The Official OTC TBRPG Planning and Organization Topic

[Snelly]

 

 

Oh, display name history is a wondrous thing. Welcome back, JC.

 

Everyone, please refrain from feeding the troll.

 

Bears repeating.

 

 

who the what the heck are you

 

 

He's a worshiper of the old gods, best not to trifle with.

[sonyaxe]

So for the Eragon RPG, I have the Background typed up. I figured out how to lessen the amount of dragons: Galbatorix was never killed. For the Vault of Souls to be remembered, Galby must be dead. Only two dragons per side (because Murtagh stayed with the King). How about it?

[Havelock Vetinari]

If you haven't hosted an RPG before, I'd strongly suggest working with someone with more experience. It's very easy for new-comers to get overlooked these days.

 

Also, make sure they have time to actually cohost. Alot of older members (myself included) tend to get bogged down by RL.

Edited December 5, 2013 by Basilisk

[Flex Lord Splash]

Two dragons per side? That sounds sort of boring to me. Yes, having dragons will most likely out-power players who choose to play a character without one, but there are still ways to limit the power of the dragon, and the dragon rider. Not to mention in the books themselves, human characters, non-riders like: Roran Eragon's cousin kicks some major *** as a human with some hammers. So yeah even riders aren't immortal and all that jazz. If I were you I'd make the game where players can have their own dragon if they choose so. They can either be a rider on either side. The whole point of an Eragon RP would be to have a dragon. If not then I'd just play any other fantasy setting where that isn't possible. Besides combat between riders would be very even.

 

You could limit it to where each player had a total of two riders. So they don't just make like a bunch of riders and over-power the game. The rest of their characters can be dwarves, elves, Urgles, theirs even straight magicians in Eragon and if I remember correctly the magicians are powerful as well.

 

As for the plot, not having Galbatorix die and all that just sounds a bit void and lacking any real structure. The plot I devised was a sort of clean slate Star Wars Return of the Jedi take where Eragon follows his destiny and creates a new generation of riders. Then on the other hand a sort of anti-rider clan forms. Like the riders but pretty much evil. Either they'd be started by Murtahg somehow who at the end of the last book is said to fly north. Anyway I'd have it so that Murtahg is probably killed, by one of his own followers.

 

This new dark rider takes over that new re-built empire and begins to try to take over the entire continent once again. Meanwhile Eragon's side has to face them, but I'd probably make Eragon not a key character. He should be older, like in his fifties or something or like Brom so that he doesn't take place in most of the battles, but the new player characters. Eragon is supposed to make his new start on that one island the riders used to have as their home but that got destroyed. It even has ancient buildings big enough for dragons to dwell in too. Eragon has the stash of all those eggs, so his job would of been to go find people of the different races and bring them there for the eggs to hatch. The first new riders he made would be the more senior riders and probably his captains and most trusted, where there could also be younger riders who are rookies. So yeah it would be a pretty nifty war between the riders who are sworn to now serve the human nations, the dwarves, the elves and even the urgles. Also all four of the races should be able to be riders on either side. Whoever wins the war is up to the players pretty much.

 

So yeah that's my advice on your Eragon RP take it anyway you want. (tldr) Also if you never read these books your missing out. The movie was terrible.

Edited December 6, 2013 by Flex Cop

[Xomeron]

My vote still goes for the hundred year lull between the fall of the riders and the first book.

[Let's Henshin!]

My qualm with an Eragon RPG is the same as my qualm with the Walking Dead RPG, neither one seems to offer valid reason for why it should be based in their respective universes instead of an original one. You're not really gaining anything from those universes but run into the downfall of a muddled past, canon and a limitation on what Players and GMs can do in terms of world building.

 

Drawing on Universes should only be done when it makes sense and are generally accessible to others. Massive universes like Marvel are some of the few that can do this, the main reason being that they lack a singular protagonist. That's basically what an RPG is, a story without a single protagonist. That's what makes universes like Marvel work. In addition they offer the ability to access a very vast universe of characters and organizations that do add to the RPG. That's the reason why drawbacks like canon can be ignored in favor of the other benefits.

 

I just can't see how the Inheritance and Walking Dead universes offer those benefits. You'd be better off with original fantasy and zombies universes which would be more modifiable for the GMs and Players.

[Krayzikk]

I must, for reasons both practical and idealistic, agree with Onarax, and disagree with Flex.

