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The Official OTC TBRPG Planning and Organization Topic


Noxryn

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And as someone fond of BattleTech, a lot of those words dedicated to the weapons are unnecessary.

 

Like, the light/medium/heavy distinction can absolutely be left out, at the very least, of the missiles. Most you've gotta do there is explain the ranges of the missile types and any other critical distinctions between LRMs and SRMs, and then say that missile grouping size is variable.

 

Heck, the distinctions between the different PPCs (PC as an acronym just looks wrong for that, by the way) are fairly useless, and it would be a lot simpler if you just had one type of PPC. Likewise the machine guns and autocannons... the most I'd do is have the player specify the size of the weapon (40mm, 50mm, whatever) and then provide them information on the rest of the specs on a case-by-case basis. All the specifics regarding ionization times and recharge times and whatever, while nifty in theory, are unlikely to pan out all that great, and the sections on the energy weapons could be greatly condensed.

 

A lot of the material in the tech section is really obvious, and could probably be cut out without anything significant being lost.

We will remember - Skies may fade and stars may wane; we won't forget


And your light shines bright - yes so much brighter shine on


We will remember - Until the skies will fall we won't forget


We will remember


We all shall follow doom

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  • 1 month later...

Sorry for double post but I suppose it's been a while so I'll do it and hope that it'll be okay. 

 

Gonna preface this by saying that due to a similar game already being live, and OTC being what it is, I have no intentions of running this game here right now. That said, I got some excellent feedback last time, and I did my best to use that feedback to (hopefully) improve upon what I had before.

 

So yeah here goes please tear it apart it's what I need to improve it don't hold back.

 

EDIT: Formatting is being weird, I'll fix it when i next get a chance.

 

 

 

 

Rise of Tigers
 
A BattleTech inspired Mech Game
 
 
 
Background blurb:
 
The year is 3550. Man kind has spread through the stars, finding no other sentient species. Aggressive colonisation has left technology in communications lacking, leaving most planets unable to communicate past a few thousand light years. Warfare has evolved. Infantry no longer serves as the frontline in  planetary wars, instead, immense, multi-ton machines called BattleMechs dominate the battlefield. Armed to the teeth and more maneuverable than any land vehicle, Mechs are the ultimate war machines. Mech pilots are the new frontline soldiers, and you, Mech Jockey, are about to join that illustrious group.
 
 
 
 
Story blurb:
 
 
Planet Kell is embroiled in civil war, and you are part of a mercenary group of Mech Jockeys hired to fight, whether for honor, fame, or money. A rebellion has risen against the government after a coup to take control of the various Houses. Raiders, scavengers and pirates roam the wastes, trying to make quick money on the war. Fights break out in urban streets and rural hills. The odds are stacked against you, but the pay is too good to pass up. So you’ve come, three lances of Mech Jockeys, taking whatever hard jobs the rebels need. For now. Whether that holds true in the future depends on the actions of you and your teammates.
 
 
 
 
Factions blurb:
 
 
 
The Rebellion- House Blake
 
 
 
Taking up the banner of House Blake, and led by one Jacob Hawthorne(allegedly an illegitimate son of the former king), the Rebels have little in the way of proper BattleMechs, relying mostly on modified Industrial Mechs, tanks, and power armor to make fast strikes. They have the edge in numbers, but can't field them as effectively. They won’t survive alone. Their headquarters is secreted away, deep in a mountain in the northern continent. They fight to restore the old Monarchy that had ruled peacefully for decades.
 
 
 
The Government- House Rasquales
 
 
 
The de facto government, led by a council of military governors that overthrew the previous monarchy, is well equipped, but they’ve been fighting a long time. They represent House Rasquales. Once pristine Mechs now have been repaired time and again. They've got a technological edge, and better equipped units, but they have smaller numbers. The Capitol is heavily defended, and all strikes against it thus far have failed. These usurpers fight to bring order to Kell, by force if they must. No one knows where they're getting their tech, but it's more advanced than anything the rebels have ever seen.
 
 
 
The Mercs (Lightning Tigers)
 
 
 
This is the player faction, a not quite ragtag group of Mech Jockeys making a name for themselves. A competent merc group is well worth it's weight in credits, but getting that kind of reputation isn't easy. Modestly equipped, they’ve brought their own dropship and a company of Mechs. Led by Commander Natalia Faust, the Lightning Tigers have taken the rebels up on their offer, for the hefty reward of 50 million credits upon Kell's return to the monarchy it was before. How this faction develops is up to you and your fellow players, be it fame or infamy.
 
 
The Rest(Pirates and Scavvers):
 
Not everyone picked a side in the war. Some people banded together for multiple reasons, be it anarchy, neutrality, money, or just wanting to stay alive. These groups can be dangerous, but also tend to be small and unorganised.
 
 
 
Setting blurb:
 
 
Player setting for in between missions is the DropShip, a large, egg shaped craft that Houses not only the Lightning Tigers, but also has a well equipped Mech Bay, for storing, modifying, or repairing damaged Mechs. There are bunks, a mess hall and a recreation deck. Four shuttles ferry Lances to dropzones. Player setting during missions will be described per mission. Planet Kell was once a pristine paradise world, with beautiful scenery and abundant natural reserves. That was long ago. Industrialization and war have torn it asunder, in the search for resources to fuel countless aggressors. Still, forests and plains are plentiful, but the growing amount of desert may soon leave this planet uninhabitable by anyone. Not every mission will be mech exclusive, and some missions might require a team to not use mechs at all.
 
 
 
Mech Blurbs:
 
 
Mechs come in three standard sizes, Light, Medium, and Heavy. Light Mechs are typically scouts, or forward strikers, moving fast with a decent punch, and good heat management, but not a lot of armor. Heavy Mechs conversely, are either close in brawlers or weapons platforms, dishing out huge punishment, and taking it just as well, but heat management is low. Medium Mechs are well rounded, tackling melee or ranged capabilities well, and having decent heat management, but having neither the speed of lighter Mechs, nor the staying power of heavier ones.
 
