FallenCor

I thought we needed our characters to be re-approved though? Was I under a mistaken impression? EDIT: From the first post in this topic: Naw, you're right, we'd need to have the council thing sorted out before we continue with the RP, at least where profiles are concerned. If we do decide to start a slice-of-life RP to pass the time, we could continue to use the old profiles, on the condition that nobody add anything to their characters in the meantime. That's a tricky one. I'd say a week from the time the poll is posted, but we could make it longer. I just had a thought: What if we PM a sort of newsletter to all of the players listed on the first page of the old thread? Maybe write a brief account of what's been going on, along with links to any relevant posts, and then a link to wherever the poll is posted? This way nobody will miss out, and maybe it'll pique the interest of any players who previously dropped out.

If you're refering to Epix and Kaiba, the next phase of that interaction would've involved finding Mr. Makuro, and since Fishers was using him to help coordinate the Mechna mission at the time, that made him realistically unavailable. I accepted it for what it was, even though the way I was playing Epix might not have shown it from an IC standpoint, but the only way to keep things going at that point would've been to have them casually stand around and talk about the weather, which I didn't feel was within the parameters of his character. The way I see it, I didn't abandon anything; outside factors such as the change in setting and our overall bad timing were what ended up cutting that short, but if it's any consolation, I'm sorry you feel that way. But did Epix and Kaiba know that IC? If they didn't, you two could have had your characters go look for him -- that would have moved things along at least a little bit until Mr. Makuro was available. If they did, well, I don't know what to tell you. That decision was entirely up to Fishers, and there's nothing we could have done short of demanding she appoint a Co-GM. I assume she was confident that she could run the game on her own, and she did a pretty awesome job of it. Would it have been more prudent to, at the very least, select a player to step up should something happen? Sure. But that wasn't the hand we were dealt, so now we're making the best of it with the cards we have. For the record, there weren't that many ideas proposed in the first place. It's not like we have a whole slew of suggestions and we just zeroed in on one without talking about it. We did discuss them in the old topic. We are continuing to discuss them here. So far the process has been: someone proposes an idea, we find a flaw, someone proposes another idea, maybe it also has a flaw, but we pick the one that seems easier to deal with. To be honest, I'm amazed we're getting through this as quickly as we have. I thought we'd be at this for weeks, even months, which may very well have killed any motivation we have to bring this game back. It also doesn't help that many players seem to be waiting on the sidelines instead of getting involved... but can anyone really blame them? Personally, I'm working to get this done as quickly as possible so that everyone will soon have a nice neat game to return to. I'm sure if anyone else has a problem with the way the people in this topic are handling things, they will let us know.* The 'GM of the Month' thing was leaning too closely towards a crowd-run system, which many of us aren't comfortable with. Maybe it would work and maybe it wouldn't. I think everyone would simply like to play it safe and stick with a tried-and-true method while we get this game back on its feet. And giving an RPG a time limit can produce mixed results. Everyone was fine with the laid-back, semi-sandbox nature of the old game's episodic missions. Until the destruction of the Tower, we were technically free to finish the missions at our leisure. Why change that now? I'm sorry to see you or anyone leave, but I honestly don't know what else can be said. I wish you well on your other RPG adventures, though. ~~~ *I encourage anyone and everyone to speak up and give us their input as we figure things out! It would be a huge help to us, as we only want to organize a game that everyone will enjoy. Yep! The idea is start putting everyone's profiles in this topic to reduce clutter in the actual RP thread (and discuss said profiles without interrupting the flow of the RP). Tex even made a nice new template for us to use in the first post, which gives everyone an opportunity to update their characters, if they like.

I don't know what to tell you, man. I don't mean to make it sound like you haven't been putting effort into your posts, but if you were truly struggling with character interactions, you could have easily contacted any one of us and tried to set something up. I believe most of us would have been more than happy to help. Aside from that and the issue of disapproved characters, I don't recall you having voiced any other complaints about the game in the past (though I could be wrong). I also fail to see what either of these has to do with choosing the new GMs. ... We should probably try to figure out how we're going vote, then. Do we just list the five we want to see on the council, or pick our top three? Do we post our votes here, or find someplace else where we can do so anonymously?

