RP Think Tank

[Esternial]

RP Think Tank

NOTE: This is NOT a chat thread. Only discussion related to new roleplaying concepts, etc. is allowed here.

If you're new to the forums, take a look at the following threads:
- Welcome to International Incidents!
- The International Incidents Information Desk
- Roleplaying Tips & Suggestions

Advertising is permitted, but only when providing an adequate amount of information for people browsing through this thread, so no bare links with a one-liner description. Also, DO NOT SPAM ADS.

This thread's counterpart is the Traveller's Café in Portal to the Multiverse. RPs that belong in the P2TM subforum should be discussed there, not here.
(For more information, visit The P2TM welcome thread.)

In order to increase collaboration and contact between the denizens of Diplomacy, the Think Tank has been created and serves the following functions:

1. BRAINSTORMING:
   Put forward your own ideas or concepts for a new RP you have in mind, but haven't completely worked out yet. It's a good way to see if there are people here who want to work together to create a successful RP. Whether it's a war for International Incidents or an election for Factbooks & National Information, if it's relevant to roleplaying and you need help working out a concept, this is the place to be.
   
   
2. GAUGING INTEREST:
   You have an idea for an RP, but you don't know if people are actually interested? Test the waters here! Elaborate on your idea, explain and get people fired up for your upcoming RP. Once you got around to making the thread, you're free to advertise for it, but remember that you're advertising, so make sure you got a good sales pitch and maybe include some vital information, such as:
   
   • Basic information, like the name and a link, would be a good start.
   • Type of RP, such as character RP or the more common nation RP.
   • Plot information, like whether you'll be RP'ing a war or a diplomatic scuffle, for example. What drives your RP?
   • Tech level and genre, sketch the general atmosphere where your RP will be taking place.
   • ANY other information that might be vital for people to know before deciding to sign up. Things that make your RP stand out from among the rest.

This thread is NOT for:

1. ASKING QUESTIONS: There's already a thread for that, found here
   
2. GETTING ROLEPLAYING HELP: Or assistance of any kind that isn't related to this thread's prime directive. Again, already a thread for that here. Contact the Mentors, they've been elected for this.

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TIP: If you're interested in involving your participants into the RP, you could use Google Docs, which allows you to share a document online with those you want. This way you can - for example - expand the story beyond the setting it's in by writing expanded back stories for others to read or just note down plans or ideas for the plot.

[Raven Corps]

Terra Victorium

While this is an advertisement, I want to maintain that this is also a post to gauge potential interest in the RP as a whole. So first I will jot down a small summary of Terra Victorium and what it means for potential RPers.

A persistent and truly continuous world which is effected by the day to day interactions of its members allowing the story be develop a rich and vibrant environment which is molded by the players. This allows national histories to have meaning beyond words on a fact book, but also provide the means for nations to display that history through provable, link-able RP's along with a map and member base that seeks to better their own Rp skills as well as those they RP with.

We are still a new RP group running within the Late MT / Early PMT range so you know the tech will be cool, but believable. To ensure everyone is on the same page we have votes on new technologies to make sure everyone is ok with certain technologies being present and to ensure they mesh with the projected time era of those involved.

WE use the NSTracker to map out strengths and weaknesses but only to an extent... Because sometimes having a lot of money and people can be a weakness as much as it is a strength. In Terra Victorium, your writing is your power and this is why we encourage taking your time and not rushing your posts and allowing them to flesh out the story... and your agenda.

If you want to know more Go to the link at the top of the page and find out or TG me or any other Member and learn more!

[Kagetora]

This is a project I've been working on and off on that I would like to see picked up at some point. I really enjoy Tech Levels where things aren't really bound by what's realistic, and the superheroes (empowered) and the non-descript Future Tech is something I really enjoy using. Various comments, criticisms, interest will be appreciated. I don't log on that often so TGing me about anything is the best way to contact me.

