The P2TM Times: Issue Six is Up!

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The P2TM Times Issue 5: Page 2, Since 2015 Friday, August 7, 2015 The Autonomous Province of the Nationland: Article 2, Running the Gamut Part 1 By Alleniana Despite how much it may seem that nation RPs are all continually taking shots at the late 19th century imperial timeframe, or festering around WW2 and the present day's military angst, there is a wide, sometimes unseen range of nation RPs in the P2TM. Nearly every period of history, every possible type of plausible eventuality, every fantasy mainstay has been touched upon or used by the many nation RPs that have been or are. Nation RPs, though only a subset of the P2TM's variety, have themselves many subdivisions, as one might expect, and in this article, we'll explore a few of the main ones. This article, however, is large and time-consuming enough that it will be divided into a few parts, one to be done per edition of the newspaper that has this column; this issue, I'll divide nation RPs up into a few main blocs, based mainly on timeframe and/or timescale, going backwards in time, and then I'll explore these subdivisions in later editions. First off, we'll look at the type represented by one of the most famous and long-standing nation RP series, the History series. It was set in prehistory, and had progression, in theory, up to the present day or beyond. It was, in fact, the archetype, and perhaps the culmination, at the time, of the nation RP type which involved a continuous progression through all history, starting as early as practicably possible, and continuing on as late as practicably possible. The History series' four iterations, History of the World, History of Man, History of Empires and History of Nations, were all examples of different approaches; run by no less than 5 different OPs, including me, at different times over 2 and a half years, and with perhaps a dozen threads and a wiki. Of course, by no means were they the only ones to attempt the concept; Civilization Domination run by Reatra, The Test of Time run by Photana, Rise and Fall run by Terminus Alpha and Civilization - An Epic Tale run by Transoxthraxia were all fairly similar in their premise, though with varying innovations, ideas and degrees of success, while plenty of other RPs also attempted roughly the same thing, except with a different map, or with different species, or with some other degree of fantasy, such as magic. These RPs are characterized by broad, sweeping strokes made across history, and a fast pace, necessary for the RP to advance fast enough to have a chance of reaching later eras such as the present day. This does have the effect of making these RPs' alternate history far wackier and more divergent from our world. For quite some time, they have been a mainstay of the nation RPing scene, and draw RPers who not only like to worldbuild from the ground up, but who like to worldbuild socially, that is to say, communally. Despite their pace, though, which is necessary not to get bogged down, both grand and detailed things come out of them. We then come to the most recent type, the present day, "modern" RP. This may be the RP most are acquainted with, and certainly, II is flooded with them (albeit often of lesser quality than those found here) and the ones here also tend to attract a lot of attention. Along with WW2 RPs, they are the greatest newbie magnets, which is both a blessing and a curse, in terms of activity against quality. This does not detract from their importance, though; many of the largest nation RPs have been of this type, often just starting off from the present day, or a couple of years just before or after, to allow for some small degree of alternate history. Although they tend to overemphasize war, they are still very much current RPs, and some controversy can arise over the handling of politics which are so close to us today; generally, though, this still works in such a way that allows good RP to occur. As our world is, these RPs are fast-paced, often conflict driven, and with much complexity that can be explored, from issues like global warming to terrorism. They are, however, appealing in great part because of their relevance, and also because of our ability to comprehend and see deeply into it, with the advent of the internet during this era as well as our presence in it, giving us a native advantage to depth that we don't possess anywhere else. Granted, there is alternate history present often, but these RPs focus on today, or at least something like it. Examples include The Scramble for Earth, based around resource crises and reminiscent of the Scramble for Africa, run by Plzen, 2015 started by The Miaphysite Church of Coptic Archism but later managed by Bujahla, and the alternate historical Anno Domini 2020 by The imperial canadian dutchy and even more so Alternate World by Sabara. These RPs comprise a most significant portion of the nation RP contingent. One of the more infamous types of RP, but surely not one that can be ignored, is what you could call the contemporary RP, by its historical period, or, alternatively, the living-memory, the WW2-Millennium, WW2-USSR, or perhaps something like the 1939-1991 RP. Yeah, I haven't got much of a good name for it. These RPs are, actually, to be honest, more like 2 similarly close groups that I lumped together; WW2 RPs, and Cold War/equivalent timeframe RPs. With both WW2 RPs, flinging you into conflict or at least leaving you in the vicinity, and Cold War RPs, which focus on the global conflict or some kind of equivalent construction at this tech level, it can be as diverse as any other of the groups mentioned so far, despite its smaller timeframe. On one hand, understandably, WW2 attracts a fair number of newbies, perhaps too many to handle for many budding RPs set in this period; the first stop for world history, from the present backwards, tends to be WW2, and not only that, but the war itself is quite popular in the public imagination. As a result, this type of RP bears the brunt of the NS summer's effect on nation RPs in the P2TM, as well as the general inflow of newbies. This does, however, give these RPs quite a few RPers to work through, which can be a good thing, compared to some other RPs which might lack the numbers to take off or even function. And, of course, despite how much this type of RP might have a newbie problem, there are many that don't, in particular the RPs that are set later, which generally do quite well; without meandering off into character territory, good examples include The Second Great War by Gibberan, World War 2 Europe by Stomalia, Rising Sun over Australia by Organized States and 1965: A World Changed by Bolovia. Generally, within this area, the Cold War RPs will have more AH, being less immediately exciting and thus having more space for buildup and variation. Another important type is one that Finland SSR would probably decry for its ubiquitous dominance; the modern period nation builder. With its core setting being Europe from around 1848 to 1900, and a peripheral timeframe spanning from perhaps even the end of the medieval age up to the Great Depression era or the given scenario's equivalent timescale, it is generally involving a degree of alternate history, and bears core ideals such as war, imperialism, nationalism and colonialism. Nations interact through politics and diplomacy, going to both ends of the spectrum that spans from morality to realpolitik, while constantly trying to develop and advance technologically, militarily, economically and in other ways. There is no shortage of exemplars; from New Imperialism 2, which I ran, to Midnight in Moscow 2.1 and 2.2 (an RP series much beloved to me) started by Sveltlana but later run by Senkaku, to Forge of Empires run by Bujahla, to Guns of Our Forefathers, originally founded by Kryskov, and many more demonstrations of the type besides. RPers tend to have significant influence over what they are RPing in terms of history in these RPs, if not outright creating their nations via app or otherwise, though many RPs have preset lore to some degree. Modern politics, diplomacy, war and economics dominate these RPs, which focus on the age of empires, when feudalism and despotism were on the way out, and when so much social development and reform occurred, but before the contemporary period, where total war gasped its last breaths and where the world we live in (that of nation-states and corporations) came to be. In even our world's history, it was in this era that we finally reached the development of the ancient states again, and where history reached a peak of turbulence and yet a peak of human ability too. In the interests of transparency, I should note that this is my favourite, so there might be some bias here, but Finland SSR will counteract it for you if you ask. Most will be familiar, in some way, with the medieval RP, albeit not necessarily its nation-based variant. These are, frankly, what they say on the box; all the good stuff, knights in shining armour and Crusades and barbarian hordes and Viking raiders and manorial peasants, in Europe, and then masses of chu ko nu wielders and messy dynastic states in China, or obsidian-wielding clubmen for the Americas, or Swahili trading city-states or the overflowing gold and mud mosques of Timbuktu, or the temples of Angkor Wat, and so on around the rest of the world. These RPs, by necessity due to the nature of states, empires and nations from the era of around the Dark Ages up to the early modern period, are more character-focused than RPs from later periods might be, particularly in feudalism. Factors like dynastic inheritance, and a much greater emphasis on personal control and the significance of the person or the family in an era when there were so much fewer of them than now, help to pull this subdivision in the character direction, but nevertheless, they are still true nation RPs, as war, trade, diplomacy, and societal change or instability is played out on a grand scale. Not only that, but it can be far easier to play these things out, with the lack of more exact figures providing a lampshade for those RPs of this type that set themselves in our world, and with a far greater emphasis on some individuals and chance, which helps alternate history justify itself or find easy ways towards or around things. Some of our venerable examples for this type of RP include the 1202-1224-1252 series, founded by The Jonathanian States but run by various others later on, Mediævalis In Perpetuo 2.1 run by me, 500 A.D run by Transoxthraxia, AMAAQ, Giving History the Finger, run by Liecthenbourg, Medieval RP v4 run by Ruridova after taking over from Urenus, Might and Magic (albeit reboot no. 5) run by Skaldia and A Throne of Thorns (technically no. 2) run by Ublia; among them, variously utilizing alternate history or alternate worlds, or the lack of, and different scales of viewpoint and/or timescale. One of the most appealing aesthetics and functional settings is thus the spring of most varied RPs in this way. Finally, we look at the RPs set in the oldest ages of all; those who look towards the ancients for their settings. While Rome is a bit of an outlier, it is also included in this category, along with Egypt and Shang China and all the rest, going back until prehistory. These are the RPs that revel in the glory of phalanxes, see the births of philosophies, watch on as the tides of civilization from the cities and the barbarian hordes swell against each other. These were the ages of the first states, when the groundwork for the rest of civilization’s history was laid. The ancient ages need no significant explanation for their appeal, being so diverse, and the origin of such great projects as the Pyramids and the Colosseum, and furthermore with such interesting aesthetic possibilities. Nation RPs set here tend to focus very much on what ancient states interacted via; total war, lofty ideas, and projects often pursued somewhat impracticably, but with incredible concentrations of power and wealth.. They tend, too, to be more character-based than many RPs set in the modern or contemporary period, due to the nature of society and technology's effects on it. Some notable examples have been the Antiquity Rises Rampant series, with incarnations 1, 2, 2.5 or something of the sort, and 3, with the series having been founded by Emilio Aguinaldo, An Era of War by The Nation of Hay, The Rise of Empires by Vehemia, and even I had a go with the spectacularly unsuccessful 150AD AH. These RPs aren't inherently more alternate than most RPs, but as the examples demonstrate, they can find it easier to do so, with such a scarcity of information from the time that some may be manufacture, and a far lesser amount of history before them that must be relied upon. So, that concludes this portion of the article; we've traveled back through time, now, and in doing so, explored most of the main groupings of nation RPs; definitely, such an exploration misses out much, but it gives an insight into the larger groups, along with the sprinklings of exemplars, which I have generally tried to keep diverse, but of a passable quality. There are, of course, many that don't fit these molds; Rise of Nations: Rebirth by The Empire of Pretantia with its fantasy, Cloud Ocean by Prospect Landings in the same vein, Hilt Meets Sheath by The Magnified Union of Aligned Communes with it's bizarre alien-space-bats time warp alternate history, and then the four post-apocalyptic Ashes of an Empire RPs, 1, 2, 3 and 4, and Restoration, also post-apocalyptic and run by me, are only some examples. Fantasy and border-crossing are the main defections from the classifications, but there are others too, no less worth attention for their varying concepts despite fewer numbers. Those, however, will come next article, along with further detail on these main sections; for now, we've run the main gamut. Alleniana serves as editor and writer for the P2TM Times, and creator of the Historical RP Group in Portal to the Multiverse.

