Hi, I decided to make it mostly because I thought that it was kind of a shame that there was only one academy. I'm not sure exactly what I'd like to do with the rules yet though, so if anyone has a suggestion, I'd be glad to hear it!
Awesome! I'll be checking that one out and contributing a path to that one as well (though don't worry for any of my readers, I'm not done adding to Franziska Weber yet either!)
I didn't have much in the way of storylines, but the Panathlias needing to form a party gives people a logical plot to follow. Even if a character isn't a Panathlia themselves, they can find one to form a party, or have one find them. Pregnancy isn't really an issue, you can get pregnant, but there's magic, and an understanding that people are fucking all the time, so handling it isn't that hard. Glad to hear it fyreant! I'd appreciate if you messaged me about your plot first so I can give it the okay.
I was sketching up some possible directions to go for storylines that would use game rules. I imagined three game jump-off points. Building Your Party. The rules will be about choices you make to recruit people to your group of five. Some choices may provoke drama or cause you to gain or lose members based on others' preferences or previous alliances. Facing The Challenge. Describe or build a group of five. Go through a sequence of challenges, picking your strategy. This could be a competitive tournament or a quest with a goal. Maybe the "character sheet" represents the entire party, with the attributes representing which members are strongest or weakest in their specialty. The rules are about what challenges you face, what choices you make, how you resolve them. In a tournament, challenges might include magical combat. Maybe a storyline would end with what the results of your party going through the challenges would mean for them, for the Academy, or for the purpose of the quest (like a flash-forward or epilogue). My Alexandria Story. Use a modified set of Boarbristle rules with five Attributes rather than four (since there are five houses) and a new or modified set of Sex Moves. Maybe there will be new Standard Moves or Custom Moves special to Alexandria, since building groups is more important than House rivalries.
Hm, I think I kind of like these, I don't think I'll have a mechanic for losing party members, and just have it be that once somebody is in, they're in for good. I'll think up a bunch of cool combination moves to encourage parties and friends, and make it so that each character has more bonuses to certain moves, or kinds of magic, but challenges are harder, so that everyone is more specialized, so that it's a good idea to focus on building friendships and connections, in and out of your party, although you won't always be able to get a friend when you need them, unless you travel in a mob. I'll do a little more work/thinking later today.
The Alexandria Academy of the Arcane Arts launches with rules and sample characters! @229 has crafted quite the Academy! Take a peek at @Omegah2o's Superpowered Education and eXcellence School. First page revealed early (oops on me) so a few things may change before launch.
I just discovered Empowered, a webcomic featuring a superheroine with an easily lost super-suit. http://www.empoweredcomic.com/about Non-explicit art (T & A), but the theme seems to share some aspects with @TeratonArm's idea of fragile costumes above: http://forum.chyoa.com/threads/lusty-magic-academy-rpg.452/page-4#post-8334
I've been having a fun time with Boarbristle Academy. Morgan, lovestruck by Golondrina, has decided to switch Houses from Minerval to Leontes and has convinced her roommate/lover Fay to come with her. However, Leontes stresses BRAVERY, Morgan's weakest trait, and she's been struggling. What's worse, someone casts a horrible Sending towards Fay in revenge for her switching Houses, and Morgan has to banish it at great cost, and with little sympathy. But later she hears that the Minerval Housemaster's favorite has gotten a dreadful comeuppance for the attempted revenge. https://chyoa.com/chapter/Minerval's-Tutor,-Fiammetta-Hawk,-defrocks-you-both.361531
Trying to lean into the declared themes (Dueling, magical attainment, Favors) as best I can here as Morgan and Fay start with their new House. Although I suspect if they find out who did the Sending, Morgan could call them out to DEFEND THE HONOR OF THEIR HOUSE, another theme I set up earlier. Morgan (and Fay) pick up a GOAL from House Leontes' Tutor, Preston Sharper, to try and help acclimatize them to their new House. Do they compete in magical duels for an open Prefect position? Do they help Leontes' Warden test the dormitories' protective wards against future Sendings by summoning peculiar and silly magical beasts? Or do they organize a party for their new fellow students? https://chyoa.com/chapter/Meet-with-Leontes'-Tutor-and-pick-a-GOAL.370985