 

On the first note, an RPG for the Inheritance Cycle possesses a massive problem. Two, really, but they are, in large part, linked. Namely, that of dragons and power levels. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter if you not having dragon riders doesn't make sense, you either need to make them off limits entirely, or find a way to drastically limit them. Because let's consider what they've been known to do in canon;

 

-Take on swarms of soldiers with relative ease.

-Be able to singlehandedly change a losing battle into a real war.

-Instant access to magic.

-Did I mention the massive lizard that they have by default? The ones that can solo entire squadrons?

 

Yeah, they're OP. Massively so. So are the elves. So is any competent magic user, really. Anyone with a character anything less than supernatural is going to get tossed around like a rag doll.

 

Which brings me to the second major issue; magic. The thing that, while quite well defined, is nearly impossible to limit, because as long as you have energy, you can do anything. Almost literally anything. Which, again, leads to overpowered characters and abuse.

 

For the second half of my objections, one must look at the plot. No period depicted in the books is going to work, they're all centered around Eragon. The period between Galbatorix's rise and modern day doesn't work because there is no good starting point to create a game from. The period preceding that is dull, no real conflict, and there is no reason why a war would start so quickly after Nasuada's ascent to the throne.

 

Which, in short, leaves two real viable plot options. The period after, likely discussing the continuation of the start of Nasuada's descent into He Who Fights Monsters implied to begin in Inheritance, or the period just preceding Galbatorix's rebellion. Both have plot issues that will have to be addressed. Ultimately, this RPG would require massive amounts of work, and a staff team capable of dealing with these massively overpowered issues.

[Havelock Vetinari]

Personally, I see the Varden coming apart at the seams after they get the throne. The only thing holding them together was the "evil" empire. With that gone, old interests come forward. People are alot less likely to tolerate something because it's "needed", before the Varden had two very important objectives. Overthrowing the "evil" king and not getting impaled on a sword. Not so much anymore.

 

Considering this "evil" king was evidently able to raise a massive army (100k!) and that these soldiers were evidently of decent enough quality that a great many didn't flee the second things went badly (the mounds of corpses tend to support this conclusion), I'd say he was rather popular amongst the masses.

 

The Varden, tired, with no great objective uniting them and most importantly, weakened from the war...well, suffice it to say, everything I know about history tells me they're going to be on the chopping block in a couple of years when a new empire rises.

 

So the period after would be very interesting indeed.

Edited December 8, 2013 by Basilisk

[Flex Lord Splash]

It wouldn't be too hard to put limitations on the magic. I think they need like special crystals and stones to store their energy or the magical thing they attempt will cost too much energy and kill them, so if the magicians don't have any of these magical items doing anything terribly too big would surely kill them.

 

As for the dragons, we could find a way to de-power them a bit. Arrows through their wings and stuff causes them to be unable to fly, and their scales can be broken off as well where they can be injured underneath. I think combat with dragons should strictly be with other dragon riders. They really shouldn't go around attacking human non-rider characters. I agree with Basilisk that the Varden would fall apart. Perhaps Nasuada get's assassinated soon after she takes the throne.

 

Also what's happening with the Dragon Age RP? I really want to play that.

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

The Varden, tired, with no great objective uniting them and most importantly, weakened from the war...well, suffice it to say, everything I know about history tells me they're going to be on the chopping block in a couple of years when a new empire rises.

 

See Also: Star Wars Expanded Universe. Only the Empire not being quite so ruthless.

 

I'm going to echo Krayzikk and Onarax; Eragon doesn't really lend itself, to me at least, as the setting best chosen for an RPG. Not if you want to have something that's dramatically different or new. If you wish to go ahead and make one anyways, Sonyaxe, then go ahead and do it; an actualy RPG is better to look at than just giving out ideas and hitting the wall with them. An idea can only be commented on, not properly critiqued. However, one point I would like to correct -

 

The important thing is to cast it all in grey morality, instead of the black and white of the first book.

 

If a setting is Black and White, leave it that way. If a setting is based mostly on Grey Morality, leave it that way. Trying to modify the basic intent and thematic components of a story is just saying. It's like if somebody said, "I like the characters and story of Avatar but think the message is stupid, so I'm going to make an Avatar RPG where the goal is fighting, violence, and ruthlessly tearing down everything in the environment to exploit it."

So yeah, basically the good parts of Avatar. But that's not the point - the point is that in that circumstance, you should be using your own original world instead of just using the name of another one to draw in more attention.

