OOC Pieces Of A Jigsaw ~ The SotS Discussion Group *spoilers allowed*

OMG! OMG! OMG! What Fin just did to Corben´s!

 

Indeed, Sirak. Indeed.

I am working on my first attempt to summarize what we know about the Change. A "what we got so far" type of post . . . with a lot speculation added.

Anyway, I think we can lay the question if Milton is not a tough but basically good guy aside now.

For the record. I´ll kill him!

 

Having some fun reading over my whole RPing time over at SoTS. Camden has been through a lot of creepy stuff, including the demented Liam, the dead Gina, the holy Carl, and the axe man. So many different things that I am afraid Camden might not make it out of BMC!

And then there is Andrea or ?Andy?, who is involved in the big plane incident. Wondering what will happen to her! I am afraid the plane might just crash land. And who is Vincent?

Questions, questions, questions. I need answers, answers, answers!

 

All questions are answered with the appropriate application of the butt end of a shotgun.

 

Okay, then can we give you questions and you give us answers with the butt-end of your shotgun?

People, I suggested a second FAQ to Fin as certain questions came up frequently lately. This one will be posted here. So any questions that have rised lately, please to Fin. He´ll answer them with the next update. Thanks.

 

So, I was asked to wait until after eastern is over until posting this. But it looks as if the GMs triumvirate of SotS is planning on a "side-game"/Prequel/Prequel-storyline of sorts.

LordT recently declared that his final effort before he went away to travel the world would be a Prequel to SotS. And he posted this teaser in a usually well-informed thread somehwere outside the RPF.

Enjoy!

And I surely want to see more after reading this intro.

---

[quote=LordTroepfchen][i]
A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything.
~ Friedrich Nietzsche ~[/i]
[hr]

The Age of Change brought many riddles and unanswered questions. And many quests for truth were doomed to fail and sometimes even futile. For lies covered what humanity had never been meant to know. And a skillful tapestry of lies it was indeed.

But it wasn´t as if no humans had known the answers. Some actually did. They just weren´t able to tell them, anymore . . .

[hr]

[hl=darkred][color=orangered][b]Early Sins[/b][/color][/hl] (working title)

[hr]

[i]What will you do? Turn fire into water? Make oceans of wine? This is not happening![/i]

It was New Years Day. 2012. But for the young man it was more like a new world was born. He had remained silent for hours, trying to understand the profound meaning of what he had witnessed. When he did finally speak it was a recognition of his intellectual defeat.

"I have no idea what to say." The young man said and then had to laugh. "But you know what I think anyway, do you?" He added.

The other man stayed silent. There was a smile around his lips. Hinted. Lurking to break forth. And a small gesture of his hand made the young man look away from the pale, hairless face of his host and to the candle burning next to him. Burning . . . well . . . it was not exactly burning anymore.

[image=http://fantasyartdesign.com/free-wallpapers/imgs/new/23-flame-fantasy01.jpg]

[hr]

[i]There is an end. But there was also a beginning . . . [/i][/quote]

 

That picture is creepy. Very cool, but oddly creepy.

Is that game going to be on the RPF, or is it that tabletop prequel I heard about?

 

Well, the table-top games are running rarely but smoothly. They have nothing to do with it.

Early Sins (name will chance as sure as hell or . . . the Change) is meant as a companion piece for 3-5 players. It plays from November 2011 to the point where the intro-chat of SotS takes place. And I guess I can say it gives ALL the answers. It is a backplot everbody tries to figure out. Without details. Those would come in the Main-Game itself. Can´t be any more specific about that. Let´s just say the ANSWER is not the COMPLETE PICTURE but necessary to understand that one . . .

The game came up when in - in one huge three hour long meeting - gave me the whole backplot of SotS and I said that it´s a shame he never played that, because it would be such a great storyline.

