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Breaking Point Discussion


Krayzikk

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Okay, so what should I do then? I've already established my character works part-time as a drill instructor. Thirty recruits seemed like a realistic size for a typical class and I've already started to develop some of them. I guess I should start by sharing my personal feelings on the matter. If possible I'd rather not abandon what I've done so far. I'm also not completely sure about the option to write the recruits as being completely generic. Still, it seems that evidently there is a dissonance between what I'm doing and how you intended to run things.

 

I'm not sure what the best solution is. As I said, I'd rather not have to cut too much but at the same time I think I'm starting to understand where some of the concern is coming from. Back in Dino Attack RPG I had so many NPCs that there was actually a period in which I didn't even have a primary character. That was a bit confusing, so if I'm understanding this correctly the concern is valid. Perhaps we just need to talk this over and figure out a simple solution so we can move on.

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The term isn't 'non-primary character'. It's 'non-playable character'. As in. A character which is not yours.

 

Hm.... I always thought it was Non-Player Character.

 

But I guess is pretty much the same thing - nameless, faceless, generic characters who are more plot tool than person. 

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The exact definition can vary, but it's not 'non-primary', because that'd assume there was a primary character. Because even among individual players, you have those who have like ten PCs(like me), which would throw that definition into chaos quickly.

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Because even among individual players, you have those who have like ten PCs(like me), which would throw that definition into chaos quickly.

 

Agreed. My sig is a testament to this.

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I don't know. I've heard it a variety of different ways. I have tried to reconcile those different interpretations, which goes something like this:

 

  • Non-player characters are people who don't belong to anyone. As Of Australian origin said, nameless, faceless characters who are more a tool than a person. Usually they're more just a means to advance the narrative than anything else. This would include people like that sergeant who tells your character that X wants to see them, the shopkeeper who sells you some random piece of equipment, people you bump into on the street. In this case, enemy soldiers would probably count as non-player characters (some of them, anyway).
  • Non-primary characters are characters made in addition to the primary character (the person you create when you first fill out the form) who fill out important roles in a player's story. For instance, if you wanted to give your character say... a love interest, a best friend, a relative, perhaps an arch-nemesis. These are all characters that could affect where a player's story is going, so in that sense they still belong to the player, unlike non-player characters.

 

In any case, it doesn't matter what we all think or don't think the term NPC means in general. What is important is what it entails in this particular RPG and now that we've got a disagreement we need to find a resolution. We need a simple solution that works for everybody.

Edited by Atton Rand
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Non-primary characters are characters made in addition to the primary character (the person you create when you first fill out the form) who fill out important roles in a player's story. 

 

I've seriously never heard of anything like this ever before; I just ran a Google search for "NPC" and all of the explanations I found were for "Non-Player Character", alternatively written as "Non-Person Character" or "Non-Playable Character".  

 

Could you possibly provide a link to wherever this alternate definition of yours has been sourced from? 

Embers - a new Bionicle Epic - Coming 2024 

Class Is Out - A Farewell To Corpus Rahkshi - Chapters/Review

BZPRPG Characters - Minnorak, Kain, T'harrak, Savis, Vazaria, Lash

BZPRPG Mercenary Group - The Outsiders - Description - History - Base

Ghosts Of Bara Magna - Ash Tribe - Precipere - Kehla, Somok, Skrall, Gayle, Avinus, Zha'ar

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Non-primary characters are characters made in addition to the primary character (the person you create when you first fill out the form) who fill out important roles in a player's story. 

 

I've seriously never heard of anything like this ever before; I just ran a Google search for "NPC" and all of the explanations I found were for "Non-Player Character", alternatively written as "Non-Person Character" or "Non-Playable Character".  

 

Could you possibly provide a link to wherever this alternate definition of yours has been sourced from? 

 

 

 

Okay, you got me. It's from my days in Dino Attack RPG. I know, it was a different group of people with different standards and I got used to calling them that, but here's where it was written:

 

http://dinoattackrpg01.wikia.com/wiki/Dino_Attack_RPG#Gameplay

 

Now can we please stop arguing about the definition of NPC and focus on trying to resolve the issue that first sparked this dispute?

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The original issue of course, was you suddenly finding thirty NPC characters to hang around with Casey with.

 

 

Well, she's a drill instructor. Normally they have to deal with a large group of recruits at once and I was just trying to be realistic. I'm not sure what you would have expected me to do.

 

Beyond being much like a morosely magnificent magnitude of men to manipulate, it seems mightily miffing for many to materialise from mysterious mediums.