 

Also what's happening with the Dragon Age RP? I really want to play that.

 

I'm waiting on Tyler to respond, and for the tips to shortening it that Humva said were being worked on. The judges have busy lives, so no need for me to be a pest.

 

-Toa Levacius Zehvor

Edited December 10, 2013 by Toa Levacius Zehvor

[Alex Humva]

I'm honestly at a loss to say where to cut because I'm not particularly certain where to begin.

[Havelock Vetinari]

If a setting is Black and White, leave it that way. If a setting is based mostly on Grey Morality, leave it that way. Trying to modify the basic intent and thematic components of a story is just saying. It's like if somebody said, "I like the characters and story of Avatar but think the message is stupid, so I'm going to make an Avatar RPG where the goal is fighting, violence, and ruthlessly tearing down everything in the environment to exploit it."

 

 

I'd play that. Just saying.

 

Then again, I define love as "that feeling you get when you blow up an alien planet" so I'm probably not the best point of reference there.

[Xomeron]

What, you mean guilt induced comas, clinical depression, and permanent psychological scarring are love?

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

What, you mean guilt induced comas, clinical depression, and permanent psychological scarring are love?

Sounds about right.

[Xomeron]

 

What, you mean guilt induced comas, clinical depression, and permanent psychological scarring are love?

Sounds about right.

 

Ender's Game is suddenly a much more disturbing book.

[Constructelf]

Well, I was daydreaming, and I suddenly had two RPG ideas.

 

1. Super Robot Wars. 'Nuff said.

 

2. A Nasuverse RPG. Mainly focusing on an alternate version of the 5th Fuyuki Holy Grail War (especially room for an infinite number of participants) but with elements from Kara No Kyoukai and Tsukihime thrown in as well.

 

Which one, if any of these, seems like a viable premise?

Edited December 10, 2013 by Man of Miracles

[Flex Lord Splash]

Why does anything have to be cut out again? I feel like all of the information in the Dragon Age RP is pretty important to new players.

[Xomeron]

I think if there were to be a mech RPG, it ought to accept every mech genre, from Gundam's Super Robot to Mechwarrior's Real Robot

Edited December 10, 2013 by Xomeron

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

I'd play that. Just saying.

Then again, I define love as "that feeling you get when you blow up an alien planet" so I'm probably not the best point of reference there.

 

Oh, I agree completely. But as said, it really doesn't work as an Avatar RPG. Better to just make your own aliens instead of a race of Mary Sues granted Disney-fied faces for audience sympathy.

 

Not that an actual Avatar RPG should exist. Eco-movies are bad enough; an eco-RPG? Eeggh.

 

1. Super Robot Wars. 'Nuff said.

 

2. A Nasuverse RPG. Mainly focusing on an alternate version of the 5th Fuyuki Holy Grail War (especially room for an infinite number of participants) but with elements from Kara No Kyoukai and Tsukihime thrown in as well.

 

1. No... not really. That doesn't say anything to me. At all. Are we talking about Transformers or something?

 

2. Again, elaborate.

 

Names don't mean much. Names have little power without a meaning, and that meaning is not necessarily known to everyone.

 

I'm honestly at a loss to say where to cut because I'm not particularly certain where to begin.

 

TBH I don't know what I can cut. I could go through again to make it a tad less verbose, and get to posting that up. But the information itself...

 

-Toa Levacius Zehvor

[25K Now!]

Well, I was daydreaming, and I suddenly had two RPG ideas.

 

1. Super Robot Wars. 'Nuff said.

 

2. A Nasuverse RPG. Mainly focusing on an alternate version of the 5th Fuyuki Holy Grail War (especially room for an infinite number of participants) but with elements from Kara No Kyoukai and Tsukihime thrown in as well.

 

Which one, if any of these, seems like a viable premise?

Constructman, Super Robot Wars does not lend itself well to text-based RPGs. Even if you stick to OGs, the plot is rather focused on only the protagonists. Best way I could see it work would be during the DC War, where the players could either be part of the Crusaders or Earth. Of course, that means there'll be a lot of Gespensts, Guarlions, and upgraded versions of both mechs.

 

Grail War is terrible setting. It's short time period. Two weeks. It won't work.

[Krayzikk]

Well, I was daydreaming, and I suddenly had two RPG ideas.

