PL: The EPIC OOC - closed thread

[Swith Witherward]

Alright, minor correction. Cer mentioned Brit in his Boar post. It's supposed to be Sgt. Kafka. I edited my post and swapped her out with Brit... so now it's Kafka flying over the fuzzy jedi's head.

[Monfrox]

Alright, minor correction. Cer mentioned Brit in his Boar post. It's supposed to be Sgt. Kafka. I edited my post and swapped her out with Brit... so now it's Kafka flying over the fuzzy jedi's head.

I'll go edit too. Well, when I have more than four hours of rest.

Can I sleep please

[Highfort]

1. Septimus and Opa, obviously But really, it depends on whether I decide to keep Opa around as a full character or relegate him to NPC that mostly does stuff behind-the-scenes and occasionally gets to go out in the limelight.

2. Well, what Sep's doing is classified (for now) but suffice to say he would've been busy with leadership-related stuff and Opa would've probably been helping Marcus finish the teleporter by providing basic, piecemeal knowledge of Confederation construction and teleportation data; as a riot-control droid, Opa would've been deployed through teleporters to get to the front lines and would've had to use numerous programs which provide key insight into how Confederation teleporters worked. Additionally, Opa would've been working with the tech priests on salvaging any Confed tech that could be found through the Gates and attempting to reestablish contact with their unit.

[Cerillium]

I'd like to poll our players in order to get a sense of how PL should go.

Code: Select all

Your name:
How many characters do you have in PL:
How old are your characters:
Do you enjoy stories with intrigue and with fleshed out story lines? (Popsicle stories):
Why or why not?
Do you enjoy stories where players don't have any fixed ending in mind (no real objective or point) - they post based off the posts before, and put no real thought into where the story is going provided they are having fun (Poptart play)?
Why or why not?
Do you want to return to the days of Bielefeld when people entertained themselves by going out to dinners, or taking walks on the beach, and where the most stressful thing was whether or not their fun would be disrupted by an invasion?
Why?
Do you want to continue with the current theme of characters working as a team and going on missions to learn new things and get stuff?
Why?

[Holy Lykos]

Your name: Lykos, NA

How many characters do you have in PL: 4

How old are your characters: 22, 26, 60, 90

Do you enjoy stories with intrigue and with fleshed out story lines? (Popsicle stories): Yes

Why or why not? They have depth, are interesting, and often well thought through. I enjoy figuring out puzzles and working with other players to figure out what characters should do before they do them. Planning and thinking things through make stuff more fun. I enjoy running such things too, and seeing people enjoy the stories we build together and see characters bond through intrigue and hardship. Its much more like reality, and a proper story, and tabletop RPGs. All things which I enjoy immensely.

Do you enjoy stories where players don't have any fixed ending in mind (no real objective or point) - they post based off the posts before, and put no real thought into where the story is going provided they are having fun (Poptart play)? Sometimes.

Why or why not? The lack of objective and goal means they get side tracked easily. People wander and stories fuck up. Nothing gets done and we're back to square one. Of course a minor event works well, such as the fairies, random events, and other minor short things do well with this. Overarching theme, not so much.

Do you want to return to the days of Bielefeld when people entertained themselves by going out to dinners, or taking walks on the beach, and where the most stressful thing was whether or not their fun would be disrupted by an invasion? No

Why? Disorganized madness gets stale fast. Constant meaningless character death isn't fun.

Do you want to continue with the current theme of characters working as a team and going on missions to learn new things and get stuff? Yes!

Why? I love characters having real depth, drive, and goals. Plus removing this seems to mean dropping the overall plot entirely and the GMs deserve to have their fun as much as the players.

[Mincaldenteans]

Your name: Mincaldenteans/Min/Mincivet
How many characters do you have in PL: 4 (not counting the rest of the Guild)
How old are your characters: early to mid-30s and Mab doesn't tell.
Do you enjoy stories with intrigue and with fleshed out story lines? (Popsicle stories): Yes
Why or why not?: Only way I RP.
Do you enjoy stories where players don't have any fixed ending in mind (no real objective or point) - they post based off the posts before, and put no real thought into where the story is going provided they are having fun (Poptart play)?: No
Why or why not?: It's almost like blitzing to me, I can't (and won't) keep up, lose interest very quickly.
Do you want to return to the days of Bielefeld when people entertained themselves by going out to dinners, or taking walks on the beach, and where the most stressful thing was whether or not their fun would be disrupted by an invasion?: No
Why?: There's no point to it other than <insert something random>.
Do you want to continue with the current theme of characters working as a team and going on missions to learn new things and get stuff?: I just want a storyline I can put my characters in that aren't moving a scene along without any real significance beyond Admin purposes. Pivotal moments to develop (or not in defiance), y'know, do something .
Why?: see above.

[Swith Witherward]

Your name: Swith

How many characters do you have in PL: 1 - Marcus. The rest are forced to walk around like 2D objects to move stories along.

How old are your characters: Marcus is 20, I think. The rest don't matter.

Do you enjoy stories with intrigue and with fleshed out story lines? (Popsicle stories): Yes.

Why or why not? It gives me a challenge. I can flesh out thoughts and explore the psychology behind my character's actions. In the hands of a good storyteller, in-depth stories uncurl a single petal at a time until we come upon the full bloom. It's beautiful to watch happen, and even more wonderful when I'm a part of it on some small scale. My character's grow and find new conflicts to enrich their personality, and I figure out ways from them to overcome new challenges. But these stories can be light, too. Targquest was light. Neste getting mucous out of Sep's lungs with a vacuum was light. But each post built towards an objective, and the experiences will remain with the character and shape them rather than discarded.

