diff --git a/contents/Book_Luminous.lyx b/contents/Book_Luminous.lyx index 8dd8f1c..c624976 100644 --- a/contents/Book_Luminous.lyx +++ b/contents/Book_Luminous.lyx @@ -335,6 +335,30 @@ filename "Contents_LtD_C0_2_Introduction.lyx" \end_inset +\end_layout + +\begin_layout Standard +\begin_inset Flex IncompleteChapter +status open + +\begin_layout Plain Layout +\begin_inset Argument 1 +status open + +\begin_layout Plain Layout +Chapter 1: Shining Lights +\end_layout + +\end_inset + + +\end_layout + +\begin_layout Plain Layout +— +\end_layout + +\begin_layout Plain Layout \begin_inset CommandInset include LatexCommand input filename "Contents_LtD_C1_Splats.lyx" @@ -342,6 +366,11 @@ filename "Contents_LtD_C1_Splats.lyx" \end_inset +\end_layout + +\end_inset + + \end_layout \begin_layout Standard @@ -389,6 +418,27 @@ filename "Contents_LtD_C2_Lore.lyx" \end_inset +\begin_inset Flex IncompleteChapter +status open + +\begin_layout Plain Layout +\begin_inset Argument 1 +status open + +\begin_layout Plain Layout +Chapter 2: A Faint Dream +\end_layout + +\end_inset + + +\end_layout + +\begin_layout Plain Layout +— +\end_layout + +\begin_layout Plain Layout \begin_inset CommandInset include LatexCommand input filename "Contents_LtD_C3_Mechanics.lyx" @@ -396,6 +446,11 @@ filename "Contents_LtD_C3_Mechanics.lyx" \end_inset +\end_layout + +\end_inset + + \begin_inset Newpage newpage \end_inset diff --git a/contents/Contents_LtD_C0_1_Foreward.lyx b/contents/Contents_LtD_C0_1_Foreward.lyx index 7244bd5..c648f65 100644 --- a/contents/Contents_LtD_C0_1_Foreward.lyx +++ b/contents/Contents_LtD_C0_1_Foreward.lyx @@ -311,8 +311,8 @@ mahou shoujo genre of anime and manga. Players take on the role of those caught between the waking world and the world of dreams. - Wielding a faint power from their unison, they seek to bring a better future - for both worlds and all within. + Wielding a fleeting power born from that boundary, they seek to create + a better future for all who live within every world. \end_layout \begin_layout Standard @@ -321,7 +321,7 @@ The Chronicles of Darkness \series default book is needed to use this book. - At the time of preparation, that book is available from + At the time this book was written, it can be purchased from \begin_inset CommandInset href LatexCommand href name "DriveThru RPG" @@ -356,24 +356,15 @@ Credits \begin_layout Standard \series bold -\shape italic -\emph on Luminous: the Dream \series default -\shape default -\emph default - is primary written by AuroraAmissa, with help with several contributors. + is written by AuroraAmissa, with a lot of assistant from several contributors. Without their help, this project would likely have not been possible. \end_layout \begin_layout Itemize -Suzune, who helped immensely with the core ideas behind Luminous' mechanics - and core lore. -\end_layout - -\begin_layout Itemize -Ellie, who has provided me a great deal of support through the earlier parts - of the project, and provided very valuable feedback throughout. +AnemoneMeer, Suzune and Ellie, whose input helped immensely with the core + ideas behind Luminous' mechanics and core lore. \end_layout \begin_layout Itemize @@ -382,18 +373,8 @@ Hanako, who taught me the ways of the dark magical girl. \end_layout \begin_layout Itemize -Xelsius, who has been a consistent source of feedback and encouragement - throughout the project. -\end_layout - -\begin_layout Itemize -MushroomBadger whose work on Beloved showed many alternative ways of how - something like what I am doing could be done. -\end_layout - -\begin_layout Itemize -TrueMrMultiverse, WillOfTheWinds, and all the others who helped immensely - with their feedback and suggestions for Archetypes and similar details. +Xelsius, TrueMrMultiverse, MushroomBadger, and all the others who helped + immensely with their feedback and suggestions later on in the project. \end_layout \begin_layout Standard @@ -402,15 +383,7 @@ Beyond those who worked with me directly, Luminous has been inspired by \end_layout \begin_layout Itemize - -\series bold -\shape italic -\emph on -Luminous: the Dream -\series default -\shape default -\emph default - started as a rewrite of +Luminous started as a project to make a third version of \series bold \shape italic \emph on @@ -418,51 +391,30 @@ Princess: the Hopeful \series default \shape default \emph default - before it diverged greatly later on in development. - Even if few traces of it remain in Luminous, Princess still paved the way - for fanworks like this and inspired this project. -\end_layout - -\begin_layout Itemize -Over time, +. + In time, I began drawing more on the very earliest drafts, back when it + was called \series bold -\shape italic -\emph on -Changeling: the Dreaming +Princess: the Fading \series default -\shape default -\emph default - became more and more of an inspiration for me, as I tried connecting the - themes of dreams, activism and magical girl anime. - Luminous very much began becoming a spiritual successor to it over time. +. + Luminous has since diverged