The Official OTC TBRPG Planning and Organization Topic

[Toast of Awesomeness]

I want to play a giant Samoan stagehand, and possibly a rich playboy benefactor(who may be an actor).

[Xomeron]

JC has the right of it; the play is a backdrop for the mystery story.

[Sejuani]

nyahar;laghdsg i never introduced juliet kragghAm I the only one who missed the conversation about it being a mystery RPG? I don't think the idea is 'do a play in a RPG', I think the RPG is 'there's a play going on and somebody gon get shot'

I'm going by the skeleton RPG posted by Cardwork, not the bits he said here. If it's not in the thread, how will the players know that it's a mystery RPG? I would love to play a mystery game, but if the creator only says I'm playing a part in a play, then I'd rather spend my time in Stríð Karla.

[Xomeron]

Mendicant: You can play more than one RPG you know...I don't want to do the Shakespeare World As Myth idea, because I don't know Shakespeare well enough to run it. I think I'm going to put more emphasis on the mystery; might drop the whole "two competing theatres" idea.

[Sejuani]

Mendicant: You can play more than one RPG you know...I don't want to do the Shakespeare World As Myth idea, because I don't know Shakespeare well enough to run it. I think I'm going to put more emphasis on the mystery; might drop the whole "two competing theatres" idea.

I know, I was just making a point that, at least in my opinion, most players would like a TBRPG more if it explicitly states it's a mystery. I agree with the second part, I think it would do better as being primarily mystery, although I like the competing theaters, it gives the person who committed the crime motive. Edited May 21, 2012 by Mendicant Bias

[Jean Valjean]

nyahar;laghdsg

What does that stand for? I'm not getting any Google results, so pardon me for my lack of knowledge on really obscure internet slang.Anyway, you mentioned Juliet, and when I PMed you about the possibility of kidnapping her, you said "no" because she was important.I'm assuming that as an RPG planning and organization topic, I'm allowed to discuss the organization of a currently running RPG, not just ones in planning, right? At the moment, I just need a little advice on the running of my Disney RPG. Ever since I took several days off for semester exams and other heavy work, the RPG has been moving like molasses uphill. I feel that it's my fault, not just because I announced a break so early on, but also because of some other factors that I'm not seeing. It had some traction to start with, but I don't know how to make this a long-term RPG.At this point, I think part of the problem is that the characters don't really have anything to do but meet each other or ally with Big Bad. I was very vague about how they are supposed to look for the MacGuffin or start their Hero's Journey. Even though I have a plot point in the premise, I don't know how to create a narrative that keeps people going forward from one post to the next.So basically: advice please, particularly on how to run an RPG.Your Honor,Emperor Kraggh

[Toast of Awesomeness]

I think it's the downtime that caused the slowness. I'm not quite sure on how to make it pick up.... Perhaps give us some idea on how to find the hat? Right now we're just walking around aimlessly.Also, Kraggh, that was just JC banging on his keyboard in frustration.

[Blessed Blade]

It's a similar problem to what I'm kinda having with the LoZ RPG. Things aren't going exactly as planned, especially activity-wise, but I think most of that is due to the downtime, since, well, it was doing pretty well prior to that. =PThe second is that nothing's happening with dungeons, but hopefully starting the second part of the game, that'll change at least a little bit.

[Xomeron]

Never let players wander around aimlessly. Despite being an utterly terrible movie, National Treasure is a good example; each clue should lead to the next. But also make it ambiguous what is and isn't the clue; let the players have some originality. If they manage to come back to the right solution anyway, all the better.

[Blessed Blade]

I'm doing something similar myself, if slightly GM guided. It seems to be working fairly well, though could be slightly better. Hopefully that'll change, as the things that are about to happen are advanced toward.

[Archer Vonn]

Juliet was going to be a character and an important one at that, I just never introduced her to the general population as a character.Never will either unless all ya'll go join Skylight.Yeah it's actually still open. Long past revival date though.I'll go join LoZ, Blade. Problem solved.

