We wish you joy, luck, and love.
Happy Birthday, Koth!
Advertisement
by Swith Witherward » Fri Sep 15, 2017 8:26 pm
★ Madhouse ★
Role Play
& Writers Group
Anti-intellectual elitism: the dismissal of science, the arts,
and humanities and their replacement by entertainment,
self-righteousness, ignorance, and deliberate gullibility. - sauce
by Giovenith » Fri Sep 15, 2017 8:29 pm
by Swith Witherward » Sat Sep 16, 2017 8:43 am
Mufasana wrote:#PLAPP
PLAYER INFORMATION
NS nation nickname:
Skill Level (beginner, intermediate, advanced):
beginner
How often can you post?
twice or thrice a week
CHARACTER PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS
Character First Name:
Jiu
Character Surname:
Ti'er
Character Title:
Duke
Character Gender:
Male
Species : (nation personification, human, alien, etc)
halfling
Age: (must be 18 or older)
somewhere between 21-25
Appearance:
2 ft. tall, muscled, white make up covers face, tight-fitting yellow suit with orange tie, multi-colored eyes, no shoes, teal hair
URL to Character Picture, if any:
Character Occupation or Specialty:
Beserker, mercernary
Character's biggest strength:
his insanity gives him partial understanding of anything insane
Character's worst flaw:
Insanity
OBJECTIVES AND GOALS
Primary Objective:
Getting past the death of everyone he knew
Minor Goals:
protecting everyone he knows from death, finding his purpose, finding the one survivor from his village
MUNDANE SKILLS
(These do NOT require points. These are the average, daily things your character can do. Examples are "drive a car", "speak one Foreign Language", "play a guitar", "write poetry". Some mundane skills come from your bio and are freebie. A soldier has gone through Basic training. However, Medic, martial arts or sniper would be a Specialized Skill or Talent.)
List Mundane skills here
- write haunting poetry
- ride a horse
- cook some basic meals
SPECIALIZED SKILLS AND TALENTS
(These are specialized skills that set you apart from the average person. You have 7 points to spend here, no more than 4 points in each skill or talent. Examples are swordsmanship, sniper, coercion, medic, spellcraft, piloting helicopter, manipulate water, etc. You must take a skill pertaining to a supernatural power if you plan to use that power.)
- Ability 1 and Points Spent: Swordsmanship (4)
- Ability 2 and Points Spent: Endurance to pain (3)
OPTIONAL SUPERNATURAL CHARACTERISTICS
(You have 7 points to spend here on supernatural skills or abilities, no more than 4 in each. Sonic Scream, Levitation, Shape Shifting etc. Superman MUST have his kryptonite thus weaknesses are things which inhibit the ability. Restrictions are what can't they do with their power or what balances it. They can only use it when they genuinely need it? They can't use it for more then five minutes without serious side-effects? Some things are allowed without points. A pegasus has wings thus it can fly: list wings. A raptor is fast thus no points are spent in speed: list speed and give us its stop speed. These "natural" abilities should be listed here. What isn't allowed: teleportation beyond a few feet; the ability to alter or go back/forward in time. IMPORTANT: You need a knowledge in Specialized Skills and Talents in order to work these abilities. Example: you'll need "manipulate water" to do just that, and this section is where you record what water manipulation abilities the character has.)
MAGICAL OR SPECIAL ITEMS
- Ability 1: Endurance to Pain
Power Level: 4
Strengths: Due to his insanity, he can endure almost any pain
Weaknesses: A bow with arrows from his home planet give him pain, as he thinks about his dead family
Restrictions: He still can be killed, he just won't notice he needs a medic
(If it's not on this list, your character doesn't have it. Magical items are rare and hard to come by. Please list what they can/can't do - treat them like a supernatural thing. Items not allowed: anything that can alter time; anything that allows a character to teleport beyond a few feet. Magical items have 7 points to spread among all of them. No items may be over 4 in power.)
