MMORPGstuck (LOADSA PLAYERS)

[problemProtagonist]

Okay, I must admit that parental relationships is something that didn't occur to me. That's a valid argument! (And well, differences in age would make the session diverse.)

As for arting... I guess you're right, as long as you have resources, it doesn't seem all too hard. I guess I should suck it up and try to make a sprite... Even though I have no clue as to how.

[RemoteIslandSyndrome]

It takes about ten minutes to do normal text-with-caption updates. The bit of an MSPA update that takes the longest is usually writing it, according to Andrew!

Yes, but here you're forgetting that you can actually draw. Some of us *cough*meincluded*cough* draw like retarded flipper babies, and anything artistic our hands touch immediately transform into such horrible, grotesque caricatures of art that your eyes will stab themselves in a vain attempt to escape from the horror, and your brain will melt out of your ears.

I think upon hearing the idea for an SBURB adventure, everyone planned some idea for a character arc.
The fun part will be watching a load of mary-sue personas battling for the spotlight.

Oh, I don't think I could write a mary-sue.

When I play characters, I play to lose.

Very similar to the way I play strip poker.

[Yrr]

I'm assuming when we get the mechanics worked out we should do a test run (of a shorter game) with two groups.

By groups I mean sets with a sub-DM, we need to test interaction between them.


Also what was anyone's opinion on having people (working closely with a DM) playing Prospit, Derse and possibly a FG?

[ashdenej]

Yes, but here you're forgetting that you can actually draw. Some of us *cough*meincluded*cough* draw like retarded flipper babies, and anything artistic our hands touch immediately transform into such horrible, grotesque caricatures of art that your eyes will stab themselves in a vain attempt to escape from the horror, and your brain will melt out of your ears.

I actually took this into consideration! (Also, stop, you're making me blush!) See the first post of the Critique Thread for help with spritesheets etc - and you can even post there if you're really stuck!

Trust me, spritesheets make everything easier. Just don't take a bunch of canon things and rearrange them to make thinly-veiled canon character or whatever!

E:

Also what was anyone's opinion on having people (working closely with a DM) playing Prospit, Derse and possibly a FG?

You know what? I would love to play Derse - or Prospit.

I would retract my character and do that now, if possible? I'd like to know a bit more about what it entails, though.

I also like grafting prototypings onto imps and dressing up Agents, so that might help my cause??? Also, what's an FG, haha?

[Unclever title]

On the DMs as exiles idea which I consider to be totally awesome, this brings up another world in for things to be managed, Earth, (or insert-home-planet-here) both pre-destruction for pre-entry shenanigans and post-destruction for exile shenanigans. The GM can probably handle this unless it gets pretty dang convoluted (which it eventually will, especially if any of the suggestions I'm making here get added) then a DM will need to be assigned for this purpose. I'm thinking that exiles should be able to contact players to offer commands as suggestions or help for a player that's stuck, maybe even meta gaming against another DM? (Kept to an extreme minimum if allowed, cause it sounds like a bad idea overall) However to keep it interesting (pretty unnecessary) we can include exile stations that allow COMMANDS to be given to groupings of players. If an exile needs to talk with a different group he/she gets his carapace over to another station, traveling through the redeveloping world in order to do so. So the former DM becomes a new breed of player and plays in a new world starting out as a desert but perhaps progressing to a city ala the Midnight crew. Desert -> can town -> exile town -> exile city -> etc?

It might be way too convoluted to even consider actually doing this but ideas at least are free.

On a related note, there's also the dream bubbles, where dead players and sleeping players with dead dreamselves and sleeping godtiers can talk to each other, pass on knowledge and advice, suggestions (as in NOT commands). This can be as simple as a thread that a player gains access to after they or their dreamself dies or can view through (GM sanctioned) Role-Aspect related abilities. Further, players who for whatever reason need to go through the furthest ring (No joy-ride field trips!) can temporarily gain access to this place and all the benefits therein. Further we can add in whatever other kinds of revival shenanigans that the DMs + GM want/will allow. Things like sneaking a ride on the Hero of Space/Time's time-space ship in order to try and get back to the lands of the living.

Players with alt-timeline dead selves could also thematically talk there but

This is basically why I don't like the whole "Nobody dies until the final battle thing." It's simple and effective, but it misses out on a whole lot of other nuance. We could always just add more bullshit ways to revive players (though that can suffer from a similar nuance problem).

[RemoteIslandSyndrome]

Oh, people can totally perma-die before the end.

