Mai Otome: Blue Sky Liberation

A game for five players, run by Ford. Planned for 24 (probably) monthly sessions, session time currently unknown. Expressions of interest to be directed over IRC.

Premise

The players take the roles of fifth or sixth year students at Galleria Academy, located in the Emirate of the Valley of the Wind. As Pearl Otome in their penultimate or final year, they are are considered less as Otome in training and more as potential Meister Otome. Their studies are supplemented with the knowledge that they will soon be entering, or attempting to enter, the world stage.

And it just so happens that an opportunity has presented itself: Princess Anri la Blanc fon Wind, younger sister of the Valley's ruler, Izanami, is turning 17 and beginning the process of selecting an Otome as part of certain national defense standards. Not only is there an opportunity to gain employment with Princess Anri, leaders and delegates from all over the world are visiting the Valley as part of one of the largest state visits in the past ten years. VIPs will be streaming in from all over the world. There's even talk of an exhibition of heirloom Meister GEMs. It's a big deal, and a big opportunity.

It's also a big security risk. Not only has Princess Izanami requested Galleria Academy deploy the Five Columns as additional security, she has also discretely requested a number of Pearl Otome act as retainers for her sister during the events. Unsurprisingly, this is the players.

The World of Blue Sky Liberation

Obviously this game is based on an existing property, and the world in which it is set is similar, but not identical to that in Mai Otome. The setting is the world of

The Seven Days of Fire

Centuries before the beginning of Blue Sky Liberation, something something apocalyptic conflict something something

Civilisation was preserved by the actions of Princess Mashiro le Blanc fon Wind and her retainer, the Pure White Diamond, Grand Meister Fumi Himeno.

Otome

Z-type HiME nanotechnology - noocytes able to rewrite the quantum metric and materialise photons as solid matter. Its true origins are shrouded in myth. Perhaps it is a component of some awful interstellar weapon. Perhaps it is the blood of God. In any case, its exact makeup and even its exact capabilities are beyond the ability of modern science to determine. What is known that when these miraculous nanomachines colonise an appropriate host, the host takes on equally miraculous abilities. Able to freely manipulate the metric altering properties of Z-type dust, the host is seemingly able to violate the laws of conservation and manifest matter and energy seemingly from thin air.

The possessors of this miraculous power are the women known as Otome. One part idol, one part officer of state, one part intercontinental independent cruising anti-landmass strategic superweapon. Possessing supranormal abilities than cannot be replicated by even the most advanced cybernetic technology, Otome represent the true military power of any given nation. Their individual destinies drive the prestige of nations, their people and their leaders. Though not invincible, using conventional military forces to defeat a full realised Otome, a Meister, is close to impossible. It is the skill of individual Meister Otome that determine who Arl's superpowers are; those nations without Otome are strictly speaking at the mercy of the nations that do employ them.

With their lives tied to the lives of world leaders and politicians, Otome serve another vital purpose. In Zipang there is a saying: one sword keeps another in the sheath. The awesome power of Otome is enough to bring down civilisation, and the presence of Otome in the service of various superpowers keeps the world in balance and at peace ... even if that balance is uneasy and that peace false.

There are several aspects to any given Otome. The first is the Otome herself. It is not enough to be injected with the Z-type dust, though this is the vital technological aspect. Unlike a machine, or even a cyborg, the power of an Otome is built from her skills as a person. Popular media has created an image of the Otome as the soft-spoken, elegant maid that happens to possess power than can literally change the shape of countries, but this is just an image created by vapid celebrity culture. While it is true that etiquette is an aspect of an Otome's training, the reality is that this is just a small aspect. Typically selected in their early teens on the basis of intellectual and athletic brilliance, an Otome is extensively educated in languages, world politics, the hard and soft sciences, international law, history, military tactics and strategy etc, while being trained for physical combat. Even those women who do not subsequently go on to serve as Meister Otome will typically possess the skills to eventually excel in any given position in the public or private sector.

