Post by wubrgwizard on Jul 19, 2022 20:29:10 GMT
Hello!
I've begun planning a top down set, mostly just for a fun project with my brother. Thematically, the set will revolve around cryptids and urban legends along with some conspiracy theory- type supernatural aspects like Men in Black, Number Stations, etc. I'm trying to stay away from directly referencing UFO's and Aliens, but things like The Flatwoods Monster and Alien Abductions could certainly play a role thematically.
Setting:
For the setting, I am leaning towards having the set take place on a future timeline of Innistrad, similar to how Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty was a time jump. The idea is that either because of Emrakul being imprisoned in the moon, or perhaps just some sort of unnatural essence of the mana on Innistrad, the plane itself feeds off of fear. Over time, things like Werewolves and Vampires faded into legend in the minds of the human cities, and so things like urban legends started to become more real. There will be a few existing werewolves that have gone into hiding in the forests, and Vampires that have worked their way into the upper echelons of the controlling corporations/ agencies, but do not make their supernatural backgrounds known.
The tech level will be roughly Cold War Era technology, while avoiding any type of modern firearms. But radio signals and television static could play a role in the eeriness of the environment. I think this also lends itself to allowing references military and government conspiracies that were commonplace during that time in our reality.
I've been doing a lot of research into the history of the plane, but I havent yet gotten through the events of MID and VOW, so if there are any notable historical changes that contradict anything here or below, please let me know.
Possible Factions & Dual Color Identities:
Here are my main ideas for two-color identities on the plane. They don't all need to be strict factions like, say, the guilds of Ravnica, but commonly aligned creatures will share some of these goals and ideals.
W/U
A group of underground private investigators/ conspiracy theorists. None of them go by their real names, and many have never met each other in person. They communicate mostly through anonymous message boards and encrypted radio channels. This group is hyper focused on uncovering the truth, to the point where they verge on obsessive. They seek to open the eyes of other Innistrad citizens to the truth. Many are quite paranoid. I would like to throw in some call back to Thalia and the Order of Saint Traft because of the colors, and because it feels like this group could be continuing their work in some way. I also think this group will be the most "tech focused" and there is some overlap with spirits in these colors and how they affect electronic devices that would be a fun space to play in.
W/B
Instead of Cathars, we have special agents working for a shadowy CIA stand in - something like Avacyn Corp. as a callback. This group may have two competing factions. One being the containment and propaganda arm (think SCP Foundation) whose job is to contain any cryptids or supernatural threats that pop up, and promote the constant message of "All will be well if everyone follows the rules" and "there is nothing to worry about, those who say otherwise may need to be taken in for 'reeducation'". I see this branch as being Orzhov colors. Of course, there are pure white agents within the group, but the main point is that they believe what they are doing is morally correct and by keeping things under wraps, they are doing what is good for the citizens, but there are certainly more selfish goals, or long-term planning going on at the higher levels. I would even liken this to Mikaeus' coverup of Avacyns disappearance with the church. Maybe and old Sorin is the shadowy head of the organization as he continues his sisyphean attempt at bringing balance to Innistrad
W/R
I'm not set on anything here yet, but I am leaning towards something like an underground cult loyal to Nahiri. Maybe they are practicing lithomancy in an attempt to use the cryptolith fragments to draw Nahiri back to the plane, or a surviving angel tribe of the corrupted Avacyn. To be honest, I'm not 100% sure where red fits in on its own in this setting.
W/G
This will likely be a group of Dawnheart Descendants that stuck to woodland villages as other human citizens of Innistrad concentrated into the major cities for protection. They will have knowledge and relationships with non-malicious beast cryptids such as the stand-in for bigfoot. A lot of human/nonhuman synergies. they May also be aware of an existing group of Werewolves that went into hiding and have a tenuous partnership with them to protect the existing natural resources left, many of which are being destroyed by the B/R faction in search of their relics and the W/R faction through lithomancy in their attempts to call Nahiri. This might be an intersting space to play with the Disturb Mechanic from VOW where creatures came back as auras, though instead of human spirits, we can focus on creature spirits coming back to help the dawnheart tribe, like umbra armors.
