Digimon Experimental Roleplay
Current state of affairs
Most Digimon roleplays I have seen on the guild make you play both halves of the partnership: the Digidestined and their partner Digimon - the two characters whose interactions matter the most, and can be expected to interact the most. Personally, if I wanted to write both sides of my most important character pair myself, I'd be on a fanfiction site, not a roleplaying one.
Likewise, whenever I inquired about playing a Frontier-style character to be rid of that hassle, I received a no, with no additional explanation, even if the setting didn't seem unfit for such a concept.
The experiment
So instead, I want this game to be different. In this experiment, I want to give these character options:
- One side of a classic partnership: The run-of-the-mill partnership is still the cornerstone of Digimon stories. However, in this game, one player will not be permitted to play both the Digidestined and the partner Digimon of a single pair. Instead, you will play only the human or Digimon part, and another player will play your partner, or vice versa. Before the game starts, players who wish to go this traditional route will be given time to hash out who partners with whom and their characters.
- Spirit wielder: A Digidestined that uses the spirits of fallen Digimon to become one themselves. You can give this your own flavor - your spirit totems can be inanimate objects like in Season 4, they could be a voice in your character's head offering advice or vicious mockery, or your character could be a vessel through which the spirits temporarily return to life. The whole point of the experiment is to allow you more freedom.
- Wild Digimon: The other side of the coin. These are the ordinary Digital World citizens, which in your hands may have an extraordinary destiny. These are your Leomons, your Whamons, or your Devimons! Whoever said you had to be the hero?
Yes, there is some potential for issues to come from this. Issues that exist even in a regular game, but may be aggravated in the classic pairing:
- Inactivity: Life tends to get in the way of having fun, it's normal and it is to be expected. In this game, it has the potential of leaving your partner hanging. Therefore, there will be a relaxed, but enforced posting schedule, and you'd be required to report an absence beforehand, if you are able. If one partner goes AWOL, the story adapts: the Digimon can find a new partner, become wild, or fade away; the human can partner again, or take up Spirit Evolution.
- Player conflicts: Don’t worry if you and your partner player don't click after a while. All of us should be entering with the experimental nature of this game in mind. Need to make a change? Make a story out of it! That’s Digimon's DNA. Struggles, disagreements, and mismatched personalities are fuel for growth.
- Commitment uncertainty: The story will be in episodic format, so there will be times when new players can jump in, or for existing ones to swap characters and partners. So while I need at least some 'critical mass' to get this ball rolling, staying around as a reader before deciding whether to hop on the bandwagon should be an option.
- And, I assume, quite a few things I didn't even think of: Just holler, and we'll figure it out.
Oh, right, the story!
Key themes:
Adventure, moral complexity, and psychological tension. Expect battles that will make you question your past choices, ethical dilemmas, and moments where "doing the right thing" is anything but clear-cut.
Setting:
It is unknown when, by whom or why the Digital World began. It is a realm existing hidden from humanity, quietly existing in their collective information systems. But now, the Digital World is in danger. Corrupted zones, where Digimon mutate unpredictably, glitches appear, and order is threatened, are spreading like a plague. Initially, everything seemed manageable, as powerful Digimon took it upon themselves to combat this emerging threat, and for a moment, they managed. Yet despite their effort, more and more of the world is being corrupted, and now the Digital World itself cried out for help, summoning and bestowing what power it could still offer onto a set of what would hopefully be its saviors - the Digidestined.
Premise:
You are a Digidestined - whether a Digimon or a human - summoned in hopes of removing the corruption and restoring the Digital World. Early on, a powerful figure, Dominimon, speaks to you and offers guidance: His piece of the world is still safe, well-ordered, and defended, but it is under threat from a neighboring corruption zone. He entrusts you with investigating and neutralizing this growing danger, providing training, provisions, and support, before you set off on your journey...
Closing out
That's the sales pitch. Please let me know if you would be interested in this - whether now or some time down the line, what type of character you would be interested in playing (Digidestined pair half, spirit wielder, wild digimon, or something else you thought of) and feel free to ask any questions or suggest improvements. If this gathers enough attention, I'll open up a Discord for organizing things and post a full OOC to start this off.
