BrokenPromise

Video Games: The General Discussion & Community Thread Number Two

Did I mention that Omega Strikers also has cross play? I don't think I did. You can also play as a slime girl or a dude with an amazing pompadour that's voiced by Egoraptor.

There's not a ton of decent game footage given how long the game has been out of Beta, but there is this.

Video Games: The General Discussion & Community Thread Number Two

I think the majority of gamers people who play games just wanna be left to fuck alone. We don't want to be treated like misogynists because we enjoy games with scantly clad ladies in them. Nor do we want to be called homophobic because we have no interest in the same-sex romance options in some games. We also don't want to be told our purchases are supporting "woke" culture just because the protagonist happens to be a black female, gay, or both.

But who really cares about that shit? You know what today is? April 27th. You know why that's important? Because Omega Strikers has launched! You can check it out on Steam, Ios, Whatever Nintendo uses, etc. If I had to sum it up in just a few words I'd call it "MOBA air hockey." Stop playing Overwatch 2, Valorant, Genshin Impact, or whatever free to play crap you're currently playing and try this free to play crap instead. You can thank me later. I've played the Beta for about 70 hours and I can already tell this is nothing but better.

RP Time! - RPC#1 entries/voting

I’ve always found the contest section of the forum interesting. In times of yore, I would read the entries and write critiques on each one. I’ve always felt the single best part of the contest wasn’t seeing how you stacked up, but getting feedback on your work. Seeing how you stack up against your fellow competitors is great, but knowing how to improve is how we can better our next contest entry and even our next RP post.

I won’t be awarding any points to any of the entries. But I would like to talk about them a bit.

The Mysterious Mayor

The writing here is very polished and clean. I didn’t have any difficulty hopping from word to word as Callie’s little village was recreated. Keiko’s observations were interesting, but didn’t quite lapse into purple prose. It used almost the entire word limit but felt concise. The writer managed their word budget well and was smart enough to know where to spend them. There may be some typos or grammatical errors, but I didn’t notice anything on my first read.

If I had a real critique, it would be that the story was very safe. It didn’t do anything bold or exciting, only aiming to satisfy the criteria for the contest as simply as it could. Keiko went on a quest to fight the mayor. It felt like the sort of post you’d see when you just want to move your character to the next objective. The cool fight or big event is happening in the next post.

But it was a well written entry and I enjoyed reading it. I’m curious if Keiko is out there in an RP or if this was her first appearance. Regardless, I would love to know who the author of this story was, as I might consider joining the next RP they participate in.

Misfits there, Oafs here

I’m not really sure how to describe this one.

On one hand, it was amusing. It was zany and crazy and it’s been a while since I’ve read something that made me smile like that.

On the other, a good chunk of it is rendered almost incomprehensible by some of your word choices. Thesauruses are good in moderation, but using more common words would make things a bit more legible.

I did not expect to read about someone farting.

Training the village

I feel like trying to objectively review my own work would come across as vain or an attempt to seek attention. So instead, I’d like to use my experience of writing my entry to review the contest itself.

So to start, you got me @Calle. I thought this was going to be a simple, fun little contest that I could join and be casual with. I thought I could get away with just writing a post and dusting off my hands. After all, that’s the idea isn’t it? It’s supposed to feel like I’m writing a post.

And to most, to me, it looked like that was going to be easy. You gave a rudimentary post for us to respond to, some details to work into our posts, it was great. It was a little unclear what we needed to include and what we didn’t, but I ultimately decided on this:

-Everything in your starter post didn’t need to be stated, as that was a post that all of the players should have read and been responding to.

-The extra stuff, on the other hand, was not. Everything in there HAD to be included in our posts somewhere.

-As an added challenge, I wanted to use a character that wasn’t ideal for the contest. Someone who most certainly wouldn’t be walking around a feudal village.

And I got to work. And I wrote for a time, and I was almost done. And do you know what I noticed?

THE WORD LIMIT WAS ONLY 1000!

Most of my posts these days are around the 600-800 word mark, but this was different. This was the first time most people would see P.T., so she needed to be sufficiently described. I also needed to include all of these extra details that you wanted, and I also needed toi write a scene that was going to be uniquely my own. I wanted to showcase what made P.T. different from all of the other contest entries, as I feel the character is pivotal in a contest like this.

And I mean, I did it. I was reminded how powerful “show don’t tell” can be when used right, and is definitely something I’m going to work more into my writing. It also made me realize how unimportant some details can be. A lot of P.T.’s characteristics were left on the cutting room floor. But none of that stuff was important to the story. I don’t think anyone is going to care what behemoth incense is really made of or who P.T. works for. As a player it’s easy to get hung up on this stuff, but the readers often won’t miss or care to see such information if it isn’t relevant.

