Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]

Sin is starting a new RP!
Welcome to Espada of Alexandria. We hope you enjoy your visit.


You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free.


Join our community!


If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Username:   Password:
Poll Only
The City of Adventure; A Work in Progress
Topic Started: June 28, 2013, 11:10 am (1,419 Views)
Onime No Ryu
Member Avatar
I'll be your Undertaker this evening
Throughout history, innumerable tales have been put to writ and sealed within great tomes for those who would read them. Tales of epic battles between the forces of good and evil, tales of the deep conflict within man's very spirit, tales that span ages and shall last for eons.

This is not one of those tales.

The way I see it, we keep trying to make something that's on par with our favorite fiction--something as great as Lord of the Rings, or a world as vast as that of the Warhammer fantasy. We're trying to create a story filled with multiple heroic tales and entire wars against the forces of evil, a story that could be split among several books. Yet so often our ideas crash and burn before they get past the first chapter.

So my idea is this: A condensed, simplified RP that is to our usual RPs as a short story is to a novel. Think of it as being somewhat like a D&D campaign, with a single goal to overcome and one major obstacle, perhaps with smaller obstacles serving as pieces in the overall obstacle, the way traps are part of an overall dungeon. The rest of the explanation is as follows:

The Setting
The story takes place in an as-yet-unnamed City in a fantasy world. This City, while perhaps not a national capital or a royal castle town, is nonetheless a large and important place. It is home to a military academy, one of many across the land that train the army, as well as an esteemed university where the likes of magic, alchemy, and other such things are taught. And of course there are a number of taverns and inns where wandering adventurers, gruff mercenaries, and other sorts mingle.

The Story
In the City's Funeral Temple, where the dead are given their rites and laid to rest, a traveler arrives. Claiming to be a historian seeking to study ancient secrets, he gains access to the deepest depths of the catacombs. Here, deep under the city, he enters the ruins of another temple, long buried by an ancient and destructive war, and begins a dark ritual that threatens to overrun the city from within its own walls...

This RP is meant to be short and sweet, with the goal being to actually finish the damn thing rather than trying to build up some epic fantasy and just have it crash down on us. If we DO finish it, we can choose whether or not we want to continue fleshing out the world and come up with other stories, perhaps growing in scale until we actually CAN finish an epic-length RP.

Things of Note

  • I want to make Magic and Melee more balanced, and urge characters to be more unique and creative with their powers.
  • I want input on stats and equipment, since that seems work for Sin, but I also want to avoid just having a statwhore contest.
  • I also want input on things like races, the city, and the world itself, while still keeping things simple and easy to finish.


So what are your thoughts?
PM Offline Member Profile Goto Top
 
Twi
Member Avatar
Spinning Rocketeer
If we're going to do a lot of short, largely unconnected adventures, I think the first thing we need is a fairly dependable and reliable system that we can keep using over and over again.

In other words, we need an RPG system of some kind. Which is not by any means simple. :L
Warning: Prone to spontaneous changes of gender, race, species, personality, writing style, pictures, orientation, IQ, and interests.

OI I'M STILL HERE YOU BLOODY WANKERS
PM Offline Member Profile Goto Top
 
Onime No Ryu
Member Avatar
I'll be your Undertaker this evening
Twi
June 28, 2013, 11:20 am
If we're going to do a lot of short, largely unconnected adventures, I think the first thing we need is a fairly dependable and reliable system that we can keep using over and over again.

In other words, we need an RPG system of some kind. Which is not by any means simple. :L
That would be too much planning for something meant to be relatively simple. I don't want to copy D&D, I just want to finish an RP.

If people wanted stats I was pretty much gonna just steal and maybe slightly modify Sin's system--not because the system itself has any kind of gaping flaws, but because magic is a big part of any RP system and I want to keep magic balanced.
PM Offline Member Profile Goto Top
 
Twi
Member Avatar
Spinning Rocketeer
Ehhhh, magic isn't required, and it doesn't have to work like that. For example, Sin uses Intelligence for magic, yet I don't think most of the characters got their magic by being intelligent. In D&D terms, Wisdom would be their magic stat- they impose magic not through arcane study and strict formulas, but through sheer force of will.

