The Official OTC TBRPG Planning and Organization Topic

[Light]

=

You may want to explain the premise in a section separate from the IC introduction. It'll help clarify things a LOT.

 

I'm currently trying to work that in. In response to your second question, I'll probably deal with it based on how well they fit. As to what a fairytale is...

 

From Wikipedia:

 

A fairy tale (pronounced /ˈfeəriˌteɪl/) is a type of short story that typically features European folkloric fantasy characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants, mermaids, or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. Fairy tales may be distinguished from other folk narratives such as legends (which generally involve belief in the veracity of the events described)^[1] and explicitly moral tales, including beast fables.

 

So yes, more modern ones would work.

[Constructelf]

So, judging from the definition you gave (specifically "European folkloric fantasy characters") I'm guessing that stuff like "Momotaro," "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves", "Ara the Handsome", "Tsarevitch Ivan, the Firebird, and the Gray Wolf" wouldn't make the cut?

Edited December 16, 2013 by Man of Miracles

[Light]

That last one is Eastern European . The discussion topic will have a note saying you can go ahead and ask before writing a profile, and I'll mostly be doing things on a case by case basis.

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

Okay, so, Twisted -

 

Introduction: It's good, but the formatting makes it drag on for far longer than it has to. Not the story - that's a good enough length - but the actual text itself, which covers a pretty lengthy region of the page that makes the rest of the RPG look pretty miniscule in comparison.

 

Starting Locations: Are these the locations we start in, or are they just the initial locations of the game? I'm assuming the latter based on the context, but the former due to the name. Further -

 

Based on the part about how the players shouuld be "determining the layout", I assume that you're proposing we create our own locations. If this is true, then are you working on a form for such, or what's the deal on that?

 

As far as the locations that are already there, how large is the forest (I get the feeling of "really big" by the description, excluding the idea of but a single troll residing in so large a forest)? And as to the mansion, it states, "The Mansion itself is protected by a magic ward, and it would take a massively powerful being to burst in without the Witch's permission." without ever previously mentioning the witch herself.

Rosamund Hood: She keeps getting referenced as sort of a "base" profile, but we never see it on the RPG. Still a WIP, I assume?

Acceptable Fairy Tales: Pretty much all 200 or whatever Grimm tales should fit for these, right? We got us a nice set right there.

Looking good for a first draft, though it may need a little more meet. I'd also advise there being some sort of "over-story" for all of these stories - maybe some sort of dark force which has twisted all of these Fairy Tales into their current shape? Basically, anything that can actually provide conflict outside of the players.

-Toa Levacius Zehvor

[Light]

In no particular order:

 

The witch is mentioned in the intro. She's the grandmother. Rosamund Hood is the girl in the story, but because I didn't have relatively major sections of the profile done when I posted this last night at 1 AM (namely Personality and Fable), I didn't want to include it. Same goes for the witch's profile, which is also in a half finished state.

 

Locations... The locations will have a form, and are determined by your story. Having them be solid and concrete in game is optional (and requires the form, which I'm working on), but I won't require you to fill it out for every location in your background. Only if you want it to appear as it was in the fable. Make sense? My brain is frazzled.

 

Also, Starting Locations are mine, and Adders'. He's got some great ideas. These are merely the first strokes on a canvas, I'm not going to force you to start your chars here.

 

A big forest, one troll: Trolls of this nature are extremely rare. In the Spiderwick Chronicles (just thought up this comparison) the only being with this level of power was the king of the nasty creatures.

 

An overarching plot: There is one, and it pertains to the point immediately above this one.

 

If I told you it'd be spoilers.

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

The witch is mentioned in the intro. She's the grandmother. Rosamund Hood is the girl in the story, but because I didn't have relatively major sections of the profile done when I posted this last night at 1 AM (namely Personality and Fable), I didn't want to include it. Same goes for the witch's profile, which is also in a half finished state.

 

I realize this. I meant in the location section itself - there's no mention of the Witch being the owner of the mansion, until the part about spells.

