I'm putting 'Munky' in the title of all my blogs lately, to hopefully attract what menial semblance of a regular readership I have thus far. It's time for another blog! And I need to do this one in the next hour and a half, or it'll be late by a day. *lol* No rant this week, guys. Instead I'm trying something totally new.
Edit: Haha, I am too late by almost four hours. VuSys is in a different timezone from me I guess.
—Internet Roleplaying—
Online roleplays are fun, but they never seem to work out the way traditional pen and paper ones do. There's a few prominent species of online RP:
PnP by post: This is what I call it when a group of people get together online and try to play a traditional pen and paper roleplaying game (Like Dungeons and Dragons, for example.) over email or message board. The main problem with this is the ultra slow pace. Turns already take long enough in local PnP games, doing it over the internet and waiting for everybody to post takes ages to get anything done. Let me put it this way: A turn in D&D represents 6 seconds for your character. You might wait an entire day for somebody to post their turn in this kind of game.
Message board based RP: This is when somebody literally makes a whole website, like an Ezboard or a Proboard, with different forums representing significant locations in the setting. People then post topics for events in the appropriate areas, and have at it. The problem with this is there's usually way too much space, and not enough players to fill it. There's typically also a lack of direction that causes players to eventually go inactive and stop posting. Participation just isn't where it needs to be, for this sort of thing.
Topic based RP: As opposed to a whole message board, this type of RP occurs in a single message board topic. I make the distinction between this and PnP by post in that the former is a freeform RP only, whereas the latter is actually a pen and paper game in the structured sense of turns and rulesets. This kind of RP is problematic because it's very claustrophobic. Every player, regardless of what they're doing or where is posting to the same place. To keep up, players must fully read and comprehend everything that is happening in the entire game world at once. It's often times alot more active than a Message board based RP, but it tends to be a big mess and is tough to keep track of.
What's the point in my explaining all this? I'm proposing a brand new breed of internet RP, and I intend to be the first to host one:
Blog based episodic RP: This sort of game has a loose fitting ruleset, like a very lightcore PnP by post, but provides a system to facilitate the timing of turns in an elegant manner that minimizes player wait and keeps everybody participating. It's meant to encourage the same action you see in a topic based RP, without all the clutter. The GM, me in this case, posts a blog for a significant event, which we'll be calling an 'episode' from here on, and all players post comments for their actions. At the end of a day, the GM summarizes everything that happened and puts it back in the original blog. After a predetermined period of time, usually about a week, the episode ends and the player characters move to the next one, written and posted by the GM as a separate blog.
Interested in joining maybe? Keep reading for specifics.
Otherwise, feel free to skip to the comments section and just tell me what you think of the idea.
——
Section 1: Structure
An entire game is a 'campaign'.
…..The campaign consists of multiple 'episodes'. (Each episode is represented by one blog.)
……….Each episode contains 'actions' from each player. (Each action is represented by one blog comment.)
……….Each player gets one action per day. (Or it could be some other number of actions/day, at GM's digression.)
……….One action will typically comprise about 10 minutes in the game world. Down time in the events of the episode will be fast forwarded past.
…..The episode blog will be updated with summaries of player actions, coherently put together by the GM, so if somebody were to read just the blog, they'd still get what's going on.
…..One episode will cover a significant event in the storyline of the campaign start to finish. Think of it as a 'chapter' in the story.
…..After a period of time, the episode ends, and the GM writes another. (I've chosen about a week. Some episodes can be longer though.)
Section 2: Player Participation and Turns
-Even when turn order matters, players may post in any order, as long as everybody posts for one round before going to the next. I can put them in proper order later.
-If a player knows in advance they can't get online for a day, they should tell me beforehand if possible.
-If a player doesn't show up for an entire day of turns, I'll email them a reminder, and control their player myself for that day.
-If a player tries to do something their character isn't fully capable of, I'll scale it back accordingly. Example: There's a dragon 100 feet in the air. Zeke can't fly. He says "I swing my sword and hit the dragon." I would tell him he swings at empty air.
-If a player tries to do something totally absurd, they doze for that turn. (See next point.) Example: Zeke says "I JUMP 100 FEET IN THE AIR AND SWING TO HIT THE DRAGON!"
