ersetu-gazette

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Sudden horrible idea: What if we made fake youtube titles and thumbnails for game theory "Completely missed key details in the name of clickbait" Mother of Learning videos.

I'll start: "Looper Zorian is Panaxeth???" The thumbnail is an image of Zach with that sort of Home Alone scream face with panaxeth behind him and an arrow, a circle around him, and Zorian's glasses.

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/65617309/chapters/168947329

The first chapter of my Naruto x MoL crossover is out!

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The 2025 Award for Best MoL AU goes to:

@cal-cium-the-nerd's "Of the Web!"

This Au, despite only being two chapters, is the most masterfully crafted AU that combines accurate understanding of canon, compelling headcanons and alterations, and a cohesive fusion of the two that delivers a character driven story and artfully explores how the world informs us and we inform the world.

I won't spoil what I already know, but just be aware: Of the Web has a narrative arc that can't be compared among it's peers.

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You're 100% right Cal.

Ya know, thinking about it? I think it might be due to how resistant the narrative is to serialization? Cause as a time loop the entire story feels like it *needs* the weight of dozens of other time loops to fit with a retelling. So you can't drop in the middle of the narrative within the timeloop because either you don't change anything, in which case it's hard to feel enthusiastic about, or you do change something, and you need to write the 100+ chapters to explore how that change affects things.

So for me the options are kind of either: Post-Canon, or some type of no-Time-Loop AU to justify having a shorter narrative that is still impactful. (Maybe why I'm so crossover-brained?)

(I also want to be clear, I still want to work on those canon divergence retellings, like my Ibasan!Zorian AUs or [Spoiler Redacted], but I wish I could do more of those moderate meal fics, of like ~5 maybe 10 chapters)

Anyone else having difficulty planning/mustering up the energy for multichap fics?

I feel like I need a way to better plan fics that are like 5 chaps long, but it feels like Mother of Learning is perfectly set up for only one shots or 50 chapter long epics.

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Anyone else having difficulty planning/mustering up the energy for multichap fics?

I feel like I need a way to better plan fics that are like 5 chaps long, but it feels like Mother of Learning is perfectly set up for only one shots or 50 chapter long epics.

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https://archiveofourown.org/collections/MoLCringefest

For some reason I'm recommending you read this collection of pure and concentrated crack/cringe fics in the MoL fandom. I'm sure none of it will traumatize you

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Can’t stop thinking about the fact that Zach, Zorian, Taiven, Kael, all their classmates, Fortov, heck even Kirielle, Nochka, and Kana will be fighting in the next round of Splinter Wars or will be witnessing the aftermath at home while their family members die in it.

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/61308790/chapters/166418065

The second chapter of the MoL x Pjo crossover is up!

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Prompt Week Form is Open!

If you paid attention to the schedule and noticed that the date wasn't confirmed of when this would happen, you can rest easy now. Preparation leading up to Prompt Week starts now. We're going to vote for the top 7 prompts, while also gauging the interest you all have and the type of fanworks you're looking forward to doing so we can best organize this. We're excited to see all of your fanworks!

https://forms.gle/JRwaexCfMTm2Lfd37

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Okay, I had an idea for a Deltarune x Mother of Learning fangame/crossover fic premise (yeah yeah, I know, another crossover from me; take a shot):

I don't have a lot of ideas for specifics but I have a vibe which I find hilarious.

So Zorian and Enthusiastic Seeker of Novelty are attending school, right? Zorian's mostly three to keep an eye on her and smooth over diplomatic relationships with humans and aranea. His justification for being there is basically being a TA for Nora Boole or something similar, being an apprentice so he can have the credentials for others to believe him when he sets up his own spell forge.

However, when he goes to take Novelty to his personal workshop, door opens with dark light, boom Dark world.

It's strange for Novelty and Zorian, because powers in the Light World don't translate one to one in the Dark World, so he doesn't have the uber archmage power (but is still more powerful than Novelty) while Novelty is having a blast with new powers.

However, something interesting happens when the duo meet the Ralsei equivalent: they're a lifelike golem. The Golem goes over the exposition and at first Zorian thinks that they're talking about Ersetu angels, but then they mention their creator, the god that gave the golems shape, and Zorian realizes: "Oh fuck, they see me as their god and don't know it."

I think Zorian is pretty genre savy and would quickly recognize that there's a correlation between certain objects and spaces in the Light World to the Dark World and he'd be having an existential crisis with his responsibility in all of this. While of course he'd be hiding this from the Darkners and desperately trying to keep Novelty from figuring out the truth/spilling the beans.

So the story is about Zorian trying to figure out: A) What the fuck is up with Dark Worlds and Darkners in general. B) How the Darkners he specifically made would handle if he revealed that he was their creator. And C) Who the hell is opening up Dark Fountains and why they're doing it.