 

Locations... The locations will have a form, and are determined by your story. Having them be solid and concrete in game is optional (and requires the form, which I'm working on), but I won't require you to fill it out for every location in your background. Only if you want it to appear as it was in the fable. Make sense? My brain is frazzled.

 

Yeah, makes sense. So do we just place them with our profile, or do they get added to the main topic?

 

A big forest, one troll: Trolls of this nature are extremely rare. In the Spiderwick Chronicles (just thought up this comparison) the only being with this level of power was the king of the nasty creatures.

 

So basically, we're talking Big Bad status, not Troll 2 status? Kay then.

 

An overarching plot: There is one, and it pertains to the point immediately above this one.

 

If I told you it'd be spoilers.

 

There should at least be something in the main topic to hint at the main plot. You know, call to adventure. If regarding the troll, then even that doesn't seem quite enough. Troll eating all the local cows, on the other hand. Or whatever.

 

-Toa Levacius Zehvor

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

Umm, considering the numerous versions of trolls throughout stories, would one be able to bring in a proper Nordic troll - doesn't like sunlight, not likely to shapeshift, might not be the sharpest knife in the drawer - into the game?

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

Umm, considering the numerous versions of trolls throughout stories, would one be able to bring in a proper Nordic troll - doesn't like sunlight, not likely to shapeshift, might not be the sharpest knife in the drawer - into the game?

 

Addendum: Or a bridge residing Troll with a distinct combat disadvantage when facing members of the Capra genus? Tis a fairy tail, after all...

 

-Toa Levacius Zehvor

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

Bah, bridge trolls charge double for goats. They might be slow, but they never forget.

 

Besides, those troll tolls cover bridge maintenance.

[Light]

Yes, a Nordic troll would be quite possible. The one in the story... Well, spoilers. Let's jut say that he's not quite what he seems.

 

Locations would be added to the main topic.

 

Bah. Cows are too small scale.

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

Wonderful. A bridge-building, toll-charging troll. Maybe some knowledge of magic, maybe some knowledge of Völundr's craft - builds good bridges, travels between them to check on them, leaves simple constructs to collect tolls in its absence. Not inherently a bad being, but stern and stubbornly self-interested.

[Havelock Vetinari]

I take it, if there was a war, he'd sell bridges to both sides?

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

He doesn't sell bridges. The bridges are his. Other people just pay to use them.

[Flex Lord Splash]

So, I'm looking for a co-host for a ninja turtles RP one preferably with a years worth of OTC experience. Any takers?

 

Did I mention there is pizza? Lots of pizza?

 

Check it out.

Edited January 23, 2014 by Flex Cop

[Toa Of Anarchy]

Six Words. Harry Potter TBRPG.

Worthwhile?

[Alex Humva]

I tend to require more than a franchise to pass judgement on these things.

[Toa Of Anarchy]

Fair enough, I was thinking something that specifically takes place in Hogwarts. We could have players create a Wizard Profile (House, Name, Personality, favorite spells, etc.) And play off of that. I haven't really decided anything specific yet so I can't give anything in that much detail to the story, but probably something 20-30 years after Voldemorts death.

[Alex Humva]

I'd suggest consulting with Commander Viral; he made a similar RPG, though not in the Harry Potter franchise. He'd know how to polish it up and get it going.

[Toa Of Anarchy]

Thanks I'll do that, I don't have very much experience in TBRPGing, let alone running one so I definitely will not be the one to GM this.

[Havelock Vetinari]

Well, new blood is always welcome.

 

If people start coming willingly, we can stop kidnapping them.

 

Really eats up the budget.

[Blair the Cat]

I cannot scroll through 50+ pages, you stupid IPod Touch!

 

Ahem.

 

Sorry.

 

How long does the judging process take?

Edited February 20, 2014 by Cupcake Killer

[Alex Humva]

It really depends on which constellations are aligned that day.

[Blair the Cat]

"You're wasting my time."

 

A voice unlike any other echoed in the cave. It had no tone, no pitch. It was impossible to even tell the gender or age. All you could do was hear it.

