PL: The EPIC OOC XI [closed]

[Tiltjuice]

Also, for anyone who gets annoyed with holiday specific greetings...


HAPPY SHUT THE FUCK UP!

I'm so there today. So, so there. I can't wait until the 26th. "Christmas is over, get the fuck out" becomes my mumbled mantra.

And on the 26th, the penguin in the former British colony did say...

squawk chirp warble!!!!!!!!!

[Cerillium]

I'm so there today. So, so there. I can't wait until the 26th. "Christmas is over, get the fuck out" becomes my mumbled mantra.

And on the 26th, the penguin in the former British colony did say...

squawk chirp warble!!!!!!!!!

Happy Boxing Day.

---

In American news:

USDA Issues Permit for Santa's Reindeer to Cross Border
by Jon Schuppe


Most bureaucrats in Washington like Christmas a lot — but federal regulations make it seem they do not.

Santa hates red tape, it ruins the season. No one has to ask why. All know the reason.

And so, this week — instead of sitting on the fence — the government did something that made lots of sense.

The USDA issued a permit: his reindeer could now travel with ease.

"We agreed to waive the normal application fees."

So said John Clifford, the agency's chief veterinary officer.

The usual tests for his livestock? Santa needn't bother.

Provided, that is, the reindeer ate hay quite a bit.

They also needed IDs. And proof they are fit.

That cleared the way for Santa to move faster.

Though he still will be subject to NORAD's Kris Kringle tracker. (

http://www.noradsanta.org/

)

[Tiltjuice]

Hey, you survived!

Thanks USDA!

[The Carlisle]

Happy Holidays everyone. Gonna be celebrating Christmas with my Parents and bros myself.

Also, gonna get a good nights rest, so I'll be off soon.

[Monfrox]

A little add-on to Cer's news reel for the night.

CAP to assist NORAD's Santa-track.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

[Giovenith]

And Happy Hearth's Warming Eve, all rise for Equestria's official national anthem.

[The BranRiech]

Christmas Meme?

How is Christmas/Other equivalent Holiday celebrated in your nation?

[Torsiedelle]

Christmas Meme?

How is Christmas/Other equivalent Holiday celebrated in your nation?

National Holiday, as Christianity is the State Religion (as well as Buddhism.)

Christmas decorations are put up all over the nation, in both private and public areas, including trees, Nativity Scenes, the usual stuff. Churches are filled with celebrations and festivities, all that happy stuff.

[Giovenith]

It's a purely commercial holiday, made popular by attempts to imitate America despite having a Christian minority. The superficial aspects like Santa, holly, and gift giving is copied, but few people know anything about Jesus.

[Highfort]

The Confederation of Agymnum celebrates no religious holidays, though its secular government allows for a week of paid leave for those employees that celebrate Christmas, as it does with many other religious or cultural festivals. Government employees, regardless of religion, are paid double should they elect to work during this week, as with many other religious and cultural festivals.

The Republic of Highfort also does not celebrate any religious holidays, though its secular government recognizes the impact of Christmas on its Christian-majority population and has made Winter Solstice Week a national holiday in honor of the nation's cultural heritage relating to the holiday. Most simply refer to the break as Christmas Holiday, though non-Christians often celebrate it as a time for reconnecting with family and friends. It is a new tradition that the President present a Solstice Address the dawn after Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year, commenting on current affairs as well as reaffirming republican values of democracy, freedom, solidarity, and service.

[Cerillium]

I can't believe Gio got Swith to play a Pony.

To expand on Swith's expansion of my point, stories probably shouldn't have a single value to describe them but scenes (in this case, battles) should. IMO, a story has a bunch of scenes, each of which can have their own tone (serious or comic, for example), riskiness and tension, skills or abilities they require, and possibly even different genres.

Slo's correct.

GMing isn't easy. You have to not only craft a story but also find balance. Each approved character needs to have a purpose. The story should contain elements tailored for each character to give the participants maximum gaming enjoyment. In a mixed genre RP such as PL, this often means that one group takes on Task A while another group handles Task B. These tasks become branches in the story, and the scenes roll out.

Likewise, it always feels like only the powerful characters are the ones who end up affecting the overarching story of PL, because the higher-level stories are the ones that end up having the potential to drastically change the world/story, so lower-level characters (And the players who play them) end up getting to do screw-all in terms of contribution.

