The Official OTC TBRPG Planning and Organization Topic

[Krayzikk]

So, there’s been talk, on and off, of a mecha genre game for OTC in the past few weeks. I did a quick survey the other day of the usual RPG crowd I talk to, and there was enough interest for one that I started drafting up a rough draft. This isn’t that draft, for the record, this is just a written summary of concepts and current thoughts, but input would be appreciated.

 

The game will not be based upon a preexisting IP, though the fact that I’ve been binge-watching Gundam for weeks will undoubtedly end up influencing the final product.

 

The setting is a world set an undisclosed and undecided number of years into the futire, after humanity has already colonized some of the closer regions of space. Colonies are established on the moon, and at several points in space between Earth and Mars at the absolute furthest point.  Travel time to this furthest colony, with the spacecraft technology of the setting, would take several weeks. The colonies are mostly self-sufficient, though regularly trade with Earth.

 

Earth has developed substantially, much of the world’s nations uniting into a cohesive Earth Federation. Obviously some countries exist outside of this. Most of the world’s nations have developed substantially, in large part because of the technology used by the Earth to get ships into space; namely, mass drivers. As with most space launches, these mass drivers needed to be placed as close to the equator as possible, prompting development in the countries suitably for them. A handful of mass drivers exist on Earth, and most of them have had large cities spring up around them due to the business opportunities in trade and services. Militaries, of course, usually have bases quite close to them.

 

The (initial) primary setting is one of these cities; situated in South America (most likely; Africa has also been considered, but South America might fit our purposes better), the city grew up around the mass driver located there. A relatively large Federation military base is situated in the city, both to make use of the convenient mass driver, and to guard it from attack.

 

The game’s plot is that the colonies, working with the nations on Earth that are not a part of the Earth Federation, declared war upon the same. This declaration, of course, came in the form of several surprise attacks using the forces these nations had on Earth. Mass drivers being a priority target, the city in which the PCs are stationed/living/visiting is one such target.

 

The game would most likely start just before this declaration, ensuring that PCs will have to respond to that war from its very start.

 

I do not currently have a Co-GM for this (though Onarax has been drafted into my planning processes), nor do I have any more details than that pinned down, but I can elaborate a little more. The plot will most likely stay on Earth for the start of the game, and eventually move to space. The general feel for the mecha is along the lines of Gundam, and perhaps a little Macross, as well as IPs with similar mecha designs and dynamics.

So, now that I’m done wall of texting you… Would anyone be interested in this?

[25K Now!]

alex you haven't even seen macross

 

unless you plan on us star trekkin' across the galaxy

[Krayzikk]

I watched Robotech thank you very much and I was referring to mecha design

[25K Now!]

Robotech's cool too.

 

Designs, you say?

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwxlwBya_To

 

I will never stop posting this.

[Padishah Mehmet II]

In Morrowind, regular crossbows were a lot more common. Will that logic also apply to this game?

This isn't a computer game. If you want to have a crossbow, have one.

-Dovydas

[Ghosthands]

I just looked at various pictures from the games, and... the Dawnguard crossbow and the Dwemer Skyrim crossbow look nearly identical in terms of their mechanism, just made from different materials

 

Gonna have to disagree with you on that.

 

Here we have the steel crossbow. Looks like a pretty standard crossbow mechanism: a single prod (that's the 'bow' part) attached to a single bowstring, and a simple lever to draw the string back.

 

Here we have the Dwemer crossbow. Unless you're squinting at it, or looking at it from really far away, it's pretty clear to see that this is a more complex mechanism than that of the standard steel version. There's not one but two prods there, and I can see at least three sections of string running parallel to them. If you look at the ends of the prods, there's a couple of pulleys there, presumably working the same way they do in modern compound crossbows, which allow for a much stiffer prod and therefore greater energy output. The string-drawing mechanism is also visibly more complicated, with at least three separate levers.

 

 

and in Morrowind, the Dwemer crossbow used the same model as the steel crossbow

 

 

As I'm sure you know, Morrowind's graphics didn't allow for much detail, so it doesn't much surprise me that the one is just a re-skin of the other. Skyrim has a a huge visual advantage over Morrowind, so it's probably a better benchmark in this case.

 

 

I just can't see why a Dwemer crossbow is any different from a regular steel crossbow in anything but being made of Dwarven metals, which shouldn't make any difference because the bolts are being propelled at the same speed.