Idk, I think the narrative tension with an imbalance of information would be neat.

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Unleashing an ancient evil of immense power so you can get political dominance: good, the ethically correct thing to do.

A wizard using a gun: horrible, an affront to nature and the gods themselves.

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I would love to see that outsider POV chapter

Some poor colonist in the Great Northern Forest is goïng to have an... interesting time when they stumble upon Princess and the flock of iron beaks following her around.

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The mol events discord is fun: you should join it.

We're totally normal

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*bursts into the room with a ruffled lab coat, my hair a mess, and soot covering my face* "I HAVE DISCOVERED THE ANSWER!"

So I had an epiphany to solve an issue with making a MoL ttrpg that I've been struggling with for like 3 days.

So generally speaking there's 2 types of "skill systems" that I enjoy. One is like pathfinder 1e where on level up you get a certain number of points (called ranks) that you can put into skills that you need. You can only have a number of ranks in any skill equal to your level so you have to pace yourself and there are crunchy ways to increase the total bonus to skill rolls. Things like feats, class abilities, and "class skills" all help in allowing you to maximize the number. I like the degree of player control and agency in this type of system. I don't like how out of control the bonuses can sometimes get and how disconnected from the narrative it can be. "Oh on level up in the middle of this dungeon I realized how necessary climb is so I'm investing all my ranks into it and shooting up to max capabilities. So now the wizard went from falling from every rope to freeclimbing a sheer cliff face." That can be . . . weird. The other skill system is the sort of "use the skills to boost them" method. In some systems you fail a check with a skill you earn xp you can spend to increase that skill. In another every success you get to mark on your sheet and at the end you make a roll and if you roll above that skill number then you get to bump it up. All sorts of ways of doing it. It's a very narrative system that makes sense. There's actually one where you need to get a number of successes AND failures equal to your ranks already before you're allowed to upgrade it. You need to fail and practice to improve right? That makes sense. But I'm hesitant to implement it into my vision of a MoL ttrpg. For one thing, it works best in a levelless system. My idea of MoL ttrpg has levels, I can't abandon that yet. And secondly, I don't like that the only way for players to showcase agency is by trying to fish/grind for situations to trigger the upgrade.

So how do I balance my want for levels, player agency, gameplay that encourages practice without grinding, and a system to support the method? How do I let players enact the "fantasy" of honing their shaping skills without it being busted or narratively dissonant?

And then I found it: apparently in Dark Eye 4e whenever you crit (succeed or fail) a skill check the price to upgrade the skill during point buy decreases! I think this would be perfect! If you use a skill more often you're more likely to crit and decrease the cost, but you don't get the boost immediately! You still have some player agency during level up to assign points to new skills you're bad at but you can't immediately become an expert in something with no practice!

I could also implement a downtime rule so that if you just don't get crits and the gm allows you to make time you can just earn the point decrease with dedicated practice between adventures.

There's still some tweaking that probably needs to be done to make it more streamlined and balanced, but I really like this core idea and I had to talk about it in some way.

Now the question is: do I keep this only for shaping skills like I originally intended, or do I combine this with the non-magical skills under the same system for simplicity's sake? Because originally I wanted the magic system skills to be separated from the non-magical skills to highlight the mechanical differences in play, but I really like this idea and think it would fit for "mundane" skills like stealth and bartering.

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So: this may be an examination of mechanics no one wants, but I've been thinking more about how integral time could be to the MoL system. What system would allow for the narrative of "you recognize the spell being cast so you only have x amount of time to cast the right dispeller/counter/shield" (like that scene where Alanic casts a sphere at Quatach-Ichl and he panics trying to cast a three barrier shield)?

Option 1: Multi-action casting

So unlike most ttrpgs where spells just cost a major amount of time during one turn, most spells in this MoL ttrpg cost enough actions that you need to spend them across multiple turns. Let's say it's like Pathfinder 2e, you get 3 actions per turn you can spend on anything. Well when you try to cast "Giant Fireball" or whatever it has 4 actions you need to spend to cast. So someone could spend the first turn using 2 actions to move or maneuver to safety, 1 action to invest on the spell, and their next turn spend all 3 actions investing the rest on the spell and casting it at the end of your turn.

Allows for a bit of strategy and risk/reward about how many actions you're going to invest into spellcasting and how many actions you're going to invest in your own safety. Better hope you finish your casting before someone else blows you up, or recognizes the spell you're casting and starts doing a counter/trap. Maybe a mechanic that you have 4 actions and have to choose to set one action aside to be allowed to take reactions? I don't know. There's potential.