U/B
Again, not fully set on anything here, but this space just feels very clandestine. Basically just Dimir Human Rogues, mostly human, doing surveillance and dealing in secrets. I am open to deeper suggestions here.
U/R
As is common on this plane, these colors lend themselves to "Mad Science" and explosive experimentation. It has a passion for learning more and uncovering knowledge, but it does this by acting impulsively and pressing forward without regard for consequences of their actions. But where does this theme fit in our version of Innistrad? i think this would have to be the R&D division of one of the major governments or agencies involved in the setting. This group, along with the B/R group have an uneasy symbiotic relationship. The B/R group offers protection and implementation of the experiments and spells developed by this group to aid in their search for their relics. I don't believe this group necessarily has nefarious goals, but are being pressured to work at an exceptionally rapid rate, leaving little time to check ones work or consider the consequences.
U/G
Again, almost identical to traditional simic color identity, there isn't much here beyond big creatures being tampered with by magic. There could be a group of blue aligned researchers who are bringing about monstrosities through mutation, perhaps the reason for the existence for quite a few cryptids showing up on the plane in recent years. I'm not sure what the motivation is for this group yet. Maybe they firmly believe that the essence of the plane or the will of Emrakul wants monsters to exist on the plane, and if the govenment is going to supress that desire, U/G will step in and make its own monsters to appease the plane.
B/R
The other arm of the tentatively names Avacyn corp, or another competing corporation/ government agency, this group is the more military focused division that has been tasked with digging up supernatural relics from old Innistrad. The inspiration for this group comes from the Nazi's foray into searching for occult relics like in Indiana Jones or the Wolfenstein games, or like Hydra during WWII in the MCU (I admittedly don't know much about the accuracy of the real history behind that, but that's the general feel for this faction). to me, they fall firmly in Rakdos colors. Perhaps they are looking for a specific McGuffin that can be a legendary artifact in the set, a chunk from the Helvault, Grislebrand's spear that pierced Avacyn, Tamiyo's scrolls or journal, Liliana's Chain Veil (even though I think its currently on Ravnica, but hey this is in the future and also its obviously not canon so whatever!). Through this group, we can bring in some actual demon creature type. As a Whole, i think this group is actually Grixis, but you can go back and see the U/R section for more details
B/G
This one feels forced, and I'm open to suggestions, but what if this group were based on an offshoot of the Dawnheart tribe, the "Duskheart" for example, that shares the Dawnheart's love of nature, but rather than believing in a symbiosis with humanity, this group rejects modern human civilization entirely and believes human life should be taken to help feed and support nature, rather than traditional golgari that believes in a balance between life and death as a natural concept. Common nature-based Cryptids like Carnivorous plants would fit well in this aspect. This group reflects the slefish side of nature that wants to survive at any cost, and at the expense of other life.
R/G
Just werewolves again I guess...?
Just kidding, but actually, I don't think I can make an Innistrad set without werewolves. as mentioned previously, they are the stuff of legends at this point, so they either need to be quite scarce, or well hidden away from human societies. We need a reason for them to be back - perhaps they have been called to help the Dawnheart protect the land that is being pillaged for resources, but i think something deeper needs to be going on here. Maybe one of the competing agencies has desires on doing something to the moon to harness Emrakul's will and influence- and anything that affects the moon will affect the Wolfir. I think it would be interesting to play in the space of a howlpack that supplanted Tovalar and the direpack as the main werewolf pack on the plane.
Anyway, I'm open to suggestions on any aspect of this plan, as well as where the monocolor identities fit on this plane from a conceptual level.
and if anyone has any ideas for individual card themes like specific cryptids, urban legends, or conspiracy theories, please share in the comments and i'll do my best to include it.
a few ideas for inspiration:
- Bigfoot
- Loch Ness Monster
- Chupacabra
- Bermuda Triangle
- Black Eyed Children
- The "Hookman" Urban Legend
- Jersey Devil
- The Mothman
- The Axeman of New Orleans
- Body Doubles
- Targeted Individuals / Gang Stalking
- MK Ultra
- Russian Sleep Experiment (CreepyPasta)
Thanks in advance everyone! I look forward to providing updates as I have them.