 

"I'm not afraid of you!" Crystal yelled into the unfathomable darkness, it's emotionless words still echoing in her ears.

 

A soft growl ripped through the minds of anyone in the young princess's party. "I do not have the time to trifle with children."

 

"Then what are you waiting for? Do it!" She commanded as bravely as possible. This whole mission had been a mistake. How could she ever have thought that the beast would let his prisoners go?

 

The darkness expanded, throwing forward a tendril which wrapped tightly around Crystal's front leg. Her skin numbed on contact. The rest of the group cowered against the stone walls.

 

"If you expect me to kill you, I'm afraid you'll just have to be disappointed." it mocked. "I'll spare you and your group of gutless friends, but you'll never forget this day." With that, it bashed her against the wall, stunning her. What would come next would be far worse.

 

Part of the shadow came forward, forming a malevolent face. It's teeth sharpened into needles right before they sunk into the pink feathers of her wing. No witness would ever forget that bloodcurdling scream, the first of many to follow.

 

"You monster..." Crystal hissed, trying to stay wake through the pain.

 

"I have only just begun." It cackled, obviously pleased with her agony. It pulled down on the already damaged wing, severing everything but one stubborn strip of skin. When that last thread was pulled, instead of simply snapping in two, it came away completely.

 

Crystal, fortunately unconscious, did not witness a tear go all the way up her back and neck. With one last tug, the scrap of skin finally severed, taking her left ear with it.

 

The creature was unsurprised to see her pass out, but it was still a dissapointment. "You're not as tough as they make you out to be, Crystal Princess."

 

...

 

It is late, I'm using an IPod, so this isn't as good as it could be. I'll try to edit tomorrow. It's a little teaser for my project, MLP: Darkened Flame.

[Snelly]

Dear Lord save us from this evil. ._. *hides in bunker*

[Havelock Vetinari]

You fools. You woke it up. You broke the seals. You did not heed the warnings-etched into the walls plain and clear-you persisted. You moved ever deeper into those unholy catacombs....you went too deep you fools......it slumbers no longer.

 

IT SLUMBERS NO LONGER.

 

*clutches the symbol of Yig*

 

Father of Snakes, protect your chosen....

[Light]

On a less twisted note, I'd like to present Twisted.

 

(see what I did there?)

 

 

Twisted

 

Come to the fire, and let me tell you a story of long ago.

 

The storyteller sat in his rocking chair, licking his thumb to page through his great Book of Fables.

 

Once upon a time, when our land was young and magic flowed as freely as water, when tales we dismiss as mere fables today were the norm, a girl ran in the woods. Dragons walked the paths humans feared to tread, the wide green fields of Rowane were sunny and bright.

 

Yes, we had fields in Rowane. Great, huge, emerald fields.

 

Now, are you going to let me tell the story or not?

 

The girl wore a pelt of softest wolf fur, immaculately clean and a shade of reddish grey you've never seen.

 

No, the pelt was magic. It didn't get dirty whenever she played in the mud.

 

The storyteller reclined, pulling on an earlobe, looking at the ceiling in recollection, his young audience watching him intently.

She was running from her grandmother, a witch of the type no one had ever seen before. She'd made a deal with a powerful creature, a creature of nightmares.

A troll, it was called. It could change its form and size, but it always smelled of burnt toenails.

 

Nasty being.

 

The witch cared not for the smell, but she craved power. So she helped the troll with this and that, and he followed her orders.

 

The grandmother was old. Older than even I, her hair bleached white and crinkly.

 

No, not like paper. Like old fibers left out in the sun for too long to dry.

 

The storyteller leaned forward, looking intently at the young one sitting in front of him.

Now, the girl was young and rapidly turning into a beautiful woman, and the witch envied her.

 

So, what is a witch to do? With a little bit of newt and some old hairs, a potion could be made. One to turn her into the young beautiful maiden and the granddaughter into an old crone.

 

The witch failed to count on the young girl's friends. You see, the girl wasn't like the people of today. She lived in the woods, talking to the birds and animals.