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The P2TM Times Issue Five: Page 3, Since 2015 Thursday, August 7, 2015 Fantasy Races: The Dragons By The Starlight In this series of articles, I'll be writing about the relative cliches of many fantasy races, and how to either avoid those, or portray them correctly while adding in your own elements. That will include elves, humans, dwarves, orcs, dragons and more. We've already covered the elves, the dwarves and the humans. Click on the links to go directly to those articles. Dragons in Fantasy/Our World There's no doubt that dragons are the stuff of legend. From those tales of princesses kidnapped in castles, their would-be rescuers charging up a hill in vain, to Smaug the Stupendous, you'll find dragons in many fantasy worlds. Dragons seem to be that OP race that everyone tiptoes around(for good reason). Their scales are usually impenetrable by most weapons, they're huge, and love gold. Oh, and of course, there's the fire, every dragon's got to be able to spit fireballs everywhere, right? Dragons, in RPs, seem to fill the role of foes, where the heroes and heroines must go on a quest, if dragons are used at all, that is. Many choose not to include dragons as they seemingly have little to no weaknesses, and they don't want some RPer-controlled dragon flying around and leaving scorched earth behind. This guide will focus predominantly on dragons as a race, rather than individual characters, as that's quite rare from what I've observed. Tips for Making Your Dragons Unique(or Less Powerful) Powers Let's face it, having all the dragons possess only fire is quite boring. Perhaps make some Ice Dragons as a complete opposite. And if you're going to do that, you might as well make other elemental dragons. This, as much magic is, should be based relatively on climate. Ice Dragons shouldn't live in a desert, and Dragons controlling fire shouldn't live in the water. Though, don't get carried away, as you don't want them get to power. Stay far away from metal-controlling Dragons, as they would be pretty impossible to beat. Foes for the Dragons/Decline In order for your dragons to be less power, you might want to consider giving them an even more powerful foe that is solely focused on annihilating the dragons. That would serve to distract the dragons and make them less focused on other races. Another option would be to have the dragons be in decline. Perhaps they have been hunted down and in those days dragonsblood fell from the skies. (Thought that was a cool line, but anyway...) Dragons tend not to be the friendliest of fellows, and one would get tired of having to rebuild a burnt down village over and over again. Also, consider making the dragons infertile, and so, a slowly dying race. That, of course, would put their population at a very, very low level. If you want to have half-dragon, half-humans running around, feel free of course, but add limits. Culture/Lore As with all races, it's important to establish a culture for the dragons as well. One-dimensionality is a killer. Do not just make your dragons roar and breathe fire. That's boring, and shows no sparks of creativity. Give them motives, legends, myths, history, ballads, songs, languages, governments, fears, anything to make them well-developed. Make dragons that are loremasters, dragons that are bards, dragons that are builders! A dragon does not have to be a villain. But keep in mind that a villain should be as well-developed as the heroes, if not more. Drakes vs Dragons There are different classifications of dragons, such as drakes, wyrms and wyverns. While there's no official classifications, feel free to make your draconic race be a sub-species of dragons. Perhaps this sub-species has diluted blood which grants them less power. Or, perhaps, they can't fly, and are earth bound, a major weakness considering the advantage of flight. Weak Spots Make sure that your dragons do have weak spots, and that there are weapons or magic present in your world that can kill them. Whether it's one small scale like Smaug, their eyes, their noses or their tails, dragons should not be completely impenetrable. Perhaps dragonscales or dragonteeth or bones hold part of the power of a dragon, which can be forged into weapons. A dragon's wing could make an epic cloak, or a disgusting one. Developed correctly, dragons can be formidable, yet defeatable foes that are enjoyable yet challenging to your RPers. Under-developed, cameo dragons that are OP will get your players whining and frustrated. I hope that this is helpful to any of you planning to include dragons in your RP. If you've got any suggestions or questions, as always, TG my main account. Next week, I'll be covering orcs as the last part of this series. I will also be starting a new series on magic as well, and I'm looking forward to that. The Starlight serves as the founder and editor-in-chief of the P2TM Times. He is the winner of the 2014 Best High Fantasy RPer Award and is also a RPer in numerous RPs, including Infinite Justice and Children of Infinity. He can be contacted via TG.

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The P2TM Times Issue Five: Page 4, Since 2015 Friday, August 7, 2015 Merchant on the Silk Road An interview with Alleniana By Nature-Spirits Alleniana — or Allen — is fairly well known to those of us who frequent the Restaurant and the Café. That said, those who don’t know him well might wonder why, if he’s so well known, they haven’t encountered him in any roleplays. In fact, he’s a fairly accomplished roleplayer. However, he doesn’t engage in character roleplays; he prefers nations. He first got involved in roleplaying in 2012, when he first found NationStates. “I didn’t quite understand the concept at first,” he said of his beginnings, “but … I quickly got into the swing of things, albeit with one-liners”. He soon abandoned his previous hobby and became involved in several roleplays. “I’d never come across a game that could be social, and competitive, and creative.” Allen has a passion for history: along with roleplays on P2TM, he enjoys playing historical strategy games, and studies chiefly pre-WWII history in his spare time, along with related pursuits, such as politics, vexillology, and human geography. He is responsible for the creation of P2TM’s Historical RP Group — which is home to many nation roleplayers — and Historical Population Reference Resource. He is also interested in languages, having developed several constructed languages, and he is the founder of the P2TM Translation Service Thread. When asked about the separation between the character and nation roleplaying communities and his role as a member of both, he said, “It’s interesting [being] significantly involved in both communities, as ordinarily, they’re not going to have too much interaction due to their RPs’ differences.” Interesting indeed; most of P2TM’s residents are firmly entrenched in one group or another, and rarely stray from the community that they know. “[It’s] less of a genre difference as a difference of modality.” As an example, he mentioned post-apocalyptic roleplays, saying that, while there are both character and nation roleplays of that genre, “the two tend not to cross over, because RPers … are going to either be looking at it from the top down or the bottom up.” He elaborated that “[t]his isn’t necessarily a bad thing”, citing that “different people prefer different topics, themes and styles for RPing”. That said, “[he] would encourage further interaction, to enable the spread and trade of ideas and concepts, and mutual understanding.” Allen’s unique perspective on the issue seems to have impacted his views on P2TM, and has given him ideas on how to improve the community as a whole. “At the moment,” he said, “it’s almost a sort of dualism; what would work better is something more like a spectrum”. He emphasised that both the character and nation roleplaying communities could benefit greatly, arguing that further interaction could enable the “best of both worlds” and allow roleplayers to approach their craft “from whatever point, and find what they’re enthusiastic about from it.” In an analogy that showcases his interest for history, he compared P2TM to medieval Eurasia: “one side the east, one side the west; trading, exchanging and becoming more linked, but not merging. And I guess I’m a merchant on the Silk Road, then. Anyway, both are good, if a bit disconnected.” It is clear that P2TM has a long path of community development ahead. Each year, players come up with new ideas and we advance as a community; and while we have come a long way since the F7 days, further improvement is bound to happen as new perspectives and fresh ideas come about. Allen’s vision for the future of the character and nation roleplaying communities of P2TM is compelling, and perhaps it is time that there is more collaboration and networking between the two. Nature-Spirits serves as an editor for the P2TM Times. They can be contacted via TG.