That's called players dropping out.

Though, hopefully, we'll be engaging enough for no one to want to do that before the Final Boss Battle.

[Yrr]

Players dying before the end is cool though.

Who doesn't want the game to turn into a murderfest?

I know Hussie would enjoy it.

[RemoteIslandSyndrome]

*hiss*

You speak of Hussie, The Destroyer of Ships?

[ashdenej]

I personally totally disagree with the method of posting, by the by.

I think it should be more like one of the Rollplay threads, mixed up with Mafia - i.e. that groups people have allotted times in which to post, and they do so having chatted over Skype or Pesterchum or whatever.

Yrr, what's controlling Derse or Prospit going to be like? (See my above post for the entry request.)

[MythicalWashrag]

If players couldn't die before the end it would probably:
1) Feel very cheap. If there's no danger, it's not going to be fun.
2) Get out of hand. "Welp I can't die so let's do some intentionally stupid shit with lethal results!"

Of course nobody wants to die and get out of the game. But shit happens and, in the end, it's a game.
If they still want to be involved, dreambubbles or giving them some DM control/letting them assist the DM could be options.

[Unclever title]

Also what was anyone's opinion on having people (working closely with a DM) playing Prospit, Derse and possibly a FG?

I'm of the opinion of having two teams basically playing the chess themed war between Derse and Prospit with players as agents on both sides, main downside is that the Derse side is pre-destined to win. Key NPCs would still have to be mostly DM controlled... probably.

But then I've already suggested a game within the game. How far is this clusterfuck going to go anyway?

[RemoteIslandSyndrome]

If players couldn't die before the end it would probably:
1) Feel very cheap. If there's no danger, it's not going to be fun.
2) Get out of hand. "Welp I can't die so let's do some intentionally stupid shit with lethal results!"

Of course nobody wants to die and get out of the game. But shit happens and, in the end, it's a game.
If they still want to be involved, dreambubbles or giving them some DM control/letting them assist the DM could be options.

But anyone who's played a tabletop RPG knows that when your character dies, you don't just stand up from the table and go, 'Whelp, see you in a couple of months, guys.' You either roll up a new character, or your party finds some way to revive you. Maybe there is no danger, but it's all about getting into it.

That, and instead of killing you, the DM can just find some way to make you a cripple, which is way, way, way, worse, when it comes to RPGs.

And I thought we were going by a 'This is what happened today' board sort of system.

[ashdenej]

Have an intentionally stupid idea about what to do about an overfull Derse and Prospit.

It'd also introduce an element of randomness to the whole "predestined" shaboodle! On the other hand, it is stupid.

But perhaps something like that could be thought of, to make it more balanced? And I don't think that Prospit and Derse players should fight, so much as their Agents. And those DMs who are controlling the Agents. Me.

[Yrr]

I personally totally disagree with the method of posting, by the by.

I think it should be more like one of the Rollplay threads, mixed up with Mafia - i.e. that groups people have allotted times in which to post, and they do so having chatted over Skype or Pesterchum or whatever.

Yrr, what's controlling Derse or Prospit going to be like? (See my above post for the entry request.)

I personally think there shouldn't be time limits etc.
I like the idea of players updating their arcs in their groups. You post your arc as it gets written (obviously the players will communicate a lot so it'll stick to a set timeframe for the whole group) and the group arcs overlap when necessary. There would probably be different threads for each group so it doesn't get convoluted.

As for controlling Prospit/Derse, I don't know, it just suddenly occurred to me that having them as players would be an interesting way to deal with them.

[RemoteIslandSyndrome]

But perhaps something like that could be thought of, to make it more balanced? And I don't think that Prospit and Derse players should fight, so much as their Agents. And those DMs who are controlling the Agents. Me.

Oh god.

The game hasn't even started, and ashdenej has already begun plotting.

This is going to be fun.

[ashdenej]

Okay, now that I think about it the whole steady-post idea sounds a lot better. Especially if some kind of IM memo is involved, heh.

Well, I'll step up for controlling Derse - does this mean I get its Agents and Queen (and possibly King / battlefield members?)
Furthermore, this'd mean that I'd need to be let into the smallchats as well as the giantchat, if we had discrete memos for each little group of players. Alternatively, they could just post what they needed doing on the giantchat.

I have absolutely no idea what you are implying, RemoteIslandSyndrome. None at all.

[Unclever title]

But perhaps something like that could be thought of, to make it more balanced? And I don't think that Prospit and Derse players should fight, so much as their Agents. And those DMs who are controlling the Agents. Me.