 

Yes, she could talk to animals. Do you want me to make you tell the story?

 

Her friends were wolves, and they knew the evil troll. So they listened with their great wolf ears and heard the plan. They quickly warned the girl, and she ran.

 

Of course wolves can understand trolls. What do they teach you in those schools?

 

The old tale-teller sighed and closed his storybook, putting the large, leatherbound volume on the table next to him.

I'm going to rest. When I wake, maybe you'll be ready to hear the last part of the story, and not interrupt constantly.

 

The old book lay on the table as the old man closed his eyes, ready for anyone to open it and discover its treasures, to tell its tales...

Welcome to the world of Rowane.

This island is a place where myths and legends come to life, where the old fantasy tales exist. A young woman runs through the woods with wolves from her evil, magically gifted grandmother.

Sounds familiar in some way, right? Just different.

Something is distorting the tales, twisting them into something else. Something for its own purposes. And nobody is the wiser.

At least, not yet.

The Land:

Rowane is a small island, full of green pastures and dark forests. Castles command sections of the landscape, villages the rest. You, the players, will mostly determine the exact layout of Rowane, though it's shaped roughly like Ireland.

Starting Locations:

The Forest of Restless Dark: Contrary to its name, the large forest in the center of the island is actually a bright and friendly place, filled with singing birds and sunbeams. Beautiful trees bloom in bright colors, giving every appearance of a stereotypical fairy tale forest.

During the day, that is.

At night, the Forest becomes a hostile place- even the shadows whisper of death and destruction. The major dangers number two: The troll, who lives in a bog in the center, and a pack of dire wolves, who live in a den on the eastern edge.

The Sinister Mansion: Located to the west of the Forest and the home of Rosamund Hood's grandmother, the Mansion is a large, black brick building with white shutters, windows and doors. Inside is much the same- no color apart from the potions bubbling in the basement. Low and wide, the Mansion looks like it's built to survive a magic attack of nuclear proportions and still have tea and biscuits ready in the parlor.

The Mansion itself is protected by a magic ward, and it would take a massively powerful being to burst in without the Witch's permission.

The Village of Rotbrotheimlot

Nestled in the midst of the Forest of Restless Dark is the quaint little town of Rotbrotheimlot, a lost and forgotten treasure whose rusty red buildings blend with the deep mahogany tones of the trees around it. What makes this place a treasure is that the buildings are not red because they are made of brick. They're made of gingerbread.

In fact everything in the town is constructed from confectionary. There is no glass, just panes of clear sugar. Those fences aren't iron, they're liquorice. That fountain in the town square might look off-putting at first but don't worry, thats nothing more unhealthy than molten chocolate flowing from it.

The wealth of the town is clearly based in the centre, as this is where the fabulous icings are used to color and ornament the houses, which are also distinctly larger than those around the outer edges. At the very centre is the town hall, a regal building adorned with the very finest cream frostings and sugared fancies, which dominates Rotbrotheimlot's skyline thanks to its clock tower. Well, its called a clock tower, but the clock never moves and the bells within never seem to chime…though thats probably because bells made of candy wouldn't make too great a noise, right?

The buildings might be literal sweets but they're nothing compared to the people, who are a cheery welcoming lot, every man woman and child of them. Smiles are permanently affixed to their faces, and they're always so happy to make newcomers feel like part of the group...

Rules:

1. All BZP rules apply.

2. Listen to the staff, who happen to be Kaithas (me) and TPTI (More Fierce Than Fire).

3. Your posts should go something like this, with IC for “in character” and OOC for “out of character”:

IC: A quick sidestep and the troll's fist impacted a tree trunk instead of Rosamund.

 

OOC: Some help would be nice!

4. Arguments/debates may go on for 2 posts in the main thread. After that, take it to PM or the discussion topic.

5. No godmodding. Dodging unavoidable attacks, ignoring injuries, etc.

6. This fits under godmodding: No metagaming. Knowing things your character didn't learn, magically crashing another player's party without a good IC reason.