...
I think I agree with this in part, but I want to put off discussing it for a bit, because it gets into a couple of broader questions of RP design and play. It seems to me that Cer and the Co-OPs have made one set of choices about them, but I'm not sure...

It isn't the powerful characters that affect the overarching PL story. It's the dedicated players.

BRANCH 1
Location: Dining Room
Task set in both IC and OOC: players running warriors/fighters sit down IC or OOC and sort their weapons lists, figure out patrols, set up defenses.
What happens: Three weeks pass. Nothing of merit produced. Characters sit like lumps until CoOP sets them on fire in order to clear the scene to reset the setting for the next scene. You have no established defenses except that melting ice wall and some ruins on a door.

BRANCH 2
Location: Dining Room
Task set in both IC and OOC: Players establish a hospital wing
What happens: Characters set out. Torsi needs to leave for Basic. Story branches to accommodate that. Sep and Nes find the manager and complete the objective.

The difference is the players. Agy and Swith are stronk and dedicated. Swith hates interacting with the manager. Both players were more interested in working on their side story involving Nes' damage. Yet they kept posting, kept moving the scene to complete the objective. PL was counting on that hospital, and Torsi deserved a proper sendoff IC.


I'll only say this one more time: I balance my games. I make sure there are things for every character to do. I set it up so every character has a chance to be a hero, to shine, to succeed. All a player need do is post.

...
Swith raises a couple of points here I'd like to emphasize.

1) PL may use a point-buy system under the hood, something like GURPS or Hero System. Characters have "real" abilities that are driven by the stuff visible on our apps. Point-buy systems are, IME, very good ways of expressing and thinking about RP characters and what they can do. Those of us with pen&paper/table-top RPG experience often are used to point-buy systems (me, and it appears Swith and Prim).

2) If there is a point-buy system for PL, it's opaque to the players. This is good and bad.

It's good because, as Swith says, people can't argue about what they don't know. Some point-buy systems and games are notorious for point-pimping and rules-lawyering, as players try to exploit the rules to their advantage. This is Not Fun.

But it's bad because we only have the haziest ideas of what characters can do, which means we can easily get in over our heads. It also means we can underestimate what our characters can do, which leads to some of the problems Bran was discussing. If a player doesn't think their character can influence (or even survive) a scene or a story, they sit it out. Too many like that, and they get bored and/or frustrated. This is also Not Fun.

Thinking about how to make it Fun requires thinking and careful implementation. That may also be a question for Cer&Co.

1) It's used in the apps to prevent Mary Sues. It forces an applicant to put thought into powers and into balancing their character out.

2) Swith and I were talking about this with our gaming group the other day. As a GM, I make certain there are things for every character to do regardless of his power level. Sometimes players fail to see that. The grass is greener on the other side, right?

DBZ:
Bulma is a genius. She's not a fighter. Bulma wouldn't run into battle with Goku or Piccolo. She knows her limits. She works with another character to procure the Dragon Balls while the epic fighters distract the Bag Guy and pound the fuck out of each other. As she works and in the distance, mountains are crumbling and craters are forming. She works harder and faster. The fighters' efforts are meaningless if she doesn't succeed. The weight of the story is on her ability to come through before time runs out.

DBZ PL:
"NO FAIR! I want to send Bulma in with Goku. Why is my character always neglected? I want to be in an epic battle, too! Fine. I'll send Bulma to get the balls. This is stupid." --week passes with no posts for Bulma-- "Oh hai guys! Anything new?" --Two weeks and an IC time skip later, with no posts for Bulma-- "It's unfair that my character is left out of stories. Bulma isn't as powerful as Goku but I feel like I'm not allowed to participate in anything important/fun. The weaker characters are ignored."

[The BranRiech]

The Branriech is a secular nation, so Christmas isn't a state holiday, but workers are usually granted a few days off for the occasion. Being a Socialist society as well, rabid consumerism is discouraged (But not forbidden, though your diehard commie neighbor may give you the stink-eye), but most families simply spend the day together with relatives, and exchange gifts as normal.

EDIT: Well shucks, my post feels a bit out of place now.

Cer, I totally see your point. I was just voicing some concerns and playing devil's advocate. You know I used to get worked up over issues like that (Most of the time it was unwarranted), but this time I figured it'd be constructive to bring up some opposing viewpoints. I've actually had a lot more fun with this iteration of PL than the old ones, and I appreciate where the RP is going.

Also, to Gio: I'm waiting to give Prim a chance to post before replying with Yuna, is that alright?