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The P2TM Times Issue Five: Page 5, Since 2015 Friday, August 7, 2015 Scientific Accuracy in RPs By Grenartia Hi, Gren here, your friendly neighborhood androgyne. Today, I want to talk to you about, well, scientific accuracy. With a title like "Scientific Accuracy in RPs", what'd you think I was going to talk about? Accounting? Anywho, something I've noticed is a tendency for sci-fi RPs to either have an apathetic attitude to science, or just as bad, accuracy in all respects, save for one upon which the plot hinges. You might be telling me "Gren, what's the big fucking deal, its not real." or "Gren, hurry up and get to the point, my pizza is burning in the oven!". To which I say, the point is, it may not be real, but good RPs FEEL REAL. And scientific accuracy is right up there with having well-developed characters as far as immersion. Also, just get your damn pizza out of the oven already. Now, the biggest problems I see are (and I know I'm probably going to get a lot of shit for the first one, but it needs to be said): mechs. Seriously, I feel like Commander Badass already, and this article hasn't even been read yet), and the belief that "I don't have to worry about scientific accuracy in my RP, since I can just handwave everything away with "but new theories were discovered". Because both of those are bullshit. Many of you have probably already heard me basically go off like the Gunnery Sergeant from Mass Effect 2 , on the subject of mechs. However, for those who haven't, I'll give you the unshortened version. Basically, a mech is a giant robot (either piloted or not) that is supposed to fill the same role as a tank. This would be all good and fine, if not for the fact that tanks are shaped like they are for extremely important reasons. Not only does a flattened box (more or less) present less of a target from the sides, it also allows for better armor protection (especially sloped armor, which, as anybody who participates in the NS RP realism threads can tell you, is superior to non-sloped armor of identical composition, against an identical impactor with identical momentum). A humanoid object (or even a sufficiently-large bipedal object, or even a multipedal object, I'm looking at you, Chickenwalkers, AT-STs, and AT-ATs) presents not only a bigger target, but also requires even more armor than you would expect, because humanoid objects do not play well with the concept of sloped armor (seriously, you can try this out for yourself, try and design a suit of sloped armor out of cardboard boxes, and you'll quickly see what I mean). Which means even more weight to an object which is already significantly heavier than a tank,the largest of which had their own issues, because mechas are inherently more complicated than tanks. Add to this the fact that walking vehicles have limited surface area in contact with the ground compared to tanks, and you find you run into the same problems the Landkreuzer did, but more quickly, with less armor, more weight, and being a bigger target. Oh, and a higher center of gravity, making it easier to knock over, which, unlike with humans, would instantly put the mech out of commission, since the forces involved would break the limits of any practical construction material. The only way to counteract this is to remove the need for ground contact, which, coincidentally, removes every advantage a mech supposedly has over a tank, while still imposing armor and surface area disadvantages. To say nothing of the fact that if your mech isn't contacting the ground, then it is either in water (at which point, shouldn't you be using a surface ship or submarine), in the air (at which point, you'll need an aircraft), or in space (in which case, if you need a walking vehicle, you've already messed up somewhere). I especially want to address space, because legs are useless in space. You're better off building a space ship, you'll make much better use of the material being used, as well as the volume. Hell, even in the other environments, you've got better uses for the material and volume used. You also have the benefit of not having to need a massive power generator to power the mechanisms moving your mech, meaning you're less vulnerable to heat-seeking weapons (not so much in space, but on the ground/in the air/on the water, that's a decent advantage). I'm going to address the other violation now, but I would simply like to link to a few places that have covered this topic more in-depth and more thoroughly than I (but it still doesn't require anything more than a basic understanding of 11th grade math, at the most). Here's NSDraftroom's sticky thread on this subject, and here's TV Trope's page on the Square Cube Law, which comes into effect very prominently on this subject. And this Techrepublic article. Perhaps most damningly, isthis OP from NSG about American mech builders challenging a Japanese mech to a battle. Their mech is armed with paintball guns. Towards the end of the post, the creators of the American mech address the implications of arming a mech with real weapons, and basically affirms everything I and others have said. I hate to kill the buzz, but as far as actual combat goes, mechs are as impractical on the modern battlefield as horse archers. While everybody loves a good giant robot fight, an actual battle, a fight whose outcome could determine the course of a war, its turning points, etc., is no place for a giant robot fight. If you want to have a setting centered around robot fights, I recommend either going the way the aforementioned Japan/America fight, and make it a form of gladiatorial combat, or just make the setting such that your infantry are human-sized robot drones (just make sure you properly account for the consequences of this). Bigger isn't always better. Now, as for scientific accuracy, it might sound like its unimportant, but like all aspects of worldbuilding, it greatly boosts immersion, which boosts participation, and quality. You do want your RP to be quality, right? Good. Basically, what I'm trying to say, is that you can't handwave away proven science in order to justify something in your setting, if you want to have good worldbuilding (this also ties in with my point about mechs). To quote from Atomic Rockets: "So What If I Broke Twelve Laws Of Physics? It's Only Science FICTION" This silly opinion implies that the word "fiction" nullifies the word "science." Since it is "fiction", and fiction is by definition "not true", then we can make "not true" any and all science that gets in the way, right? Hogwash. By the same logic, the term "detective fiction" gives the author license to totally ignore standard procedures and techniques used by detectives, the term "military fiction" allows the author to totally ignore military tactics and strategy, and the term "historical fiction" allows the author to totally ignore the relevant history. Imagine a historical fiction novel where Napoleon at Waterloo defeated the knights of the Round Table by using the Enola Gay to drop an atom bomb. It's OK because it is "fiction", right? This non-argument is the favorite of science fiction fans who like all the zipping spaceships and ray guns but who actually know practically nothing about real science. And who cannot be bothered to go learn. Basically, what you have to keep in mind, with regards to scientific accuracy, is that while science does change, those changes still have to explain previously accounted for phenomena. This is called the classical limit, or the correspondence principle. (I highly recommend reading this link, and the site itself is an excellent resource for scientific accuracy) Case in point, the theory of relativity. Relativity didn't prove that Newton's ideas on gravity were totally invalid (and there was no way it could, either, since his observations were very well proven). However, relativity describes how gravity works in very special circumstances, which Newton could not. So, what does this mean for you, the aspiring sci-fi RP OP? This means that you should take current science into account when worldbuilding. This doesn't mean you need a PhD in astrophysics to write a good, plausible sci-fi RP. In fact, its arguable that for the sake of RPing, you might have to bend the rules a little (more or less like Mass Effect did). Yes, you can create a new theory (or two, three might be pushing it), so long as you keep in mind that any new theory you create for your universe has to also account for things previous science got right, and you need to be prepared for unintended consequences (or better yet, account for them to limit the damage). At this point, I feel that I should make a clarificationhere. In science, the word "theory" doesn't mean the same thing as it does in every day English. There is no hierarchy between "theories" and "laws", that one is "truer" than the other. Another quote from Atomic Rockets, quoting Ken Harding: "A theory does not change into a scientific law with the accumulation of new or better evidence. A theory will always be a theory, a law will always be a law. A theory will never become a law, and a law never was a theory." A scientific law is a description of an observed phenomenon. Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion are a good example. Those laws describe the motions of planets. But they do not explain why they are that way. If all scientists ever did was to formulate scientific laws, then the universe would be very well- described, but still unexplained and very mysterious. A theory is a scientific explanation of an observed phenomenon. Unlike laws, theories actually explain why things are the way they are. Theories are what science is for. If, then, a theory is a scientific explanation of a natural phenomena, ask yourself this: "What part of that definition excludes a theory from being a fact?" The answer is nothing! There is no reason a theory cannot be an actual fact as well. I guess I'll close this out by just saying that scientific accuracy isn't as hard as you think it might be, and can in fact be quite rewarding. BTW, I hope your pizza didn't get too badly scorched. Grenartia is a first-time contributor to the P2TM Times, and participates regularly in RPs and on the P2TM Chat. Gren can be reached via TG.

[The P2TM Times]

The P2TM Times Issue Six: Page 1, Since 2015 Monday, September 7, 2015 The State of the Multiverse By The Starlight And exactly a month later, here's Issue 6. A very happy Labor Day to all of you who acknowledge it. I like it because I don't have to start school until the 8th. Anyway, here we go! This month, we're starting off with The Last Generation, a dark metahuman RP set in the midst of a new, global conflict. Next up is Transcended, a RP taking place in the sleepy town of Milton, where several people have gained powers. It's kinda a slice-of-life/superhero RP, for those of you who are interested. We've also got Metro 2034: Towards the Light, an RP taking place in the metro of Moscow after a nuclear war occurred. Also featuring this week is Odyssey of Athena, a sci-fi RP taking place upon the starship Athena. Another sci-fi RP is Fiat Justitia Ruat Caelum, an Aldnoah.Zero RP based in the distant future after humans discovered life on Mars, along with other places. If you're looking for a fantasy RP, there's Dragons and Desperados, a RP which is what would happen if fantasy was placed in the Wild West. There's Age of Shinobi, a Naruto RP taking place hundreds of years after the events of Naruto, Follow the Stars, a fantasy RP taking place in the world of Arana with a low-fantasy, gritty feel, Years of the Fatherland, a PT RP where the Axis won, NationStates Mafia, a RP based off the Internet game called Town of Salem and Pyrrhic Victory, A Fallout RP. Featuring as well is, Mothertongue, a military drama RP where RPers are young soldiers in a fictional country, Personification Life, a mixed genre RP run by a few of our mentors, Rednecks! El Dos!, a dice RP with rednecks, The Deep Blue, a futuristic RP taking place in the underwater colony of Eden and Why Are We Here?, a Halo RP. We've also got Black Helicopters, a Secret Society RP a bit like Max's Jennifer Government, An Age of Adventure, a fantasy RP taking place in the world of Anfain, A Brutal Rise, a low fantasy RP taking place on the Kalayaan Peninsula, and Fratricide, a Horus Heresy RP. And finally, there's Elfen High, the RP in its 12th OOC. I have no idea of how to describe it, and I won't even try. But I'll invite you all to check out Khan's epilogue for this long-running RP. If you've got any suggestions of things to add to this, or you want one of your RPs added to the list, as always, TG The Starlight or post in the discussion thread. Until next time, farewell! Featured RPs List: Fantasy RPs: Dragons and Desperados A Brutal Rise An Age of Adventure Follow the Stars Franchise RPs: Pyrrhic Victory Fratricide Age of Shinobi Why Are We Here? Superhuman RPs: The Last Generation Transcended Sci-Fi/FT RPs: The Deep Blue Fiat Justitia Ruat Caelum Odyssey of Athena Miscellaneous RPs: NationStates Mafia Mothertongue Personification Life Rednecks! El Dos! Black Helicopters Elfen High Historical RPs: Years of the Fatherland