Do you enjoy stories where players don't have any fixed ending in mind (no real objective or point) - they post based off the posts before, and put no real thought into where the story is going provided they are having fun (Poptart play)? No.

Why or why not? I don't like this style.

Do you want to return to the days of Bielefeld when people entertained themselves by going out to dinners, or taking walks on the beach, and where the most stressful thing was whether or not their fun would be disrupted by an invasion? Yes

Why? Because I've lost interest in Galli. People have soured it.

Do you want to continue with the current theme of characters working as a team and going on missions to learn new things and get stuff? Yes

Why? For the same reasons Min listed.

[Tiltjuice]

Your name: Tilt
How many characters do you have in PL: 1.5
How old are your characters: Over 2000.
Do you enjoy stories with intrigue and with fleshed out story lines? (Popsicle stories): Yes.
Why or why not? I write to bring a scene, an arc, etc. to life. The more real (or fantastic, as the case may be) the better. Having no consequences or follow-up bleaches by comparison. It's all about extending oneself and one's chars.
Do you enjoy stories where players don't have any fixed ending in mind (no real objective or point) - they post based off the posts before, and put no real thought into where the story is going provided they are having fun (Poptart play)? No.
Why or why not?
Do you want to return to the days of Bielefeld when people entertained themselves by going out to dinners, or taking walks on the beach, and where the most stressful thing was whether or not their fun would be disrupted by an invasion? Flexible/Other. I wouldn't mind going back to the setting, but I don't necessarily see that having the rest of it as the main play is entertaining.
Why? ^
Do you want to continue with the current theme of characters working as a team and going on missions to learn new things and get stuff? Yes please.
Why? Doing otherwise is dull.

[Chedastan]

Your name: Ched, Chedder

How many characters do you have in PL: 2

How old are your characters: Nivea: 25, Romy: 33

Do you enjoy stories with intrigue and with fleshed out story lines? (Popsicle stories): Oh yes I do.

Why or why not? I enjoy a story with depth that's rich. I see such stories as a fitting place for characters to develop and grow. And it's rewarding when something is achieved, it's never disappointing.

Do you enjoy stories where players don't have any fixed ending in mind (no real objective or point) - they post based off the posts before, and put no real thought into where the story is going provided they are having fun (Poptart play)? Maybe, it really depends, and I consider it a very delicate fine line.

Why or why not? I just think that these stories do in their own right deserve a place in some more light-hearted events or quests that happen every now and then. But they shouldn't be what solely populates the RP, and I will admit, Popsicle stories have to take precedent first. Because we need plots that act crucially to the RP, and Poptarts can't cut it by themselves if they are the majority of what's in play. Flavored ice on a stick will always have more depth than a cheap breakfast pastry.

Do you want to return to the days of Bielefeld when people entertained themselves by going out to dinners, or taking walks on the beach, and where the most stressful thing was whether or not their fun would be disrupted by an invasion? I never experienced the Bielefeld days, but I'll weigh in by saying that I don't think we can ever go back to something like that. It'll be too much of a mood shift from what has already happened.

Why? I like to believe that the RP itself has simply evolved too much to return to something like that. The stakes presented in the overarching God War plot are already too high and still rapidly growing for such a shift to casually occur. I simply worry a shift like that will take away from the buildup that have been leading to larger events down the road. Essentially I don't want the BIG plot to miss a beat here, and I don't want there to be a poptart distraction when it does happen.

Do you want to continue with the current theme of characters working as a team and going on missions to learn new things and get stuff? Yes.

Why? If it an't broke don't fix it. The system works well as it does, there just needs to be a constant initiative on us players to participate and use the theme to great effect, and I believe there's good enough precedent as there is for that.

[Northwest Slobovia]

Your name: Slo
How many characters do you have in PL: 2
How old are your characters: The mouthpiece is 33 and the egghead is 38.
Do you enjoy stories with intrigue and with fleshed out story lines? (Popsicle stories): Yup.
Why or why not? I've played them for so long that until I started reading the Classic PL IC, I'd forgotten people did anything else with RP. In terms of plot and characterization, I believe character is stated and developed through the choices characters make. That means those choices must have appreciable consquences for characters to develop.
Do you enjoy stories where players don't have any fixed ending in mind (no real objective or point) - they post based off the posts before, and put no real thought into where the story is going provided they are having fun (Poptart play)? For a little while.
Why or why not? Hunger can't be satisfied by eating spoonfuls of sugar.
Do you want to return to the days of Bielefeld when people entertained themselves by going out to dinners, or taking walks on the beach, and where the most stressful thing was whether or not their fun would be disrupted by an invasion? Sometimes.
Why? As a player, because I need a break from heavy stories now and then. As a storyteller, cast member, or audience member, because dramatic tension needs to resolve or else fatigue sets in. Or as Mr. Incredible puts it:

No matter how many times you save the world, it always manages to get back in jeopardy again. Sometimes I just want it to stay saved! You know, for a little bit? I feel like the maid; I just cleaned up this mess! Can we keep it clean for... for ten minutes!

Do you want to continue with the current theme of characters working as a team and going on missions to learn new things and get stuff? Yup.
Why? The Belas are busy people: people to save, universes to do.