[New Aksarben]

Christmas is only celebrated by a christian Minority, mostly in the border states.

The state however celebrates the old Roman holidays, so Saturnalia is celebrated during this time! Harvest festival celebrating Saturnus where public offices get closed, upwards of a week, but its usually limited to three or five days starting the 17th of December. Everyone basically just lets loose and celebrates the harvest and year, similar to Zalgofest probably, just without the magic or strangeness, just basically hedonism and such for a week! Its slightly consumerist in this modern era, but that's because it was even traditional to sell certain things in markets at the end of the festivals and during, its just expanded in scope over the years to also include a tradition of gift giving due to influence of Christianity and similar solstice traditions. Polytheistic religions tend to be syncretic like that.

-----

Oh and thanks for clarifications on those points, Cer.

[Cerillium]

The Branriech is a secular nation, so Christmas isn't a state holiday, but workers are usually granted a few days off for the occasion. Being a Socialist society as well, rabid consumerism is discouraged (But not forbidden, though your diehard commie neighbor may give you the stink-eye), but most families simply spend the day together with relatives, and exchange gifts as normal.

EDIT: Well shucks, my post feels a bit out of place now.

Cer, I totally see your point. I was just voicing some concerns and playing devil's advocate. You know I used to get worked up over issues like that (Most of the time it was unwarranted), but this time I figured it'd be constructive to bring up some opposing viewpoints. I've actually had a lot more fun with this iteration of PL than the old ones, and I appreciate where the RP is going.

Also, to Gio: I'm waiting to give Prim a chance to post before replying with Yuna, is that alright?

You brought up some good ones.

But, also, you've come a long way since the old days. You did an excellent job recognizing Drova's limitations recently. The fight in the teen club was proof of that. You stayed consistent. He's not a fighter. Yet, when it came time to contribute towards a story, he went right down the elevator shaft.

---

Merry Christmas to all who keep it. Happy Day Off to those that don't.

[The New Velociraptor Empire]

Christmas Meme?

How is Christmas/Other equivalent Holiday celebrated in your nation?

I refer you to my last post here.

[Charmera]

Sorry my posting's been lax, I got Xmas stuff to do.

[Mincaldenteans]

IJ, my dear, your app will be reviewed. Christmas got the best of us, but Cer will have it reviewed tomorrow night ^_^

[Torsiedelle]

#PLAPP

PERSONIFICATION LIFE
CHARACTER APPLICATION

---

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS
Character Name: Sozewe Oumech

Character Gender: Male

Species (nation personification, human, alien, etc): Human/Cyborg

Age: 27

Appearance: Standing at 5'11", Oumech is a thin, but imposing "man", donning an all-black outfit, the only thing not completely covered being his disturbingly droid-like face.

URL to Character Picture, if any: So Sith. Much Dark Side. Wow.

Primary Objective: (What is your character's main goal? This should be the thing that drives their part of the plot.) Oumech wishes to learn more about and understand The Force, and to grow in power as he does so, hopefully leading to him achieving total immortality and power.

Secondary Objectives: (What other goals does your character intend to achieve? These should drive subplots.) -Oumech has an unquenchable curiosity for discovering and exploring new planets and sectors, and fancies himself a part-time explorer. He wants to find out what's out there, and maybe bring home an interesting trinket.

- Oumech wants to try and control the Dark Side, or use the Dark Side without being corrupted. Beyond that, he wants to show that he can use the powers of the Dark Side to destroy wrongdoers and oppressors, and protect the weak who can't defend themselves; he also wants to do it better than a Jedi could.

MUNDANE SKILLS
These do NOT require points. These are the average, daily things your character can do. Examples are "drive a car", "speak a normal Foreign Language", "play a guitar", "write poetry". Some mundane skills come from your bio and are freebie. A soldier knows very basic training (shoot a gun, basic drill). Medic, martial arts or sniper would be a Specialized Skill or Talent.
List Mundane skills here:
-Understanding of Galactic Basic (English)
-Lightsaber combat prowess (Heavy-style, Juyo, single-lightsaber)
- Force abilities & sensitivity
- Basic knowledge of Jedi & Sith philosophy
- Meditation/Introspection
- Improved strength/stamina (Cybernetics)



SPECIALIZED SKILLS AND TALENTS
These are specialized skills that set you apart from the average person. You have 7 points to spend here. Examples are swordsmanship, sniper, coercion, piloting etc.
Ability 1 and Points Spent: Lightsaber Prowess - 2
Ability 2 and Points Spent: Force Training - 1
Ability 3 and Points Spent: Coercion/Intimidation - 1
Ability 4 and Points Spent:


OPTIONAL SUPERNATURAL CHARACTERISTICS

- As a Sith, Sozewe is similar in his power to a Jedi. However, Sozewe's abilities are more offensive and aggressive in nature, and are naturally more inclined for fighting and other violent acts than those that a user from the Light Side would have.