[The P2TM Times]

The P2TM Times Issue 6: Page 2, Since 2015 Monday, September 7, 2015 Mentor Note on Dialog By Holly Lisle, with edits by Swith Witherward I came across some old notes this morning and thought I'd share them here. It's from a workshop by Holly Lisle. I found a copy of it, and I present it here (with some tweaks for RP purposes). Credit goes to her. The purpose of this is to help people write better when two of their own characters are speaking in the same post, but it works just as well as a reference source when two players are working on a collaborated post. CONFLICT Dialogue is about demonstrating character through conflict, either internal or external. Remember that, and your job becomes easier. Conflict isn’t always something bad that’s happening. It can be something as terrific as winning a million bucks in a lottery or falling in love or discovering your character is going to have a baby. However, conflict always portends change. And dialogue always gives you a window to see into the way that characters feel about that change, or at least the way they want each other to think they feel, which may not be the same thing. WRITING DIALOG Here are a few recommendations about writing convincing dialogue. None of them are cast in stone, but until you’re comfortable enough with the rules to know how to break them, you’ll work better if you keep them in mind. Avoid phonetic spelling. Dialogue of the following sort—“Ah reckon ah don’ haff ta go dowan tuh th’ rivuh tuhday, ‘cawse we gots awl th’ feeush we gwine need”—gives the reader a headache and makes you look like a moron. With dialect, less is definitely more. “I reckon I don’t have t’ go down t’ the river today, ’cause we got all the fish we gonna need,” is much more readable and still suggests a particular character. Keep to the conflict. If there is no conflict for the two characters in a piece of dialogue, then the dialogue has no place in your story. The conflict can be internal (he’s lying to her; she doesn’t like him; she's embarrassed by her friend's behavior, etc) or external (raptors are trying to eat them; an object has triggered a problem they need to solve). But it has to be there. Dialogue illuminates character faster than any amount of exposition, but only if you give your characters something interesting to talk about, and something that moves your story forward. And that means conflict. Don’t let characters “speechify.” What worked in a Shakespeare monologue does not work in a dialogue between two people. Fictional dialogue is about give and take, meant to sound realistic but sharpened by the fact that each character needs something, and by the fact that their needs do not mesh. You won’t get two-page speeches if you remember this. A note on that: I fall into this trap, usually when responding to a long post. Remember that people breathe while speaking. Read your dialogue out loud, in your normal, conversational tone of voice. If you run out of air part of the way through a sentence, rework it. Add punctuation, break it up, rip out the flowery stuff. Avoid “talking heads.” Have characters do something while they speak. THREE KINDS OF DIALOG Swith's rule on orphaned dialog is simple: I don't read the post. Your dialog is bad and you should feel bad. *winks* It's monotonous to read something where we have to keep track of who spoke first. The writer has an idea of emotional response, but they don't weave it in. RP is not script-writing, either. SCRIPT WRITING LISA: [enters from stage right] Jesus, you startled me. I wasn’t expecting you here. JOHN: It’s been a real day for expectations. Where were you? I’ve been waiting here for an hour. You didn’t leave a note or— LISA: [cross to stage left] I wasn’t planning on going anywhere— JOHN: I can see that. Where’s your coat? ORPHANED DIALOG This is the schmutz that kills posts and paints the writer as unimaginative. If someone were to ask me to judge a post on quality for a contest, orphan dialog would have the post disqualified as the puerile garbage that it is. "Jesus, you startled me. I wasn’t expecting you here," Lisa said. "It’s been a real day for expectations. Where were you? I’ve been waiting here for an hour. You didn’t leave a note or—," John said. "I wasn’t planning on going anywhere—" "I can see that. Where’s your coat?" "I left the house in a hurry. I… um… my mother…" "The hospital reached you? God, I’m sorry. That’s why—" "The hospital?" "They called me when they couldn’t get you." "I don’t understand." "Your mother. You said —" "I ran out to buy some flowers for her. She’s been so down." "For three hours you’ve been buying flowers?" "And then I drove around. I’ve had… a lot on my mind. But I’m fine now. Fine." "You didn’t go by the hospital?" "No. Look, I’m freezing. Let’s go inside. Why did the hospital call? Does the doctor need my signature for more tests?" "We have to go to the hospital." "I’ve had a terrible—" "We have to go to the hospital. Now. The rest of your family is already there." "Oh. Oh, God. Mom’s all right, isn’t she? Oh, Christ, she isn’t. I’m being punished… she’s dead." Did you read all of that? I'd wager the answer is "no". EMBODIED DIALOG This is what fleshes out the scene. It allows you to create conflicts which the characters then play off of as the conversation progresses. (When crafting posts Lisa had just gotten out of the car and was heading around the corner of the garage when she ran into Brian. “Jesus, you startled me. I wasn’t expecting you here.” His face looked sort of pale and pinched. He’s found out, she thought. I finally broke it off, but I was too late. He said, “It’s been a real day for expectations. Where were you? I’ve been waiting here for an hour. You didn’t leave a note or—“ “I wasn’t planning on going anywhere—” Which sounded like bullshit when she said it, and she knew it. She was wearing a navy dress with a fitted waist and a low neckline, which had been a gift from Kevin. Heels. Hose. Make-up. The last time Brian had seen her in make-up when they weren’t on their way to church or a restaurant had been right after the second baby was born. Eight years ago? Yeah. About that. He raised an eyebrow. “I can see that.” Pure sarcasm. For a moment his face lost the pinched look, and she saw suspicion in his eyes. “Where’s your coat?” “I left the house in a hurry. I… um… my mother …” The pinched look was back around his eyes, and she stopped, suddenly frightened. He knew she hadn’t been visiting her mother in the hospital. Maybe he’d hired a detective to follow her. The sound of her heart pounding roared in her ears. If he really knew, she would lose everything. The boys. Brian. Her home. Her friends. But he was saying, “The hospital reached you? God, I’m sorry. That’s why—“ Now the scared feeling was worse. Different. But worse. “The hospital?” “They called me when they couldn’t get you.” “I don’t understand.” “Your mother. You said —“ The lie came easily, easier than the lies that had preceded it over the last three months, pouring out of her mouth without any effort on her part. She shivered and rubbed her arms and said, “I ran out to buy some flowers for her. She’s been so down.” Breast cancer and a modified mastectomy at fifty-eight. Mom was in the hospital doing chemo, and she was coming through it like a trooper, but she really had been down. Not that Lisa had done much to cheer her up. She’d had her mind on… other things. No more of that, though. The suspicion was back in his eyes. “For three hours you’ve been buying flowers?” “And then I drove around. I’ve had… a lot on my mind. But I’m fine now. Fine.” He looked a little sick. “You didn’t go by the hospital?” “No.” She’d been saving that for when she could look her mother in the eye again. No, mom, I’m not cheating on my husband. I’m not cheating on my family. I’m a good wife. A good mother. Now she could do that. “Look, I’m freezing. Let’s go inside. Why did the hospital call? Does the doctor need to talk to me about more tests?” He was shaking his head—no, no, no—and his eyes were as bleak as the day. “We have to go to the hospital.” Her mother was being demanding again. She couldn’t face that right now. Not after the scene with Kevin. That had been ugly. Ugly. Never again, she promised herself. “I’ve had a terrible—“ He cut her off. “We have to go to the hospital. Now. The rest of your family is already there.” Everything shifted. He hadn’t come home because he knew about the affair. He hadn’t come home because the hospital had been trying to reach her about another of her mother’s demanding snits. Everything she did to make things right, she had done too late. “Oh. Oh, God. Mom’s all right, isn’t she?” But the look on his face told her what she already knew. “Oh, Christ, she isn’t. I’m being punished… she’s dead.” BONUS MENTOR NOTE IS BONUS REPEATED WORDS ARE REPEATED Proof a post before submitting it. How many times do you use the same word to describe the same action? Try to not use the same verb twice in the same short post. The shorter the post, the more the repeated words stick out. They become fodder for the "drinking game". BAD Max ran to the store. He bought a power cable. Then he ran back home and ran up the stairs. He ran to his laptop to see if it was running. GOOD Max hurried to the store and purchased a new power cable for his laptop. Once home, he took the stairs two at a time, hoping the battery hadn't died on his laptop while he was gone. Swith Witherward is a P2TM Mentor and Co-OP of the long-running RP Personification Life.. Swith is also a founder of the new roleplay group Paedagog.