[Great Empire of Gamilus]

since my first RP ever is going downhill (not enough participants) I have been thinking of starting another, based in/off the game:
S.T.A.L.K.E.R Shadow of Chernobyl

basically it will be about everyone being a STALKER of one of the various factions or a Loner (or even Military for some, though you don't get to keep any artefacts you find and restricted to a weapon depending on your rank. there will be no special forces troops) and everyone going about their daily lives artefact hunting, killing each other, getting paid and all that jazz.

but the northern half of the zone, which was recently opened up thanks to the Marked one, is a place where everyone is headed to find the fabled wish granter or just some high level gear and stuff to sell.

as I said I am still going this over in my head.

[Esternial]

since my first RP ever is going downhill (not enough participants) I have been thinking of starting another, based in/off the game:
S.T.A.L.K.E.R Shadow of Chernobyl

basically it will be about everyone being a STALKER of one of the various factions or a Loner (or even Military for some, though you don't get to keep any artefacts you find and restricted to a weapon depending on your rank. there will be no special forces troops) and everyone going about their daily lives artefact hunting, killing each other, getting paid and all that jazz.

but the northern half of the zone, which was recently opened up thanks to the Marked one, is a place where everyone is headed to find the fabled wish granter or just some high level gear and stuff to sell.

as I said I am still going this over in my head.

Don't forget that RP's set in International Incidents typically take place in one's own nation. If you want to RP in the actual setting of the game, you should try here.

But if your nation is the ideal setting for a S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Roleplay, then there's no reason why you can't post that thread here. You could even call it an alternate history RP for your own nation.

[Great Empire of Gamilus]

since my first RP ever is going downhill (not enough participants) I have been thinking of starting another, based in/off the game:
S.T.A.L.K.E.R Shadow of Chernobyl

basically it will be about everyone being a STALKER of one of the various factions or a Loner (or even Military for some, though you don't get to keep any artefacts you find and restricted to a weapon depending on your rank. there will be no special forces troops) and everyone going about their daily lives artefact hunting, killing each other, getting paid and all that jazz.

but the northern half of the zone, which was recently opened up thanks to the Marked one, is a place where everyone is headed to find the fabled wish granter or just some high level gear and stuff to sell.

as I said I am still going this over in my head.

Don't forget that RP's set in International Incidents typically take place in one's own nation. If you want to RP in the actual setting of the game, you should try here.

But if your nation is the ideal setting for a S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Roleplay, then there's no reason why you can't post that thread here. You could even call it an alternate history RP for your own nation.

ah thanks for that. and my nation is not cause we are non nuclear(as a FT nation we use advanced Wave Motion reactors.)

still would anyone be interested to join if I did so?

[Esternial]

Don't forget that RP's set in International Incidents typically take place in one's own nation. If you want to RP in the actual setting of the game, you should try here.

But if your nation is the ideal setting for a S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Roleplay, then there's no reason why you can't post that thread here. You could even call it an alternate history RP for your own nation.

ah thanks for that. and my nation is not cause we are non nuclear(as a FT nation we use advanced Wave Motion reactors.)

still would anyone be interested to join if I did so?

You could coin your idea here, it's more or less the counterpart to this thread in P2TM.

[Great Empire of Gamilus]

ah thanks for that. and my nation is not cause we are non nuclear(as a FT nation we use advanced Wave Motion reactors.)

still would anyone be interested to join if I did so?

You could coin your idea here, it's more or less the counterpart to this thread in P2TM.

ok, thanks man you've been a great help, if I get this up and running want an invite?

[United Paradisia]

I was thinking o roleplaying a world on 2025, basically earth though with a different map.

[-Deus-]

I was thinking of doing a very short tiddilly wink about a small group of so-n-so youngsters who terrorize a city with bombs filled with psilocybin (hallucinogenic mushroom) gas. And that's that really. Hola Esternial.

[Soldati Senza Confini]

I am thinking on making a new RP where one of my puppet nations is but a rebel faction within my country that tries to take control because of a new law making Artificial Intelligence legally people. The RP would start by making my puppet nation send a taskforce to the capital of my nation and try to destroy it, then the leader of the separationist faction making a formal declaration of war and taking part of my country as its own.

I am trying to see if there is any interest in a war RP like that.