1. Super Robot Wars. 'Nuff said.

2. A Nasuverse RPG. Mainly focusing on an alternate version of the 5th Fuyuki Holy Grail War (especially room for an infinite number of participants) but with elements from Kara No Kyoukai and Tsukihime thrown in as well.

Which one, if any of these, seems like a viable premise?

I would be in for either of these ideas so fast it isn't even funny.

 

(Also Xom, Gundam is technically classified as Real Robot.)

 

Anyway, to elaborate for those who don't know;

 

1. SRW is a series of games and at least one anime that take characters and machines from a variety of different works, mixes them with some original characters, and puts them all in the same world. Basically, it's the only way you could ever see a Gundam fight the Gurren Lagann.

2. The series referred to is the Type Moon canon, most notable Fate/stay/night, and it's prequel Fate/zero. The latter is better than the former, in my opinion, but both are accurate. The settings would need a bit of tweaking, but it'd work quite well. And dibs on having a Joshua Chamberlain Heroic Spirit.

 

Anyway. Initial reactions aside, if these could be pulled off effectively, I'd be in, at the very least to try it out.

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

I think if there were to be a mech RPG, it ought to accept every mech genre, from Gundam's Super Robot to Mechwarrior's Real Robot

I disagree, as I don't think the two extremes could really co-exist in the same setting. They rely on fundamentally different interpretations of the laws of physics, for one thing.

[25K Now!]

 

I think if there were to be a mech RPG, it ought to accept every mech genre, from Gundam's Super Robot to Mechwarrior's Real Robot

I disagree, as I don't think the two extremes could really co-exist in the same setting. They rely on fundamentally different interpretations of the laws of physics, for one thing.

 

And the conflicting themes.

 

"My mech is actually a clone of an alien abomination with some armour attached."

 

"I created my mech from willpower."

 

"Hi, I'm Astro Boy."

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

1. SRW is a series of games and at least one anime that take characters and machines from a variety of different works, mixes them with some original characters, and puts them all in the same world. Basically, it's the only way you could ever see a Gundam fight the Gurren Lagann.

 

Okay, remember that SSB idea earlier, and the discussions involved there? Just replace references to SSB and video game characters with this and mechs, and there you have it. Ther problem, though, is that while that idea was all-inclusive, this is much more limited and therefore much less likely to draw in players.

 

2. The series referred to is the Type Moon canon, most notable Fate/stay/night, and it's prequel Fate/zero. The latter is better than the former, in my opinion, but both are accurate. The settings would need a bit of tweaking, but it'd work quite well. And dibs on having a Joshua Chamberlain Heroic Spirit.

 

Again - wat.

 

Grail War is terrible setting. It's short time period. Two weeks. It won't work.

 

I have to protest the two weeks thing, here. RPGs with a small enough scope and setting, so movement isn't an issue, could easily be considered as taking place within the span of a few weeks. Given that a whole month can be less than a few hours interaction between a group of characters on a non-bustling RPG... this really doesn't bother me.

 

Besides, an RPG with an actual definite end before it lost player interest or the story lost its drive? I fail to see the problem.

 

-Toa Levacius Zehvor

[25K Now!]

It's more than the two weeks thing. Constructman is suggesting to have an infinite limit to a normally seven-person (along with their respective Servants) battle rioyale that can only end in one victor. That does not provide much freedom to the playerbase. It's an unworkable setting.

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

It's more than the two weeks thing. Constructman is suggesting to have an infinite limit to a normally seven-person (along with their respective Servants) battle rioyale that can only end in one victor. That does not provide much freedom to the playerbase. It's an unworkable setting.

 

If it's limited to seven, sure. But as for the battle royale, I'd list Island of Pain as one of the best RPGs I've played.

 

On that note, though, we run into the, "Why not just use an original setting?" thing once more.

 

-Toa Levacius Zehvor

[Constructelf]

@Lev

Well, the reasons why one may wish to use a preexistenting setting over an original one include:

 

1. Original settings involve a lot of world building, especially if the RPG takes place in a fantasy/sci-fi setting. With an already existing series, you just tweak a few things to fit a potentially infinite player base and go.

 

2. If you're using an original setting, you would have to explain, well, pretty much the entire universe to the player base (tying into world building) whereas with an already existing series, people will be able to recognize the name (or if they don't, look it up) and sort of get a general idea of the game world without the GM having to type a wall of text.

 

3. Tying into worldbuilding again, with an adaptation of an already existing series, if a player needs to ask a question and the Staff aren't available or if they simply want details on the game world, their are a lot of source materials out there. With an originakl universe, the GM has to explain EVERYTHING.