[The P2TM Times]

The P2TM Times Issue 6: Page 3, Since 2015 Monday, September 7, 2015 New Role Play Group Launches By Paedagog It was a quiet Saturday night when Pædagog made its début in P2TM after nearly a year of planning and reconstructing. The roleplay group, comprised of veteran and beginner roleplayers alike, seeks to collaborate on developing unique and interesting worlds to explore through the realm of play-by-post roleplaying. It supports members with constructing their own languages, building their own nations and worlds, designing engaging roleplays based on unique and fun concepts, and in strengthening their abilities as roleplayers, game masters, dungeon masters, and - above all - as writers. “P2TM's Pædagog is a group dedicated to strengthening its members,” said Cerillium, one of the group’s founders as well as a P2TM RP Mentor. “It does not replace the NS RP Mentor system, nor is it a substitute for the Cafe. The advice given in Cafe is exemplary, in fact.” Membership is open to all players in P2TM, although it also welcomes players from everywhere on NationStates. The group aims for diversity. “We don’t want or need to be a clique,” stated Cerillium. “Players in cliques fall into patterns. Everything starts to conform. We prefer to keep things lively with players from a variety of haunts joining in order to infuse the group with fresh ideas. It’s why I prefer a perpetual membership. People aren’t dropped from the roster if they don’t participate. They remain because the door is open for them to return with new ideas.” Pædagog itself is based on an old role play group first formed through a corporate intranet PBEM (play by email) game. Some of its members later joined NationStates and engaged in nation RP in the NationStates subforum. “We were never about politics,” said Cerillium. “The original founding members realized that our group could be useful for supporting storytelling role players on NS. Many of us worked in a professional capacity within our respective careers and freely offered informal advice to fellow members seeking to add an edge to their stories without having to learn medicine, astronomy, aviation, biochemical engineering and other disciplines. More so, it wasn’t a group that insisted on hard fact. Rather, we saw what was impossible and helped people turn their concept into something not only plausible but also enjoyable for those sharing and writing the story with them.” Its members, many of them college students, also lent their talents towards world building, forum coding, constructed languages, timeline development, sociology, anthropology, philosophy, alternate history, and so on. The group was christened Pædagog by the younger members. “The name comes from Latin paedagōgus, from Greek paidagōgos ‘slave who looked after his master's son’, from pais boy + agōgos leader,” according to Swith Witherward, one of the other Founders. “Oh, yeah, “Paedagog” sounds all haunty and superior, until you consider how the name came about. 90% of the time, the older people were telling us to log off and go study. The wizened old grad students and professionals, with their creaking bones and gruff barks, were really nothing more than kindly old men trotting along beside us to make sure we got to class on time and did our homework. So we began referring to them as “the damn pedagog”. One of our Danish members said pædagog looked nicer in print. The rest is history. We were silly and laid back once upon a time. We still are. But education is a priceless opportunity that should never be squandered without good reason. I'm grateful that I had kindly people beside me, urging me to never give up my dreams." The group is no longer solely associated with the PBEM group. The majority of its new members, and some of its new founders, come from the P2TM community. Persons interesting in learning more are encouraged to visit the group's P2TM Forum thread, the Off-site forum, or drop by the IRC channel #NSP. Paedagog is the administrative account for the PÆDAGOG Role Play Group.

[The P2TM Times]