[Sedikal]

I was thinking of a pandemic RP but on a military base as one of the last "clean" settlement left and we play as international soldiers preforming patrol, killing infected when they come in the quarantine zone, or take care of a pop up of the infection when it shows up in the settlement.

[Solmakia]

I'm planning to have a revolution thread to explain the massive change in government I just had (conservative right wing traditionalist nation to an anarcho communist state). Thing is, there are so many of those, and I want mine to have a little bit of...I don't know, originality. I don't want just another war.
Any ideas?

[Sedikal]

I'm planning to have a revolution thread to explain the massive change in government I just had (conservative right wing traditionalist nation to an anarcho communist state). Thing is, there are so many of those, and I want mine to have a little bit of...I don't know, originality. I don't want just another war.
Any ideas?

Try and exploit all posible potential that you get out of it and RP it really well. You don't need massive armies to fight a civil war but government faction hold political warfare and some small scale combat to get whst they need. Honestly if you just RP it well it will be better then most of the other threads

[Xeraph]

I've been jotting down some notes in an outline for a thread consisting of a single, huge city, possibly set out in the middle of a vast plain, that is completely walled-in and covered by some kind of a dome where a half-dozen or so mutually hostile tribes stalk and fight each other on a regular basis.

They have guns, but just pistols and single-shot rifles. These weapons are what is left of some sort of cataclysmic war where the survivors only have what ammo can be found in the city. So there are also a variety of edged weapons with which the tribes have become proficient in using.

The city itself is a combination of ancient structures, narrow lanes, dark overgrown parks/woodlands and then ranging up to more modern roads and buildings.

There are just four ways in and out of this city. Maybe the story begins with a wandering party of "outsiders" who accidentally find this city and somehow figure out how to get in.

Perhaps a touch of ye olde magick? Witches, warlocks, nasty night creatures?

[G-Tech Corporation]

This is a grand idea Ester, I'm glad you finally got it out of Moderation. Thanks for your work on the topic.

I'll just leave this post here to keep an eye on things

Also, thought: does anyone who does a lot of II think a Dice RP would be viable outside of P2TM?

[Umojan Protectorate]

When NS2 was still a game on Jolt, I participated in a HOI2 roleplay complete with a technology grid and a research 'tree. The problem is keeping people to adhere to the grid so that no one will have jet fighters in 1938, but rather closer to the 1943 historical date. I've been working on it for years, but would like some input.

Missing is the Industrial Capacity (IC) chart which I have for all 150-200ish countries starting in the 1936 year. If all my information could be applied to an excel doc, it would most likely be much easier to play and keep track of.

This is the start.

[Gvozdevsk]

This isn't really an idea for an RP, but I don't like how every MT nation thinks they need to be a superpower with millions of soldiers. It really makes RPing unappealing for me because it seems like I'm the only person who doesn't want to be a superpower.

[Rhodevus]

I have not made a thread for this yet, but I want to see if this idea would work.

The RP would take place in a medieval Time period (not fantasy though). In this RP, each nation would have a maximum 50,000 people and their nation would be their kingdom. They would have a castle and have diplomatic and militaristic alliances between them. After some time, when eberyone has kingdoms they like and don't like (enemies and allies), another kingdom would come in and start a war.

It would be a medieval war with horses, knights and things like that. I have not seen any threads for something like this, that is not fantasy. If you like the idea telegram me.

If enough people like the idea, I will add the link here:

Not Yet!

Thanks

[Thoricia]

I was watching this idea grow in Moderation and I'm glad you were able to bring from the drawing board into reality Esternial, too many good ideas go down the toilet so I'm glad yours didn't.

I am thinking on making a new RP where one of my puppet nations is but a rebel faction within my country that tries to take control because of a new law making Artificial Intelligence legally people. The RP would start by making my puppet nation send a taskforce to the capital of my nation and try to destroy it, then the leader of the separationist faction making a formal declaration of war and taking part of my country as its own.

I am trying to see if there is any interest in a war RP like that.

I would definitely be interested in this if you get it up and running, I might even be willing to activate another puppet just for you. XD

I'm planning to have a revolution thread to explain the massive change in government I just had (conservative right wing traditionalist nation to an anarcho communist state). Thing is, there are so many of those, and I want mine to have a little bit of...I don't know, originality. I don't want just another war.
Any ideas?

