Traveller's Cafe 3: Brainstorming, discussion, tea, advice

[Forest State]

...like, the Incredibles? I...don't really know how I'd feel about that? Kinda limits creativity...a lot. I can understand a simple team of superheroes, sorta like a justice League, but...eh.

More like Team Go from Kim Possible. I don't see how it 'limits creativity'; it focuses it. Like- I've tried teams of diversely background characters- news flash- doesn't work in an RP. Everyone wants to do their own thing; the only time it works is when their is a designated leader and TRUST me- players don't like that at ALLL. At least with a family structure it's agreeable to them. The only time I can see a team of heroes working is when those heroes have a history together (previous RPs with them together)- but if it's the first RP in a series- it'll crash if you just have these strangers together. With a set background for the team, you can by pass that situation.

He probably said it limits creativity because it's something very specific to work into the background. For example, what if I wanted to bring over my character from another RP that was raised by the mafia? That background is out the window. Or an orphan character, which is common for superhero RPs? That might not work, also. Want to make a character that was born as a government experiment/brought to Earth by aliens/frozen in time for decades by something like vampirism? That's out of the question, too. I guess you can bring adoption into it and add more options but even then, a family setting is somewhat limiting in size which could be a problem if you have a successful thread that attracts a lot of people. It's also harder to keep activity if you go for the small size.

Don't get me wrong, going with a set background has some pros... Just a bunch of cons too, so it depends on which risks you want to take.

[Harbertia]

What I learned from running the Academy of Villains reboot and the short lived spinoff of that before they both ended:

1: To stay alive, appeal to both people who want open threads and people who want to stay together as a group. It really helps to have BOTH kinds of activity. In this RP, we had missions that related to the main plot, but they were fully optional. Sometimes the missions kept the RP alive, other times the activity back on the campus(which was an open setting) did. If you force people to stick together for a main plot, you increase the chances of the RP dying. Same thing with an open RP that has no central plot. Mixing the two has had the best results for me personally.

2: If you go the open route, don't leave things up to the players. Or people will get bored and leave. You have to have some kind of plot thing happening that people who aren't part of the 'main story' can access. Or something easy for people to stumble into if they miss their chance to do something with another player and now need something to do.

3: Try to lean on familiar locations that are described in the thread, such as a base, rather than letting everyone loose in a city. This makes it easier for players to have something to refer to when posting.

Point number one is the most important, IMO. I walked away from the superhero genre but if I ever come back, I'm focusing on that and staying away from a strictly group based thread or a strictly open world thread. Both of those have equal chances of dying early, I think. Note that all of this applies more to the superhero genre because that's one of the ones that has a reputation for large open world character RPs.

This points are best shown in my previous works. And I've still not fully learned the lesson- I'm still of the mind that players have no direction is the issue; for my early RPs where open with prompts but no plot- like you've explained those don't last long. I had difficulty trying to cater to unrelated characters- making some plot to string them together- just has not been working out. Which is why I encourage players to look at other applications to connect their characters in some fashion- gives reason to interact and helps the RP generate character to character interaction. Not like RPs where players just do their own thing and are alien to each other.

[Harbertia]

More like Team Go from Kim Possible. I don't see how it 'limits creativity'; it focuses it. Like- I've tried teams of diversely background characters- news flash- doesn't work in an RP. Everyone wants to do their own thing; the only time it works is when their is a designated leader and TRUST me- players don't like that at ALLL. At least with a family structure it's agreeable to them. The only time I can see a team of heroes working is when those heroes have a history together (previous RPs with them together)- but if it's the first RP in a series- it'll crash if you just have these strangers together. With a set background for the team, you can by pass that situation.

He probably said it limits creativity because it's something very specific to work into the background. For example, what if I wanted to bring over my character from another RP that was raised by the mafia? That background is out the window. Or an orphan character, which is common for superhero RPs? That might not work, also. Want to make a character that was born as a government experiment/brought to Earth by aliens/frozen in time for decades by something like vampirism? That's out of the question, too. I guess you can bring adoption into it and add more options but even then, a family setting is somewhat limiting in size which could be a problem if you have a successful thread that attracts a lot of people. It's also harder to keep activity if you go for the small size.

Don't get me wrong, going with a set background has some pros... Just a bunch of cons too, so it depends on which risks you want to take.