Tex is going to be setting up a new discussion thread soon, so we'll be migrating over there in due time. (Thanks, GSR! ) After that we can start discussing who to put on the council. Also, I'll be out of town and without a computer tomorrow, but I'll try to keep up via my phone.

IC Mina - Edge of Canus: Finally reaching the bottom, Mina stepped aside to give the others some space. While they climbed down after her, she briefly turned her attention to the little orange-and-white shape of Dessimus in the distance, wondering what he'd found. She didn't really feel like talking to him, however, and wasn't sure how he'd treat Fulmen and Hekua anyway. Once her companions were down, Mina began to lead them towards the Wastes, all the while keeping an eye out for anything interesting in the sand. "Let me know if you see anything," she said over her shoulder.

Sorry to hear that, man! Hope to see you again after we have everything sorted out. ... Alright, we seem to have settled on a full timeskip, which leaves only the length of said timeskip up for debate. Tex suggested six months, since some of y'all seem to like the idea of having a half-rebuilt Tower. Six months would certainly give our Heroes enough time to have sorted out their temporary lodgings, as well as letting the dust settle after the Portal Mission. What do you guys think? ... We should probably start taking care of the GM issue next. Personally, I'm game for having a council of sorts, elected by the playerbase, but I know some were keen on picking random GMs throughout the year. From what I gather so far, the former would act almost exactly as if we had one GM (except that the responsibilities would be shared by two or more players), while the latter would... require some additional work to figure out. So the question is: Do we want a council or "GM of the month"?

IC Mina - Canus: "I doubt we will," she assured Fulmen, hoping she didn't just jinx the three of them. The villagers had been nice enough so far, or at least not hostile towards her, though there was always a chance that could change, she supposed. The Av-Matoran grabbed her canteen and her staff and made her way out of the little hut, pausing briefly to glance around and see who else was up. Most of the villagers were already off scavenging in the Wastes, but a few parties still lingered. Mina gave a friendly wave to a passerby, to which said Matoran only grunted in reply without even looking at her. :'D With that, she strode to the edge of the plateau and began to climb down.

So, if we're using "month" loosely here, then how do we decide when that mission needs to end? Is it entirely up to that month's GM whether or not the players have to keep doing that mission, no matter how long it takes? Frankly, if these theoretical GMs are really just hosting the story bit of each mission, why would we give them full GM powers? Or were we meant to use "GM" loosely as well? I'm starting to feel like we're just slapping a fancy title on something we've already been doing in-game. Alright, bear with me here... 1. Are you suggesting we break missions up into pieces? "Based on how much progress the players [...] had achieved so far"? I think you're overcomplicating something that GMs already do. 2. Again, isn't that how we've been doing things? 3. The aftereffects of one mission having an affect on the following mission happens all the time. Breaking the planning process up into "phases" is completely unnecessary. 4. How have our actions (or rather our characters') not been having an impact on the missions? 5. "Real"? Everyone's been writing their characters as realistically as possible, and doing a fine job of it, too. (Except Shade -- he's weird. I'm kidding. *cough*) 6. People have been busy with school, jobs, and family. It's not that there's the lack of interest, there just happen to be periods where more than one player is dealing with other things. ... As of this post, there are seven (and-a-half) votes in favor of the proposed timeskip. I'll give it a couple more hours for those players who haven't yet voiced their opinions.

Yeah, that's kind of what I thought. Seeing as we're deciding on a board of GMs instead of a rotation though, shouldn't that kind of clear up the need for a Mission of the Month in the first place? The board can talk over a mission between themselves and then just host it, but unless everyone suddenly has an idea all at once there's no reason to rush things, yes? Either way, time limits aren't the only way to keep things on track if do go for Mission of the Month. I'm sure there are other ways to make sure the mission ends by the time the month is over. Aye, there's really no way we can make sure a mission ends on time without ruining that GM's plans. Plus, there's no guarantee they won't get pulled away by RL situations and delay the mission for days or even weeks. Do we cut the mission short when the 30 days are up, or allow the GM extra time and keep the next GM waiting? Having a sort of GM council would function much the same as having one GM, except that the usual GM duties would be spread between the five(?) of them. I like Nato's suggestion that each one take on a different job (i.e. loremaster, NPC-handler, etc.), however, if one GM is off dealing with RL, the other four would still be able to run things in the meantime. Edit: Also, I don't see why the playerbase couldn't PM their mission ideas to said council. I think it'd be fun to have predominately player-run missions. Dungeonmasters in D&D are really only in charge of the environment and NPCs, with only the occasional story prompt.