So is it set in stone it´s gonna be played? Nope. But very likely. I have been looking for a last GM gig before my leave and I´d be brought to be hosted by Fin in his amazing universe. The story of Early Sins is amazing, I think. Will we do it in the NSWRPF? Maybe. Some things speak against it and the idea of another SotS thread might make people a lit more nervous around here than they already are about that game and it´s players . . .
We also need to recruit players there . . . so that could be a prob. Although I do believe a lot of players from SotS could be interested a few fresh faces would actually be nice.

Will it happen elsewhere? That is a possibility we are testing right now. It could be intruiging to play it offsite and sometimes throw in flashbacks into the current game running here to spice it up. Without both games knowing of each other.

I can spoiler: Jacob Zinsky will be a major force in the plot and it will play in huge parts in Africa.

---

[b]Another thing: [/b]

So, I know people read the other thread that officially criticized what we do here. Calling us a recap-thread and stuff . . . and I know such things ruin the fun of posting in a thread. Fin also is pissed about this happening in his fifth game around here. One active member already PMed if we would not like to move somwhere out of the reach of . . . people. Fin considered shutting [i]"Pieces"[/i] down. I feel that is what some people want out there. I doubt it is what people want in here. And I got now the crappy job of asking for opinions about the matter. Please PM me. I want to avoid any further discussion, so we do it in PMs. Only opinions are asked of which I will summarize and forward as unfiltered as possible to Fin.

Does [i]Pieces of a Jigsaw[/i] stay open? Or do we close it down and give the users an out-of-RPF place to discuss?

 

Please don't move the game off-site after posting about it on-site. That's... well, the correct term would be a rules violation, but it's a bit mean. It's like holding the proverbial ball slightly out of reach as you debate whether or not to hand it to us.

 

PIECES will die or go on. If I shut it down, whatever people do anywhere else is not my cup of tea. I am just tired defending about everything I do around here. And no user not active here gets a say. And sorry, no mods either. it´s up to you guys. Tell me if this is worth me spending my hours in duscussion groups, or not. So, that´s it. PMs to lordT please. As we germans say, he cooked the soup. He shall eat it.


Concerning Early Sins and rules breaking:
Well, TheSithGirly posted it, so what can he do about it? Point fingers to her and good luck with fighting a lawyer concerning RULES.

Example?

Example: Rules Violation might be a little though to proof here. Forbidden is off-site advertisment. We haven´t said (or decided anything) to what page we would move the new game and the only one I would find acceptable is not an open community. But the game exists nowhere, yet. Nothing to advertise. So we do not qualify for that advertising. Other rules? Any rule I am not aware of? Or anyone wants to make up one so the discussion just dying down keeps a little up and running?

Accusations please to a mod or PM in the future, please. If Mods share my opinion, please remove Ramza´s accusation from this Group. If not and I have the authority as a group founder to ask it, please do so, too.

But thanks Ramza, for fueling LordTs ideas. You guys make me run out of arguments FAST!

 

I think my phrasing has been misunderstood.

What I mean is it's a **** (Another word for rooster) tease, which I can't say. That's the rule violation (As in, I would need to violate the rules to express my preferred word choice), it's got nothing to do with the advertising. Sorry about any misconceptions my crappy wording has caused.

The gist of my post is I think it looks cool and I'd be disheartened to see it go. I WASN'T ACCUSING ANYONE OTHER THAN MYSELF IN A HYPOTHETICAL UNIVERSE OF A RULE VIOLATION.

 

A couple of things:

(1) It's oddly phrased, but I read Ramza's sentence the same way he says he meant it. I'll let it stand. If there are any further objections about this PM me and I will be happy to clarify and/or deconstruct the sentence into its constituent parts of speech to show how I arrived at that conclusion.

(2) I direct everyone to Rule 8 under Posting Rules and Regulations in the Rules of the JC:

In future, please refrain from doing any sort of in-thread call-for-mod-action. If anyone thinks another user should be edited for something, they should PM a moderator directly. If it's urgent and Peng or I are not online, PM any mod in the Mods Online list and they will be happy to help you in any way they can.

Yes, we've been quite lenient regarding this in the past, but as it's become a bit of a problem I think it's high time we started taking a harder line with this sort of thing.

We appreciate your cooperation!

