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

[Indo-pasif archipelago]

I have an idea in my mind for a while, anyone like to role-play something like assassin's creed in a universe different from ours?

[Wolfenium]

I have some RP ideas brewing in my mind in the past couple of days, be it in NS or PttM. And I was wondering which of it will work. And besides, I didn't have much confidence whether they'll be awesome as much as the cool guys here. However, this does not mean I will not stop trying my best, hehe. I just want some consultations to see if my ideas work tis all so I can choose one and go further with the App stuff.

Anyway...here's my ideas I come up at the moment:

1. Space Opera-style Three Kingdoms, the settings will be about Space Imperial China get into Civil War and our characters are warlords of their respective realms get to compete about who gets to be the Emperor.

2. Alternative World War-verse about the alliance of Allies and Axis going up against the resurrected Mongolian Empire comprised of Mongolia, Russia and China (the latter two were curbstomped and mostly conquered with pockets of fruitless resistance) with help of mysterious mages and outwardly demonic monsters to boost their strength.

3. A militaristic Interdimensional Empire invading Earth, a typical story about goin' up against the Evulz Empire complete with Magical girls and Mechas!

The problem with the second one is that it implies that Mongolia was somehow relevant in the 1930s. At that point it was China Russia's bitch, and even China wasn't that important.

Really, Mongolia hasn't been much of a threat for centuries.

Fixed, but not really that much of a difference.

[Ayreonia]

Hi. I've been wanting to do a realistic-ish modern military tragicomedy for a while. I say "military" instead of "war," because I'd like to portray the conflict in question in a particular way: poor weather, lots of waiting, crappy food, then suddenly pant-shitting combat. The players would all be conscripts, too (or in this particular case, levies), so everybody would rather be somewhere else. Anywhere else, in fact.

Here's part of the OP I had up a while back. It didn't really go anywhere, mostly due to my own limited time and interest.

The nations of Antediluvia and Precambria had been at each other's throats for as long as anybody could remember. What had started the conflict, nobody knew or really cared. It was almost like an annual sports event. The winters on the continent of Supercentennaria were brutally cold and long, which forced all military operations to halt. It was an unwritten rule that nobody fought in the winter. There were tales of a Precambrian general who had ordered his division to attack after the snows fell, and as a result he was murdered by his own men. True or not, it wasn't far-fetched. But as soon as the snows melted and you could take a piss outside without your dick freezing off, the Antediluvians hopped onto their IFVs and half-tracks, and the Precambrians rode out on theirs to meet them. The frontlines had not changed significantly for thirty years.

You are a soldier of the Antediluvian Armed Forces, Central Army Group, 2nd Army, 4th "the fucking Fourth" Armored Division, 1st Brigade, Mechanized Battalion, 2nd Mech. Infantry Company, Bravo Platoon. You were conscripted one to four years ago, some of your unit you know from wintertime (during which you have a regular civilian job. Or not. Depends on you), while others are new faces. You've seen some combat, but the Fucking Fourth aren't yet considered to be a crack unit.

The unit in its current state has been deployed for seven months now, which is an unusually long time. Autumn is in full swing, which in the Great Forest means lots of rain, warm and humid days and freezing nights. There has been talk of the 4th Armored spending the winter on the front or even advancing, since they have made an unusually successful push deep into Precambrian territory. This has resulted in mixed feelings from the troops: some are upset that they won't be pulled back and will freeze to death in the woods, while some are hopeful that their success means that Antediluvia is winning the war.

There are four squads in the platoon, each identical except for the 1st. Ideally, we'll first fill up the first squad so that players can have as much interaction with each other as possible, then proceed to accept people into the others. However, if you really want a specific position and it's already taken in the 1st, you can be a member of another squad.