[Giovenith]

Wait, character age is their canon age, not how long the chars have existed?

[Highfort]

Your name: Agy
How many characters do you have in PL: 2
How old are your characters: Septimus is 2000+, but physically in his early 40s; Opa's about 20 years old and physically is a robot
Do you enjoy stories with intrigue and with fleshed out story lines? (Popsicle stories): Y
Why or why not?

I consider popsicle stories to be one of the finer points of roleplay, especially coming from a background in story-heavy video game RPGs like Fallout: New Vegas, Mass Effect, Dragon Age, The Elder Scrolls, and etc. Many of these games, whether superficially or on a more contemplative level, explored themes about life, humanity, fate, discrimination, the nature of conflict, and other such ideas. While I do appreciate the flexibility of lighter poptart play, I consider it to ultimately be self-defeating as the lack of a goal tends to encourage the formation of fleshed-out storylines by the players which, in the end, just results in popsicle stories anyways.

Ultimately, I see RP as a medium for exploring interesting concepts, playing around with novel ideas, and juxtaposing compelling characters in meaningful situations. That is, I see it as collaborative storytelling. That's facilitated much better with storylines that are being GMed and fleshed-out as opposed to spontaneous poptart play.

Do you enjoy stories where players don't have any fixed ending in mind (no real objective or point) - they post based off the posts before, and put no real thought into where the story is going provided they are having fun (Poptart play)? N
Why or why not?

I don't find poptart play very appealing because it relies, for the most part, on things that don't make any sense for anything more than a moment in time. Characters without goals are just really bad characters, in my opinion. Characters with goals can have moments of spontaneous levity -during- a situation, but those moments of levity don't really take up "episodes" of their life - the situations do.

Similarly, characters brought together with no situation to drive them results in generally very boring interactions that don't go anywhere because what makes up a character's, well, character is how they react to certain situations. If there's nowhere for the situation to go, then there's nothing for the character to do - and then the character ceases to be a character and becomes a skin-suit that wobbles around and spouts dialogue. Many of my characters are, admittedly, guilty of doing this during popsicle stories, but... Popsicle stories let us get back on track and avoid prolonging these moments. Poptart play does not.

Do you want to return to the days of Bielefeld when people entertained themselves by going out to dinners, or taking walks on the beach, and where the most stressful thing was whether or not their fun would be disrupted by an invasion? N
Why?

I liked Bielefeld as a setting. It's got an interesting backstory and history that can be explored and lots of locations to look at. But I don't like the idea of the primary attraction being dinner, a walk on the beach, and a random invasion because everyone got bored. Those are things I want to do on vacation to relax because my life is stressful and packed enough as it is with exciting things I am obligated to do. An RP is not packed with exciting things by default, I want some excitement, damn it!

Do you want to continue with the current theme of characters working as a team and going on missions to learn new things and get stuff? Y
Why?

I've been having a lot of fun and it's really interesting seeing where all these stories go and watching the world and characters develop and react to the missions and to working with each other. It resembles more an actual RPG than when PL was focused primarily on sandboxing (admittedly, most of the sandboxing was before my time), and I like that.

[Tiltjuice]

Wait, character age is their canon age, not how long the chars have existed?

iFink so.

[Torrocca]

Your name: Torr

How many characters do you have in PL: 1

How old are your characters: 21

Do you enjoy stories with intrigue and with fleshed out story lines? (Popsicle stories): Yes

Why or why not? I love having stories where you can just get the true depth and liveliness of characters when they end up having to face challenges and accomplish goals that have an actual, lasting effect to their story, whether good or bad. It really just makes things feel more real and alive.

Do you enjoy stories where players don't have any fixed ending in mind (no real objective or point) - they post based off the posts before, and put no real thought into where the story is going provided they are having fun (Poptart play)? Occasionally.

Why or why not? While I absolutely favor having stories that really build characters, having every event be dramatic and affecting to the story would get boring; like real life, people aren't always questing to find an item important to a plot or defeating the level's boss - there's a lot of times where people just screw around and have fun that isn't exactly consequential to anything. This also helps keep a character feeling 'alive' since, like real life, people or characters shouldn't be wanting to have to deal with the constant stress of important things, like "if we don't get this item, we'll lose the world!" or "you need to study every day for this one test!" Doing that is how you create machines.

Do you want to return to the days of Bielefeld when people entertained themselves by going out to dinners, or taking walks on the beach, and where the most stressful thing was whether or not their fun would be disrupted by an invasion? I was never involved in Bielefeld, but sure!

Why? See the poptart explanation above.

Do you want to continue with the current theme of characters working as a team and going on missions to learn new things and get stuff? Yes.

Why? I feel like this one is pretty important to developing characters AND their relationships with other characters; like, friendships and the like start with conversations and whatnot, but they get stale, boring, and just die out if nothing is actually done with those friendships.

[Primordial Luxa]

Your name: Primordial is fine

How many characters do you have in PL: 3 (Primordial, Insidious, Aegis)

How old are your characters: 100-150 years old, can be changed

Do you enjoy stories with intrigue and with fleshed out story lines? (Popsicle stories): Yes

Why or why not?: they can be detailed and interesting giving players unique challenges that test them in complex ways. But if they are too detailed and don't let the characters and players alter things then they feel like a railroad where players follow a predetermined plan they had no plan in making which can also limit character development.