List:
[*]Signet ring of the duke of Ui
[*]
[*]
[*]
[*]
[*]
[*]
EQUIPMENT
(This is what your character has on their person at the very moment when they are pulled from their home dimension. Laptop? Firearm? Cigarettes and matches? Don't abuse this. They won't be clutching an entire bunker. You have 7 points total to spend on magical items. No single item can be more powerful that 4.)
List:
Signet ring of the duke of Ui, Sword, hat, potrait of his family
BACKGROUND
(Be detailed please. You must explain how your character acquired their skills, talents, abilities, and special items. Wrap your primary objectives and goals into it.)
Education or Training:
Studied at Ui college, but never finished
Character Background/Biography: (Please write this in first person. Have your character tell us their history, their sorrows, their triumphs, etc. Be as detailed as possible.)
I was in line to become the duke of ui. The first son, pride of the duchy. I charged at many battles, learned swordsmanship. But then the things came. There were things that fired metal arrows from the sky, armored things that crawled on treads. I was hit. I awoke to see my city burnt of the map. My friend nursed me back to health. One day, after I had regained my strength, she went away and never came back. I wandered after that. The Mad Halfling, I was called. I came here, then, while I was hot on the trail of finding my friend.
OTHER GAME MECHANICS
URL to Apartment Picture and description:
Whirling, shifting, this apartment will drive you mad from looking at it.
Link to RP examples:
IMPORTANT FINAL STEP:
A mad, tiny guy with knowledge of swordsmanship. Near-invulnerable to pain. Finds it difficult to work with others.
The nickname you go by on NS: Muffy
Character Name: The Mad Halfling
Character Image Link: [url]LINK TO IMAGE[/url]
★ Madhouse ★
Role Play
& Writers Group
Anti-intellectual elitism: the dismissal of science, the arts,
and humanities and their replacement by entertainment,
self-righteousness, ignorance, and deliberate gullibility. - sauce
by Cerillium » Sun Sep 17, 2017 8:25 am
Swith Witherward wrote:Mufasana wrote:#PLAPP
PLAYER INFORMATION
NS nation nickname:
Skill Level (beginner, intermediate, advanced):
beginner
How often can you post?
twice or thrice a week
CHARACTER PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS
Character First Name:
Jiu
Character Surname:
Ti'er
Character Title:
Duke
Character Gender:
Male
Species : (nation personification, human, alien, etc)
halfling
Age: (must be 18 or older)
somewhere between 21-25
Appearance:
2 ft. tall, muscled, white make up covers face, tight-fitting yellow suit with orange tie, multi-colored eyes, no shoes, teal hair
URL to Character Picture, if any:
Character Occupation or Specialty:
Beserker, mercernary
Character's biggest strength:
his insanity gives him partial understanding of anything insane
Character's worst flaw:
Insanity
OBJECTIVES AND GOALS
Primary Objective:
Getting past the death of everyone he knew
Minor Goals:
protecting everyone he knows from death, finding his purpose, finding the one survivor from his village
MUNDANE SKILLS
(These do NOT require points. These are the average, daily things your character can do. Examples are "drive a car", "speak one Foreign Language", "play a guitar", "write poetry". Some mundane skills come from your bio and are freebie. A soldier has gone through Basic training. However, Medic, martial arts or sniper would be a Specialized Skill or Talent.)
List Mundane skills here
- write haunting poetry
- ride a horse
- cook some basic meals
SPECIALIZED SKILLS AND TALENTS
(These are specialized skills that set you apart from the average person. You have 7 points to spend here, no more than 4 points in each skill or talent. Examples are swordsmanship, sniper, coercion, medic, spellcraft, piloting helicopter, manipulate water, etc. You must take a skill pertaining to a supernatural power if you plan to use that power.)