And in any event, no one technically NEEDS magic. Low fantasy works just as well, or better yet, magicless humans versus massive beasts, Monster Hunter style. I think there's something to be said for that sort of thing as well.

But anyways! Simplicity is definitely good, so you're on the right track there. I'm certainly not opposed to this idea, just trying to figure out how to do it.
Warning: Prone to spontaneous changes of gender, race, species, personality, writing style, pictures, orientation, IQ, and interests.

OI I'M STILL HERE YOU BLOODY WANKERS
PM Offline Member Profile Goto Top
 
Onime No Ryu
Member Avatar
I'll be your Undertaker this evening
Twi
June 28, 2013, 11:29 am
Ehhhh, magic isn't required, and it doesn't have to work like that. For example, Sin uses Intelligence for magic, yet I don't think most of the characters got their magic by being intelligent. In D&D terms, Wisdom would be their magic stat- they impose magic not through arcane study and strict formulas, but through sheer force of will.

And in any event, no one technically NEEDS magic. Low fantasy works just as well, or better yet, magicless humans versus massive beasts, Monster Hunter style. I think there's something to be said for that sort of thing as well.

But anyways! Simplicity is definitely good, so you're on the right track there. I'm certainly not opposed to this idea, just trying to figure out how to do it.
See, and people always used to yell at me for doing anything through sheer force of will. That's why magic needs to be reworked. What's the point of training your whole life to lift large weapons, wear heavy armor, or throw powerful punches when a mage can just buff himself to have even more physical strength than you do? What's the point of carrying a sword or an axe when blades of wind can not only cut just as well, but can do so from a distance without putting the caster in any kind of danger?

Not only does the kind of magic we usually use in our RPs--the kind that seems to come more from natural skill and imagination rather than from some codified system or from years of study--make anything that's NOT magical completely obsolete, it also offers a get-out-of-anything-free card that makes any kind of non-violent obstacle completely pointless. Why bother finding the key when you can blast the door off its hinges? Why bother finding a way around the bottomless pit when you can use a blast of wind to fly across? Magic makes everything entirely too easy and utterly pointless, especially when the characters are still basically "low level" because that implies that "great sages" or whatever would be powerful enough to fucking reshape planets.

And yet I kind of doubt low fantasy would work as well as you say because everyone LOVES to try and outcool each other with their long lightning rods and their fiery balls.
PM Offline Member Profile Goto Top
 
Twi
Member Avatar
Spinning Rocketeer
Onime No Ryu
June 28, 2013, 11:41 am
Twi
June 28, 2013, 11:29 am
Ehhhh, magic isn't required, and it doesn't have to work like that. For example, Sin uses Intelligence for magic, yet I don't think most of the characters got their magic by being intelligent. In D&D terms, Wisdom would be their magic stat- they impose magic not through arcane study and strict formulas, but through sheer force of will.

And in any event, no one technically NEEDS magic. Low fantasy works just as well, or better yet, magicless humans versus massive beasts, Monster Hunter style. I think there's something to be said for that sort of thing as well.

But anyways! Simplicity is definitely good, so you're on the right track there. I'm certainly not opposed to this idea, just trying to figure out how to do it.
See, and people always used to yell at me for doing anything through sheer force of will. That's why magic needs to be reworked. What's the point of training your whole life to lift large weapons, wear heavy armor, or throw powerful punches when a mage can just buff himself to have even more physical strength than you do? What's the point of carrying a sword or an axe when blades of wind can not only cut just as well, but can do so from a distance without putting the caster in any kind of danger?

Not only does the kind of magic we usually use in our RPs--the kind that seems to come more from natural skill and imagination rather than from some codified system or from years of study--make anything that's NOT magical completely obsolete, it also offers a get-out-of-anything-free card that makes any kind of non-violent obstacle completely pointless. Why bother finding the key when you can blast the door off its hinges? Why bother finding a way around the bottomless pit when you can use a blast of wind to fly across? Magic makes everything entirely too easy and utterly pointless, especially when the characters are still basically "low level" because that implies that "great sages" or whatever would be powerful enough to fucking reshape planets.