Do you enjoy stories where players don't have any fixed ending in mind (no real objective or point) - they post based off the posts before, and put no real thought into where the story is going provided they are having fun (Poptart play)? Yes

Why or why not? This style of play is casual and allow exploration of minor character aspect and details without major events. It is also easier to set up and usually lower key which can be a needed break from high action. However they are a time sink and need players that are experienced enough to manage their time and improv the stor in an efficient manner that doesn't drag.

Do you want to return to the days of Bielefeld when people entertained themselves by going out to dinners, or taking walks on the beach, and where the most stressful thing was whether or not their fun would be disrupted by an invasion? Yes but not all the time

Why? Parts of those days were great but other parts were bad. If these fun laid back time could occur as breaks from "missions" that would make the missions feel more important and give us down time between "big" events and plans.

Do you want to continue with the current theme of characters working as a team and going on missions to learn new things and get stuff? Yes but not all the time

Why? These events are exciting and interesting. They provide big ways for our characters to show off and though I wish our characters could be a bigger driving force they are still fun ways to pull out all the stops and have an adventure. I just don't think adventure and cranked to 11 plot focus should be the goal all the time.

Summary: people can think about PL however they like, and regardless of how it's structured I will probably still play. But I when I think how I WANT it to be I think about a tv series. Sure each season has starts and ends with a two part episode where the stakes are big, but the rest of the show is pretty slice of life and mundane. Maybe small threats in the middle come up in the finale or are caused by the beginning but it's nothing major. Most of the middle is just less structured fun.

[Swith Witherward]

Wait, character age is their canon age, not how long the chars have existed?

Er, not sure. Naomi is chronologically 8? But her maturity level is early 30s.

edit: though at times she's an immature little shit, and at other times, she's a deer in headlights due to her inexperience. (Also forgot she spent time with Thad during the Drone war.)

[Giovenith]

Wait, character age is their canon age, not how long the chars have existed?

Er, not sure. Naomi is chronologically 8? But her maturity level is early 30s.

edit: though at times she's an immature little shit, and at other times, she's a deer in headlights due to her inexperience. (Also forgot she spent time with Thad during the Drone war.)

I meant more so like, Willow was created in 2013, ergo the character is four, but ICly he's 22.

Eh, everybody has already put IC age, that's just what I'll do.

[Giovenith]

Your name: Giovenith

How many characters do you have in PL: 2 (have had up to 3)

How old are your characters: As of this writing, Gio is 20 (b. 1996) and Willow is 22 (b. 1994).

Do you enjoy stories with intrigue and with fleshed out story lines? (Popsicle stories): Yes.

Why or why not? Why do people follow the Marvel universe movies for so many years? Or DC's movies? The epic comic timelines they're based on? Star Wars? Why do they watch Game of Thrones? Why Breaking Bad? Or Dexter? Arrow, Supergirl, Star Trek, Westworld, Doctor Who? Why do they read Hunger Games, Maximum Rider, Harry Potter, or the multitude of series that comprise Rick Riordan's mythological gods universe - or Neil Gaiman's, or H.P. Loveraft's, or Stephen King's? Why do they watch anime like Sailor Moon, Madoka Magika, Cowboy Behop, Death Note, Dragonball Z, or Gurren Lagann? Why are concept albums often the most successful and beloved of a music artist's career? Why are adult cartoons like Rick and Morty or South Park such a success where so many other cheap imitations have failed? Why have old and ancient tales like the Odyssey, the Illiad, the Mahabarata, the Epic of Gilgamesh, Paradise Lost, Beowulf, the Robin Hood legends, the King Arthur legends, stood the test of time and continue to reign supreme as some of the greatest stories ever told despite so much else of their times being lost?

Because this is the essence of quality media, it always has been. Gag-play rarely sticks in the human memory and heart. What ultimately wins the masses and earns a place in the culture is the epic tales, the ones where we learn and grow along with the story. Why? The most common explanation that mythologists and sociologists give is the one I think is most likely to be true: these stories serve as a way to explain the inherent difficulty of the normal human life. Most of us never do fantastical things but we nonetheless go through things that change us, rip us apart, build us into new people, and open our eyes. We want a way to express this and to connect to one another over these common feelings, and the easiest way to do this is to construct stories that convey the weight of these experiences in a new way: maybe I can't understand your survival of an abusive relationship, maybe you can't understand my quest to amend an unfair law, but we can nonetheless come together by watching Katniss slay the Capitol, Thor prevent Ragnarok, or Harry Potter and his friends fight the Death Eaters. That feeling of overcoming the odds, of victory, is common, even if the path to that feeling is different. Epic stories put our complicated feelings and struggles in a way that's easier to see and understand, they speak to us in ways we may not fully understand even as we look at them. Watching fictional people grow can help us grow, watching difficult things happen in fiction can help us understand and deal with difficult things in real life. While gag media might be the brief moments in life, epic media is life itself, putting a hand on our shoulder and saying: "It's okay. I know it's going to be hard. But you can do it, I'm right behind you. I believe in you."

