Toa Kovolta

Lev, are you trying to make a joke at how there was no preliminary poll?

This! Zarayna, you have no idea how happy I am to see this. Thanks so much for the support!

I'm quite surprised, and happy! Over half the votes have already been cast (judging by the number of votes in the last few contests), and TiaM has a fair lead. I don't want to jinx it but I sure hope this keeps up!

Really glad to hear this. Yeah, I can't really remember how many times I've entered it so far, and I can't check the archives since they don't really exist anymore, but I believe I first enetered it in contest 18.I'm also gald to see that It's at least in everyone's top few so far (those who have posted their favourites that is), maybe this'll be the year.

My comments in green. Thanks for the reviews, I'll go and make some changes now.

Alright, TiaM is up. Here's to hoping this will be the year it wins. Most of the changes from the last time I entered it can be found in the NPC bio's. Will try to get some reviews up later this week.

Trapped in a Map The Carver looked out his window at the crowd milling about in the market below. He carefully scanned the throng, checking out each Matoran, deciding which one he should choose. Finally, he settled on an Onu-Matoran with decorative gold shoulder armour.His choice made, the Carver activated his mask power. His eyes briefly glowed red as dozens upon dozens of names started to float above the heads of the Matoran in the crowd, visible only to the Carver. Silently, he sought out the Onu-Matoran’s among all the others. Finding it, he memorized it and bent down to write it down on the map carved into the tablet in front of him. The name flashed three times then dissolved into the stone.The Carver straightened and looked once more out the window. The Onu-Matoran, and his distinctive golden armour, was gone! Story You are a citizen of the Matoran Universe, or, at least, you were. Now you are the victim of someone known only as the Carver, a sinister Toa who likes to “play” with beings like you. Your new home is simply called the Map, because it is a map, carved into a tablet by the Carver, and you are trapped inside. Now you must find a way to escape, or forever live with your destiny carved out by the Carver… Now 2000 years after the Great Cataclysm that rocked the Matoran Universe, the Carver has been trapping people for over 1000 years. Time runs more slowly in the land of the Map however, and to those living there it has been more like 60,000. More and more beings are being trapped, causing many disturbances in the City. Most of those recently trapped aren’t quick to submit to the rule and ideology of the Worshippers. Conflicts are breaking out and the City Law Enforcers can’t handle them all. The City is on the verge of breaking up.Write about your characters’ struggle to survive in this rugged world and the challenges they face as they try to achieve their goals. Factions The WorshippersMostly made up of those who have been trapped in the Map the longest, they are the rulers of the City. They are so called, because they have given up on escape and believe that by worshipping the Carver, he will grant them an easier life in the Map. Many disagree with their way of thinking but must live under their rule because of their large sphere of influence. They control all distribution of food and water through the use of the City Law Enforcers.City Law EnforcersA sub-faction of the Worshippers, they are a large group of citizens, mostly big, tough ones, who keep order in the City according to the Worshippers’ rule. They either firmly believe in or have been convinced of the Worshippers’ ideology. Their two main tasks are to control the distribution of food and water throughout the city, and to subdue anyone who speaks out against the Worshippers’ Rule and the Carver, lest the Carver get angry. The Disrupters A small faction with no real leader or clear organization. Its members are ordinary citizens who don't agree with the Worshippers submissive ways. Their main goals consist of starting protests, riots and just general chaos wherever they can so they can cause misery to the Worshippers as they attempt to control the City. Other FactionsFactions may be created by players. This is highly encouraged, it will increase the fun in the game. They do not need to be approved, but if I don’t like the direction one is going, I will ask it to disband.All The RestAll those characters who do not agree with the Worshippers, or just don’t care about what goes on in the City, and are not part of a player made faction. Locations The CityA big city that occupies the most of the Map. It is completely enclosed by a tall, sturdy wall. There is only one gate in this wall, and it has been sealed due to the outlying land being