7. Don't kill another player's character without permission from him/her. Make sure to write that you have permission in the post where you kill the character.

8. Replace the “Fable” blank with “Tale” to prove you read this.

9. IN THE EVENT THAT DEATH SEEMS UNAVOIDABLE: Your character may be killed to avoid breaking rule 5. Only staff can do this. This isn't a punishment, just realism. If you have a good way to get out of it after your character is dead, please PM Kaithas or another staffer.

10. NPC autohitting is permitted as long as you play realistically.

11. No bunnying. That means taking control of another person's character without permission.

12. Double posting... Nah.

13. Weaknesses are only necessary if your character is supernaturally powered, beyond the level of a simple magic sensing ability.

14. Have fun!

Fairytale Guidelines:

I'd like you to keep the characters consistent, though a few additions or subtractions can be made. Basically, your fable must still resemble the original. My version of Red Riding Hood may have the addition of an troll, but it still has a grandmother, wolf, and a girl who runs through the woods.

Secondly, fables can be shared- someone can become a different character from your version of the story. With your permission, of course.

Finally, Transformers, Marvel and the like are not fairytales. Thank you.

Magic and this RPG:

Anything that bends the ordinary laws of physics can be considered magic, and in the world of Rowane, those so called laws are more like guidelines. Don't be expecting for your character to be able to sling bolts of it at will though. Spells take time, preparation, and lots of practice. Once you get to that level of skill, however, you can do things like fit an entire dress in a walnut shell. So be sensible. Your ordinary Joe is going to have next to no magical ability, and would very likely be stumped by even the appearance of a spellbook. More powerful spells sometimes take weeks to prepare and are often kept in potion form instead of enchanted immediately. Far more common are magical objects, something enchanted to perform a specific function or spell.

Profile form:

Name:

Age:

Species:

Myth:

Appearance:

Skills/Abilities:

Personality(optional):

Weaknesses: Optional in special cases, such as Rosamund Hood. See rule 13.

Fable:

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

How long does the judging process take?

 

Well for some folks, a week or less, if everything is fine and dandy. For others, it varies. A fortnight. It could be a month. Two months. Maybe three months. Anyone waiting three months to get their RPG approved would have to be pretty silly, though.

 

........

 

Anyways, since I'm still checking these topics, and since I'm a helpful person, I'll give a few comments on Twisted, because this RPG has too much promise for me to not address things I find off -

 

@ Kaithas;

 

Setting: When you're creating a fantasy setting, there needs to be something established to work off of. Now, while I'm not going to be too critical of the small number of locations - I'll just leave it as "there should be more" - the setting itself isn't very well developed. We know nothing about what the culture is supposed to be like, and there's nothing in the realms of characters, or any real representation of the people. What really makes Rowane a truly unique setting?

 

Conflict: Don't wait until the RPG starts to introduce the conflict. Introduce some form of conflict now which can be built off from there. Right now, we have the personal story with your characters, which means one of two things - either a GM played character is given the limelight on both sides of the conflict, which is a poor practice, or the only current conflict really is so small scale it only affects one character, which isn't much of a conflict. Having these separate fairy tales is all well and good, but it needs to be part of a larger story. Tying it together and giving the players more to do from the start will be vital for the RPGs opening days and longevity.

 

Format: I'll make mention to something a little annoying (though even that word's a tad too strong), but not actually detrimental to the RPG - the current format has it start off very spaced out, and then end more clumped together with the rules and such. It also isn't very big on highlighting or text size changes and the like, and so it's a tad odd reading over in how everything keeps the same font size.

 

Other than that - decent RPG, I do enjoy the idea of the different fariy tales being incorporated together for an actual fantasy RPG, and other than the topics I brought up and a few related things that the judges have already mentioned, there's not much else to be critiqued. So yeah, there you go. Good luck with the judging.

 

-Toa Levacius Zehvor

Edited February 22, 2014 by Toa Levacius Zehvor

[Alex Humva]

So I'm still on probation but it'll be over in two weeks, so I figure I should through it out to the OTCRPG community at large to look at.

