Role Play General Chat

Thats a cool idea...So is it like several different stories or one main story? How does it work exactly?

 

There are always ways around it, however. One of the general RPG rules could be to force a balance of powers among characters. This is shown in games like Orb of Pyritus, in which some characters would normally be much more powerful than another, but all the players have to play fair in relation to the other character's abilities.

Now that I think about it, doesn't the Orb of Pyritus match your desired RPG description? It allows characters from any universe to come together, such that you could have come in with Tina Sharp if you wanted to.

 

Yeah... i didn't think of it that way. Cool.

 

You would probably pick a main plot then everyone would follow that. Ask around I'm sure people would be interested, I'd be up for it.

 

Hey, I'd like to solicit a few new players into Heart of Star v2.0. We are trying to get it re-energized and I think some fresh writers would be a big help. Read the first post and some of the early game play to see if you are interested in the game. So far in the game, the ground work has been set up but we are still getting into the main plot. A quick summary will easily get everyone up to speed. PM me if you are interested.

 

Hello again, I've been trying to upgrade the appearance of the RPG forum by archiving old games, enshrining successful games and writing a new Welcome Sticky. Its that last part I would like some feedback on. Could y'all take a look and let me know what could be added or improved?

 

Looks good hawken, can't see anything that I would add. Keep up the great work.

 

Yeah, it looks perfect. The only thing I might point out is the fact that the FAQ is largely unfinished. But you didn't make that, so nothing to note, really.

 

We haven't had any new games start up for about a month, so its about time for a new one. Anyone have anything in the works?

 

I had a couple ideas, but nothing concrete. I could try fleshing 'em out, if you'd like.

 

I wouldn't want to distract you from the EPIC success of Eximius Coventry 2.0, but if you could find a co-GM it might be worth a try.

 

I had an Idea that you approved. I just waiting for the right time to throw it out there. I guess...now would be the time. You said I need game rules, Losthawken...does that mean the basic rpg rules or my specific game rules or both? If rpg rules where would i find those?

 

Both. For RPG rules I usually copy from Oasis Writers FAQ (section 3, act 2, Cardinal Rule 4) and modify them to suit my particular game and desires.

 

It's a good feeling to come back to the site after forever and see that everything seems to be going well And so many active games! Still nothing that beats my old one (yay random gloating) but still a good sight

Wondering if I would be able to find time to come back... (not right now during finals week though...)

Anyhow, yay for RPG section! And Congrats to Hawken on GM ship!

 

Might not mean much from a newcomer, but welcome back Honorius. You've been on this site since the stone age!

Well, I had an idea for a moment, but I don't think I'm quite cut out for starting my own RPGs yet. I might reconsider after I've managed to get better at writing. If I get better.

 

Don't worry Cheddar. With all the reading and writing you do in an RPG, you can't help but to get better. I just hope people like the game I will be proposing soon.

 

I would propose a roleplay but all I ideas seem to come back to then novels I'm writing.

 

@Magnan: same problem. I sent an RPG idea to losthawken last week, and after thinking it over for a day or two, I thought "well, that's the most original idea I've had yet!" and I decided to take it back and use it as a story instead...
But yeah, I've got some ideas. Kalicas has been pretty good, and I've been studying over the successful RPGs to see what makes them that way. Got a couple of concepts, just need to decide what to work on.

 

For the record Cheddar, you are qualified.

I really like that you've been studying the other successful games @naturemage. Care to share what you've gleaned? I think it would be great for us all to hear.

 

Yeah, Naturemage! lets hear some of that RPG wisdom!

 

lol. well, all right then. I suppose I could do that. I will provide examples to my points using the successful RPGs that are being played now (Orb, Kalicas, Coventry, and Paradeisos)
1- Openness-: I have noticed that the more successful RPGs have more free choice in characters than those who do not have many players. Orb allowed for anything the players wanted to come up with, and I've noticed several players using concepts from their own stories. Coventry allows for any power (approved by Earphone of course), giving them the freedom to think up their own awesome ideas. Paradeisos, though limited to criminals, is allowed to have players with a variety of backgrounds otherwise. However, there are no specific crimes stated that the players have to have, no particular race, etc. Kalicas (not to brag for myself, just stating examples), though limited in choice of Robos to use, allowed players to choose who they wanted to be, be creative with their choice of Robo, and even allow them not to use one at all.