called unsafe. The City houses (almost) all the inhabitants of the Map, and is therefore very busy and crowded. It was partly built carved out by the carver, but as more and more people arrived in the map, the inhabitants started to build it up more to accommodate the influx in population. It is now approximately half the size of Metru Nui, an contains inhabitants that equal three quarters of it's population.The PalaceThe most prominent building in the City. It is the headquarters of the Worshippers. It is a large hexagonal building that is mazelike inside, and it rises high up over the surrounding buildings to look out over the whole city. It is surrounded by a low wall and is heavily guarded by the City Law Enforcers.The TempleThe second largest building in the city. It is a temple that has been dedicated to worshipping the Carver. It is a circular building consisting of one main floor and one turret. From above it looks a bit like the first letter of the Matoran alphabet, symbolizing that the Carver comes first above all else. Services are constantly being held in dedication to the Carver.The BarracksThe headquarters of the City Law Enforcers. A rectangular building located in the northeast corner of the city, this place crawls with the menacing figures. The basement consists of statis canisters where unlawful citizens are placed for certain amounts of time.The Royal GardensThe only gardens in the Map, as well as the only source of food. Workers cultivate this food and the Worshippers distribute it.The WellThe only source of water in the the City. Water is brought up from underground into the city via this well. Water can be gathered from here, but it is also distributed by the worshippers. Long lines can often be seen.The MarketThe busiest part of the City. Food and water is distributed from here. Venders gather from all over the City, trying to sell their goods, whatever they may be.The TunnelsA maze of tunnels under the surface of the Map, the entrance of which is just west of the Palace. Precious materials are mined from these tunnels, but many other beings and creatures roam these tunnels, and the entrance is not the only exit… However, it is important to note that at a certain point below ground the "earth/rock" becomes a mysterious substance which is immune to the elemental powers of Toa.The Outlying LandThe territory surrounding the city is flat and barren, inhabited mostly by Rahi. However, some beings who disagree with the ways of the Worshippers have found ways out of the city, in hopes of finding escape. It is deemed unsafe because the map is cracking and breaking around the edges.The Lake of LifeThe source of all water in the Map. It is a large lake in the northwestern corner of the Map. It’s water comes from underground and then flows off the edge of the Map through the two rivers: the River of Death and the River of Life. The Outcast TowersA group of tall structures in the southwest corner of the Map. They rise high above all other buildings in the Map, including the Palace and the Temple. They used to be the headquarters of the Worshippers, but were abandoned when the outlying land was deemed unsafe. Now they are mostly deserted, home only to rahi and rogue citizens. Character Profiles Who are you? Have you given up on escape and now worship the Carver? Or do you still resent the Carver for trapping you in the Map? Or perhaps you’ve just arrived in the Map and still don’t quite know what happened?Whoever you are, you must submit a profile of your character in the profile topic. Be sure to include a detailed description of your character. All profiles must be submitted in the following format: [b]Name:[/b] [Bionicle sounding][b]Gender:[/b] [male / female][b]Species:[/b] [any species is acceptable (including your own) within reason. if you are a toa or matoran or etc. please indicate your element][b]Affiliation:[/b] [Worshippers / City Law Enforcers / Other / None][b]Trapped:[/b] [have you been trapped long, or have you just arrived][b]Weapons/Tools:[/b] [be reasonable][b]Powers:[/b] [any other powers, again be reasonable][b]Appearance:[/b] [brief description or picture][b]Bio:[/b] [anything of importance of your character’s personality, goals, life, etc.]Profiles must be reviewed and approved by myself or another staff member, if a profile is incomplete or does not follow the rules, you will be asked to fix the problems before you can start playing. As well, players are only allowed to have three characters to start. NPC’s The following are profiles of the Non-Player Character, which will be controlled by myself throughout the game to help the plot move forward, and add challenges for your characters to face.Name: The CarverGender: MaleSpecies: Toa (Element unknown, assumed to be stone)Affiliation: NoneTrapped: Not Trapped, but the Trapper.Weapons/Tools: Carving tools and the Map.