I see those a benefit- as in my experience characters with such backgrounds become villains very quickly; and if not villains really troublesome for the honest living NPCs of the setting. I want to weed out such characters as those for they tend to be of an unhealthy mind and all apathetic and in general agents of chaos rather then order. They hardly ever help a setting become better- they more often then not destroy what stability it has.

I've played a few like this character. She's horrible, hurt students, nearly destroyed the school, and it's all because of a background like that. Foster child, orphan, vampire girl.

I see the set background as protection from such characters as her, and others I've seen. I once started to host an RP, but realized that all the characters being played would side with the Antagonist- and I wasn't willing to let her win the war- to have a setting I hoped to feature in other RPs be destroyed in the first installment.

Thus I see no negative effects in these restrictions; it's no different then 'Ok this is a school RP, your a student at this school'. Such is the OP establishing an aspect of the player characters.

[The Assorted Saharan Outposts]

More like Team Go from Kim Possible. I don't see how it 'limits creativity'; it focuses it. Like- I've tried teams of diversely background characters- news flash- doesn't work in an RP. Everyone wants to do their own thing; the only time it works is when their is a designated leader and TRUST me- players don't like that at ALLL. At least with a family structure it's agreeable to them. The only time I can see a team of heroes working is when those heroes have a history together (previous RPs with them together)- but if it's the first RP in a series- it'll crash if you just have these strangers together. With a set background for the team, you can by pass that situation.

He probably said it limits creativity because it's something very specific to work into the background. For example, what if I wanted to bring over my character from another RP that was raised by the mafia? That background is out the window. Or an orphan character, which is common for superhero RPs? That might not work, also. Want to make a character that was born as a government experiment/brought to Earth by aliens/frozen in time for decades by something like vampirism? That's out of the question, too. I guess you can bring adoption into it and add more options but even then, a family setting is somewhat limiting in size which could be a problem if you have a successful thread that attracts a lot of people. It's also harder to keep activity if you go for the small size.

Don't get me wrong, going with a set background has some pros... Just a bunch of cons too, so it depends on which risks you want to take.

This...yes, exactly what I was talking about. It is a big thing that you kinda have to shoehorn into your backstory. If it's some nice, wholesome family, you can't really get much on backstory. Lots of characters have history with their parents. Whether it's being mistreated, not having any st all, or just...having boring parents. A family member dying can influence a character and...the problem is that you can only have so many characters in a family. A family will only ever have so many people. If one character mentions a dead family member, odds are every character will have to. It limits creative freedoms by not having diverse characters from different backgrounds. You won't get that kind of thing in this setting.
Though, perhaps it's just me liking diversity, but...I don't like the idea. I can't see myself participating in that.

[Forest State]

To be fair, a lot of this comes down to personal preference. I like darker and more chaotic heroes, for example, so it would be a loss for me if an RP removed backgrounds that could lead to those types of characters. On the other hand, if you're going for a specific theme, a more specific background does a lot to help you with that. But you might lose players like myself, Saharan Outposts, and others. It's a matter of deciding if you want to make the trade off, because you'll inevitably have less players than an RP that allows all types of characters. Whether it's a good idea or not really depends on if you think you can keep it alive with the group that does like the idea, but sometimes you can't tell how large that group will be until the thread is already going.

[Harbertia]

He probably said it limits creativity because it's something very specific to work into the background. For example, what if I wanted to bring over my character from another RP that was raised by the mafia? That background is out the window. Or an orphan character, which is common for superhero RPs? That might not work, also. Want to make a character that was born as a government experiment/brought to Earth by aliens/frozen in time for decades by something like vampirism? That's out of the question, too. I guess you can bring adoption into it and add more options but even then, a family setting is somewhat limiting in size which could be a problem if you have a successful thread that attracts a lot of people. It's also harder to keep activity if you go for the small size.

Don't get me wrong, going with a set background has some pros... Just a bunch of cons too, so it depends on which risks you want to take.

This...yes, exactly what I was talking about. It is a big thing that you kinda have to shoehorn into your backstory. If it's some nice, wholesome family, you can't really get much on backstory. Lots of characters have history with their parents. Whether it's being mistreated, not having any st all, or just...having boring parents. A family member dying can influence a character and...the problem is that you can only have so many characters in a family. A family will only ever have so many people. If one character mentions a dead family member, odds are every character will have to. It limits creative freedoms by not having diverse characters from different backgrounds. You won't get that kind of thing in this setting.
Though, perhaps it's just me liking diversity, but...I don't like the idea. I can't see myself participating in that.

