An RPG's RPG?

Tremula · March 2015

I've been thinking a lot the past couple of days, and realised that more often than not people will spend time idling in a manse while browsing the internet or at their nexus only paying half-attention to things that go on out of sheer boredom. Sure, they can go off and start hunting or influencing, but all the best spots are usually taken or they've a comfortable nest of experience/gold/esteem/essence and feel the reward isn't worth the effort. So when does the game stop being a game and become a social media outlet where you talk with your friends on clans and only move around when there's a revolt or a flare?

So I thought I would make a small little player-done RPG in Lusternia, a mix between Hand of Fate and Dungeons of Dragons (taking the play-style of HoF and adding the overarching story of DoD with the multiplayer aspect). It's perfectly feasible, after all, that any illusionist could get into your head and allow you to experience things that are not actually happening, especially if nothing happens to your real body. As long as you have an area without ambients to break the illusions (or just ignore them), there's really no limit to how far willing players can go with this!

For those of you unfamiliar with the Hand of Fate game, I'll put in a link here for you to go watch someone playing.

Personally, I think as long as it stays Lusternia-based, this could be a really fun sub-RPG to have inside of the game, and offer more depth to anyone who's recently felt left along or is put up with all the drama that's seemed to happen lately. If enough people like it, I could even get a clan for it (with small dues, wouldn't that be funny?) and a neutral manse where we could all play in it. I wanted to post my idea here, at least, and see what the general community thought of it. Is this something that's been done before? Is this something that people wouldn't really want to see? Let me know!

EDIT: Doo doo, used the wrong link button.

Elanorwen · March 2015

There was a point in time where someone was running a D&D campaign over Skype. Not sure what happened there, but that was a bit of a fun experience. Me, I really don't have as much time these days as I'd like to run around and drive 30+ miles to get to a D&D game, so something done online/remotely usually works best for me. That said, not familiar with Hand of Fate at all... and watching a 17m video at work isn't going to go down well with my bosses, so... I'll probably expand on my opinion later.

Tremula · March 2015

After thinking it through some more, I figured I should elaborate further on my idea for the random chance system and deck system, otherwise people might think it was just 'Play Tremula's game and hope she likes you'.

o To start with, how do you decide random chance?

In making the database for the cards, the ones with random chance will have it included. For example a card called 'Friendly Shieldmaiden' will be a 100% success chance with multiple options of interaction. However a card called 'Sudden Rockfall' may have a 50% success chance. For this, there would be two Success, one Fail, and one Huge Fail options. While Tremula would lay down cards for you to pick between in-game, how would I be choosing them in real life?

The four cards, laid from left to right, would be numbered 1, 2, 3, and 4 respectively. Using a private Roll20 campaign room, I would execute an alias called 'suddenrockfall', which would send four 1d4 rolls to represent each of the cards and their positions. Any matches are re-rolled until every card has its own, unique place and then your choice is given to you.

Different Lusternia campaigns will result in what come out to be "dungeons", wherein a set boss is located at the end and cards are placed along the way in 'floors'. Each progressive floor is slightly more difficult than the last, with easier bosses having less floors and more difficult having multiple. Each card in the database will have its own identification number, using an eight-number serial code. Depending on the amount of sessions a player has been through and the size of their collection (to be mentioned further), more cards will be allowed for more entertaining and complex dungeons.

When a number of cards has been determined for a dungeon, the player will choose from their collection to add and the Cardmaster (me or any others who eventually want to lead the games [referred to from herein as CM]) will add from the overall collection as they please (or to fit a theme. You wouldn't see too many dragons in a plague campaign, after all) into a random name picker. This is where that serial code comes into play.

The serial code is broken into three pieces, two two-digit factors, one one-digit factor, and one three-digit factor (maybe if it goes on long enough and gets big enough we could see nine-digit serial codes!) in the following order: Card Type, Floor Recommended, Owner, Identification.

So for example, the card with the code of 01121001 would indicate that it is of the first card type (weapon), suitable for the first to second floor, Ownable by All (the first owner class [meaning either the CM or the player could addd it to the game]), and identified as the first card added to this particular collection.

After the player chooses which cards they will add and the CM ith each move the player makes, the CM will add the serial codes of each card into the name picker. Then with each turn a card will be chosen (and removed from the list) and played appropriately.