entirely from Princess, but its inspiration + is still what put me on the path of writing a fansplat in the first time. \end_layout \begin_layout Itemize -The +Of the official Storyteller system sourcebooks, \series bold -Exalted 2e +Changeling: the Dreaming \series default - sourcebook, + and \series bold Graceful Wicked Masques \series default -, despite its very different theme, was an ample source of inspiration as - to how to present the Astral/Dream in a way befitting its nature. -\end_layout - -\begin_layout Itemize - -\series bold -\shape italic -\emph on -Chronicles of Darkness -\series default -\emph default - -\shape default -and all its splats shine as a bright example as to what tabletop can be. - There is much to learn from their authors and their works for most game - designers, and how they improved on its earlier editions. + were major inspirations for Luminous. + The former was always an inspiration to Princess before it lessened over + time, and the latter – as different as its themes are – show how the system + can portray a world of dreams and stories in a truly appropriate way. \end_layout \begin_layout Itemize @@ -498,12 +450,11 @@ Content Warning \series bold Luminous: the Dream \series default - tells stories of the line between the escapism of dreams and the cruelties - of reality. + tells stories of both the escapism of dreams and the cruelties of reality. This book discusses subject matters such as poverty, sexism, racism, and all kinds of the mundane and small cruelties that are too often overlooked. - Beyond that, its supernatural elements involve themes of irreality, blurred - boundaries between people, and rejection of reality. + Beyond that, its supernatural elements involve themes of rejection of reality, + and blurred boundaries between people. \end_layout \begin_layout Plain Layout diff --git a/contents/Contents_LtD_C0_2_Introduction.lyx b/contents/Contents_LtD_C0_2_Introduction.lyx index a09657d..330fa8b 100644 --- a/contents/Contents_LtD_C0_2_Introduction.lyx +++ b/contents/Contents_LtD_C0_2_Introduction.lyx @@ -289,84 +289,57 @@ Introduction status open \begin_layout Plain Layout -We all knew how to dream when we were young. - We played innocently in our backyards, weaving a story of being princesses - and knights with each other. - We shared our imaginary friends with the world, and through those interactions, - breathed a spark of life into them. - We watched and read stories of heroes of light who would save the world - against the encroaching dark – and knew in our hearts that, one day, we - could be such heroes. +When we were young, we looked to the world with wonder. + We looked to the flowers and trees and birds and every little thing about + them felt magical. + We saw the stars, and imagined holding them in our hands. + We saw the great heroes of the world and thought we could be like them + as well. + We read fantastical stories of magical girls and knights and princesses + and wished they were real. + We thought we could change the world, and make it a better place for all. \end_layout \begin_layout Plain Layout -As they say, . - But then, we weren't supposed to. +So, why was the world the way it was? \end_layout \begin_layout Plain Layout -We were told make-belief was for little kids. - We were told imaginary friends weren't real, that talking about them was - silly. - We were told that magic wasn't real, that we would never change the world - like that. +As we grew, we were taught that the world was a dark and dull place. + The natural world was something to fear. + The stars were too far away to reach. + The great heroes of the world were special and we weren't. + We wouldn't amount to anything unless we gave up on hope and followed along. + Only someone childish, someone naive could believe otherwise. \end_layout \begin_layout Plain Layout -We were bullied for dreaming, and trying to find wonder in the world. -\end_layout - -\begin_layout Plain Layout -When we were older, we learned more of the truth of the world. - There weren't really forces of darkness that could rip away the world, - and that real royalty weren't as kind as in fairy tales. - -\end_layout - -\begin_layout Plain Layout -So many are lost to poverty, war, famine. - So many others are lost to small cruelties, of discrimination or simple - lack of will to understand. - You saw outcasts, loners, those abandoned by everyone else. - You couldn't understand why nobody cared. - Why you were the only one to try. - But... - the world would not yield for anyone. -\end_layout - -\begin_layout Plain Layout -So you wrote... - so you sang, let it out however you could. - So you dreamed... - of another, brighter world. - A world where there were others by your side, where you did not have to - struggle alone. - Where... - you could do something to help. - Where you had all the magic of dreams in your hands. -\end_layout - -\begin_layout Plain Layout -Those around you told you to let go. - That you couldn't help them, that your own troubles were all +We were