It’s really shocking just how quickly things went to hell in a handbasket. But really, wasn’t that the thing that so many old stories were missing? Because when something goes wrong, humans don’t just fix it and move on, there’s not a measured response. There’s a response so grand that it warps everything else around it.

Most people believe it was the zombies that happened first. The zombies happening first are a good way to explain the bombs that hit every major city. Though that led to the strange, hellish creatures that seemed to come out of nowhere. It was really not a good time to be on earth.

This is a game for beginners! Please only apply if this is your first Storium game, as this will act as a sort of tutorial. Make sure to check the Info for more details.

Mulysa (means dirty dump in the native tongue) was a dead-end world on the edge of human space, given the formal name of Everlorn even as the few souls to stumble across its wasteland and make it home stuck to the native name. It was destined to skip through space as a forgotten lump of rock — until the day a prospector stumbled out of the desert with a million credits’ worth of hyperdrive crystals in his hands. Now spaceships thunder through the skies above the planet’s boomtowns, and fortune hunters fill the dusty streets. Strap on a blaster or pick up a digger and stake your claim in this space western. You may find yourself exploring alien ruins and risking the wrath of the desert tribes, or riding a howling hoverbike and living the life of an outlaw. You might be a farmer trying to help feed the masses or perhaps you just want to open a nice little shop in town.

It’s the wild west meets future space age (ok yeah it’s a lot like Firefly :)

For those new to Storium, this is a beginner game (players/writers with no or limited previous game activity.). We will be focusing on learning how to use Storium more than writing and completing a full story. Each Scene will have Challenges that are designed to help you learn different aspects of the awesome Storium Universe. Stay and play to learn and then when ready you can “leave town” and retire or hand-off your character, ready to ride off into the Storium Sunset to face new adventures ;)

The management of “Anatole’s” deeply regret that - due to the sudden arrival of large numbers of super-enthusiastic new patrons, the fire code restricts us from admitting any new customers at the present time!

However - if you would like to submit a character for a future round - please send our booking’s manager a direct message (@ceekayell) for consideration at a later date. Thank you for your interest!

This is a beginners game

Across time and space, across dimensions and that misty interface between fiction and reality are scattered a hundred million white cubes. No-one knows where they came from, or how they got their special power. The cubes are made of purest, smoothest white marble, and - no bigger than the palm of a human hand - for the most part, they tend not to attract very much attention, dismissed as part of the environment. But every so often, by accident or design, a curious soul might pick one up for closer examination.

What happens next to the person who picks up a cube is the night of their lives. The cube is a portal to a point outside of time around which has been built an ineffably cool bar and nightspot called “Anatole’s”. “Anatole’s“ has been designed as a place where characters from all walks of life can stumble in, order any drink their heart desires and chew the fat with the other patrons, before returning to their everyday life. Where else might you exchange poetry with a cyborg assassin, arm-wrestle a dead president and fall in love with a sentient paramecium… all in one amazing night! “Anatole’s” doesn’t accept money - drinks can be purchased for tall tales and inventive ideas. Once in a while, eponymous owner & barkeep Anatole will call “Time!”, close the tab, and drinkers are expected to pay their bill by sharing stories of their lives.

The bar caters for all languages and exists in a state of temporal grace - no weapons will fire (although that’s not to say the odd fight doesn’t break out - fists & cudgels still work just fine). And somehow the decor shifts to suit the current clientele.

Characters can arrive & leave of their own free will (or until Anatole throws them out!) There are no rules at “Anatole’s“ except civility… and an unspoken agreement not to upset Germ. No-one knows exactly who the hooded figure really is nor where she came from, except that she’s occupied the end stool for the bar for more than five millennia…

Note: This game is currently full, but if you are interested, shoot me a PM or make up a character and I will let you know if/when an opening occurs.

The Premise

Something has gone terribly wrong in Far Far Away, the land where all fairy tales take place. Happily ever afters are being re-written, true loves are separated, clever tricksters are no longer quite as bright as they used to be.

You know that something is wrong. It happened to you, too. And now you want to fix it.

Characters

Your character should be a classic fairy tale/folk tale character. Think Grimm, Perrault and Andersen, not Disney. I will be pretty strict about this so feel free to PM me before submitting your character concept. In addition, something should have gone wrong in your particular tale (Cinderella may have never gone to the ball, Sleeping Beauty might still be asleep, etc.)

I’m a huge fan of taking fairy tale motifs and twisting them, so have fun with that. In this fairy tale, princesses are quite capable of saving themselves, thank you very much. :-)

Well known characters may get assets peculiar to that character (for example: Jack might get magic beans).

I’ve given you some starter ideas but feel free to create your own cards.

I’ve set the speed to one scene per week, but am happy to go faster.

Mulysa (means dirty dump in the native tongue) was a dead-end world on the edge of human space, given the formal name of Everlorn even as the few souls to stumble across its wasteland and make it home stuck to the native name. It was destined to skip through space as a forgotten lump of rock — until the day a prospector stumbled out of the desert with a million credits’ worth of hyperdrive crystals in his hands. Now spaceships thunder through the skies above the planet’s boomtowns, and fortune hunters fill the dusty streets. Strap on a blaster or pick up a digger and stake your claim in this space western. You may find yourself exploring alien ruins and risking the wrath of the desert tribes, or riding a howling hoverbike and living the life of an outlaw. You might be a farmer trying to help feed the masses or perhaps you just want to open a nice little shop in town.

