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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Reference The Game Group

Discussion in 'Role Playing Resource' started by Winged_Jedi, Jan 18, 2012.

  1. TheGoodImperial

    TheGoodImperial Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    May 17, 2009
    The game I have planned shall draw in equal parts from the classical Victorian Age adventure like the Sherlock Holmes books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Dan Simmons Drood or Alan Moore´s From Hell and the works of H.P. Lovecraft and Cthulhu Mythos and the dreaded otherworldy horrors that stalk humanities soul from beyond the realms of our reality. I plan to make this first game a very contained experience and if it shows to be a success and actually gets concluded I would open sequel-episodes. The next two I have actually quite much outlined already and they are named The Silence of the Rats and Cave Canem.

    I plan to adopt Chaosium´s mechanism of “sanity points” in one way or another, but I still have to figure out how to do include that.

    Below is a rough draft of the first game The Star Are Right.
    ___________
    ___________

    “I am aware that my present position and what I am about to do will create a natural doubt of the authenticity of my narrative. But my words might have the power to make you ignore the circumstances of my vanishing. To you reader I try to appeal, that neither the truth of my words nor the madness within them would be a good reason to follow my path.
    I asked for proof and proof was given to me. Now I must carry the burden of knowledge for the rest of my days, as few as they shall be. And I feel the things in the shadows and yet I resist the urge to throw my torch at them. For I know the fire would find nothing but the shattering doubt if I can trust my own senses. Obviously I cannot. What little do our few senses perceive. The universe is an endless pond of truth and the human soul is not meant to swim far in it.
    I feel the ageless eye upon me. It is aware of my existence in this place and at this time.
    A thought. A thought that is frightening me every waking second and I had many seconds awake. For my dreams have become a gateway and my only my conscious mind can keep out the thoughts echoing through my soul. They are so alien I cannot give them words. Actually I am sure, there are no words to express them in any way any other human being could ever understand them. Their scope alone seems to make the chains of human consciousness burst and yet I can keep them contained. For now. For now.

    I asked for proof and proof was given to me.
    I asked for proof and proof was given to me.
    I asked for proof and proof was given to me.

    Beware my dear reader. If you ever encounter these notes, you shall use them in any way you see fit. But do not follow my path, or you will suffer my fate or worse. And make good use of every day of your life despite the knowledge you obviously have seeked and found in these papers. Any day is precious. Any. Not many remain.

    Because the stars are right.”

    The Note was all that was found next to John Lester Wallace´s body. The poor man had a bullet in his head and an empty textbook next to him in which only one page remained, containing the text above written in a hasty handwriting. Considering the empty opium pipe nearby, the witness account that John Lester Wallace had not slept for about two weeks at the time of his death and the enigmatic and random nature of his note made the police quickly conclude he had committed suicide. The time of death was noted at three of clock in the morning on the 13th February 1890. The investigation was closed within the day.

    [​IMG]

    John Lester Wallace´s death was under no circumstances anything but ordinary. Suicide was not uncommon and although nobody would have expected him to be the kind of man feeling bound by such obligations JL Wallace had been indebted, considerably indebted. And his death had lead to a generous offer by his university, where he had given lectures on antique sculptors. The wife of JL Wallace was therefore free of any claims by the loan sharks and could enjoy the little pension she would receive as the wife of an artist and Professor. What Wallace had spent the money for was the subject of everybody´s guesses. But gentlemen did not talk about money and therefore the people soon assumed gambling and drugs would be the obvious answer. Only a few realized that Wallace had been remarkably absent from the Club lately and the same time seemed to become such a regular visitor of the university library. But what could a library do to a man that made him kill himself?

    By the time of his funeral everybody had forgot about such speculations and it was generally assumed and accepted his final rest would end the whole affair and let it pass into the shared consciousness of the public as another tragedy of a death of a young and skilled and very talented artist by his own hand.

    Only one person knew that Wallace had not killed himself, or at least she said she knew it. His wife was not yet ready to accept this truth. And if the police would not help her, she would someone who did. For the truth was something a widow deserved. Even though it meant to ignore his last will in form of the warning he had left in his note.

    ______________________





    THE STARS ARE RIGHT
    ~A Horror Adventure in the Victorian Age ~
    _____________________

    [​IMG]

    The Setting:


    London.

    The majestic center of the British Empire.

    The Victorian Age.