-At the end of the day, any turns unused by a player 'doze', meaning the character stands around doing nothing for that turn.
Section 3: Campaign Settings
Each campaign will be its own story, but multiple such stories can exist in one game world. For my first campaign, I intend to get together about five people and do a small Sci-Fi romp, to test out the system. It'll only be about three weeks long.
If that goes well, I want to run a much longer term game in a setting of my own devising. I don't want to say too much now, but to sum it up, it'll be an alternate timeline 18th Century Europe. I also want to make it very noir. For those of you who see "18th Century" and assume it'll be blah, I have only this to say to you: "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was a freaking sweet movie." It'll be much darker than that though, and this isn't going to be a ripoff of that movie, though you can expect to see some familiar faces from the literature of that time period.
Section 4: Apply Here!
So if you're interested, I'm looking for about 5 players for the first mini-campaign. If you eventually want to get into the real deal, keep in mind I'll probably keep any players of the first game who don't totally bore everyone. There are no wrong answers! At least not for question one or two, I mean.. Fill out the following and post it in a comment:
1) How would you describe your style as a roleplayer?
2) What is typically your position in a roleplaying group? (Choose)
Dice-Fighter / RP-Diplomat / Rules-Lawyer / Party-Instigator
3) The first game is Sci-Fi. The second game is oldschool England. Got any character ideas? (Not a yes/no question.)
4) Type a sentence, any sentence, proving to me you're literate, and understand spelling/grammar/punctuation.
18 Comments
-Is confused-
Oh well. This is why I don’t RP; I never understand what’s going on xD
After the last RP on proboards, I got kind of sick of RPing; I will type something for #4 however.
4) l0l 1 w1ll n0t typ3 l1t3r4t3ly l0l0l0l0l0l
Enough of that, it was hard thinking of how the mentally unstable people on the internet type.
*lol* Perhaps I tried to explain in too great a detail. Basically the host of the game makes a blog, and the players comment on it. The host summarizes. When it’s time for a new significant event, everyone moves to a new blog.
1) My style is to have as much fun as possible
2) Party Instigator/Dice Fighter
3) For the Sci-Fi, I’m thinking a mobile suit mechanic that’s a pretty good pilot as well. For old-school England, I’m thinking a street urchin along the lines of Nobby Nobbs.
4) Type a sentence, any sentence, proving to me you’re literate, and understand spelling/grammar/punctuation. (No, really. That’s my answer)
*lol* Wiseass. But okay, that’s our first real application then. Your competition is currently pretty slim.
Maybe you could add in a randomiser. Let different people have different turns. And stuff.
Sounds like a lot of fun. Been waiting for somebody to start an RP.
1) Flexible. I go with the flow. XD
2) Whatever’s needed, as long as it isn’t too rigid of a position. See #1? XD
3) Sci-fi, a… normal person, I guess? Or at least as normal as you can get, I guess… OSE, commoner! Commoners ftw!
4) Does this part really have no guidelines other than to “be literate”?
@Zhlink: There will be dice rolls involved to a limited extent, for when players attempt something that has a clear cut probability to succeed/fail. Players will attempt to do something in their post, and then I’ll determine whether it works or not. The actual rules will be clearer and better laid out in my first episode. Right now I’m just putting the idea out there.
@Chameleon: *lol* Yeah, I’m mainly concerned with people nut talkin’ liek dis.
1) WHeeEEEEEEEE~
2) Same as Chameleon.
3) A Medic. 8D
And, erm, a Vampire? xD
4)
Yoyoyo, B dawg G. Yeayeayea, alrigh’.I accept this mission without knowing the terms and conditions applied. (A friend thing)1. Smexeh style. Um..I add in humor in every post. Or I try to. Makes it entertaining. lululul
2. D-D-Dice Fighter
3. Sci-Fi – I, Robot. With secksay green armor. lululul. I’m not very creative today…
Old School Englando – umm…a cobbler (shoemaker)! 😀
4. a sentence, any sentence, proving to me you’re literate, and understand spelling/grammar/punctuation.
1) I tend to be the person in the middle of the plot. If something dramatic and insane happened that alters the whole RP’s plotline, it was probably because of me.