Certain cards (such as weapons, enchantments, armour, etc.) cannot be simply played to the dungeon. Only room cards (a code of 00) can be played to the dungeon floor. Depending on the room card you move to, you could very well visit a shoppe, find yourself besieged by monsters, or even enter a deadly maze full of traps and treasure. According to the Floor Recommended serial code, treasure, loot, and monsters will be filled in as necessary by other random name picker.

o And card collection?

I will write up a big ol' excel spreadsheet that has every card the game has to offer inside of it. Players will have access to a lesser version of it (you won't be able to see cards only CMs can possess, to keep some mystery), while CMs will have access to the full version, which has everything you need to run a game successfully. Another CM visible document will have a list of all the cards in each person's possession, to make sure that no one tries to sneak in cards they don't have and so they can remind people what cards they do have (some people don't keep track!). As cards get added to the game, the list will be updated so people can see. And yes, it is possible to collect multiple of a card, though no more than three of the same can be used in your deck.

Well, I know no one asked questions, but these are some I thought would come up and thought I'd answer them pre-emptively.

Riluna · March 2015

Over Skype or something isn't that big a deal, but do I understand right that you're trying to set this up to play within Lusternia itself? Like our characters have characters? I don't think that's a good idea. Playing on the forums (or elsewhere entirely) is one thing, because it's basically another game. But Lusternia isn't just a social outlet hosting other games. It's a game itself, or it used to be. Further adding to that might distract people even more from it.

Do you really feel like there is nothing else to do but hunt and bash, IG?

Qistrel · March 2015

RPWHO ON

Tremula · March 2015

I'm not trying to take away, I'm trying to add for people who want more. It would be interesting to see the characters Neos creates compared to the character that Celina makes, for example. As well, it allows for further character development in showing what they would do if allowed the position you're in. The game itself does already host other games (Psychodrama, Vengeance, Battlechess, Bombard, Miniaturebattles, Fate, etc.) and adding another, especially one that can be so heavily player-influenced, shouldn't really hurt it any more.

It's come to the point where RP is rare and dying, unfortunately. Even with RPWho on, it's very rare to see more than one or two people on it at any given time. If the game gets popular, I can add another CM or two who are active in different timezones, so that way if anyone wants to join this game or just wants to play, they can always find one CM awake.

Riluna · March 2015

@Neos has created a character, and a very good one. It's called Neos. @Celina has too (welcome back, btw), and hers is very scary, and compelling. So have you, Tremula, and I've found my interactions with you as compelling, as they are brief. If you want more RP, come find me any time we're playing together. I just may not want to go somewhere private, like a manse.

A lot of people's opinion does seem to be that RP is dying, but I disagree. You yourself still clearly have a lot of the passion, drive, and creativity that permeated the entire game in "the days that were." The detail alone you've come up with is a seriously impressive level of energy. The difference is only one of focus, since these and other like additions add more to the "collection culture" than anything else, IMHO. If you're trying to come up with something to benefit Lusternia, why not focus that energy more on Lusternia? I would love to play with somebody that enthusiastic, right now even.

I just probably won't want to retreat to a manse at all. We have grown too private these days where the RP does happen.

Tremula · March 2015

Riluna said:
The difference is only one of focus, since these and other like additions add more to the "collection culture" than anything else, IMHO. If you're trying to come up with something to benefit Lusternia, why not focus that energy more on Lusternia? I would love to play with somebody that enthusiastic, right now even.

While I like your points, there's this one bit I want to point out here. When my energy is focused into Lusternia, it often feels like I'm trying to push a torrent of water through a pinprick hole, which is grossly overestimating my ability in my mind still. I tried to fully embrace my role of Ambassador and pick up RP through that, and instead of meeting acceptance I got called a traitor and told that my job was to deal with novices, that I should stick to it. I was even running through Lusternia genderbent for ages and only a small percentage of people noticed. Still, this isn't the place to discuss that, it's a thread for the original idea.

I'd love to turn direct energy into Lusternia, but nearly every recent past attempt (besides Divine interaction or things during Ascension) has seen it fall flat on its face or been decried. So if I can instead create something that people can come to willingly and express their interest in regardless of race, culture, or creed but individual identity, I can create a more positive place to interact where the only way you'll get called a traitor is if you let everyone die before taking all the loot for yourself.