~Xany

 

Well, my apologies to darthRamza, then. My sincere apologies.

I actually am pretty good in English and I think half of the time anybody says translation is a problem that is a lie. But if I read that above, I read it the way I did this morning. I now have seen how it could be meant otherwise, but my head does not make that happen. Maybe the discussions of late were guilty. Maybe it is me being to biased. Or it is a rare case of how a joke can´t be translated. Most likely I am too old and too stubborn and much to single-minded to see it´s true meaning.

I believe Ramza and Xany got it right and I got it wrong. And I honestly apologize for it to the mods and especially to Ramza. Sorry. I am truly SORRY.


Two more things:
1. Now, I think that tease up there should be a little explained and I asked Fin to do it. But he is busy. I think behind Early Sins lies a plan that has potential. Fin. Whenever you are ready.

2. PMs, some talk and myself convinced Fin to keep Pieces as it is. Actually nobobdy so far wanted anything else.
If any further discussion about it´s existence and justification come up I will speak for the GMhood of SotS.

 

So bets are on.


Daniel Beckfris vs Rufus Jameson?

Beckfris has Björndahl (I think) and Adam (I hope) on his side.
Rufus I think will have Lilith on his side and perhaps Mabi.

However as it seems Rufus is a good guy so going with traditional storytelling standards he should go out victorious. But! Based on that in a traditional thriller/scary movie fashion since it's the first encounter Beckfris can't be killed since he has to come back again for a semi or final fight.

Thooough.. SotS isn't really following traditional storytelling at the same time so it could be anyones game.

If the two characters fight in the first place that is

 

Oh, I am looking forward to the clash of titans in Nepal. And I can say in SotS such things never have a given outcome. Although my knowledge of plot-points involved obviously mame me do educated guesses

---

[b]Early Sins[/b] was not meant to come up so early. It actually is a little spoilerific. But anyway. Right now me and my team are exploring two options. The reason why to do it is not to branch out SotS. Which we feel is unecessary. But I want to see the Prequel played. And I think adding another layer of time to SotS Main might harm it, so a second game would be the way to go. Under another GMs guidance with my cooperation, as I have no time to do it. Where do we play it?

Option 1: NSWRPF. Classical. Making a second game and go the franchise route. There are pros to this. Every user can read and enjoy it. Everybody who did SotS can join. And I love my crew around there and would love, love, love them to play another game. Players are the reasoon why SotS was played here and in English the first place. Many said do it elsewhere, do it in German. But I have met some of the best people, e-friends and players on this board and I wanted to do it with them.
There is a contra. Or two. Do we have enough player to entertain another game? Do we spoil everything through a second game? Is it to much SotS for everybody? Valid questions. Spoilerfree would be nigh impossible for both games. SotS is "Early Sins" outcome.

How would we do it? Second thread. Second game. Own GM. My input. But no direct control from my side. A game of it´s own. Like the ABYverse games have been to Sinre´s 128ABY.

Option 2: We go offsite. To a group we know and where we got a few people eager to play with us. We go there with a little . . . with a spliced tongue, because I make no secret that in time, once they played a certain part of Early Sins I would invite them to make an appearance in SotS. With all their knowledge. I think that could be an amazing feeling. Unknown players, playing unknown characters with the authentic knowledge of their characters also their own.
And if these players find other games along the road interesting? GOOD. They are welcome to play here, I am sure. The Admin of the group is fine with it. They got a lack of GMs and looked for some way of cooperating with someone for a long time. So, everybody would win EXCEPT people who wanted to play it here!

Thing is why I don´t do it that way is simple . . . I owe first and foremost to my players of my game here. So I want them to have the chance to play every line of SotS if they want to.

All of that is in it´s early planning stages, as we won´t do anything before next month is over . . . if you have interest though, feel free to voice it.

Opinions would be appreciated, too.

[b]-Fin-[/b]

[hr]

Now to my greatest concern: You will deciever SotS long before I planned. I realize that [face_tongue] I´ll let people voice their opinion on the above and tomorrow TheSithGirly and SirakRomar asked for the stage to offer their COMBINED THEORIES WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT.