And yet I kind of doubt low fantasy would work as well as you say because everyone LOVES to try and outcool each other with their long lightning rods and their fiery balls.
The thing is, though, if you have a limited number of spells and you're not allowed to make more up on the fly, you don't have a get-out-of-anything-free card. Which Sin's system is more like. The fact that it uses Intelligence further suggests that it's meant as a codified system with years of practice, not a system of imagination and on-the-fly spellwork. It's just that there's no fluff to reinforce this, and in fact, the characters all seem to actively suggest the opposite. (No offense meant to you, Sin. I'm not criticizing your system.)

I had an idea for Andrea attempting to explain the system as sort of a middle ground between 'something you just pick up and use with your will' and 'something you learn through practice and formulas and whatnot', since some of you were asking. Just thought I'd mention that.

In short, the game's only as good as its players.

Also, low fantasy could work. Working together to bring down massive beasts is a strong contender for coolness if you ask me. Just throwing that out there.
Edited by Twi, June 28, 2013, 11:51 am.
Warning: Prone to spontaneous changes of gender, race, species, personality, writing style, pictures, orientation, IQ, and interests.

OI I'M STILL HERE YOU BLOODY WANKERS
PM Offline Member Profile Goto Top
 
Keith
Member Avatar
Mage
join votm you gaylord
MAP OF HYRULE

BESTIARY

WORLD NOTES
PM Offline Member Profile Goto Top
 
yuna
Member Avatar
Goddess Of Executions
Lord of the Butts
June 28, 2013, 12:13 pm
join votm you gaylord
Nice.
Posted Image
PM Offline Member Profile Goto Top
 
oniskieth
Member Avatar
The Silver Light
I voted "no" because you want stats and a balanced system. If this is a short rp then it shouldn't matter in the long run. Just set magical boundaries at the start.
Edited by oniskieth, June 29, 2013, 2:16 pm.
Katherine's Approval
PM Offline Member Profile Goto Top
 
Onime No Ryu
Member Avatar
I'll be your Undertaker this evening
oniskieth
June 29, 2013, 2:10 pm
I voted "no" because you want stats and a balanced system. If this is a short rp then it shouldn't matter in the long run. Just set magical boundaries at the start.
I said I wanted input on those things. If enough people don't want them we won't use them.
PM Offline Member Profile Goto Top
 
oniskieth
Member Avatar
The Silver Light
Your talk with Twi gave me the vibe that you wanted these things.
Katherine's Approval
PM Offline Member Profile Goto Top
 
Onime No Ryu
Member Avatar
I'll be your Undertaker this evening
What I want is for magic to be balanced, regardless of whether or not we use stats.
PM Offline Member Profile Goto Top
 
Arcvalons
Member Avatar
Lord of the Octoroks, all hail!
If it doesn't have stats with complex calculations, I'm all for it. Mainly since it's supposed to be short and sweet. I'm assuming we all start fully powered too.
PM Offline Member Profile Goto Top
 
Onime No Ryu
Member Avatar
I'll be your Undertaker this evening
Summers
June 29, 2013, 6:08 pm
If it doesn't have stats with complex calculations, I'm all for it. Mainly since it's supposed to be short and sweet. I'm assuming we all start fully powered too.
No you don't start at end-game level. It's the equivalent of stopping after one dungeon, not simply shoving the entire journey from 1st level to Epic level into a bite sized package.
PM Offline Member Profile Goto Top
 
Arcvalons
Member Avatar
Lord of the Octoroks, all hail!
But then it's boring, our characters can't possibly grow in any meaningful way in that amount of time. I think we should start fully powered.
PM Offline Member Profile Goto Top
 