Try and exploit all posible potential that you get out of it and RP it really well. You don't need massive armies to fight a civil war but government faction hold political warfare and some small scale combat to get whst they need. Honestly if you just RP it well it will be better then most of the other threads

I agree, so many revolutions go on behind doors with other nations trying to influence elections, you could go the route of external factions trying to plug in a party that would serve their interests best, that's not to say you couldn't have a gunfight here and there, but it could be more character driven if that's what you desired.

[Heirosoloa]

When NS2 was still a game on Jolt, I participated in a HOI2 roleplay complete with a technology grid and a research 'tree. The problem is keeping people to adhere to the grid so that no one will have jet fighters in 1938, but rather closer to the 1943 historical date. I've been working on it for years, but would like some input.

Missing is the Industrial Capacity (IC) chart which I have for all 150-200ish countries starting in the 1936 year. If all my information could be applied to an excel doc, it would most likely be much easier to play and keep track of.

This is the start.

People tend to be a bit turned off by having to do a lot of math, so you're probably not going to get broad appeal. The people you do attract should be pretty devoted though.
Also, the thread sounds like it's going to belong in Portal to the Multiverse.

This isn't really an idea for an RP, but I don't like how every MT nation thinks they need to be a superpower with millions of soldiers. It really makes RPing unappealing for me because it seems like I'm the only person who doesn't want to be a superpower.

I would suggest finding an RP region with a population cap, or moving to threads with more skillful players who tend to be much more reasonable with deployments.
Also, questions like this (like it says in the OP) belong in the Questions Thread.

[Esternial]

When NS2 was still a game on Jolt, I participated in a HOI2 roleplay complete with a technology grid and a research 'tree. The problem is keeping people to adhere to the grid so that no one will have jet fighters in 1938, but rather closer to the 1943 historical date. I've been working on it for years, but would like some input.

Missing is the Industrial Capacity (IC) chart which I have for all 150-200ish countries starting in the 1936 year. If all my information could be applied to an excel doc, it would most likely be much easier to play and keep track of.

This is the start.

People tend to be a bit turned off by having to do a lot of math, so you're probably not going to get broad appeal. The people you do attract should be pretty devoted though.
Also, the thread sounds like it's going to belong in Portal to the Multiverse.

I've had a very similar problem myself. Several other RP'ers and myself developed a system for faction RPs, but since it was turn-based and required a modicum of math each turn, it didn't attract too many people. As a result, I've decided to make an abridged version of sorts. Removing things like upkeep that would make the game more challenging and complex in favour of simplicity might ruin the game for someone who has experienced the "full package" (of which now only a few people remain anyway), but in its current form it might actually appeal to a larger crowd.

In addition, a lot of the burden lies on the OPs shoulder in terms of random events and locations, at least in the system I'm using. Of course it's a lot different from that one.

I was watching this idea grow in Moderation and I'm glad you were able to bring from the drawing board into reality Esternial, too many good ideas go down the toilet so I'm glad yours didn't.

This is a grand idea Ester, I'm glad you finally got it out of Moderation. Thanks for your work on the topic.

I'll just leave this post here to keep an eye on things

Also, thought: does anyone who does a lot of II think a Dice RP would be viable outside of P2TM?

Well, I'm glad I managed to make it - since I can be quite lazy and forgetful - but creating the thread is only the start. I'm glad several people have already stepped in and are giving advice to others, which is ultimately how I envisioned it

As for your idea, I think it's possible. Realistically, if you just take the setting from a dice RP and set it in your own nation, I don't see any reason why you can't host that thread in II. Perhaps the player characters survive a disaster in your own nation and need to find a way to get help? I recall being in an RP once which revolved around a tunnel collapse.

[Wandering Argonians]

I'm glad such a concept exists on here. Finally, there's a public forum to hash out ideas.