That is to say that while you can make some good posts in under 1000 words, it wouldn’t hurt to see that raised to 2000, or even 1500. Just so that we have enough words to do something S P I C Y if we feel like it.

In closing, I’ll say that I think this type of contest holds a lot of potential. I’ll likely join the next one when it rolls around, and hopefully it’ll get more interest. But I do think some consideration needs to be made for what can reasonably be done with a tight word limit, and it wouldn’t hurt to be a bit more clear on what you expect out of the contestants.

Also whew, we’re coming up on the three year anniversary of you becoming a contest mod aren’t we? Or was it longer? Congratulations! I don’t know how you do it!

The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

”Wait, I’ve been spelling Reinhardt wrong!”

— Luana Roycroft

@Rune_Alchemist@Crimson Paladin@Guy0fV4lor

There wasn’t anything Luana had to add to Sorcha’s comments. Unlike her queen, she couldn’t pretend to know the extent of her powers. If she thought it wasn’t an issue, it wasn’t something that she would press.

Of greater concern to Luana was Reinhardt’s reaction to her. It almost felt hostile. Maybe he was just uncomfortable around cute girls new people, or maybe he was miffed that she would request they delay harvesting the dragon. Reinhardt did seem awfully interested in its heart. But that was the thing, his request didn’t really make sense. Yes, getting a piece of the dragon to study was important, but why did the heart specifically matter? She was new to this and knew little about dragons. She didn’t know that much more about Reinhardt save for tales of how invincible he was. He might have been if he survived dragon fire. But that didn’t make sense. If he was truly invincible he would rule the world already. There had to be some gimmick that pertained to how strong he was.

Luana had a theory.

Reinhardt pretty much sounded like “rain heart.” If you took the rain out of it, you were left with heart. And he wanted the dragon’s heart. Perhaps the dragon’s hearts were used to fuel this special power he had. Maybe by consuming the hearts, he could grant himself their vitality. A sort of extra chance should something bad befall him. Maybe the reason why Endless Eclipse couldn’t show what happened to Reinhardt was because this power gives him the ability to warp causality. Something like that would effectively give Reinhardt a stockpile of lives, or chances to defeat his foes. An ability as strong as that would require strong hearts to power, and you couldn’t go much stronger than a dragon. She didn't know anything about this type of magic or have proof for any of this, but it sounded really cool. But really, Reinhardt was a fellow knight. She probably shouldn’t be trying to figure out what his weaknesses were. Then again, it helps to know where your friends are weakest so that you can help them get all the hearts they need.

Luana needed some way to kill time. “Keeping watch” seemed to be a pretty relaxed activity around here. Grainne looked like they might spar with Ethelred, and it looked like Reinhardt was being invited to do some weapon testing. Luana didn’t know how to feel. No one was talking to her, but no one was threatening to hit her with their weapons either. That just meant she could save one of her allies. Maybe.

”I’m sure Reinhardt would love to endure whatever you throw at him, but I’d like to talk with him a bit. If that’s okay?” She shot Lif a smile before turning to Reinhardt. ”Ideally, away from mountain cracking artillery.”

RP time! - RPC#1

Now the deadline is happening a little under 12 hours!

March of the White Rabbit: A Roll-Your-Own Magical Girl Roleplay

"I'm helping."

— Bonnie

@PlatinumSkink

It is not always easy for Bonnie to select mercenaries for the hunts she was commissioned for. The only consideration she ever made was how dedicated the magical girls in question would be to the task. Having just one metric to measure did make picking candidates easy. Sometimes too easy. Then there were the cases when she couldn’t find anyone to take on a task. Bonnie preferred to give her hunts to people who couldn’t possibly refuse them, and only for the right reasons. Bonnie had done her research, but she was not so sure she could pick just one or two people for a task like this.

Bolorton was a good distance away from Penrose, but it was not hard for one of the C.A.P.R.I.C.O.R.N.’s cloud pods to find its mark. Ronin and Miko were shouting at the top of their lungs in the center of a chaotic battlefield. To onlookers, it would appear as though a fog had blown over the sisters, allowing them to vanish. But they had actually been taken inside the C.A.P.R.I.C.O.R.N. via a portal.

"Here. Look it over and get back to me. The contents are time sensitive."

After placing scrolls in each of their hands, Bonnie gave the twins a shove and watched them tumble out of the cloud pod. Their situation had not changed, but they had a hunt to pursue now.