2-NPCs- Without direction, the players can't get very far (I learned this myself with Alliance, which, though I gave a direction to the players, it was difficult to actually show them where to go without point blank saying it. I will come to that point next.) NPCs provide a lot of direction, and under the post that Oasis Writer put up for the Roleplaying FAQ, there are a series of questions listed that I know I often skip over: Who is the story focused on, who will play that part, is the GM's character the focus of the story? In the listed RPGs (aside from Paradeisos, which I haven't gotten a good look at besides the first post), the NPCs play a large part in progressing the story, and yanking other characters along with them by a short leash. Despite the fact that this somewhat limits the players from doing what they want, it is not necessarily a bad thing. I feel that the players need a good direction to go. Dirk is the top guy in Coventry, and his war against the grey suits is just the kind of thing to rally the other Exceptionals together. In Orb, Magnalian, though the bad guy, has given us all a purpose. And Greywind has been of help to show us where to find him. On Kalicas, Tyri and Risa are the leads, one in each country, in which everyone else gathers around. I found in Alliance (again, the unsuccessful example), though my lead NPC (can't remember his name, but he was the lead dragon) was strong, and stated a purpose, he wasn't a character people could follow (especially since he stayed behind while sending the others on their way to search for the sword). So, players need someone to follow, someone to show them where to go. It's like the MC in a story: minor characters can't really get anywhere unless your reader is following the MC. If you stray from the MC (or characters in some cases), your reader won't have anyone to follow, and the plot stalls, eventually stopping on the side of the road in a desert somewhere, with no water or gas.

3- Mystery... or not- In my attempts to make a successful RPG (I've tried many, I think there were 5), Kalicas is the only survivor. And, in looking at the other RPGs, as well as my own failed attempts, it is my observation that mystery is not a good idea (unless it is, in fact, a mystery themed RPG). However, that's besides my point. Without a clear, neon-lit, CAPITAL LETTERS, BOLD, ITALIC, UNDERLINED goal, players aren't sure what to do. The specificity of that goal doesn't have to be so spelled out, but there must be one. In Alliance (again, unsuccessful), there was too much mystery (aka, goal not defined in the first post with the rules). No one knew what the goal was (go after the sword), no one knew who the villain was (I never said). However, in each of the successful RPGs, there is a well defined goal (and not simply Survive!). In Orb, it was very clear: get the Orb! In Coventry, survival is important, but with the grey suits were the clear enemy, and it was the goal to figure out what they were up to. Kalicas, there is a war going on, and it is up to the characters to end it (by any means they can). Even in Paradeisos (which again, I haven't studied the story so much as the first post), survival is important, but finding a suitable faction and fighting for it was a secondary goal.

4- Players, players, players- There is nothing more important than players in the RPGs. Its quite obvious, I thought, until I realized that there was more to it. Its the amount of players, giving the players what they want, COMMUNICATION!!!, and collaboration. Alliance had very few players when it started up, and starting up the game before you have enough players will stall it out soon enough. I'm not saying there's a perfect number, because some RPGs could certainly be successful with 2 or 3 players. But, having the right amount for the environment is key. With only 3 or 4 Exceptionals running around Coventry, the point of the grey suits being there (not to mention the terrible odds) is kind of bad. In Orb, having 2 guys after the Orb would being much of a challenge for Magnalian, or exciting for the story. However, 50 people would just create mass chaos (and too many players in any RPG can be confusing, because people forget who they are with, again, COMMUNICATION!). In Kalicas, a war-torn environment leads people to one another, and while 2 or 3 players could work, more is better because there are more personalities. Given this point, take a look at successful TV shows, and how many characters there are. Just about every show I can think of has between 4 and 8 MCs, with about 10 more minor characters that appear once in a while. <------ MAGIC NUMBER!!!! But there can certainly be more.
Giving the players what they want involves the GM's willingness to stray from their rules, but only slightly. Now, these aren't the RPG rules, or the games' rules. These are those rules that sit in the back of the GM's mind, that little nagging voice that sits on your shoulder and says "now that's too powerful," or "you said you wouldn't let them". Sometimes, I think its safe to say, you just gotta flick the little bugger off your shoulder and quickly post an "OK" before he comes running back. Put bluntly, sometimes you gotta suck it up. Because having a player that can control a strong character is better than losing a player.
COMMUNICATION!!- 'nough said. Players need to communicate, and this is what the discussion threads are for. USE THEM!!! They were created so that those little mysteries, or open-ended posts, and etc. etc. etc. can be worked with. Ideas for the next posts, questions about something that happened in a post, etc. are all to be posted there. Why? So the next post doesn't leave everyone going: "wait, are you sure that can happen", or, "oh dude, no... just... no...", or... possibly having a player booted from a game (haven't seen that yet, but have seen some posts get deleted because the storyline took a hard left instead of a slight right).
And of course, collaboration. Nothing is worse (and there has been an ongoing discussion in Coventry on this) than waking up one morning, going onto your favorite RPG, and finding out your character just jumped off a bridge with someone else because they were being chased. Why? Well, because the other player ASSUMED you would follow him. And, as my wife says to me all the time, ASSUMING makes an A** out of U and ME. So, taking control of a character might not be so bad, as long as its something minor. But major decisions should be left to the player, not just a "yeah, I'm pretty sure (99.9%) he'd do that". Because, for the sake of the story, the sake of the character, of the player, and most of all, RESPECT!, use the tools writingforums gave you. Yeah, there's a Private Message button! (Sorry, it's a bit mean to put it so bluntly, but some people refuse to use it). Send a message to the guy aside of you who's also running from the enemy. "Hey dude, feel like jumping off a bridge with me. Once we get near the river, I'll change into a bird, and you can get on my back." You'll likely get a response (it may take a day or two, but we're all writers, we've got time). "Sure, didn't know you could change into a bird. That'd be sweet!" or "Actually, I was thinking since they're so far behind us, I could use my earthquake power and just collapse part of the bridge, which do you like better?" COLLABORATION PEOPLE! Many of us write stories by ourselves, but we all have to remember that an RPG is a story with 5, 10, even 20 authors. In RPGs, you cannot, no... you WILL NOT make the decisions alone. It should be forbidden (I mean that). Put it simply, the next time you are driving on the highway at 80 miles an hour, and there is a car next to you, think about if he suddenly decided to turn into you and crash your car. Wouldn't you love it if he had collaborated with you, asking if he could do it first? Because, not only is he affecting his life (just because he thought it'd be cool to see a car crash), but yours as well.