- When someone's name is carved into the Map: ----> The person's name is carved into the Map, this can be seen happenning in the sky above the Map.----> The name flashes three times, both on the tablet and in the sky.----> The being then has a gut wrenching feeling as the world starts to spin and the start to disappear from where they are in the Matoran Universe.----> Their body slowly fades away and then slowly appears in the Map below where their name was carved.- Any living creacture can be trapped in the Map.-The holder of the Map can observe and control life going on in the world of the Map.----> People are controlled by the holder by putting thoughts into their heads. The people being controlled know these thoughts are not their own, but they are obligated to act on them.- The "ground" beneath it continues to infinity. There is no other side of the Map.- The sky continues infinitely up, as do the space around the Map and its infinite cliff in each direction.- Gravity pulls down perpendicular to the Map everywhere.- There is a sun that creates night and day, by rotating around the Map at an angular axis (at night there are also distant stars, but there is no moon).----> It rises over the eastern cliffs and sets over the western cliffs.----> It is night when the sun is below the horizon of northern cliffs.Powers: (Elemental Power of Stone?) Mask of Shinigamieyes Namevision, allows him to see a being’s name above their head. Can control anyone who resides in the Map.Appearance: Unknown.Bio: He was once betrayed by one of his fellow Toa and ever since has had a rotten view of the universe. He is constantly roaming the MU, trapping people in his map and having fun “playing” with them like dolls in a dollhouse.Now however, there too many people trapped in the Map, and he can monitor them all at all times of the day, so he mostly just spends his time keeping the leaders of the Worshippers in line.Name: CarmeraGender: FemaleSpecies: VortixxAffiliation: Leader of the WorshippersTrapped: One of the first ever trapped.Weapons/Tools: A laser pulse pistol that she keeps at her hip at all times.Powers: Manipulative and quick witted. Silver tongue.Appearance: Tall, with spiky black armour with blood red highlights. Bio: Carmera was once a black market businesswoman. She is the one who sold the Carver the special stone tablet that the Map is carved out of, but she got greedy when she found out just how powerful the tablet was and asked for more money, confronting and threatening the Carver. When the Carver refused, she shot him with her laser pistol. Before the bolt hit its mark, the Carver speedily carved her name into the Map. She and the laser pulse were transported to the mysterious world.She was determined to escape, but the powers of the Carver and the Map itself prevented it. The Carver was able to control her and anyone else in the Map like he was playing with little army men. She was a puppet and he was pulling the strings. The Carver used her to bring a kind of tyrannical order to the Map.Feeling defeated, and seemingly unable to take control of her own life, Carmera has simply fallen into place following the Carver’s rule and leading the Worshippers. Rules Rules and guidelines to be followed at all times during the game:- BZP standard rules and guidelines.- Respect the staff and the other players.- Use IC (In character) and OOC (Out of character) when posting in the game topic.---> A good habit for when using IC, would be to also state the character’s name, where they are, what they are doing, and other characters that may be nearby.---> eg. IC / the Carver / in his hut / carving into the Map:- When fighting other players be reasonable and take a hit once in a while.- Do not GodMod.- Do not kill other players.- Be reasonable when creating characters and in your IC posts.---> eg. No giving yourself super powerful Kanohi.---> eg. Don’t say you're at the Palace and then a second later you're at the Outcast Towers.---> eg. Don’t all of a sudden kill twenty NPC's.---> eg. etc.- Have fun! (Failure to comply with this rule is punishable by immediate banning! )Punishments:Please follow the rules so I do not have to use these.1. A warning.2. An injury or loss of a weapon or something. For example, loss of an arm.3. One character dies.4. All characters die, and player is banned for a week.5. Permanent Banning.Awards: I may give out extras throughout the game depending on how it goes. These would be things like extra characters and special items falling out of the sky. Staff As of right now, there is just myself. Thanks Thanks to all those who have supported, voted for, reviewed and provided suggestions for this RPG in the past. Your help is very much appreciated!

