BZPRPG - News and Discussion

[Voxumo]

Howdy,

Didn't keep super up to date with the whole end of the last arc, but want to check on what the status of antidermis is, at least for those who actually were affected by it? Saw some profiles implying powers gained from it were unstable but could not find anything stated officially.

[a goose]

5 minutes ago, Voxumo said:

Howdy,

Didn't keep super up to date with the whole end of the last arc, but want to check on what the status of antidermis is, at least for those who actually were affected by it? Saw some profiles implying powers gained from it were unstable but could not find anything stated officially.

Antidermis powers, afaik, are still the same. Only big change is that Antidermis has gone from being an infinite resource on Mata Nui to being nigh on impossible to find, due to the destruction of the Antidermis vat in the vault at the end of Arc 2.

[Voxumo]

On 12/5/2021 at 7:04 PM, Goose said:

Antidermis powers, afaik, are still the same. Only big change is that Antidermis has gone from being an infinite resource on Mata Nui to being nigh on impossible to find, due to the destruction of the Antidermis vat in the vault at the end of Arc 2.

Alrighty thanks for the clarification Goose. Just wanted to make sure before I jumped back into the game.

[ARROW404]

Where the heck is Sulov?

[a goose]

16 minutes ago, ARROW404 said:

Where the heck is Sulov?

vacation

[EmperorWhenua]

Onu-Koro, managing his trail mix business. 

[ARROW404]

Second question: What's going on with the Ko-Dark Walk story?

[otter]

murder

[Krayzikk]

8 hours ago, ARROW404 said:

Second question: What's going on with the Ko-Dark Walk story?

Kaithas has been running it and he's been busy. I talked to him just a couple of days ago, though, and he has things planned out he just hasn't had the time to write them yet.

[Light]

On 12/19/2021 at 9:17 PM, Krayzikk said:

Kaithas has been running it and he's been busy. I talked to him just a couple of days ago, though, and he has things planned out he just hasn't had the time to write them yet.

yeah it turns out having the big fight intro post to write while balancing grad school exams, some nice seasonal depression, traveling and research was a less than fantastic idea : ) should be rolling now though

[Light]

@Daniel the FinlanderI swear I will learn how to spell your character's name before this is all said and done, my apologies.

 

It doesn't help that I wrote that in notepad at 3 AM : P

[BULiK]

keep up the good work daniel don't give him an inch of ground

[EmperorWhenua]

"It's been a honor dying with you, D'artagnan." 

               —The Lieutenant, probably

[Krayzikk]

Holidays have been suuuuuper busy, I'm sorry for the wait. Working on getting caught up over the next couple days.

[The Drink]

got sick and at home

sinus not covid

 

[Perp]

woke up this mornin'



got myself some fun

[Ghosthands]

The Parting of the Ageru

A self-indulgently long and melodramatic post, I know, but a necessary one for the characters concerned. The invasion and evacuation of Kentoku presented the perfect (and only) opportunity to wrap up some CD I'd planned since I first created my Dasaka characters at the beginning of Arc 2, but never got around to setting up properly. So I guess it's not so much "wrap it up" as "shoehorn an arc's worth of it into one post", but hey, that's what happens when you don't Write More...

Anyway, I'm excited for where Arc 3 may take my Dasaka characters, so if anybody's interested in interacting with them and joining me in shaping their journeys, let me know!

[The Drink]

Just How Far

Can Soulsword go?

[oncertainty]

Hey, I'm interested in getting involved -- I've read through the story so far posts and the descriptions in the locations topics so I feel like I have a decent idea of the broad strokes, but I'm wondering if anyone would be willing to talk about some more conceptual stuff before I really get into it. Perhaps over PM or somesuch, I don't want to clog up the discussion topic if I don't have to. Thanks!

[Snelly]

I don't think you need to worry about clogging up the discussion topic we already do that. 

[BULiK]

Yeah if you have broad strokes questions go ahead and shoot, you're more likely to get a full answer if it's generally in here where lots of people can see and respond. If you're looking to specifically plan out things with other players or their characters you can do it here too or in PMs.

Edited January 3, 2022 by BULiK

[oncertainty]

Alright cool then, I've got a couple things I'm interested in setting wise off the bat. I realize this kind of stuff can be a little bit up to individual interpretation in forum RPGs but I would be interested to hear what the prevailing thoughts are on some of it. By the same token, if I'm asking for too much specificity here let me know lol. So right off the bat:

• What does religion look like on Mata Nui? I've seen some mention in character profiles of priests of Mata Nui -- how organized or disparate are those kinds of institutions in this setting? Are the three virtues part of that structure, and does the average person on Mata Nui think of them as significant in their life?
• It seems like the population of Mata Nui is much larger than in other sources, am I right in thinking the major Koros should be thought of as more like cities than the villages they appeared to be in the MNOG, for example? Do any smaller forms of settlement support populations outside the major Koros, are there the equivalents of rest stops along roads or hamlets or some equivalent? I realize that kind of settlement didn't make sense when Makuta had a strong presence on the island, but did that kind of thing pop up in the time that he seemed gone forever?
• Perhaps this is written down somewhere and I missed it, but how much time has passed in game since the beginning of play?
• There's good information on how Skakdi think of Lesterin, but how are Lesterin seen in Matoran society? As well, did Seprilli Lesterin have any contact with the Kentoku Archipelago before Kentoku had major contact with Mata Nui?
• Have the Piraka been absent since the retaking of Ko-Koro from the Piraka-Legacy Alliance?

