@Cellyel's AE arcs

[CellyEl]

It's come to my attention that I've never posted these publicly; given that they were written for an SG's internal 'something new to do' needs, it made sense not to spread them all over, but I suppose I don't see the harm in it. Most are written with the assumption that it's been around a decade since the fall of Praetoria, and many of them track the attendant cultural fallout thereof.

They're all pretty playable with a small team of 3-6, some social mechanism of sharing mission briefings and ensuring clues are read, and a lighthearted approach to heavy subjects and serious genres.

The arcs are, in initial publication order (Some required republishing to fix certain bugs),

ISLAND of DEATH!! AE 45130.
A rare and valuable MARTIAL ARTS MANUAL, a relic of the esoteric and DEADLY practices of the dimension of Praetoria, is up for grabs! Enter a team competition where there are no rules and the definition of MARTIAL ARTS gets stretched to the breaking point! The ISLAND of DEATH awaits!
Inspired by: 80's Martial arts movies localized in the US, especially the ad copy.
Comment: Honestly, probably my best. Make popcorn, bring your cheesiest martial artists (and one guy who like, shoots a gun, just for flavor), romp through it, and have a good time.

 

MONTANA SMITH and the CARTHAGINIAN CASK, AE 56465
A security alarm at Salamanca's university campus quickly becomes much more. DELVE into the ancient mysteries of Carthage, long buried beneath myth, legend, and rumor. Uncover the secrets of the ancients, race against fiendish fascist foes, and speak the truth on a 2,200-year-old blood libel!
Inspired by: Indiana Jones, and notably published originally before the post ITF mission arc from Not!Valkyrie.
Comment: I like how it turned out, but it was probably a little too joke-heavy, all told.

 

Prizren: Sarabande of Solitude, AE 49756
An investigation into a secession crisis in Kosovo shoes not only signs of paramilitary tampering, but supernatural tampering as well. Thrust into the center of a rapidly deteriorating coup, out heroes must fight to end a dangerous curse before it's too late.

Inspired by: Castlevania
Comment: Probably my weakest. It started my thought process on conveying clues more effectively for fast-moving groups, but not soon enough to benefit itself. Also, there's a few brick walls of difficulty in there; liz is tough for some people. True to inspiration, there's also a secret additional AE mini arc with a different, better ending, buried in the clues.

 

WRATH of the CHIMERA, AE 50571

Alerted to a break-in at the offices of the Paragon City Comptroller, our heroes find themselves face to face with a foe that has nothing to lose! Dare you pit yourself against... THE WRATH OF THE CHIMERA?
Inspiration: Ninja Gaiden (NES).
Comment: Those games always started off with you fighting weirdos in a city alleyway, and ended with you killing a demon god in hell, and I sorta wanted to capture that absurd escalation in a story arc. Ultimately, I like how it went, even if I don't feel like Jaquio Jade Scorpion makes a lot of sense. In a way, this, too, is authentic to the Ninja Gaiden experience.



60 Seconds to Midnight, AE 51392
When a US black site in the arctic circle falls and there's no capes around, does anyone hear? Knife once more puts out the call to deal with high stakes geopolitical flashpoints before they reach the 'thousands dead' stage.
Inspired by: Metal Gear Solid
Comment: My most polished work, with a lot of approaches that I've since made standard. I like that it's playable and comprehensible with an 8 stack blitzing through it, but there's a plethora of little notes you'd only catch if you're taking a more leisurely pace. It's also the only one that REALLY WANTS you to have a team: the rest are fairly doable solo.

All of them have been fairly well received at the Hero Corps Information Exchange.

[Darmian]

I'll give them a look.  Always nice to see a story arc,  no matter what reason you had for making it.

[CellyEl]

Finished personal testing on this one yesterday.

Solar Enrichment, AE 56540
'If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst at once into the sky, that would be like the splendor of the mighty one.' Knife once more gathers a superheroic cadre to save the world amidst a brewing international disaster that threatens millions of lives.
Inspired by: Oppenheimer, Chinese myth, and rereading the baffling way Numina lost her body.
Comment: Still right out of the gate, so I'm not sure entirely how it'll be received. A preponderance of rare damage types and -def does mean that the AV fights might spike an unwary group, especially the last one. It also felt a bit workmanlike when I was writing it, but I enjoyed my own result, and it didn't feel like a marathon to test. Which is why I'm sticking two more stages on later.

 

 

An additional note I forgot to mention: In virtually all of these arcs, my partner in Crime is @Maris, who does most of the mob balance and design for custom enemy groups; she's truly excellent at purposeful enemy group building with the vaguest of direction*, and I cannot thank her enough, or plug her solo work Der Nachzehrer Kommt! (AE 55600; bring friends, she shows her fangs on this one) enough.

*"MARISSSSS I need uhhhh russian mafia guys but they're also vampires"
She whips up the entire back half of Prizren: SoS in a couple hours

Edited August 1, 2023 by CellyEl