Ability 1: Telekinesis
Power Level: 3
Strengths: Can pick up objects, manipulate items, and even amplify his own physical ability beyond what is naturally possible. As a Sith, he can also use his abilities against living things, using his powers to stun, immobilize, or even choke out someone. Sozewe mainly uses his powers offensively.
Weaknesses: Drawing from his own power, it's draining on Sozewe. On top of this, his powers have yet to reach their full potential, meaning that Sozewe can't simply go throwing houses around willy-nilly.
Restrictions: Force resistance and weight can be an issue.

Ability 2: Force Lightning
Power Level: 2
Strengths: Sozewe can, with enough concentration and power, redirect the energy around him to emit power lightning from his hands, using it as a weapon against enemies.
Weaknesses: It requires intense concentration and willpower on his part, and can end up going out of control for a moment before stopping. It's something that he uses only when needed. Additionally, as Sozewe lacks one organic arm, his ability is very limited when compared to a fully-organic Sith warrior.
Restrictions: Short range, short time use, and very draining on Sozewe.



MAGICAL OR SPECIAL ITEMS
List:
- His two lightsabers, Rubat (Straight-handled) and Katak (Curved handle)
- A small, hand-written journal, filled with notes, drawings, and entries detailing his explorations and other various items from the Galaxy
- A Sith Holocron he discovered early in his travels


BACKGROUND
Education or Training: Souzewe traveled the galaxy after he discovered his force sensitivity, learning from different Jedi, and one some occasions those who embraced the Dark Side. When alone, he looked in on himself, meditated, and gained new insight on the Force by reading and researching, trying to find his own answers and develop his own philosophy.

Character Background/Biography: Sozewe Oumech grew up on an Imperial-friendly world near the edges of the Outer Rim, though he personally grew up in the days of the New Republic. Always entranced by stories of the Empire's power, or the struggles of the Rebellion, or even stories as far back as the Clone Wars, Sozewe dreamed of seeing it all and going on all sorts of adventures. When he was just a teenager, he got his wish, hopping about an old Corvette as a crewman and going to run cargo all over known space.

It was in his youth that he discovered his sensitivity to the Force, a discovery that changed his life considerably. Wanting to learn more about his powers, Sozewe sought out knowledge from the new Jedi, or from anyone who could give him information, and, as he learned, he began to think back, and look at himself, and meditate, and develop his own philosophy about the Force. In his time, he learned about the Jedi code, and about the Jedi way of life, but he also learned about the ways of the Sith, and about their differences with the Jedi. He found aspects of both sides appealing, and, in his mind, he considered that he could follow his own path and learn from both ends.

But as he tried to merge these principles, he found himself either going one way or the other, and he found himself in disagreement with more than a few other people, who stated that there could be no middle ground. Again, Sozewe had to think on his ideas, and as he did, he found himself always leaning towards the Dark Side. He saw no use in abstaining from life's pleasures, or from suppressing his emotions and powers; he was a mortal man, and the idea of sitting by and abstaining from living his one life just didn't suit him. He wanted to live, and he wanted to let his power grow. He wanted to use his power to defeat his enemies, and to help those who couldn't defeat theirs, to use his power to help others without abiding by a rigid code or discipline, and so, with some fear, and some excitement, Sozewe declared himself a Sith Warrior, and set out on his journey to better understand the force, and to set himself free.

One of Sozewe's greatest fears in life is not being able to live his life, by being no more - by dying. Like many others before him, the idea of death terrified him, and the idea of eternal life was too good to not be pursued, even if it meant falling to the Dark Side. When Sozewe set out to understand the Force as a Sith, he set out to become powerful enough to give himself immortality. While he did that, though, time would pass, and his body would age, and grow frail. That was a concern that drove Sozewe to continually modify his own body, time after time, to make himself less organic, less human, to make himself "stronger" in that his skin would no longer age and decay, since he had none. He had no fear of going blind with age, or from losing his grip as his arms became frail, if he had none of those, if he replaced them with superior, undying synthetic parts. As his understanding of the Force grew, so did the amount of synthetics that made up his body. His obsession drove him to nearly shed his humanity, in an attempt to create the perfect, inorganic, immortal body. However, there was no way he could ever completely erase his human existence. There would still always be insides that couldn't be replaced, nerves and fleshy bits that he just couldn't do without. As long as he still held some bit of mortality, he was not satisfied. Sozewe continued to meditate and practice, and pursue the powers of immortality that only the Dark Side could give him.


