that title. The other nations all have drastically different systems of government and rule. Positions such as kings and queens (again, of which there's only actually one of each in the world or other heads of state are left as NPC's as playing them would both be incredibly boring, not fit the setting's narrative and would require the character to live in their respective nation, rather than Goldcrest which would severely limit their opportunities for being involved with plots and other stories.
That being said, representatives and ambassadors from each nation are present in Goldcrest and are free to develop and play. For more information on each nation and how their systems of government work, see The Accord Nations page.
Q. Can my character have a mystical sword or make magic items?
A. Yes. With some (more) caveats (I swear I'm not obsessed with that word). As it stands the Order of the Chevaliers is tasked with policing and monitoring magic, as a whole. Walking around with a magic item of any sort would be the modern day equivalent of walking around downtown San Francisco with a loaded RPG strapped to your back for everyone to see. It's going to attract all sorts of unwanted attention (at best) and bring down the ire of the Goldcrest City Guard (worse) or the Chevaliers (worst) unless steps are taken to conceal it.
That's not to say mystical objects don't exist and aren't in play. Characters can possesses and even create such rare items though great care should be taken when implementing them into a background or story. Magic items, much like everything else, should have some sort of narrative balance to prevent overpowering. These items should be treated as the wondrous things they truly are. A magic sword, for example, should be considered the prized possession of a noble warrior or a staff imbued with mystical power a relic handed down through generations of mages. They should not be minor character 'fluff' or flippantly handed out.