 

I thought I explicitly indicated that there were women among those recruits. I also didn't intend to fully flesh out all of them. I even explicitly stated that other players could develop some of the recruits if they wanted.

 

Anyway, the only reason I focused on them more than her interactions with anyone else was because there was no way to interact with anyone else. I just happened to join right at the moment when every single person was on leave and there was no way for her to get to anywhere near the other players without breaking character. If there was anyone else still at the base, they never came forward when I specifically said she was open to interaction. I had one person to interact with and she immediately left.

 

That much was bad timing on my part and I apologize. Had I joined right when people were starting to come back interactions would have been a lot easier and I wouldn't have to focus as much on the recruits. Now that people are coming back, I can do that as soon as Riku posts his response to Casey's report (I'm sorry, I thought her offering recruits as potential reinforcements would be a good thing for players). Unfortunately, he seems to be taking a lot longer than I anticipated so I might have to invoke anachronic order if I'm going to get anywhere since otherwise I'm trapped outside the CO's office waiting for a response and unable to do much else.

 

Now, the point is we've got a problem and we need to figure out a solution. The first thing I'd suggest is that the first post be edited to make these rules more clear so that this kind of thing doesn't happen again.

 

Second, we need to figure out how to fix the problem now that it exists. We've got to find a solution that works. I've already voiced my personal feelings on the matter. We need to figure out how to take what I've already done and make it fit better with the rules of the RPG. Anyone want to offer up some suggestions on how we can do this?

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Non-primary characters are characters made in addition to the primary character (the person you create when you first fill out the form) who fill out important roles in a player's story. For instance, if you wanted to give your character say... a love interest, a best friend, a relative, perhaps an arch-nemesis. These are all characters that could affect where a player's story is going, so in that sense they still belong to the player, unlike non-player characters.

 

I hate to break it to you, but pretty much every way you describe that is a PC, which needs a profile. Literally the only way it doesn't is if it's a one-off character that would appear once every 100 pages or so - something that Burette and co does not fit. Lemme use RotR as an example: I have two major NPCs right now - one is the father of some of my characters, one the mother. The father was a villain who appeared on and off, and the mother only just appeared. Except the father was a pseudo PC who needed a profile, and the mother probably won't ever appear again, and -still- probably will eventually get more info out of game.

 

But this definition, as it is, is you just simply trying to loophole the character clause by saying they're all NPCs,when they're pretty obviously... Not.

 

In any case, it doesn't matter what we all think or don't think the term NPC means in general. What is important is what it entails in this particular RPG and now that we've got a disagreement we need to find a resolution. We need a simple solution that works for everybody.

Here's a good solution: Don't make 30 NPCs without a profile, don't have a bunch of recurring ones without a profile, and ask before making important NPCs.
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I think what Anna is saying is that they shouldn't be recurring. As a Drill Instructor, obviously people to be instructed exist. But they're more like a set piece. They're in the background, referenced when relevant, and occasionally made use of on screen. But they are, at the end of the day, a plot device.

 

If you'd like to keep the named recruits, they need profiles. With that you can keep using them as you have been. Otherwise, please quietly let them drop.

 

Now, on a broader issue, you seem to draw a lot from Dino Attack. And I get that; it's where you spent a lot of time playing. And I've read up on the game, it was a lot of time. It's natural that you would be used to how things worked there. But this is a different game, and a different climate altogether. So please try to approach this game without the expectations of the old, though that might be difficult.

 

I (or Anna) am usually around to answer questions, and if I'm not, I'll be along soon. And plenty of players here are used to how we do things. If you have a question, feel free to ask.

 

As for the CO, I'm headed to work right now. I was busy yesterday. I will post as soon as I am able, likely after I return from work.

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On this eve, the thirtieth anniversary of that first colony, many are left to wonder; is the world fast approaching a breaking point?

 

 

  Breaking Point: An OTC Mecha RPG

 

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Okay, I've consulted one of my old friends from Dino Attack RPG and given it some thought and I think I've started to come to a decision. As I've said, this whole mess was somewhat the result of me having bad timing. Now that people are coming back to the base I can start to focus more on player interactions and move the training to more of a background role. Of course, that said, if anyone still wants to interact with the recruits or develop them (provided you offer a profile, of course) please feel free to do so.

 

As for the three recruits I've started to develop, I can make profiles for them. I'll just need to work out a few details of their characterization. I'll still have to decide on first names as well as backstory, and if anyone wants to make suggestions I'm open to hearing them, but I should be able to find something. 