The P2TM Times Issue 6: Page 4, Since 2015 Monday, September 7, 2015 The Art of Combat By Finland SSR So, it is the time of the year when everyone jumps off the work train and starts doing productive things to the community. Anyway, while I am writing this in Yahtzee from Zero Punctuation's voice, I came up with a tough, but decisive statement. Jesse, we need to write! ...Kind of. I consider myself a proud citizen of Infinite Justice. I might venture off as a tourist, and see the debates of whether or not a Native American ruled world is a realistic AH, but sooner or later I come back, being pulled by the all-sucking black hole that is the PSEUDO-AMERICAN FREEDOM of IJ. But obviously, I can't be sitting in a corner and jacking off to Celestial Android power wank forever, so I finally stumbled across this thing called "P2TM Times". First thought of mine was "Oh, wow!". Someone finally made a thing that can tell me periodically that there is a world behind the universe-exploding shade of IJ! Second thought: "Oh, crud." I'm going to get really stimulating messages over this, aren't I? So I decided to jump past the plead train and took the initiative! Oh wow, unexpected of me. Four (or five) issues and a lot of walking in circles later I discovered that I should write about something I'm familiar with. Finland "Captain Obvious" SSR speaking. Well then. Infinite Justice may not be written by Asimov, but at least it really excels at fighting. Hah! And you thought that the "DBZ" in it's name was just for some sociopathic otaku freaks to masturbate all over it for a nice icing. And that is the story of The Art of Combat. Named after a EU4 expansion. And a lot less well known Chinese book. Ayr did it first, I don't care much. I will be the one to apply IJ experience here. The Introduction: Why Fight? Hello, and welcome to the Fighting Dojo. I am your host, Fin the Fin. In this article series, we will be discussing PVP combat in Portal To The Multiverse, or PTTM for short. The 2 is there to make it more leet. What will we be discussing, exactly? Well, unlike our full-blooded Finnish comrade at the side, here we'll talk about how to win one-on-one. In none other than superpowered duels. Don't expect any weak normal humans or armed force skirmishes here - this is an IJ veteran writing this, god dammit! But, to most of you, the obvious question arises - why try to fight other players when an NPC can do the job just as well? Well, my young disciple, the answer is simple - according to the James Redfield's book whose name I can't put because I read it in Lithuanian and can't translate it to English well, winning arguments and making the losing person feel sad and beaten gives you a lot of energy. Also, it's fun and helps unite people, if it stays friendly. I fought Atria in DoTM and now we are best buds! Sort of. Also, fighting is kind of the bread and butter of Infinite Justice, so I'm biased. Shut up, you angry mini-Boos. Ayr knows why to fight better. Anyway, PC fighting is a very specialized breed of fighting, far different from fighting yourself or an NPC. And it happens in basically every non-weird P2TM RP, so at least knowing the basics is important. We will get to actual roleplay in a few issues, but today, we will be addressing to those who are reminiscent of the IV breeders in Pokemon. The ones who create characters for the sole purpose of making them strong. And fighting. On this installment of The Art of Combat, we will be talking about exactly that - the first steps of creating a character and planning out your moves from the start. PVP is serious business, mate. We'll be talking about the powers, power sets, OPness and early preparation. Entering the Character Creation Screen So you finally found the RP you wish to enter. It's a character RP with superpowers and superheroes, and the community does not completely despise PVP combat. That's great, my apprentice! Time to begin our quest on claiming that "Strongest P2TM PC Character of 2015" award! But wait! Don't just jump in and start tagging and apping! First, we must know the enemy. Before Apping Most RPs involving superpowers have some sort of weight limits. Or banned abilities. Or just not being too OP, which is to be decided by the OP (two completely unrelated things, by the way). It is generally a good idea to check the apps already posted, to see what's the medium power level. A good thing is to stay around that level while first applying. But Fin, how can we beat the enemy if we are not stronger than the enemy? Shouldn't we be stronger than the enemy? And by a lot, to be sure? Well, young apprentice, you immediately brought us to the common mistake most people do. It's Way Too Over 9000! Overpowered Characters Overpowered characters are the plague that killed IJ2: New Dawn, and created power creep in P2TM. It takes many forms, but a common one is this: New guy arrives to an already established RP. Everyone already knows each other and are hesitant to get the newbie some spotlight. Newbie makes a really OP character to compensate. Everyone sees it and upps their power more. The game becomes a Cold War style arms race until the RP dies by dipping it's head into a pool of lava. A true warrior does not take victory by outrunning his opponents and leaving them to bite the dust. A true warrior runs as fast as the others until the last moment, until he takes a victory after a harsh battle for the first place. The point is that OP characters lead to power creep, and that is not a good thing. Characters can be OP in many forms, be it excessively too much power or a broken ability. Some powers, like Reality Warping or Absolute Condition, are broken by default, so even if the OP does not say that they are banned, still don't use them. An easy way to determine if your character is broken or not is by pitting it up against typical superpowered characters, like a character with flight and super strength. If your character can crush them no matter how powerful they are, you did something wrong. Power vs Technique When creating your character, this scale arises. How specialized will your character be? What would you like? Which one do you handle and RP better (this one is important). There are two major sets of characters between the superpowered kind - the Power ones and Technique ones. Power. You don't necessarily have to imagine The Hulk here. A Power character is a straightforward one, and my personal favorite when it comes to battling - strong varied powers with the intent of destroying and fighting things. This is a really large cast, and in canon equivalents, includes everything from Wolverine and Spawn to Goku and Satan. Of course, just having Super Strength + Energy Blasts isn't varied enough. It's good practice to include some more specialized and less expected powers for countering various kinds of opponents. Standard powers. This is a long list, so I'll list the most basic ones. Superhuman Condition - Super Strength, Super Speed, Super Durability - are still very common among most players, and more or less becoming a must-have. It's the straightforwardness and usefulness that attracts newbies and veterans alike. And it's been used by pretty much every superhero ever who isn't a ripoff of Batman. By itself, Superhuman Condition lags a bit - it's a great support or side ability to have, but you mostly need more 'arcane' powers to back it up. Energy Projection, usually in the form of Energy Blasts and Energy Constructs, has always been one of my favorites, and it's probably because I am a DBZtard, but still. Blasts and Constructs best work hand-in-hand - the destructive long-range strength of the former added up with the versatile long and mid-range devastation of the latter. Also, fast speed energy shards - best thing since DBZ. They are great abilities, but they often end up predictable unless you do something original and interesting with them. Elemental Manipulation is also something you can see almost every day, though usually only limited to a specific element, be it fire, water, plasma or whatever people make up these days. Elemental manipulators are quite a force, when their element is applied to maximum capabilities (i.e. controlling body heat as a fire one), but you have to take into account the limited usage of these powers, especially depending on the battlefield or where you're fighting. A water manipulator wouldn't fare well in a desert without some sort of back-up plan. These are mainly the most basic ones. There's a hefty lot of superpowers that you can use to dish out lots of damage quickly. The Superpower Wiki is your friend. Interesting tricks and side-powers. You have the main muscle set, but what can you do to get a hold of those sneaky opponents who can nullify energy or mess up with your strength? It's usually a good idea to put some other powers under your belt to deal with the tricksters. Electricity Manipulation is a tricky mistress, but getting a hold on it can save you. There are quite a few ways how to be immune to it, but, unlike many other abilities, it usually does not take the foe's durability into account. Unless it's a superhero RP, where characters can take everything for the sake of plot. Also, since it moves at the speed of light (you'd assume), it is usually hard to dodge, giving you a reliable attack in the case of trouble. Regeneration and Energy Regeneration are a different thing, though both important. In a battle, wounds and energy loss are expected, and a way to stay in the game is with a recovery ability. Healing magic can do it too, but we'll talk about magic in a few moments. Weapon Proficiency is a nice ability if you like using weapons - swords or guns - in the game. Just remember - if it's a superpowered duel, your weapons better be somehow special or else they'll do as much as a bullet does to Superman's skin. Super Form is kind of a Japanese thing, I guess, so not many characters in P2TM use this ability. Or it's probably because superheroes and anime don't match very well... Either way, it is certainly a cool thing to have when you are in a pinch. Not to mention, if it has to be triggered or unlocked, it's a good way of plot development. Hey, remember, you'll have to RP, not join in and immediately fight whatever you want! Teleportation is a great way of giving yourself an advantage in battlefield mobility, and possibly dodging the worst of the attacks. Just don't spam it - nobody likes dodging except the dodger. And remember - it can also be used offensively for sick combinations. Mild Psionics are acceptable, but remember - mixing Power and Technique can yield some really... broken results... Technique. This includes everyone whose powers are more slick and "tactical". Basically, their abilities usually do not cause direct offensive damage, or at least not as much, but instead have other effects that give them an advantage in combat. Also a very loosely made up group, and includes anyone from Doctor Strange and Franklin Richards to Gandalf. Obviously, being less direct in fighting style, Technique requires more creativity, a more open mind and being able to think outside the box. Not the play style I would recommend to an apprentice, but if you like it - give it a go! Standard powers. This is a very misleading list - every Technique person is unique in their power set. Instead, this should be called "Most common powers". Psionics has always been a standard ability of this 'class' to me. While it can be used offensively in psionic attacks, most of it's potential is in the mind and obscure. Reading minds, moving objects almost to the point of matter manipulation, mind control, shifts, psychic constructs, mental attacks, healing, and hell, you can probably even use it for HM03 Surf too. Just telekinesis has, like, 10 thousand possible applications, to the point that the only limit to this power is the writer's imagination. This makes powerful psychics dangerously unpredictable and hard to fight, which is exactly what you want. Shapeshifting might not be as versatile as something we've already mentioned, but it is certainly an underrated power. The ability to reshape and morph your own body might sound dull, but the possibilities are huge. If your character can morph into what he has seen, then chances are any opponent you face will have to face a nightmare - you can be a hundred different enemies at once! If you can just change parts of your body, then why not strengthen it to make it stronger and faster to make up for the power gap? Gravity Manipulation is a tricky power, and one whose potential isn't commonly seen. I mean, black holes are strong, right? But don't go overboard. White holes aren't bad either - they can work like never-ending energy blasts. You can even do telekinesis-esque efects with it, and we already talked about the Kinesis. Of course, there are hundreds of others you can base your character on. These are just one of the most common. Tricks and side-powers. You might have the technique down, but what's it worth when any passersby can punch you and knock you out? And what if your psychic or shapeshifting powers don't work? Well, then you wish you put something else there as backup. Like a superhuman Batman... It's generally a good idea to give yourself at least Peak Human Condition for the more physical side. Remember, most superpowers use up energy or something else, or have some kind of weakness, so having just a bit of bulk for those moments when your wave of fire can no longer be kept up can save your character's life. Unless it's a superhero RP, of course. Transmutation can help with bullets or swords, but don't use it on people. Nobody likes their characters getting transformed into cotton candy or pigeons. Force-Field Generation is mainly used as a defensive skill, but it's also a proficient (and way too broken - don't use it) way of offense. Effect Field Projection is an often forgotten power. Most likely because it's one of those overpowered anime powers that don't seem to stick around much in the West. You make a field that gives a specific effect to everyone inside it. Be it healing, gravity, luck or even DEATH! Mwahahaha! too op plz ignore. Chi Manipulation is close to my heart. You know why... Anyway, it's one of those few powers that fit quite well with the Technique theme, but are really freaking good at destroying things. Certainly the offensive power that this side of the spectrum needs to fill in the balance gap. And if we use Dragon Ball's portrayal of chi, it can give you a plethora of powers from energy sensing to teleportation and mind reading. Aura Manipulation is similar, but there are some differences which I'm not going to get into right now. Dangerous Abilities There is no equality in the superpower world. There are the weak ones, like Garbage Manipulation or Ice Regeneration, which nobody picks. There are the okay ones like Supernatural Condition, the strong ones like Effect Fields and Gravity Manipulation. And there are some powers which are as dangerous in usage as a barrel of explosive radioactive piss. If you intend to use the powers below, please be careful. They can easily descend into broken character territory. Matter Manipulation. There are arguments whether or not Matter Manipulation should be banned like Reality Warping commonly is. At high levels, MM is nearly indistinguishable from the latter, at least lower levels of it. All in all, I can say that you should be careful with it. Don't ever try to delete a PC character because you can. Also, low levels only. No creating entire planets out of the whim and playing God with the soil beneath your feet. Energy Manipulation. The problem here lies with the overly vague wording. What is "Energy" and how much of it you can control? Actually, everything is energy. Matter is just a more compact form of it. Dun dun duuun - you all are walking blobs of nuclear and electromagnetic energy. And while I myself imagine energy manipulation as shooting energy blasts and stuff, all in all, what's stopping you from ripping your foes apart by removing their nuclear energy? Or making them speed off to the nearest building faster than light - that's kinetic energy for you! If you want to play as an energy manipulator, specify what types of energy you can control, or better yet, use more specific wordings, like "Electromagnetism Manipulation" or "Energy Blasts". Magic. Magic is a weird specimen among superpowers, in that it can be both a Power and a Technique ability at the same time. The problem, again, lies with the wording. There have been so many works with magic in them with so many interpretations and uses of it, if you claimed you can control every single form of it, you'd be God. Shoot lightning bolts, summon ships, fly, teleport, revive the dead, slay dragons, shoot energy blasts, erase matter, create matter, create the Universe - it's basically Complete Arsenal. No wonder Doctor Strange is considered so overpowered. If you plan to be a magician, specify what you can do with our abilities. Superpower Manipulation. Just don't. Please. Super Form. In itself, Super Form is a pretty okay ability, but if you plan to have one for your character, please don't go the Archie Comics route. If you haven't read Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog, let me explain - Super Sonic, in that series, is always capable of fighting equally with anything he faces, be it Eggman's robots or a universe-tier reality warper. Looking at you, Enerjak. Be consistent with your power, keep track of it, and know when to lose. Power Building So you have the planned powers. You have the knowledge of which ones are the most common and which ones are the most effective. Time to see what you can do with resources. Creating a power set for a character, in my opinion, should be considered art - or at least an artful work. The secret to this stage is simple - think outside if the box! Go wild! Super Condition + Energy Proj or Fire Man + Flight are old game - do something unexpected! Remember, with enough thought put in, almost any ability can be turned into a powerhouse - even Garbage Manipulation. But there still are some tricks to consider. Ability spectrum. Most abilities cover all kinds of potential uses, both long and short ranged. For example, you would imagine Fire Manipulation as a long-range ability - shooting fire in waves or blasts. Well, how about solidifying fire into a sword? Or enhacing your physical strikes with heat behind them? How about fire-based teleportation? Remember that. Secondary powers. It is best to pick a power you know very well and can use it in many ways and build secondary powers around it. The secondaries should supplement the primary one and cover the holes left by it. For example, I pick Sound Manipulation as my primary. Great. Good mid-range abilities and overall a decent support character. Well, how about adding things like Superhuman Condition (low) and Force-Field Generation for defense and close combat? How about something like Teleportation for better dexterity and getting close to enemies? Of course, you should not have that many powers, but you get what I'm saying, right? Equipment. The need for equipment, gadgets or suits really depends on your character and how powerful it is. Most stronger characters don't have that much of a need for notable things in their backpack, be it swords, guns or a grappling hook. Gadgets should be left to Batman, and battle suits and exoskeletons to everyone else without powers. Of course, if you want, even a planet buster can carry and wield a weapon. Having and using a sword is immediately 10 points for Fin's Badassery Rating. Single-power characters. I've been seeing a lot of characters with only one power lately. To be fair, it's really a common occurence. Most likely, that one power will be jacked up to the max and with almost all possible usages. It's certainly a viable option - a powerful Psionic could take down a hefty amount of characters on any weather - but it depends on circumstance. Sometimes these characters can be quite predictable and taken down with a specific strategy or weakpoint. Physiology. If the RP allows custom species and your character will be a part of one, giving the planned abilities to the race's Physiology is a good idea. It'd explain how you got those powers more easily. Well, here you have it. With these hints and tips, you'll be sure to make your custom all-powerful character anyday! Now, on the next issue... we will NOT talk about roleplaying the created abomination in battle. Instead, we'll tip our hat to the other part of the P2TM RPing spectrum and give them some tips on combat as well... Alors! Finland SSR is one of the many members of the P2TM community, a long-time member of the Infinite Justice series, writer of many P2TM related works and dispatches, and now a new full-time writer for P2TM Times.

