Eastern Fantasy

[Takashi]

OOC

Hello friends and newcomers alike. I'm looking forward to starting up a new RP and want to brainstorm some ideas. I'll be posting some ideas here, but at this point in time, everything is up for negotiation.

The idea I tossed out there that was received very well was "Eastern Fantasy." What does this mean? Well, simply put, it is a fictional world inspired by Eastern culture rather than Western Medieval culture. It's essentially the same genre, but with different aesthetics. Instead of knights, you have samurai; instead of goblins and orcs you have kappa and oni. And of course, the whole gamut of mythical and historic goodness that comes with an Eastern setting. If Eastern fantasy isn't everyone's cup of tea, we could do a hybrid East-meets-West fantasy which contains elements of both Eastern and Western fantasy (I'm currently writing a novel with a setting like this, so I have a bit of experience in it).

Now, we have some decisions to make.

1.) The type of plot. Will it be a quest? A war? Slice of life fantasy? If we have a larger group, my personal suggestion would be a guild-type RP so we have a central hub for everyone to interact it, can send small teams out on their own escapades, and have the opportunity for large scale events, like the guild coming under attack. I have a setting for this in mind if people like this idea.

2.) Scale of the world. Simple enough decision to make. Do we want people travelling across Middle Earth to the dark lands or Mordor, or do we wanna just keep it to one city/region? If you want local, we should also pick a climate.

3.) General level of power permitted for the characters. It's no fun being Jack the Stable Boy when Lord Deathstruction is blowing up cities. Let's pick a general power tier. Players are free to make a character below that tier, but not above it. I tend to like things toned down a bit. Your powers could trash a city block, but it maxes out there.

4.) Offer any suggestions for races you want early so they can be worked in.

The Forbidden Arts: Here are certain powers that I have found to be generally problematic in my many years of RPing: Extreme Healing Factors, Teleportation, Speeds arbitrarily close to teleportation, Intangibility, Mind Control/Mind reading, Any vague powers with non-specific effects. I want us to avoid characters with these abilities. If you want an explanation as to why, I'll be happy to explain. Feel free to offer your own taboos as well.

So, I'd like everyone to tell me what you think. What would you like out of the RP? Do you have any specific ideas? Once we get this preliminary stuff down, we can start making a plot.

[Haeo]

Well, I have a set of powers, that could easily be expanded into a character, already in mind.

Setting specifics can be trickier to balance. Though, there is one thing that I've been wanting to see. I tried it myself but couldn't get any interest. I'm more inclined to blame my lack of roleplay creation skill than I am to blame the idea itself. It involves there being two classes of NPC enemy. One is created as needed by players and killed as needed by players. The other is created by a GM and controlled by a GM with PVP rules, no auto-hitting/auto-killing/god mode etc. The lesser class exist to fill out larger battle scenes and to help characters demonstrate abilities or make a good entrance. But, the players gain no new skills or powers by killing them. Loot, possibly, but no new powers. The other class is far more challenging and would allow for a good deal more new power discovery moments.

At its core, this was designed for a survival/adventure set in the fantasy genre. I initially thought of using undead for both classes of enemy.

However, these mechanics could prove cumbersome. Still, it's what I would like to see done well one day.

Aside from that, I like the idea of having combat and non-combat areas and allowing both combat and non-combat characters. However, allowing the place with the non-combat characters to be attacked at any time other than the beginning would be, to use gaming numbers references, throwing 100 level 50 enemies at about 6 or 7 level 50 players who have to defend another 6 or 7 level one characters who can neither take a hit nor dodge.

If the guild concept is used then I think that it would be helpful for the guild to be based in a castle with a heavily fortified strong room where any NPCs take cover during danger, along with any non-combat PCs. Then the defenders, at the worst situation, would only have to guard the door to that chamber.

Anyway, this is what comes to mind before my coffee kicks in. Sorry if it's weird.