- Ability 1 and Points Spent: Swordsmanship (4)
- Ability 2 and Points Spent: Endurance to pain (3)
OPTIONAL SUPERNATURAL CHARACTERISTICS
(You have 7 points to spend here on supernatural skills or abilities, no more than 4 in each. Sonic Scream, Levitation, Shape Shifting etc. Superman MUST have his kryptonite thus weaknesses are things which inhibit the ability. Restrictions are what can't they do with their power or what balances it. They can only use it when they genuinely need it? They can't use it for more then five minutes without serious side-effects? Some things are allowed without points. A pegasus has wings thus it can fly: list wings. A raptor is fast thus no points are spent in speed: list speed and give us its stop speed. These "natural" abilities should be listed here. What isn't allowed: teleportation beyond a few feet; the ability to alter or go back/forward in time. IMPORTANT: You need a knowledge in Specialized Skills and Talents in order to work these abilities. Example: you'll need "manipulate water" to do just that, and this section is where you record what water manipulation abilities the character has.)
MAGICAL OR SPECIAL ITEMS
- Ability 1: Endurance to Pain
Power Level: 4
Strengths: Due to his insanity, he can endure almost any pain
Weaknesses: A bow with arrows from his home planet give him pain, as he thinks about his dead family
Restrictions: He still can be killed, he just won't notice he needs a medic
(If it's not on this list, your character doesn't have it. Magical items are rare and hard to come by. Please list what they can/can't do - treat them like a supernatural thing. Items not allowed: anything that can alter time; anything that allows a character to teleport beyond a few feet. Magical items have 7 points to spread among all of them. No items may be over 4 in power.)
List:
[*]Signet ring of the duke of Ui
[*]
[*]
[*]
[*]
[*]
[*]
EQUIPMENT
(This is what your character has on their person at the very moment when they are pulled from their home dimension. Laptop? Firearm? Cigarettes and matches? Don't abuse this. They won't be clutching an entire bunker. You have 7 points total to spend on magical items. No single item can be more powerful that 4.)
List:
Signet ring of the duke of Ui, Sword, hat, potrait of his family
BACKGROUND
(Be detailed please. You must explain how your character acquired their skills, talents, abilities, and special items. Wrap your primary objectives and goals into it.)
Education or Training:
Studied at Ui college, but never finished
Character Background/Biography: (Please write this in first person. Have your character tell us their history, their sorrows, their triumphs, etc. Be as detailed as possible.)
I was in line to become the duke of ui. The first son, pride of the duchy. I charged at many battles, learned swordsmanship. But then the things came. There were things that fired metal arrows from the sky, armored things that crawled on treads. I was hit. I awoke to see my city burnt of the map. My friend nursed me back to health. One day, after I had regained my strength, she went away and never came back. I wandered after that. The Mad Halfling, I was called. I came here, then, while I was hot on the trail of finding my friend.
OTHER GAME MECHANICS
URL to Apartment Picture and description:
Whirling, shifting, this apartment will drive you mad from looking at it.
Link to RP examples:
IMPORTANT FINAL STEP:
A mad, tiny guy with knowledge of swordsmanship. Near-invulnerable to pain. Finds it difficult to work with others.
The nickname you go by on NS: Muffy
Character Name: The Mad Halfling
Character Image Link: [url]LINK TO IMAGE[/url]
Cer is probably not going to accept "insanity". Mental illness is difficult to roleplay, and having a disorder does not allow one to understand mental illness apart from one's own type of mental illness. Depending upon the degree of mental illness, the world is out to get them, and not something someone would want to save. "Let it all burn". Psychosis, for example, is a loss of connection to reality, replete with hallucinations and delusions.
Mental illness does not allow one to endure pain. A cutter feels the cuts, but sees pain as atonement. Someone with anger management issues will still be taken down with a well-timed kick to the crotch. Yes, it's possible to "disengage" in a frenzied state, but someone with this much fucked-up mental health issues really wouldn't be a good match for a game that requires teamwork and forethought.
Could you pinpoint what his "insanity" is? What caused his mental stability? What triggers it? What abates it? Etc.