 

Maybe I'll do what I did for Casey. I can fill out the profiles based on what I do have, get some feedback on that, and then use that to help solidify their profiles to get them fully approved.

 

Now, on a broader issue, you seem to draw a lot from Dino Attack. And I get that; it's where you spent a lot of time playing. And I've read up on the game, it was a lot of time. It's natural that you would be used to how things worked there. But this is a different game, and a different climate altogether. So please try to approach this game without the expectations of the old, though that might be difficult.

I (or Anna) am usually around to answer questions, and if I'm not, I'll be along soon. And plenty of players here are used to how we do things. If you have a question, feel free to ask.

 

It seems these RPGs have changed a lot over the years. This whole new system is going to take some getting used to. However, I'd still recommend editing the first post to make these rules a bit more clear so that we can avoid incidents like this in the future.

Edited by Atton Rand
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It seems these RPGs have changed a lot over the years. This whole new system is going to take some getting used to. However, I'd still recommend editing the first post to make these rules a bit more clear so that we can avoid incidents like this in the future.

 

Not whole new, tbh.  Gameplay interaction between players to create parallel and joint narratives is just stressed more than individual character stories.  Less shortstory-like posts and more of a tennis match of gameplay between people.

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It seems these RPGs have changed a lot over the years. This whole new system is going to take some getting used to. However, I'd still recommend editing the first post to make these rules a bit more clear so that we can avoid incidents like this in the future.

 

Not whole new, tbh.  Gameplay interaction between players to create parallel and joint narratives is just stressed more than individual character stories.  Less shortstory-like posts and more of a tennis match of gameplay between people.

 

TEN PAGES

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However, I'd still recommend editing the first post to make these rules a bit more clear so that we can avoid incidents like this in the future.

 

Okay, gonna activate Starscream clause #848687 here.

 

New rule, everyone!

 

"9. Please use common sense while playing the RPG."

 

Sound good to everyone?

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I just want to be sure this doesn't happen again if someone else gets confused about the rules.

 

Oh, and by the way, Tsumugu, you explicitly mentioned the "men's changeroom" in your last post. Considering that there are currently movements underway to create unisex washrooms I was under the impression that in the future world of this RPG the washrooms and changerooms would be co-ed.

 

 

Okay, let's give this a shot. I don't have everything figured out yet, but I'll do this like I did before. 

 

Name: Burette*

Age: 25

Gender: Male 

Occupation: Military recruit, private.

Appearance: Tall, thin, clean-shaven. His brown hair is buzzed short. Being a trainee, his clothes mostly consist of a single green t-shirt over camouflage pants, with the occasional jacket overtop.

Equipment: As a recruit, he has not yet been officially issued a weapon, but he is trained in the use of standard-issue rifles.

Skills: As much difficulty as he might have in basic training, Burette does know how to handle a gun.

Personality: Quiet and shy. In most respects, he is a fairly nice person.

Bio:

Weakness: He has trouble working under pressure. He has also had some trouble relating to the other soldiers. He is also not the best at running, though he is capable of it if necessary.

 

* Still working on the first name. I'm open to suggestions.

 

Name: Cassandra Ladelman

Age: 26

Gender: Female

Occupation: Military recruit, private. 

Appearance: Somewhat shorter than the other recruits in her class. 

Equipment

Skills: Leadership, at least toward others of the same rank. She is also quick thinking, level-headed, and smart.

Personality: While not as cold as her instructor, Ladelman does try to retain a professional attitude. She is friendly in most respects, will try to respect her other recruits and is open to possibly leaving the military some day but she is also not afraid to get tough when she needs to. 

Bio

Weakness: While not incompetent, Ladelman's skill with a weapon pales in comparison to her fellow recruits.

 

Name: Gail Pikerton

Age: 20

Gender: Female .

Occupation: Military recruit, private.

Appearance: Tall and muscular. She is not unattractive but still looks rough. Long reddish-brown hair often tied back. Her clothes usually consist of standard issue military wear, in this case generally just a green t-shirt over camouflage pants.

Equipment: As a trainee, Gail has not officially been issued any weapons of her own yet, but she is trained to handle a rifle.

Skills: She is excellent with a gun, especially at long-range. She is open to the idea of possibly becoming a sniper.

Personality: Perky, cheerful, and fun-loving. Gail often likes to make jokes even in more serious situations. Casey's no-nonsense attitude is currently the only thing that has put a stop that.

Bio

Weakness

 

Okay, so there's a few things I'll still need to figure out, but here's a start. I tried to diversify the three of them and also make them different from Casey. I'm not quite sure what would be a fitting weakness for Pikerton just yet.I'll also need to figure out backstories for them, though I suppose I could focus those more on the training so far.