[The P2TM Times]

The P2TM Times Issue 6: Page 5, Since 2015 Monday, September 7, 2015 The Laws of Magic By The Starlight In this article, I'll be writing on some fantasy laws of magic. The first three are not mine, rather, they're made by my second favorite author, Brandon Sanderson. He wrote three online essays on his three laws, which I highly recommend you read, here, here, and here. However, the rest(save another which I got in a RP) are mine. An Introduction Most consider fantasy to be the genre where the only rule is that there are no rules, especially to magic. Or perhaps, that one should make it up as they go along. The laws below should not be considered as universal, nor a requirement, but simply an option to consider. It's good to establish what your characters can or cannot do in order for them not to be loathed by others for being too OP. Feel free to bend these laws, have your magic system break them or simply ignore them. These laws don't necessarily always are for fantasy alone, but for most power/magic systems, they'll fit in. But let's get started. Sanderson's First Law: An author’s ability to solve conflict with magic is DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL to how well the reader understands said magic. Sanderson clarifies this law by separating the two extremes of magic. Firstly, hard magic, where magic has clearly defined rules and laws that the reader understands. As the reader, and thus the character understands how the magic works, they can use that to easily solve the conflicts they come across. Magic, is not mystical and mysterious, it is understood, and it is the characters' experience, knowledge and use of loopholes which solve problems, as Sanderson says in his essay, magic becomes another tool, just like a sword or a shield. Note, that doesn't mean that magic is devalued, just that its users understand it quite well. Of course, this also includes villains, who should have an equal or greater knowledge of magic. Sanderson uses the example of Spiderman, I myself will use the example of a superhero RP, such as Infinite Justice, which I participate in. The powers of superheroes may defy physics, but there are set rules. For example, in IJ, every character is required to have a feasible weakness. Also, in applications, powers and weaknesses are fully explained. Thus, no one is surprised or angry when a character uses one of his or her listed powers. Next up is soft magic, where magic is very mystical, as a source of wonder and awe. The Lord of the Rings is a great example of this. In the books, Gandalf's or any other wizard's powers aren't very well described. The Silmarillion allows us Tolkienists to have a bit of a better example, but for the most part they remain in the murky water. However, Gandalf's magic still is described as grand, along with Galadriel's. All though they're not clearly defined, Tolkien's writing hints at their true power lurking in the shadows. Sanderson makes the point that the Lord of the Rings isn't about Gandalf's magic, though the Fellowship uses it at times to get themselves out of trouble(the Balrog). It's about how even the smallest of creatures (Frodo and Sam) can make a difference. That is why Gandalf doesn't simply call the Eagles to fly Frodo to Mount Doom so that he can drop the One Ring and destroy it together. As it goes in one of Sanderson's books, The Way of Kings, Journey before Destination. You don't have to stick to one side or the other, mixing the two is an option you should consider, or having your character's powers develop from soft magic to hard magic as they get more experienced. Either side can yield excellent and interesting products. Sanderson's Second Law: Limitations > Powers In other, even simpler terms, it's more interesting what the character can't do rather than what they can do. Weakness gives a character depth, rather than all-consuming power. As Sanderson uses the example of Superman, I'll go for the (kinda) opposite: Batman. Now the ironic thing is that Batman has no powers but bear with me. Batman's gadgets, tools, detective brain and pretty much everything else is very cool, but really makes Batman Batman is his stubborn refusal to kill. Even when it seems that it would be easier to kill the bad guy, such as the Joker, the Dark Knight draws back, he places his villains in a prison they keep escaping. It's a neverending battle, but a battle where Batman does not compromise his beliefs and morals for the easy fix. That limitation, and the cost that it brings, make Batman interesting. And going back to Batman's lack of powers, that's another thing that makes him interesting. He has no powers, whatsoever. Sure, he's in peak human condition and has a intellect that can outsmart pretty much everyone, but he has no powers. Which creates a whole host of limitations for our Dark Knight. And yet, he's able to overcome those limitations, to the point where he is the third of the DC Trinity including Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman. And that overcoming of obstacles, to the point that there is nothing Batman can't do, has made him arguably the most popular DC superhero. Sanderson further describes this using the words Struggle, Tension and Depth. I've described struggle above with Batman, so I'll skip that. As for tension, Superman fighting a bad guy with no kryptonite has zero tension whatsoever, the villain may kidnap one of Superman's friends to make things more interesting, but we all know Superman is going to win. However, if a villain holds Superman's idenitity and threatens to release it to the public, that suddenly creates more tension, as Superman being identified as Clark Kent would be very bad for his relationship with his friends and colleagues. And then there's depth. Give characters powers, but add conditions, or depth. For example, the Hulk gets even more powerful when he's angry. If there is someone there to calm him down, he'll turn back into Banner. But shooting the Hulk will only make him stronger, and then he'll go and smash whatever's bothering him. Sanderson also extrapolates on what he means by limitations. Firstly, limitations, more than what the magic can or cannot do, but with something more than that. Sanderson uses the example of the power of creation. With it, you can create pretty much anything, but you cannot unmake or destroy, lest you yourself be destroyed. He suggests that rather than piling on new powers or removing limitations, your players should use what they have in new, creative ways. He finishes with this, "Without limitations, there is no innovation." Secondly, weaknesses. Rather than things the power/magic cannot do, these are things that can be exploited, the chinks in the armor for enemies to capitalize upon. Sanderson warns not to fall into the cliche of kryptonite, that their own weakness is that something or some action can nullify their powers. Either find a way to make the magic vulnerable or those using it vulnerable. I'll expand more on the weakness of magic itself in my second law. And finally, there are costs. There's the example of the One Ring, which is extremely powerful but turns a person to paranoia, and as we see in the movies, makes you visible to the bad guys. And moreover, having it for five hundred years will turn you into Gollum. There's also the example from the Wheel of Time series, that men using magic will eventually, always go insane, creating some dilemmas and lots of tension. As it goes, magic should always have a price. If it's healing magic, maybe the healed wound gets transferred to the healer, or the pain of the wound at least. Costs are there to show that magic isn't all fun and roses, to show that sadly, nothing is totally free. Sanderson's Third Law: Expand what you already have before you add something new. Rather than adding a bunch of cool powers, places and artifacts, expand on those things already developed while worldbuilding before moving on. Depth is what you should be aiming for. Let's start with magic. If you've already come up with a magic system, expand on its effect on the world. If someone can create light, what does that mean for the lamp industry? Well, it means they'll be out of business. Simplistic? Yes. Expansive? Yes as well. Magic should affect every aspect of your world, especially if it's been around for awhile. You should develop how it interacts with the arts, food, the general population, economics, business, ecology, warfare, politics, religion and everyday life. Magic can change more things than you might realize. If magic users aren't heroes, they may use their power to put themselves on the top of the social and political, or even religious ladder, making themselves god-kings. War isn't as simple as stick the pointy end in the other guy anymore. With magic, shields can be created, users may be Elementals, using their surroundings to their advantage. Numbers won't guarantee victory anymore, not with magic users around. By expanding and making your magic system interact with your world, characters will experience situations they wouldn't have without it. Sanderson ends his third essay like this: "It’s okay to go big. It’s okay to go epic. But be sure to go deep as well." Star's First Law: Magic cannot be created or destroyed from nothing, it should have a source. Magic should not be summoned out of thin air. Rather, I believe magic must have a source. It can be from the wielder themselves, with magic ability in their blood. Or perhaps it is an object which possesses magical power. If a character is able to snap magic into existence from nothing, it's not very exciting. In the case of elements, the source is one's environment, or being in that environment. When an elemental is closer to that element, they become more powerful, as there's more of the element for them to manipulate, or perhaps they are empowered by it. Notice that I said manipulate, not create. The source of magic in Sanderson's Mistborn books are metals, specific metals give Mistings(fellows who can use only one metal) or Mistborn(those who can use all the metals) specific powers coded to those metals. I acually just realized that in many of his books, magic becomes almost like a drug. The Mistings or Mistborn drink vials with traces of elements to get powers. In the Stormlight Archive, wielders must breathe in Stormlight to access their power. And in Brian McClellan's Powder Mage books, mages must sniff powder to gain their powers. Amusing, but still a very effective system, especially when you add costs. As I stated a little above, I said manipulate, not create. Or rather, manipulate, not destroy. The targets of a magical attack may be able to deflect the magic somewhere. A spell able to wink other magics out of existence would be rather powerful. Rather than having your characters attempt to destroy the other's magic, either destroy the source, deflect the magic, or counter it with their own. In the case of elements, specific elements can nullify each other, like fire and water, for example, making elements an exception most of the time. Star's Second Law: Magic is not infinite. Magic isn't infinite, or rather it shouldn't be. The potential for magic can and should be enormous, but either the source of the magic should run out eventually, or the magic becomes too dangerous to maintain and control for a prolonged period of time. A good way to describe this is as a well within your characters, which can be filled up by resting, sleeping and eating, but also runs dry so that it can't be used indefinitely. Perhaps have your characters feel strain after maintaining a spell. The magnitude and power of a spell will also vary its cost on the user's magical reserves and energy. A spell to light a twig on fire while holding it in your hand is easy. However, a spell to light an entire forest ablaze while standing two miles away should be much more draining. Star's Third Law: Magic can be neither good nor evil, but it can be used for either side of the spectrum (most of the time) I got this law from Infinite Justice, during an interaction with another character. My character, who had a book full of a Dark God's spells locked away, was talking to another character who wished to learn from the book. My character insisted that the nature of this book was pure evil and that it should be kept locked away as it could not be destroyed, while the other character stated that she believed that magic isn't inherently good or evil, but it can be used for either side. Eventually, my character was convinced and the other character became a demon through the book, but that's not the point. It's always interesting when a hero gets a villain's powers or desires, and tries to use them for good. Sometimes it works, other times the hero falls. Don't get in the habit of thinking those who can wield light are heroes as light represents... Light can represent anything you want it to, as can anything else. Don't allow your characters or your RP to be boxed in unwritten rules and representations. Think outside the box, or better yet, ignore the box completely. There can be exceptions to this, as always, ones that you may set yourself. Using the example of Lord of the Rings again, the One Rings is completely evil. Boromir tries to convince the Council of Elrond that it can be used as a weapon against evil, but it only turns one evil, preying on the Ringbearer's desires, as it has a mind of its own. Even though they would have been more powerful with it, Aragorn, Gandalf and Galadriel all deny that power in right fear of what it would turn them into. Star's Fourth Law: If everyone has magic, no one does. This a variation of a quote from the Incredibles. I don't mean to say that you should stop characters from having powers. But introduce the concept to your players. In IJ, one of everyone's favorite characters is a man who has no powers, like Batman. Instead, he is an excellent strategist and has managed to defeat foes more powerful than he is. This isn't just for characters. If every single person(PC or NPC) has powers, magic loses what makes it magic, in my opinion, that it's exclusive. Otherwise, magic just becomes another hammer on the shelf, ordinary, and regular, just like the other tools. Strive to make your world one of haves and have-nots. You can alter their status however you like, perhaps have-nots are scorned, or haves are hated and despised for having powers while everyone else is lacking. To have isn't always a good thing, and the have-nots sometimes are better off without. The Starlight serves as the founder and editor-in-chief of the P2TM Times. He is the winner of the 2014 Best High Fantasy RPer Award and is also a RPer in numerous RPs, including Infinite Justice, Children of Infinity, Elementals and After World. He can be contacted via TG.