If the entire family is player characters then it's bound to be diverse, just like a real family.

Take my own;

My dad, he was raised in a Christian home but began to drift away from the faith and get into witchcraft- until a mysterious fire and a wugi board got him to reconsider the hobby. He got involved in some gang violence. He took to drinking, and became a marine but never got deployed. But lost friends who where deployed. After his time in the army he again returned to the faith, became a house to house minister, and a theologian. He no longer does ministry but continues his studies.

My mother was raised in the mountains, a very clannish people. Had a few relationships before meeting my dad. I know very little about her save that my parents are now divorced and she has married someone almost as country as she is. Dad came from the suburban area- mom was a country girl. She now goes drinking, kareoking, and trivia night playing; doing things she use to do before settling down.

I'm noted as having a high but average IQ yet appearing and acting older then I really am. I've always been law and rule abiding, but have had a few episodes of nearly killing people (on purpose) which lent me for a period of time a state payed counselor- I was diagnosed as having a temporary lose of sanity brought on by my parent's devorce as the world didn't seem right after that. I'm not a physically but am a mentally active person who dislikes conflict and battle.

My younger brother is into martial arts, isn't a conformist, had smoked weed, had sex before me (I'm still a male virgin); and is into pen and paper games over computer or video games. But he's a fan of Boarderlands, and constantly wants me to 'open my mind' and gets frustrated when I talk about 'proper action'; always says something about society's constructs. Yet has more religious faith then I, and reads the book more often the I do.

My littlest sister is was married, and has a son. I'm an Uncle. She'll tell you if your wrong and is stubern enough to go 'tiger' on you- at least she was before she had my nephew. She use to be a suicidal girl, with anxiety, on drugs, and backstabbing friends and numerous boy friends. We always argued until now- now we get along. We like each other now and she actually gives me hugs. I heard that people change after having a child but I never expected this change from my sister. She'll still beat any one who threatens the family down, more so then ever.

----

Diversity in a family.

[Harbertia]

To be fair, a lot of this comes down to personal preference. I like darker and more chaotic heroes, for example, so it would be a loss for me if an RP removed backgrounds that could lead to those types of characters. On the other hand, if you're going for a specific theme, a more specific background does a lot to help you with that. But you might lose players like myself, Saharan Outposts, and others. It's a matter of deciding if you want to make the trade off, because you'll inevitably have less players than an RP that allows all types of characters. Whether it's a good idea or not really depends on if you think you can keep it alive with the group that does like the idea, but sometimes you can't tell how large that group will be until the thread is already going.

Thanks for the understanding My ideal RP group is five persons so I'm certainly willing.

[Harbertia]

So, without a response to see which of those options for Humans in Sentient Nature is preferred by players; I'll go with keeping them out of the RP for now. I don't want to close off the idea of exploring human ruins as a wolf, or having to face them- but I also don't want to bring them in to the setting if they'll disrupt the setting.

In works like 'The Animals of Farthing Wood', 'The Rats of NIMH', and 'Once Upon a Forest' Humans are around... but a lot of questions are left unanswered by that. In NIMH we know why the rats have a civilization and that NIMH is after them, but in Once Upon a Forest we don't know why the animals have cloths, culture, schools, etc - but we do know that Humans in Once Upon a Forest have some idea of this intelligence; it's just never explained. In 'The Animals of Farthing Wood' they exist but have no idea of animal sentience- something not an option in the Sentient Nature setting though even 'Alpha and Omega' go that route.

Since I can't make up my mind, but do not want to block off the prospect of human civilization I'll simply avoid referencing them till the question has an answer; to be honest I feel that the Animals are Sentient because of Humans, but the scenario would make Sentient Nature part of the Gamma World series.

[Nature-Spirits]

As am I, though plot is always my failing. I'd either need to have people share the mantel of operator-ship or someone else OP for this.

I'd really like a focus on a family of supers, so character don't go all over the place and the whole RP collapse. It's probably the best way to keep such an RP together. character will interact more often, have a common dwelling, and be in close proximity to one another when away from home be it work, school, etc.