    Named after the most powerful monarch to probably ever grace the world, Queen Victoria, the same era would later become known as the Gaslight Era. It did not call itself that, because it could not know how short gaslight’s dominion would be, how soon after it´s invention and the replacement of torches it would be succeeded by the electrical light. But in this time the streets of London, foggy and dark, were lit by lanterns working with gaslight.
    _____________________

    That was the way many things went in these days. They changed. The world itself was on the move. It changed so fast, if you did not do your utmost best to keep up with it, it left you behind. Old orders broke apart and what came into the world was what would soon shape into the so called “modern” world. They dug tunnels and put trains underground to travel through town. Towers so tall they looked over all of the city the build. They invented technology unthinkable to man until then. Radio, electrical turbines, radar, steam power, light bulbs, phonographs, the movie . . . and most important among all those inventions probably, the automated factory.

    And yet, despite all those inventions the live of the poor changed little. They just worked for rich industrialists now instead of the rich nobles they had worked for before. More than anything the Victorian Age was one of great inequality of people.

    It was also a time of a great enthusiasm for occultism, before it was laid off as mere superstition. And secret orders like The Golden Dawn and the Hellfire Club recruited some of the ages most prominent minds to dwell in the secrets and nature of the supernatural.

    ________________
    Characters

    So who do you play? I really would not dare to limit your imagination. Literature and history give anybody in need a hundred ideas, really. The sleuth, the academic, the nobleman or woman? The smart inspector or the reckless American? Too many good ideas to name them all. If you need any help I am sure we can find something together.

    Be aware this adventure will be quite an investigative one in nature and certainly the ability to read and write might come in handy for any character. But the lack of such abilities might be as interesting as well, so please do not even limit your choice of character to the upper levels of society. Just go ahead. How will you fit into that story of mine? Here´s the deal. You make your character and then together we shall come up with that little detail, okay?

    The character-sheet. Please fill it out and send it to me via PM if you are interested in joining the game.

    Name:
    Occupation:
    Description:
    Equipment: (please some realism when it come to weapons. It was very uncommon in this age to wear guns inside London city limits if you had not a good reason to do so, yet a walking cane of dagger was much more common etc. )
    Biography: (as short or long as you want it to be)

    And obviously we all must stick to rules, so here are the rules.

    1. The GM is right. Always.
    2. Please send any sheet to me for approval before posting
    3. Do not be afraid, everything in here is fictional. I hope.
    4. For the sake of atmosphere there shall be no OOC at all. Feel free to PM or chat in any social thread about the game if you like. The notice of a future absence is the exception of that rule.
    5. Please try to post at least once a week. If any character´s player endangers the game flow by his absence I reserve the right to move his character out of the way. Gently.
    6. If you have extensive knowledge of the work of H.P. Lovecraft and feel you need to expose it in the game, please make a character who has access to according knowledge by the means of libraries or through personal experience.


    7. Have FUN!
     
    Sir_Draco and DarkLordoftheFins like this.
  2. Ramza

    Ramza Administrator Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 13, 2008
    Looks quite good - really the only thing I can think of is putting "Rules" above rules for quick reference. I like the notion of somehow incorporating SAN, although I'm similarly somewhat at a loss as for how one would go about it - 6E CoC has it related to a few other stats, so short of arbitrarily gauging what a given CS would look like in terms of those stats, I've got nothing.

    What? No! Everyone knows that you have to play a schizophrenic semi-illiterate hobo with a shotgun! It's the only way to win! :p
     
  3. SirakRomar

    SirakRomar Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 30, 2007
    To be honest, it is not what I expected. I thought we´d be more in the realm of Sherlock Holmes versus Cthulhu, with a Great Old One right in hte front of the whole OP, but this is surprisingly . . . subtle and Lovecraftian. A good surprise, I´d say, also maybe not the way to lure those not a fan of Lovecraft into the game. Except they love victorian murder mysteries and on second thought . . . who doesn´t.

    The opening is great. Classical and yet intruiging. The "Age and Setting" text comes off as a bit unfocussed, giving more a general idea about an era about which everybody will probably have a general idea. Written very well, but what do you wanna tell us? the end with the hints at the secret societies and clubs is intruiging, obviously. Character section is excellenbt. The right balance between ideas and liberty of choice or the illusion thereof.

    what I wonder, not miss, but wonder, is how my character will relate to the story? But considering many of HPL´s heroes were heroes by chance (or curse) I´d say that is only fitting. Yet, the place of my char in the order of things is still unclear to me. If you did not intend to keep it that way, you need to work on that. But you foreshadow doing that in the character creation process, so maybe that was intentional.