The second is, as mentioned, the Z-type nanomachines. Taking hold after a few days and fully developed after one year, even in a dormant state the dust provides numerous advantages. The average first year Coral Otome, usually only fourteen years old, can finish a 100m sprint in 8 seconds, jump a 3m bar from a standing start and curl the kind of weight that a strong man might bench press. Exceptional Otome have been known to be able to fight evenly with combat cyborgs without activating their nanomachines.

The nanomachines themselves are managed and regulated by the Generable Enigmatic Matrix, or GEM. Set in a special piercing of the ear and resembling a precious stone, the GEM is an infinitely fuzzy hypercomputer which interprets the commands and subconscious of the Otome and manifests them through the Z-type nanomachines. The GEM also forms the basis of the Contract system, where the activation of an Otome's powers lies in the hands of another (usually the leader of a nation, or some other important officer of state). For every Meister GEM, there exists a twin containing the activation permissions for the Z-type dust. The owner of this GEM is called a Master, and the Contract cannot be broken without extremely specialised technology and expertise. Otherwise, only death can revoke a Contract. An Otome and Master are linked, with Masters experiencing sympathetic pain if their Otome is injured. Further, if one dies then so does the other. By sharing lives in this way they have become the guardians of world order.

With the proper permissions, an Otome is able to materialise higher-order matter from photons, creating their Robe and, if they wish, their Element. A 'Robe' is a battle uniform incorporating suites of e-war, defensive, offensive and propulsive technology, and is emblematic of the Otome generally. While Coral and Pearl Otome -students - make use of largely identical Robes, Meister GEMs are all essentially unique - passed down from Otome to Otome and incorporating subconscious design changes recorded by the GEM. Typically all Robes incorporate a varying number of prehensile ribbons or coat tails that can act as additional limbs or as cutting tools, and all Robes feature distinctive ring-like protrusions around the wrists and ankles as part of the propulsion system. Otherwise the appearance of a Meister Robe is incredibly varied (and infinitely merchandisable). An 'Element' is a higher-order matter weapon unique to each GEM, and essentially unique between each Meister Otome. There is seemingly no limit to the forms an Element can take - swords, spears, axes, staves, energy cannons, tennis rackets. Almost anything. An Otome typically only has a single Element, though it is not uncommon for Elements to be able to change size or shape. For most Otome, their Element is their ultimate weapon.

A Meister Otome has fully realised her metric altering powers and cannot be matched by even the most powerful cyborgs. Meister Otome can reach orbit under their own power, throw an aircraft carrier, flatten a mountain range, catch lasers, shift individuals out of the spacetime continuum, duplicate themselves and more besides. They carry the dreams of nations. Their power and grace and at times idiosyncratic personalities have made them beloved of people the world over. In return for shouldering the burden of safeguarding the peace of the world, of having to face off against mentors, sisters, even former girlfriends, an Otome is made famous and adored. But even this can be hollow consolation: adoration can become obsession, and simple attempts to live life can create scandals. More than one Otome has tried pursuing an intimate relationship with a man and found that once adoring fans have become raving lunatics.

The responsibility inherent in being a Meister Otome is immense, the pressure can be grinding and at times it can be lonely and thankless. More than anything else, an Otome must be prepared for these hardships. It is for that purpose that Galleria Academy exists.

Expectations

Games run on #lords are charmingly haphazard and run in the typical mode: with no end in sight and things made up on the fly. That's actually an unfair characterisation and not wholly accurate. What I should say is simply that while everyone on #lords runs good, fun interesting games, the style in which they're run is not how I would run a game. And in typical fanfic author fashion I gotta do it my way. I have my own ideas regarding what will and won't work. As a result I will not necessarily be to everyone's taste as a GM. That said I find stories of abusive or difficult GMs to be eyerollingly dumb. I can't promise I'll never be a fascist GM, but I don't intend to be combative. I want to interest and challenge players, but ultimately be facilitative.