...like, the Incredibles? I...don't really know how I'd feel about that? Kinda limits creativity...a lot. I can understand a simple team of superheroes, sorta like a justice League, but...eh.

Forcing all characters into being members of a family is actually great for character development in my experience.

[Kassaran]

TOP SECRET
Sealed by order of the President of the United States of America

*Coming Soon*

[Pax Nerdvana]

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(Image)

*Coming Soon*

Cool header.

[Harbertia]

...like, the Incredibles? I...don't really know how I'd feel about that? Kinda limits creativity...a lot. I can understand a simple team of superheroes, sorta like a justice League, but...eh.

Forcing all characters into being members of a family is actually great for character development in my experience.

[Harbertia]

TOP SECRET
Sealed by order of the President of the United States of America

(Image)

*Coming Soon*

Nice.

[Eclius]

viewtopic.php?f=31&t=431515

Horror and espionage RP recently published, waiting for players.

[Shark isle]

I have an idea for a RP that mixes James Bond-style espionage with Tolkien-style fantasy set in a alternate 1960s where magic and creatures of myth have recently returned. Can i have some advice on this idea and how to make it work?

[Sonol Mundera]

I was hoping to make an RP based on the popular (for a manhwa, anyways) webtoon, Tower of God, but I have encountered a single problem along the way: there technically isn't any reason for the characters to stay together.

In the setting, it's not uncommon for teams to just kill each other altogether, and people have to step on other people's dreams to make sure that their own comes true. Logically, they should be scheming to kill each other from the first page.

What should I do about this? I'd rather not change the original canon if possible.

[Harbertia]

I have an idea for a RP that mixes James Bond-style espionage with Tolkien-style fantasy set in a alternate 1960s where magic and creatures of myth have recently returned. Can i have some advice on this idea and how to make it work?

Well, I know that if it where mean I'd end up spending a lot of time finding out where the monsters and creatures come from in real world lore and start to build the world from there; for example, the Naga would inhabit India and parts of North Africa, and Greece but they'd only have a nation in the Indian Subcontinent. Elves would have claim to lands in Germany, and Scandenavia as would Dwarves; and so forth. Likely the Naga lands would have been conquered by the English during the Age of Colonization and thus now make up the modern Republic of India.

What I mean is, that if it where me, I'd end up trying to focus on how such a world changed over time till reaching the Cold War era at which point I'd be able to surmise where the lands would fall ideologically.

Edit: I'm willing to assist you in world building if you'd like to keep in touch. It's what I do best.

EDIT: Noticed the 'recently returned' which complicates matters. Meaning they where 'somewhere else' till this point. Makes the situation a bit different; if they where always present they can fit snuggly into the Cold War but if they have been absent this whole time- well- that makes them as alien to the world as the ideologies are to them.

[Shark isle]

I have an idea for a RP that mixes James Bond-style espionage with Tolkien-style fantasy set in a alternate 1960s where magic and creatures of myth have recently returned. Can i have some advice on this idea and how to make it work?

Well, I know that if it where mean I'd end up spending a lot of time finding out where the monsters and creatures come from in real world lore and start to build the world from there; for example, the Naga would inhabit India and parts of North Africa, and Greece but they'd only have a nation in the Indian Subcontinent. Elves would have claim to lands in Germany, and Scandenavia as would Dwarves; and so forth. Likely the Naga lands would have been conquered by the English during the Age of Colonization and thus now make up the modern Republic of India.

What I mean is, that if it where me, I'd end up trying to focus on how such a world changed over time till reaching the Cold War era at which point I'd be able to surmise where the lands would fall ideologically.

Edit: I'm willing to assist you in world building if you'd like to keep in touch. It's what I do best.

EDIT: Noticed the 'recently returned' which complicates matters. Meaning they where 'somewhere else' till this point. Makes the situation a bit different; if they where always present they can fit snuggly into the Cold War but if they have been absent this whole time- well- that makes them as alien to the world as the ideologies are to them.

My idea for the RP is that the creatures returned after the end of WW2, shocking the whole world in the process. They are basically outcasts in a world that is completely different from the one their ancestors lived in. The plot of the RP follows a team of these mythical creatures and their human handlers as they go on assignments for a special branch of NATO and fight threats like the KGB and a SPECTER-like organization.