 
 
Mechs all come with hardpoints, in the center torso, side torsos, and arms. Some larger mechs have an additional head hardpoint. Each Mech has two slots for weapons per hardpoint, but can carry a weapon of one level above their weight class in each hardpoint at the cost of additional heat generation and less weapons over all. Keep in mind that the more weapons you pack on, the heavier your Mech will be, and this will impact engine performance if you have too many, leading to power draw issues and a slower Mech.
 
 
 
 
 
Heat Blurb:
 
 
 
All weapons produce heat, with heavier weapons producing more heat than lighter ones. All Mechs have a heat shutdown point, to keep from frying a pilot alive in their own Mech. Heavy Mechs typically have a heat shutdown much higher higher than Light Mechs;  Medium Mechs usually sit between the two in heat management. Certain weapons run hotter than others, with energy weapons being the hottest and ballistics running the coolest. Missiles sit in between.
 
 
 
Weapons blurb: 
 
 
 
All weapons have a classification of light, medium, and heavy. some require ammunition, while others do not. Keep in mind that you can only bring so much ammunition, and that heavier weapons will require more ammo space.
 
 
 
 
Missiles come in two varieties, SRM(Short range missiles) and LRM(Long range missiles). Short range missiles are fast, and are devastating up close, but don't have the burn time to reach long targets. Long range missiles are slower, but can be locked onto a target that you or an ally can see. The downside is that they take time to fully arm, so up close, they're all but useless. Larger Mechs can hold larger missile pods more easily. LRM pods occupy two slots.
 
 
 
 
Lasers are varying range energy weapons that require no ammunition, but run hot and require a steady hand to keep them on target for their whole burn time to maximise damage. Larger lasers take longer to recycle than smaller ones, and of course do more damage. Savvy pilots will twist their Mech's torso to try and spread damage, increasing survivability.
 
 
 
 
 
Particle projector cannons (PPCs)are a strange and poorly understood energy weapon, using charged particles to fire a fast moving energy projectile great distances. They generate significant heat, and take time to recycle, but unlike ballistic weapons, require no ammunition. Due to their relative size, they occupy two weapon slots.
 
 
 
 
 
Autocannons are automatically reloading ballistic weapons of varying sizes and reload times, with smaller AC's reloading faster than larger ones. They don't produce too much heat, but heat scales with size, leaving heavier autocannons running hotter. They have good range, and hit harder than PPCs but are impacted by drop and weather conditions, as well as requiring physical ammunition. Autocannons require two slots.
 
 
 
 
 
Machine Guns are fairly old tech, but ever reliable, and can pack the most ammo per ton of any weapon. They don't deal a lot of damage, and have poor overall range, but produce almost no heat, and chew through internals voraciously.
 
Countermeasures:
 
 
Mech's can be fitted with countermeasures for missiles or sensors, though these take up a weapon slot and can only be installed in the side torsos.
 
 
 
 
Melee: 
 
 
Melee can be accomplished in certain mechs, in the form of arm attacks. This usually damages the mech attacking to some extent however, and is seen as a last resort option. if a mech has hand actuators, they can use improvised melee weapons, though currently no dedicated melee weapons exist for BattleMechs. Certain Industrial mechs are equipped with sawblades of various types, and if you so desire, such a tool can be weaponised on a Battle Mech, limited to arm slots, and occupying two weapon slots.
 
RULES:
 
1. Godmodding. Don't do that ######.
2. Have fun.
 
 
 
 
 
Profile layout:
 
 
 
Recommended reading(forum post about cockpit layout): http://mwomercs.com/forums/topic/135931-mech-cockpit-layout/
 
If you're having trouble designing a mech, I've taken the time to find some examples for each class. None of which are scaled properly, but no matter, it's the design we're after, anyway.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Name: Explains itself, what's the character's name?
 
Age: Explains itself, how old is your character?
 
Gender: Explains itself, what gender is your character?
 
Appearance: What does your character look like? bodily features and normal off duty clothing, etc.
 
Personality: What is your character like? 
 
Bio: What happened to your character that led them to where they are now?
 
Weaknesses: What about your character is flawed?
 
 
 
Mech Name: The name of your giant walking tank.
 
Mech Class: The class of your mech, be it light, medium, or heavy.
 
Mech chassis: The name of the base frame of your mech. These are standardised across all variants of that mech.
 
Appearance: what does your giant walking tank look like?
 
Armament- What weapons does it have?
 
Center Torso Hardpoint:
 
Left torso Hardpoint:
 
Right Torso Hardpoint:
 
Left arm Hardpoint:
 
Right Arm Hardpoint:
Edited by Strider!
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  • 4 weeks later...

Okay. Well, I'm not sure where I'm going with this, but I had wondered about some kind of video game-crossover RPG. I don't have much yet beyond that it would probably involve players taking control of their favorite video game characters and interacting with others, presumably coming together (or competing against each other) for a common objective. I'm still not sure what kind of story would go well with the idea, though.

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I would advise against that. It's basically Reality with slightly more focus, and

 

look I enjoyed Reality the first go-round but

 

it was a terrible idea and it can only end in tears

We will remember - Skies may fade and stars may wane; we won't forget


And your light shines bright - yes so much brighter shine on


We will remember - Until the skies will fall we won't forget


We will remember


We all shall follow doom

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Were you in Reality, too? Wow, it's hard to believe how long ago that was. That RPG was crazy, though looking back on it now, my writing was definitely not up to standard.

 

I didn't think much of it, but now that you mention it, there could be some parallels. After all, that kind of setup would necessarily require some degree of trans-universal travel (although I'd imagined it involving people from different universes coming together in one, rather than travelling between them).

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Trans-universal travel is so extremely not the issue.

 

The issue is that such a concept lets the novelty of the idea of Pacman and Samus Aran interacting stand in for good worldbuilding, management, and control.

 

As someone should have said of Reality back then, it's a terrible idea and can only end in tears.