    Give it another draft and you´ll be ready, I think. It really sounds very fine so far and I will certainly make time to join it if you ever bring it up.
     
  4. Penguinator

    Penguinator Former Mod star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 23, 2005
    To be fair, Lovecraft wasn't always subtle - this is.

    The historian in me rebels against any attempt to summarize the Victorian era, but you've done a fantastic job at it.

    =D=
     
  5. Saintheart

    Saintheart Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Dec 16, 2000
    Add a third thumbs-up. Some grammar/translation issues in the flavour text, but nothing a second draft wouldn't fix. I like the look of it.
     
  6. Lukes_Apprentice

    Lukes_Apprentice Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Oct 15, 2008
    Well I do have say that was a good intro and the text was good for the most part. However, In the words of Sherlock Holmes "there is bad grammar afoot." Nothing a second draft could not fix.
     
  7. Penguinator

    Penguinator Former Mod star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 23, 2005
    Really?
     
  8. SirakRomar

    SirakRomar Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 30, 2007
    As it all sounds perfect to me, I guess that will be another case of direct translation from German to English. Dunno, but maybe pointing out the passages you mean and making a suggestions how to change it would help a German born GM a lot. Dunno if TGI got the contacts around here to aks anybody, so I wanted to point it out.

    Anyway, any idea when this one comes up? :p
     
  9. TheGoodImperial

    TheGoodImperial Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    May 17, 2009
    Indeed that would help. Last time around here I had a room mate speaking very good English to read along and answer stupid uestions if they needed answering. But this time around I am down to my own grammar knowledge and htat means I take German and translate it as well into English as possible. So any correction would be most welcome.

    Otherwise I see there is little critic, which makes me happy. Indeed Peng summarizing that period was a though bit, but I tried to go for a certain spirit. Too complex to really do it properly.

    Andyes, a bit sublte is what I aim for. Not all subtle, as I intend to have my shokcing and frightening scenes, but it´s a horror that burns slow, does not rely on gore and is hopefully more a bit of smart horror I aim for. And the investigation aspect shall not come too short. I hope I can put it up beginning of November. Not aiming for a huge crew, so I just might give it a shot then and see how you people take it.

    So I shall work on the grammar. I hope you guys could at least understand what I was after.
     
  10. Sir_Draco

    Sir_Draco Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 19, 2007
    Actually I think it is one of the most complete games ever to be presented around here. It is kinda different and therefore it´s quite hard to say change anything. because being different is kinda nice. Anyway, my game needs time. Serious time, which I do not have right now. Maybe in a week or two, but not next. Would anybody please bring up any discussion topic to save me?
     
  11. Imperial_Hammer

    Imperial_Hammer Manager Emeritus: RPFs star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 25, 2004
    With Winged's permission of course, I would love to chime in on a discussion topic, Sir Draco! If I'm out of place, please let me know and I'll edit the post. :)

    A Brave New World: New Mechanics in a Post-Move RPF

    So I've definitely been gone for a while from these good forums, and unfortunately I don't my schedule improving in the future to the point that I can engage in any large scale games. But I've been thinking about these new boards and what new goodies it brings to the table in terms of game mechanics. On face value, not much has changed in terms of this. Input is the same, most of the differences are under the hood in terms of account management. But one thing did stick out to me as something savvy and innovative GMs could utilize to add new dimensions to their games:

    [​IMG]

    The Like Button

    Oh inauspicious little like button, how sneaky you are! Like most, I considered the like button to be just another harmless bobble that didn't really do much to the overall feel of the place. So Imperial_Hammer likes post #336 in the Game Group, so what?

    But friends, our like button feature can serve a purpose! It can be remade into a real-time and convenient voting mechanism! We never had anything like that on the IGN boards, one would have to post to express one's interest, and too much of that clutters up a game and a board. But with this new tool, reader and player interactivity can be incorporated into RPGs in new ways. I will outline but a few:

    In Game Player Feedback: One thing a like button can do is allow for players to express their preferences in a discrete way for certain gameplay options. This can be as integrated as measures in a political game (eg: all in favor, click like), or as OOC as GM propositions (eg: Click Like on Post 1 for Twist A, or Click like on Post 2 for Twist B). While the like button can be pressed by non-players, the ability to see who all has liked the post allows for easy enforcement when tally-time comes around.