Option 2: Tick Based

Now this is the trickier but possibly more accurate option. Now instead of initiative being based on rolling and waiting for your turn, it's based on the length of the action you want to do: the ttrpg version of Active Time Battle. Instead of getting 3 actions per turn, when it's your turn, whatever one action you decide to do (let's say in this case, cast a spell) the assigned length of the action determines when you can take your turn again. So let's say Fireball has a speed of 5. So when it's your turn you wait for initiative to pass 5 "ticks" before you cast it and can do something else. Now in the space in between the ticks opponents whose turns come up after you start casting can try to cast faster tick spells or do actions to mitigate or counter your spell. So they could do a weak spell to disrupt your concentration, or move out of the way, or get a shield up.

Unfortunately this method of initiative is criticized with being heavy on bookkeeping and unwieldy at times in tabletop format. I do still believe in this method as being the most "accurate" to how magic battles feel in MoL, but it would need tweaking and customization to play smoothly and best fit.

I don't know, does anyone else in the MoL fandom or with experience in ttrpgs have thoughts?

Brainstorming the Mother of Learning TTRPG

So every once in awhile there are forum posts or questions asked about what tabletop roleplaying system would be best for playing in the Ersetu universe. Usually I say that something like Pathfinder or D&D 3.5e would be best because they are the most popular rpgs that MoL at the very least alludes to, with a crunchy gameplay style that the narrative references. There's obvious deep complexity and lots of magic spells. At one point Zorian wonders out loud why some first circle spells aren't 0 circle spells because they don't seem to be more complex and the other character says "marketing" (read: a joke about spell balance). And any missing components could easily fixed with homebrew and hacks (my opinion at the time).

But as I explore more indie ttrpgs and otherwise step further outside of D&D hegemony I realize that it might be that there is a more appropriate ttrpg out there for Mother of Learning. So let's go over the wishlist of what I think might be needed for the system to emulate the world of Ersetu correctly:

Core Mechanics:

Spell points instead of spell slots, no vancian magic.

Partial spell point regeneration in about an hour, mages have options other than needing a full 8 hours to recharge.

Class and character options are mostly magic user focused. No fighters with normal swords. The only martial users of note is a sword user using an obviously magical sword (and also did magic themselves iirc?), and the gun users that individually can't do much: they're only a threat in numbers.

Crunchy and extremely deep range of spells.

Magic item crafting that allows for simple things like spellcasting aides up to complex stuff like automatons.

Counterspelling and dispelling is a core thing most mages are expected to do.

The more the better wishlist:

(These mechanics aren't all necessary but at least some are needed)

Bloodlines and unique abilities reducing spell point cap (how it's done, whether that's through the "vanilla" classes just being assigned more or that taking bloodline feats outright reduces, doesn't exactly matter. As long as it's balanced somehow)

Magic defenses being divided into body, mind, and soul.

The expectation for players is that they're all humans. Shifters and Morlocks seem to be types of humans, cultures and races (shifter might be a class), as opposed to a fully different species like an elf.

Capped base ability scores and spell point growth. No Hercules with a magic pool that continues to grow after hitting the cap. Instead progression past early levels is using what you have more efficiently.

Epic/Mythic optional system to represent the divine abilities/items. (ex. Zach's special mana reserves, the divine crown, high level angels with access to divinity, etc.)

And a skills system that can be invested in.

So, is there a "perfect" ttrpg system we can use for Ersetu? Or are there systems that work better than others that we might need to homebrew?

[ersetu-gazette]

Brainstorming the Mother of Learning TTRPG

So every once in awhile there are forum posts or questions asked about what tabletop roleplaying system would be best for playing in the Ersetu universe. Usually I say that something like Pathfinder or D&D 3.5e would be best because they are the most popular rpgs that MoL at the very least alludes to, with a crunchy gameplay style that the narrative references. There's obvious deep complexity and lots of magic spells. At one point Zorian wonders out loud why some first circle spells aren't 0 circle spells because they don't seem to be more complex and the other character says "marketing" (read: a joke about spell balance). And any missing components could easily fixed with homebrew and hacks (my opinion at the time).

But as I explore more indie ttrpgs and otherwise step further outside of D&D hegemony I realize that it might be that there is a more appropriate ttrpg out there for Mother of Learning. So let's go over the wishlist of what I think might be needed for the system to emulate the world of Ersetu correctly:

Core Mechanics:

Spell points instead of spell slots, no vancian magic.

Partial spell point regeneration in about an hour, mages have options other than needing a full 8 hours to recharge.

Class and character options are mostly magic user focused. No fighters with normal swords. The only martial users of note is a sword user using an obviously magical sword (and also did magic themselves iirc?), and the gun users that individually can't do much: they're only a threat in numbers.

Crunchy and extremely deep range of spells.

Magic item crafting that allows for simple things like spellcasting aides up to complex stuff like automatons.

Counterspelling and dispelling is a core thing most mages are expected to do.