We will remember - Skies may fade and stars may wane; we won't forget


And your light shines bright - yes so much brighter shine on


We will remember - Until the skies will fall we won't forget


We will remember


We all shall follow doom

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Yeah, also that. That was a pretty big problem in Reality, in which I was like fourteen and my posts read like if the worst fanfiction you'd also seen was also written by someone who was incredibly lazy and had trouble deciding what they were a fan of.

We will remember - Skies may fade and stars may wane; we won't forget


And your light shines bright - yes so much brighter shine on


We will remember - Until the skies will fall we won't forget


We will remember


We all shall follow doom

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Not to mention the issue of people having different ideas for what's 'in character' for various characters.

 

I had considered the possibility of enforcing a few rules about what was considered an acceptable choice, although it's hard for me to say for sure if there's any practicality to them or if they're just too convoluted. I know I have in the past had the issue of getting so wrapped up in my ideas that I had trouble taking criticism or recognizing flaws within them. If you want a laugh, I'd be happy to share some of the terrible ideas I've had that I was once foolish enough to somehow think had potential to work.

 

Much as I enjoy a good RPG, I have felt like it would be a practical move to leave out customizable characters (i.e. Revan, Exile, Shepard, Dragonborn, Bishop, Ryder, Lone Wanderer, Courier). In the context of their original games, it's great because people can come up with such drastically different interpretations of one individual. In an RPG context, however, we'd have to come up with an "official" version, which basically means someone gets to arbitrarily decide the right and wrong aspects of the character. In all the above-mentioned cases, we wouldn't even be able to agree on the protagonist's sex (or sexual orientation, in the case of Revan, Shepard, and the Dragonborn), letalone their personality and what would be in-character. 

 

I had also considered enforcing a rule about only controlling playable characters, though I'm not sure if that would be to restricting. The only other thing I can think of is there is one person I may have to ask that people avoid introducing for... personal reasons that I'm not going to get into (let's just say it has to do with the very disorienting and convoluted love/hate relationship I seem to have with a certain long-running series of first-person shooter games).

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Your second two paragraphs address none of the points we raised, and the first one almost gets to the point in the first sentence before taking a detour down Memory Lane - and no, we don't want to hear about your past bad ideas. Your current one is quite enough to be getting on with.

 

Frankly, it would almost be easier to go with the opposite of your third paragraph, if the idea were viable at all (it still isn't). Players can project so much of themselves onto protagonists, and protagonists are generally made to allow that (hence the popularity of silent protags like Samus Aran, Link, and Gordon Freeman), so it's nearly impossible to distill such a character down to a purely canon form and still have anything of interest left over. NPCs, though? Everyone who has been to Whiterun knows who Nazeem is, and while it's my own belief that he deserves far less flack than Olfrid Battleborn or Vignar Greymane, his personality is pretty well set-in-stone, so it's not like you can't set out a pretty good set of parameters for him.

 

What I'm saying is, I'm still not in favor of this idea, and I still think it will crash and burn, but if you make it I'm going to play Nazeem and you can't stop me.

 

EDIT: As for the second paragraph? Allow multiple versions of customizable characters. Nazeem just hamstrung Yoshi with a lightsaber he took off of Galen Marek's corpse, all bets are off and the universe is burning - what possible harm could a showdown between two Dragonborns and three Shepards do?

Edited by Rache

We will remember - Skies may fade and stars may wane; we won't forget


And your light shines bright - yes so much brighter shine on


We will remember - Until the skies will fall we won't forget


We will remember


We all shall follow doom

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Players can project so much of themselves onto protagonists, and protagonists are generally made to allow that (hence the popularity of silent protags like Samus Aran, Link, and Gordon Freeman

 

 

Don't forget Chell, Isaac Clarke, and several protagonists across the Call of Duty franchise.

 

As for the second paragraph? Allow multiple versions of customizable characters. Nazeem just hamstrung Yoshi with a lightsaber he took off of Galen Marek's corpse, all bets are off and the universe is burning - what possible harm could a showdown between two Dragonborns and three Shepards do?

 

 

That... makes a lot of sense. I mean if we're running with the idea of different continuities why not take full advantage of that. As long as the player in question made sure it was clear that they were using their interpretation of the Dragonborn/Shepard/Revan/Bishop/Lone Wanderer I don't see any reason not to allow that. After all, they would be drastically different characters even if they came from the same source. There could even be some interesting dramatic potential from them coming together.

 

 if you make it I'm going to play Nazeem and you can't stop me.

 

 

 

Well, if hypothetically I did run this idea and enforced a rule like the one I proposed, it would impose a lot of restrictions and limit some franchises entirely. It wouldn't be much fun for a Mass Effect player if their only options were Shepard and Joker (if you count the five minutes or so you control him near the end of Mass Effect 2) and they couldn't use any of the other great characters who appear throughout the games. 

Edited by Atton Rand
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Yeah that's basically what these turn into.

 

If I played it would only be because I personally witnessed Nazeem annihilating a troll, and want to share the beauty of that with everyone while reveling in an incoherent mess of an RPG.

 

EDIT: I accidentally a verb

Edited by Rache

We will remember - Skies may fade and stars may wane; we won't forget


And your light shines bright - yes so much brighter shine on


We will remember - Until the skies will fall we won't forget


We will remember


We all shall follow doom

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Not really, no. The concept itself is deeply rooted in a flawed, disorganized idea, and no framework can really support it.

We will remember - Skies may fade and stars may wane; we won't forget


And your light shines bright - yes so much brighter shine on


We will remember - Until the skies will fall we won't forget


We will remember


We all shall follow doom

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I'm trying to keep the required lore knowledge to a minimum, since Battletech has a looooooong lore history, hence the different terms and factions. Also, such allows me to develop the factions more as I see fit, rather than trying to pick a timeline and keep to canon. This also allows players to not be limited to canon Battlemech designs, and create their own mechs, so long as they still fit the overall setup.