I wear teal, blue & pink for Swith
There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man’s fears, and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination.
by Cerillium » Sun Sep 17, 2017 12:58 pm
I wear teal, blue & pink for Swith
There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man’s fears, and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination.
by Highfort » Sun Sep 17, 2017 3:32 pm
by Giovenith » Sun Sep 17, 2017 6:50 pm
by Cerillium » Wed Sep 20, 2017 10:15 am
I wear teal, blue & pink for Swith
There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man’s fears, and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination.
by Mincaldenteans » Wed Sep 20, 2017 12:40 pm
by Giovenith » Wed Sep 20, 2017 1:00 pm
by Giovenith » Wed Sep 20, 2017 1:11 pm
by Primordial Luxa » Wed Sep 20, 2017 1:49 pm
Swith Witherward wrote:But I trust the people here. Well, except Prim. He has shifty eyes but his cute smile make up for it.
Monfrox wrote:But it's not like we've known Prim to really stick with normality...
P2TM wrote:HORROR/THRILLER Winner - Community Choice Award For Favorite Horror/Thriller Player: Primordial Luxa
by Tiltjuice » Wed Sep 20, 2017 6:20 pm
Primordial Luxa wrote:Some thoughts. Take what you like ignore what you don't
1. I think a reboot sounds fairly plausible. Maybe hard. Bring it all back to Bielefeld and have everyone show up and start meeting each other again for the first time. Make it about powerful people having a good time and contrast the crazy with the mundane. Primordials upset with the Cashier because they won't accept souls as payment, The Droids need to get a drivers license to operate themselves, stuff like that. I promise not to spindle NPC's, but I think a degree of being able to be a bit "out there" would be nice, maybe being able to drive some folks mad in a cartoonish way.
2. Keep the missions but maybe call them something else, journeys. Do more things like Booze Run and Raider. Little missions that stop in fun places do something quick and move on. I think if we make stories short and unique it will keep people involved. The issue is interesting wander which I think stems from boredom and routine. If people constantly have these short and sweet missions they won't be able to grow bored. Another way to keep missions short and sweet is to keep the player base small. 3-4 people, means one person is less likely to hold us up and its easier for people to all interaction.
I love this thread. I love you guys. I know I don't say it as often as I should, but I do. I've never met one of you IRL but your honestly some of my best friends.
I realize the thread will end at some point but I don't think it needs to now. Even if we need to make a closed thread that's just the classic characters and those we consider ideal players this setting is too good to end just yet. I...I never felt like I contributed to this thread. Swith and Cer are just good writers. Gio's so creative. NVE...Oh darling NVE. Ched, Lykos, Slo. All of you have done such great things and you push me to try harder.
by Giovenith » Wed Sep 20, 2017 6:35 pm
by Giovenith » Thu Sep 21, 2017 1:02 am
by Holy Lykos » Thu Sep 21, 2017 8:52 am
by Chedastan » Fri Sep 22, 2017 11:50 am
by Primordial Luxa » Fri Sep 22, 2017 10:41 pm
Giovenith wrote:Let's brighten things up and breathe life back in!
Let's go with one of our favorite OOC memes: ask ze questions.
Tilt: What is MB's relationship with the Easter Bunny?
Prim: If your characters had to pick "normal" sounding pseudonyms, what would they call themselves?
NA: What is Sterling's favorite book?
Ched: Will Nivea consider being Nivea's mascot?
Swith: Myra has to either save a puppy or the complete works of Shakespeare from a burning Building. Which does she pick?
Cer: Does Volker ever make things out of office supplies?
Koth: Is the glass half empty or half full to Zan?
Mon: Does Kafka read the books by the author she shares a name with?
Swith Witherward wrote:But I trust the people here. Well, except Prim. He has shifty eyes but his cute smile make up for it.
Monfrox wrote:But it's not like we've known Prim to really stick with normality...
P2TM wrote:HORROR/THRILLER Winner - Community Choice Award For Favorite Horror/Thriller Player: Primordial Luxa
by Monfrox » Sat Sep 23, 2017 6:17 am
Xing wrote:Yeah but you also are the best at roleplay. (yay Space Core references) I'm pretty sure a four man tank crew is no problem for someone that had 27 different RP characters going at one time.