 

FTL

Faster Than Light

Hosted by Alex Humva, Co-Hosted by Aegon Targaryen

 

The Setup

 

It is 95 Standard Years since the discovery and application of FTL by humanity. Since then they've joined the greater stage of the galaxy, with their part of it dominated by five other races. The Engi, a cybernetic species, has formed a loose alliance with the humans to make the Federation. The Rockmen lay off to the outer regions of known space, a secretive and reclusive race. The Slugs live in thick nebulae and harsh worlds, slimey telepathic creatures pawning their services across the galaxy. The Mantis, an insectoid and warlike race, are well known as pirates and mercenaries in the disputes that trouble the galaxy. Finally, the Zoltan have appeared on the galactic scene, beings of pure energy with a strong legalistic way of thinking.

 

But in the year 94 ALT, disaster has struck the humans. The Mantis, fearful of humanity's growing colonial influences and the threat the Federation poses to their unrivaled stance as the galaxy's warriors, has struck a decisive blow against the planet Earth itself. Millions of casualties in the Sol system and dozens of raids against Earth's colonies has traumatized the whole race. The Federation responded with total war, convincing the Zoltans to join in on the struggle. The Mantis have made friends of their own, swaying the reclusive Rockmen to their side. Now, the UFS Kestrel has been brought out of drydock, given a mission straight from High Command: to reach Zoltan space and deliver important data to the Zoltan Ministers. Any means necessary to do this have been authorized; Federation battlefield commissioning powers have been granted to the Colonel of the Kestrel. The information will make it through, lest yet another blow be brought to humanity.

 

How The Game Works

 

Player characters in this game are members of the UFS Kestrel, a newly commissioned battleship designed to be small enough to evade detection but large enough to pack a punch. If your character has been pre-approved before the game starts, then you start on on the ship, right off the bat. If you approved afterwards, you can be picked up from a station, or, if you’d like to make a more flashy appearance, can be picked up after a plot event. Want to be an escaped slave? The Kestrel will run into a slaver and we’ll see how that goes. Your character can be just about any profession, so long as it makes some sort of sense for the setting, and can be one of the listed races. Custom races are, regrettably, not allowed for simplicity’s sake, you can however have a modified race, within reason and approval of course. That being said, any modified character should have a legitimate reason for why that character was modified.

 

The World

 

The game takes place in the universe of the indie game FTL, with some liberal fact extrapolation and content adding. While the game took place in the distant future, during a struggle within humanity, this game takes place a while before that, though still at an ambiguous point in the future. It has been 95 years since humanity perfected faster than light travel, during which time they have become a galactic force to be reckoned with. With over 20 solar systems to call their own and many more planets colonized, humanity has made itself a force to be reckoned with amongst the already-present alien species. Humanity continually finds itself held back by its internal divisions, however, and currently exists as two major powers; the Terran Confederacy, calling Sol and a few colonies their own, and the League of Independent Planets, colonies who have broken off and united together into an alliance.

 

The technology of this era is futuristic, but not quite cyberpunk or anything of the sort. While humanity has progressed significantly since its earlier days, it is still distinctly recognizable. The primarily difference between our world and theirs is the full adoption of space travel and the invention of the titular FTL drive. This drive allows for instantaneous travel between solar bodies as well as planetary bodies, though only in specific circumstances. The weaponry of this period relies heavily on a mixture of kinetic, missile, and laser technology. Worth noting is that drone warfare is not yet popular amongst humanity, with poor AI holding it back significantly.

 

Of course, there are also the other sapient species of this universe, detailed below.

 

The Species

 

• The Engi: Humanity’s closest allies, these semi-robotic creatures are a curious species. Entirely dependent on their cybernetic enhancements to survive, the Engi are nonetheless an organic species. They are, at first glance, devoid of emotion, though prolonged exposure to the Engi is quick to tell that these robotic creatures can experience just as wide a range of emotions as a human. They are the most advanced species in the galaxy, as well as the only power that kept the Mantis in check before the arrival of humanity. Engi are trained from an young age to be master engineers, and are renowned through the galaxy for their ability to build and repair just about anything.