Keith
Member Avatar
Mage
Summers
June 29, 2013, 9:38 pm
But then it's boring, our characters can't possibly grow in any meaningful way in that amount of time. I think we should start fully powered.
OWNED
OWNED

Spoiler: click to toggle


*Burnt, it was getting annoying seeing the page being so long.
-NTNP

lmao cry about it nerd
Edited by Keith, June 30, 2013, 11:16 am.
MAP OF HYRULE

BESTIARY

WORLD NOTES
PM Offline Member Profile Goto Top
 
Onime No Ryu
Member Avatar
I'll be your Undertaker this evening
Summers
June 29, 2013, 9:38 pm
But then it's boring, our characters can't possibly grow in any meaningful way in that amount of time. I think we should start fully powered.
Our characters NEVER grow in any meaningful way--either the RP dies before they get the chance, or the more likely case, no one grows because hardly anyone is actually interested in meaningful development. Everyone just wants to outcool each other, as I've said multiple times before, and most people end up just making cookie cutter characters anyway because they don't expect the RP to finish.
PM Offline Member Profile Goto Top
 
Twi
Member Avatar
Spinning Rocketeer
Onime No Ryu
June 30, 2013, 6:02 am
Summers
June 29, 2013, 9:38 pm
But then it's boring, our characters can't possibly grow in any meaningful way in that amount of time. I think we should start fully powered.
Our characters NEVER grow in any meaningful way--either the RP dies before they get the chance, or the more likely case, no one grows because hardly anyone is actually interested in meaningful development. Everyone just wants to outcool each other, as I've said multiple times before, and most people end up just making cookie cutter characters anyway because they don't expect the RP to finish.
Well then join Contact or something, if that's what you really think. Not that it's true. NTNP's characters, for instance, certainly tend to undergo development.

(Also get back to VotM so Burnt stops trolololololing. It gets annoying eventually. :v)
Warning: Prone to spontaneous changes of gender, race, species, personality, writing style, pictures, orientation, IQ, and interests.

OI I'M STILL HERE YOU BLOODY WANKERS
PM Offline Member Profile Goto Top
 
Onime No Ryu
Member Avatar
I'll be your Undertaker this evening
Twi
June 30, 2013, 6:14 am
Onime No Ryu
June 30, 2013, 6:02 am
Summers
June 29, 2013, 9:38 pm
But then it's boring, our characters can't possibly grow in any meaningful way in that amount of time. I think we should start fully powered.
Our characters NEVER grow in any meaningful way--either the RP dies before they get the chance, or the more likely case, no one grows because hardly anyone is actually interested in meaningful development. Everyone just wants to outcool each other, as I've said multiple times before, and most people end up just making cookie cutter characters anyway because they don't expect the RP to finish.
Well then join Contact or something, if that's what you really think. Not that it's true. NTNP's characters, for instance, certainly tend to undergo development.

(Also get back to VotM so Burnt stops trolololololing. It gets annoying eventually. :v)
You named one person out of the entire community. Off the top of my head, I'd say the only people I've ever seen attempt REAL character development are NTNP, Sin, Shade, and, believe it or not, Best. Most people either seem to confuse "progression" for development and think that as long as they're still basically going up in level they're "developing" interesting characters; or, as is more common, they don't attempt it at all because their characters have a straight up static personality, and if they have any personality at all, it's a carbon copy of the player's own.

I'll admit, there are SOME people whose characters don't seem to really need development because they're enjoyable to read, but Burnt's the only person in my opinion to accomplish that, and that's because he's never made the claim of trying to write an epic story in the first place, he just puts all his effort into doing things that are entertaining. On the other hand, the rest of us want to make a super cool totally awesome really neato story...and then fall flat on our faces when it comes to actual writing quality and character creation.
PM Offline Member Profile Goto Top
 
MagiusNecros
Member Avatar
GILGAMESH FAN KING
"Think of it as being somewhat like a D&D campaign, with a single goal to overcome and one major obstacle, perhaps with smaller obstacles serving as pieces in the overall obstacle, the way traps are part of an overall dungeon."