[face_laugh]

Good luck, girlies.

 

Aaah, we gotta wait until tomorrow? Well, don´t you dare revealing Milton Prests nature before we could guess it!


Anyway, for the sense completeness I would like to see Early Sins here and would fight like a lion to have a spot in it!!! But the idea of dragging new blood here is nothing I am opposed to. My opinion on this.

Glad you kept this one open, really.

 

I think Early Sins should be here! I think it would be awesome! Also, glad this place stayed!

 

Okay, see, now I'm torn, because if Early Sins has a legitimate chance of pulling in new players, that's always a good thing.

But I also want to follow the game, so from a personal perspective that's a bummer. Still, if you think there's a definite chance this could bring in some permanent new blood, I'm tempted to say do it offsite.

Basically, ARGH CONFLICT OF INTERESTS.

 

I'm actually looking forward to reading this, too, mostly because I've wondered for months what this game was "about" and never realized that it was some sort of mystery thing that you were supposed to figure out. So yeah, I'm going to go ahead and use your theory as a primer/introduction to the whole thing, whenever you post it.

 

So, TheSithGirly and SirakRomar with the help of Sir_Draco present The Rotten Core.

A piece of wild speculation.

[image=http://images.travelpod.com/users/mikeymouse/3.1213191960.me-thinking-hard-about-where-to-go.jpg]

---

As we indeed have interested new parties arriving here, I want to introduce the game and how it works. As it is a little complicated to oversee (also it plays pretty easy). So, Fin always talks about the ability to play this game on two levels. Actually I believe it is three. You can play the Meta-game. Read it ALL. Try to figure out what it all means, what it is all about. Who with whom and to what end etc. That is actually what we will do here. Try to solve the mystery of SotS itself. You can alos play your Chapter, only. That is pretty common, as Chapters do cover several characters and on first sight they got nothing to do with the other chapters. Germany, Nepal, Boston I, Boston II and Nepal had been the original stories there and now we got Fight 2440 in addition. Perhaps someone should summarize their content Chapter by Chapter one day. But for now I´ll talk about the storyline in itself.

[color=blue][b]The German Storyline[/b][/color]

Near Hamburg in the harbour town Kiel people vanish. All of them.

In Hamburg: A group of students get dragged into the events surrounding The Change, while a british computer geek working the ESTI, the European initiative to investigate the Change fights for the life of his daughter. Soon the daughter is in the hands of a serial killer, the computer expert and his ESTI "friends" finds himself in battle with unknown agents and the students (except the one becoming a serial killer) fight with mysterious people appearing, time-travel and everybody suddenly hunting them . . . while Hamburg goes to hell, with people attacking each other everywhere without reason . . .


[color=red][b]The Boston Storyline[/b][/color]

Actually two stories so far. One shows "evil" infiltrating a Verteran meeting headed by a catholic father. The second does resolve around a hopsital in which a virus making people believes they are "Caleb" a psychopthic murderer spreads and inside of this two docs, a crazy demolitionsexpert and a billionaire get locked quarantined . . .

An additional storyline features a man in Middlesex who meets a girl without a face, just like the one of the introduction dream all people on earth had experiended to some extend . . .

Meanwhile Prometheus, the equivalent to the European ESTI recruits. And it takes an aim at Milton Prest, a character we will look into later . . .


[color=crimson][b]The Nevada Storyline[/b][/color]

Corben´s Inn become not only the crime scene of a tragic act of violence, but the trapped people there have no gas because the truck delivering it never came. Something is wrong there and we soon learn they actually are in the midst of another Mass vanishing, much like Kiel´s. A waitress meets her future self and sees it kill and a faithful young woamn meets a guy who questions her faith.