 

@Hubert

I can see how SRW wouldn't work. For Type-Moon, would a structure more similar to Fate/Apocrypha (teams instead of free-for-all) work better for an RPG? Primary emphasis would be on character and story development, as fighting can only really occur in the dead of night, leaving the day for characters to live their lives. As well, Nasuverse elements not related to the War would be developed quite a bit.

[Archer Vonn]

Besides, an RPG with an actual definite end before it lost player interest or the story lost its drive? I fail to see the problem.

 

something like this might be cool, i dont see much talk of anything really story driven nowadays.

[25K Now!]

@Hubert

I can see how SRW wouldn't work. For Type-Moon, would a structure more similar to Fate/Apocrypha (teams instead of free-for-all) work better for an RPG? Primary emphasis would be on character and story development, as fighting can only really occur in the dead of night, leaving the day for characters to live their lives. As well, Nasuverse elements not related to the War would be developed quite a bit.

SRW OGs would work fine.

 

Every Servant still needs to die to fuel Heaven's Feel.

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

Well, the reasons why one may wish to use a preexistenting setting over an original one include:

 

1. Original settings involve a lot of world building, especially if the RPG takes place in a fantasy/sci-fi setting. With an already existing series, you just tweak a few things to fit a potentially infinite player base and go.

 

2. If you're using an original setting, you would have to explain, well, pretty much the entire universe to the player base (tying into world building) whereas with an already existing series, people will be able to recognize the name (or if they don't, look it up) and sort of get a general idea of the game world without the GM having to type a wall of text.

 

3. Tying into worldbuilding again, with an adaptation of an already existing series, if a player needs to ask a question and the Staff aren't available or if they simply want details on the game world, their are a lot of source materials out there. With an originakl universe, the GM has to explain EVERYTHING.

 

I never said that using a pre-existing setting was bad thing. Heck, I'm trying to do it.

 

My problem is when you're using the world but ignoring the thematic components of the story. In some massive settings, this isn't as big of an issue; Star Wars has enough writers that liberties can be taken far and away from the films themselves (mercifully so, when we're speaking of the likes of The Phanton Menance); The Elder Scrolls is so freaking contradictory that you could literally write anything and explain it using the lore. There are plenty of other examples, but those come to mind.

 

But if you're referring to this...

 

On that note, though, we run into the, "Why not just use an original setting?" thing once more.

 

... then I was merely referring to the Battle Royale circumstance. Not to everything. So apologies for the confusion, there.

 

I can see how SRW wouldn't work. For Type-Moon, would a structure more similar to Fate/Apocrypha (teams instead of free-for-all) work better for an RPG? Primary emphasis would be on character and story development, as fighting can only really occur in the dead of night, leaving the day for characters to live their lives. As well, Nasuverse elements not related to the War would be developed quite a bit.

 

Frankly, I can see a free-for-all working better. I say this because groups of characters can completely come to a halt with one person active. Lots of players on their own can choose to group up if they want, and leave if they need to. The RPG keeps going.

 

Also, I can't say I'm keen on the whole "now you can fight, now you can't" thing.

 

-Toa Levacius Zehvor

[Constructelf]

@Lev

In story wise, the rule about fighting during the night was to keep the masquerade up; magic in the Nasuverse is supposed to be secret, and the Grail War breaches several human laws, so they don't want ordinary humans getting involved. Out of story wise, it's to make sure players don't have to worry about being attacked 24/7 and actually have time to develop the "roleplaying" part of the game.

 

@ Hubert

I'll look more into Original Generation, thanks. As for all the servants dying, that is true; the only way to stop that would be to indefinitely interrupt the conflict, and seeing as how "characters can only die with the player's permission", things could get really dragged out as Servants would get mortally wounded but rarely killed.

 

If I were to make a rough concept draft, would that help things?

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

In story wise, the rule about fighting during the night was to keep the masquerade up; magic in the Nasuverse is supposed to be secret, and the Grail War breaches several human laws, so they don't want ordinary humans getting involved. Out of story wise, it's to make sure players don't have to worry about being attacked 24/7 and actually have time to develop the "roleplaying" part of the game.

Even a battle royale does not end up being 24/7 fighting. In fact, I can see more roleplaying than actual fighting, when it comes down to it, based on how most players seem to behave.