taught to forget those stories we once loved, of children carrying + on innocent hope to save the world. + Stories for adults were darker, more realistic, more \emph on -your +true \emph default - fault. - That... - it was for your own good to give up those dreams. - But... - you couldn't. +. \end_layout \begin_layout Plain Layout -Not when you saw a path forward. - One day, when you felt you had no other choice, you grasp for that light - you always wielded in your dreams. + +\series bold +Luminous: the Dream +\series default + is such a childish and puerile story, of hope, of warriors who draw the + magic from the world of dreams itself. \end_layout \begin_layout Plain Layout -For once, the world itself would yield... +It is a story about unlearning the lies of adulthood, and remembering the + hope we had for a better world. + It is a story about learning to see the wonders of the world again, and + protecting them with all our might. + It is the story about embracing the wonder and hope of childhood, not because + we know nothing else or hide from the world's shadows, but because that + is the correct way forward. \end_layout \begin_layout Section @@ -378,45 +351,65 @@ Setting \series bold Luminous: the Dream \series default - is a roleplaying game set in the + is a roleplaying game set in the world of the \series bold Chronicles of Darkness \series default -, a world much like our own – only caught between bleak mundanity and terrifying - supernatural horrors. - Perhaps, even more so than our own world, humanity gave up on doing more - than survive. - They forgot how to hope, how to enjoy life for what it is. +, a world much like our own - caught between the familiar horrors of the + mundane and the unfamiliar horrors of the supernatural. + More than in our own world, humanity learned to keep its head down to survive. + This game, though, isn't about doing that. \end_layout \begin_layout Plain Layout -In this game, you play a Luminous, one of those champions of dreams and - imagination who still wishes to change the world, who still hopes for more - in a world not meant for them. +In the depths of the collective dreams of humanity, there was a forgotten + Dream Kingdom. + In it, we built countless visions of what the world could be if only we + worked hard enough. + There, we lit the first faint sparks of a power we could truly call our + own. + There, we made our first stand against the malice of the world. \end_layout \begin_layout Plain Layout -Helpless to change the world that caused them and those they loved so much - suffering, they once escaped into the depths of their own dreams. - Beyond their own imagination, they found a shared dream of eight great - Dream Kingdoms, built by those who came before. - In that world, they would find a place where they learn to truly live, - learn to wield the magic of dreams. +The spark was too faint in the end, and the wonders too distant. + When we found a different path, one of science and cold rationality over + the warmth of love and the romance of stories, we forgot the Dream Kingdom + as any more than a story. \end_layout \begin_layout Plain Layout -In time, they came to realize that light shone in the waking world too. - They weren't alone. - There were others who still cared, others who did their best through small - acts of kindness. - When they could bear it no longer, when they stood up and fought for all - they believed in, no matter how powerless they thought they were... +You play a Luminous in this game, a champion of the Dream Kingdom in an + era where people no longer believe in the power of dreams. \end_layout \begin_layout Plain Layout -Something sparked deep in their soul. - A way to join the power of two worlds, to bring the magic they dreamed - of into the waking world. +Helpless to change the world that caused them and all they loved so much + suffering, they escaped into the depths of their dreams. + There, though, they found that lost Kingdom, and the ancient stories of + hope and wonder it told of. + They met others who held the same hope they do, who wished to change the + world as they did, in any small way they can. + They saw the small acts of kindness that existed even in the waking world. +\end_layout + +\begin_layout Plain Layout +Somehow, through all that, a long forgotten power awoke in their soul – + to weave their imagination into reality, and stand against the world once + more in the name of dreams. +\end_layout + +\begin_layout Plain Layout +The path forward would be difficult and full of suffering and pain. + But, how could they take any other path? After all, they alone held the + power to change all that. +\end_layout + +\begin_layout Plain Layout +\begin_inset Newpage newpage +\end_inset + + \end_layout \begin_layout Section @@ -428,14 +421,14 @@ Themes \series bold Luminous \series default - is built to tell stories like darker adaptations of the + is built to tell stories in the tone of the darker adaptations of the \emph on mahou shoujo \emph default genre of anime. - Stories