Two DMs having a creative art/plot fight until the GM comes down and says "Okay, enough of that nonsense. Reckoning starts now," and then shit gets real and then all the players (ALL OF THEM) have to pose as a team for the final battle against the BK?

[Yrr]

I imagine the threads for the RP to end up looking like other fanadventures (BTSDLB etc.) only without the suggested commands, not walls of uncaptivating text describing what actions certain players took.

It'd be awesome too if the groups acted like the "teams" intended for the troll session and get competetive

[ashdenej]

I imagine the threads for the RP to end up looking like other fanadventures (BTSDLB etc.) only without the suggested commands, not walls of uncaptivating text describing what actions certain players took.

It'd be awesome too if the groups acted like the "teams" intended for the troll session and get competetive

Honestly, Skype still seems like a better idea to me. Real-time plotting is far easier and more engaging!

Unclever Title, what makes you think I won't have the Dignitary going around and meddling in sessions, anyway? Ehehehehe. Joking.

[RemoteIslandSyndrome]

Honestly, Skype still seems like a better idea to me. Real-time plotting is far easier and more engaging!

Mmm, but then we'd have to get in on the whole, 'Arrange for 5 dudes (DM + Team) to get together on a daily basis and plot'

Which I'm totally for, but it'd be a bitch to work out.

Oh, what a mOtHeRfUcKiNg tangled web we weave.

[Yrr]

Honestly, Skype still seems like a better idea to me. Real-time plotting is far easier and more engaging!

Unclever Title, what makes you think I won't have the Dignitary going around and meddling in sessions, anyway? Ehehehehe. Joking.

There would be real-time plotting, no doubt about that. I'm just saying the threads would look like adventures rather than logs of game information.

It's the interaction that'd cause all of the plot stuff to happen.

[MythicalWashrag]

But anyone who's played a tabletop RPG knows that when your character dies, you don't just stand up from the table and go, 'Whelp, see you in a couple of months, guys.' You either roll up a new character, or your party finds some way to revive you. Maybe there is no danger, but it's all about getting into it.

That, and instead of killing you, the DM can just find some way to make you a cripple, which is way, way, way, worse, when it comes to RPGs.

And I thought we were going by a 'This is what happened today' board sort of system.

I've been playing tabletop RPGs for years.
And yes, usually you just roll up a new character. Revival makes more sense in this instance.
Anyone who's played a tabletop RPG knows that characters aren't immune to death until the final battle.
But I agree with your point that it's all about getting into it. Not trying to exclude anyone here.

All I'm saying is that this is something worth discussing. Death should have penalties, it should not be a mild inconvenience, "oops lol I died again come revive me guyzzz" thing. It should be something people want to avoid. Crippling works- things like traumas, disorders, and permanent physical injuries are things to play around with.
Personally I like the idea of tooling around in a dreambubble but that could just be me.

[ashdenej]

There would be real-time plotting, no doubt about that. I'm just saying the threads would look like adventures rather than logs of game information.

It's the interaction that'd cause all of the plot stuff to happen.

Right. And those with positions of enormous power would be those who are unlikely to wreck everything, who're keen to contribute, who can art (preferably), and who can be trusted.

I wonder who fits that job descriptionnnnn

Agree with proper Death, but I also think that dreambubblers should be able to do more than just "fool around"? They'd feel pretty sidelined, otherwise.

[MythicalWashrag]

I agree with proper Death, but I also think that dreambubblers should be able to do more than just "fool around"? They'd feel pretty sidelined, otherwise.

Absolutely.
That's why it's just another thing on the big list o' things we need to figure out.

[RemoteIslandSyndrome]

I've been playing tabletop RPGs for years.
And yes, usually you just roll up a new character. Revival makes more sense in this instance.
Anyone who's played a tabletop RPG knows that characters aren't immune to death until the final battle.
But I agree with your point that it's all about getting into it. Not trying to exclude anyone here.

All I'm saying is that this is something worth discussing. Death should have penalties, it should not be a mild inconvenience, "oops lol I died again come revive me guyzzz" thing. It should be something people want to avoid. Crippling works- things like traumas, disorders, and permanent physical injuries are things to play around with.
Personally I like the idea of tooling around in a dreambubble but that could just be me.

Well, I think I would feel rather left out, if I was unable to make an impact upon the game world. So I kinda would rather come back to life than observe creation fondly.

Edit: Oh look, I got ninja'd.