• The Zoltan: A very legalistic species, little is known about the Zoltan. They are constructed entirely of contained energy, glowing an unearthly green and totally unaffected by such things as lack of air to breath. Thanks to their visology, the Zoltan are capable of exuding significant amounts of energy, enough to power significant portions of starships. Other than these qualities, however, not much else is clear about the Zoltans. Even the Engi are unsure of the Zoltan, saying they arrived to the galactic scene shortly after humanity did, though in that time the Zoltan have aggressively expanded across worlds uninhabitable to other species.

• The Rockmen: Creatures of living stone, the Rockmen are an exceedingly reclusive race. Few outsiders are allowed past their border worlds, though pirates make frequent excursions outside of Rock space. Due to their vastly different biology, Rockmen are capable of surviving a variety of different environments, though oddly enough they still require oxygen to breath.

• The Slugs: Slimey creatures that have made their homes in the dense nebulae of the galaxy, the slugs are merchants at heart. Born with an urge to gather things, most slugs have turned to capitalism, while others take the more direct route of piracy. Still more simply outsource themselves, as slugs are also born with telepathy. A good slug can detect a sapient thought at nearly two light years away, and are more than capable of serving as lie detectors for negotiations.

• The Mantis: A terrifying insectoid race, the Mantis have been at war with themselves or the galaxy as long as anyone can remember. Looking similar to their Earth namesake, Mantis are born to litters numbering in the thousands, and must eat their brethren to survive infancy. From this system emerges tough creatures with exceedingly short tempers, though remarkably intelligent for a species of their sort, and long lived. A typical Mantis can, if it survives, live until the ripe old age of 85. Most do not, though, as Mantis fight and die on a daily basis.

 

The Glossary

 

The Federation: An interstellar organization, currently made up of humans, Engi, and Zoltan. It sets general policy and serves as a military alliance. Its primary mission statement is to ensure the safety and well-being of the galaxy.

FTL: Faster Than Light, used to describe the main mode of transportation in this universe. FTL travel is facilitated by special FTL crystals, which expend the massive amounts of energy required to travel so quickly. These crystals are burnt up when used though, and only last long enough to travel to a nearby star system. Used crystals and poorer quality crystals still have residual energy however, even if they aren’t enough to swing a ship across the galaxy, and are often used to power energy weapons.

 

The Kestrel

 

The Kestrel is a three tiered blockade runner, the first of its kind, designed to hold a considerable crew but not be so large as to draw attention. Extremely modular in design, it is capable of being upgraded significantly, and indeed, hot-swapping weapons at supply ports is one of its main features. The layout of the Kestrel is simple enough; this image gives its general body type and color scheme. Its bottom deck is devoted to cargo and supplies, as well as the storage of a small land-rover for transporting said supplies. Its middle deck is where the battle stations and bridge can be found, as well as the central engine control area. The bridge itself is out on the forward end of the ship, with battlestations along the sides. On the top is a small bunk area and the mess hall, where the crew can sleep and eat.

 

The Crew

Current list of positions aboard the Kestrel. You’re welcome to make up your own position, subject to approval by the staff of course.

 

The Colonel: Alex Humva

The Lieutenant Colonel: Tyler

The Pilot: Ymper Trymon

The Weapon’s Officer: Simon the Digger

The Doctor: Kothra

The Navigations & Communications Officer: The Power That Is

The Chef: Zhangku

The Engineering Officer: Basilisk

The Engineering Assistant: Durendal Years

The Security Officer: Xomeron

The Fighter Pilot: (5 slots, includes Rawrmouse(Flight Commander), Onarax (Pilot))

The Councilor: Hubert

 

The Rules

 

1. Follow all BZPower rules.

2. Common sense, common sense, common sense. Use it please.

3. No autohitting without prior plotting or excuses as to why you’re going to hit your opponent.

4. Death is a fact of life in the void; players could conceivably kill other players in the cramped quarters of the spaceship, though one assumes the rest of the crew wouldn’t like that too much. In addition, away missions can turn really bad, and your character could die there from a bad decision. Life happens, death happens.