I worked one of Morgan Woodbine's paths (after transferring to Leontes) to an [END]. She gets some satisfaction in helping Leontes' Warden wreak some revenge, but ends up as a magic school dropout. (Fay and Golondrina have apparently graduated). https://chyoa.com/chapter/Morgan,-Witch-of-the-Weirding-Woods-[END].382724
Added a new location to Boarbristle's grounds: The Fifth House, an empty, disused area formerly home to one of Boarbristle's academic houses and off-limits to most. We get the story from Dorothy the Portress who helps clean and maintain the space, but she knows little about its history. https://chyoa.com/chapter/The-chambers-of-the-Fifth-House-at-Boarbristle.455620
Any interested folks have suggestions for what Boarbristle's Fifth House might have been, and why it's now vacant? Currently Boarbristle has four academic houses based broadly on those from Rowling's Potter books. Ambition ~ Draconis ~ [Slytherin] Bravery ~ Leontes ~ [Gryffindor] Cunning ~ Minerval ~ [Ravenclaw] Diligence ~ Beavertail ~ [Hufflepuff] I based the house traits (first column) off Avery Alder's "Simple World" stripped down toolkit for building games with Powered by the Apocalypse mechanics (as Lusty Magical Academy, and specifically Boarbristle's rules, are derived from Apocalypse World via Simple World). Simple World: http://buriedwithoutceremony.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/simple-world.pdf Simple World stat ~ Boarbristle Trait • Reflexive/Graceful ~ unused! Maybe this is the Fifth House's trait? Are they empaths? Dancers? Seducers? • Persuasive/Assertive ~ Ambition • Aggressive/Forceful ~ Bravery • Calculating/Methodical ~ Diligence (at least the "Methodical" part; maybe Peter Falk's "Columbo" captures both halves) • Inquisitive/Exploratory ~ Cunning Reasons the Fifth House is vacant? * They left to form a new school * There was a terrible scandal and the House was dissolved * There was a horrific mishap and the House was devastated, warded off, and emptied, more recently cleaned up
Possibilities: Loyalty ~ Canini The Canini were noted for their devotion, both to their friends and masters and each other, but it proved to be their downfall; during a magical incursion from another, alien realm, they sacrificed themselves to save the other houses, storming through the gateway to seal the breach - and at terrible cost. In a single night, the whole house was wiped out...or perhaps not. No other House has reclaimed the empty rooms and chambers, and no one can sleep the night in that space. Some say it is haunted, others that the Canini are trapped between worlds...or perhaps have found new masters... Curiosity ~ Felini Originally a branch of Leontes, the Felini broke off and became their own house - renowned for their experimentation and research. Unfortunately, curiosity proved to be their downfall, and they delved into forbidden secrets. A series of scandals resulted in investigation - and conflict. Most of the students were expelled, some held for trial or bought off to go quietly. A few students who were deemed innocent were allowed to join the other Houses...but after a mysterious fire in the records room, no one quite knows who they are...
Good lord this is in depth. I just wanted to write and potentially make up interactions between characters but jesus christ this looks complex... I feel like it would take me weeks on end just to figure out the system...
Thank you for speaking up! You don't have to take on the whole system at once to write scenes. You can write scenes with character interaction without using any of the Moves if you prefer; the Moves are intended as mechanics to prompt toward certain sorts of scenes and interactions. If you want to pick or create a character and explore storylines around Boarbristle, it's a little easier because the rules (Moves) are written out. If you want to start your own academy, it's a bigger job because you have to write the Moves and the setting. But your own setting may be more compelling and inspiring for your own storytelling. I took my inspiration from SwampThing's story Slut World, simplified the sex rules (and added a special sex rule for each Boarbristle House, for flavor), and added rules for making friends and enemies, gaining and using favors, casting spells, having magical duels and defending your House's honor, and getting in and out of danger or trouble. I'm happy to talk over ideas if you want to contribute, and I'm just as happy if you decide you're inspired to start your own separate story. Oh, and also I note that you don't have to use any material on anyone else's storyline, including characters or events, so you need not worry about consistency with anything but the previous chapters.
Just a little wave to let folks know the story is active and send some appreciation to folks who follow and comment.
Lately I've been adding to Eric Mothwing-Marshall's storyline, using @fyreant's Pregnancy Scare optional rules mixed with Eric's Wild Talent. If you like the Alexandria Academy, @229 has been updating recently.