2) RP-Diplomat / Rules-Lawyer
3) Yes for the second one.
4) Negative, Munky, I do not partake in such abysmal manuscript as some of these incompetent imbeciles that populate the series of tubes known as The Internet.
EDIT: By the by, I am currently working on one of our classic forum RPs, a new icebreaker for our new site. I’d appreciate any volunteers. 😀
Froggy, you darn copycat/frog.
Catfrog?
Frog-cat. XD
Btw, Munky.
Is that ‘doze’ instead?
1) How would you describe your style as a roleplayer?
I, er, overdescribe? ^_^; The couple of times I RP-ed, I literally wrote a story per post. -_- But I have a good idea of where I want my character to head to, what’s their background and personalities and etc.
2) What is typically your position in a roleplaying group? (Choose)
RP-Diplomat
3) The first game is Sci-Fi. The second game is oldschool England. Got any character ideas? (Not a yes/no question.)
Sci-fi? Like, futuristic ones? I’ll be an old-fashioned, eccentric person who insists on old-school stuff. ^_^
Old-school England: Suspiciously independent, middle-class lady who runs a pie shop. ^___^ Or maybe a hat shop. Can’t decide.
4) Type a sentence, any sentence, proving to me you’re literate, and understand spelling/grammar/punctuation.
Please do not feed the elephant.
The character ideas aren’t final, right? Cause I’m sure I can think of a better one if you show us the context. ^_^
Wow i get it! =O Good job munky it sounds all cool and stuff.
But i’ve sworn off all kinds of roleplaying. I’ll watch you guys do it though ^^
Fat-crog.
Nice to see I’m getting some entries, now.
@Pirkid: What sort of RP is it? I think Imma probably have my hands full with this one..
@SilverFx: You’re right, it’s “doze”. Fixed. I’ve refrained from feeding the elephant! :3 Character ideas are definitely not final.
@dee32693: No spectators allowed! *lol* I’m kid, I kid. I aim for this to be as entertaining as possible for everybody, whether they’re playing or not. Feel free to watch, and invite all your friends to watch. xP
Edit: And in case anybody is wondering, I plan to choose entrants, write the first episode, and prepare specific rules this coming Friday. If you’ve signed up for a spot, be sure your VuTales ID includes your email address, so I can tell you right away if you’re in, and keep you posted thereafter. Once the events for the first episode are all in place and you have the (very basic, nonrestrictive) rules for character creation, you can write up your character and jump right in. I think the first game is going to be sorta silly, anything goes, while I figure things out, we’re just going to wing it. The longer campaign is will be alot better thought out, and will have more interest in being coherent and internally consistent.
1) How would you describe your style as a roleplayer?
I tend to go with the flow so I don’t mess anything up. I just want to have fun.
2) What is typically your position in a roleplaying group? (Choose)
Party-Instigatorhttp://www.vutales.vuii.co.uk/blog/362/2
3) The first game is Sci-Fi. The second game is oldschool England. Got any character ideas? (Not a yes/no question.)
For Sci-Fi, we can do a technical/space suit kind of thing. For oldschool England? Maybe those old fashioned suits and dresses that they wore? o_O
4) Type a sentence, any sentence, proving to me you’re literate, and understand spelling/grammar/punctuation.
I will try my best to have proper spelling and punctuation habits.
You rule. I was hoping for an RP. And this form seems pretty sweet to me. I wasn’t a fan of the Proboard style.
1) How would you describe your style as a roleplayer?
I am the “go with the flow” person. I don’t start the action, but i sure as hell get involved.
2) What is typically your position in a roleplaying group? (Choose)
Dice-Fighter / RP-Diplomat / Rules-Lawyer / Party-Instigator
=/ Rules Lawyer maybe.
3) The first game is Sci-Fi. The second game is oldschool England. Got any character ideas? (Not a yes/no question.)
Sci-fi: I am thinking a robot built by some dude. But like..with some form of intelligence, and SLIGHT emotion.
oldschool: The blacksmith’s daughter. lol
4) Type a sentence, any sentence, proving to me you’re literate, and understand spelling/grammar/punctuation.
Josh snores like a hobo with a sinus infection