 

Basically, though, if you don't care about the law, you could just walk up to another person in the middle of day with a knife and give a good shanking, though? No magic, just stabbity stab stab.

 

-Toa Levacius Zehvor

Edited December 11, 2013 by Toa Levacius Zehvor

[Havelock Vetinari]

Basically, though, if you don't care about the law, you could just walk up to another person in the middle of day with a knife and give a good shanking, though? No magic, just stabbity stab stab.

 

 

Ah. The appeal to force. Even magic can't keep you down.

 

"Will you never cease prating of laws to us that have swords by our sides?"

—Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus

[25K Now!]

Grail Wars have mediators to deal with things going out of hand, usually representatives of the Catholic Church or in the case of Apocrypha, a Ruler class servant (eg. Jeanne d'Arc or Amakusa Shiro Tokisada).

[Advent Child]

Alrighty. Despite the longest bout of inactivity ever, I'm back at work on my Monster Hunter idea. I've decided part of the reason I wasn't getting anywhere was that I didn't have any notable people (NPC) set up to help flesh out the world. No politicians, or salesmen or famous hunters. Just general ideas. So, that in mind, my current mission is to create notable characters for people to interact with or other such things. Now, for those who don't remember what the RPG was set to look like, I direct you here: http://www.bzpower.com/board/index.php?showtopic=236&p=560994

 

Now, that out of the way, I imagine it's gonna take me a bit of time to make progress on this point, what with the decently expansive location list.

 

But.

 

I was wondering if perhaps you imaginative sorts would perhaps be interested in tossing a few ideas my way in order to help speed the process along?

 

Any aid would be much appreciated.

[Flex Lord Splash]

Are there knights in this unvierse? I'm not familair with the games, I guess some basic knowledge of what medival castes exist would help to give some ideas.

[Advent Child]

There are indeed knights, of both the guild and royal variety. So says the RPG description, particularly in the location descriptions, though I can see how that would not be descriptive enough to get a sort of idea about how things work. The caste system is fairly generic for the most part: Kings, barons, counts, peasants, so on an so forth. There are some more tribal locations that work more bast on chieftains and the like.

Edited December 12, 2013 by .:Advent Aeternale:.

[Flex Lord Splash]

Some random ideas.

 

Group of palidin like knights, perhaps their galant leader.

 

There could always be a rogue band of thug type monster hunters. Perhaps even a group that captures the smaller ones and tames then and rides them as beasts. Maybe a bararian type.

 

Could also have a fairly popular knight character who has slain lots of monsters but is flawed. A corrupt king and a good king would work well too. Maybe some conflict between royalty.

[Light]

Without further ado, I'm happy to present the first draft of...

 

 

Twisted

 

Come to the fire, and let me tell you a story of long ago.

 

The storyteller sat in his rocking chair, licking his thumb to page through his great Book of Fables.

 

Once upon a time, when our land was young and magic flowed as freely as water, when tales we dismiss as mere fables today were the norm, a girl ran in the woods. Dragons walked the paths humans feared to tread, the wide green fields of Rowane were sunny and bright.

 

Yes, we had fields in Rowane. Great, huge, emerald fields.

 

Now, are you going to let me tell the story or not?

 

The girl wore a pelt of softest wolf fur, immaculately clean and a shade of reddish grey you've never seen.

 

No, the pelt was magic. It didn't get dirty whenever she played in the mud.

 

The storyteller reclined, pulling on an earlobe, looking at the ceiling in recollection, his young audience watching him intently.

She was running from her grandmother, a witch of the type no one had ever seen before. She'd made a deal with a powerful creature, a creature of nightmares.

A troll, it was called. It could change its form and size, but it always smelled of burnt toenails.

 

Nasty being.

 

The witch cared not for the smell, but she craved power. So she helped the troll with this and that, and he followed her orders.

 

The grandmother was old. Older than even I, her hair bleached white and crinkly.

 

No, not like paper. Like old fibers left out in the sun for too long to dry.

 

The storyteller leaned forward, looking intently at the young one sitting in front of him.

Now, the girl was young and rapidly turning into a beautiful woman, and the witch envied her.

 

So, what is a witch to do? With a little bit of newt and some old hairs, a potion could be made. One to turn her into the young beautiful maiden and the granddaughter into an old crone.

 

The witch failed to count on the young girl's friends. You see, the girl wasn't like the people of today. She lived in the woods, talking to the birds and animals.