Without the lore and its designs, Battletech really isn't Battletech. If you remove that, all you get is just another generic giant robot RPG.

 

On the Battletech-inspired thing, I still feel like it might be better to just make it Battletech. The lore is pretty much the only thing that could make it distinct enough from Breaking Point to have a shot.

 

Beyond that, I find the word 'blurb' distracting, the profile for the 'mechs is weird, oversimplifies the options for loadouts while placing unnecessary constraints, and honestly the spacing in the profiles is way too much.

We will remember - Skies may fade and stars may wane; we won't forget


And your light shines bright - yes so much brighter shine on


We will remember - Until the skies will fall we won't forget


We will remember


We all shall follow doom

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Is it my turn to have my idea torn apart

As long as Breaking Point exists, your RPG will never succeed.

 

That's simply a fact.

 

OTC is small enough as it is already. It doesn't need a second mech RPG, particularly if what really differentiates it is "ooh, Civil War on a totally generic planet because you haven't given us any detail whatsoever" and the fact that there are Battletech chicken walkers. There's pretty much zero sign of what makes Battletech (no Star League or Clans in sight), so if you're going to ditch that, why not just make an original setting instead of lazily slapping on the Battletech label to piggyback off some name recognition?

 

And even if you did make it actually Battletech, you still run into the problem of demographics.

 

What makes your giant robots something that others would want to play when most of them are already playing Breaking Point?

 

Why should they study up on the lore to join?

 

If you're already frequenting one Chinese restaurant, why would you want to go to the new one that's opened just across the street with harder to get used to recipes?

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...Also all of that, yeah. Probably best to shelve an actual Battletech RPG not something with a "based-on" label for now, work on it, and try to have a polished product to push out when Breaking Point ends.

 

In the meantime, mechs are sewn up, superheroes are pretty much locked down with Marvel, obviously Pokemon's not really open, and Star Wars is likewise filled up.

We will remember - Skies may fade and stars may wane; we won't forget


And your light shines bright - yes so much brighter shine on


We will remember - Until the skies will fall we won't forget


We will remember


We all shall follow doom

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Star Wars is likewise filled up.

Is that still running? There doesn't seem to be much going on there at the moment. It's been almost a month since the last post. Of course, I've already found myself seriously considering scrapping my whole cast and starting over with some new roles seeing as I can't seem to do anything right with the ones I have.

 

If the Star Wars RPG is still on, that probably rules out space opera as well, so unless you could find somthing particularly unique that would presumably rule out the OTHER major sci-fi space opera-ish franchises like Star Trek, Firefly, Farscape, Killjoys, Mass Effect, and Doctor Who. As I recall, there have already been at least two Doctor Who RPGs, neither of which was particularly successful. Both revolved around a Dalek invasion and loosely drew on the then-most recent season finale for a plot. The second one was especially disastrous, especially when I somehow thought it would be a good idea to bring in Red Dwarf and Hitchhiker's Guide and next thing I know other players are bringing in Transformers.

 

I remember I did have the idea for a Mad Max RPG a while ago. If we could find a good story, perhaps a post-apocalyptic game could change things up.

Edited by Atton Rand
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The folks running Star Wars have been busy, but yes, it's still on. They just need some time to get major events moving, and an increase in offsite workload has led to an overall drop in player activity. I would ask you, respectfully, not to speculate on such things.

 

Many of the things you listed are arguably different enough from Star Wars to not be ruled out, though I would argue that any RPG in which time travel is a major mechanic is unlikely ever to work. I will further ask you to refrain from recounting every disaster your RPGs have turned into unless it's actually relevant to the situation at hand. For the most part, no one cares.

  • Upvote 1

We will remember - Skies may fade and stars may wane; we won't forget


And your light shines bright - yes so much brighter shine on


We will remember - Until the skies will fall we won't forget


We will remember


We all shall follow doom

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Star Wars is likewise filled up.

Is that still running? There doesn't seem to be much going on there at the moment. It's been almost a month since the last post. Of course, I've already found myself seriously considering scrapping my whole cast and starting over with some new roles seeing as I can't seem to do anything right with the ones I have.

I hate to disappoint, but RPGs consist of more than one player.

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  • 1 month later...

Well, I'm not sure if there's much point sharing anything else, but I did have this one idea for an Assassin's Creed storyline. There's some neat ideas but I can't say for sure if it would lend itself to an RPG format.

 

I was thinking of a story based in the Assassin's Creed universe. The plot would probably revolve around the conflict between the Assassins and Templars, as usual, with players taking sides.

 

I was thinking of Studio Era-Hollywood as a backdrop for the story, probably starting in the late 20's/early 30's (we could frame it as an MMO produced by Abstergo).

 

I even had some ideas for historical figures who could be incorporated into the plot. I was thinking of Louis B. Mayer and William H. Hays as the main Templars. For the Assassins, I'd imagine a number of classic movie stars: perhaps Buster Keaton, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Errol Flynn, Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant. Alfred Hitchcock might be an interesting choice as well. I'd also wondered about including a system wherein players could choose to control a historical figure in addition to their main PC.

 

Okay. I've finished my terrible idea. You can throw Tomatoes now.

Edited by Atton Rand
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  • 10 months later...

Feels weird posting in this topic almost a year after the last post. And also for my first time. But I have an idea that's been bugging me ever since one of my new favorite games came out: Pyre.

 

Prepare for a lot of reading, because there's a bit of ground to cover and I've already condensed it a lot. I'd like to get some feedback on anything unclear or unnecessary. The big thing I'm still working on is the Rites themselves, as I've been thinking of it more in DnD terms that, as I have been told before, just won't work here. I'd also like to go through the game and compile an actual map. So... let me know what you think.

 

Pyre

 

When the stars align,

The Rites shall come to bear.

Illuminate the signs.

The Exiles shall be there.

 

Welcome to the Downside, you pitiful exiles. The Commonwealth above has seen fit to banish you to this wasteland for your crimes. You will spend the rest of your days fighting and starving. Don’t expect to ever return to the place you called home.