 

By the way, I can't help noticing the references to the "briefing room." Is that where everyone's supposed to go because if it is I should probably get down there right away.

Edited by Atton Rand
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Hey, um, quick question about the recruits; what... type of thing are they? Like, what do they do aside from be recruits?

 

Is there anything else you can do in military training? I thought usually when you're in boot camp you're kinda stuck there until you either finish, quit, or get kicked out.

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Is there anything else you can do in military training? I thought usually when you're in boot camp you're kinda stuck there until you either finish, quit, or get kicked out.

There's individual specializations that each go for, whether you wanna simplify it to "pilot" "medic" "communications" or get specific.

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The entire point of the RPG is mechs facing off against other mechs. The only reason my guy got past is because he specializes in anti-mech combat.

"I serve the weak. I serve the helpless. I am their sword and their shield. If you want to strike at them, you must go through me, and I am not so easily moved."

zsUPm2E.jpg?1

 

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Um... Casey doesn't have a mech and I had no intention of giving her one. Nobody complained about that. It also doesn't say anywhere in the rules you have to own a mech. In fact the character form even explicitly states to make note of it if you do choose to let your character have a mech. There wouldn't be much point in that if it was mandated.

Edited by Atton Rand
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Um... Casey doesn't have a mech and I had no intention of giving her one. Nobody complained about that. It also doesn't say anywhere in the rules you have to own a mech. In fact the character form even explicitly states to make note of it if you do choose to let your character have a mech. There wouldn't be much point in that if it was mandated.

 

I think the staff were expecting all the non-pilots to be support personnel like scientists and mechanics. Nobody was expecting somebody to make a basic soldier to try and actually fight with.

 

 

 

 

rip harken he dun got squished

 

may he rest in footprint

 

 

It's called a giant sniper rifle and being agile as a squirrel high on caffeine.

 

Also an effective stealth system.

"I serve the weak. I serve the helpless. I am their sword and their shield. If you want to strike at them, you must go through me, and I am not so easily moved."

zsUPm2E.jpg?1

 

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Okay, well. I'd already started to consider the possibility of Pikerton being a sniper. As for the other two 

 

 

Um... Casey doesn't have a mech and I had no intention of giving her one. Nobody complained about that. It also doesn't say anywhere in the rules you have to own a mech. In fact the character form even explicitly states to make note of it if you do choose to let your character have a mech. There wouldn't be much point in that if it was mandated.

 

I think the staff were expecting all the non-pilots to be support personnel like scientists and mechanics. Nobody was expecting somebody to make a basic soldier to try and actually fight with.

 

Well, it was explicitly stated that the walkers are often supported by infantry and "more traditional vehicles", but I suppose I could try to figure something out. It might be nice to get the perspective of the average infantry soldiers but if you'd rather I specialize I might be able to do something. Perhaps if I specialized two of them and then just left one on general infantry that would work better.

 

I think Pikerton would make the most sense as general infantry. That would mean trying to specialize the other two. Burette I could see finding himself fitting into a non-combat support role but I'm not quite sure where that would be. Maybe if he went on to be a mechanic or something?

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Incoming Fobbit:

 

 

Name: Isaac Saechao

 

Age: 28

 

Gender: male

 

Occupation: UAV Internal Pilot (E-5)

 

Appearance: Isaac stands at 5'11" and weighs 155 lb. His head is nearly shaved bald (if he let it grow out it would be black), brown eyes. Both of his legs below the knees have been replaced by prosthesis. When not in uniform, he usually wears tracksuit style clothes.

 

Equipment:

  • MQ-9 Reaper UCAV - Maximum munitions loadout: AGM-114 Hellfire (x4) and GBU-12 Paveway II (x2). Also can be loaded with external fuel tanks instead of munitions. Isaac is considering petitioning for a new model due to the Reaper being horrifically outdated. NOTE: While Isaac usually pilots the Reaper, he will sometimes pilot other types of UAVs specialized for different purposes (ie: CQ-10 Snowgoose for cargo delivery)
  • Pencils and paper
  • Radio communicators (for relaying information to frontline troops)
Skills: reconnaissance, troop coordination (mission control), occasional air support and targeted killing. Was trained in AW piloting but has since retired from that role.

 

Personality: Isaac gives off a very relaxed and casual air; sometimes in a positive way, sometimes in the manner of boredom. However, this doesn't mean that he slacks off at work; he just doesn't get uptight and anxious when performing tasks while still managing to stay alert. He also... Prefers to avoid dangerous situations when he can, hence why he works in a support role rather than on the battlefield. Some call him a coward, but he prefers to think of it as being smart. He used to be very gung ho when younger, but has mellowed out a lot.