 

 

To repeat what I've said above, perhaps a little more succinctly: the Dwemer crossbow bears similarities to real-life compound crossbows, which do launch their bolts at higher speeds, whereas the regular steel version does not.

 

 

Well a Bow's ability to fire and at what power has to do with both the quality of the bow itself and the strength of the person pulling the draw string. Though after a point either the Bow breaks under the strain or the drawer cannot pull back any more. Not sure exactly if tensile strength has a direct correlation to projectile speed or simply power.

 

 

The stiffer the material from which the bow is made, the more energy can be stored in it when the string is drawn back. The tradeoff, as you've said, is that a stiffer bow takes more strength to draw. The more energy stored in the bow, the more force it can apply to the arrow and therefore the faster (and therefore further) the arrow will fly.

 

 

That being said Crossbows do not have this characteristic as they are mechanically drawn and fired. So unless there is a magical or mechanical aspect to the bow or bolts I don't really see in an RP here where there would be an increase in power from one design to the next.

 

 

No, a crossbow will benefit from a stiffer prod in the same way a bow benefits from stiffer limbs. A crossbow may use a mechanism to draw the string back, but that mechanism still has to be operated by the wielder: the energy transferred to the bolt still comes from the person firing it, albeit less directly. As I've said above, the compound crossbow is an excellent example of a design that increase a crossbow's firing power.

[Krayzikk]

Hub, you could probably have a Koenig. Of some kind.

[25K Now!]

So, nuclear weaponry?

[Krayzikk]

I emphasize the "of some kind" when I say "no", and qualify the statement by noting that I would rather permit you access to the Tryon 3 than let you have nukes.

 

And I will never let you have the Tryon 3

[25K Now!]

Wow man. That's a real lack of trust you got there, not even wanting to give me a 15cm tall toy.

[Krayzikk]

...

 

Well played, Hubert.

 

Well played.

[25K Now!]

Would you give me Super Fumina then?

[Let's Henshin!]

Gunpla confirmed canon in-game?

[IcarusBen]

Again, the Dwemer crossbow doesn't do anything of the sort. I even checked UESP. In the Creation Kit, both weapons have a speed of 1. In fact, their enhanced versions also have a speed of 1.

 

If they go the same speed, there's absolutely no difference. It means the bolt is being propelled with the exact same force, it'll hit with the same force...

 

Heck, because the Dwemer one is stiffer, it'd be inferior because it uses more user strength for the same amount of force.

[Perp]

I'm just gonna butt in here and end the conversation.

Regular crossbows are fine, Dwemer crossbows count as intact Dwemer tech. We're not going by Video Game Logic here.

The hierarchy of swords and armour should be obvious - I don't particularly care about how bows work specifically in the game. If you want a superior bow, then just use one of the bow variants listed in TES Lore, provided it's not too powerful.

[IcarusBen]

Okay, then. don't know why we're doing a video game rp and not following video game logic but k

 

What is the cap on equipment quality, then? Anything below Ebony, anything below Daedric?

[Krayzikk]

Okay, then. don't know why we're doing a video game rp and not following video game logic but k

 

Because the allure is in the lore, and not in perfectly recreating the exact way a game works (I might add due to limitations of the medium) in text form. The draw is in using the lore that exists in a much, much freer environment, where limitations imposed by game mechanics do not exist.

[Padishah Mehmet II]

Okay, then. don't know why we're doing a video game rp and not following video game logic but k

 

What is the cap on equipment quality, then? Anything below Ebony, anything below Daedric?

I don't understand why you'd /want/ us to follow video game logic. This is obviously not a video game, thus video game logic cannot apply.

-Dovydas

[Eyru]

Seeing as this topic is for RPG organization and planning, and the RPG in question has already been submitted for approval, any game-specific questions/discussions/debates probably don't need to happen here. It's really just cluttering up a topic with information that's only interesting to a few people. 

 

For example, questions like this

 

What is the cap on equipment quality, then? Anything below Ebony, anything below Daedric?

 

can be saved for the game's discussion topic when it launches, or PMed to one of the game's GMs. 

 

thanks~~

Edited May 14, 2015 by Eyru

[IcarusBen]

 

Okay, then. don't know why we're doing a video game rp and not following video game logic but k

 

What is the cap on equipment quality, then? Anything below Ebony, anything below Daedric?

I don't understand why you'd /want/ us to follow video game logic. This is obviously not a video game, thus video game logic cannot apply.

-Dovydas

 

The reason I'd /want/ to follow game logic is because it's based on a video game.