 

But… for those of you strong in heart and mind, those who heed the call of the Stars… there may be hope for you. In their mercy the Eight Scribes instituted a sacred system of Rites through which you may gain your freedom and absolution of all guilt. To do so, Triumvirates of three must compete, extinguishing the others’ Pyre with the aid of the Celestial Orb.

 

Character Sheet:

Name:

Race: (See below)

Gender:

Triumvirate: (Players do not start in a triumvirate)

Gear: (It is unlikely you arrived with anything but the clothes on your back, though perhaps in your wanderings you may stumble upon a talisman)

Appearance: (What distinguishes you from others of your race?)

Personality:

Bio: (What did you do in the Commonwealth? What got you sent to the Downside? How long have you been there?)

 

Playable Species

Crones: Withered, hunched and serpent-like witches deeply steeped in magic and the arcane. A faction of them worships the Titan Yslach and seek to free him from his bonds. Their Scribe is Molten Milithe, who organized the Withdrawn Triumvirate for those who did not shy from even the strongest of magic.

 

Curs: Canines known for their speed. They tend to be prideful and greedy, and love to style their fur. Their Scribe is Jomuer the Alpha-Chief who organized the Fate Triumvirate, for the most respectful Exiles.

 

Demons: Nomads who spend over a decade in the Downside become changed by it, growing large, curling horns from their heads and tough discolored skin beginning beneath their eyes. Their strength and size is nearly doubled. Their Scribe is Soliam Murr, Last of His Name, who organized the Tempers Triumvirate, for the strongest Exiles.

 

Harps: The Commonwealth is still at war with the Harps, which share many features with their relatives, the Nomads, aside from their large wings in place of arms. Many Harp Exiles are prisoners of the war who had their wings clipped before being shipped to the Downside. Their Scribe is Triesta Tithis, which they show more reverence to than other races. Triesta organized the Essence Triumvirate on the principles of liberty and piety.

 

Imps: Most imps are mindless creatures native to the Downside used for driving wagons, but the rare few have surprising intellect and are quickly gaining favor in the Rites. Their Scribe is Ha’ub the Swallow, who organized the Dissidents Triumvirate for those that have no other place.

 

Nomads: The typical human residents of the Commonwealth. Their Scribe is Gol Golithanian the Master General who organized the Accusers Triumvirate for the most determined men and women of the Downside.

 

Saps: Humanoid trees with long arms and short legs. Branches and leaves grow from their bark-like skin. Their Scribe is Lu Sclorian of the Hundred Minds, who organized the Chastity Triumvirate for those with the greatest knowledge and appreciation of the Rites.

 

Savages: Those who do not conform to the Commonwealth’s standards are branded as Savages, which is as good as a sentence to the Downside. Often physically or mentally disabled, including the “Moontouched” who honor the Scribes long forgotten in their city.

 

Wyrms: Swift amphibious serpents with a single eye and finned backs. They often serve as valiant knights for the Commonwealth. Their Scribe is Underking Ores, who organized the Pyreheart Triumvirate for those most spirited and honorable.

 

Note: The Nightwings complete the Nine Triumvirates, formed as the standard for all other Triumvirates to strive for and compete against in Liberation Rites. They represent all the Scribes with one member for each race. The Beyonders were a Tenth Triumvirate consisting of traitors to the Scribes who were sentenced to serve eternity as guides to the others.

 

Locations

Locations are listed from south to north, according to the flow of the Sclorian River.

 

Downside Prairie

Many of you will begin your journey here, at the head of the Sclorian River. Don’t be deceived by its peaceful plains and verdant valleys. Though flowing with water, food is scarce, and wind storms can rip your wagons to shreds in an instant. And this is only a glimpse of what is to come.

     Ridge of Gol

     What may on the horizon appear as a wide plateau is actually the fossilized skull of the Titan Lord Gandroth, slain by the Nomad Scribe Gol Golathanian. Smoke billows from the bull-like skull, and Rites are held atop its head.

 

Jomuer Valley

Here you gain an understanding of what the Downside truly is. The only way between the prairie and the coast, Jomuer Valley is a hot, barren path strewn with the remains of those who have already succumbed to the heat. Only Curs and Howlers are known to thrive here, and both are best avoided.

     Celestial Landmark - Spring of Jomuer

     A rare pool of clean water once used by the Cur Scribe Jomuer to heal his infirmities. According to record, it only made him itch. The Rites are held on the bank.

     Celestial Landmark - Cairn of Ha'ub

     A grisly skeleton is all that remains of the Titan Shax Six-Shoulders, slain by the Imp Scribe Ha’ub. The Rites are held within his ribcage.

 

Flagging Hands

A wide and disgusting swamp protrudes into the Sea of Solis. Perilous mud and toxic fumes drain the resolve of Exiles who wander too long. The arcane Crones have taken up residence here.

     Celestial Landmark - Pit of Milithe

     Overlooking a small patch of dry land used for the Rites is an enormous draconian Titan, Yslach the Astral Born, still where he was bound by the Crone Scribe Milithe. Only destruction can follow should he ever be freed, but many Crones are attempting to do just that.

 

Sea of Solis

Dividing the mainland from the Black Basin, this sea can take days to cross for those that even have the resources to do so. And then there is the Deathless Tempest, a violent and unending storm that effectively blocks all travel. Perhaps a resident Wyrm may be able to guide you through it.

     Celestial Landmark - Hulk of Ores

     The rocky isle that once doomed the ship Dazraban has served the Rites since the Wyrm Scribe Ores killed the Titan Unfathomed Plurnes on his old ship’s prow.

     Celestial Landmark - Isle of Khaylmer

     A desolate island deep within the Deathless Tempest where the infamous Rope-Caller was rumored to have breathed his last. Now, it shelters countless feral imps willing to throw a few coins to those that impress them in the Rites.

 

Black Basin

Far larger than the mainland, the Black Basin is a land of black glass, searing vapor, and strangling forests. Harps patrol the skies, and Saps wait among the trees.

