Neo Praetoria Series

[Ankylosaur]

I just published a new arc for the first time in many moons. 

 

The short version is that a few folk who had played All That Glimmers, really liked the Neo Tokyo groups and wanted to see more of them. I didn't want to start something about Primal invading or befriending Neo Tokyo so was stumped for ideas, until I instead thought about writing for the Goldside character who ends his or her time in the Praetorian arcs and wants something to do on their way to 50. So this merges the premise behind how I integrated Neo Tokyo into a new path to it, starting in Night Ward.

 

It is three arcs.

 

1. Neo Praetoria 1: Night Ward... Diabolic Changes - Arc ID: 60478
   After completing The Magician's quest, Sir Agnan of the Black Knights has need of your help. A new threat jeopardizes the balance of power in Night Ward. (Goldside series that continues the Praetorian story, picking up after The Magician's arc in NIght Ward.)
    
2. Neo Praetoria 2: First Ward... Hamidonic Changes - Arc ID: 60742
   The Angels of Mercy you saved want to grant you boons to help you escape Night Ward and reach Neo Praetoria by traveling through First Ward. [SFMA]
    
3. Neo Praetoria 3: Warburg... Warburg Never Changes - Arc ID: 63157 
   After the assault on Neo Praetokyo, Ma Soong wants to shut down the portal on Prime earth that broke through her wards. Professor Echo has a portal open and ready for you to head to Prime Earth and end the threat in Warburg.

 

Hope you have fun giving any of it a whirl, and as always, very open and appreciative of feedback to help me polish the story I put together. (A little worried I went a little clue crazy and tried to stuff too much detail in - but trying to keep things tighter than some of my other series.) And, if you're so inclined, I appreciate you being generous with stars in its early days while kinks may be being unkinked.

Edited September 28 by Ankylosaur

[Ankylosaur]

Pandemonium in Night Ward Design notes

 

I have been wanting to do something with Night Ward for ages. it's a kooky place, and after chatting with Darmian about it, he shared some things I had not found, and found a few myself. If you know any of my other stories, you know I like to find hooks that were never explored, or that I think are hooks that maybe no one else does. Because it feels like the next stage after Night Ward never happened - it feels like it is loaded with them. 

 

You could argue that Dark Astoria is the next stage with Diabolique and the Talons going there of course. And that right there is a story hook too - what is Night Ward like without them?

 

Anyway, here's some of the things I tried to work in, much of it from that convo with @Darmian years ago now...

 

Souls

There are some special ghosts around. There are two ghost heroes that show up in different places. Darmian had included them in an arc at one point - part of Powers Division - while they were still alive. He shared their names and stories with me and I worked them in (though how they became dead is my own interpretation.) And I found the dead milkman, who appears in the same spot regularly. He died while driving his bitchin' camero.

 

See pictures by clicking the link arrow in the header below.

 

 

Angels

And then there are the Angels of Mercy, scattered throughout.

https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Angels

 

The Bereaved Demon

And wayyyyyy down in Bedlam is a demon and a bunch of "Banished hoardlings."

 

 

Loved who? Well I had to work that in too.

 

Of course the bigger questions were, what has changed in Night Ward now that the whole Sister Serene arc is over, the Talons and Diabolique have left, and arguably most of the Black Nights have returned to the eternal prison to guard it. Plus - depending on where we pick up - what has been happening in Praetoria while you were hanging in Night Ward. And another question that I can't even ask here without revealing a bit of the plot.

 

And there is the infusion of something new. A tie in with the All That Glimmers series where the Drudge were collecting something in Primal. With the Talons leaving - someone's going to fill that void. 

 

And if you want to see any of the folks above, or catch up on at least one interpretation of how the balance of power in Night Ward may have evolved, you know where to go... 🙂

 

 

 

Edited March 10 by Ankylosaur

[Ankylosaur]

This got a couple of plays which is great! But at 4 stars, I do wish I had some feedback so I knew what to improve. 

 

If you happen to have played it and have thoughts to share I am all ears. Was it too hard? Too easy? Did you not like the story? Too long? Too short? Were there typos? Were the allies too weak? Too strong? Too many clues? Too few? Did it rely on you knowing the Night Ward story too much? Or did I overly re-explain it? 

 

Oh and the one question it answers that reveals a lot about the plot is...

 

Spoiler

Why the heck does Infernal's lair look like Oranbega when nothing else in Praetoria does?