The only reason I suggested a manse in the original idea is so that way we have a neutral area that I could describe to my liking for a game hall. On second thought, though, I suppose the Triple Junction Inn could also be used for this, as I think that a neutral gathering point was its intended purpose.

Cyndarin · March 2015

I think the unfortunate part of Lusternia's RP is that org RP tends to have an element that constricts RP outside of a player's respective org. Glom definitely has this issue. I try to ease up a little while staying in character when non gloms try to RP with me, but it's hard because you're all just lowly peons within the Kingdom of Night and I am her glorious chosen amongst mortal kind.

Enyalida · March 2015

It would be cool (and tied in with RP) for something like the Seventh Towers's Beastmaker game. Basically, it's a take on the already-existing miniatures battle system crossed with psychodrama. You take turns applying modifications to your combatant, which are fused together to create an ephemeral creature at the end of the setup phase. After that, they fight it out, using the tools and abilities you gave them during setup. Unlike the psychodrama game, it wouldn't need to be based on dramatics skill, something that closes off the feature for a large swath of players. It could also repurpose ikons in some way, to prevent introducing more collectables - or just be self contained in an artifact board, in the way that fate is.

There are a lot of different IC paths this kind of thing could spring from, and it brings to mind the earlier ages of Lusternia, when gods still shaped creatures of the land.

Tarkenton · March 2015

Queendom, silly.

As for RP, if you ever see Tark online, just poke at him randomly. I'll RP with anyone, and he's a Mag sympathizer to boot!

Edit: Makes a note to himself to turn his gem off if he isn't doing anything that requires being all hidey.

Enyalida · March 2015

Another, much simpler^, idea would be to introduce some new abilities into trade skills. Allow bookbinders to make blank cards, which can then be written on and named. Enhance unenchanted cardpacks, allowing them to contain these blank cards and shuffle them, and deal them out randomly. The owner of the pack would have the ability to set some of those rules, as well as 'lock' the deck, disallowing changes to the drawing/shuffling rules or the contents of the deck. Create a 'card-table' or 'card-mat' skill into Artisanry, with patterns for special playing surfaces. These could have a variable number of playing zones*, potentially even named ones. Card tables would also act as storage places for card packs, but would be stationary furniture.

What all of that would amount to is giving Lusternians a way to design their own personal card-based games, which can encompass a very wide range of potential games when you can design the cards yourself, with PROBE showing some input field of that card, READ the rest (IH/INV, the title of the card). Eventually, the most popular cards would have specific tables designed for them, with the zones appropriately limited and named. Other games would just use standard, communal tables or mats - or even potentially be played sans table or mat, for the easier ones.

I imagine that Serenwilde's social games would turn out very different than Celest or Magnagora's, and it's an interesting path of roleplay for someone to pursue, given the tools. Even if you only actually play every so often, it seems to me that many players would enjoy the subtext of discussion, intrigue, or mere bonding over a regional game - something made possible by the knowledge that it's a real thing that tangibly exists and can be done IC in Lusternia. Prowess at the game of 'Hart and Hunter' might speak well to your political skill, after all.

^Simpler in the long run, heh.

*That would allow you to PLACE <card> ON ZONE <#> [facedown] or whatever.

EDIT: More complex games, for the interested, would probably just use multiple cardpacks for the different draw piles. It would also probably be worth making the more complex rule abilities not be imbued during the pattern process for decks (Which should be designable), but as part of a second, optional step of enchanting. That way, you rope in more trades and make it more costly to create on a lark.

Delphas · March 2015

Enyalida said:
Another, much simpler^, idea would be to introduce some new abilities into trade skills. Allow bookbinders to make blank cards, which can then be written on and named. Enhance unenchanted cardpacks, allowing them to contain these blank cards and shuffle them, and deal them out randomly. The owner of the pack would have the ability to set some of those rules, as well as 'lock' the deck, disallowing changes to the drawing/shuffling rules or the contents of the deck. Create a 'card-table' or 'card-mat' skill into Artisanry, with patterns for special playing surfaces. These could have a variable number of playing zones*, potentially even named ones. Card tables would also act as storage places for card packs, but would be stationary furniture.

The blank cards and shuffling should be posted to ``Ideas/Simple Ideas'' if not already. Darn good idea.

Delphas · March 2015

Terrific idea! Our characters could make characters who are students and professionals in a technologically advanced industrial society where magic doesn't exist. I call it ``Papers & Paychecks''.

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