[Constructelf]

 

 

 

 

Okay, then. don't know why we're doing a video game rp and not following video game logic but k

 

What is the cap on equipment quality, then? Anything below Ebony, anything below Daedric?

I don't understand why you'd /want/ us to follow video game logic. This is obviously not a video game, thus video game logic cannot apply.

-Dovydas

The reason I'd /want/ to follow game logic is because it's based on a video game.

Go take a look at Pokemon: Rise of the Rockets. And go check out Persona: Sea of Djinn while you're at it. Both of those RPGs are based off of video games. But do they follow video game logic and mechanics to the letter? No. But they're still viable.

[Ehksidian]

The reason I'd /want/ to follow game logic is because it's based on a video game.

Is it a video game?

No.

No it isn't.

It should not have to follow video game logic, because video game logic exists due to programming and pre-programmed gameplay. It is not for a text-based RPG in which the only limits are those set by the GMs. Saying it should follow video game logic is effectively saying "yeah you can have an RPG here but you're limited in this regard it has to follow the IP exactly or it's bad"

That does not into good game make.

[Ghosthands]

The reason I'd /want/ to follow game logic is because it's based on a video game.

 

 

So you want 'cities' the size of small villages, giants that can hit the ground hard enough to launch nearby people into the stratosphere, and dogs that are somehow able to write letters and hire thugs?

Edited May 14, 2015 by Ghosthands

[Eyru]

Think about the last movie you saw. It likely was a book, comic book, or another form of media before being adapted to the big screen. This transition often upsets people because the directors and writers of these movies usually change the source material to better fit the format of a film.

 

Must an adaptation follow the source material to the letter for it to tell the same story? I think not. Different forms of media have different constraints and freedoms; they are not identical. What works for a comic book may not work in a movie, and what works in a video game may not work well in a book.

 

Take the Lord of the Rings trilogy, for example. Peter Jackson's film adaptation skips, changes, and adds a phenomenal amount of material. A large part of this is due to the staggering detail in the books, which often function more like world-building manuals than novels. If the films followed the books word for word, they would be dozens of hours longer than they already are. To make the story a worthwhile and successful trilogy of films, it needed to be adapted.

 

The LotR film trilogy still tells the story of the books. It's condensed throughout and new material is added here and there to make a more complete product, but it still tells, essentially, the same story. Indeed, I'm positive that the story would not have been communicated as effectively had Jackson chose to make the films follow the book word for word. Changes needed to be made in order for the source material to fit the medium.

 

In the same way, the team in charge of this Elder Scrolls RPG is attempting to adapt the source material to the text-based RPG format. Some things will stay the same, but a great many things will change simply because single-player video games are not the same as text-based multiplayer RPGs, and what works well in one may not work at all in the other.

 

It's up to the people behind this RPG to decide how much they will change and how much they will leave as-is. Knowing the team as I do, I believe they will strike a good balance and make an RPG that works well while still carrying the spirit of the source material.

Edited May 14, 2015 by Eyru

[Prowl Nightwolf]

So, there’s been talk, on and off, of a mecha genre game for OTC in the past few weeks. I did a quick survey the other day of the usual RPG crowd I talk to, and there was enough interest for one that I started drafting up a rough draft. This isn’t that draft, for the record, this is just a written summary of concepts and current thoughts, but input would be appreciated.

 

*SNIP*

 

Sorry this almost got buried by posts regarding the ESRPG but I have one word... "Chrome Hounds?" Sorry I guess that was two words. So you don't want to make a Gundam RP but want concepts to carry over. Also how do you think this will be different from other Mech based RPs on site?

[Ehksidian]

Sorry this almost got buried by posts regarding the ESRPG but I have one word... "Chrome Hounds?" Sorry I guess that was two words. So you don't want to make a Gundam RP but want concepts to carry over. Also how do you think this will be different from other Mech based RPs on site?

Well for one, there aren't any mech-based RPs on this site that are alive and thriving right now. This one would aslo be more firmly a "real-robot" mecha RPG, rather than super robot. More realistic robots and stuff, not...uh, no Gurren Lagann style stuff, basically.

[Prowl Nightwolf]

 

Sorry this almost got buried by posts regarding the ESRPG but I have one word... "Chrome Hounds?" Sorry I guess that was two words. So you don't want to make a Gundam RP but want concepts to carry over. Also how do you think this will be different from other Mech based RPs on site?

Well for one, there aren't any mech-based RPs on this site that are alive and thriving right now. This one would aslo be more firmly a "real-robot" mecha RPG, rather than super robot. More realistic robots and stuff, not...uh, no Gurren Lagann style stuff, basically.