Edited January 3, 2022 by oncertainty

[BULiK]

To answer a few:

Religion hasn't really been shown to be organized - the closest there probably was to religious leaders may well have been the Turaga, who are long dead. It definitely exists, but isn't delved into often. I don't think it's productive to overanalyze what the average mata nui thinks on religion, but I think it's fair to say that it's prevalent in some form or another, but not necessarily universal or consistent.

Yeah, by now each Koro is more of a city than the villages you might have seen in Bionicle media, and while we often have different interpretations of the size, especially when people try to put rough numbers to things, a good rule of thumb that's been suggested is that Koros are big enough to not be able to recognize everyone, for the purposes of the game. So, yeah, a city (sometimes compared to city-states), although each Koro has expanded and changed in different ways from its canon counterparts. Generally speaking it's accepted that smaller villages, hamlets, rest stops, random shacks, et cetera have been around forever and became much more common after Makuta's defeat. There are some named settlements both occupied and abandoned, but just because one hasn't been specified yet doesn't mean it doesn't or couldn't exist.

The exact timeline is malleable - we tend to play fast and loose with the dates, with the only real set in stone markers of time being large timeskips that happen every several years OOC. I think it's safe to say that we're in the territory of longer than a year since the start of the original 2011 arc (which started a century after the Toa Mata's defeat). Definitely in the realm of several months to few years and not in the several years to decades range, IIRC.

Staff, particularly @Ghosthands would have more details on the specifics of Lesterin, but I think a safe assumption is that native Mata Nuians initially thought of Lesterin as foreign strangers when they began appearing on Mata Nui after the defeat of the Toa Mata roughly a century ago, much like Skakdi, Vortixx, and increased numbers of Toa. Given the similarities Lesterin have to Toa... I doubt the Lesterin/Matoran relationship is too remarkable, compared to Skakdi or Vortixx who fit more clearly into niches and archetypes.

Regarding the Piraka... I think so? Unless I've missed something, that sounds right. They're still around but nothing big has happened with them yet so far since then, though I remember hearing of plans in the works.

Edited January 3, 2022 by BULiK

[a goose]

general rule for how much time has passed is 'years'

so anywhere between two years and a decade, we play it pretty loose here

but arc ii as in real life is accepted to have been substantially longer than arc i

[otter]

this is still arc two i don't believe the gms

 

the (G)overn(M)ent is lying to us it's still 2015 they can't fool me

[Ghosthands]

12 hours ago, oncertainty said:

Hey, I'm interested in getting involved -- I've read through the story so far posts and the descriptions in the locations topics so I feel like I have a decent idea of the broad strokes, but I'm wondering if anyone would be willing to talk about some more conceptual stuff before I really get into it. Perhaps over PM or somesuch, I don't want to clog up the discussion topic if I don't have to. Thanks!

Welcome! Don't worry, broad questions like these are exactly what the discussion topic is for.

Bulik has done a good job of covering most of the points, so I'll just add a few further comments:

4 hours ago, oncertainty said:

• What does religion look like on Mata Nui? I've seen some mention in character profiles of priests of Mata Nui -- how organized or disparate are those kinds of institutions in this setting? Are the three virtues part of that structure, and does the average person on Mata Nui think of them as significant in their life?

The Three Virtues are certainly a core aspect of belief in the Great Spirit and an important part of Matoran culture, so most everyone on the island is at least aware of them. Whether they try to live by them is another matter, of course. But yes, as Bulik says, this isn't something we put a lot of focus on, and it definitely tends to the 'disparate' end of your question.

4 hours ago, oncertainty said:

• Perhaps this is written down somewhere and I missed it, but how much time has passed in game since the beginning of play?

We have a principle around here that we call 'BZPTime'; time in the BZPRPG tends to be malleable and inconsistent, since there are just so many different characters in play, and thus players writing at different paces, that it's basically unavoidable. The idea of BZPTime is that it's best not to think too hard or worry about exact periods of time, but rather to let them serve the needs of the stories we're telling. So yes, as the others have said, some small vague number of years have passed in-game. No need to be more specific than that.

4 hours ago, oncertainty said:

• There's good information on how Skakdi think of Lesterin, but how are Lesterin seen in Matoran society? As well, did Seprilli Lesterin have any contact with the Kentoku Archipelago before Kentoku had major contact with Mata Nui?

Mata Nuian society is generally pretty inclusive, so now that the Matoran are used to them, Lesterin (and Skakdi, and Vortixx) are typically treated just like anybody else. There's probably some awareness of their penchant for travel and trade, but not much in the way of stereotypes beyond that.