Consider this an advertisement of sorts. I rarely turn down a well-written RP, but those are getting harder and harder to come by these days and I don't do the 'Portal To The Multiverse' thing. I've spent over a decade building the rich culture and 'world' (if you will) that my nation operates in, and I'd like to work with that canon instead of something ready-made from a video game. I'm aware this sounds rather hypocritical coming from a nation named after an 'Elder Scrolls' race, but I simply adopted the title because I honestly got tired of having to explain the lizard-man race every time I entered a new story thread. In the interest of keeping things simple, I went with a well-known racial title (like 'elf' for example) to save some keyboard sweat and focus more on developing the nation and its people. There are a few nods to the 'Elder Scrolls' lore, however, since I enjoy Easter Eggs (little snippets of humor you have to hunt for)

Currently, Argonia is a rather prosperous nation run by a democratic republic-style system, the government headed by an elected president. A recently-ended civil war is in the nation's rear-view and its sights are firmly set on the horizon. At least, government-controlled media sources and the shadow government that runs the nation want others to think so. In actuality, the Director of the Argonian Intelligence Service maintains a delicate balance of power through a complex network of spies, assassins, informants, and agents. Proxy wars are waged in return for favorable trade tariffs and tax breaks for Argonian businesses abroad to increase national revenue. The civil war still rages to a degree out in the frontier marshes, fueled by funding from narcotics grown by the guerrillas and sold by gangs and other criminal enterprises in the glimmering cities.

Argonian Intelligence Service agents regularly interfere in events on the world stage, pulling strings behind the scenes while attempting to pass of their homeland as an earnest backwater seeking a larger role in global politics. They fight shadow wars and proxy conflicts to perpetuate the ideals of free-market capitalism and democratic republic rhetoric in order to secure more power for their nation. In the midst of the civil war, a private military firm known as 'Blackwood Company' has risen to prominence undertaking operations ranging from gun-for-hire muscle for organized crime, direct action, and even contract terrorism for the right price. Behind it all is the Director, the head of the national intelligence agency and the man in power, balancing the chaos between cop and criminal, guerrilla and soldier, spy and mercenary, in a paranoid attempt to keep foreign interests from attempting to invade and annex his beloved homeland.

Anyway, that's a short synopsis of the 'universe' or 'world' I've got going in my nation at present, which I think might make a decent backdrop for an RP, especially one favoring character-based espionage or clandestine involvement. There's a number of factions to support, with a variety of end-game goals.

Additionally, I've got a sci-fi planet that was meant to be involved in several RP's, but unfortunately stagnated, if anyone's up for something beyond the scope of NS Earth.

Factbook: viewtopic.php?f=23&t=185174

Hopefully I can scare up some additional RP contacts on here. If anyone's interested, simply drop me a telegram.

[Hobbeebia]

I'm planning to have a revolution thread to explain the massive change in government I just had (conservative right wing traditionalist nation to an anarcho communist state). Thing is, there are so many of those, and I want mine to have a little bit of...I don't know, originality. I don't want just another war.
Any ideas?

There is more to political uprisings than all out warfare. Subterfuge, and cloak and dagger operations are a great way to spice up an RP. People always forget that humans fight wars, which means they have needs and fears. If one can force a national leader into a blackmail trap you could effectively change the political landscape of a nation overnight.

This isn't really an idea for an RP, but I don't like how every MT nation thinks they need to be a superpower with millions of soldiers. It really makes RPing unappealing for me because it seems like I'm the only person who doesn't want to be a superpower.

This happens when newbs are allowed to continue newbish action without proper guidance, training and a general disregard to a stabilized forum etiquette which has a basic level of reasonable play styles. Used to be that if a new nation jumped up and made an RP that was started with a few sentences a mod would jump in lock the thread and refer them to the stickies... which have since been taken down for some odd reason- usually in the name of free-form RP.

Your best bet is to find an RP group that carries these old rules and stick with them.

I was thinking o roleplaying a world on 2025, basically earth though with a different map.

Check out the link in my signature, I think its close to what your looking for. Terra Victorium or the Second post in this thread for more info.

[Coalition State]

Oh, great idea! This is genius!

And yes, i do have something worthwhile to add. Gimme a sec.