     Celestial Landmark - Nest of Triesta

     A single peak towering over the broken land below it, upon which rests the corpse of Xilvias Horse Headed. It was at this place, far removed from their native frigid cliffs, that the Harp Scribe Triesta was to build a home for her people. Rites are held in the shadow of Xilvias.

     Celestial Landmark - Glade of Lu

     Where once the Titan Limbless Arizech flourished and poisoned the land stands a forest of perfect trees placed by the Sap Scribe Lu Sclorian to keep the Titan’s influence at bay. The Rites are held beneath the canopy.

 

Celestial Landmark - Mount Alodiel

At the highest peak of the Black Basin is a peculiar phenomenon. The Sclorian river that sends Exiles to the Downside here rises to return from where it came. The Scribes constructed a temple here for Liberation Rites to commence, where one victorious exile may go free.

 

The Rites

For those in a Triumvirate, you may be called by the stars to a Celestial Landmark to face another for favor from the Scribes and, eventually, your freedom.

 

Triumvirates

Triumvirates serve as the factions for this game. Exiles exhibiting the qualifications may be found by these Triumvirates in their wagons and asked to assist them. Though the term implies a three-man team, Triumvirates can consist of any number of members, three of which participate in each Rite.

There are nine playable Triumvirates instituted by the Eight Scribes. But perhaps those who show initiative to gather on their own and become acquainted with the Rites will be recognized by the stars.

  • The Accusers - Determination

  • The Beyonders - Cursed

  • The Chastity - Knowledge

  • The Dissidents - Acceptance

  • The Essence - Piety

  • The Fate - Respect

  • The Nightwings - Skill

  • The Pyrehearts - Honor

  • The Tempers - Strength

  • The Withdrawn - Magic

 

Characters

Name: Sandra

Race: Nomad Wraith

Gender: Female

Triumvirate: The Beyonders

Gear: Sandra has made the Beyonder Crystal her home, but can be summoned to any Triumvirate via their Book of Rites to provide no-risk practice Rites and the occasional trial. Those who survive her whims may be rewarded with exclusive Talismans.

Appearance: Sandra is short for a Nomad, but with a light, agile frame suited to her calling. She always appears in the robes of the Beyonders, colored yellow and green and glowing with ethereal energy. Ghostly wisps curl up and around her hair, pulled back into a loose looped bun. As part of her punishment, she was blinded to the physical world, though in her domain of the Beyonder Crystal, she seems to do just fine.

Personality: Centuries of being confined with only her Triumvirate for company has made Sandra quite cynical and coarse. No one is exempt from her demands and insults, but one quickly learns not to try anything in her realm. Despite this, she seems perpetually amused by something and laughs at her own circumstance. Or perhaps she has just become unhinged.

Bio: When it was learned that Emperor Soliam Murr still lived in the Downside, the Rope-Caller dispatched a group of assassins led by Sandra. When she found the Scribes, she attacked Soliam only to be defeated by his friends. She was blinded and, as punishment, sentenced to teach the proper respect and etiquette of the Rites to any who have need of her.

Edited by Click
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It's been dawning on me recently that there could be some potential for an RPG based on the lore of Assassin's Creed  (perhaps because I've been playing a lot of it lately) provided we could find a good setting. I figured it could probably be framed as an MMO developed by Abstergo Industries.

 

As for good time periods, I had some possible ideas. One concept I'd wondered about was to do something with Vikings, probably set somewhere in Scandinavia or North America in the early Middle Ages. We could draw some inspiration from the naval combat in Black Flag and Rogue, and a setting like that could allow a fair bit of creative leeway that would mean we wouldn't need to worry as much about incorporating historical figures or events (though I wouldn't complain if we were able to find a few good real-life Vikings to add). Plus we could work with some of the First Civillization and their impact on Norse Mythology.

 

Another idea I'd wondered about was to do something loosely inspired by King Arthur, probably also set in the early Middle Ages. We could have some good potential for ISU characters (The Lady of the Lake?) and artifacts (Excalibur, the Holy Grail, etc.). 

 

In either case, we'd need to look at a good story and I'm not sure exactly where I'd go, but I felt like I should throw these ideas out there.

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  • 7 months later...

Halo: Excursion

 

The year is 2558. The Human-Covenant war is over, but the universe remains a dangerous place. Jul ‘Mdama’s Covenant Remnants are still at large. The Insurrection lies hidden in countless human colonies. The UEG is finally beginning to recover from its nearly 30 year long conflict with the most powerful military force it had ever faced. Pirates roam the outer edges of colonised territories, while the Halo array sits quietly, secretly holding some of the galaxy's darkest threats and secrets. On the edges of Human space, ONI Strident-class frigate, FFG Prophet of Retribution, has gone missing. The UNSC doesn’t have many resources to spare, but with the surge in Spartan-IVs following the events on the Forerunner shield world of Requiem, and with help from the forces under Thel ‘Vadam and his Swords of Sanghelios, they can afford to send a few of the best. The UNSC dispatched the newly refurbished UNSC Madrigal to investigate. This old design has been given new life with energy shielding and plasma weaponry. Its hangar has been expanded, and most of the Marine bunks removed and replaced with a rudimentary War Game simulator. After several weeks of patrols in the area, and a few run-ins with local pirate gangs, the crew of the Madrigal finally got a solid lead: One of the pirate crews mentioned a Human ship that was attacked by a big pirate gang but got away. Two old Covenant Corvettes, led by a T’voan Kig-Yar Matriarch, D’vorra. The first Operation to be undertaken in the search for the PoR, Operation TAKEN FLAG, begins immediate preparation. 