Levy -- drafted with no or minimal training. Only deployed in emergencies.
Recruit -- a soldier in service for six months or less. Pretty rare on the front
Private -- the most common enlisted rank
Lance Corporal -- granted to long-serving enlisted personnel, often held by IFV crewmen and other specialists

Corporal -- lowest NCO rank, usually squad leaders and decorated non-commanding enlisted
Sergeant -- promoted squad leaders, vehicle tactical commanders
Staff Sergeant

Lieutenant 2nd class
Lieutenant 1st class

Doesn't go higher than that in our unit.

Platoon Leader ("BRAVO master"): a junior officer. Commands from his infantry fighting vehicle. Played by me.
Platoon XO ("BRAVO bitch"): the leader's right-hand man. Runs with the infantry.
IFV commander (in the case of the 1st squad, the platoon leader)
IFV driver
IFV gunner

Squad leader (NCO)
Squad SIC
Anti-tank troop x 2
Machine gunner & assistant
Marksman

Work in progress!
The Antediluvian Armed Forces supplies each soldier with the following:

Model 174 assault rifle -- An idiot-proof 7.62 mm assault rifle issued to troops fighting in the Great Forest. Good penetration, almost never jams, easy to clean and fix (if you manage to break it in the first place). Also highly modular. Downsides include weight and overall size. It does have a folding stock, though -- which just happens to be its only part that doesn't really work. Not to be used as a crutch or a spade.
Six (6) magazines -- Thirty bullets each. Don't squander them. Return empty magazines to your logistics officer for refill. Don't lose empty magazines.
Rifle cleaning and maintenance set -- A small waterproof plastic pouch with all the tools you need to keep your rifle working! Includes cleaning rod, sight adjusting tool, small oil bottle (don't loan this to your friends, you'll regret it) and cloth. Comes with a paper tag to write your name and rifle S/N on, which is pretty neat.
Model 166 knife/bayonet -- Used mostly as a general purpose cutting tool. Great for carving one's initials into trees. Can also be used to stab enemies, but you should probably not let them that close.
Model 166 fragmentation grenades -- The amount issued varies, usually from zero to two. The classic device every recruit shat their pants practicing with.

Composite helmet -- Standard protective headwear. Stops most shrapnel and the odd bits of wood and rock flying about. Will not stop bullets. Comes with a net that lets you attach a small bush's worth of vegetation to it.
Ballistic combat vest -- For too many years, soldiers had to wear both a ballistic and a combat vest. No longer! The M188 BCV will stop most shrapnel while having those PALS links for attaching pouches and the like. The flap at the bottom is not for protecting your genitals, but the veins down there.
Knee/elbow pads -- Hard plastic pads to protect your joints. While they do look like the pads your mom made you wear when you practiced skateboarding, don't be ashamed to wear them.
Standard woodland camo coat and pants -- Great for making one blend into the surroundings and slightly worse at keeping water out. Still, fairly comfortable and breathe well.
Combat boots -- Black leather. Durable and comfortable even on long marches. Virtually waterproof.
Raincoat -- If it pours like hell, this knee-long hooded raincoat will keep even the worst monsoon out. Kind of hot when it doesn't, so wearing it all the time is not recommended.
Gloves -- Waterproof!
Underwear, socks, t-shirts, etc. -- Assorted pieces of fashionable military clothing. Comes in various sizes and colors like green and darker green.

Canteen -- A handy one-liter plastic bottle. You don't want to get dehydrated, so keep it filled at all times.
Field tin -- For carrying and eating food.
Spork -- Is it a spoon? Is it a fork? It's both! Eating has never been easier.
Entrenching tool -- Basically a small foldable spade, carried in a pouch attached to the tactical vest. Can also be used to hit people.

Assault pack -- A small backpack for storing the most important items. Left in the IFV when dismounted for combat.
Rucksack -- Sleeping bags, spare clothes and other camping gear goes here. Usually rides in a truck behind the main force. Remember to put a name tag on it, lest someone else take it.

Specialist Gear

IFV crewmen:
Model 180 Pistol -- A 9 millimeter pistol issued to IFV crews, worn on a thigh holster. Good for self-defense if dismounted, since it can be a hassle to get your rifle out of the storage hold while being shot at.
Pistol magazines -- Six spares.
Intercom headset -- To be attached to the regular helmet.

