Don't know whether this sort of RP is welcome in the Arcane Arena, please say so if it isn't. I think it's worth a try, though, since it's worked quite well on some other forums.
I'm going to try doing an interactive story. This involves:
People submitting characters
Me writing new chapters every week
You pmming me your character's actions before next chapter
It basically means there's less god-mode RPing and creates a more coherent, game-like medium for you to work with.
The rough rules are below, in nice spoiler tags because they're way way long.
If there's no interest I'll give up and die.
Spoiler for Rules And Guidelines and Whatnot:
Simply put, I write in the chapter here:
Originally Posted by (me)
Bob, Joe and Francis arrive at Camp Deathness, where a great big ogre attacks them, if you please, with great snarling fangs and suchlike.
You, as the inventor of Bob, pm me this:
Originally Posted by (bob's guy)
I try and fight the ogre off with my sword and, if we kill it, I suggest cooking it for food (if that's possible with them ogres).
It requires participants to be mostly active as they will need to submit their character's actions after before the next chapter (will probably do chapters every Monday or some other fixed day of the week - obviously real life will come first, though, on mine and your parts). If you miss the action deadline I'll hazard a guess at what your character might do, or else try and avoid their storyline for the time-being.
...I'll explain it more coherently when we get started ...
Originally Posted by Character Sheet
Character Name: The character name...obviously... Gender: I get confused easily Age: ...obviously... Appearance: This is physical appearance, not clothes. Be modest Favoured Weapons: Try to pick some that will fit in, and remember these aren't necessarily the ones you'll end up with Talents: The skills your character has; not too many, ego-freaks Persona: The attitudes, the mannerisms, the general personality of your character Alignment: Good/Bad/Neutral (will play a role in my storyline) Special Power: See list below, you can choose one or go crazy with none
No backgrounds, I'll give you each a background story based around the ficitional world I inhabit.
It should be suitable for your character....
Also, it'd be nice to have a few average Joe's. Just once in awhile.
The setting will be a medieval-ish version of Heroes, really. Technology may include the occasional flint-lock pistol or somesort, but will be mostly swords, shields, spears, axes, etc. The Heroes edge is in that every character may have one special power, from a list I am providing.
Characters will begin (when the process might be a little confused) very separate, and gradually come together when we're all comfortable with the system.
Basically it will begin with very separate character stroy arcs that will teach you to work with the system, will develop your character (powers and general ability of characters will be weak to begin with, you gain experience, weapons, armour, fame, whatever as you go along), and eventually the characters will begin to interact more and you can begin making teams (Good vs Bad alignment is nice, with Neutral pwnting everyone) and secret alliances (you can confer through pm or whatever with other characters and make sneaky plans or whatever in your own time), and fight each other. Characters can (and probably will) die, and new characters might crop up if other people wish to join later on.
It should be fun.
So, if you're interested and think you're active enough to join, fill in the character sheet below and pm it to me.
Once I've started posting chapters you'll have to be extra-nice if you want to join, because it'll make my head hurt a little bit.
Posts here ought to be kept to a minimal, so I can keep some idea of where the story is.
Spoiler for Special Powers:
Special Powers
Telekinesis - Moving objects with the power of your mind Regeneration - Quick healing of your own wounds, body does not regenerate after death Healing - Can quicken healing of other's wounds, cannot heal after death and cannot heal yourself Animal Morphing - Can morph into an animal, learning new morphs takes time and experience Invisibilty - Can turn invisible for periods of time Superhuman Strength and Reflexes - Increased strength and reflex speed Phasing - Can 'phase' through solid objects Superhuman Vision - Increased range of vision, as well as night-sight Precognition - Can gain some knowledge of the future Telepathy - Can read the thoughts of others, some chance of mind-control Negate Powers - Can cancel out the powers of others nearby Electric Manipulation - Can wield some control over electricity Weather Manipulation - Can wield some control over the weather Gravity Manipulation - Can wield some control over gravity Pyro Manipulation - Can wield some control over fire Aqua Manipulation - Can wield some control over water Ice Manipulation - Can wield some control over ice, touching objects can lower their temperature Sound Manipulation - Can wield some control over sound waves (such as creating sonic booms) Force Field Manipulation - Can create force-fields of energy Superhuman Speed - Increased speed of movement Flight - Levitation of varying strength
Basically this could either work and be really fun or phail phail phail and make me look pretentious.