Then play DnD. Choose an Edition to play. And be a DM if you must. Go find a group to play with guy. Oh wait.
Arch-Necromancer of the Gilgamesh Army- “I am who I am. The pain of others, I do not feel. The sorrow of others does not touch me. Death feeds me. Death pleases me. I am the essence I consume. You fools will become corpses here, because I wish it to be.”

Curse: Cursed with hourglass eyes that show how life slowly dies before him
Wields: Living sword Ragnarok and the Staff of Magius
Signature move: God's End
Overlimit: Ultimate Spellchain(Flare, Holy, Meteor, Grand Cross, Almagest, Dimension Zero, Big Bang)
Transformation: Turns into a great black dragon
YT Account:http://www.youtube.com/user/MagiusNecros?feature=mhee
Posted Image
PM Offline Member Profile Goto Top
 
Onime No Ryu
Member Avatar
I'll be your Undertaker this evening
MagiusNecros
June 30, 2013, 8:22 am
"Think of it as being somewhat like a D&D campaign, with a single goal to overcome and one major obstacle, perhaps with smaller obstacles serving as pieces in the overall obstacle, the way traps are part of an overall dungeon."

Then play DnD. Choose an Edition to play. And be a DM if you must. Go find a group to play with guy. Oh wait.
The point isn't wanting to play DnD, smartass, it's wanting to actually finish an RP. This is an experimental thing designed to find out whether or not we actually CAN finish an RP, because being able to do so will boost our desire to make our RPs better. There's no point in putting forth more effort to improve when you won't see the fruits of your labor, so if we can finish an RP maybe that'll get people more excited.
PM Offline Member Profile Goto Top
 
Twi
Member Avatar
Spinning Rocketeer
Onime No Ryu
June 30, 2013, 7:35 am
Twi
June 30, 2013, 6:14 am
Onime No Ryu
June 30, 2013, 6:02 am
Summers
June 29, 2013, 9:38 pm
But then it's boring, our characters can't possibly grow in any meaningful way in that amount of time. I think we should start fully powered.
Our characters NEVER grow in any meaningful way--either the RP dies before they get the chance, or the more likely case, no one grows because hardly anyone is actually interested in meaningful development. Everyone just wants to outcool each other, as I've said multiple times before, and most people end up just making cookie cutter characters anyway because they don't expect the RP to finish.
Well then join Contact or something, if that's what you really think. Not that it's true. NTNP's characters, for instance, certainly tend to undergo development.

(Also get back to VotM so Burnt stops trolololololing. It gets annoying eventually. :v)
You named one person out of the entire community. Off the top of my head, I'd say the only people I've ever seen attempt REAL character development are NTNP, Sin, Shade, and, believe it or not, Best. Most people either seem to confuse "progression" for development and think that as long as they're still basically going up in level they're "developing" interesting characters; or, as is more common, they don't attempt it at all because their characters have a straight up static personality, and if they have any personality at all, it's a carbon copy of the player's own.

I'll admit, there are SOME people whose characters don't seem to really need development because they're enjoyable to read, but Burnt's the only person in my opinion to accomplish that, and that's because he's never made the claim of trying to write an epic story in the first place, he just puts all his effort into doing things that are entertaining. On the other hand, the rest of us want to make a super cool totally awesome really neato story...and then fall flat on our faces when it comes to actual writing quality and character creation.
Heh, I've attempted development a couple of times. Didn't work because either the RP ended or I was just stupid. I am, however, a firm believer in enjoying myself, so I guess I've got that much down. And yeah, leveling up =/= development, so hard.

But I feel like talking about something else: Magic.

The way we use it, magic is like technology: if you have access to it, why not use it? If you want magic to be balanced with the physical, you need to give it more downsides, more risks. Alternatively, you upgrade the physical to compensate, but....
Warning: Prone to spontaneous changes of gender, race, species, personality, writing style, pictures, orientation, IQ, and interests.