I've begun planning a top down set, mostly just for a fun project with my brother. Thematically, the set will revolve around cryptids and urban legends along with some conspiracy theory- type supernatural aspects like Men in Black, Number Stations, etc. I'm trying to stay away from directly referencing UFO's and Aliens, but things like The Flatwoods Monster and Alien Abductions could certainly play a role thematically.
Setting:
For the setting, I am leaning towards having the set take place on a future timeline of Innistrad, similar to how Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty was a time jump. The idea is that either because of Emrakul being imprisoned in the moon, or perhaps just some sort of unnatural essence of the mana on Innistrad, the plane itself feeds off of fear. Over time, things like Werewolves and Vampires faded into legend in the minds of the human cities, and so things like urban legends started to become more real. There will be a few existing werewolves that have gone into hiding in the forests, and Vampires that have worked their way into the upper echelons of the controlling corporations/ agencies, but do not make their supernatural backgrounds known.
The tech level will be roughly Cold War Era technology, while avoiding any type of modern firearms. But radio signals and television static could play a role in the eeriness of the environment. I think this also lends itself to allowing references military and government conspiracies that were commonplace during that time in our reality.
I've been doing a lot of research into the history of the plane, but I havent yet gotten through the events of MID and VOW, so if there are any notable historical changes that contradict anything here or below, please let me know.
Possible Factions & Dual Color Identities:
Here are my main ideas for two-color identities on the plane. They don't all need to be strict factions like, say, the guilds of Ravnica, but commonly aligned creatures will share some of these goals and ideals.
W/U
A group of underground private investigators/ conspiracy theorists. None of them go by their real names, and many have never met each other in person. They communicate mostly through anonymous message boards and encrypted radio channels. This group is hyper focused on uncovering the truth, to the point where they verge on obsessive. They seek to open the eyes of other Innistrad citizens to the truth. Many are quite paranoid. I would like to throw in some call back to Thalia and the Order of Saint Traft because of the colors, and because it feels like this group could be continuing their work in some way. I also think this group will be the most "tech focused" and there is some overlap with spirits in these colors and how they affect electronic devices that would be a fun space to play in.
W/B
Instead of Cathars, we have special agents working for a shadowy CIA stand in - something like Avacyn Corp. as a callback. This group may have two competing factions. One being the containment and propaganda arm (think SCP Foundation) whose job is to contain any cryptids or supernatural threats that pop up, and promote the constant message of "All will be well if everyone follows the rules" and "there is nothing to worry about, those who say otherwise may need to be taken in for 'reeducation'". I see this branch as being Orzhov colors. Of course, there are pure white agents within the group, but the main point is that they believe what they are doing is morally correct and by keeping things under wraps, they are doing what is good for the citizens, but there are certainly more selfish goals, or long-term planning going on at the higher levels. I would even liken this to Mikaeus' coverup of Avacyns disappearance with the church. Maybe and old Sorin is the shadowy head of the organization as he continues his sisyphean attempt at bringing balance to Innistrad
W/R
I'm not set on anything here yet, but I am leaning towards something like an underground cult loyal to Nahiri. Maybe they are practicing lithomancy in an attempt to use the cryptolith fragments to draw Nahiri back to the plane, or a surviving angel tribe of the corrupted Avacyn. To be honest, I'm not 100% sure where red fits in on its own in this setting.
W/G
This will likely be a group of Dawnheart Descendants that stuck to woodland villages as other human citizens of Innistrad concentrated into the major cities for protection. They will have knowledge and relationships with non-malicious beast cryptids such as the stand-in for bigfoot. A lot of human/nonhuman synergies. they May also be aware of an existing group of Werewolves that went into hiding and have a tenuous partnership with them to protect the existing natural resources left, many of which are being destroyed by the B/R faction in search of their relics and the W/R faction through lithomancy in their attempts to call Nahiri. This might be an intersting space to play with the Disturb Mechanic from VOW where creatures came back as auras, though instead of human spirits, we can focus on creature spirits coming back to help the dawnheart tribe, like umbra armors.