And, finally 5- Advertising- Get the word out there! Advertise in... well, here! Use the general RPG chat and tell people you're making a new RPG. Then, check if people are interested in the concept while the moderators are busy approving the game. Tell people when your game is up! When it starts, tell players to suggest your game. There are successful businesses out there who don't advertise on television, radio, etc. Why are they successful? Because they have a great customer base, and those customers say great things about them to friends. You have so much room to advertise in here (but check with moderators before doing anything outside the RPG forums), so use it!

...sigh. And, folks, that's what I've learned. Hope its a great help to future GMs, to the moderators (@losthawken- guess I did learn some stuff ) and to players.

 

Thanks Honor, we've all been working hard to bring the RPG forum back. I just took a rough tally of our current status and in our 4-5 active games we are averaging ~8 players/game and have a total of nearly 2 dozen active players. Much improved from just 6 months ago I think!

@naturemage: Excellent summary!

I agree with all your points. I hadn't considered the necessity of NPCs so much, but I think you are right. This may be a part of why I'm having a hard time keeping Heart of Star going. That and perhaps too much mystery...

If I could add to your list I would suggest these:

6 STEADY ACTION - Players get board fast, and without a constant challenge they lose interest. In the first 50-150 posts I think you can get away with fair bit of dead space, but once the players are done introducing their characters they need a steady supply of action to keep their interest. I think this is why most games don't make it past the 100 post mark.

7 Limit Puzzles - I don't know why but I have not seen a puzzle ever properly solved in an RPG (correct me if I'm wrong). I think this may go back to what nature said about mystery in that without neon lit signs and clear direction players get confused and disinterested. I at one time expected puzzle/mystery/riddle solving to be as exciting for players as action but have not found this to be the case... However, I would like to be proved wrong. This isn't to say that your plot can't be to solve a mystery or figure something out, but just don't expect your players to do it for you. You will likely have to do most of the work yourself while feeding them a steady stream of action to keep things going.

Does anyone else have suggestions to add??? This is a great topic for the forum.

 

Hm... maybe, being the moderator, you could add an "RPG helpful tips" forum...? We could put the past two posts in, and continue making a list for GMs

And also, concerning 7, perhaps I might try that... prove you wrong I mean

 

Some great points have been made above. Although I am relatively new to the RPG process, I think I can appreciate what you guys are trying to get across. I think one of the most important points from the above posts is the balance of control over the players (i.e. the goal, the ability to stray from the rules, etc.)

One thing I have picked up on from reading some of these RPGs is that sometimes players can repeat quotes and events too much. For example when one player has a series of dialogue, other players want to show their characters thoughts to what is being said. I understand that this is needed to show your characters dimensions and development, however I feel that it can sometimes make a scenario stagnant with everyone providing their characters thoughts on the same post. This means that even after maybe 7 or 8 posts the story has not developed in any real way and hasnt moved on from one characters comments. I personally find myself paying less attention to each individuals thoughts the longer all players focus on one action.

I hope that makes sense. As I said, I'm fairly new to this so it maybe a view that isn't shared by all.

Fox

 

I totally agree with you Fox, I've had players in my games that would re-write whole previous posts from their character's point of view. It drove me CRAZY! I've had a hard time conveying how not to do this, but I think it is MUCH better for the reader and as an exercise for the writer to use SHOWING in the present tense to respond to events in past posts.

For example, instead of writing,

"Julia watched as Bob confronted the bar maid, her rage grew with his everyword. When the bar maid slapped him she smiled to herself, secretly wishing she could be so bold and reveling Bob's due rewards. Julia stood up and left the table without looking at Bob and made for the ladies room."

Write something ahead of those events that show's the response:

"Julia avoided Bob's eyes as the bar maid turned and left, hoping he wouldn't notice her smirk. She stood without excusing herself and made her way towards the ladies room, all the while watching the maid, fantasizing what it must have felt like to stand up to that pig."

Can you see the difference? The second is much more difficult to write, but more interesting to read and does more to move the story along. It seems pedantic as I've demonstrated it, but the principal becomes more apparent when you start reading RPG posts.