The Grey Wolf wrote:Froxy knows how to use a whip, I speak from experience.
by Swith Witherward » Sat Sep 23, 2017 6:11 pm
The PLverse is home to all sorts of wonderful characters. Some of these are timid mortals. Some are curious gods. Some are human. Some are not. A few are machine or part machine. Plenty are just trying to do the right thing, even though they might have an evil alignment, for the sake of the group.
Nobody "wins" PL. Nobody will ever have "the bestest and strongest character in the game" because, simply put, the most valuable character is not the one that we play, but the tiny NPC child looking up at the stars and praying for a miracle. Our characters are her hope, and from her lips springs the words that set us in motion. She grounds us in our premise.
★ Madhouse ★
Role Play
& Writers Group
Anti-intellectual elitism: the dismissal of science, the arts,
and humanities and their replacement by entertainment,
self-righteousness, ignorance, and deliberate gullibility. - sauce
by Holy Lykos » Sat Sep 23, 2017 6:38 pm
by Giovenith » Sat Sep 23, 2017 6:48 pm
by Northwest Slobovia » Sat Sep 23, 2017 6:54 pm
by Tiltjuice » Sat Sep 23, 2017 7:25 pm
Giovenith wrote:Let's brighten things up and breathe life back in!
Let's go with one of our favorite OOC memes: ask ze questions.Tilt: What is MB's relationship with the Easter Bunny?
Prim: If your characters had to pick "normal" sounding pseudonyms, what would they call themselves?
NA: What is Sterling's favorite book?
Ched: Will Nivea consider being Nivea's mascot?
Swith: Myra has to either save a puppy or the complete works of Shakespeare from a burning Building. Which does she pick?
Cer: Does Volker ever make things out of office supplies?
Koth: Is the glass half empty or half full to Zan?
Mon: Does Kafka read the books by the author she shares a name with?
Swith Witherward wrote:I tried to organize all the stuff discussed in voice chat last night, as well as some things brought up in TG, email, DM, PM and all other parts known and unknown. The solutions are suggestions offered by the group (meaning not just the staff). Please read it over and weigh in. I'm apologizing in advance if I missed anyone's suggestion.
I'm pretty drained after going through so much frikken communication.
The Setting
It's not working.Too many cooks. Too many things that don't mesh. No really fun activities. CoOPs have to have time to run a story in order for players to visit places. Players dislike Ascalon and think it should be a Gate-accessible place.Solution Part 1: move Bielefeld in. It's familiar. The NPCs are familiar. Veteran players can "tour guide" it for newer people. We'll have our festivals back. This is the zone for when players want relaxed, casual character development. The Burrows would move closer to the Wold, and Ascalon would go away. (Map redesign stuff)
Solution Part 2: go explore Galli when we have a solid, main plot-related reason to explore it. This was the original concept. It's meant to be an adventure.
The Posting
Players are frustrated because stories are crawling along. People are not posting. Stories die or are cut short.Solution Part 1: Life gets in the way. Poor manners are not an excuse.
Solution Part 2: PL IC posting frequency is, at minimum, twice weekly. For those that work long hours, weekends are the only time they are active. However, if people post during the week, the weekend players are able to drop short posts in on a weeknight, thus stories move.
- If you can not post for a while, withdraw your character from a story.
- If you are simply sick or going on holiday or studying for finals - communicate with us all via the OOC and grant permission for someone in that group to run your character.
- Take initiative if others in your group are not posting.
- Do not sign up for stories just because you're bored.
The Stories
Player-run stories are too complex for a "side adventure". Players begin to resent missing out of things when trapped in a long-running story. Some players have complained that they're limited to reaction shots. It feels too disjointed... the stories are not contributing to the game's overarching purpose. There are too many characters in most stories. There is way too much description and side-stories within the stories.Solution Part 1: Treat Gate stories like a TV program episode. It should fit within a short time frame and build upon the overarching premise. The purpose is "get in, accomplish objective, get out". Example:
- Giovenith and Marcus are asked to run to 7-11 for a loaf of bread; along the way, they run into an agent from another Demens' team, and he asks them to pass a message on to the Galli group. The pair return with the bread. Now the group can eat before the next mission... a mission that arises because of the agent's news.