 

Yeah you may need to explain to me the difference between "real-robot" Vs "Super Robot". As for active (While not all thriving) are the Exo-force Lego RP, The Matoran tank battle deal, and... Ok so there are only 2

[Krayzikk]

 

 

Sorry this almost got buried by posts regarding the ESRPG but I have one word... "Chrome Hounds?" Sorry I guess that was two words. So you don't want to make a Gundam RP but want concepts to carry over. Also how do you think this will be different from other Mech based RPs on site?

Well for one, there aren't any mech-based RPs on this site that are alive and thriving right now. This one would aslo be more firmly a "real-robot" mecha RPG, rather than super robot. More realistic robots and stuff, not...uh, no Gurren Lagann style stuff, basically.

 

Yeah you may need to explain to me the difference between "real-robot" Vs "Super Robot". As for active (While not all thriving) are the Exo-force Lego RP, The Matoran tank battle deal, and... Ok so there are only 2

 

 

Speaking as a player of the Exo-Force game, and Matoran und Panzer, the latter is not a mech game. Even remotely. It's a game involving tanks, that happens to have a few mecha within it. Exo-Force falls within a very different category, being based upon a Lego IP; the plot setup is predetermined, and actually very different from standard mecha fare. 

 

This, on the other hand, is an original setting with influences from some of the most common stools of the mecha trade; namely a war between colonies and Earth, as well as a few stylistic similarity. 

 

The playerbases for both of those games, as well, are either not very active (Exo-Force) or are playing a very different game (Panzer).

 

As for real robot versus super robot... My friend shall be covering that momentarily.

[Let's Henshin!]

Real Robot = Rockets

 
 
 
Super Robot = Rocket Punches

 

In other words Real Robots are generally more realistic and tend to function more as extension of sci-fi and military fiction with the mechs generally serving as parts of the military and what not.

 

Super Robot is instead powered by love and camaraderie and involves unrealistic mecha created by crazy people to combat evil monsters or be used by the evil monsters or, here just have a gif. 

 

 

 

That's just the pilot by the way, the robot is even more over the top. 

[Prowl Nightwolf]

Ok, not sure if I believe that representation of the difference as you'd think a Military Mecha could be forged from camaraderie or whatever you want to call it. So suggesting that Super Robots are created to combat aliens or "evil monsters" seems interchangeable with real robots. So it has to be more then that if there really is a distinct difference. Though just as likely I am just not understanding here. I think your explanation falls a bit flat. Sorry about that.

[Constructelf]

If you need more info, I've quoted some excerpts from the TV Tropes pages on Real Robot and Super Robot here. URL's to those respective pages have been embedded into the paragraphs.

 

Real robots are what happens when Humongous Mecha and Military Science-Fiction collide; they're mecha that are treated just like any other weapon of war. Unlike the Super Robot, real robots are typically mass produced units designed and built by governments and large corporations, rather than something designed and built by (or for) a single person — though the occasional Super Prototype or Ace Custom may be an exception. While real robots might be the dominant weapon of the setting, they frequently appear alongside other forms of combat vehicle (like the Cool Tank, Cool Plane, and Space Fighter) rather than replacing them entirely. In other words, instead of being the be-all and end-all of a conflict, real robots are simply another cog in the war machine.

 

Real robots also tend to be harder than super robots on Mohs Scale of Science Fiction Hardness, often involving elaborate forms of Applied Phlebotinum to explain why giant robots are physically possible to create and tactically advantageous to use. On the harder end of the scale, this explanation may become a full-blown type of Minovsky Physics. Even on the softer side of the scale, real robots usually take into account things like the immense cost in time, material, and expertise of operating a machine as large and complicated as a giant robot would inevitably be. Expect to see references to things like extensive maintenance requirements, the logistics of supplying fuel, ammunition, and spare parts, and other such ancillary issues.

 

 

 

 

The counterpoint to the Real Robot Genre (or rather, Real Robot is the counterpoint to this), the Super Robot Genre is a genre of science fiction — mostly Anime and Manga, but found in other mediums as well — focusing on a fantastic, Superheroic form of Humongous Mecha.