I don't watch Doctor Who, but I've seen reviews of episodes, and I think this exchange fits:

ROBIN: So, is it true, Doctor?
DOCTOR: Is what true?
ROBIN: That in the future I am forgotten as a real man? I am but a legend?
DOCTOR: I'm afraid it is.
ROBIN: Hmm. Good. History is a burden. Stories can make us fly.
DOCTOR: I'm still having a little trouble believing yours, I'm afraid.
ROBIN: Is it so hard to credit? That a man born into wealth and privilege should find the plight of the oppressed and weak too much to bear...
DOCTOR: No.
ROBIN: Until one night he is moved to steal a Tardis? Fly among the stars, fighting the good fight. Clara told me your stories.
DOCTOR: She should not have told you any of that.
ROBIN: Well. Well, once the story started, she could hardly stop herself. You are her hero, I think.
DOCTOR: I'm not a hero.
ROBIN: Well, neither am I. But if we both keep pretending to be. Ha-ha! Perhaps others will be heroes in our name. Perhaps we will both be stories. And may those stories never end.
(they shake hands)

Do you enjoy stories where players don't have any fixed ending in mind (no real objective or point) - they post based off the posts before, and put no real thought into where the story is going provided they are having fun (Poptart play)? Occasionally.

Why or why not? I'm a big fan of well-done "random humor" and absurdity. It is incredibly easy to get wrong, but when it is done right it can be great. One of my favorite cartons is "Invader Zim," a show completely built on random-ass humor. Even the big epic tales I named above have moments of levity and inconsequential adventure, because that's as much a part of life as the struggles. However, like any joke, it's important to know when enough is enough. "Poptart play" is like junk food, it's okay to have it here and there, but if you try to subsist largely on it you're going to be sick and unhealthy. Maybe cooked vegetables don't quite give you that zing! like chocolate does, but your body knows what it needs, three meals of vegetables will leave you energized and strong - three meals of chocolate will leave you hurling in the toilet. Continuing with the food analogy, you can't have your cake and eat it too, you can't expect to have your characters taken seriously if you constantly complain about needing to actually act seriously and haul your own ass. There's nothing wrong with liking random fun more, but understand that the benefits are not going to be as great and that if you really want to build yourself up as something respectable, you're going to have to pinch your nose and eat your veggies.

Do you want to return to the days of Bielefeld when people entertained themselves by going out to dinners, or taking walks on the beach, and where the most stressful thing was whether or not their fun would be disrupted by an invasion? Sure, if it helps.

Why? If that's what leads to less stress on the part of the CoOPs. I don't have preferences. I can adapt. All I regret is that so much hard work on behalf of many players was squandered in Galli, I know how disappointing that can be - it's unfortunate that I didn't get a chance to use the toy shop I came up with, but it's nothing to die over. I liked Galli, I really did, and the gates were a great idea, and I was excited to get into it, but I want what works best for the people running these things moreso. If it didn't matter I'd want to stay in Galli, but I can't comfortably stay there if I know it's stressing the people running it.

Do you want to continue with the current theme of characters working as a team and going on missions to learn new things and get stuff? Yes, with caveats.

Why? Because there are two scenaiors here: 1) PL has random play and epic missions, or 2) PL just has random play. It's been made clear through experience and talk that random play will never truly go away, so at that point you're just penalizing one "group." I mentioned that my "yes" has caveats though. If we're going to continue doing missions, I believe they should be more exclusive. I know that that's kind of what got us into this mess in the first place, but I said this before, most of PL's big missions have been ruined by a surplus of characters who either don't know what they're doing or don't have real motivation to risk anything. Missions are not something people should be allowed to go on for the sake of "having something to do." The main storyline is being slaughtered by too many people going, "Oh, I thought this looked cool and I was going to be a badass, but now I don't know, nnnnnnn!" I think missions should stop being run from an angle of, "Whoever feels like they could get something out of this quest meet here!" and should be more prepared in advance, with players being allowed to volunteer or be asked by the GM and then be sorted out between who can come and who can stay. Once the mission begins, that's it, no last minute participants, whoever wants to come had their chance.

Two messages in advance for people who may be grimacing at this, you all know who you are: 1) Stop being afraid of being seen as selfish. As long as your story doesn't mess with someone else's stuff directly, nobody is entitled to interaction with you. If people are disappointed that they can't come, say they can come on something else, which leads to 2) Stop thinking you are entitled to interaction and stories. Even preschool fucking children understand that nobody can force a group of kids to let them in on their game, if they're rejected, they have to find something else themselves. Every character in existence has stories they are not qualified for, c'est la vie, nothing personal. This "My characters never get to have any fun!" mentality needs to die, now. No joke. Last time was legit the last time, no more mercy. Occasionally everybody does need a little help getting something to do, even me, but if you are constantly finding yourself bored or "feeling left behind," you need to start taking a long look at yourself and your own habits. You can keep asking others for advice on what to do, sure, that's cool, that's what we're here for, and people WILL try to give you stuff to do - but no more of this entitlement. You get what you get and you don't throw a fit, and if you don't like what you get, make something better yourself. Nobody is here for your entertainment, RP is cooperative entertainment, that needs everyone needs to do their part and you're not always going to get what you want.

[Altito Asmoro]

Your name: AA/Alt

How many characters do you have in PL: 1, so far.

How old are your characters: 29

Do you enjoy stories with intrigue and with fleshed out story lines? (Popsicle stories): Yes, I like stories with intrigue and fleshed.

Why or why not? Well, most of my gaming time filled with games from choice-based games (an alternative for me in the past when I have no Steam and no Steam Wallet), so in the past I used to zealously looking for free games that is not just Flash. Choice-based games intrigued me precisely because of the stories and the details, and I'd like to apply the knowledge into a closer solution called role-playing, something that's been successful in the 5 years.