Seeing as that the next few months are going to be the freeest I've had in a long while, and that the theme will be easily adaptable to my RPG, expect to see a "Trapped in a Map" entry sometime in the next week!

As much as I would like to enter this contest, you might actually get your wish.I've been pretty busy so far this summer, and it looks like it's going to continue.So unless things really change, don't expect an entry from me this time round.I do look forward to seeing all the awesome rpgs that will be entered however!

I would find an extension useful. I write exams up till the 23rd, so I haven't really had much time to put into my entry so far.I think two weeks would be great!

Congrats to the winners! Especially BaR that finally won since RPGC19.Perhaps TiaM will be able to break this fourth place curse, in RPGC25, since that would be it's fifth entry just like BaR. lol

Come on guys, three more votes for TiaM?

Not looking too, promising...

I think this is the first time there hasn't been a tie in the top three... Too bad I'm not one of them...

This contest is just way too close. I'm going to be sad if I end up losing by one vote again. Of course, I guess I'd rather that than lose by a random tie breaker.Also, I just thought I'd mention that I posted some TiaM art in General Art.

Just some sketches for my entry in RPGC #23, which you should all go vote in now. Mine is entry number 1.The Carver at work.The South FallsCarmera

TiaM needs more love.

I have to say, I really like the look of this MoC! Teal really does wonders, doesn't it.I think my favourite part though is the upper torso, as it looks sleek, solid, and wonderfully composed! I also like how it's held up completely by tubes.Those shoulders are also a marvel!

There appears to be a large lack of TiaM among your choices there Shyyrn. :PCongrats to everyone who's made it this far! Like Shyyrn said, there are lots of very good entries this round.I'm quite pleased to see that TiaM was first in its poll. That bodes, well for the future. Now just to see if it can beat its record of fourth place!

Ha ha! You see, the secret is that I have a special tablet too, and when I carve all your usernames into it, it makes you vote for me! :PSeriously though, I really glad for all the support! Though I'm not sure how well I'm going to do if I make it into the finals...

Well this piece is very visually interesting! The lighting is quite superb, and I like the sketchiness of the mask.I also like how the right side is more blurred out than the left to fit with the darker sort of feeling, and, I'm assuming, because that's the mutated side.I think that one thing that could use a little more work however is the energy swirls or whatever you would like to call them. There's something about them that just looks a little off, but I can't really say what. :

I really love how you've drawn Lewa here. The little bits of stylization added to set realistic style are great. And the smooth lines and flow of the whole piece, not to mention the pose he's in are very well executed!One thing I think could use some improvement though is the colouring of the background. There's just a little too much white showing through for my liking.Good Job!

May the best RPG's win!And by best I mean mine : P

Review of "Kirse: City of the Great Beings" by ZomaThe concept of this RPG is quite interesting, it really takes "faction battle" to the extreme. The setting is great and the idea of the Matoran, Toa, etc. just being machines is also very interesting, especially when you add the merging aspect.The factions which seem to be the one of the core concepts of the rpg are very well put together and compliment each other nicely. The map is another unique and interesting aspect, how it is made up of squares almost like a game board, and the location descriptions fit the factions well. I also really like the writing of the "Inhabitants" section - quite witty I must say.One thing I must say though, is that you mention puzzles and mental challenges being a key part of the game, but you don't say what kind. Things like riddles that have to be answered to enter certain rooms? Or just things like trying to figure out what are the best resources to want to control and stuff?Good Luck in the contest!

See the fifth paragraph in this post and the following posts.Otherwise Thanks for the review! Where do you see stasis as a punishement?Thanks for the review.Now onto some reviews of my own!Review of "Dreamland: Awakening" by Kal the GaurdianNot much had changed, so I'll just comment on a few of the things that have.I love the new intro, it's quite intriguing and seems to be quite well written. The end of the story section is a little odd, with the short points on what has happened since the rpg started. I admit it does add to the mystery theme of the rpg, but it think maybe you could add just a little bit more description and explanation in this area for those who didn't play it in season one. The new locations are very well described though.Good luck in the contest!Review of "Transformation" by The LoraxI have to say, this is surprisingly better than I was expecting. I really like the idea of going to the roots of the Skakdi Civil war and presenting reasons as to their appearance and powers! Your location descriptions are also very detailed and well done. It's interesting getting a glimpse at what Zakaz may have been like before it was ravaged by war and just became a barren island.Good luck in the contest!