IFV crewmen (or "tankers") wear the same ballistic/tactical vest, but stripped of most pouches, since the vehicle can be a bit cramped.

Other:
Portable radio -- For keeping in touch with other squads and vehicles.

Everything's, of course, in progress and subject to change. I posted this mostly to ask for advice and slash or interest.

It's up!

[TriStates]

Looking for any and all interested in a new RP of mine. Hope it intrigues a few of you

Basic Description
In a few words, its about a futuristic high school academy, where the subjects studied are 18th-21st century warfare. Preformance in virtual reality simulations and live-fire combat between you, other students and other schools secure your GPA, and your life.

The story takes place in the tension-ridden, high-pace year of 2044. In the past 3 decades, developments in biotech, virtual reality, artifical intellegence, and geoenginnering have taken the world by storm. Fields once considered fringe science are now fully accepted endevors in the academic community.

However, all is not well in the Land of Oz

Earth has barely survived humanity's latest and greatest efforts to blow ourselves up. And it shows. Due to unpopular conflicts across the world, out cries among the citizenry have caused national armies to a adopt a policy of marginalizing their state militaries. As a result, many of their positions and jobs are now outsourced to private secruity firms, who provided countries power in turn for profit. The title"Mercenary" has become the most popular, and most lucrative, job on Earth. Controversy, high-tempers and political mud-slinging abound for supporters and detractors of this system of tit for tat. And in the eye of the storm, stands Eureka.

An artifical island twice the size of Great Britian in the North Atlantic, the privately funded instillation plays host to the most famous, and infamous, education institute in the world. Eureka's Academy of Military Science, Games, and Theory. Commonly refered to as The S.T.A.G Program, it is a private boarding school notorious for its trademark curriculum: Warfare. From live-fire excercises to virtual reality sims', students of different classes, leagues, and other schools lock and load on the daily to secure their lives and GPA.

Link to OOC

[Ammar]

Are there any pirate RPs running at the moment?

[Grenartia]

Why not use both?

Have a points system, then have a class system that grants a boost to certain areas in certain situations.

It's useless.

Can you, like, elaborate?

[Ammar]

I have an idea for my next RP. I was thinking that it would be a space pirate RP. The story is that there was a war recently between to factions, which for now I will refer to as A and B. The pirates will range from mercenaries who fought for one side who were never paid and want their money, to overzeleous patriots who want the war to rage on.

[Kedri]

It's been a little while since I last posted here. I brought up the Crusades idea, remember?

It has been suggested that I take the fantasy approach and have an event similar to the Crusades set in a fantasy world. While it sounds interesting, I do not want to copy and paste the cultures of the time into that world. The merit of this approach is like Conan the Barbarian. I can use a fictional world to save time on research.

Does anyone here have any advice on how to make the like the Crusader times without ripping off of the real worlds' example?

[Altito Asmoro]

It's useless.

Its preety useful sometimes, to make people know what are their limits.

Sometimes.

[Altito Asmoro]

It's useless.

Can you, like, elaborate?

Using both class and points system not useless, just not very effective.

[Grenartia]

Can you, like, elaborate?

Using both class and points system not useless, just not very effective.

Again, elaborate?

[Altito Asmoro]

Using both class and points system not useless, just not very effective.

Again, elaborate?

Just forget what I just said. I have no reason to elaborate or to say it useless.

[The Romulan Republic]

I've created a Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel RP. The OOC thread is here:

forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=321548

I've deliberately left the RP relatively undefined so far, but I've laid out some ideas: character-centric, set either just after Angel's finale or in the present, and follows the continuity of the two main TV series but not the comics (because that's too much to keep track of).

Suggestions?

I made sure that the link was typed correctly so I don't know why it doesn't work.

[Alleniana]

Just a general question to those who care to answer:

When it comes to an RP, do you prefer classes, a point system, or neither?

