Play History the Metropolis
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Colony of Caisto PLAY HISTORY The Metropolis INTRODUCTION Callisto is a play-by-email roleplaying game, with the twist that the players themselves determine most of the refereeing, by making statements that fall under their narrative authority. This document is the record of one of those games, set in a newly-settled iron-age Mediterranean colony. The emails on the following pages were sent by real players and turned into news posts by the moderator. You can read along and watch how the innocious details spread across the entire colony, how a misunderstanding about a draft lead to a shortage of beer, where giant carnivorous birds come from, and what happens when your philosopher uses the wrong stimulants. You can find out more about Callisto at these links: VSCA Callisto site: http://www.vsca.ca/Callisto/ Callisto Google Plus Group: https://plus.google.com/u/0/ communities/113468506996874767262 Colony of Callisto community: https://plus.google.com/u/0/ communities/101267880206923063919 Dionne Elissa: the Soldier Will Zeno: the Traveller John Mago: the Noble Thorsten Xanthippus: the General Alexander Juba: the Youth Christopher Maharbal: the Fisher Manta Massinissa: the Metalcrafter Feegle Hanno: the Hunter William Boodes: the Artesian Castor Himilco: the Carpenter Marc Gisgo: the Laborer Bob Mathos: the Philsopher Sarah Solaris: the Queen Shawn Sirom: the Blacksmith Jake Hamilcar: the SergeantBrad Salicar: the Brewer Nick Barca: the Governor Nathan Carthalo: the Farmer CONTENTS Cycle 1 14 Cycle 2 120 Cycle 3 218 Cycle 4 274 Cycle 5 348 Cycle 6 404 Cycle 7 452 Cycle 8 492 Cycle 9 542 Cycle 10 584 SENT MESSAGES PER CYCLE RECEIVED MESSAGES PER CYCLE CAST OF CHARACTERS You represent Wisdom. You have narrative authority in matters of intel- ligence, skill, warfare, battle strategy, and handicrafts. Your character is Dionne Elissa the soldier, veteran warrior. Will you be able to keep the settlement safe? • You represent the Sky. You have narrative authority in matters of the sky, weather, thunder, lightning, law, order, and fate. Your character is Na- than Cathalo the farmer, uprooted and transplanted here. Will you be able to put down roots in this new land? This new land is not without its problems. You have narrative authority when you describe an unresolved tension in the community. • You represent the Home. You have narrative authority in matters of hearth, home, and chastity. Your character is Christopher Maharbal the fisher, who knows the seas. Will you be able to feed the settlement? This new land is not without its problems. You have narrative authority when you describe an oncoming storm or menacing weather. • You represent Fire. You have narrative authority in matters of fire, metal- working, and crafts. Your character is Alexander Juba the youth, ready for adventure. Will you find the exciting life you crave? This new land is not without its problems. You have narrative authority when you describe something that creeps in the night. • You represent Wine. You have narrative authority in matters of festivals, parties, madness, chaos, drunkenness, drugs, and ecstasy. Your charac- ter is Bob Mathos the philosopher, who sees beyond the immediate needs. Will you be able to help these people become something better? This new land is not without its problems. You have narrative authority when you describe an oversight or unattended situation, and how it goes wrong. • You represent the Sun, music, arts, knowledge, healing, plague, dark- ness, prophecy, poetry, athleticism, and enlightenment. Your character is Sarah, the queen in exile, honored matriarch of your people. Will you be able to protect your people in their new home? This new land is not without its problems. You have narrative authority when you describe unrest, frustration, or disorder. • You represent the Sea. You have narrative authority in matters of the sea, rivers, floods, droughts, earthquakes, and horses. Your character is Brad Salicar the brewer, who has a secret. Will your past catch up with you? This new land is not without its problems. You have narrative authority when you describe danger from famine, starvation, or blight. • You represent War. You have narrative authority in matters of conflict, bloodshed, and violence. Your character is John Mago the noble, privi- leged but unrecognized. Can you win your way back into your family’s good graces with what you accomplish here? This new land is not without its problems. You have narrative authority when you describe a problem that comes from the old country. • You represent the Matriarch. You have narrative authority in matters of marriage, childbirth, heirs, kings, empires. Your character is Castor Himilco the carpenter, builder of shelter. Will your buildings stand? This new land is not without its problems. You have narrative authority when you describe something that will