OTHER GAME MECHANICS
URL to Apartment Picture: (What's the inside of their apartment look like) Oumech's room Resembles a Sith temple in aesthetics, and is very simple in layout, with three small, spare rooms off to the side of the main room, with is large and round, and dimly lit. In the main area, Oumech sleeps, meditates, and does just about everything else he would normally do.

Link to RP examples: (this MUST be a DIRECT LINK to your IC post in an RP, NOT a link to the RP thread itself. If you don't have examples, make your biography good.)

IMPORTANT:
One paragraph that sums up your character. This paragraph is what we'll use on your player tab on the first page of the thread. This MUST be brief. Your tab will contain a link to your application so people will have full details
Character Name: Sozewe Oumech
Brief Description: Sozewe, a cybernetic Sith Warrior obsessed with increasing his own power and finding eternal life, Sozewe is dedicated in his search. Despite his insane obsession and brutality as a Sith, Sozewe also still has some moral compass, seeing his pursuit as a way to help others, even if he is a self-maimed warrior of the Dark Side.

[Imperial--japan]

IJ, my dear, your app will be reviewed. Christmas got the best of us, but Cer will have it reviewed tomorrow night ^_^

Many thanks. I too will be quite busy with christmas today, so I'm in no particular hurry at the moment.

Merry Christmas everyone.

[The Carlisle]

Christmas itself is only practiced by a minority in the country. Soyaluna instead takes its place, although a more nationalized and commercialized version of it. Celebrated on the Winter Solstice, gifts, wishes for good health, and hopes for a good new year are exchanged. Various regions differ in practices in it, but those are the constants throughout it.

Anyways, Happy Holidays! Probably won't be posting much. Gonna do some stuff today. Cook lamb chops and go shopping for my gifts. Also, came out to my Dad and feel great about it!

[New Aksarben]

Christmas itself is only practiced by a minority in the country. Soyaluna instead takes its place, although a more nationalized and commercialized version of it. Celebrated on the Winter Solstice, gifts, wishes for good health, and hopes for a good new year are exchanged. Various regions differ in practices in it, but those are the constants throughout it.

Anyways, Happy Holidays! Probably won't be posting much. Gonna do some stuff today. Cook lamb chops and go shopping for my gifts. Also, came out to my Dad and feel great about it!

Congrats!


HAppy holdays today everyone!

[Monfrox]

>when Swith likened us to animals and I was a Russian bear

[Northwest Slobovia]

Star Wars retold as a medieval Irish epic:

What was the reason for the Tragic Death of Cenn Obi and the Destruction of Da Thféider’s Hostel? (1) Not difficult that.

There was once a great queen of Alt Da Rann and Leia was her name. War had sprung up between her people and those of Da Thféider. She sent messengers to ask for aid from the wildman, Cenn Obi. He lived in the wilderness far to the west. These were the messengers she sent: Síd Tríphe Óg, who knew all the languages of man and beast,(2) and the dwarf, Artú.

[TotallyNotEvilLand]

Happy winter festivities, everyone. Hope you guys got what you wanted (I got about 15 new pairs of pajamas, but alas, no kilt.). My hiatus will likely continue for longer, but I hope that doesn't mean I can't come in and say hello, still.

Anyways, what's this about a Christmas meme?


The Kingdom of Arkadacia celebrates a holiday similar to, though noteably different to Christmas, known as Kharkidhal (Kharkissal's Day), based around the Arkchil god of war, Kharkissal. The traditions of gift giving are mostly replaced with passing down family heirlooms and items of importance to a younger generation, with fathers passing their swords or bows on to their sons, and wives passing their hatchets and shields to their daughters. While in more modern times the gifts are more varied, the original intent of Kharkidhal is still quite evident, and the day now serves as a sort of veteran's day.

[Highfort]

Apologies for late post, but to all in the UA group, we're now on the highway to the market. Post whatever questions or banter or even observations you'd like, I have curry to cook.