 

The Madrigal

Your home away from home. The Madrigal is a Halberd-class destroyer that was nearly lost in the Battle for Earth in 2552. Now she’s been given new life, with energy shielding technology and 4 plasma cannons replacing 14 of it’s Archer Missile bays. As stated previously, most of her 50 Marine bunk capacity has been gutted, and replaced with a simplified version of the War Games simulator found on larger installations such as the Infinity or ANVIL station. This simulator is not nearly as advanced, relying on larger, simpler risers, and hologram projectors. The hangar has also been expanded, allowing space for two F-41 Broadsword interceptors, as well as eight OF92 Booster Frames. One of the Madrigal’s usual Pelican dropships was lost to ensure adequate space. The remaining Pelican was replaced with the upgunned G79H variant.

 

The Crew

The remaining original crew of the Madrigal are career officers, all having served during the Human-Covenant War. Many of them are recent acquisitions, though, picked from a selection of candidates by Captain Jerome Blake. Blake is a private man, and is rarely seen outside the bridge. His crew are diligent and perform their jobs exceptionally. The Madrigal no longer carries a complement of Marines, but does have a dedicated ODST Squad on board, for ship security. This squad was picked from the best of the Madrigal’s former Marine complement. Known colloquially as Hammer Squad, these elite troops keep the crew safe and occasionally are sent in as support for Spartan operatives.


 

Character Profile layout:

 

Name: (What’s your name, soldier?)

Species: (Because maybe you prefer one of those alien types?)

Gender: (What’re your pronouns, fam?)

Age: (How old are you?)

Appearance: (This can be a written description, a picture, fan art, whatever. Source your arts, people.)

Rank: (Where do you fall in your rank structure? A note: Spartan-IVs are all ranked as Spartans, but can hold certain inter-Spartan ranks and specialisations, whereas older Spartan units fell under UNSC Naval NCO ranks. These ranks have since been mostly swept under the regular branch ranking system.)

Personality: (What are you like, what makes you, you?)

Background: (Where you come from, what you did before now, how you got here, if you want to go there)

Equipment: (What’s your loadout? Feel free to get creative, but don’t go crazy.)

Skills: (Any specialisations or extracurricular skills to note? Put ‘em here!)

Flaws:(These aren’t optional, where are your breaking points, what holds you back, and where can I poke to give you delicious character development?)

 

Rules:

1. Forum rules obviously apply. Keep it clean! Don’t make the admins come into our home.

2.  We write this together. I may know the story beats, but we all work together to reach them. So be nice to each other!

3. If you have issues, talk about ‘em! I can’t know something isn’t working if you don’t tell me, so don’t be afraid to do so!

4. This one’s a little special. Since we’re all doing this jolly cooperation thing, I’m also gonna be pretty lax with what you as players can control. My idea is to allow you guys to write scenes that are dynamic and enjoyable to read and write, and so I don’t end up with a players vs GM situation. That means you can control NPCs not only on the ship, but also enemy NPCs during missions, within reasonable limits. I ask that you take this responsibly, and not make every NPC you interact with a bunch of brainless zombies waiting for the slaughter. 

5. It will likely not be an issue here, as PvP isn’t super likely to happen but if you guys ever fire up the simulator for a round of War Games, let's put it all out here. Don’t god-mod or auto-hit, y’all know the drill by now. 

6. Be original fam, keep your characters away from canon bloodlines at all costs.

7. Keep your loadouts sane. Upgraded or tinkered with weapons are fine. I will even approve most REQ weapons. Most. Looking at you, Void’s Tear.

 

Other Important stuff:

This RP is by design, a short term game. It has a definitive endpoint in mind. That endpoint is not designed to end characters in any way(unless you want it to, of course) and if players are willing, the game can be extended past this endpoint!

I’m only human, and I’m inherently fallible. Mistakes will be made here and there. I’m also not the most experienced of GMs, as many of you know. I’ve helped run a game here in OTC and I took over for Corpus Rahkshi when our dear friend Adders vanished. If something seems amiss or if I’m being a butt head about something, lemme know, cause I genuinely want to be as excellent a GM as I can be for you all!

Oh! Most important, is this here magic link that will take you to the best place to look up stuff that might be unfamiliar to you: https://www.halopedia.org/

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  • 1 year later...
  • 2 months later...

p__Yci5U17WTYrLcBOpF1QMGOWaFRy-s8c93DAzq62dBIpNQCk4crfEV8-wPXG0v5bHoMSDQUHN3rbQCOVJgp20JVGWhTrh9PlcNvwhpDUPrbQsEkAJxwTu1C0i80x83IA

If one had declared to the masses that, in the final years of the nineteenth century, this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than that of man, and yet just as mortal, none would take such a claim seriously. None would believe that as men busied themselves about their worldly concerns they were being scrutinized and studied, perhaps almost as narrowly as a man with a microscope might scrutinize the transient creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water. With infinite complacency, the people of this world scurried to and fro across this globe, going about their little affairs, serene and ignorant in their assured dominion over the material- probably not unlike the infusoria under the microscope. No one gave a thought to the older worlds of space as sources of incontrovertible human danger; or, if they did, thought of them only to dismiss the idea of life upon them as impossible or improbable. It is curious to recall some of the mental habits of those departed days- a bygone age where terrestrial men of greater imagination pondered whether there might be other men upon Mars, perhaps inferior to themselves and ready to welcome a missionary enterprise. Yet, across the gulf of space, there brooded minds that are to ours, as ours are to that of beasts; intellects vast and cool and unsympathetic, appraising our world with envious eyes, slowly and carefully drawing their plans against us.

And early in the twentieth century came the great disillusionment.

The year is 1903, the Great Martian War rages on.

Five years ago, mankind received a bloody and violent answer to the eternal question - "are we alone?". Indeed, the first cylinder falling from the heavens was a surprise to all, but markedly was only the tip of the proverbial spear. The merciless attack on humanity itself that soon followed was destruction the likes of which no person had seen - a terrible assault from cold, vile intelligences which shook even the greatest of human nations to their very core.