Do you enjoy stories where players don't have any fixed ending in mind (no real objective or point) - they post based off the posts before, and put no real thought into where the story is going provided they are having fun (Poptart play)? Yes.

Why or why not? It gives us the freedom to explore our character's development and personality and actions and consequences without the need to abide by the fixed linear ending.

Do you want to return to the days of Bielefeld when people entertained themselves by going out to dinners, or taking walks on the beach, and where the most stressful thing was whether or not their fun would be disrupted by an invasion? Probably.

Why? First time I played in PL, which was 3 - 4 years ago, it was exactly like that. Though no objectives will make Bielefeld's living condition sort of boring, guess the mix of both is what I want.

Do you want to continue with the current theme of characters working as a team and going on missions to learn new things and get stuff? Yes.

Why? I like working in a team. And learn new things and get stuffs are just part of a personal experience.

[The BranRiech]

Your name: Bran/Branriech

How many characters do you have in PL: 3 (Bran, Drova, Yuna)

How old are your characters: 30, 20, 19 (Bran, Drova, Yuna, again )

Do you enjoy stories with intrigue and with fleshed out story lines? (Popsicle stories): Yes

Why or why not? Fleshed out stories are definitely more engaging, and more rewarding to participate in. It does sometimes seem like these stories are more exclusive, so it's kind of sad to miss out on them, but they let players have a better opportunity to grow their characters, considering fleshed out stories could actually be full arcs for certain characters. It's nice that we encourage stories like that.

Do you enjoy stories where players don't have any fixed ending in mind (no real objective or point) - they post based off the posts before, and put no real thought into where the story is going provided they are having fun (Poptart play)? Definitely, but in smaller doses.

Why or why not? Not everything's gotta' be serious all the time (Not saying more deep stories have to be), but sometimes it's just fun to throw characters into an unexpected situation, with or without inherent risk. It could be a spontaneous snowball fight, a party, or some other sort of catastrophe (Things like the Naked Fairy come to mind, or some of NVE's old hijinks, even though those were a little more structured, that's the kind of random fun I like in smaller doses).

Do you want to return to the days of Bielefeld when people entertained themselves by going out to dinners, or taking walks on the beach, and where the most stressful thing was whether or not their fun would be disrupted by an invasion? Not really.

Why? There were certain aspects about Bielefeld that I liked, that it was mostly a safe place for our characters, but the invasions and citywide unrest wasn't too fun of an environment to RP in. Sure, the invasions could be fun for a bit, but they always ended in pointless drama. Galli is a pretty amazing setting though, much more thought out than the old city ever was. I want more chances to explore though, to get my characters out of the building, even if it is just Drova and Yuna.


Do you want to continue with the current theme of characters working as a team and going on missions to learn new things and get stuff? Yes!

Why? I haven't been back for long enough to go on any of these missions. I was only really around for the introduction to Gallimaufry, and a few events after. Yuna's on one of those kinds of missions, but I dropped the ball and kind of dropped off the map. I still feel crappy over it, so I want to prove myself again. The missions seem fun, I just need to find a niche for Drova to make him useful (Any sort of mission where flight would be useful?)

[Ganonsyoni]

Your name: Carly/Carlisle/Ganonsyoni

How many characters do you have in PL: Kale

How old are your characters: 18-19

Do you enjoy stories with intrigue and with fleshed out story lines? (Popsicle stories): Yes

Why or why not? Overall I do like the grander plots and long stories. Looking back its what I mostly did outside of PL for a while. Sure, there was some stuff I got into earlier that was more poptart, but in the end I moved onto stuff with bigger plots and more linear stories. It allowed me to explore and develop characters. Fuck, the most memorable character I have created was for an episodic plot and I've enjoyed her so much I've used her again with more tacked on to allow more character to develop. these stories challenged me as a writer and creator of characters and how to develop them.

Do you enjoy stories where players don't have any fixed ending in mind (no real objective or point) - they post based off the posts before, and put no real thought into where the story is going provided they are having fun (Poptart play)? Yes

Why or why not? Sometimes large plots get tiring. Its creatively exhausting to write through a whole plot, react, and develop characters. We like to eat a bit of junk food once in a while, and these stories represents it. Low stakes, more zany plots, react and see what happens, shits and giggles. It gives a bit of a chance to lay back and enjoy something short and sweet inbetween the long stuff. I still remember some of the more random stuff from before which was just adorkable fun when Kale was more of a character oriented towards that. It comes and goes, and while not filling or leaving ones satisfied, it injects a bit of indulgent joy before jumping back into more filling stuff.

Do you want to return to the days of Bielefeld when people entertained themselves by going out to dinners, or taking walks on the beach, and where the most stressful thing was whether or not their fun would be disrupted by an invasion? Conditionally

Why? I did enjoy how Bielefeld was less high stakes than Galli. I didn't like the shift at first and enjoyed the other plots Bielefeld offered. A big urban city with shops, diners, and lovely beaches and parks that had supernatural elements to it was appealing at first and let me brainstorm some character ideas before everything was changed. But over the years, the setting turned less appealing because it was too low stakes. Galli offered a constant setting, and overarching plot, and changed to accommodate things from Bielefeld I liked. I like the shops and cafes and gardens but also like the setting of defending the universe from gods. And the setting got away from a more earth-centric setting that bielefeld was to a more techno-fantasy setting of galli. But still, I do enjoy going back and chilling for a bit. Romp around in the old stomping grounds. See the old haunts. Maybe do a small plot. It fits well for more poptart things.