So if you're active and interested, pm me a filled in character sheet and I'll have them background story'd up and have the first chapter up in a week or so (depending on what feedback is like).
Character Name: Repus Oge
Gender: Male
Age: mid-30s
Appearance: Right eye missing. 6'1". Shaggy black hair. Muscular and scarred.
Favoured Weapons: Spindle-blade (Like two swords tied around a disc that can be thrown like a frisbee and return like a boomarang. Exotic, to say the least. )
Talents: Intellegent/calculating. Swordplay talents.
Persona: Blunt and direct. Angers easily and always thinks himself right. Has a bias against women doing men's work. Moody; though he has his moments of being nice.
Alignment: Good/Bad/Neutral (will play a role in my storyline) Good, believe it or not.
Special Power: Healing (though he much prefered a different power, he is stuck with healing).
Perfecto. Will contact you if we get some more interest with your backstory, inventory, etc and a quick clarification of the system and we can get underway.
Six characters for Season One would be ideal, I can build up a story around that, and you can all work out the idea and start having fun.
Character name: (unknown) - cals herself Eloa
Gender: female
Age: somewhere around 30
Appearance: flawless straight black hair and black eyes. Average built. Somewhat attractive.
Special power: invisibility
Weapon: a big, sharp knife is her favourite. Can also handle a sword.
She is a professional assassin. Thanks to her power, she can lurk in the dark perfectly, which she greatly uses in favour of getting her assignments done. She cannot become fully invisible though (yet?).
Personality: doesn't talk much. Is mostly mean and merciless, but somewhere in that stone heart still lies affection and care.
Aligntment: whoever pays most.
Guess that's it. Any doubt, suggestion, comment is welcome; or if you want to change anything about her, it's up to you.
Last edited by Kromoh; 12-04-2007 at 04:39 AM.
Reason: typos
Character Name:Keaton Leort
Gender:Male
Age:17
Appearance: Boring-smart. Mid length dark hair. Average-skinny build. Tallish.
Favoured Weapons:None.
Talents: Logic and charm.
Persona: Polite; nice; not overly-talkative but not introverted.
Alignment: Greater Good?
Special Power: Telepathy.
Note; Boring background and no fighting experience please.
Makes a contrast to the above two "deadly assassin" and "scarred well built with shaggy hair"
That's probably enough characters for my brain to handle (if Xox can get a profile done I'll take it in though). Will post first chapter very soon, and then pm you all with your background/inventory/yet another clarification of the system.
I've got the basic story-arcs sorted now. Few major all-encompassing ones, few more individual character-quests (that should hopefully link in).
It should probably result in Volume One being individual 'heroes' alone, doing very separate things on a small-scale, with the impending threat of larger events and story-arcs eventually growing to utterly overshadow personal quests, and dragging all the characters for an exciting conclusion.
There will be villains and there will be 'heroes', while player characters will no doubt dabble in between.
If that works well, I'll do a Volume Two with some new players introduced, a few old ones can drop out if they have lost interest, and we can see far more large-scale world-wide power plays as character heroes are now strong enough to wield major influence. Big battles and struggles with villains (player villains?) and the 'heroes', and those between.
Can I join? I can wait until someone's activity slips or something if it's too confusing but here's my character sheet.
Character Name: Dierdro Daye
Gender: Male
Age: 30
Appearance: Dark skin, black dreads, whiskers, more lean than muscular
Favoured Weapons: A Kusara-kama (google image it)
Talents: Beside adept kusaram kama ability? He's pretty acrobatic
Persona: Very quick to anger and irrational if feels cornered. He has a soft spot for humanity that he tries to ignore in pursuit of his duty but just can't escape.