Like lightning and rolling thunder the otherworldly invaders struck across Great Britain from the landing sites of their silvery vessels, sweeping south past the great city of London and up to the furthest reaches of Scotland in the north. In a matter of days, there was naught but destruction and desolate wasteland as far as the eye could see - that is, if any poor soul had managed to survive in the wake of the invader's advance. Even still, this was not the extent of the invaders’ insidious designs, and even now the Martians conspire to leave absolutely nothing for us. However, the mettle and resolve of humanity is poised to determine if our home is something that we shall give up so easily...

To this day, the nations of the world push back! Equipped with unbroken spirit and boundless valor, brave soldiers make use of mechanical marvels reverse-engineered from the Martians’ own fighting machines. These mighty few, clad in iron and possessing prodigious courage, may yet turn the tide. Terrae Impetus Retro.

 

The State of Things

Spoiler

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The British Empire Defeated! So said the headlines of newspapers across the world during the winter of 1898, not but a day after contact had fully and completely been lost with England. Only a few short months into the Martian invasion and one of the most powerful nations the world had ever seen was no more. Some nations celebrated, others quietly gathered their military forces, but many simply watched, unwilling to acknowledge or unaware of the danger that the otherworldly beings posed to them. This complacency was only compounded when the Martian’s advance simply stopped at the English Channel, and for two long years it seemed as though that was the extent of their assault on humanity.

Of course, none sat idly by during this time. The remnants of the British Empire, formerly scattered across the world, lobbied for the retaking of their homeland. Others, such as France and Germany, made quick work of snatching up what precious few pieces of the Martian technology could be acquired for their own use. The lack of activity looked to some as though the Martians had simply left, gone to return to their planet. Some academics even went as far as to say that the Martians had been wiped out by the Earth’s own microscopic biosphere, for surely they could not have developed an immunity to Earthly diseases as mankind had over the millennia.

Whatever the reason for the pause in action, it was not to last. In early Spring, after the turn of the century, the second Martian advance began with their fighting machines emerging from the waters of the channel onto the shores of Belgium and the Netherlands. There was little forewarning to prepare a defense, and in the time it took for the powers on mainland Europe to marshal their forces the aliens had made it far as the French and German borders to the East and West, leaving swathes of destruction in their wake. It has been three years since then, and while ironclad battleships from the world's nations hold the line from the Channel itself, landlocked defenses are slowly beginning to weaken as the Martians continue their unrelenting assault. But man has not been idle, and their newest weapon may be just what turns the tide of this war of worlds...

 

Ferreis Induti

No later than the first sightings of the Martian’s massive mechanical beasts did the minds of man begin to work, wildly speculating and postulating exactly how the various mechanisms by which the fighting machines of the otherworldly invaders operated. After the first of the tripodal giants were felled, its components were hurriedly collected and whisked away to nations that coveted them by enterprising individuals for these theories to be validated and amended. At first, various nations only received bits and pieces of the Martian’s strange technology, and information that could be gleaned from the disparate parts was fractured and incomplete at best. Indeed, it took the Martians’ second brutal assault for the inventors and engineers of the defending nations to come together and truly unlock the secrets of the Martians’ greatest weapon.

Thus soon after, mankind saw fit to create fighting machines of their own. With boilers and reciprocating engines powering dynamos, these man-made titans leverage the magnetic-mechano limbs derived from the Martian technology to achieve motion. However, the more esoteric of Martian technologies have proven to still be beyond our grasp for the time being - the heat ray in particular vexing the brightest of minds. Though not as large as the hundred-foot tall behemoths they are designed to fight against, a dedicated and determined crew gives these machines an edge.

 

Demons from Mars

Much has been written of the men from Mars in the years since they landed in their gleaming pods, though as of yet no live individual has yet to be found. From the bodies recovered from their destroyed fighting machines, the true face of the enemy has been closely studied. The Martians themselves are large, with oily grey bodies about the size of a bear. They possess no limbs like the kind familiar to us - instead, a plethora of long, whip-like tendrils surround the area underneath their V-shaped mouths. Two large eyes, round and lidless, are perhaps the only familiar aspect of their peculiar biology. Internally they appear to possess no organs save an enlarged brain which occupies the majority of their body. How such an organism is able to live and function is beyond our science thus far.

More striking, however, are the great machines they pilot. Approximately 100 feet tall, the machines stand atop three spindly legs with which they glide across all manner of terrain. These legs attach to a girdle of sorts that is secured to the body of the machine itself, with a mass of writhing tentacles extending down from the bottom of the machine. A hood caps the very top of the body, while the weaponry - such as the heat ray - that the Martians utilize is held at the ends of the tentacles.

It should be noted that there are a secondary, distinctive subspecies of Martians, separate from those who occupy the tripods. While the large, cephalopoid creatures are undoubtedly the masterminds of the invasion, a second, subservient species has also been observed. Peculiarly, they are two-armed and two-legged, a form that at great distance could be mistaken for mankind itself. Indeed, it was initially thought that these creatures might be some twisted abomination of humanity, until specimens could be properly investigated. These are no humans - with brittle siliceous skeletons and long limbs which attach to an overly rotund body, it appears that without wearing the form-fitting, metallic space-suits provided to them by their masters, they would be crushed by the increased gravitation of our world. Beginning with the launch of the second wave of Martian assaults, the two-meter tall bipeds have been observed being deployed as foot soldiers, equipped with odd hand-held projectile launchers that fire metallic bullets without the use of gunpowder.

 

To Hold the Line

The time for action has come, for the first time in recorded history humanity’s fighting machines will clash with those from the red planet. The first generation of these colossi, built by nations around the globe, have been gathered along the French line to prepare to push the Martians back off the mainland. Housed in the mighty airship Thunderchild, this will be a deciding battle!

Name:
Age:
Gender:
Job:
Country of Origin:
Personality:
History:
Equipment:
Fighting Machine:

Designation:
Country of Origin:
Crew:
Description:
Weapons:
Traits:

 

Rules of Engagement

  1. Listen to your GMs.
  2. Don’t metagame, godmod, or otherwise exceed the limits of fair play.
  3. Get your profiles approved first.
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BZPRPG -

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