U/B
Again, not fully set on anything here, but this space just feels very clandestine. Basically just Dimir Human Rogues, mostly human, doing surveillance and dealing in secrets. I am open to deeper suggestions here.
U/R
As is common on this plane, these colors lend themselves to "Mad Science" and explosive experimentation. It has a passion for learning more and uncovering knowledge, but it does this by acting impulsively and pressing forward without regard for consequences of their actions. But where does this theme fit in our version of Innistrad? i think this would have to be the R&D division of one of the major governments or agencies involved in the setting. This group, along with the B/R group have an uneasy symbiotic relationship. The B/R group offers protection and implementation of the experiments and spells developed by this group to aid in their search for their relics. I don't believe this group necessarily has nefarious goals, but are being pressured to work at an exceptionally rapid rate, leaving little time to check ones work or consider the consequences.
U/G
Again, almost identical to traditional simic color identity, there isn't much here beyond big creatures being tampered with by magic. There could be a group of blue aligned researchers who are bringing about monstrosities through mutation, perhaps the reason for the existence for quite a few cryptids showing up on the plane in recent years. I'm not sure what the motivation is for this group yet. Maybe they firmly believe that the essence of the plane or the will of Emrakul wants monsters to exist on the plane, and if the govenment is going to supress that desire, U/G will step in and make its own monsters to appease the plane.
B/R
The other arm of the tentatively names Avacyn corp, or another competing corporation/ government agency, this group is the more military focused division that has been tasked with digging up supernatural relics from old Innistrad. The inspiration for this group comes from the Nazi's foray into searching for occult relics like in Indiana Jones or the Wolfenstein games, or like Hydra during WWII in the MCU (I admittedly don't know much about the accuracy of the real history behind that, but that's the general feel for this faction). to me, they fall firmly in Rakdos colors. Perhaps they are looking for a specific McGuffin that can be a legendary artifact in the set, a chunk from the Helvault, Grislebrand's spear that pierced Avacyn, Tamiyo's scrolls or journal, Liliana's Chain Veil (even though I think its currently on Ravnica, but hey this is in the future and also its obviously not canon so whatever!). Through this group, we can bring in some actual demon creature type. As a Whole, i think this group is actually Grixis, but you can go back and see the U/R section for more details
B/G
This one feels forced, and I'm open to suggestions, but what if this group were based on an offshoot of the Dawnheart tribe, the "Duskheart" for example, that shares the Dawnheart's love of nature, but rather than believing in a symbiosis with humanity, this group rejects modern human civilization entirely and believes human life should be taken to help feed and support nature, rather than traditional golgari that believes in a balance between life and death as a natural concept. Common nature-based Cryptids like Carnivorous plants would fit well in this aspect. This group reflects the slefish side of nature that wants to survive at any cost, and at the expense of other life.
R/G
Just werewolves again I guess...?
Just kidding, but actually, I don't think I can make an Innistrad set without werewolves. as mentioned previously, they are the stuff of legends at this point, so they either need to be quite scarce, or well hidden away from human societies. We need a reason for them to be back - perhaps they have been called to help the Dawnheart protect the land that is being pillaged for resources, but i think something deeper needs to be going on here. Maybe one of the competing agencies has desires on doing something to the moon to harness Emrakul's will and influence- and anything that affects the moon will affect the Wolfir. I think it would be interesting to play in the space of a howlpack that supplanted Tovalar and the direpack as the main werewolf pack on the plane.
Anyway, I'm open to suggestions on any aspect of this plan, as well as where the monocolor identities fit on this plane from a conceptual level.
and if anyone has any ideas for individual card themes like specific cryptids, urban legends, or conspiracy theories, please share in the comments and i'll do my best to include it.
a few ideas for inspiration:
- Bigfoot
- Loch Ness Monster
- Chupacabra
- Bermuda Triangle
- Black Eyed Children
- The "Hookman" Urban Legend
- Jersey Devil
- The Mothman
- The Axeman of New Orleans
- Body Doubles
- Targeted Individuals / Gang Stalking
- MK Ultra
- Russian Sleep Experiment (CreepyPasta)
Thanks in advance everyone! I look forward to providing updates as I have them.