30 Days of Synnibarr

[Mckma]

Ah, The World of Synnibarr, what can be said about it?  Well, I hope to put in the effort to really find out.  My goal is to spend the next 30 days reading through the source book, cover to cover, and (remaining sanity permitting) devise some sort of adventure or scenario to utilize as much of the system as possible.  If people are interested, I can chronicle my thoughts (and confusions) each day into some semblance of a journal fit for a Lovecraftian tale.  Also, if I manage to get through it, I may just run a Skype game for those who want to take the plunge with me.  All that said, wish me luck (and maybe harass me with PMs and the like to keep me accountable)!

[Cthuluzord]

Dear god, man! Have you taken leave of your senses? Don't do it!

There's an entire ward at every insane asylum dedicated to those who've tried to comprehend the were-were. That way lies madness! MADNESS!

[clockworkjoe]

I approve 

[Flawless P]

This Post is Relevant to My Interests.

[crash2455]

I have been into this idea since it was proposed several months ago.  Few games have the dedication to add a chapter on building your own space ship.

[SageNytell]

Give me the time and the date and we will DO THIS THING.
It will be glorious and terrible, and the world shall weep.

[Mckma]

Alright, here's the deal.  446 pages.  30 days.  That's 15 pages a day.  250 pages in The Ultimate Adventurer's Guide.  Things go well, I can make it through that too.  That's an extra 9 pages a day...

And so it begins...

Meta Note:

I'm curious to give creative writing a bit of a shot, but I am in no means trained in the area.  I would like to think that a "journal" of sorts could be amusing, but I am also fully cognizant of the fact that it might well fall on it's face.  That said I hope it does work out or in the very least you excuse my dribble.  And I would love it if people held me accountable and harassed me about this (though by no means expect it ).

[Tadanori Oyama]

We will remember you as you where Mckma. When we bury you it will be in memory of the you who was before Synnibarr.

[Mckma]

Day 1: Pages 1-18

I began in earnest, eager to uncover the deep secrets McCracken recorded.  Immediately I was met with confusion as I attempted to puzzle out the history of the World (more properly Worldship) of Synnibarr.  While the basics were easy enough to grasp (a powerful avatar saves the inhabitants of Earth by hollowing out Mars and turning it into a spaceship), the rest seemed to be obscure and random details pulled from a more complete tale.  I imagine McCracken has volumes upon volumes stored in his residence outlining the history of Synnibar, down to including detailed accounts of each of the 400 original adventurers and their offspring.

I felt a certain sense of dread and uncertainty as I attempted to make sense of some of the "odd" occurrences in Synnibarr's history.  From cosmic storms that cause stars to "go nova," to bipolar shifts in its population number, if any one word can be used to describe the image of Synnibarr I have begun to uncover, it would be chaos.  Pure and utter chaos.  Lacking rhyme, reason, and sense in general.

I was relieved to discover a fairly straightforward section on the basics of roleplaying games and an overview of what WoS actually represents.  This only served as a respite however, as I immediately plunged back into the true grit with a glossary.  There is not much more to be said about it other than the sense of foreboding that I may have to return here in days to come in an attempt at clarity.

I wrapped up my studies for the night with a sample adventure.  This alone could merit pages upon pages of detailed examination, however I will keep it short, for it is getting late.  The main lesson to be learned here is that Fate (the GM), must be truly be a dick in his or her facilitation of the game.  Perhaps this was just because the players seemed less than intelligent, calling for "drake burgers" and "ninja burgers."  In any case, it appears when I ultimately complete my studies, I will find the need to delight in my players' pain; refuse the their attempted use of the orbital ret-cannon (even when the player immediately redacts an action before finding the results); and make die rolls for no mechanical reason, just to worry them.

This will indeed be a most interesting journey...

[Moondog]

Ah, The World of Synnibarr, what can be said about it?  Well, I hope to put in the effort to really find out.  My goal is to spend the next 30 days reading through the source book, cover to cover, and (remaining sanity permitting) devise some sort of adventure or scenario to utilize as much of the system as possible.  If people are interested, I can chronicle my thoughts (and confusions) each day into some semblance of a journal fit for a Lovecraftian tale.  Also, if I manage to get through it, I may just run a Skype game for those who want to take the plunge with me.  All that said, wish me luck (and maybe harass me with PMs and the like to keep me accountable)!