 

Bio: Like many young men, Isaac joined the Federation military when he was 18. Passing through Basic, he was initially assigned to repairing Air Force planes before being selected for Arsenal Walker piloting. A role he took with gusto, Isaac was known for his daring antics on the battlefield.

 

Then his AW got blown up.

 

After getting out of the hospital, Isaac, empowered with a new sense of caution, did his best to work his way into the Rear Echelon. Eventually, after taking the appropriate tests, he got a job piloting surveillance UAVs.

 

Weakness: Isaac has somewhat overspecialised in his role as a UAV pilot. His combat skills have grown weak from disuse and he has next to no knowledge of other support roles like mechanics. Also, the fact that he's missing both of his legs below the knees can't be forgotten.

Edited by One-Eyed Construct
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Okay, well. I'd already started to consider the possibility of Pikerton being a sniper. As for the other two 

 

 

Well, it was explicitly stated that the walkers are often supported by infantry and "more traditional vehicles", but I suppose I could try to figure something out. It might be nice to get the perspective of the average infantry soldiers but if you'd rather I specialize I might be able to do something. Perhaps if I specialized two of them and then just left one on general infantry that would work better.

 

I think Pikerton would make the most sense as general infantry. That would mean trying to specialize the other two. Burette I could see finding himself fitting into a non-combat support role but I'm not quite sure where that would be. Maybe if he went on to be a mechanic or something?

 

When I say "giant sniper rifle" I mean a gun that can blast through a building. The thing is so big that it requires actual power armor to pick up and use and it's on the lower end for weapons that can puncture mech armor. Kind of a problem both because the weapon is experimental at the moment and due to the fact that normal soldiers only get "soft" powered assist stuff due to cost reasons.

 

I asked staff about the power armor thing while going over my guy.

 

Boiled down it pretty much means that you don't really have people in the normal ground troops who specialize in taking out mechs.

"I serve the weak. I serve the helpless. I am their sword and their shield. If you want to strike at them, you must go through me, and I am not so easily moved."

zsUPm2E.jpg?1

 

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However, I'd still recommend editing the first post to make these rules a bit more clear so that we can avoid incidents like this in the future.

 

Okay, gonna activate Starscream clause #848687 here.

 

New rule, everyone!

 

"9. Please use common sense while playing the RPG."

 

Sound good to everyone?

 

 

 

U3DQrEj.jpg

 

 

Um... Casey doesn't have a mech and I had no intention of giving her one. Nobody complained about that. It also doesn't say anywhere in the rules you have to own a mech. In fact the character form even explicitly states to make note of it if you do choose to let your character have a mech. There wouldn't be much point in that if it was mandated.

 

 

We did make note that other things were allowed, yes. You are also correct in noting that noting such is intentional. However, there's another side to that coin. This is a mecha game. Mecha is the genre, military is the subgenre. It is also noted that infantry tends to support Walkers, but the key word there is 'support'. Standard infantry stands no chance against a Walker in a firefight. The average infantryman isn't even going to scratch it. Harken's schtick is that he's the pilot for a prototype that would let a ground soldier have a chance to do some damage, and even then, it stands almost no chance against a properly armored section of a mech. The Gungnir is meant for targeting weakpoints, and its effectiveness relies on not getting hit, and not getting spotted.

 

But I digress from my main point. The point is that yes, you can make characters that are not mech pilots. The catch to that is that by doing so, you have to understand that you're taking an option meant for people who don't want to have any direct involvement with the principle draw of the game. As well as the fact that, when the game's plot goes on, keeping a character in the action might be harder.

 

Standard infantry on the ground is hard enough, in a battlefield dominated by mechs. In space, where the game might eventually go, it gets a lot harder.

fK5oqYf.jpg

 

On this eve, the thirtieth anniversary of that first colony, many are left to wonder; is the world fast approaching a breaking point?

 

 

  Breaking Point: An OTC Mecha RPG

 

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I guess I could see that. Supposing I did a combination of some sort. Perhaps one Mech Pilot, one support, and one infantry? That way I could cover three different sides and I'd have a better chance of getting in on the action. If any of them are going to pilots, I think the one that would make the most sense is Burette (perhaps him finding that more to his taste than being in infantry). I'd just need a way to get him transferred. If I did that, put Ladelman on some kind of support duty and then had Pikerton take on the planned infantry role would that be acceptable?

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