[Harbertia]

Well, I know that if it where mean I'd end up spending a lot of time finding out where the monsters and creatures come from in real world lore and start to build the world from there; for example, the Naga would inhabit India and parts of North Africa, and Greece but they'd only have a nation in the Indian Subcontinent. Elves would have claim to lands in Germany, and Scandenavia as would Dwarves; and so forth. Likely the Naga lands would have been conquered by the English during the Age of Colonization and thus now make up the modern Republic of India.

What I mean is, that if it where me, I'd end up trying to focus on how such a world changed over time till reaching the Cold War era at which point I'd be able to surmise where the lands would fall ideologically.

Edit: I'm willing to assist you in world building if you'd like to keep in touch. It's what I do best.

EDIT: Noticed the 'recently returned' which complicates matters. Meaning they where 'somewhere else' till this point. Makes the situation a bit different; if they where always present they can fit snuggly into the Cold War but if they have been absent this whole time- well- that makes them as alien to the world as the ideologies are to them.

My idea for the RP is that the creatures returned after the end of WW2, shocking the whole world in the process. They are basically outcasts in a world that is completely different from the one their ancestors lived in. The plot of the RP follows a team of these mythical creatures and their human handlers as they go on assignments for a special branch of NATO and fight threats like the KGB and a SPECTER-like organization.

... That situation could have dire impact on the world; where did they come form? Where have they been this time and how did they leave? Are they demons? Why have they returned? Are the Gods of Olympus upon us? Is Hindusim the one true faith?

----

Additionally what stakes do these beings have in the cold war? I get they they want to be accepted, but lending themselves to both sides (while it's able to work, as seen with the Polish in World War One,) isn't the best for PR. We know it can work, as the Polish got their own country back; Poland after the first world war. So getting a land to call their own sounds like the motive.

[Nature-Spirits]

Well, I know that if it where mean I'd end up spending a lot of time finding out where the monsters and creatures come from in real world lore and start to build the world from there; for example, the Naga would inhabit India and parts of North Africa, and Greece but they'd only have a nation in the Indian Subcontinent. Elves would have claim to lands in Germany, and Scandenavia as would Dwarves; and so forth. Likely the Naga lands would have been conquered by the English during the Age of Colonization and thus now make up the modern Republic of India.

What I mean is, that if it where me, I'd end up trying to focus on how such a world changed over time till reaching the Cold War era at which point I'd be able to surmise where the lands would fall ideologically.

Edit: I'm willing to assist you in world building if you'd like to keep in touch. It's what I do best.

EDIT: Noticed the 'recently returned' which complicates matters. Meaning they where 'somewhere else' till this point. Makes the situation a bit different; if they where always present they can fit snuggly into the Cold War but if they have been absent this whole time- well- that makes them as alien to the world as the ideologies are to them.

My idea for the RP is that the creatures returned after the end of WW2, shocking the whole world in the process. They are basically outcasts in a world that is completely different from the one their ancestors lived in. The plot of the RP follows a team of these mythical creatures and their human handlers as they go on assignments for a special branch of NATO and fight threats like the KGB and a SPECTER-like organization.

If I can't play Stalinist Baba Yaga I have no interest.

Jokes aside though, this sounds like a pretty cool idea.

[Shark isle]

Well, by mythical creatures i mostly meant elves, dwarves, dragons and other creatures that Tolkien would come up with. But, if you want to make other creatures like hags, naga, etc,etc, be my guest. I should probably determine where the creatures went and how they returned.

[Harbertia]

Well, by mythical creatures i mostly meant elves, dwarves, dragons and other creatures that Tolkien would come up with. But, if you want to make other creatures like hags, naga, etc,etc, be my guest. I should probably determine where the creatures went and how they returned.

Indeed, and as Nature Spirits says, this is a cool concept.

[Pax Nerdvana]

I have this RP idea. The basic idea is that players will control a starship and it's crew, traversing the galaxy trading and shipping. The players could either be a company ship, or a Free Trader or something like that. How does this sound?

[Shark isle]

Perhaps I should start a world building thread for help on my idea and to flesh it out more? Also, any advice on what I should call this rp?

[Harbertia]

I have this RP idea. The basic idea is that players will control a starship and it's crew, traversing the galaxy trading and shipping. The players could either be a company ship, or a Free Trader or something like that. How does this sound?

Sounds like you'll need a map