 

Yes, she could talk to animals. Do you want me to make you tell the story?

 

Her friends were wolves, and they knew the evil troll. So they listened with their great wolf ears and heard the plan. They quickly warned the girl, and she ran.

 

Of course wolves can understand trolls. What do they teach you in those schools?

 

The old tale-teller sighed and closed his storybook, putting the large, leatherbound volume on the table next to him.

I'm going to rest. When I wake, maybe you'll be ready to hear the last part of the story, and not interrupt constantly.

 

The old book lay on the table as the old man closed his eyes, ready for anyone to open it and discover its treasures, to tell its tales...

The Land:

Rowane is a small island, full of green pastures and dark forests. Castles command sections of the landscape, villages the rest. You, the players, will mostly determine the exact layout of Rowane, though it's shaped roughly like Ireland.

Starting Locations:

The Forest of Restless Dark: Contrary to its name, the large forest in the center of the island is actually a bright and friendly place, filled with singing birds and sunbeams.

During the day, that is.

At night, the Forest becomes a hostile place- even the shadows whisper of death and destruction. The major dangers number two: The troll, who lives in a bog in the center, and a pack of dire wolves, who live in a den on the eastern edge.

The Sinister Mansion: Located to the west of the Forest and the home of Rosamund Hood's grandmother, the Mansion is a large, black brick building with white shutters, windows and doors. Inside is much the same- no color apart from the potions bubbling in the basement.

The Mansion itself is protected by a magic ward, and it would take a massively powerful being to burst in without the Witch's permission.

Rules:

1. All BZP rules apply.

2. Listen to the staff, who happen to be Kaithas (me) and TPTI (More Fierce Than Fire).

3. Your posts should go something like this, with IC for “in character” and OOC for “out of character”:

IC: A quick sidestep and the troll's fist impacted a tree trunk instead of Rosamund.

 

OOC: Some help would be nice!

4. Arguments/debates may go on for 2 posts in the main thread. After that, take it to PM or the discussion topic.

5. No godmodding. Dodging unavoidable attacks, ignoring injuries, etc.

6. This fits under godmodding: No metagaming. Knowing things your character didn't learn, magically crashing another player's party without a good IC reason.

7. Don't kill another player's character without permission from him/her. Make sure to write that you have permission in the post where you kill the character.

8. Replace the “Fable” blank with “Tale” to prove you read this.

9. IN THE EVENT THAT DEATH SEEMS UNAVOIDABLE: Your character may be killed to avoid breaking rule 5. Only staff can do this. This isn't a punishment, just realism. If you have a good way to get out of it after your character is dead, please PM Kaithas or another staffer.

10. NPC autohitting is permitted as long as you play realistically.

11. No bunnying. That means taking control of another person's character without permission.

12. Double posting... Nah.

13. Weaknesses are only necessary if your character is supernaturally powered. Rosamund Hood is about the highest level of power you can have and skip weaknesses.

14. Have fun!

Fairytale Guidelines:

I'd like you to keep the characters consistent, though a few additions or subtractions can be made. Basically, your fable must still resemble the original. My version of Red Riding Hood may have the addition of an ogre, but it still has a grandmother, wolf, and a girl who runs through the woods.

Secondly, fables can be shared- someone can become a different character from your version of the story. With your permission, of course.

Finally, Transformers, the Greek Myths, and Marvel are not fairytales. Thank you.

Magic and this RPG:

Magic is a major part of gameplay. Don't be expecting for your character to be able to sling bolts of it at will though. Spells take time, preparation, and lots of practice. Once you get to that level of skill, however, you can do things like fit an entire dress in a walnut shell. So be sensible.

Profile form:

Name:

Age:

Species:

Myth:

Appearance:

Skills/Abilities:

Personality(optional):

Weaknesses: Optional in special cases, such as Rosamund Hood. See rules.

Fable:

If there's anything I'm missing or other mistakes, let me know.

[Constructelf]

You may want to explain the premise in a section separate from the IC introduction. It'll help clarify things a LOT.

 

However, from what I'm seeing so far, this is a fairytale crossover RPG? Sounds good, except what's a fairy tale? Are we limited to just Western fairy tales, or are stories from all over the planet allowed (say I wanted to be Momtaro)? Are we just going by traditional folklore or are modern literary fairy tales allowed (say I wanted to RP as the Shadow, the the Snow Queen, or the Little Mermaid; all characters from Hans Christian Andersen's books)?