It’s the wild west meets future space age (ok yeah it’s a lot like Firefly :)

For those new to Storium, this is a beginner game (players/writers with no or limited previous game activity.). We will be focusing on learning how to use Storium more than writing and completing a full story. Each Scene will have Challenges that are designed to help you learn different aspects of the awesome Storium Universe. Stay and play to learn and then when ready you can “leave town” and retire or hand-off your character, ready to ride off into the Storium Sunset to face new adventures ;)

Thanks for checking out Pulp For Beginners!

This is part of a series of stories written in the style of the old pulp books and radio dramas from the 30-60s. Hopefully we can capture the spirit of that, but we definitely don’t want to go hammy with it. In other words, no need to “Give ‘em what for, mac.” or “I don’t like the cut of your mustard, see.” If you are familiar with the genre, they were fast paced adventures, heavy hitting dramas, supernatural horrors, and some really fun mysteries. Sometimes you even got all that with some good writing to boot! (Sometimes . . .)

Think Adam Savage, Indiana Jones, Dick Tracey, The Shadow, and Sargon The Sorcerer all mashed up into one and you are on the right track for what the “Pulp” Volumes can be.

Regarding my narration style:

I approach each story with a pretty rough outline of big events that will happen throughout the story as well as the big picture, but I leave the spaces in between pretty loose for you guys to be creative. In most cases, there are some great writers who insert some stuff that makes me have to change my plan and adapt. The story always benefits greatly from this sort of interplay.

I tend to mix some heavily controlled scenes with some looser scenes throughout each story. For some sections, you may feel as if you are riding on rails and very limited in your choices. Typically this occurs when I am leading to a reveal or major event. All I can say is bear with me, as it does loosen up again. If you have any questions about how that works, feel free to read my other narrations, Fantasy For Beginners Vol. I or Vol. II. You should see examples of this throughout.

At times I can put real pressure on a scene with harsh/fatal consequences. Although this sounds brutal, I try to keep a balance between fun and game-like peril in the story. I feel that this has challenged some characters and made for some really great writing out of our groups, which has been awesome.

Regarding the genre - this is pretty wide open, really, so feel free to have some fun with your character creation. Gangsters, mystics, magicians, detectives, cops, crooks, soldiers, socialites, thieves, martial artists, crimefighters and adventurers are all welcome. Keep the technology between 20s-40s if possible, but we can flub it here and there . . . no big deal.

A couple things you WON’T find here are Cthulu mythos and the smutty stuff. Not that there is anything wrong with either, per-say, but they just don’t fit what this series is about. Cthulu mythos is a genre in and of itself so if we went that direction it could quickly overshadow all the other fun places we can go with this. Regarding the smutty stuff? Meh . . . pulp books had their fair share of that, but that is just not my voice as a writer. Feel free to be a bit risqué here and there, as we aren’t prudes, but let’s keep it PG-13. I will ask for revisions long before we have to stamp this sucker NSFW.

Finally, I will say that this is my first pass running a Pulp story this way. As such, and because there are so many places we can go with it, I decided to do something a little different. Rather than toss you all to the wolves without any heads up, as is my wont (Mwah ha ha), I am going to give you a little info as to what to expect BEFORE we start (I know, crazy, right?). Like my other narration, I will run this as a fresh story with a fresh cast per chapter, but this time I will actually let you know what you are getting yourselves into in advance (yeah!). So, here it goes:

Chapter 1: Your character will be getting on a cruise ship sailing from the Azure Coast, better know as the French Riviera. Your destination is an island resort off the coast of Alexandria, Egypt.

And yeah, that is all you get . . . it’s more than I usually give :).

Thanks everyone, and I look forward to writing with you!

Shanties, treasure and adventure on the high seas… could a pirate’s life be for you?

If you’re considering this exciting change in career, the good ship Scourge of the Seas is recruiting now! Captain Jolly Roger and his crew are more than willing to show you the ropes in this exciting new on-the-job training course. Become the fearsome marauder you were born to be! Unlock your potential today, scurvy dogs!

With five scenes left, there is plenty left to do at Villain Con!

You are one of the countless dangers that threaten Earth and her people. You are a would-be world conqueror; a powered armor-wearing madman; an invader from outer space or other dimension; a ruthless assassin; you are part of a criminal or terrorist organizations bent on world domination; a mad scientist equipped with super-technology; or an evil sorcerers with your own mystic minions. And everyday you must deal with costumed criminals of every possible description who don’t want you to get what you know you deserve.

Fortunately there is a place you can go to learn how to stop that nemesis who just won’t stay down. A place you can get those rare and hard to find death ray supplies. A place to go to replenish your ever dwindling henchman supply. Or even a place you can go to connect with other villains like yourself.

That place is Villain Con! The best four days of villainy.

Welcome, cadets, to your first mission on the ISS Dauntless! Due to budget cuts, the entire crew is filled with trainees! Follow your captain’s orders and just maybe you might make it out alive!

For those new to Storium, this is a beginner game. It is primarily made to focus on the mechanics of the site, rather than writing. It will be somewhat structured, but hopefully you’ll come out the other end with an understanding of the mechanics.

This game has been going on for a while, and is about to become more freeform before a few final lessons. If you want to find a place to get your feet wet, now would be the time to do so!

Every city has one. A bar where the weirdos, bloodsuckers and monsters can congregate and get a martini with an eyeball garnish. It’s supposed to be neutral ground, which means all weapons and grudges get held at the door, but that doesn’t always work out. That’s why ogre bouncers exist, one supposes.

So! If you’re looking for a watering hole, a pitstop, somewhere to collect some information or just to drown your sorrows, look no further. Madigan’s is the place for you.

(Think The Dal from Lost Girl and you’ve probably imagined it correctly.)