 

In contrast to Real Robots, Super Robots are often (but not always) the creations of eccentric Mad Scientists who work alone in their secluded laboratories; exactly where they get the parts, funding, and equipment, or how they manage to keep anyone else (except the select few needed to drive the plot) from finding out about their activities is usually left as a exercise for the viewer. The pilot tends to be an average-across-the-board Audience Surrogate, sometimes even an Ordinary High-School Student, who falls into the cockpit and discovers they have a natural aptitude for piloting a giant robot. Instead of using an elaborate system of controls like those found in an airplane cockpit, the pilot controls a Super Robot using a mere handful of buttons (and maybe a joystick), motion capture or even a mind-reading system, and the motion of the mecha itself is often implausibly humanlike. Overall, the science behind a Super Robot is usually on the soft side of the scale, with the Rule of Cool and the burning passion of The Hero and his friends and lovers having more effect on the machine's capabilities than a list of well-defined specifications. In contrast to a Real Robot, where the mecha is just one more piece of equipment in the overall arsenal (even if it is the cornerstone), a Super Robot is an enabling device for its pilot to pull off heroics.

 

Super Robot shows are typically personified by "Love/Courage/Compassion/Friendship/Righteous-Anger/Insert-Positive-Emotion-Here Conquers All", and almost always have at least one character that is Hot-Blooded, though there are certain notable exceptions... mostly those directed by Yoshiyuki "Kill 'em All" Tomino, to whom anyone can die is less a possibility than a life philosophy (...or at least it used to be). They also typically follow the Monster of the Week format, especially in older shows, though as always there are exceptions. Super Robots tend towards idealism on the Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism and romanticism on the Romanticism Versus Enlightenment scale.

 

 

 

EDIT: Here, have some Wikipedia too.

 

Real Robot (リアルロボット Riaru Robotto?) is a genre of Japanese animation.[1][2][3] The genre contains mecha robots whose abilities and operation are broadly explainable by, or grounded in, real-world physics and future technological advances. In addition, operators commonly rely on ranged weapons with projectiles and their machine's agility to survive military-like battle situations.[2] Plotwise, most Real Robot series feature an overarching story and more mature themes in contrast to the "monster of the week" structure seen in productions of the Super Robot genre. A lot of mecha from Real Robot series usually look more utilitarian, though this is not the case with hybrid series such as the mecha of Aura Battler Dunbine.

 

 

 

In manga and anime, a Super Robot (スーパーロボット Sūpā Robotto?) is a gigantic robotic, mechanized, or golem-construct, with an arsenal of fantastic super-powered weapons, extreme resistance to damage unless the plot calls for it, sometimes transformable or combined from two or more robots or vehicles usually piloted by young, daring heroes, and often with mystical or legendary origins. This is distinct from a Real Robot, which is a mecha portrayed as a relatively common and plausible item, used by military organizations in the same manner as tanks or aircraft.

Edited May 15, 2015 by One-Eyed Construct

[Let's Henshin!]

Super Robot: 

 

Over the top unrealistic combat directly fueled by passion and what not. A pilot can literally will his mech to be like Goku even when it's been stabbed clean through. 

 

Real Robot: 

 

Realistic combat in mechs that follow the laws of the universe pretty well. A pilot in a broken mech is a dead pilot. 

 

Super Robot: 

 

The power of love will involve a guy a willing himself back to life to avenge his death before passing on the torch. 

 

Real Robot: 

 

The guy just died. 

 

Super Robot: 

 

Pierce the heavens

 

 

Real Robot: 

 

Get pierced by bullets. 

 

 

Get it yet?

[Prowl Nightwolf]

I think I am lets make sure though.

 

Real Robots: Mechanically driven movements

Generic Gundams from shows like Gundam wing(Basically the cannon slaughter fillers)

Exo-force Mechs

Chrome Hounds vehicles

Basically anything designed as a tank though not specifically classed as a tank

 

Super Robots: More fluid almost natural movement

Transformers characters

Zoids (maybe)

The Protagonist in any Mech themed show.

Basically any Robot that could be more human than machine if not for the metallic appearance.

Am I getting warmer?

[Ehksidian]

I think I am lets make sure though.

 

Real Robots: Mechanically driven movements

Generic Gundams from shows like Gundam wing(Basically the cannon slaughter fillers)

Exo-force Mechs

Chrome Hounds vehicles

Basically anything designed as a tank though not specifically classed as a tank

 

Super Robots: More fluid almost natural movement

Transformers characters

Zoids (maybe)

The Protagonist in any Mech themed show.

Basically any Robot that could be more human than machine if not for the metallic appearance.

Am I getting warmer?

 

Real Robots are, in essence, realistic mecha grounded in some science. Most of Gundam is an excellent example.