[Narcotic Dollie]

I sort of have a world building point that I've used before in 1x1s and I figured I'd drop it here and see if it was something anyone would be interested in for this game. It's not really a plot point or anything, but I think it's neat. Feel free to decline if you think the fit would be too wonky!

Alright, so I call it the 'knackverse', because I'm ultra creative like that. XD Basically everyone has one thing that they are incredibley good at. It could be something really useful, like telekinesis, mind reading, or being a crack shot etc. Or it could be really silly like always knowing where the closest body of water is, being able to talk to animals, or always making the perfect cup of tea.

Not 100% sure if this would even fit in well with this kind of story, but I figured I'd get the ball rolling so other people weren't scared to add their ideas! :P

[Haeo]

@Narcotic Dollie That actually reminds me of something similar that I was playing with. Each person had one power or exceptional talent but they were normal otherwise.

Admittedly, my idea involved everyone starting out weak and then "leveling up" their talent. Part of the fun would be that it was only the talent that would improve. Basic normal would remain. But, that's a little harder to do without some kind of EXP mechanic in place.

The idea itself is solid since a lot of characters are normally given suites of abilities so that they don't have any glaring weaknesses.

I also had an idea for a Sanctuary Castle. Every major doorway was a barrier and they only allowed people through who fulfilled the necessary conditions. Like, since there were giant monster rats in the cellar, only a person with a combat talent could go to the cellar alone. A non-combat-talent could only go in if they had a combat talent with them. Things like that. Of course, outside the castle would be a monster infested wilderness teeming with everything from carnivorous clouds to trees that walk on their leaves and like to eat teeth.

[MyCatGinger]

...um, has anyone played Pokemon Mystery Dungeon before?

...um, the guild could be a little like the one in Time/Darkness/Sky! Where there's a convenient village nearby and many locations surrounding it, but it's at the 'heart' of the area so to speak.

I also like east meets west. More than just one.

[Takashi]

@Haeo The "horde" mechanic that you describe is pretty common in combat RPs that I've been in. If there's an army of demons, sure, go nuts on the fledglings and be as badass as you want (within reason). I honestly don't even consider them NPCs. My rule of thumb is that if the character has a name or a title (like, I might not name "The Judge" in a courtroom, but he's still mine to control) then you should follow standard combat rules. So, that seems fine to me.

One thing, though, is I'm not too keen on leveling systems in text based RP. I hold that combat should be based on logic rather then mechanics and numbers. If a farmer with a pickax pickaxes Lord Deathstruction in the skull... The Dark Lord is probably gonna die. A growth system is fine, but you're not gonna learn the Reverse Butterfly Slash by stabbing 50 goblins in the eye. If you have any suggestions for this, I'd be happy to hear it.

Also, I have a pretty complete guild system thought out, but I'll explain it more once everybody is on board with it.

[Rainmaker]

As far as plot goes, I like having a type of guild as a "hub" since it provides easy plothooks, though if that ends up happening, I think downtime (adding slice-of-life stuff here) is important, too. Also, if you have multiple teams (some people perhaps staying home, others going out to one task, another group somewhere else), keeping everything distinct and clear is going to be a challenge. I do like it, though, it's just a challenge to keep in mind.

As far as scale is concerned, I like keeping the possibility of going around the entire country more than one region/city open, but I think having the entire world is a bit too much. Similar feelings on the power level, which I prefer more or less pretty restricted; nothing on the level of city block destruction, anyhow.

I guess this is more or less a given, but any kind of PvP is hard to pull off well and requires a lot of cooperation between GMs and players, probably more than can be expected if nobody knows each other (since well, there are no rules), so I'd steer clear from that no matter what ends up happening.

[Takashi]

@Rainmaker Hello and welcome. You bring up a good point with PvP. I've been doing combat RP for about a decade now, have experienced many systems, and have also ran into many players that, frankly, suck at combat. I am confident enough in my experience with PvP combat that I'm sure I can make it enjoyable if that's what people want.