[Blessed Blade]

JC: Alright then. =DAlso, I would've joined Skylight, but I was way too busy with the other RPGs. =/

[Archer Vonn]

I'm really disappointed it got such little turnout. Spink told me a few times that it was because the first post was too wordy, and that intimidated people. I just had such cool ideas, for plot and character, I never got to really unfold. Course, I guess I was at fault for being lazy with plot posts. Most irritating part is that after all the set up I had to do, the ball was just about to get rolling when it died.Of course, that's irrelevant now, and I'm just a Mysterious Stranger bellyaching.

[Blessed Blade]

Yeah. I kept meaning to look over it to figure out a way to join, but things just got way too hectic at that moment, and, well... It didn't last. =/

[Jean Valjean]

Oh dang, I hate it when I have a dozen ideas for RPGs I'd love to start when I'm only allowed the one I have. I mean, the idea of an adapted Shakespeare universe RPG really appealed to me once I started off on that tangent. I still like the idea of an IDES RPG, a Four-I's RPG, and now...Hey, would anybody be willing to start a legitimate Animorphs RPG? I'd totally be willing to help out (and co-host).Your Honor,Emperor Kraggh

[Lara White]

I still like the idea of running an RPG with a tabletop system. Leaves something out of the control of the GM (Rule Zero aside) or the players, forces them to improvise, and is generally interesting. Unfortunately people around here seem to react violently to that idea. I have no idea why. it's a kind of RPG, after all.

[Jean Valjean]

I think we've been over this before: Tabletop RPGs are for tabletops, not forums. I like them, but in a different context.Your Honor,Emperor Kraggh

[Archer Vonn]

The thing that we get to do in TBRPGs that we don't get to do in Dungeons and Dragons is that we get to create living, breathing worlds with characters who think and feel, not just pawns we upgrade in a world somebody else already created. I don't understand why that isn't the focus.

[Xomeron]

I'd be cool with the idea. Maybe if we made it explicitly a "BZP plays D&D" topic rather than framing it as a regular forum RPG.JC: My current D&D campaign is having more input on world design from the players than from the DM.

Edited May 23, 2012 by cardworkMagician

[Lara White]

I think we've been over this before: Tabletop RPGs are for tabletops, not forums. I like them, but in a different context.Your Honor,Emperor Kraggh

Hey, I've seen plenty of tabletop RPGs done over the internet. Heck, one of the most entertaining Xanatos Gambits I've ever seen was in an online tabletop RPG.

The thing that we get to do in TBRPGs that we don't get to do in Dungeons and Dragons is that we get to create living, breathing worlds with characters who think and feel, not just pawns we upgrade in a world somebody else already created. I don't understand why that isn't the focus.

:lol:Clearly you're not familiar with how RPGs tend to work around here. Or how tabletop RPGs tend to work.

I'd be cool with the idea. Maybe if we made it explicitly a "BZP plays D&D" topic rather than framing it as a regular forum RPG.

That's actually an interesting idea. I was thinking of using the Prose Descriptive Qualities system instead (heck I have a world I'm planning to use for another RPG that I could import if anyone's interested.), as it involves less number-crunching. Then again, I'm think Strith Karla and Starscape have put paid to the idea that number crunching =/= fun. I rather enjoy it.

[Archer Vonn]

From what I see RPGs around here work like 'You are a small nation trying to thrive in the Big City'. At least, the big ones do.

[Xomeron]

Wait, what?Anyway, at the moment I'm not planning on running a D&D campaign online; currently playing in one. Lloyd, I'd be interested to see what we're doing with it.

[Lara White]

@ JC: What I meant by that is that RPGs on BZP tend to involve characters who are pretty much sock puppets for their players. I don't think it's apt as a criticism, however.@ Xomeron: Lemme know if you want the world pitch. You can find the previously-mentioned rule system as a free PDF download if you google it, most likely.

[Archer Vonn]

Oh....that's unfortunate.

[Xomeron]

I am desirous of hearing this worldpitch.

