Fighty

It's a non sequitur to say that just because an RPG won a contest and then failed that the contest was the reason that if failed. It would be like your car breaking down and you changing the air freshener from 'pine' to 'lemon zest' in the hopes of repairing your vehicle. Just because you had 'pine' air freshener in your car when it broke down does not mean that the air freshener broke your car. There is a problem, you're just proposing the wrong solution. As it is, the one thing that would above all else reignite the RPG forum is increased player involvement, and unfortunately that's not something that the BZP administration has much effect over. Any RPG, no matter its degree of competency, can flourish if its players are dedicated to making it flourish. I remember back when I participated in the Ben 10 RPG in COT; that was one of the most barebones RPGs I've ever experienced. If it was much shorter the host could've put the whole thing in one tweet. And yet, because we loved the premise so much, my friend and I poured countless hours into it, creating story arcs, developing characters, interacting with each other, etc. That RPG should have died but because of the passion of just a few people it thrived. The things that the RPG forum could use most right now are creative, dedicated players and GMs who foster their players' creativity rather than hampering it.

Correlation does not imply causation. Just because Bionicle RPGs have started to decline with the contest model still in use does not mean that the contest model itself is responsible. Honestly, I'd blame peoples' busy schedules, a declining interest in Bionicle in general and less-than-stellar entries for the inactivity in the RPG forum before I'd blame the contest format. If you'll recall, the contests have also given us fantastic RPGs like the Gate, AMG and The Island. RPG contests are exciting, and they give more life to the forum than a judging system would. Contests also give RPGs a nice, "seasonal" feel, kind of like a TV show, with each contest bringing about a new "season" of the RPG. As I see it, there's only a small dedicated playerbase left in the RPG forum that isn't growing substantially. Unless people are willing to devote time into lots of different RPGs, increasing the amount of RPGs is not going to help anything, because you'll just be spreading the playerbase even thinner across all the different RPGs. If anything, fewer RPGs would actually be better, but I don't think that's going to fly. And when I mentioned "less-than-stellar" entries, that was not a jibe at anyone. All the entries I've seen recently range from great to serviceable, with no garbage RPGs to speak of. However, it's been a long time since I've seen a really inventive RPG; an RPG that defied conventions and got me genuinely excited to play it.

Just a few criticisms: first of all, in the context-defining first panel, you give us all of the necessary information to establish the setting except for the day and month. It just seems a little odd to establish a setting and have the only time-related information be the time of day and the current year. Not a big deal, just a minor detail. Secondly, the first comic falls into a common trap: it's trying to be an introductory comic but it hardly gives the reader any introductory material. It feels like it should be the opening scene of a much longer comic. I don't know who these characters are, I don't know whether or not to root for them, and I hardly know what's going on. The first comic is humorless, actionless and honestly pretty boring. Now, I'm almost positive that the series will get better as time goes on, but the first comic has done nothing to hook me. With that said, you do get brownie points for putting your comics in .png form and for your use of speech bubbles and outlined text. Both of those things make the comic much more aesthetically pleasing. You also deserve props for your use of light and shadow to create atmosphere. I'm interested to see where this thing goes, and good luck on the future of the series!

5/5

Personally, no.

Non-combat? Theater troupe? Mystery?You sir are making sweet, sweet love to my eardrums.

That's my boy.

Beat and Rhythm only.

My selections are as follows:Knives in the DarkDay Run: The GardenDreamland: AwakeningKirse: City of the Great Beings

5/5.

I would say mine. But that would be both arrogant and true.

As an ardent Colts devotee, I did have some nostalgic remorse over Manning's departure, but I think he's past his prime anyways. I'm looking forward to them picking up Andrew Luck or possibly RG3; either one would be an excellent decision. Personally I'm leaning more towards Luck.

5/5.

Beat and Rhythm only.

Drafting an entry. Probably won't have it up in time, but it'll end up in the RPG Planning Topic eventually.

I'll give it a go.

Hey, I'm not really interested in joining, but I had a suggestion: instead of using marked and unmarked papers, just use RANDOM.org's random number generator. Set the Min. to 1 and the Max. to 10. If the number produced is 1, then the test comes out 'good.' If the number produced is 2-10, then the test comes out 'bad.' Just a thought.