    Lurker Involvement Prt. 1: New Game Genres: Using the like feature also allows for open feedback competition style games. Any game premised on competition, from sports style podracing to experimental music/reality series games can benefit from the like button. GMs can incorporate bonuses informed by user feedback (eg: "RPF's most popular"), or conversely, they can punish based upon big brother type formulas (eg: "The least popular / most liked gets eliminated from the game"). Like PM tallying, there exists the potential for sock abuse. But if anything, this is most easily controlled for using "Like" than PM voting. Because of the public nature of "like", the transparency goes far in checking abuse. Suspicious usernames will be out there for all to see. And Mods can just as easily (I imagine?) do sock enforcement in this case, should suspicions of abuse arise. If anything, the easy nature of the like button offers a chance for greater lurker involvement. Allowing readers to get involved through using like could open up whole new genres of game play.

    Lurker Involvement Prt. 2: Interactive Readership in the Traditional RPG setting: This is the element I am most excited about with the like button. By giving not just players, but readers, a say in one's game, a GM opens new avenues for gameplay. The GM can, in essence, delegate some of his or her decision making power to the reader-base. "The more likes this post has, the harder the villain the players will meet." "Want this player sick or dying, like this post X number of times." "The person with the most likes in our library thread (link provided) will get to go on a funny side quest." The reader now has a say and a stake in the story line. "Reader Interactive RPGs" (RIRPGs) create what is essentially an easily-accessible mini-game that can hook non-players in.

    Consider the scenario of a user who doesn't have the time to play, but sees on a first post that in reading this game, he or she has a say in its outcome. This lurker likes the idea of seeing his or her "likes" translate into in-game results. This both entices the reader to read, and keeps the reader there. The reader/user eventually likes what he or she sees, gets a good feel for the GM or certain players. Three months later, when the reader does have time to play, he or she seeks out those players or GMs they got familiar with, and contribute to posting in the next game. RIRPGs give a sense of control to the reader, which will increase readership, which will in turn increase exposure to good GMs and players, which will in turn increase prestige and future RPF success. RIRPGs are a concept that has the potential to pay off!

    Meta-level Game Reviewing: One other last thing a like can do is serve as a community nod of approval to games as they arise. Consider this interesting thought experiment. Two games posted by two unknown users of roughly equal quality. One has no likes on its first post. The other has the tons of likes from the mods, experienced players, etc. All things equal, an on-the-fence player might favor the well-liked game, interpreting the likes from respected players in the same way one might consider a movie review. Or perhaps, a singular like from a user that a potential player knows to possess shared preferences. "If GreyJedi likes that game, maybe I will too" could be the line of thought there. Of course, this dynamic would have its limits. Just as someone in the mood for an action movie will go see it, despite horrible reviews, so too will potential players choose games that interest them, regardless of how many likes it has.

    Something to think about, my dear friends and RPF scholars! Sometimes the coolest things can come about by subverting the purpose of a feature and using it for something else. I got a feeling "like" might have that potential. I know should I have the time to faithfully run future games here, it will be a RIRPG of some kind. And if I see RIRPGs on the boards, I will definitely give them a read.

    Happy thinking, and thanks for reading!
    -I_H
     
    Winged_Jedi likes this.
  12. Ramza

    Ramza Administrator Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 13, 2008
    I'd be completely on board with such notions if we hadn't made likes incentivized via trophy points - yeah, they're a gimmick that doesn't mean much, but what I've learned in Comms is that some people take them terrifyingly seriously. So I'd be hesitant (As a staff member) to allow what essentially amounted to "Give me likes, the game" because I can see users crying foul, even though I think it's a good idea (As a GM). I'll need to mull that one over and comment at some time not quite so late at night, though. [face_thinking]
     
  13. DarthXan318

    DarthXan318 Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 12, 2002
    But strictly speaking, "Give me likes, the game" isn't against the rules - is it?
     
  14. DarkLordoftheFins

    DarkLordoftheFins Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 2, 2007
    Actually I skipped over the rules yesterday and I found nothing in it. Will it be drama in the Comms, JC or anywhere? Seriously, we aren´t therapists, we are RPers. That´s not our problem. If you give us a tool we use it, if you do not want us to use it, take it away. Does anybody around here even care about "getting likes to get awards"?

