Might as well make an announcement about it here first.

I've been developing a setting for the past year or so, and was struggling with my own system design to make it work. I've now decided that 4C is actually the perfect system for the setting, as I've imagined it to be.

The setting is a modern day, magical, post apocalyptic playground based on my own twisting of the French Vulgate Cycle version of the Arthurian Legend. In this version, Merlin has fallen in love with the Lady of the Lake, and offers to teach her his magic if she would only promise to love him. She says she will, and leads him on in order to gain his knowledge. Eventually, Merlin is sealed in a tomb by his love, after he's taught her all of his mystical secrets. She goes on to Camelot to ruin Arthur's life, and leaves poor Merlin sealed up in the tomb to eventually die of asphyxiation. Throughout his infatuation with the Lady, Merlin continually foresaw that he would be betrayed by an evil sorceress who would use his own power to kill him, and then to go on to conquer a future, and very strange new world. Before dying in the tomb, his vision was made clear that it would be the reincarnation of his Lady, and that she would summon all sorts of nasty beasties to serve as her army to conquer the futuristic (our modern) world.

Merlin casts one final spell before dying, a spell of returning that would summon his spirit back into the world some time before this fateful event happened. He decided to broaden his spell to include all of the spirits of the mighty heroes, and heroines, of myth and legend to return along with him. These heroes would battle the forces of the evil sorceress, and hopefully destroy her, and free the world from her wicked reign.

The Lady of the Lake (in my version of the story) is discovered as the perpetrator of the Guinevere/Lancelot debacle, and the eventual death of Arthur, and is killed by one of the other knights (Balin methinks). Before she is slain, she too casts a spell of returning, swearing vengeance upon the descendants of Arthur and his knights in a coming age. Her spell isn't watered down, like Merlin's, with the addition of other spirits, so when she is reborn, she grows to learn her true identity faster, and the magic that she learned begins coming to her effortlessly as she grows up. When she hits eighteen or so, she is at full power. She travels to New York, and begins the casting of her major summoning spell. Then, all hell breaks loose.

Dragons begin flying all over the world, razing cities, and nesting in the abandoned skyscrapers. Giants roam the city streets. Trolls take residence in the subways, and hordes of goblins serve as the Lady's main bodyguard, and a constant pain in the arse to the heroes at almost every turn. Her summoning also brings back the souls of some of the world's wickedest villains, who possess innocent people's bodies, and begin a new reign of terror at the Lady's bequest.

The heroes (PCs) have been born with certain aspects of their former selves. One might have the strength of the mighty Heracles, while another may have the amazing abilities of Robin Hood. Another may exhibit the invincibility of Achilles, and so on.

There will be much more to the story in the final product. Any comments on what I've presented here would be great!

Sounds intriguing! I'm presuming the 'feel' of it is more four-color than, say, Scion. I'm also presuming the default setting is oriented toward the mystical (ie not the magic-aliens-science-whatever mishmash of the bog-standard comic).

Indeed, the setting is more four colorish. Magic is definitely a major component of the setting. I had tossed around the idea of having all electronic devices being nullified by the influx of magical energies, but I think I'll settle with just having the electricity to use those devices being hard to come by. Modern weaponry will be available, but after a short while, finding ample amounts ammunition will be a problem. The whole setting is frickin' awesome in my mind. I just hope I can put it down on paper well enough for everyone else to see it that way too!

After posting this over at another board, it looks like I should add more about Merlin, and the role of the characters! Essentially, Merlin, now Ambrose Smith, was reborn without a full knowledge of his power. He spends most of his formative years living in a monastery in London (where his unknown mother left him after birth) slowly coming to the realization of who he once was, and attempting to find everything he could about magic - again. In other words, whilst Niviene (his ex-almost-lover) begins using her powers from about the age of six, Merlin/Ambrose doesn't begin to even learn to cast a simple spell until he is about eleven or twelve. Luckily, Niviene is reborn a few years after Merlin, but she's still far beyond his abilities.

Anyways, Merlin/Ambrose begins searching for those other spirits that he "recalled" with his spell. He finds Arthur first, at a University in London, and begins his task of "awakening" him. Once he finally accomplishes this, they go on to hunt for more heroes. All of this is taking place as Niviene opens her portal, and begins summoning her creature army.

So, the characters are hunted up by Merlin and Arthur, and are "awakened" to their true selves. They are given the choice to join up with Merlin as "knights" to battle the forces of the evil sorceress. They don't actually follow him and Arthur around, but work in cells around the world, receiving info, and occasional aid from them. If the group wants to hash it out on their own, that's fine too. They may even want to join forces with Niviene (wouldn't actually fit the theme, but it's an option).

At the beginning of the campaign setting, Niviene's forces have pretty much ravaged most of the world. Almost all of the major cities have been taken, and occupied by dragons, giants, and other nasties, and are under control of one of the sorceress' villainous henchmen (these will be such baddies as Dracula, Rasputin, maybe even Hitler himself, I'm still debating that one). Pretty much a total wasteland. Various governments have their strongholds, but are constantly being battered by attacks from Niviene's beasties.

Adventuring in the world will be to find artifacts that can be used to battle Niviene, and her minions, and eventually finding a way to banish her armies back to the nether world, and take down the sorceress. If they join the Table Round (or whatever I'll be calling it), Merlin will be sending them out to retrieve certain weapons, or spells, or whatever, or he will send them into an area to clear the beasties that have taken up residence. Monster bashing goodness all around!

Now, if you've made it this far, and kind of, sort of like the idea, please give your opinions! Thanks! ;D