So, Let's have everybody take a vote on a few options:

1.) PvP anywhere anytime.

2.) PvP only in "combat areas."

3.) PvP only with two consenting parties

4.) No PvP.

[Rune_Alchemist]

@Rainmaker Hello and welcome. You bring up a good point with PvP. I've been doing combat RP for about a decade now, have experienced many systems, and have also ran into many players that, frankly, suck at combat. I am confident enough in my experience with PvP combat that I'm sure I can make it enjoyable if that's what people want.

So, Let's have everybody take a vote on a few options:

1.) PvP anywhere anytime.

2.) PvP only in "combat areas."

3.) PvP only with two consenting parties

4.) No PvP.

@Takashi

Hello~
I'm all for an eastern fantasy sort of RP.

I hope you don't mind me throwing in my two cents here. I was working on a bigger post to answer some of the other stuff in the first post, but I'll go ahead and throw my opinion in the ring on this.

I'm not to sure that PvP combat in RP is all that big of a deal, honestly. I've been doing it for quite awhile, and never have run into that many problems. (Aside from some people auto-hitting, but then they usually get told off by the GM)

I think the best way to do PvP is just make sure everyone consents to it.

Of course, some situations that might be difficult, since not fighting could be out of character for a character. I think the best solution is to always just be respectful, and if you really don't want to fight then simply talk it over and come up with a solution that would end with the person who doesn't wish to fight, escaping or not getting injured in some manner that isn't out of character.

So, 3 I think would work best form the options there.

[Haeo]

@Takashi I can easily get behind the horde vs named rule. That seems alright. My version just included the GM being in control of groups of elites that can work in formations as well as individual "boss-like" characters.

As for "leveling", gosh that word sounds wrong for this but I couldn't think of a better one... I had in mind that it would apply to talents or powers that draw something from the victim. Basically, if your power can eat something then it's going to get stronger over time and this is tracked by points when its development allows it to do new things. However, if you're just a swordsman with a gift then you would have to take the time to develop a new sword technique. This would likely not involve repeatedly stabbing goblins in the eye, though that would be great fun for certain characters.

In the end, it would be a limiting mechanic that would only apply to certain kinds of talents or powers and it would also be limited by the enemies available. Just as a child cannot grow to adulthood on crackers alone, however much they may want to (crazy kids), hunting a thousand giant rats will not get you anything much after the very beginning of the game. Basically, diminishing returns.

But, as much as I would like to see it done well, I acknowledge that it is very hard to do properly in this kind of roleplay. It's especially hard to balance it correctly without it feeling shoehorned in and awkward. In fact, it might just be better as a personal tool to help the roleplayer to restrain the growth of their character's "awesome powers".

Anyway, it's brainstorm time. All else is poof!

[Rainmaker]

I agree with 3, to be honest. It's nothing I want to participate in myself, but I realise some people might want to do it, and that's fine by me.

Another thing to consider is "how fantasy should it be"?
Personally, I prefer stuff a little more on the fantasy side rather than the historical side, but even just saying "fantasy", there's a pretty big margin, I guess.

[Rune_Alchemist]

1.) The type of plot. Will it be a quest? A war? Slice of life fantasy? If we have a larger group, my personal suggestion would be a guild-type RP so we have a central hub for everyone to interact it, can send small teams out on their own escapades, and have the opportunity for large scale events, like the guild coming under attack. I have a setting for this in mind if people like this idea.

@Takashi

For one, I think a good mix of slice of life and actiony stuff works best. It would allow for some good character interaction in the slice of lifey stuff, and some good combat and action to keep things from getting stale. So I think a guild-like setting would work best. Maybe a group of mercenaries? Or maybe even bandits, could work here.

It would allow the characters to have some fairly good down time to interact with other characters, develop relationships, and etc, and allow for new character introduced later to have an easy time getting involved with the others. Perhaps even have them all get involved in a war or something later. It'd definitely keep things interesting for a story Arc.