Alignment: Kind of a fallen demon, I guess he's good but it would be hard for him to get over himself at first
Special Power: Supervision
Clarify on the alignment, please? Good, Neutral or Bad. It won't affect you much for awhile anyways, and most of the Good characters I've invented are pretty evil, while most bad are reasonably excusable.
Oh, and all player characters are human (with special powers). Sorry if this wasn't clear.
Big big big rules post coming up here any minute now. Omnius, I've got the first few story arcs sorted, so I'll need a little bit to sort you in. I'll try and introduce you in the second chapter, if that's okay (so not that long off, me hopes ), and I'll pm you when you're in. If Xox decides to join after we've started, I'll integrate her in whenever. Chapter One coming to a new topic very soon, then I'll pm you background/inventory. Computer troubles have delayed me more than I'd hoped, but we should be making ground fast soon.
So once you get that pm, make sure you've read the rules and importantly the chapter and you can send me your first actions.
Yeah, this post might be fairly big. I got issues.
Numbered diagrams help ease the pain.
RULES
The system is thus:
Chapter Posted
Update Sent
Actions Returned
Repeat
The chapter will be a new topic (this can remain for problems, chat, feedback, complaints, newbies wanting to join at some point - which they still can, I'll just kill off older characters to make room - and whatever. Most characters will be in each chapter, though occasionally (say, if you're on holiday and I don't think you're necessarily needed to be there) your character might miss a chapter.
I will send you an update pm after every chapter. It will remind you of your character profile, have an inventory list, and so on. It might also contain information that only your character has learnt (characters with precognition, for example, may have visions of the future that only they see). Information given only to you could give you an advantage over the group, or be better shared with the group. Some people will obviously prove better teamplayers than others, though how well you all do need not represent this.
Your actions must be sent after the update pm. If you miss an actions deadline, it's no biggie, I'll either miss your character from the next chapter if they aren't needed, and you can get in your actions for next time, or I'll guess your character's actions (I'll try to keep them in persona) if they really must be in a chapter.
Actions are a big headache to me for the first few goes in most forums. Here's a few guidelines (numbered diagrams, see? ):
Don't invent things, use the enviroment and background I have given you (for example, "I use my hidden ninja disks, which I always keep in my boots, and throw them at his head. I then summon my mystic steed and ride off to the Castle of Darkness where I make sweet love to a beautiful princess, who loves me very much.")
I might of gone overboard with that example. Sorry.
Don't use narrative, I'll do that (for example, "He walks into the cave, his hair looking sexy and cool as the wind lashes it vigorously")
Don't control anyone else's character, or characters that I control, or the world around you, just tell me what you intend to do (for example "I try to talk him into helping me" NOT "I talk him into helping me and then walk off into the cave"
Few examples of very very good actions:
Originally Posted by Good Actions
I try and fight my way out.
Originally Posted by Even Gooder Actions
I try and fight my way out of the cave, using my long-sword.
Originally Posted by Even More Gooder Actions
I try and fight my way out of the cave, using my long-sword. If Bobert doesn't try and attack me, I don't attack him.
Um...teamwork. You can always talk about what to do here, or anywhere else, with the other characters. You can see what they're doing in the chapters, so planning ahead is always good. Co-operating in actions can make your characters' success even more certain, for example:
Bobert's power is to create forcefields. Timbert's power is pyro-manipulation. They have been trapped by a villain with telekinesis, who is hurling rocks and other debris at them.
Bobert and Timbert plan their actions together.
Originally Posted by Bobert
I try and cover Timbert with forcefields whenever the villain tries to attack.
Originally Posted by Timbert
I try and create balls of fire with my power, which I then use to throw at the villain. If Bobert covers me with forcefields, I use them if I seem too in danger.
Of course, Timbert could say:
Originally Posted by Timbert
If Bobert covers me with forcefields, I use this as a distraction and throw a fire ball in his face, and then run to escape the villain.
Course, that's cause Timbert's mean.
Heh, balls of fire...
Anyways, I think I've made the whole thing painfully, painfully clear.
No deadline for first actions, just await update, read chapter, and send when ready. We'll spend as long as it takes to get everyone right, damnit!
Bookmarks