IC Mina - Canus: "Hm, probably something to store water in," she replied. "I don't know if we have any canteens left, but we could just look for some scrap metal and have a Fe-Matoran shape it. Or, I heard one guy found a glass bottle last week, so maybe keep an eye out for something like that." Propping her staff against the door, she put her cloak on. "You should also look out for any trinkets you think the Queen might like. We'll give her a visit tomorrow if we find anything that looks valuable."

Having a time limit on a mission once in a blue moon could be interesting, but I don't think anyone wants to deal with that on every Monthly Mission. :I As for the timeskip, that's seven votes so far, but I'll let it go for another 24-ish hours to give others a chance to speak up. After that we'll move on to the next item.

IC Mina - Canus: "That it is," she replied with a yawn as she stood up and stretched. "I don't think we'll have any problems out there, but just in case, we should stay within sight of the village for today." She went over to her tiny pile of belongings and fished out two cup-like objects, filling each with roughly two mouthfuls of water from her canteen. The cups she handed to her friends before taking a swig from the canteen itself, and was dismayed to find that only a third of the water remained. I hope we find something worth trading today, she thought. Mina herself already had a few objects she hoped the Queen would like, but Hekua and Fulmen would need help finding something to trade for their own water supply -- not to mention something to store it in. "We'll head out as soon as you're ready," Mina told them as she glanced around for her staff.

We didn't have any Co-GMs before. The GM simply took the opinions of others into consideration when evaluating a profile, but ultimately had the final word. Besides, what's to stop our "GM of the Month" from submitting another Traferous? Is he/she going to comply if the rest of us call for said brainchild to be nerf'd? What if another GM decides to approve/ban a previously banned/approved character the following month? Plus, can anyone guarantee that their Monthly Missions are going to be wrapped up within 30-ish days? How do we even decide who goes next? We've had roughly five(?) Co-GM offers. We haven't decided anything yet. Not... really. Sure, people may have their own separate plans, but that doesn't help us as a group. We need to decide ASAP whether or not we need one permanent GM (with a couple of Co-GMs) or to rotate GM "shifts." I'm not entirely sure what you mean by this. Are you suggesting that one part of the group sort out the Mechna Mission while the rest start planning the aftereffects...? ... Are you talking about NPCs? To be fair, nobody except myself and maybe Zippy have even bothered playing any NPCs for more than a post or two. We haven't seen an "out-of-character" NPC because 95% of the playerbase didn't feel like using them. I'm flattered you think my rendition of Bulk was in-character, though. So I guess its up to everyone else to decide whether they want to try to sort out this interdimensional mess, or just timeskip past all of the hassle. This sounds like an excellent idea. Doing a timeskip and leaving the ending of the Mechna Mission vague could be entertaining, what with each Hero remembering it a little differently. Alright, seeing as the proposed timeskip is beginning to sound like the simplest thing to sort out, I think we should put it to a vote. Who here would like to see a full-on (two/three month) timeskip?