Do you want to continue with the current theme of characters working as a team and going on missions to learn new things and get stuff? Yes

Why? It allows me to evolve my character beyond being a young girl that did random stuff with teen friends and had ridiculous magic powers. Now shes a young adult that seen and done stuff that makes her lose sleep and cry at night and conflicted about whether her powers are doing more harm than good. And going off and working with people on how to get through a plot and mission with such differing methods and backgrounds allows for great character interplay and development. I like how Kale is working with her near exact opposite in Romy and how the plot and setting allows that. It gives me creativity to try out new things and co-operate with people. And it gives me ideas on how to develop my characters. Kale has developed more in Galli and these settings than any point in the previous. I like seeing my character grow and become more whole from the mostly shallow character she was before.

[Stormwrath]

Your name: Storm
How many characters do you have in PL: One, and I'm keeping it that way. Not until I feel that I have written something substantial with only one character.
How old are your characters: Macy looks 19, was built 7 years ago.

Do you enjoy stories with intrigue and with fleshed out story lines? (Popsicle stories): Aye.
Why or why not? I think stories that take on more serious themes and styles tend to be the ones most conducive for character development and for conflict between characters and everything else, and they certainly have more permanent effects to everyone participating in the story and beyond. The reason why I haven't been sucked into P2TM permanently is because the RPs I tend to be in don't have very thought-out stories to play in and thus little can be done for me to try and come up with the appropriate response my characters will take when faced with whatever conflict there is in the RP.

Also you tend to immerse yourself more with a storyline that interests you and drags you along with it. I mean, I like a little filler and light-heartedness as well, but it's only supposed to work for but a little while.

Do you enjoy stories where players don't have any fixed ending in mind (no real objective or point) - they post based off the posts before, and put no real thought into where the story is going provided they are having fun? (Poptart play): Now you're making that sound bad, but aye.
Why or why not? Because a story with no fixed ending isn't necessarily one that is casual and light-hearted. It can be good to plan things out sometimes, but some good stories tend to come out from the lack of a set ending. I mean, for example, you run an arc about retrieving a magic item (the original goal), discover something that would cause your character to not want to retrieve it (thing changing the goal), prevent others from retrieving it because of previous realization (new goal), and other things (side goals).

Do you want to return to the days of Bielefeld when people entertained themselves by going out to dinners, or taking walks on the beach, and where the most stressful thing was whether or not their fun would be disrupted by an invasion? Never been in PL Classic, so don't know what it's like. Could be interesting to play though.
Why? Eh, it's more consistent as a setting compared to Galli, so I could want to try something out there.

Do you want to continue with the current theme of characters working as a team and going on missions to learn new things and get stuff? You mean RPG parties? Depends on what will be accomplished for both characters and players alike.
Why? I'm neither for or against the idea of sending characters to get things from other dimensions provided the story makes sense and is fun to play in. If I were to be in the mood for a mission though, I'd like that it would encompass more than looking for MacGuffins.

[Monfrox]

Your name: Mon
How many characters do you have in PL: 2
How old are your characters: 22 and 18
Do you enjoy stories with intrigue and with fleshed out story lines? (Popsicle stories): I do
Why or why not?
Do you enjoy stories where players don't have any fixed ending in mind (no real objective or point) - they post based off the posts before, and put no real thought into where the story is going provided they are having fun (Poptart play)? I do as well
Why or why not?
Do you want to return to the days of Bielefeld when people entertained themselves by going out to dinners, or taking walks on the beach, and where the most stressful thing was whether or not their fun would be disrupted by an invasion? This has it's moments
Why?
Do you want to continue with the current theme of characters working as a team and going on missions to learn new things and get stuff? This does too
Why?

I'm going to answer all the "why" questions right now. Man, English class made me hate this word so much. Okay, I think that there is largely a time and place for certain things and there is a usually clear cut inference about it. Bielefeld goes hand in hand with the Poptart stories, and Galli is a breeding ground for the Popsicle ones. Does that mean we can't do poptart stuff in Galli or popsicle stuff in Bielefeld? No. But it does take a bit more thinking to spin a good story like that for the setting. Story and setting go hand in hand and that's what you have to consider. Would going back to Bielefeld be a nice change? Yes, I think that would sometimes settings get stale after you've been in them for so long and a change of scenery is required. But on the otherside of that, I think Galli still has a lot to offer. A whole world that Swith did a phenomenal job building (really can't express how awesome that is in words) lays ahead to explore and I would've loved to put together an expedition just to give her the opportunity to tell us about it.

Now this goes into some underlying issues. These are all little issues and I did discuss these in the IRC so this is not me complaining, but merely giving my observations and two cents as a player and as myself. There were times when OPs or COOPs said "try not to bring mundane characters because there are powerful enemies" and there were times when we were told not to go out at night 'or else'. These things are little on their own, but as a player that mainly runs mundane characters these things felt like restrictions. And henceforth, made me just completely write off anything else to do in the setting. I felt like the little level 1 in a party of level 13s on a high difficulty quest where no one really expects anything from you and you either have to be babysat throughout the whole thing or find that you get left behind as the weak link in the chain.