As a nation RPer,

I have some RP ideas brewing in my mind in the past couple of days, be it in NS or PttM. And I was wondering which of it will work. And besides, I didn't have much confidence whether they'll be awesome as much as the cool guys here. However, this does not mean I will not stop trying my best, hehe. I just want some consultations to see if my ideas work tis all so I can choose one and go further with the App stuff.

Anyway...here's my ideas I come up at the moment:

1. Space Opera-style Three Kingdoms, the settings will be about Space Imperial China get into Civil War and our characters are warlords of their respective realms get to compete about who gets to be the Emperor.

2. Alternative World War-verse about the alliance of Allies and Axis going up against the resurrected Mongolian Empire comprised of Mongolia, Russia and China (the latter two were curbstomped and mostly conquered with pockets of fruitless resistance) with help of mysterious mages and outwardly demonic monsters to boost their strength.

3. A militaristic Interdimensional Empire invading Earth, a typical story about goin' up against the Evulz Empire complete with Magical girls and Mechas!

1 & 2 interesting IMO.

[Altito Asmoro]

Just a general question to those who care to answer:

When it comes to an RP, do you prefer classes, a point system, or neither?

As a nation RPer,

I have some RP ideas brewing in my mind in the past couple of days, be it in NS or PttM. And I was wondering which of it will work. And besides, I didn't have much confidence whether they'll be awesome as much as the cool guys here. However, this does not mean I will not stop trying my best, hehe. I just want some consultations to see if my ideas work tis all so I can choose one and go further with the App stuff.

Anyway...here's my ideas I come up at the moment:

1. Space Opera-style Three Kingdoms, the settings will be about Space Imperial China get into Civil War and our characters are warlords of their respective realms get to compete about who gets to be the Emperor.

2. Alternative World War-verse about the alliance of Allies and Axis going up against the resurrected Mongolian Empire comprised of Mongolia, Russia and China (the latter two were curbstomped and mostly conquered with pockets of fruitless resistance) with help of mysterious mages and outwardly demonic monsters to boost their strength.

3. A militaristic Interdimensional Empire invading Earth, a typical story about goin' up against the Evulz Empire complete with Magical girls and Mechas!

1 & 2 interesting IMO.

You have never play Character RP, Allen?

[Alleniana]

As a nation RPer,
1 & 2 interesting IMO.

You have never play Character RP, Allen?

I have, but I usually don't. I mean, approaching it as I do normally.

[Altito Asmoro]

You have never play Character RP, Allen?

I have, but I usually don't. I mean, approaching it as I do normally.

Normally?

[Finland SSR]

You have never play Character RP, Allen?

I have, but I usually don't. I mean, approaching it as I do normally.

Sunset of Europe sort of counts as a character RP, does it?
We need more mixed RPs.

[Ayreonia]

I have, but I usually don't. I mean, approaching it as I do normally.

Sunset of Europe sort of counts as a character RP, does it?
We need more mixed RPs.

I agree.

[Finland SSR]

Sunset of Europe sort of counts as a character RP, does it?
We need more mixed RPs.

I agree.

I guess the mistake in SoE was that I forced everyone to be vassals.
Maybe a mixed RP set in the Dark Ages? That could work.

[Alleniana]

I have, but I usually don't. I mean, approaching it as I do normally.

Sunset of Europe sort of counts as a character RP, does it?
We need more mixed RPs.

Sort of; I did say normally. I just do character RPs less.

[Fraire]

Once again, I'm remaking the Damien Academy RP. All who wish to participate may.

[Sebastianbourg]

I've been thinking about an RP taking place in a Latin American-style dictatorship but I haven't a clue of what details I should include! Ideas?

[Togeria]

I've been thinking about an RP taking place in a Latin American-style dictatorship but I haven't a clue of what details I should include! Ideas?

You could add:
A time frame
How the dictator got to power
Factions
Present government
Former government
What time it's in
And if there will be a rebellion.

[Ayreonia]

Once again, I'm remaking the Damien Academy RP. All who wish to participate may.

My reaction to this is exactly what's on your flag.