cause trouble in the future. • You represent Death and the Underworld. You have narrative authority in matters of death, the underworld, hidden wealth, seeds, and precious metals. Your character is Marc Gisgo the former prisoner, remanded into exile. Will you forget your past, or recapitulate it? This new land is not without its problems. You have narrative authority when you describe a threat or danger from outside the community. • You represent the Messenger. You have narrative authority in matters of boundaries, travel, communication, trade, thevery, trickery, language, writing, diplomacy, athletics, and animal husbandry. Your character is Nick Barca the governor, appointed by those who sent you but not yet established in authority here. Will the others follow your lead? This new land in not without its problems. You have narrative authority when you describe a dispute or debate. • You represent Growth. You have narrative authority in matters of grain, agriculture, harvest, growth, and nourishment. Your character is Feegle Hanno the hunter, more comfortable in the wilds. Will you build civiliza- tion or flee from it? This new land is not without its problems. You have narrative authority when you describe a mystery or a suspicious circum- stance. • You represent Wisdom. You have narrative authority in matters of intel- ligence, skill, warfare, battle strategy, and handicrafts. Your character is Thorsten Xanthippus the general, sent from the homeland on special assignment. Will you be able to uphold order and safeguard the settlement? This new land is not without its problems. You have narrative authority when you describe a conflict starting or growing between the colonists and the new land. While you don’t know many people here, your reputation precedes you. What is something that everyone in the colony would have heard about you? (You’ll still have to introduce yourself, since they probably don’t know you personally, but they’ll definitely have heard of you.) What news is there from the Metropolis and the Homeland? What are your secret orders, direct from the Council of Fourteen? The colonists don’t seem to have any policing or prisons yet. How will you keep order? What rumors have you heard about the natives? • You represent Prometheus. You have narrative authority over the transfer of knowledge, the secret history of the past, the culture of the native inhabitants of this land, rebellion against the status quo, and light. Your character is Will Zeno, a traveller and explorer who has travelled far and finds this new city a fascinating place, but a troubled relationship with the land where it is being built. Will the consequences of the city’s actions lead to its downfall? Will you profit from the aftermath? This new land is not without its problems. You also have narrative author- ity to describe a deception, a misunderstanding, or a retribution for past wrongs. How have the natives reacted to the colony’s presence so far? What is one harm have the colonists inadvertently caused to the local area? What is one benefit that the colony has brought to the native inhabitants? Who do you owe a lot of money to, and why would it be better if you didn’t go back to the homeland right now? • You represent Love. You have narrative authority in matters of love, beau- ty, desire, passion, and pleasure. Your character is William Boodes the artesian, source of civilized things. Will you be able to make a home here? This new land in not without its problems. You have narrative authority when you describe a problem that stems from this new place. • You represent the Moon. You have narrative authority in matters of hunt- ing, wilderness, animals, young girls, childbirth, and plague. Your char- acter is Manta Massinissa, journeyman metalcrafter and native to these lands. Will you be able to become the supreme master of your craft? This land is not without its problems. You have narrative authority when you describe something that creeps in the night. • You represent Fire and the Forge. You have narrative authority to describe matters of fire, metals, metalworking, and crafts, especially the results when others seek these things. You also have narrative authority to de- scribe injury, maiming, and prosthetics, but not healing or death. Your character is Jake Hamilcar, the veteran soldier. (While you don’t have narrative authority over war, you can describe things related to your character, such as what day-to-day life is like for your fellow soldiers and so forth.) You don’t have any family in the colony, but you do know a lot of the other soldiers. Who are you on good terms with? Who is your antagonist? Men- tion them by name. CYCLE 1 FROM: CASTOR HIMILCO: THE CARPENTER TO: CHRISTOphER MAHARBAL: THE FISHER DATE: 4/7/2014 2:56 Cycle 1. From Castor Himilco the Carpenter, to Christopher Maharbal the Fisher, greetings. I am busy about the huts, putting up new dwellings for our growing community.