    So I think the ideas of Imp above are intruiging and worthy of experimenting with them, by any means. Also I believe "democratic storytelling" does not work, I think the element of democracy executed via "likes" could actually change a lot. I just remember how I lately found out Kira would soon join a game because she "liked" the OP. I had a look, jsut because we´re friends. So these likes are already beginning to end up as a short and powerful way to communicate support. Speaking of which I just "liked" TGI´s OP above. Simply because I really liked it. [face_laugh]

    If users cry "foul" anywhere else on the boards, I´d say let them. If they cry "foul" here, it better comes with an IC post, or it is actually a candidate for getting edited out because of games rules.We should not turn our back on anything, because we might have more mature ideas about it than the kids accross the schoolyard, I say.

    And what about voting? In Castaways we are in kind off a choice-based situation right now, players who had no time to choose between Camp Anora and Camp Solo could easily have expressed their tendency by using the "like" button. So well, there is something to this. The possible use could actually be unlimited. Couldl change the ideas of senate games entirely. Consider the players campaigners and the whole cumminity as possilbe voters? Could be nice.
     
  15. Sir_Draco

    Sir_Draco Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 19, 2007
    Actually I might incorporate this into my game! It might be the missing link I still need to get it going, as I missed some easy and appropriate way to regulate player involvment inside the game. [face_laugh]

    So, this could be really interesting. Transfer of money, ressources, political support could simply be done in-game by the "like" button. You throw your whatever behind player a? You like his first post! You withdraw your support? You UNLIKE him. Because that´s another option. People could really campaign for "likes" in game. Only condition would be to keep OOG strictly out of it. Maybe you could even trade the likes against services in game etc.

    Well, I really think about using this in "The Desert". I really will.
     
  16. Ramza

    Ramza Administrator Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 13, 2008
    Strictly speaking, no. Frankly, I don't care, that stuff is meaningless - but what I do care about is angry PMs, which they might cause me to get, because I'm an easily attacked face of the board. :p'

    Benefits of sleep and a couple of cups of coffee now aiding me, yeah, I dig it, let's go for it, and I'll tell people who complain to suck it up. Just wanted to voice the potential metagame concern that could come up.
     
  17. Sir_Draco

    Sir_Draco Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 19, 2007
    People are watching us to make certain we do not use the like button? And they would write Conversations to you, seriously? I am sometimes shocked what kinda activities happen outside the RPF´s border and under the same roof that we play here.
     
  18. Ramza

    Ramza Administrator Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 13, 2008
    It's a mad, mad, mad, mad world. :p
     
  19. Saintheart

    Saintheart Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Dec 16, 2000
    Don't be too hard on them, Draco. It's the JCC - the sort of place that, were it a physical location, you'd be building seven hundred foot walls of ice to cut it off from the rest of the world and then manning it with lifelong, oathsworn men in black to make sure nothing gets out of it.

    :D
     
  20. Ramza

    Ramza Administrator Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 13, 2008
    No, that's /b/. The JCC is more like a non-contagious disease ward. :p
     
    Kev-Mas_Colcha likes this.
  21. Saintheart

    Saintheart Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Dec 16, 2000

    [​IMG]


    Trolls gather, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my banning. I shall take no GIRL, hold no VIP status, spam no socks. I shall wear no manager's colours and win no contests. I shall live and die at my post. I am the banhammer in the darkness. I am the watcher on the boards. I am the fire that burns against the LOL'd, the light that brings the dawn, the horn that wakes the lurkers, the shield that guards the realms of users. I pledge my life and honor to the Forum's Watch, for this night and all the nights to come.
     
  22. Mitth_Fisto

    Mitth_Fisto Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Sep 29, 2005
    Hey Tron, long time no program :p
     
  23. SirakRomar

    SirakRomar Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 30, 2007
    Well, as much as I appreciate the attempt to make it look epic, these parts of the boards which I ventured to time and again indeed are one of those places you needs walls for. At least in big cities, so the little guy who need to change pants all few hours don´t run on the street. It is called kindergarden and it is pretty much exactly what it is about.

    Actually, let´s get back to this very interesting idea of using the like buttons for our games!
     
  24. Penguinator

    Penguinator Former Mod star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 23, 2005
    Yes, back on topic is an excellent idea :)
     
  25. DarkLordoftheFins

    DarkLordoftheFins Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 2, 2007
    I don´t know, using the likes in game has inspired Draco to use a new mechanism in his game . . . I´d say bring forth a draf of your game, no matter how rough it is, Draco. That way we can discuss a few things.