[Lara White]

Basically, it's some time into the future. Mankind has developed relatively cheap (as in, it costs about as much as an airline ticket) interplanetary travel (FTL is still off the table) and is pretty advanced technolgoically. Think somewhere around DE:HR tech levels, particularly on Earth, where the RPG would be centered. Other planets are less developed and less advanced.Of course, that wouldn't be interesting enough by itself, so let's throw in something extra. In this case, dragons. Specifically, dragons that have been statues for many millenia, back to the Age of Antiquity. They do have a fully-fledged society that a friend and I have worked out, with various types of dragons doing various different jobs, but the most pivotal is the ability of a certain subsect of scholar dragons (somewhat like magical scientists) to create dragonstones (this is their working name, may be subject to change) which allow dragons to appear human when they need to interact with humans or do a job that a human would find easier. On a meta level, this would allow dragon players to interact with human players more easily. Of course, we have to have a spanner in the works. The dragons have an elder caste, their leaders. When the dragons woke up from their statued sleep, the elders did not. So there's that problem. There's also the problem that, as of yet, the world doesn't know they exist. After a few nasty run-ins with local armed forces, most dragons decide they'd like to keep it that way. The ones who don't are quickly offed by the humans. After all, it might have been easy to prey on humans when their best weapon was a bronze short sword, but artillery is slightly more effective.That'd be the initial plot hook, and I'd let it evolve from there. With the permission of the players, if this happens, I'd perhaps make it into a book or at least publish it on the web if it turns out well enough.

Edited May 23, 2012 by Lloyd: the White Wolf

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

You do see a lot of characters that are basically socks, yes, but you also have characters who are people who wear socks. Sometimes... *shudder*... with sandals.It all boils down to the player. If I were to make a sock of myself, it'd dribble all over the place and natter on about sharks. That doesn't function very well in any RPG ever, so instead I make people who are more interesting than myself, which generally means that their main similarity with me is that they talk too freaking much.

[Xomeron]

LONG AGO IN A DISTANT LAND, I, NICOL BOLAS, THE GREAT ELDER DRAGON, LET LOOSE AN UNSPEAKBLE EVIL...*ahem*Well, The basic premise reminds me of Shadowrun. In fact, this is so eerily similar to Shadowrun I have to ask if that was an inspiration?

[Lara White]

Never played Shadowrun, never seen its rulebook. Like I told you earlier, DE:HR and Gargoyles were the primary inspirations for this world, with some Firefly on the side.

[Xomeron]

Well, the basic premise of Shadowrun is "Cyberpunk meets High Fantasy." In practice, you have people running around doing illicit jobs in the face of megacorps, and a common saying is "Never cut a deal with a dragon" This sounds a lot like it, without the five races, the Native-American overtones, etc.

Edited May 23, 2012 by cardworkMagician

[Lara White]

I can tell you that humans don't have access to magic if that helps, and megacorps are less prominent than mentioning Deus Ex would have you think (they're cliche and boring villains IMO). They'll be there, just not as prominent. Like I said, the primary objective of the players would be first to find out why the elders didn't wake up, second to try and keep the dragons secret (and keep their society from falling apart as their leaders are gone) and third to thwart any governments or, yes, megacorps, who try to take advantage.Considering that games I run rarely have just one layer of scheming going on, though, it'll get a lot more complex. Expect me to keep a Chekhov's Armory.

[Xomeron]

Being like Shadowrun is far from a bad thing.

[Lara White]

I still didn't take inspiration from it. :w:

[Jean Valjean]

What exactly does Lloyd mean when he says "socks"? Does he mean author-avatar Mary Sues? I'll agree that it happens. I also see a lot in RPGs where the world is so big that the characters are all insignificant and are trying to be relevent to the mainstream plot in some way.Your Honor,Emperor Kraggh

[Lara White]

I wouldn't say Mary Sues...that implies that the world bends over backward for them. On the contrary, I think that many very successful characters (I speak from personal experience) can be grown from socks who've gotten their butts sufficiently kicked.

[Jean Valjean]

I still don't know what you mean by sock puppets, though. So maybe they're not Mary Sue, but are they still author-avatars?Your Honor,Emperor Kraggh

[Lara White]

Pretty much, yeah. Not reacting as a real person would react in that situation, doing what their player needs them to do to progress their story along rather than having a life of their own.

[Xomeron]

Second draft!