The more the better wishlist:

(These mechanics aren't all necessary but at least some are needed)

Bloodlines and unique abilities reducing spell point cap (how it's done, whether that's through the "vanilla" classes just being assigned more or that taking bloodline feats outright reduces, doesn't exactly matter. As long as it's balanced somehow)

Magic defenses being divided into body, mind, and soul.

The expectation for players is that they're all humans. Shifters and Morlocks seem to be types of humans, cultures and races (shifter might be a class), as opposed to a fully different species like an elf.

Capped base ability scores and spell point growth. No Hercules with a magic pool that continues to grow after hitting the cap. Instead progression past early levels is using what you have more efficiently.

Epic/Mythic optional system to represent the divine abilities/items. (ex. Zach's special mana reserves, the divine crown, high level angels with access to divinity, etc.)

And a skills system that can be invested in.

So, is there a "perfect" ttrpg system we can use for Ersetu? Or are there systems that work better than others that we might need to homebrew?

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Yes! I could easily see this as a game focusing on dungeon delving and monster hunting. But of course that's how the players either grow into being local political powers with their skills and retrieved artifacts, and/or stumbling into some grander plot that forces the party to be in conflict with other sentient mages with their own spells the party has to strategize against.

And on the subject of preparation still being a part of the game: I do think that'd still be the case it would just be to a lesser degree and in a different format. Instead of preparing spells it would be an issue of casting the wards and long lasting spells beforehand, so you don't have to worry about doing it in the middle of battle. With spellcasting by default taking a significant portion of time, being able to cast it earlier would be a needed strategy. And making sure not to do so too early or too late would be a point of strategic tension.

I do like the idea of incorporating hirelings into the game because you rarely see that outside of OSR style ttrpgs and it would include the prevalence of gunmen in the setting as part of the mechanics.

But also back to the topic of spellcasting times, with it being such a key part of the strategy and limits, how could shaping work? Would it be like a skill you have to invest in with each school to modify the casting time of those spells? I don't like it when key parts of the system like spellwork ability or attack bonuses are like skills you can put ranks into like any other, because why would someone not invest in it? So would it be an attribute that players could try to roll against in downtime to try and increase? Something like "if you roll under the attribute number after a week of practice you can increase the number by 1" to show how easy it is to improve at a field of magic in the beginning but there are diminishing returns in the future?

I don't know, I feel like there are a lot of ways you could go with making sure this mechanic is a key part of the game, and I may be blinded by it but I feel like you'd have to.

Brainstorming the Mother of Learning TTRPG

So every once in awhile there are forum posts or questions asked about what tabletop roleplaying system would be best for playing in the Ersetu universe. Usually I say that something like Pathfinder or D&D 3.5e would be best because they are the most popular rpgs that MoL at the very least alludes to, with a crunchy gameplay style that the narrative references. There's obvious deep complexity and lots of magic spells. At one point Zorian wonders out loud why some first circle spells aren't 0 circle spells because they don't seem to be more complex and the other character says "marketing" (read: a joke about spell balance). And any missing components could easily fixed with homebrew and hacks (my opinion at the time).

But as I explore more indie ttrpgs and otherwise step further outside of D&D hegemony I realize that it might be that there is a more appropriate ttrpg out there for Mother of Learning. So let's go over the wishlist of what I think might be needed for the system to emulate the world of Ersetu correctly:

Core Mechanics:

Spell points instead of spell slots, no vancian magic.

Partial spell point regeneration in about an hour, mages have options other than needing a full 8 hours to recharge.

Class and character options are mostly magic user focused. No fighters with normal swords. The only martial users of note is a sword user using an obviously magical sword (and also did magic themselves iirc?), and the gun users that individually can't do much: they're only a threat in numbers.

Crunchy and extremely deep range of spells.

Magic item crafting that allows for simple things like spellcasting aides up to complex stuff like automatons.

Counterspelling and dispelling is a core thing most mages are expected to do.

The more the better wishlist:

(These mechanics aren't all necessary but at least some are needed)

Bloodlines and unique abilities reducing spell point cap (how it's done, whether that's through the "vanilla" classes just being assigned more or that taking bloodline feats outright reduces, doesn't exactly matter. As long as it's balanced somehow)

Magic defenses being divided into body, mind, and soul.

The expectation for players is that they're all humans. Shifters and Morlocks seem to be types of humans, cultures and races (shifter might be a class), as opposed to a fully different species like an elf.

Capped base ability scores and spell point growth. No Hercules with a magic pool that continues to grow after hitting the cap. Instead progression past early levels is using what you have more efficiently.

Epic/Mythic optional system to represent the divine abilities/items. (ex. Zach's special mana reserves, the divine crown, high level angels with access to divinity, etc.)

And a skills system that can be invested in.

So, is there a "perfect" ttrpg system we can use for Ersetu? Or are there systems that work better than others that we might need to homebrew?