Okay, first off, I have to acknowledge that I am a sucker for dystopian stories that feature near-omnipotent, oppressive governments (e.g. The Giver, 1984, The Hunger Games, etc.) So, you get automatic brownie points for that. Also, I am really intrigued by the Peacekeepers' mechanic of essentially shuffling around the Utopians so that they all are equally unskilled at their occupation. I am not incredibly well-versed in literature, but this seems like a fairly original concept. So, kudos for that. Also, you used the word 'hydroponics' in an epic. I mean, that's pure win right there.When I began reading, I wasn't thrilled. I prefer epics that have a little more description and really immerse the readers in the setting of the story. I understand that you need to put your exposition somewhere, but perhaps it could have come about more naturally, either through the personal introspection of the Utopian or through some spoken dialogue. Either way, it felt a little clunky to have this chunk of exposition to wade through before I reached the actual narrative. However, your writing style was fun and quirky, so it made the exposition surprisingly enjoyable to read - not a small feat for any piece of literature.Taking everything into account, it was a surprisingly solid beginning for what will hopefully be a consistently enjoyable epic. I can't wait to read more and explore this world that you have created.

loliseewhatyoudidthar.Anyways, I may have an entry up sometime within the next week. If not, I'll refine my idea for the next contest.

BaR must win. I've been dying to play it for a long time.

No. This is getting ridiculous. I'm telling you there's a benefit to reading them when you couldn't catch the tip-offs the first time.1. Uniting would show they have the common sense to do so. Savages don't have common sense.2. Fleeing instead of staying and fighting an unwinable fight.3. Building a colony with a monarchy.Did you actually think they were savages after that? Really? And yes, these were all in the RPG.Let me make this clear: NPCs are not extras. The game wouldn't be able to be fun without them. Techna without the Toa Techna. GoMN without Swordshifter. IoP without the Sheaperds.You don't need a tidy little list to point out what I already know. I made the point that it's a race of barbaric savages in the canon, and listed my defensive points, which were mostly ignored. You made your counter, saying they're not, with the reason 'because this isn't the canon'. Which is perfectly fine.Your points aren't very good ones though, and I need to point out why. First off, savages can have common sense. The Mongol hordes, the Vikings. Second, that can also be associated with determination, and fighting the unwinnable fight is not a 'savage' thing. And it's quite possible for savages to have a monarchy - power granted to the strongest being, and to his children, as long as they can hold it.But no, I don't believe that they're savages in this alternate universe (though I hardly see what would stop a member of Gladiators species from just ripping through a squad of Matoran to kill off a few Rahkshi). I do, however, believe that some things need to be clarified, and if you don't believe that, then go right ahead. I'm pointing out the errors, correct them or don't. I couldn't care less.You've already stated that there's a benefit to reading the profiles. Which is why I now read them. What I'm telling you is that the player should not have to read profiles for basic plot information that could have easily been explained elsewhere. NPCs are extras that help make the RPG feel like an open world (even when combined) that they're just a part of, and to let players know that they're not the only beings that exist. They give the GM the ability to make direct interaction and allow him to direct the action if he needs to (and to railroad it, though nobody likes a railroad). ... So the Roman Empire were savages? As much as I hate the Romans, that's not a word you can really apply to them.-DovydasWe could debate this to no end, but this is neither place to do it, nor would either of us change the others opinion.-Toa Levacius Zehvor Guys, it's just Bionicle. I mean, really.Also hai everyone. =DAnyways, here are my (brief) two cents on The Horde Out of Limbo:First off, I have to say that I admire the Abd-AhamadinejadIdontgiveadamselhowthiswordisactuallyspelled mechanic. Having that added aspect of paranoia atop the already immense anxiety within the Bastion is a cool little idea. Hopefully it will keep the game from getting too stale.But unfortunately, this game seems very one-dimensional to me. I get that you love Lovecraft and wanted to do an RPG styled after him. I get that you want this to play out like a last-ditch effort to save Bionicle-kind, where death is a high probability. I get that. Sadly, though, it just doesn't make for a game that I, as a role-player, want to play.For one, it's just too limited. I know this isn't a zombie-style game, but let's compare this to The Walking Dead. In that universe, the threat of death is always upon you, and you need to scavenge to survive, yet you have a multiplicity of options. You could go to this warehouse or that prison. You could hold up in this cabin or make a break for that hospital. And the reason you have those options is because while the threat of death is upon you, the certainty of it isn't. I mean, in this RPG, our characters are going to die. That's pretty much a given. Plus, unless we pull out some uber-awesome, super-concerted plan that we execute to perfection, all of Bionicle-kind is going to die. So, all our time spent on this RPG could ultimately amount to "everyone dies." If I invest hours and hours of my life into an RPG, by its end I want to feel like I've accomplished something.So, in a nutshell, here are my main complaints: Locations too restricted, factions way too restricted, no PvP (unless you count the Abd-whatevers), no exploration, and very little chance of actually accomplishing anything. This kind of game could work in other sectors of entertainment (heck, look at the popularity of Nazi Zombies), but for a TBRPG I don't think it's an ideal fit.

Same.

Might I just say that the 25th Anniversary CD is freaking rad?

Skyward Sword. =D

Well, my entry, emblazoned with the absolutely retarded agnomen of "Ringworld," is finally up. If I had had my way, I would have spent another six months perfecting it, but I have to abide by the deadlines.I may whip up a banner if I get time, but I just wanted to get the entry in on time. Your feedback is very much appreciated. =)