Ill Met By Moonlight

Have you ever been to a play? Seen Shakespeare, or a musical, or any real play? There's something magical about having actual actors onstage, something that no book or film can ever capture. Drama is one of the oldest arts, from ancient storytelling on; it's a whole world of entertainment where the best can rise to legend; but it's also cutthroat, ruthless, and deadly; you have to be the best or you won't get anywhere. But if you really are the best, then the untold glory of the theater is yours.

Overview

Ill Met By Moonlight is a text-based role playing game, where you write out your character's actions in a story that includes other people, to contribute to an ongoing narrative. Unlike most TBRPGs, though, the Role Playing is emphasized far, far over the Game. This isn't about winning or losing; it's about making an interesting story we all can enjoy.

Two Houses, Both Alike In Dignity

Ill Met By Moonlight focuses on the exploits of a playhouse known as Imagination Theater, located in the little town of Placerville, California. It's stood for almost a hundred years now, but in the past ten years, everything's taken a turn for the worse; the play hasn't been raking in the money it needs to make, and Julian Hayden, who owns the theater, says that if the current show doesn't do well, he might have to close the place. That show, though, is one of the best; Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. If that can't save the theater, nothing can.

In Fair Verona, Where We Lay Our Scene

The town of Placerville, California, is about sixty miles east of Sacramento, the state capital. It's been around since the Gold Rush, and was the biggest town in the state for a while. But the last century has taken its toll, and Placerville is essentially a no-name town these days. There's still some semblance of Old West styles, especially in the town's nickname of "Hangtown" and the style of some of the buildings. Placerville is in the middle of a shallow, wide canyon, mostly noticeable because it cuts into radio reception. California Highway 50 runs straight through the town; heading west gets you to Sacramento, while heading East gets you to Lake Tahoe, and eventually Reno. Imagination Theater is on the town's fairgrounds, around five miles west of "downtown"

Rogues, Vagabonds, and Common Players

Show business is diverse, variable, attracting all sorts of people, from nerdy kids who went through Drama in high school to promising actors and actresses who're already making names for themselves. There's also three main roles to take in the business.Actors: By far the most rewarding and demanding of roles, actors are the heart and soul of a play; the show is nothing without every one of them, and every one of them will be missed onstage. Perhaps no role so perfectly embodies show business as the no-name actress who gets thrust onto the stage to take a role, give voice to lines, and earn money and stardom. Actors have little time for leisure, but they earn money and recognition.Chorus: Especially prevalent in musicals, but many plays make use of from a dozen to thirty people, sometimes called “the kids” who are the backing roles. For Midsummer, they play the Faeries, which includes a few dances, but also a scene of acting. The Chorus is also very important because it helps set the tone of a play, given they far outnumber the actors.Stagehands: While they're rarely seen and rarely given credit, a show's stage crew is both critical and a wonderfully fun role to have; it takes relatively little talent, gives plenty of free time, and your relationship with fellow stagehands can be described as “Halfway between being war buddies and lovers.” Mostly, a stagehand helps build the set, and moves props and set pieces during the show. Stagehands from Japanese Noh drama also inspired the all-black outfits of pop-culture's Ninja; make of that what you will.

Playing The Game

Playing the game itself is simple; you write out your actions(ideally in past-tense prose) and play true to your character, interacting with everyone else as you help create the plot. There's little to no fighting unless you bite your thumb at someone, and the plot is heavily driven by your characters and what they do.