- If Giovenith and Marcus first visit the Asian market for magic bean paste, and also buy a mysterious scroll, and then take the scroll to an apothecary to see if they have magical ingredients, then battle some bad guys that try to take the scroll, and then go to 7-11... the group back home has starved, and players are pissed because their mission is delayed. Plus, the OP can't work in that Demen's agent without making it seem like an afterthought.
Solution Part 2: no more than 3 characters on a team (including the GM's character) for sake of brevity. There will be times when a large group goes through a Gate, but this is reserved for special circumstances.
Solution Part 3: No more collabs as the main means of roleplaying once the new IC and OOC go up, barring a special circumstance (Zalgofests, a major time skip for the thread, etc). It takes little effort to have a conversation in-thread, provided players make an effort to have three-lines in a post. It keeps the thread in motion. Players are allowed to post more often if they're having conversations.
Solution Part 4: The "novel-writing" is what keeps many people from posting more than once every few weeks. They do NOT have time to digest massive posts, nor formulate an appropriately lengthy reply. They end up giving reaction shots and then lose track of the objective. If an element isn't crucial to the story, skip it. Nobody cares if John the NPC is using a sterling silver spoon fashioned by alien slugs' acidic bubblegum... especially if the spoon is not a focal point and only just a prop to make John look busy.
Solution Part 5: We go back to "Run it by the OP first". Cer determines if something will work. Also, as in the 'bread example' above, he might insert an NPC into that story to further the overarching plot.
If there's one thing players always seem to miss, it's the OP treats. He tucks them in, and people don't act upon them... they get too busy with their own stuff.
Here's how it works: (Absurd Level example)
1. Beckett is building a Plot Device. He needs a McGuffin. The character doesn't go on missions due to physical limitations.
2. Venla's world has a McGuffin. Lucky, that! Cer asks NA to run the story.
3. NA takes two characters through a Gate to acquire the McGuffin.
4. On their way back to the Gate, someone shoves a Doorstop Baby into Venla's arms.
5. The team returns. The McGuffin goes into the Plot Device. The Baby goes to Volker.
6. A week later, Volker asks Minerva to lead a team through a Gate to get the Doorstop Baby back to his proper Time and Dimension. It's ancient Egypt, and he belongs in a basket on the Nile.
7. On the way back to the Gate, a slave offers the team an old scroll in trade for a bite to eat.
8. The team returns, and the scroll goes to Sandy. Oooh magic potion that turns someone invisible? Sounds like an adventure to get ingredients...
Communication Methods
Nobody has the time to check TG, then check the OSF PMs, then check the Discord PLanning thread, then check the Discord DMs, and then check email just to answer some question or approve a plan. It is getting too confusing. Players have complained because messages are being dropped between them, or go unanswered. Enough.Solution: ALL PL communication will be done via the OOC. Yes, we can use the PLanning channel, but a copy should be placed here in order for us to refer back to it as a group. You can still use TG if you need to discuss something you don't want made public.
The "Papers"
This was not brought up in voice chat, but Cer's been extremely vocal behind the scenes. The paper characters exist because their real counterparts were trapped in stories. There's no drive to finish those stories because "Well, I have a paper character for fun stuff."OP Solution: please park your paper characters in the library. They are there for introspection, or for information (they can access books faster than their flesh counterparts etc).
The Magic and Tech
We're starting to have issues with this again. GMs want to know what your character is packing. They need this information to plan their stories. No more handwavium bullshit with character devices. If it runs on tech, it runs on tech. If it runs on magic, it runs on magic. If it is magitech, it is still magic. All things have limitations. Most things need to be recharged or otherwise have maintenance done on them.Solution Part 1: develop your character's items. We can't keep track of everything for you, which is why you have a character application that lists what the item is, what it does, what affects it, and what abilities it grants. Do not "tweak" it to suit your need once your app has been approved.