There's always scope for discussion and negotiation. If nothing else I will always be willing to listen to any concerns or complaints a player has. Communication is key to good relationships and good gaming. If you are thinking of joining the game it will be worth asking yourself the question 'is there anything I want to know before I commit?' and asking the question.

Player Expectations

• Direction. Blue Sky Liberation is intended and designed from the ground up to only to run for a limited number of sessions. Players can expect that each session will meaningfully advance the story they are a part of, without getting bogged down. The name of my game is pace: I don't like weeks of faffing about and I want players to feel like they have achieved something in each episode.
• Material. Typically players come into a session with only memories to guide them. For this game you can expect a document delivered in advance summarising the previous session, their character's objectives both public and secret, important developments and reminders of the story so far.
• Focus. Blue Sky Liberation is intended to be a game with a definite storyline, and the emphasis is on the players engaging in collaborative storytelling. In a lot of games there's a great deal of emphasis on the gaining and spending of exp, but this system doesn't support this at all. The emphasis here is on the meat of player interaction.
• Fairness. Without meaning to imply that other GMs are unfair, players can expected to be treated equally. I don't engage in favouritism: you will be rewarded equally so long as you participate. Additionally, you will always have the opportunity to participate - if I need to shift the narrative focus from one player to the next, I will.
• Communication. Players can expect to be kept in the loop directly, in addition to the session material.

GM Expectations

• Punctuality. I'm not inflexible and understand that real life comes first. There's always going to be plenty of notice for each session, and if you can't make it or think things might interfere with your ability to game. we can work something out. However, an episode of Blue Sky Liberation requires every player to be present, and if you have made the commitment to play I will expect you to be present and on time.
• Participation. It's not enough to just have a character: if you want to play, I expect you to be involved. This includes at the conceptual stage. Some people more naturally inclined to speak up, and that's fine, but there isn't any place for a player who just loafs around. Rewards and character growth are tied to dramatic moments in the story: there are benefits to being involved in the game beyond not just being dragged around by other players.
• Communication. Please allow me to belabour the point endlessly until it loses all meaning.

System

The game is built on the Romancing Simulated Otome Linear Augmentation Rules (R-SOLAR :v). Though the rules have not been totally completed they are at point where I can elucidate the basics. Note that these notes represent the current build, and will undoubtedly be tweaked as the system is completed.

• Combat doesn't rely on whittling down health. Rather, it relies on building a number of narrative advantages through good stunt use, which is solidified via dice contests.
• Combat is time limited. Each encounter will have a set number of rounds, and the side with the most advantage at the end of this is the winner. Most encounters will be three rounds, with five rounds for more dramatic clashes.
• Character creation is three-fold. The first part is a quiz that asks a number of simple in-character questions to help shape the concept. Pretty much every RPG ever has something like this for the player, but for Blue Sky Liberation it is an essential element of character creation and I simply won't accept characters that don't have one.
• The second part is baseline character attributes. Character have five numerical stats that a player distributes points to. From these five stats you derive other values, like initiative, your fighting ability, your endurance etc. These derive stats take the place of skills - this reflects how Otome all have more or less the same education, but different Otome excel in different areas.
• The third part is GEM creation, where you design the Meister GEM which will provide you with your most spectacular powers. GEM attributes are based on a letter ranking system, with higher ranks providing different bonuses.
• GEM design also include Element design, an 'Element' being a unique, signature weapon possessed by Otome. Elements have a lot of scope for unusual abilities, depending on rank.
• To give a little more flexibility, R-SOLAR has a tag system where players can attach a 'tag' to any statistic or attribute. Tags come in 0, 1, 2 and 3 point forms, and are similar to specialisations in other games. They allow some more customisation and some mechanical bonuses that scale relative to their cost.

There's a pretty big front-end to cover for the lack of ongoing customisation. As has been mentioned, players can develop additional tags, and earn special abilities, through the narrative.

The lack of exp reflects the nature of the GEM design system. GEM's offer incredibly dramatic increases to player abilities, but are close to impossible to balance correctly with traditional RPG style stats, due to proportionality.