Each Man In His Life Plays Seven Parts

Midsummer each has a limited cast, with several famous roles, and only one person can play each part; with that in mind, here we'll have a list of the major roles from each play, and if they're taken, who's playing them. If not, they'll have a short summary of what the part is, though you may want to read up on the play before choosing a part.A Midsummer Night's Dream is a fantasy-comedy romp about four young Greeks, the romantic shenanigans around them, and their misadventures into the forest around Athens, where they are toyed with by shadowy forces beyond the sight of man. As in many productions of the play, the show is having some of the actors double up, playing both a human role and a role among the Faeries. The Cast can be split into three main groups;The Nobles: Playing a role both in the Human World and in the Faeries, each of the Nobles is an important role.Theseus/Oberon: Theseus is the Duke of Athens, a skeptical yet fair leader who is to be married by the end of the play. Oberon is the jealous King Of The Fairies, who bitterly tries to take all he can from his Queen.Hippolyta/Titania: Hippolyta is an Amazon woman, and due to be married to Theseus. Titania is an entitled, highborn Faerie Queen with a troupe of Fairies about her.Philostrate/Puck: Philostrate is Theseus and Hippolyta's overworked wedding planner. Puck, however, is Oberon's courtly jester, messenger, and a trickster archetype with a will of his own; his muddling about with Love Potions drives most of the plot and comedy.The Lovers: Each of the lovers is embroiled in some sort of romance, though their actual interests change by the moment in the play itself. Their characterization in the script is limited, and is mostly up to the actors. (Because of this, I will not summarize them further)Lysander:Hermia:Demetrius:Helena:The Mechanicals: The Mechanicals(which just meant laborers at the time the play was written) have been hired by Philostrate to put on a play, Pyramus And Thisby(a pastiche of another Shakespeare play, Romeo And Juliet) and are woefully incompetent at it, each of them being a terrible, terrible actor. However, this means that to play a mechanical takes a certain skill; it takes a good actor to play a bad actor well.Bottom: A first-time actor with an overly high opinion of himself, one of the most fun parts in the entire play, and plays Romeo Pyramus. Thought to be a parody of Richard Burbage, Shakespeare's lead Tragedian when the script was written.Quince: Directing Pyramus And Thisby, Quince is ambitious but not exactly a model director. Also plays Thisby's FatherFlute: A young man who plays Thisby, the young girl of the play, and is less than enthused with the role.Robin: A minor role, plays Thisby's motherSnout: Plays Pyramus' FatherSnug: Plays the Lion, the villain of the play-within-a-play.Faeires: Among the Chorus of Faeires are four named Faeries; Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Mustardseed, and Moth. They are minor roles, each having one or two lines.---Don't say Macbeth in a theatre(bad luck)---Acting Like An ActorWe don't have many rules here, so you shouldn't have much trouble following them.1: Follow all the site's rules2: Don't control other people's characters without asking them first.3: If a fight does happen, be fair about it.4: Don't meta-game; only act on knowledge your character has.5: Make it fun.AuditionsNow, how to get involved in the game? Well, it's easy; you come up with a character, fill out this form, and message it to me.Name: Let's not be ridiculous; you're not from some fantasy world.Age: It's an important part of what roles you get and how you're looked at in show business.Experience: No one in a show like this is going to be a first timer unless you're a stagehand; did you go to a high-school with a good drama program? Get a college degree?Appearance: Let's face it, pretty girls and handsome men get all the best parts. That's just how it is. How you look is one of the most important parts of the business.Personality: Show Business attracts eccentric young kids, blue-blooded girls out to make a living, and everything in between.Background: How'd you get out of Allentown? Live in San-Francisco your whole life? Make it detailed and interesting.And with all that said, you're ready to play. Get out there and make it a show.---Well, that's what I would have said yesterday.This morning, everyone arrived for rehearsal, except the theater's owner, Julian Hayden. He was already there. We found him.Well. Most of him.Near as the police could tell, he'd been hit on the head with a pipe in the bathroom, knocked out, and had a knife driven through the back of his neck. He died pretty much instantly. The knife, though, it was ancient, at least dating back to the sixteenth century. No one has a clue who did it or why. The Police are investigating. In the meantime, for us well, that age old adage."The show must go on."

[Wyrd Bid Ful Araed]

Minor quibble, but if they're putting on Midsummer Night's Dream, why are the quotes you use from Romeo and Juliet? The one about two houses doesn't actually make sense anymore since you cut it down to one theatre. Its spelt 'Thisbe'. An E not a Y

They are minor roles, each having one or two lines.---Don't say Macbeth in a theatre(bad luck)---Acting Like An Actor

This seems messy. You need an actual place to put the bit about the Scottish Play if you really want to keep it in, don't just bung it in randomly

[Xomeron]

Because R&J's just iconic, and a leftover from the old design. I might switch to more generic things, and I'll probably get rid of that line.