Oh boy... I'm going to tentatively offer to serve as full GM, primarily to keep things organized. The problem I have with doing a "GM of the Month" is that it could quickly go downhill when someone's GM Mission doesn't wrap up in a timely manner. Each candidate's incumbency would be pushed back, resulting in a domino effect of GM Missions never getting proper endings, as well as other candidates not getting their turns for months (or even years). Plus, how do we know that profile approval won't vary wildly from GM to GM, regardless of playerbase input? What I think our most pressing matters are: - Elect one GM - Elect up to three(?) co-GMs - Set up a separate discussion thread - Set up a reference for HF lore (I have a Word doc for this that I've been chipping away at for over a month) - Decide on the implementation of a timeskip and how long said timeskip should be We can worry about missions after we have the above sorted out. Personally, I think a "downtime" session -- wherein we RP our characters chilling out and doing whatever -- would be beneficial to us while we decide on proper missions. Just my two cents. :v

OOC: So sorry for the delay! IC Mina - Canus: Mina woke with a start and sat bolt upright, only to realize that everything was normal in her hut... save the presence of her two guests, of course. Whatever she had been dreaming she couldn't remember, and probably wouldn't want to anyway. She sleepily readjusted her mask and stood up, gently shook Fulmen's shoulder, then Hekua's. "Time to head out, guys," she said softly.

IC Flint & Wolfe- Mechna: It didn't take long for Flint to find the Astral. He thought the location a bit odd, unless there was some strategic advantage to parking themselves in the tourist district. Perhaps his fellow Heroes had found whatever created the portal and this was the closest they could get to it. Whatever the reason, he'd soon be joining them. Wolfe, meanwhile, heard the ship's engines before the vessel itself was even within view. He'd know the sound of it anywhere. Tourists rushed to move out of the way as LOIS landed. Flint marched down the boarding ramp half a minute later, and made his way towards the Astral. As he did, though, he glanced up to see Wolfe glaring down at him. The vet crossed his arms with deliberate slowness, but said nothing -- his body language said enough. Flint cleared his throat nonchalantly and boarded the Astral.

IC Mina - Canus: She nodded her approval of Hekua's sword. If her new Onu-Matoran friend could focus on building materials, then perhaps Fulmen could look for a weapon while Mina herself looked for building materials as well. Working together would give these two a head start on settling in before anything bad could happen. Not that Mina wanted to immediately push them out of the nest, as it were, but there was always the risk of some newcomer coming to rely too heavily upon his or her host. Some villagers made it work, even calling each other roommates, while the rare few had to learn the hard way to pull their own weight. Mina hoped that her own guests proved to be the former. "We can go out first thing in morning, if you two are up for it," she replied to Fulmen before glancing outside at the fading light. She was quiet for a moment, then asked, "Do either of you remember anything from before your arrival?"

IC Mina: "Eh, anywhere, really," Mina replied as she moved to the back of the hut. "Some areas are more barren than others, but there are a few spots that seem to have a decent amount of stuff; at least for now." She readjusted the knee-high piece of metal that served as the third wall and sat down with her back against it. The blanket she had spoken of sat folded next to her, and she moved it towards her guests. It was thin, and not the most comfortable thing, but it was just large enough for a Toa, and every patch had been meticulously stitched. Mina added to it whenever she found new pieces of cloth on her trips to the Wastes, but was beginning to think that she should start a new one before this one became too unwieldy. "But yeah, we can look for weapon materials," she continued. "I would focus on finding stuff for your huts, though. Oh! and definitely grab anything nice-looking to trade for water."

IC Mina: She gave Hakua and Fulmen a small nod. "Alright, it's settled: you guys can bunk with me tonight, and tomorrow I'll help you gather some things to build shelters of your own. Follow me!" Mina made her way back to her little hut and began removing the stakes that held down the canvas half of the structure. The canvas she pulled down a bit, then moved the edge further out to give her hut a typical tent shape, which would provide a little more room within. The majority of the now-expanded floor had been hollowed out somewhat to protect from the elements, and was just large enough for up to four Matoran to squeeze into, provided its owner removed a couple of things. "I'll just be a moment," Mina said as she ducked inside to sort out her belongings. Her meager scrap collection and her weapon (things she didn't mind collecting sand) she put up on the 'shelf' that had been created when she expanded the hut. What little else remained was simply scooted to a corner of the hollow. "I have only one blanket, I'm afraid," she said apologetically from within the hut. "I have my cloak, though, so I'm fine if you two want to share the blanket." A moment later she poked her head out. "Come on in!"