of hope, of imagination, of love. - Stories of a path forward that don't shy away from the darker aspects of - life, but rather refuse to let them consume it. + Those stories embrace the darkest corners of life without shy away, and + yet, refuse to let them consume them, showing how hope can live on even + in a dark world. \end_layout \begin_layout Subsection* @@ -444,84 +437,112 @@ The Journey of Hope \begin_layout Plain Layout For most, growing up means to give up on hope. + It's what you were taught growing up, after all. Tomorrow always seemed too far away to care about, better to struggle through today. + It's better to not stick your head out. + Put childish things behind you, so you won't suffer any longer. + After all, if things can't be changed, you don't have to think so hard + about how bad the world is. + It is as good as it could ever be. \end_layout \begin_layout Plain Layout -They're wrong, of course. - You see, in the margins, how much even a small wish can change the world, - even without the magic you wield. - But... - you still understand – how scary it is to try, when everyone else has given - up. - How hard it is to make the first move, when you know more likely than not, - you would be hurt for it. - In a corner of your heart, you are still afraid. +You know it's wrong. + You saw how much even a small wish can change the world, even without the + spark of magic. + You see that if people truly try, the cruelties of the world could be changed. + But doubt still rings in your ears. \end_layout \begin_layout Plain Layout -To learn to truly hope again means to learn again what the world could truly - be – to unlearn those lessons you learned when you thought you had to grew - up... +The lie that the world can't be changed is still seductive. + To hold onto the hope, and truly wield it to change the world also means + to confront all the malice of its world in its full horror. \end_layout \begin_layout Subsection* -Lights and Shadows +Crossing Paths +\end_layout + +\begin_layout Plain Layout +Everyone's lives leads them in different directions, and yet we are all + interconnected. + Nobody is truly alone. + Every person relies on another, loves another, has been hurt by another. + The Luminous know that truth better than anyone else. + Their Dream Kingdom, after all, was built in the Sea of Stars that connects + the dreams of all humanity together. \end_layout \begin_layout Plain Layout -There are always small moments of happiness, hidden away places of beauty - to look forward to. - No matter how hard things get, life is always worth living for those moments. +It's all too easy to reject those who are different, cast them away as outsiders. + In coming to understand them, though, it becomes clear that they are all + part of a greater whole and each part is valuable as the rest. \end_layout \begin_layout Plain Layout -After all, the Luminous know, the magic of dreams itself comes from them. - They know how small moments of light can add up to something so much greater. - That... - even if they can't change the whole world, if nothing else, they can still - take the hand of those who forgot, reminded them once more why they struggle - so much for survival. - Show them that it is still possible to have a happy life... +On their journey walking in between dreams and reality, the Luminous come + to rely on and understand the very different people and supernatural creatures + they share a world with. + With the help of those others, their dream seems every the more possible. \end_layout \begin_layout Plain Layout -Even if it could only touch the heart of a single person, that alone, will - brighten the world just a little bit. +\begin_inset ERT +status open + +\begin_layout Plain Layout + + +\backslash +columnbreak +\end_layout + +\end_inset + + \end_layout \begin_layout Subsection* -Crossing Paths +Lights in the Dark \end_layout \begin_layout Plain Layout -Nobody is ever truly alone in our world. - Every person relies on another, loves another, has been hurt by another. - The Luminous know that truth better than anyone else. - The Sea of Stars they draw their magic from was woven of those connections, - after all. - And reading its flows, they know – there will always be those they can - rely on, those they will one day come to rely on. +Despite the problems of the world, there are still small moments of happiness + and hidden places of beauty everywhere. + It's all too easy to explain them away, and dismiss them as not worth it + or simply boring. + For every grand spectacles, there are a thousand small wonders. + In truth, the places we escape to in our vacations aren't all that different, + we just give ourselves permission to truly feel the joy in those small + things. +\end_layout + +\begin_layout Plain Layout +Even if they can't change the whole world, even if they can't stop their + Kingdom from fading away, the Luminous can still protect those small moments. + By living a life full of wonder, they could show the world around them + that there