Visual representation:


But, does that mean that mundanes should be let in on all stories? No, there are times and places for the mundane underdogs to shine, but you can't have them kill a hydra on their own without making a really bis ass-pull that also really dumbs down the story and isn't really that fun. There are stories where mundanes are good to bring, and some that are bad. Generally, that's left up to the GM and player to co-decide about, but when the setting itself seems like it doesn't like that kind of character, it weighs down on the stories inside of it too. I kept my characters parked and then sent them home because I felt like there just wasn't a lot to really do safely in Galli and, honestly, was about to just leave PL as a result. I'm not saying it was bad, but when you feel like there's nothing there for you to do in a setting, then it becomes a question of "why am I here?" and I wasn't going to stick around if I couldn't make my honest day's contribution without worrying about whether or not my characters were going to come back in one piece.

Now if was also brought to my attention that there were little story threads. Like a tapestry or ball of yarn, you find the story thread and pull it to unravel and discover more about it. This is really cool, yes. But, I have had bad experiences with this in the past. Story threads are a nice thing to spring onto people who love to investigate stuff, but there's also a lot of danger about stepping on people's toes if you aren't aware of the thread and its current events. Sometimes I've had to go back and edit posts because I found a story thread but wasn't actually supposed to find it with this character or at this time. Since then, I've gotten the mentality of "If they want me, they'll ask for me" in order to not get in the way. Of course, asking someone to do something because of a story does kind of put in metaknowledge, and asking them to just do this "because I said so" is highly suspicious. So it's a exercise in trust, but I've already shown how that went for me. Which isn't really anyone's fault, but it still gets me.

That all being said, there are cool things about Galli that I think would be absolutely criminal to just let go to waste without even scratching the surface on, but with all the little things about this, that, and the other, I don't feel like I can do anything without asking permission about it first. While not bad on it's own right, it does get mildly frustrating when Swith and Cer aren't on. Not like anything can be done about that because that's all IRL stuff and can't be helped, but I still don't feel like I can step out of the building without asking either of them if it's okay. And while I trust them not to immediately zap me with a laser beam if "no, you can't" would've been the answer and I ended up doing it anyway, it still feels like stepping out into a minefield even if the answer is "yes, that's fine". Now, there's a lot of little rules but they all generally end up falling under the "don't be an ass" and "have common sense" category. Sure you can go to the village and bum around, but there really is no good story reason to start killing people like you've been playing Skyrim for so long and just got bored. That's understandable, but the other little things like how way back in the first trip out there was mention of wolves watching Nick like they were stalking prey also gives me the impression that this place will fuck you up if you don't watch your shit and follow the yellow line.

It gives me a very "Shadow of Chernobyl" vibe. Where you can follow along to certain areas, but there's shit all over and if you aren't watching your back every other minute, something'll creep up behind you and tear you a new asshole before you can say "Swiss cheese". I feel like Swith was still going for a dangerous area but with the ability to explore, so more like "Call of Pripyat" where it was more open world, there was a lot of exploring, and despite knowing where most dangers were, you still had to be careful outside the safe zones. Not as careful as taking a step and listening for a minute and then looking around for a half hour in all directions, but you still had to keep your wits about you and your guard up. Still, it was more relaxed and generally easier altogether.

So was Galli presented wrong then? I can't answer that alone, or at all if I'm being completely honest with myself. I feel like there's some things that aren't clear that need to be made or reminded about from time to time, especially if it's a recent change in how the setting works. There's a lot of things that go on and there's a lot we can do in Galli that we can't do in Bielefeld, which makes it a great change from the usual cityscape we've been so used to seeing. I think we just need to sit down and hammer out some things about what stuff is allowed and what stuff isn't outside of common sense rules. Exploration and other stories around the world can help the setting really shine, because there is some cool stuff out there that I want to see. I would hate for us to just burn the whole thing and go back to Bielefeld with the pretense of "we're here because Galli didn't work out" because that just puts a cloud over the whole RP.

Mainly, these are my observations and opinions as I said before, so I reserve the right to be wrong about stuff I'm wrong about.

[The BranRiech]

I actually have to say that Mon nailed it, the whole argument of mundanes and such. Gallimaufry is an awesome setting, and I do believe it has a lot of potential (Not to mention all the cool places the doors and portals lead), but the way it was initially set up definitely made it... How do I put it? "Mundane-unfriendly" Everything was set up extremely well, but like Mon said, Gallimaufry seemed set up to be too dangerous for anyone but more powerful characters. Bielefeld was getting that way near the end too, and it ceased to be fun (Characters were at risk just walking outside the building, which made me not want to go outside at all because I thought my characters would either A: Have nothing to contribute because all the enemies in the city were powerful in some way, or B: Get killed really quickly because they weren't powerful enough). Gallimaufry kind of feels the same way, except the world is even more tantalizing, more exciting-looking to explore (Even more frustrating to find out how dangerous it all is, because hell, I want to get out and see more of Gallimaufry, but I'm afraid my character will end up in a grave somewhere on it), but some of us are still afraid that our characters don't fit the setting well enough to make a difference. The initial journey into Ascalon was really the nail in the coffin that made me drop PL for several months. Seeing as a simple visit turned into a whole detention/fiasco, again, made the world (Even the safer city of Ascalon) seem too dangerous for any wiggle room.

And that's not to say that Mundane characters have nothing to do, but it feels like we have to wait for the scraps to be thrown to us to get anything at all. Mon also nailed it with the "Level 1 compared to level 13" feeling.

[Giovenith]

Pony posts incoming, if that's cool.