This might be unorthodox and against the spirit of the forum, but sometimes you (I) got too many ideas that you (I) don't know what to do with, so you (I) just gotta get them all out to see if anything's worth sticking. So that's these! A set of loose RP concepts of varying depth and scope that I have been unable to stop myself from making. Once the floodgate's up, there's nothing I can do about it...
These ideas (three of them, if you could believe it) will be roughly ordered by how much meat they already have. There'll also be some "pros / cons" about each idea, mostly as a way to help settle on what might be worth more attention but since I'm already using you all as a captive soundboard I may as well workshop these things further.
On the off chance you're an aspiring GM that needs a hook, then you're also free to steal any ideas for your own! It'd save me a lot of trouble if somebody else chose to run a thing I want to play in, after all!
Concept 1 - Panache!
Set in a world of strange powers and even stranger personalities, Panache! would be an anthology - every so often the story shifts gears to a new cast, location, genre, perhaps time period as well. Yes, it is a shameless ripoff of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, where instead of Stands the characters all have a, uh, 'Panache', more-or-less unique powers granted to them through birthright and conquest. Panchi (plural of Panache, obviously) can be gained, changed, or lost, giving both players and NPCs potential for growth based on how the story plays out, and whether they succeed against their adversaries or not. Lotta fun. Hypothetically.
Pros & Cons
+ First 2.5 arcs already conceptualized, so could theoretically start with no worries
+ Magic/power system that would give players a lot of leeway to get weird with it
- Transient characters, which not everyone would jive with in a roleplay
- Unable to answer "why not just make a Jojo RP?"
Concept 2 - Multi-fandom Mystery (TBD)
An idea from another time, and another site, that I've been curious to get back around to. Players would choose various canon-based detective or investigatory characters, who would all be brought together to solve various crimes, cases, and capers in various other canon settings. There would be 'arcs' here as well, where the PCs are sent to a new world to sort out whatever is plaguing it, at the behest of some larger power looking to keep some form of multiversal peace, but there would be time between so-called mysteries for the cast to interact.
Pros & Cons
+ Everyone loves a crossover, right?
+ Fills out a niche not seen much in roleplays like this
- Could be railroad-y as mysteries tend to have a definitive end to get towards
- Maybe too many moving parts (between typical mystery writing and having multiple players receiving information)
Concept 3 - some kinda Golden Idol thing??
Something based in the world of the Golden Idol games, with secret organizations and ancient, nearly magical technology that can produce disastrous effects.
Pros & Cons
+ Has a kind of alt-history feel to it, which I believe a lot of people on this site likes
- I'm not proficient in alt-history
- The source material might be too obscure to garner much interest
- Probably a recency bias and not a proper idea to run
Writing this out makes me realize how silly the whole thing is, but I've committed this much already and I'm an ardent believer of laying in the beds I make for myself, so here's to the world this now exists in. Let me know what anyone thinks, even if you hate it!
These ideas (three of them, if you could believe it) will be roughly ordered by how much meat they already have. There'll also be some "pros / cons" about each idea, mostly as a way to help settle on what might be worth more attention but since I'm already using you all as a captive soundboard I may as well workshop these things further.
On the off chance you're an aspiring GM that needs a hook, then you're also free to steal any ideas for your own! It'd save me a lot of trouble if somebody else chose to run a thing I want to play in, after all!
Concept 1 - Panache!
Set in a world of strange powers and even stranger personalities, Panache! would be an anthology - every so often the story shifts gears to a new cast, location, genre, perhaps time period as well. Yes, it is a shameless ripoff of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, where instead of Stands the characters all have a, uh, 'Panache', more-or-less unique powers granted to them through birthright and conquest. Panchi (plural of Panache, obviously) can be gained, changed, or lost, giving both players and NPCs potential for growth based on how the story plays out, and whether they succeed against their adversaries or not. Lotta fun. Hypothetically.
Pros & Cons
+ First 2.5 arcs already conceptualized, so could theoretically start with no worries
+ Magic/power system that would give players a lot of leeway to get weird with it
- Transient characters, which not everyone would jive with in a roleplay
- Unable to answer "why not just make a Jojo RP?"
Concept 2 - Multi-fandom Mystery (TBD)
An idea from another time, and another site, that I've been curious to get back around to. Players would choose various canon-based detective or investigatory characters, who would all be brought together to solve various crimes, cases, and capers in various other canon settings. There would be 'arcs' here as well, where the PCs are sent to a new world to sort out whatever is plaguing it, at the behest of some larger power looking to keep some form of multiversal peace, but there would be time between so-called mysteries for the cast to interact.
Pros & Cons
+ Everyone loves a crossover, right?
+ Fills out a niche not seen much in roleplays like this
- Could be railroad-y as mysteries tend to have a definitive end to get towards
- Maybe too many moving parts (between typical mystery writing and having multiple players receiving information)
Concept 3 - some kinda Golden Idol thing??
Something based in the world of the Golden Idol games, with secret organizations and ancient, nearly magical technology that can produce disastrous effects.
Pros & Cons
+ Has a kind of alt-history feel to it, which I believe a lot of people on this site likes
- I'm not proficient in alt-history
- The source material might be too obscure to garner much interest
- Probably a recency bias and not a proper idea to run
Writing this out makes me realize how silly the whole thing is, but I've committed this much already and I'm an ardent believer of laying in the beds I make for myself, so here's to the world this now exists in. Let me know what anyone thinks, even if you hate it!