[The P2TM Times]

Deleted, an accidental duplicate. Woops!

[The P2TM Times]

The P2TM Times Issue 6: Page 6, Since 2015 Monday, September 7, 2015 Paedagog's Mailbag Question of the Week By Paedagog Submitted by: anonymous Answer contributors: Highfort, Mincaldenteans Q. How do you make a character, other than filling out the app? What's the thought process behind it? A. Players often create characters to fit to a specific genre/franchise, deriving their character background from the setting as established by the OP, however close or loosely tied to it. Whether players fit their characters to be able to mesh with other characters, or create one that goes against the group for an interesting dynamic, it often starts with a solid past, that lends itself for the player to establish a reason for the present, with an outlook (or goal) for the future. These components are a matter of nurture vs. nature, conflict and resolution, ethics and morality, and culture and perspective. Components of these, and the depth to which they are explored, may vary by player choice; establishing a deep background often helps a player justify the character’s actions. However, greater detail could leave portrayal of a character overly complex or flat – because too much effort has been spent focused on the past that ingrains a personality without effectively writing it out. Players will chalk it up to: “I know how she/he/it thinks. That’s good enough.” An entire player base might disagree; their characters are as much a stranger to yours and vice versa. Likewise a player that’s too focused on the present RP setting often leaves a character background blank, giving an empty shell with hastily fabricated biographic information for the sake of convenience that leads to a character portrayal turning out sub-par, uninteresting, or worse, confusing. The writer would need to remember what personality traits, what past bio information and what justifies their character’s present at all times to keep it consistent; it is wasted energy when the present needs to be progressive of character growth, not trying to reconcile conflicting data. Both have the inescapable future to contend with when RPing with a group. The OP sets the setting, story, and direction. The player base responds and reacts and depending on how well a character is established, that will reflect the reaction and outcome presented. There is no perfect balance, each has its strengths and weaknesses but achieving a balance that leaves room for growth is highly recommended. Don’t make a bio so restrictive that a character is limited to certain actions based on past conflicts or personal bias; give the character room to grow (for better or for worse) in addition to giving the player a wide field to explore and write. Don’t leave a blank and empty background because time spent ‘winging it’ does little to shape the character and personality it deserves; if a player is going to commit to an RP, the least a player could do is flesh out a character worth the player’s time and effort. All in all, these factors intertwine as character development; knowing how much to give, how much to hold back (to explore and expand), and keeping a balance of the two that lets a player’s creativity flow. Growth will always shed a character’s original purpose and persona; updating the bio to reflect it would help keep the player consistent with their character’s actions/reactions, motivation, perspective, feelings, and goal(s) for said character. It will help plan for the future, take action in the present, and reflect upon the past. BREAKING IT DOWN: Making a character involves three basic concepts: the past, the present, the future. THE PAST Where does your character come from? Who inspired him or her to do important events in the past? Who were his or her role models? Who did he or she hang out with? Most importantly, does he or she accept the past or regret it? If he or she accepts the past, you're more likely to see elements of the past show up in his or her present personality. If the character accepted a strict upbringing as necessary, for instance, then he or she will probably be more inclined to see life as a matter of rules and laws; he or she will show disdain for those who do not accept similar upbringings. If he or she rejects the past, you're more likely to see the past show up as a negative: the precise opposite is what the individual will strive for. Characters who felt that a string upbringing was stifling and oppressing may seek goals which affirm beliefs in freedom; those who resent the stunting of their emotional development may be inclined to let loose and explore the full panoply of what they were denied. These individuals will often show disdain or pity for those who have similar upbringings but accept rather than rejecting them. The other aforementioned questions are important as well. Where they are from informs their dialect and knowledge; who inspired them will often inform life goals; their role models and their friends will inform their ethical and moral choices. Use the past to shape the individual's "autopilot" behavior: their past and how they view it will determine how they behave in certain situations. THE PRESENT What are your character's life goals? What is your character's current situation? Who are they interacting with? What are some up-front issues they are actively seeking to address now? The present is the character's "road". What's happening in it informs the decisions the character will make: whether to take a detour from their existing goals as a result of new goals or problems, whether to reconsider how to reach their goal with a new approach, or whether to continue on the path they have set for themselves. The present is the key to characters being dynamic; new situations that pop up during the roleplay or story will allow characters to reinforce their beliefs, plans, and goals or to change them. Use their present situation going into the roleplay and during the roleplay to determine how to develop your character or whether to develop them at all. Characters who are so busy in life that they can't contemplate their own circumstances are often going to exist on autopilot, and that's okay provided there's a reasoning and the character makes sense in this role. The future: Where does your character see themselves when the immediate quest or goal is completed? Does your character have anyone or any group they wish to stay attached to in the long term? What is your character's ultimate view of death and of fate? THE FUTURE The future is the character's "map". Essentially, their views on the future will inform their decisions in the present. Remember, the present is only a "road": it gives characters the OPPORTUNITIES to develop, to change, and to explain their goals and beliefs. It doesn't FORCE any of these things on the characters with the exception of detours from existing goals as a result of unforeseen problems. The rest is up to them. These choices must come from the characters considering their future goals and views on the future - from their intentions for their future selves. Ultimately, all well-written characters have habits or an autopilot, have a road they're going on, and have a map with a destination. This is how characters become interesting and engaging to the reader without resorting to extremes or cliches. Do not simply fill out the app and just put it on the shelf as part of a checklist of things you need to do to join a roleplay. Look at it regularly, update it if this helps you collect your thoughts, and consider it whenever a choice comes up that your character can make. The more clear it is that your character has a story and a life beyond what is described explicitly in the roleplay, the more likely you and your fellows will be able to empathize with, understand, and ultimately enjoy reading about this character's struggles and successes. Paedagog is a a role player's organization located in P2TM. Membership is open to all role players regardless of where they hail from on NS. Mailbag questions can be submitted anonymously to Paedagog's TG box.

[The P2TM Times]

The P2TM Times Issue Six: Page 7, Since 2015 Monday, September 7, 2015 RP Advertisements Fallout: Miami Vice: A fairly open ended Fallout RP. Only real limit is that it takes place in Miami/Southern Florida. IC is up, all things are clear. Just need more people. It is both a character and faction RP, so you may do one or both, although it is required you fill out an app for your leader if you make a faction. WE NEED ALL THE PEOPLE WE CAN! SHOW UP! The Athena Program: A group of the world's finest men and women take on the alien menace. Fight as one of 13 different classes, kill aliens, and maybe just maybe, more classes will come out. Drawing it's inspiration from Xcom, Ghost Recon and all that is sci-fi, Athena caters to those who have a need to prove themselves as the savior of humanity. Day one of the IC, and 2 missions are already on the table. Enlist today, and fight the alien menace tomorrow. Sword Art Online: In late 2022 a technology known as NeverGear have appeared, this technology, which exists in the shape of a helmet with the same name. It allows for the user to enter a virtual world that looks like the real one, allowing for untold depth and immersion for games. In November 2022 a game called Sword Art Online was released, 10,000 copies in the first batch. However, when the player once found them self in the world; they were unable to leave. The game creator Kayaba Akihiko revealed that to exit the game they would need to beat all 100 floors, and that if they died in the game they died in real life. It’s now February of 2023 and thus far only the first 3 floors have been cleared, with the boss room being on the 4th floor. Tesladyne Inc: Action Scientists For Hire: "You were recently promoted to a position on Tesladyne's Zeta Team, the entryway from labwork to ACTION SCIENCE! Finally being on one of the official rosters for field work on call rather than just going out when someone needs a specialist. You are out there taking chances, making mistakes, getting messy, hunting cryptids, and fighting giant mechs! Though the last Zeta Team was all fried by an underwater volcano, someone has to be out there studying the world in all its gritty detail. Who is more qualified than you, Indiana Jones? Okay, Indy might be more qualified but he's not real. Even the most qualified person who knows Quantum Physics like the back of their hand and can karate chop through concrete might end up as Interdimensional Vampire chow if they're not careful."

[The P2TM Times]

The P2TM Times Issue 6: Page 8, Since 2015 Monday, September 7, 2015 -ADVERTISEMENT- Have a RP Idea? Don't have time to work on it? There's no shame in abandoning it! Portal's Home for Imagined Threads can help you out! Yes sir, it's easy to pass your idea along. Just fill out the form and post it and soon others will look over your idea and possibly develop it into its own fully-fledged roleplay!