2.) Scale of the world. Simple enough decision to make. Do we want people travelling across Middle Earth to the dark lands or Mordor, or do we wanna just keep it to one city/region? If you want local, we should also pick a climate.

@Takashi

I think, it should start of as simple first. Keep it to a single city/region to begin with. As the RP progresses, we could expand the range of the RP outwards. It would keep things from getting completely stale, and who doesn't love traveling to foreign, and distant lands to explore?~

Not much else to say there, other than start in a small region, then work outwards.

3.) General level of power permitted for the characters. It's no fun being Jack the Stable Boy when Lord Deathstruction is blowing up cities. Let's pick a general power tier. Players are free to make a character below that tier, but not above it. I tend to like things toned down a bit. Your powers could trash a city block, but it maxes out there.

@Takashi

A bit more difficult question to answer. For one, all characters should be reasonably powered and balanced so that they aren't massively OP. If they can trash a city block in one attack, then that should either be really tiring or have some major draw back. Kind of like newtons third law here: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

The more powerful the attack, the bigger the drain on ones energy/magic reserves. Or they have some physical repercussion for some such attack. Being unable to move while casting it. Being temporarily unable to move after using it. It would depend on how much power a character possesses.

This would also allow for some people to get stronger as time progresses, and potentially nullify the weakness. It'd still be there - but it'd be less pronounced, and thus showing a good bit of character growth.

4.) Offer any suggestions for races you want early so they can be worked in.

@Takashi

Well, if this is going to be eastern fantasy, I think some non-human races would work well. The more intelligent beings in Eastern folklore for example. Kitsunes, Onis, Tengu, etc. Of course, it'd need to be kept within reason I think and they would be rarer than humans. Personally, a few non-human races always add a bit of flavor to an RP. Not to mention Racial tensions could always be a thing, and an interesting plot to explore.

I do think all this talk about 'mechanics' is a bit arbitrary when it comes to RP's, however. In real life there aren't really 'mechanics' for anything. Incorporating stats and limiters and such things into an RP, I've always found simply silly and ridiculous.

Of course, when it comes to things like magic, special abilities, and things like that its a bit of a different story. Obviously a character would need time/practice to develop a new skill or ability. However, I don't think limiting it by saying 'you have to do this certain thing' to achieve it is all that good. As long as the character logically can learn to do such a thing, simply have them post attempting to learn and do it.

Whether they're successful or unsuccessful, well, that'd be up to the characters controller and the GM, I think. As long as they just didn't pull the skill out of their ass after not even posting that the character was attempting to learn it, then I think it's alright.

Unless I entirely misread that conversation above. If so, ignore me.

That's my two cents on this thing. Feel free to discuss, or shoot any of my ideas down. I won't bite~ xP

[Haeo]

@Takashi As pertains to PvP... I believe that 3 is the safest option while 2 would allow for more unexpected challenges. It might be wise to combine them, having areas that are PvP permitted without consent and requiring consent everywhere else.

EDIT: Perhaps a creative race or two? Not just traditional but including hybrids as well. I am not suggesting human/whatever crosses but rather Inu/Tengu or Kitsune/Oni. These might be more interesting as rare options for a character. Also, there's the possibility of elemental or regional spirits and their descendants. Mountain god's children, etc.

[Narcotic Dollie]

This looks like it's gonna be more combat based and I'm not going to lie, I have absolutely no experience in those sorts of games. I love a good adventure, just not sure how well I'd fit in on this one. ^.^

[MyCatGinger]

@Narcotic Dollie I'm with Narcy, I'll just see how it goes and if it develops in a way I can see myself popping in, then brilliant! :)

[Rainmaker]

EDIT: Perhaps a creative race or two? Not just traditional but including hybrids as well. I am not suggesting human/whatever crosses but rather Inu/Tengu or Kitsune/Oni. These might be more interesting as rare options for a character. Also, there's the possibility of elemental or regional spirits and their descendants. Mountain god's children, etc.