Solution Part 2: this means making a new character application that better outlines the "special items". (Everyone groans). However, we have quite a few players that didn't do up a new app when we changed the format two years ago, so it's time fora purgerenewal.
Solution Part 3: We have a power scale. Cer will tweak it to give a better comprehension of how physical/magical/etc correlate.
The Pantheons
As a CoOP, I hear a lot of grousing behind the scenes from players that feel their stuff should be more powerful than other player's stuff. The 40K pantheon is treated equally to the Greek pantheon, and that treated equally to the Cthulhu pantheon. ALL pantheons are equal in this regard. Gods are a dime a dozen in PL. They aren't special. They aren't unbeatable. We did this because noob players want to munchkin (playing only to "win" by having the most powerful character possible). "Red tape" prevents most pantheons from getting involved, and they are loathe to trample on someone else's territory. It's intra-pantheonic bureaucracy at its worst. It's the basis of PL's humor.
This becomes extremely important for our plot retooling. In days of old, Charumati could tell Yellow King the fuck off, and the most he could do was offer a middle finger and a few choice words. They couldn't battle, nor draw mortals into their spat. Red tape. Bureaucratic tying of hands.
Ugh
Character growth is vital. It happens when a character works on improving, or else routinely uses, an ability in the IC. However, we still have players that dislike the fact that their character is not as powerful as older characters. There's grumbling, and a sense of "my character isn't as good as that overpowered one" etc. Some players still think in terms of Classic PL: everyone out for their own gain. A few want their already-powerful characters to be more powerful because that's how they can win the day. "Who has the most valuable character, Swith?"
The PLverse is home to all sorts of wonderful characters. Some of these are timid mortals. Some are curious gods. Some are human. Some are not. A few are machine or part machine. Plenty are just trying to do the right thing, even though they might have an evil alignment, for the sake of the group.
Nobody "wins" PL. Nobody will ever have "the bestest and strongest character in the game" because, simply put, the most valuable character is not the one that we play, but the tiny NPC child looking up at the stars and praying for a miracle. Our characters are her hope, and from her lips springs the words that set us in motion. She grounds us in our premise.
Information
Players want to know things in advance so they can plan. Some players are frustrated because they "Can't get answers"; others are frustrated because a detail touched upon in 2015 is not put in use in modern day, etc.
In a weekly RP session, the GM typically has a week to plan out events. Players gather and play that block. The GM prepares for the following week. In a forum sandbox game, there is no blocked-out time. The game is 24/7. It's very difficult to plan because players set things in motion that affect other things. A lot of storytelling is done on the fly and in a pinch.
This is why Cer will add a McGuffin that, later on, just doesn't work in the setting anymore... or, worse, actually went against canon and shouldn't have been there at all. The problem arises when players insist on referring back to that McGuffin. "You said it was this and now it isn't? You keep changing things!"
We're bound to fuck up a detail. We've been playing PL for over 43,800 hours already, and it's multiplayer, and not everyone plays at the same rate, and we've had to hard reset the system a few times, and shit happens.Solution: PL is meant to have whimsy. Spaghetti grows on trees. If you can accept that, then accept the fact that your leprechaun character can no longer smell unicorn farts from a mile away. Cut us, and your fellow players, a little more slack. Due to this game's size, character count, and basis... well, we can't be as rigid as other RP on NS.
Thoughts? Did I leave anything out? I won't have the proposed premise change up for review before tomorrow. The basics:
Problem: Scale.
The God War worked in the beginning because the average character was potent as fuck. They were, themselves, capable of killing gods (if not gods already). It was possible for the god characters to go up against Agents and Minions and come away a bit unscathed. PL wisely toned itself down to a reasonable sort of game, ergo the GW is just too OP to be entertaining or feasible.
Solution: We're dialing it back.
I'll give details tomorrow. We've had a lot of good input but I don't feel well enough to finish typing everything out tonight. Sorry guys. Thanks for being patient.
Advertisement
Return to Portal to the Multiverse
Users browsing this forum: Cybernetic Socialist Republics
Advertisement