IC Helen - Mission Control Deck: A lightbulb flicked on in Helen's head. She steepled her fingers and leaned back in her chair. "Gyro, Kat," she said in a low voice over a comm channel isolated to just the three of them. "Don't move a servo... My scanners are picking up heat signatures on supposedly non-existent targets right behind you..." There was, in fact, absolutely nothing on her scanners.

IC Mina - Canus: "Don't mention it," she replied cheerily. They were just nearing the main group when everyone began breaking off to follow various veterans. Mina watched them for a moment, unsure if she should just go ahead and send her new companions off with the others. "Guess you can stick with me, if you want," she said, turning back to them. "I think I have some leftover stuff we can use for the night, but it's up to you guys. Maka and Ira are far more experienced than I, so feel free to go with whomever you wish."

IC Mina - Canus: "Staying the night shouldn't be a problem," she answered Hekua with a hint of hesitation in her voice. "But regardless how long you stay, you'll both be expected to earn your keep." The Av-Matoran glanced up at the darkening sky and gestured for her new charges to follow her deeper into the village. "I'll introduce you to Maru -- our deputy of sorts -- so we can arrange where you'll sleep tonight," she continued, then glanced over her shoulder at Fulmen. "As for water, well... there's only one spring in this entire place, and it's controlled by the Blue Queen. Basically, we go out into the Wastes, scavenge what we can, and exchange it with the Queen for water. We'll probably have to do that very soon, actually, considering how many new arrivals we've had lately..." Mina turned and walked backwards for a moment so she could face Fulmen and Hekua with another apologetic smile. "Sorry, I know it's a lot to take in."

On Ekimu being a grouch and all, Tahu and Kopaka have proven time and again that being a jerk doesn't automatically make you evil. Also, consider that Ekimu has been through a lot. He found out his brother hates him, had to fight said brother, caused an island-wide explosion to go off in their faces, went into hibernation for years on end, then immediately had to start training a bunch of oversized kids. I'd be pretty grumpy, too. I'm not dismissing the possibility of either a mind-controlled Ekimu or for him to have conflicting interests down the road, but I do believe that G2 is a bit too laid-back* for any sort of "shocking plot twist." Other than probably wanting to keep Makuta alive out of compassion, I don't see Ekimu truly disagreeing with the Toa on anything. Guess we'll have to wait and see. *I think this is what people mean when they keep saying "a kids' story."

IC Mina - Canus: She gave Hekua and Fulmen an apologetic smile. "I'm afraid that's about all I can spare," she told them as she poured perhaps a bit more than a mouthful into the small cup. That she handed to Fulmen, then the canteen itself to Hekua. "I'm Mina, by the way. And this is Canus." She gestured to the ramshackle huts and shrugged. "Not much to look at, but it's home; at least for now." OOC: Just a heads-up that I'll be out-of-town until tomorrow evening.

IC Mina - Canus: Two weeks. It had been nearly two weeks since Mina's arrival to this desolate place. Like her fellow villagers, she came with naught but a name and the hope of finding some way out of this predicament -- unlike her fellows, however, she still held on to that hope. Give it a few more weeks, they seemed to say with their sad eyes, but she told herself she would endure... if not for herself, then for the other Matoran. Her hut was little more than a glorified lean-to on the edge of the settlement: a large sheet of metal propped up on two posts with some sort of canvas serving as the opposite wall. Mina herself sat inside, trying to repair a tear in her satchel with a sliver of metal for a needle, half-listening to what little chatter there was outside. She rolled her eyes when she picked out Gapori's voice -- his was one of the more off-putting personalities -- but paused in her work when she heard mention of newcomers. No doubt Maru was seeing to them already. Curious, she put aside her satchel and walked outside, but remained by her hut and simply watched the little crowd that was beginning to form. Maru's not going to like that, she thought. Some movement caught her eye just then, and she turned to see two more Matoran approaching from another direction. She glanced at the other group to see if they had noticed, and, seeing they hadn't, she ducked back into her hut to retrieve her canteen and a makeshift cup, then went out to meet the Vo- and Onu-Matoran. She waved to them, but didn't speak until she was closer so as to keep their appearance quiet for at least a few minutes. "You guys okay?" she asked. OOC: That would be Fulmen and Hekua.