Super Robots are not realistic, and not grounded in any sort of science whatsoever. Gurren Lagann is an excellent example.

[25K Now!]

The real robot/super robot distinction is actually quite arbitrary, honestly.

 

It's more of a thematic thing rather than power and capability thing.

 

Think of super robots as heroes and real robots as action movie stars. Superpowers are optional.

Edited May 15, 2015 by Tyler St. Francis

[Padishah Mehmet II]

 

 

Okay, then. don't know why we're doing a video game rp and not following video game logic but k

 

What is the cap on equipment quality, then? Anything below Ebony, anything below Daedric?

I don't understand why you'd /want/ us to follow video game logic. This is obviously not a video game, thus video game logic cannot apply.

-Dovydas

The reason I'd /want/ to follow game logic is because it's based on a video game.

back in my day, aka roughly the late 2000s, when we wanted video game logic to apply we'd make a video game. want to create a fan video game based on TES? go buy RPG Maker XP and knock yourself out. but my impression was that we want a /TBRPG/, not a videogame, so TBRPG logic has to apply, not video game logic.

 

others have already put this into more eloquent words than me, but asking the logic of one medium to apply in another medium is nonsensical and signifies a basic failure to understand how either medium works.

-dovydas

Edited May 15, 2015 by Albannach

[Prowl Nightwolf]

 

 

 

Okay, then. don't know why we're doing a video game rp and not following video game logic but k

 

What is the cap on equipment quality, then? Anything below Ebony, anything below Daedric?

I don't understand why you'd /want/ us to follow video game logic. This is obviously not a video game, thus video game logic cannot apply.

-Dovydas

 

The reason I'd /want/ to follow game logic is because it's based on a video game.

 

back in my day, aka roughly the late 2000s, when we wanted video game logic to apply we'd make a video game. want to create a fan video game based on TES? go buy RPG Maker XP and knock yourself out. but my impression was that we want a /TBRPG/, not a videogame, so TBRPG logic has to apply, not video game logic.

 

others have already put this into more eloquent words than me, but asking the logic of one medium to apply in another medium is nonsensical and signifies a basic failure to understand how either medium works.

-dovydas

 

While it is possible you are looking at one of them stat calculator required type of RPs. Something that seems to be frowned upon here as it appears that many of the RP community do not much care for over complicated number crunching in their RP experience.

 

Also it appears that there is already one vote for the TES RP.

Alright, if there is a dedicated staff effort to keeping the players actually engaged and doing things then Ashfall Approved [1]

Edited May 15, 2015 by Prowl Nightwolf

[Eyru]

While it is possible you are looking at one of them stat calculator required type of RPs. Something that seems to be frowned upon here as it appears that many of the RP community do not much care for over complicated number crunching in their RP experience.

 

This is one of those cases that can be replied to quite nicely by simply restating my earlier post (which is delightful, because it means I don't have to bother thinking up a whole new argument [unlike Kray, I don't love debating to the point of masochism]):

 

Some things will stay the same, but a great many things will change simply because ... what works well in one may not work at all in the other.

 

Number crunching is not so much frowned upon as it is generally understood to cripple a game beyond repair. An RP that relies on the strength of players' writing does not mesh with a rigid mechanical system. The focus is on writing, not number crunching.

[Prowl Nightwolf]

What I was saying in a Nutshell. I don't think I've seen such an RP survive here if it gets approved at all. Most of the time when such an RP gets suggested and has stats or alike in its system it is one of the first things that are pointed out. They don't do well here.

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

For the record, in response to what Ghosthands said, I absolutely do want dogs that are able to write letters and hire thugs. That would be awesome, though I'll settle for people who can hire thugs, and thugs who can write letters.

 

Ben, as of 9:45 PM my time today, the post for the most current revision of your RPG concept still stretches the screen on my computer. I'm not sure why it is doing this, but it's got to be something odd with the formatting, and I would suggest a revision of the formatting beyond changing the font to repair this.

 

On the kerfuffle over crossbows, the first thing that stands out to me as an observable, functional difference in Dwemer crossbows, if there is to be one, might be it being a repeating crossbow - this would explain the increased complexity of the mechanism, and the earliest evidence for such a device in our world dates to the 4th century BCE, so there is some parallel as a complex device built by an older civilization. The probability of such a device surviving the ages intact is, of course, lower than the probability of a sword surviving functionally intact, which ties neatly in to the scarcity of Dwemer crossbows relative to both simpler Dwemer weapons, and to 'modern' crossbows.