5. No godmodding, this includes metagaming. Death may come easy, but you still can’t eradicate the whole crew in one go.

6. Listen to the staff; if you have a problem with a decision, do so in a respectful manner.

7. You are limited to two characters (at a time), unless otherwise given permission. This is to keep the ship from suffering overpopulation.

8. Have fun.

 

The Profile

 

Name: (Self-explanatory)

Gender: (Yep)

Age: (How old are you?)

Species: (There’s six available)

Profession: (What do you do aboard the Kestrel?)

Skills: (We all have some; keep it to three please.)

Items: (Any particular weapons or sentiments or tech that came with you?)

Appearance: (Even aliens differ.)

Personality: (Why does your character do what they do? What makes them tick?)

Biography: (What’s your life story?)

Weakness: (Everyone’s got one.)

Edited February 28, 2014 by Strategist Alex Humva

[JAG18]

I doubt that this is the place to ask, but where do I sign up?

[Alex Humva]

Well, you sorta just sign up by telling me. PM me with your profile and we'll see how it goes.

[Havelock Vetinari]

Well. Thanks to sources I trust, I'd like to inquire who'd be interested in seeing this concept as an RPG. I've been told it's interesting enough that it might make it....so yeah.

 

Just had an idea I think is interesting. Imagine a world were the last remnant of humanity is, ah, vampires. In your bog-standard fantasy world, despite the dragons, elves and orcs, humanity is still somehow dominant. Despite the fact that elves and dragons can, as often presented, outcompete them fairly easily. So, imagine a world where humanity was overwhelmed and broken. Turning to necromancy out of desperation. The remnants warped their bodies, their very blood and became...creatures of revenge. Feasting on the blood of their enemies to prolong their own life and fuel their unique blood magic and abilities. From the tombs of mankind, they raise great legions of the undead, from the shadows of the outer darkness, they call forth the spirits of dead humans in the form of shadowy wraithes. Humanity is dead. But dead is not powerless. Far from it.

 

Edited March 20, 2014 by Basilisk

[Shadowhawk]

Ooooh... I'm not much of a presence here in the OTC forum, but that 'rebel necromantic survivalist humans' RPG idea has some definite potential for awesomeness. Enough to make me rouse myself from passive lethargy and point it out, which is something, let me tell you.

 

One thing, though... Personally, I feel it's a bit heavy on the 'vampire' thing. Now, I don't have anything in particular against vampires, per say, but I'd feel somewhat more enthusiastic about a more general focus on general 'black magic' as a whole. Vampires are cool... but so are werebeasts and demon-summoners and so on. Bloodlappers ain't the only fallen humans that lurk in shadows.

[Havelock Vetinari]

I'd actually discussed that with someone else and have planned a few expansions, I can confirm werewolves and demons. If I do get this project off the ground at least.

Edited March 21, 2014 by Basilisk

[Alex Humva]

Any spots in the mythos for High Technowizards? =P

[Havelock Vetinari]

Hm. Well, you could summon up the TickTock Man.

 

Nice fellow. Thing for machines. Also chaos and madness.

[Alex Humva]

I just have this great urge to be a wandering technowizard who uses the souls of the dead to animate his creations.

[shadow pridak money gang]

I just have this great urge to be a wandering technowizard who uses the souls of the dead to animate his creations.

 

 

 

 

Choose your weapon.

 

-Tyler

[Wyrd Bid Ful Araed]

You know me, I'm a sucker for anything with werewolves in it

[Havelock Vetinari]

Well, if you wanna play Herbert West, I'm not gonna stop you.

 

That'd require ethics. Which is just a funny-sounding word to me.

[Toa Of Anarchy]

Oo Oo....TONY STARK *Fan Girl Squealing

 

You know me, I'm a sucker for anything with werewolves in it

Same

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