OI I'M STILL HERE YOU BLOODY WANKERS
PM Offline Member Profile Goto Top
 
MagiusNecros
Member Avatar
GILGAMESH FAN KING
"I want to make Magic and Melee more balanced, and urge characters to be more unique and creative with their powers."

It's nice to want things.

----------------------

RP's aren't finished because of 3 things: Lack of interest, no longer fun, someone is a spiteful wham ham.

And please, the experimental Roleplay is essentially you saying I want to play DnD but not DnD. That's all it is.
Arch-Necromancer of the Gilgamesh Army- “I am who I am. The pain of others, I do not feel. The sorrow of others does not touch me. Death feeds me. Death pleases me. I am the essence I consume. You fools will become corpses here, because I wish it to be.”

Curse: Cursed with hourglass eyes that show how life slowly dies before him
Wields: Living sword Ragnarok and the Staff of Magius
Signature move: God's End
Overlimit: Ultimate Spellchain(Flare, Holy, Meteor, Grand Cross, Almagest, Dimension Zero, Big Bang)
Transformation: Turns into a great black dragon
YT Account:http://www.youtube.com/user/MagiusNecros?feature=mhee
Posted Image
PM Offline Member Profile Goto Top
 
Onime No Ryu
Member Avatar
I'll be your Undertaker this evening
MagiusNecros
June 30, 2013, 8:40 am
"I want to make Magic and Melee more balanced, and urge characters to be more unique and creative with their powers."

It's nice to want things.

----------------------

RP's aren't finished because of 3 things: Lack of interest, no longer fun, someone is a spiteful wham ham.

And please, the experimental Roleplay is essentially you saying I want to play DnD but not DnD. That's all it is.
No, it's not. What I WANT is for this site to have RPs that are of higher quality and more fun than what we have right now, which is a cycle of "RP starts, goes strong for 2-3 weeks, slows down, then dies within 2 months." No one likes working hard on a character or joining an enjoyable RP only to see that RP go down and all their hard work go to waste. I think that part of the problem is that we're overdoing it by trying to create a long-term project, when everyone pretty much already knows it won't finish. So my proposed solution is to try a short-term project and see how that affects things.
PM Offline Member Profile Goto Top
 
MagiusNecros
Member Avatar
GILGAMESH FAN KING
Depends on how much effort one person wants to put into something Onime. We know some like to put minimal effort. Some like to make a huge effort and make an elaborate backstory or try to shoot for the most important role in said synopsis.

Plus going back on your "balance" factor, what kind of balance are you looking for? Balance can mean many things, such as it doesn't matter what route you go since you'll still do crap attacks with physical or magic attacks, or are you referring to a balance where magic is strong against magic and weak to physical attacks and vice versa.

Furthermore it can't just be about what a single person wants, just to fill some misunderstood void of what they think a roleplay should amount to.

And yes perhaps people do overdo things in these RP's of which you are quite proficient in doing.

And besides way back when I enjoyed a roleplay back when it kinda died off because of the creator when it was getting really awesome but due to creator losing interest it kinda shut down. But the fact is I accepted that and I didn't throw a little fit about it. People have to want to change, you can't make them change if they don't want to.
Arch-Necromancer of the Gilgamesh Army- “I am who I am. The pain of others, I do not feel. The sorrow of others does not touch me. Death feeds me. Death pleases me. I am the essence I consume. You fools will become corpses here, because I wish it to be.”

Curse: Cursed with hourglass eyes that show how life slowly dies before him
Wields: Living sword Ragnarok and the Staff of Magius
Signature move: God's End
Overlimit: Ultimate Spellchain(Flare, Holy, Meteor, Grand Cross, Almagest, Dimension Zero, Big Bang)
Transformation: Turns into a great black dragon
YT Account:http://www.youtube.com/user/MagiusNecros?feature=mhee
Posted Image
PM Offline Member Profile Goto Top
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
ZetaBoards - Free Forum Hosting
Enjoy forums? Start your own community for free.
Learn More · Register for Free
Go to Next Page
« Previous Topic · RP ideas · Next Topic »
Poll Only

Systematic made by Phaede of the SZ..