[color=purple][b]The Nepal Storyline[/b][/color]

The older storyline, going back to the Aria of the Soul game is a game more about the big picture of things. We got an evil mastermind of crime called Beckfris there. We got an seemingly timeless incarnation of murder called "Adam" and these two, except everybody thinking they would kill themselves . . . became allies.
They hunt a man called Zinsky. A Geramn programmer, who has nothing less than the ANSWER to the QUESTION what is the CHANGE?
Also hunting them is The AMercian Lawyer throuzgh many proxies, nobody else then the mysterious Milton Prest. And then there is Rufus Jameson and Lilith. Thre oddest most charming couple ever to grace the RPF: Another timeless woman and a hard-boiled detective straight out of Chandler´s books. Both looking for answers, too.
After some confusion this storyline boils down to a finale, when both parties clash in the mountains, speeding towards the very monastery Zinsky is in.

Also I expect

 

The Rotten Core

Observation One

Milton Prest - The Devil or the Victim?

Milton Prest has been with the game since it´s early teasers in ImpHammers Summer Challenge where he appeared as the American Lawyer in the prologue of the Nepal Storyline. Since then he has appeared again and again, not only cuasing a lot of paoin but also contradicticting his original appearance as the "Man behind things . . ."

His activities so far have touched almost every Storyline. Only Germany seems to have escaped his attention.

In Nepal he has arranged Rufus Jameson and The King to search for the "Man with the answers Jacob Zinsky" and has thereby directly opposed Daniel Beckfris, played by The Dark Underlord. They have both removed each others pieces from the board, Jameson is now rogue and his replacement soon died. It actually looks like he is beaten in Nepal.
Meanwhile in Boston we found out he the lawyer of the other great mystery of the game, billionaire Carl Weber. He meets with the US President, arranges assassinations of his own client Weber and is spotted by Prometheus as the psossible man behind the Change.
While he himself seems to work hard to keep his organisation together. Borrowing resources from Weber who is in hospital.
In Nevada he showed the most obvious interest, digging something from the desert and killing everybody involved. He seemed to be surprised by our casts vanishing but finally he also seemed to be happy with finding this box. present!Milton that is. Because a future version of him will appear and kill everyone inside Corben´s, ranting about god, the universe and creation. He seems erratic, mad, insane to me and is probably the outlook of a Milton who has survived the Change into the barren lands of the future USA.

I think we all agree Mr. Prest seems to be something of our all prime antagonist. An ice-cold killer, calculator, puppet-player. And what is most disturbing, even Prometheus overestimate his power. He is NOT behind the change. Several times he seems to have been totally surprised by it. His plans got regularly disturbed by the Change. He also is not invincible. The Beckfris and Adam alliance seemed to have pushed him out of Nepal. The assassination of Weber failed. And he fears things. He gets nervous. Nevertheless he is invulnerable, old and obviously not a human AT ALL.

So what is he?

My theory. The Devil.

Not the mythological devil. I think all Judeo-Christian myth is only a tale in the world of SotS (much like it is in our world) but there might be something truthful to it. A corrupter of man, a child of god that has turned it´s back on him. And that one is Milton Prest. Hints? Well, his rant in Corben´s Inn shows him to be familiar with God. First person. As well as God being gone. Although the only two people he leaves alive are those having faith. as if killing them is not enough.

Second, his behavior. He is frightened by the Change, he also had a meeting with someone else called Anton in which was hinted that his perception of time is not in order anymore. He understands what is happening, but cannot affect it obviously. So, that points in my book to him being in the same league as whatever causes the change, but not able to stop it. In a short scene in the teaser thread he talks to ANTON another timeless being. And ANTON assumes humans are behind the Change. Calling a wicked mind the ultimate weapon of mass destruction. Prest says he prefers the nuke and soon later his allies benefit from Xiang Xiangs nuclear power plant exploding. I love that. It shows his lack of subtly when it comes to situations out of his control. His lack of patience. And his denial to believe humans could cause the Change show how low he thinks of them. An arrogance that is getting back to him on several fronts, right now.

Third. His name. John Milton wrote Paradise Lost, a tragedy poem over the Devil´s fall from grace. The name might point to that.

Fourth. His manipulative ways. He is much less seductive as usual portrays of him, but has a fir

 

Obviously I will not comment, but finally someone got the name thing A great analysis. And I can say that my update tomorrow will probably give you some insight on the topic. Can´t wait for the three The Change analysis though. Sounds like you pretty much cover all your bases.