@Haeo

To be honest, I'd avoid any outright "Okay this is the list of races" and just see what people come up with, then talk about stuff on a case-to-case basis.

[Haeo]

<Snipped quote by Haeo>

To be honest, I'd avoid any outright "Okay this is the list of races" and just see what people come up with, then talk about stuff on a case-to-case basis.

@Rainmaker

That is how I would normally want to work something like this. But, the question was asked so I thought of an answer that might help creative juices.

[Takashi]

@Narcotic Dollie@MyCatGinger Well, you could always play a combat novice, that way you can find a character to mentor you. Or, a support character that doesn't fight but has some kind of special ability. Also, I'd be happy to personally help you along so you can join in.

[Narcotic Dollie]

@Takashi I could be down for a support character as long as you help walk me through it. Besides, us old folks gotta stick together, right? :P

[Delta44]

@Narcotic Dollie@MyCatGinger Well, you could always play a combat novice, that way you can find a character to mentor you. Or, a support character that doesn't fight but has some kind of special ability. Also, I'd be happy to personally help you along so you can join in.

@Takashi

@Narcotic Dollie@MyCatGinger That and there's been discussion of non-combatant roles. If we were to take to a guild-like setting, you could play as a variety of non-combat character types :P

Now, as for the RP...

I've had quite a bit of experience with party and quest-based RPs. They're by no means perfect, of course, but for the duration of the RP, the characters seem to progress in strength overtime. Of course, when you have a death lord and crazy fairy on your team, it can get a little difficult to balance things out when compared to "the smartest Orc" or a simple bowman. But it still works. People tend to get better at things over time, and I believe exploring this factor could be quite beneficial to both the flow and the power issue of the RP. In regards to the general setting, the guild with the western/eastern setting sounds nice.

Now, on the topic of combat, I'm going to admit to something that I utterly hate about myself: a lot of the time, I forget the opponent's actions. Basically, I forget to take damage when writing ;-; The strange thing is, when I write my response, I'll often be taking some form of damage into account, however I simply forget to put at the beginning that so-and-so was hit by a sledgehammer. I forget to actually put in that my character got hit, yet their actions afterwards are effected by the hit, still. That's my biggest problem with PvP, because I know it's going to happen at some point XD That aside, my characters are generally pretty nice for bad people, so they won't pick on anyone who's "weaker" than them. Also, I'm all for that named system ma-doo-hicky that you've mentioned - I often use it myself!

The scale of the world is something I generally don't consider in a fantasy RP. I've had characters go to entirely new continents in their lifetime, and others who stay in a city only. Basically, the world just sort of creates itself depending on the player's actions. It just sort of happens.

Races aren't exactly my specialty, especially eastern ones. I think other people would do better at this than me. Basically my rule of thumb is: if it's humanoid, it's generally OK.

Ah, and yes, the forbidden arts. Some might call them the "OP bullshit" arts. I don't often delve into stuff like that, though the last time I did was with Maryvale. To cut things short, Maryvale was a dark knight who could channel dark energy through her blade to create precise and powerful slashes of energy, however she could also channel it through her body. These powers were destructive and powerful, so in order to counter this, I made them damaging towards Maryvale herself - basically, they were slowly killing her. In order to make her at least able to survive longer than two fights, I gave her a very weak regeneration ability. It could heal all types of wounds, however doing so required her to be either completely still or at a walking pace, a certain amount of time (10 minutes) had to pass before it could activate, and the healing rate was quite slow. I think for a small cut it took something like 45 minutes to fully heal. The healing factor could put a pause on the effects of poisons, however only when sleeping or drinking a potion could those be fully nullified. Basically, if you're going to do the dark arts, they need to be debilitating. If it won't kill you from overuse (be it from your character being paralysed or them sacrificing their life force like I did) then it's overpowered IMO.