 

Edited March 10 by Ankylosaur

[Ankylosaur]

Published the second part of this today. Escape Through First Ward

 

Much simpler flow - probably plays pretty quickly as a result - a journey from Night Ward to Neo Praetoria by way of First Ward. Simple because each mission basically gains entry to the next mission. A nice way to showcase how Praetoria, outside of Neo Praetoria, has devolved.

 

Was fun to tell part of the story through clues that your contact barely acknowledges or cares about. i.e. Your contact, one of the Angels of Mercy, has missions for you, but along the way are clues to what happened within the decimated areas you travel.

 

Ultimately sets up Neo Praetoria as a location from which I can tell a lot of standalone stories if people want em. Suspect they don't. 🙂 And probably too ambitious.

 

In the mean-time, All That Gleams works as a bit of a stand-in follow up for what happens in M5 where you meet loads of Neo Praetorian heroes and they all have jobs for you.

Edited March 11 by Ankylosaur

[Ankylosaur]

Been tweaking the first one, Pandemonium in Night Ward.

 

I removed the Talon "Diviners" from the story. Their description makes it clear that they were followers of Serene, so I had them hang back when all the Talons and Diabolique fled Night Ward for Astoria, but in the end, I think they just complicated things. There is enough going on in here with all the shadow and demon stuff to not include them in the mix, and instead focus on the main antagonists as a more unified group.

 

Also made a map change, and several other language refinements in both story and typos.

[Ankylosaur]

Brought the Diviners back in to the first one with other "sisters" who chose to remain behind and did not travel to Dark Astoria with Diabolique and the Talons.

 

Tweaked the second one, and feeling fairly good about it, though I may make a few refinements after I finish the third. Came up with a much stronger (and fun) final mission which tees up the third.

 

Been noodling on the third one and finally have some strong plot points. Oddly it took me to Warburg, but it gives me a chance to explore Primal Earth in an interesting way. Ultimately, it turns the page on the All That Glitters series and lets me explore what has happened on Primal Earth after several of the "All That" series changed the nature of things redside. Just like in the All That series where at some point in each you travel to Praetoria, now that you start in Praetoria, you will end up traveling to Prime.

 

But this trilogy is standalone from "All That G." It basically uses some of what happened there as backstory for a Goldside character to get introduced to (my version) of Primal Earth from a Goldside perspective.

 

 

Spoiler

Much of my "All That" series shook up things red side.

 

Recluse's LTs and local town Governors are always supposed to be battling to hold power so it makes sense that change there would happen periodically. That is the premise of many of those stories. Scirocco is out, Guido controls Port Oakes, and Aeon no longer is Marshal of Cap. Part of the Cap big coup involved Blitz's help and it did not go as Midas promised. It worked in part because Black Scorpion was characteristically not the brightest. Meanwhile Red Widow is new on the scene these days and not well integrated. And, Recluse still bristles at his defeat in Praetoria. While the Gold Brickers keep raiding it with their D-Rifter tech, getting past Neo Tokyo's wards, surely Recluse doesn't want to leave all that to Midas.

 

So those were some of the things on my mind that are going into part 3.

 

Edited August 27 by Ankylosaur

[Ankylosaur]

So I finished the third one - finally. 

 

The series is definitely still in its nascent v1, (meaning I bet there are still a few typos out there and maybe the story still needs some tightening) but it is complete if anyone is looking for something new, and even better, if you have a Goldside toon looking for something to do after completing all of Night Ward.

 

As usual, it went in a few unexpected directions from initial ideas, but again, attempts to latch onto unused hooks from the end of Praetoria, the related follow-up in Dark Astoria, and my own little Anky-verse with Neo Tokyo playing a role. Even a small follow-up to All that Glitters explaining some fallout from what went down in Grandville and another Recluse LT shake-up. (It has GOT to be hard to stay a trusted member of his circle.)

Always appreciate early players being generous with feedback and stars in these fledgling stages. Will definitely continue to evolve it based on feedback. (A little worried I went a bit Clue crazy in M1 for example.)

 

Hope you enjoy!

Edited August 27 by Ankylosaur

[Ankylosaur]

A big thank you to @Take One who did a run on this "rough around the edges" series. 

 

With some typos corrected and some (not insignificant) bugs squashed. I can call this done. His feedback helped me bolster up some of the thinner bits of it in Arc 2, giving me ideas to better show the current state of things outside of Cole's reclaimed city, and the Prime Earth invaders that keep trying to break in.

 

Anyway - with this pass I think I can call it done!

 

(Is anything ever done? Certainly going to polish things here and there - but the story is complete, solid, and mostly typo free - except for maybe some lingering Scorpians that should have been Scorpions - so many!) 

 

Edited September 28 by Ankylosaur