A job well done. Long but ressourceful.

 

I must concur with Fins, and I definately am looking forward to the first two views concerning the The Change as they apply to the two modes that my character sometimes swings between.

Plus, for some reason, this nearly feels like some wonderful presents are getting dropped off of the variety that I didn't even think to ask for.

 

Although I do not agree with all your points, I think this is a very convincing analysis and I agree with the result. We got sme kind of fallen champion there.

That is actually what I love, love, love about Milton Prest. He is as afraid as all of us. More evil but just as afrid of the Change. Makes him almost human.

Although is it the End of the World?

I´ll try to write up my theory tomorrow. And I think one of the next pressing questions will be who Robert/Anton is? The other "thing" that seems to be like Milton Prest and probably has known him for a very long time.

Are we having a Jacob/Smocke relationship here? Or is he just not as insane as Prest? Maybe more tired of existence? I had that vibe from him in that desert scene.

 

Thought I'd offer two chapters which needed notes on. Hope everyone finds them to be a nice read.

Within the Mind of a SotS Player - Notes on Boston and Flight 2440

Speculations#1
A Quarantined Hospital

Boston Medical Center, commonly referred to as the BMC, is the centermost action in Boston (in my mind at least.) Both chapters involving Boston have somehow gotten involved. So far, a quarantine went over BMC after ?Caleb? spreads terror within. While Godot wanders Boston for ?Caleb?, the BMC are cowering in fear of him. By details, the virus causes people to believe they are Caleb. Dr. Camden Fossett (my wonderful character) is dealing with the inter workings of his mind. Having a strange, missing child and a dead friend adds to terror. And some lunatic leaps on his back and stabs him with an axe in the back and stomach.

Carl Weber seems to be an odd man in this, but a perfect fit. Someone you would want to be around in times like these. I have been delivered a hint that Carl might not stay on Camden?s side. How frightening! And the kid. Liam Albec as he refers to himself. Who is this kid and what the hell has happened to him? His pictures are definitely creepy. Stephanie Dale, the woman who spoke with Camden before, unfortunately has died. Or at least I suppose! Anderson has been stabbed in the neck, right after seeing Liam. What is Liam doing? He has some things to explain to his foster father. Janssen seems to be having fun. After seeing Anderson die, she gets to save Camden?s little boy. What a good girl!

Outside the hospital in the Fossett Household is the pregnant wife of Camden. She has no idea of the fact that she is pregnant, but puking in the sink should have given her signs. I guess after finding out your husband is quarantined in a hospital, most likely dead, any thoughts would slip from your mind. And Elizabeth Jenkins, Camden?s sister-in-law, has just got flirted with another women to get what she wants. I think that Abigail might soon be involved in this mess.

Times in Boston are ruff. So many links to people. Boston needs a tree to show who works with who, who is related to who, and who meets with who. I love my Boston.

Speculations#2
Flight 2440 Down

It?s not looking to good for the passengers of Flight 2440. I like Sirak?s post about the ?Italian b***h?. Fits Andrea nicely. You mess with the bull, you get the horns, as the saying goes. Her father is dying. You would expect the faithful girl to rush out to save her last close family. How unlucky that she picked the wrong time to fly. And she meets Vincent, a slick man whom she flirts with constantly. British, has a gun, makes her laugh. All the ingredients for her.

Sumiko happens to have Tony with her. How lucky that the two girls get paired up with the two men. He tells her he can predict the future, which I would like to see in action. Then one moment he is there, the next he isn?t. A stewardess with an attitude and a false smile is so ?last year?. At least, that is what my character thought as she kicked the woman?s ***. And this first class person. Who could it be?

Rich. Quiet. Seems like every strange man who mentions things of being immortal. What with Carl, Milton, and others, what has the world come to. Flight 2440 is coming to be a great new chapter.

That?s my Summaries for the two. Hope you like the two cents! Also, I enjoyed the past few posts. Great speculating!