No, despite their nautical prowess, the Seprillian Lesterin have not yet had contact with either Mata Nui or Kentoku. This is mainly a result of the amnesia-inducing fog that covered the ocean between the locales and only recently cleared. The only known contact between Zakaz and Kentoku was the arrival of the Piraka, who passed safely through the fog by unknown means. On the other hand, over the years some number of Seprillian Lesterin have (whether by foolish bravery or bad luck) sailed into the fog and washed up on Mata Nui (albeit with no memory of their home). So for the moment, to natives of Zakaz and Seprilli, the existence of lands beyond their own is a matter of near-forgotten ancient history, tending to myth.

4 hours ago, oncertainty said:

• Have the Piraka been absent since the retaking of Ko-Koro from the Piraka-Legacy Alliance?

Correct, their current whereabouts and activities are unknown.

[oncertainty]

This is very helpful, thanks all! Just a few more:

• Have there been any major events since the arrival of the Dasakan fleet at Mata Nui?
• I understand a large part of the Dasakan population remains on Kentoku -- is life there somewhat similar to life on Mata Nui during the height of Makuta's power, insofar as it isn't safe outside of major population centres?
• As well, I see that the starter topic says making an open for interaction post is a good way to get started -- would you still say that is the case? I ask mostly because it seems like the player population was larger at that point, and I imagine that could affect this question.

[Ghosthands]

50 minutes ago, oncertainty said:

• Have there been any major events since the arrival of the Dasakan fleet at Mata Nui?

Not really; current posting in the Ga-Wahi topic is still in the immediate aftermath of the Dasaka's arrival.

54 minutes ago, oncertainty said:

• I understand a large part of the Dasakan population remains on Kentoku -- is life there somewhat similar to life on Mata Nui during the height of Makuta's power, insofar as it isn't safe outside of major population centres?

Very much so; perhaps worse, even, because significant numbers of Rahkshi are in play and the remaining Dasaka are actively fighting them to try to regain their territory. This post gives a good overview of what things are like in the Archipelago as the arc begins.

1 hour ago, oncertainty said:

• As well, I see that the starter topic says making an open for interaction post is a good way to get started -- would you still say that is the case? I ask mostly because it seems like the player population was larger at that point, and I imagine that could affect this question.

It's still a good way to get started, yes. If you want to ensure a good chance of getting some interaction, though, you may want to start your PC out near other active characters, or indeed interact directly with them.

[oncertainty]

That's great, thanks again for the help!

[Ghosthands]

No problem, that's what we're here for. Enjoy the RPG!

[Cu Chulainn Caster]

finally got my computer fixed, time to get back on that Gamer Grind Fellas

[EmperorWhenua]

I should Game More

[Cu Chulainn Caster]

thinking of making one of those kaiakans and mucking about in seprilli.  anything significant going on there that i should be aware of?

[BULiK]

Seprilli's been slow until just recently. The biggest thing going on is Varqui, my skakdi mountain climber who is going to be gathering a posse of kaiakans, lesterin, and skakdi to adventure around the most dangerous places on zakaz in his bid to become a warlord.

[Cu Chulainn Caster]

aw sweet time to challenge for leadership in traditional hunter's combat

[oncertainty]

I'm thinking of introducing a Lesterin character on Seprilli, is your posse taking applications?

Edited January 17, 2022 by oncertainty

[BULiK]

I think the plan right now is to stop by the eyries and then hitch a ride from Jukvere to Zakaz proper, and yeah, anyone who wants to climb Zakaz's mountains, ride Tahtorak, and witness a silva;rii;dii (or die trying) is welcome to join in. The only plan is to enter as many danger zones as possible and become legends or die trying.

[Palm]

19 hours ago, BULiK said:

The only plan is to enter as many danger zones as possible and become legends or die trying.

i'm glad somebody has their eye on the real prize

[a goose]

alright, so, jumping the gun a little on this but hey, might as well get in some advertising:

do you wanna be a dragon? do you wanna play a dragon? of course you do, why wouldn't you?

get in touch with me by PMs or on discord if you'd like to be involved in an upcoming fun little event involving dragon mystix, which will act as a great opportunity to introduce new characters

 

what's it about, blue? good question. you'll find out.

will there be exciting opportunities involving violence? sure!

i'm not really a violent sort, will there be interesting philosophical and sociopolitical ramifications a little further down the line that will be deepened by my character's involvement at this early stage? that's a very specific question, but that is also true, but moreso for later down the line! we got something for everyone! and by that i mean, WE HAVE DRAGONS

 

don't delay, be a dragon TODAY

(dragon mystix species details can be found in my profile page, link in the sig.)

 

also worth mentioning - this isn't an exclusive thing, you'll be able to jump onboard at any point after the set-up post is up. but if you wanna be ground floor on this, now is the time

Edited January 27, 2022 by Goose

[otter]

dragons and violence go hand in hand

you know what else goes hand in hand with violence? the bzprpg

i rest my case y'all