Oh my god, I love Synnibarr, I'd love to get it on this.

I think my first character was a 6'1 White Haired Brown Skin'd Brown Eye'd Latina Wereman. Combine her with the. . .drake of some kind, it shot freakin' lasers and they charged her ray-absorption-reflection thingie to kingdom come and blasted shit.

Fun times.

Also, female wereman is hilarious to say.

[Mckma]

Day 2: Pages 19-33

It is only the second day and I have already learned so much.  The World of Synnibarr is a rich one indeed.

My studies today found me looking into the character creation process.  It is one rife with rolling and consulting tables in the fashion of the finest random generation.  It seems that character class and race are terms that while not interchangeable, in some ways refer to the same thing.  A character is of a class, however sometimes it is a race, and races share the name of these respective classes, excepting the case where they do not in which case the character is human.  It is most puzzling indeed and further research may be required.

I am pleased to report that Mr. McCracken certainly got his money's worth on table design and inclusion.  The layout managed to fit an astounding thirty-four tables on a mere twelve-and-a-half pages (not including the large character sheet image and impressive picture of what I can only guess is a Bio Syntha Cyborg, one of the many race/classes outlined in the chapter).

While it initially appeared to be an overwhelming and intimidating process, I was relieved to find that in practice, character creation could be quite simple.  One simply needs to roll many dice, consult the numerous tables, and blindly copy the numbers and words without any real understanding of what they mean, a process I will dub the "shut-up and do it" approach.  It seems that it would be best not to question what over half of the calculations are for and I trust that Mr. McCracken has great things in store.

[clockworkjoe]

hahahaha I too know the 'shut up and do it' approach  when I made a Synnibar character.

[Tadanori Oyama]

We need to save his journal so after he's dead he can drive others mad.

[Mckma]

Meta Note:  I was a bit surprised and honored to find this stickied.  Now I know I have to follow through...

Day 3: Pages 34-49

I feel I have finally gotten into the meat of it.  I have begun to uncover that which my predecessors have found so puzzling.  But as an academician, I choose to steel myself and soldier on.

Today, along with the next day or two will focus extensively on the "class/races."  They are, puzzling, to say the least.  It strikes me most that there seems to be no real rhyme or reason in what was chosen to be represented.  On one hand we have Archers, which are merely gamble-happy humans who shoot magic arrows, and on the other Aquarians, a race of roughly amphibious humanoids with a host of random mutations.  And they can also extract all of the oxygen from another creature, suffocating it.  I suppose the best plan of record-keeping would simply be to list the "class/races" and a brief note about them.

Alchemist:  Harnessing a mystical force called "starfire," they can make shields and call death from the skies in the form of "Star Bolts."  Oh, and they receive a free bag of holding that instantly kills any living material placed inside.

Amazon:  Exerting incredible powers, they can change the gender and appearance of their children whilst in the womb and begin teaching them the ways of the Amazon.  They also receive high-tech infiltration kits and are penalized a full two levels for losing them (which begs the question of how this appears in game).

Aquarian:  Mentioned earlier, they also communicate telepathically with sea creatures.

Archer:  Mentioned earlier, they are artists who shoot magic arrows and love to gamble.

Bio Syntha Cyborg:  They are machines.  And people.  They seem to be a race that functions entirely off of psuedo-science, which I find a most impressive feat indeed.  They typically come in one of four "flavors" if you will, each with their own specialties.

Chameleon Drake:  I found their backstory a bit of a chore to decipher.  Likely just a result of the late hour and work already put in, I made what I could of it, that they descend from prostitutes who were magicked into drakes.  And now they can change their type at will, in a fashion I like to imagine similar to the Pokemon Ditto.

I have begun to feel the drain of the task I have undertaken.  I will continue, but already much of what I know has begun to be challenged.  As a physicist, I view the world as a puzzle that is logical and solvable.  The work of Mr. McCracken might yet challenge this view, and only time can tell what shall come of that...

[SageNytell]

This feels like the diary of someone trying to decipher the Necronomicon FOR SCIENCE!
A noble task, certainly, but you have to understand someone's going to end up crazy leading a cult.

Or eaten by eldritch horrors. Y'know, whatever you prefer.