is still hope and light in the world. \end_layout \begin_layout Plain Layout -On their journey between dreams and reality, they come to understand and - rely on the very different people and supernatural creatures they share - a world with. - Alone, the best they can do is live. - But... - together, with others sharing the same dream, perhaps, they may change - something for real. +The Dream was woven from such small things in the first place, and grew + into a force that still burns on in its darkest era. + Surely, that flame could be ignited again. \end_layout \begin_layout Section -Media +Inspirations \end_layout \begin_layout Plain Layout -I recommend the following works of media as possible inspiration in line - with Luminous' themes. +The following is a small sample of stories and works that have inspired + +\series bold +Luminous +\series default + and its themes. \end_layout \begin_layout Subsection* @@ -564,32 +585,54 @@ Luminous \begin_layout Plain Layout The anime and video game pivots the focus more to human responses to the woes of magic. - It embraces the personal stories that underlie Madoka's cosmic level story, - focusing on the relationships between magical girls and the friends that - pull them back from the brink of despair. + It embraces the personal stories that underlie Madoka's cosmic story, focusing + on the relationships between magical girls and the friends that pull them + back from the brink of despair. The phone game, in particular, tells the kinds of slice-of-life story Luminous embraces – of magical girls who care for and love each other. \end_layout \begin_layout Subsection* -Library of Runia +Library of Ruina \end_layout \begin_layout Plain Layout -Library of Runia is a video game by Project Moon, following the story of - librarians who staff a magical library. +Library of Ruina is a video game by Project Moon, following the story of + the people who staff a magical library. Through its powers, they learn the stories of the City they live in and - explore the past traumas and emotional scars. - In that sense, it is a deeply emotional story, about people, emotions, - growth and change more than anything else. + thus explore the traumas and emotional scars of both the librarians and + the residents of the City. + The story is deeply emotional, focusing on people's reactions to a dark + world and how they – and the world can still change. \end_layout \begin_layout Plain Layout Both the main protagonists, Angela and Roland have their own dark pasts - and scars that are revealed through the game's progress. - As dark as the City it portrays is, it shows the little glimmers of hope - that lie within, and how Angela and Roland alike come to regain the hope - that things can be better. + and scars that are revealed through the game's progress, and learn to overcome + them to see the hope that still remains in their world. +\end_layout + +\begin_layout Subsection +Honkai Impact 3rd +\end_layout + +\begin_layout Plain Layout +Honkai Impact 3rd is a long running video game by Hoyoverse, about a group + of young girls growing up as they fight to protect they world they live + in. + In time, they learn the truth behind the Houkai that threatens their world + and how greatly their world was influenced by the civilizations of the + past. +\end_layout + +\begin_layout Plain Layout +The contrast between the stories of the Previous Era and Current Era especially + resonate with the themes of +\series bold +Luminous +\series default + – showing how humanity has a real decision to make in what they believe + in and what kind of world they create. \end_layout \end_inset diff --git a/contents/Format_Luminous.lyx b/contents/Format_Luminous.lyx index c984487..80485a1 100644 --- a/contents/Format_Luminous.lyx +++ b/contents/Format_Luminous.lyx @@ -262,6 +262,74 @@ filename "../RulebookShared/Format_Common.lyx" \end_inset +\end_layout + +\begin_layout In Preamble +\begin_inset ERT +status open + +\begin_layout Plain Layout + +% In Latex preamble +\end_layout + +\begin_layout Plain Layout + + +\backslash +ifdefined +\backslash +includeonceformatluminouspreamble +\backslash +relax +\backslash +else +\end_layout + +\begin_layout Plain Layout + + +\backslash +newcommand +\backslash +includeonceformatluminouspreamble {--} +\end_layout + +\begin_layout Plain Layout + +\end_layout + +\begin_layout Plain Layout + + +\backslash +geometry{verbose,letterpaper,tmargin=1in,bmargin=1in,lmargin=0.7in,rmargin=0.7in,f +ootskip=0.78in} +\end_layout + +\begin_layout Plain Layout + + +\backslash +newcommand +\backslash +overridegeometry{--} +\end_layout + +\begin_layout Plain Layout + +\end_layout + +\begin_layout Plain Layout + + +\backslash +fi +\end_layout + +\end_inset + + \end_layout \begin_layout Standard @@ -369,6 +437,24 @@ status open \begin_layout Plain Layout +\backslash +setlength +\backslash +columnsep{0.2in} +\end_layout + +\end_inset + + +\end_layout + +\begin_layout Standard +\begin_inset ERT +status open + +\begin_layout Plain Layout + + \backslash fi \end_layout