Unbeknownst to them, however, the cloud pod had also flown up to one of Mariette’s portals that she had been using to spy on the battlefield. Bonnie leaned out of the cloud pod and examined it. She said nothing, and held the scroll out in front of the portal.

"For your perusal, portal witch."

Bonnie was aware that shoving the scroll through the portal would just poke Mariette in the eye, provided she didn’t banish it entirely. So instead she dropped the scroll, expecting Mariette to catch it with one of her portals. If she didn’t, that was fine. There were far too many who qualified for this hunt as it were.

---

"Oh hey! I still exist!”

— Sakura

Sakura

3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3
8 | 17 | 7 | 17 | 5
Lightning - Water - Air | Killing Blow
Awareness | Enhanced Outfit | Training (Wing Chun) | Sanctum | Bile | Reverence |Immortality
Free Agent | Mana Overload
Alone | Monstrous Form

Sakura had gotten herself good and painted, and even got some of Sanctuary painted too. They likely wouldn’t appreciate her, but it was like the big booba maido said, she needed to be patient and good things would come her way.

And it seemed that something very good came her way.

Some weird fox lady in oddly shaped armor and a HUGE gun had just stopped by and gave her a hunt. Moreover, it looked like the kind of hunt that was both very dangerous and would net her mad respect. She grinned to herself when she pictured all the magical girls fawning over her after she put her might on display.

This was just the quest for Ronin and her. She’d turn her little student into a fully fledged samurai yet!

---

To the North: Vestiges of the Family
Two magical girls went exploring the ruins of Dilla when they discovered the ancient remains of Su Daji. Su Daji has split her essence into a kitsune behemoth and a magical girl, both of which are quite powerful. She has the magical girls cornered in a dilapidated inn and refuses to let anyone get close. Rescue the trapped magical girls and drive off or slay Su Daji.

(It seems that some details and several names have been struck out of the Hunt. Did Bonnie do this herself?)

Challenge Rating: S
Notes: This hunt is easier than other northern hunts if your magical girl team has good coordination. Unfortunately, Sakura will be joining you, so it’s going to be at least SS rank. This hunt can only be undertaken by a party that contains Ronin, Miko, or Mariette.

PS: Sakura is such a detriment to this hunt that she does not count towards the number of hunting magical girls.

All about role plays maps (world, town, dungeon)

@Gareth Most of the time I find a good description of an area is fine. Theater of the mind is a powerful thing, and you really don't need to pin down where every little detail in a scene is. This is especially true during fight scenes between powerful characters. obstacles like walls, furniture, etc will not impact them too greatly. Having said that, I do occasionally find maps to be a good aid if there are a lot of characters in a scene doing very specific things. It helps to keep track where each little thing is playing out, and helps everyone visualize the same thing. This can be a detriment sometimes, as having a map to look at can restrict decision making. Players are suddenly basing their choices on what they see VS what's been written in the RP.

Maps are one of those things I tend to make myself, but don't want to spend a lot of time doing. There are a lot of services, but I personally enjoy using dungeon draft to draw up little arenas for the characters to be in. If there's a downside, most of the included assets are for a fantasy setting, and most of the free tile sets are a little uglier than they need to be. If you want something pretty, you'll have to learn how to draw or pay for premium assets. If you want to make something more like a world map, I've made a few of those freehand in image editing software. There are lots of tools, it really boils down to personal preference and how much you want to spend.

As for my creative process, I usually just visualize what I want in my head and then consider how I'd go about making it. Once that's taken care of, I concern myself with making it look presentable. But only if time allows. Posts are due once a week after all.

RP time! - RPC#1

Very happy to see I won't be the only one joining. My entry is almost done. I'm just waiting for the weekend when I have some time to look over it ONE LAST TIME before submitting it. Hard to find time to work on contest entries when you've got so many RP obligations to write for. But I should be done well before the deadline.

The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

”If Reinhardt fogs on me, I'm gunna poke his knee caps!”

— Luana Roycroft

@Rune_Alchemist@Crimson Paladin@Guy0fV4lor

Luana didn't look any more pleased with her majesty. ”So, you know druidic magic as well?” She pursed her lips tighter. ”I’m well aware I’m not a master at it. I suppose I could try. I mean, if you don’t want to.” What more could Luana say? She told the queen the limits of her abilities, but it seemed like she wanted her to try anyway.

As soon as they got to the keep, Luana broke off and approached the corpse of the great dragon. She walked past everyone without as much as making eye contact with them.She looked at the creature with a steely gaze. It’s one remaining eye looking back at her. Neither of them blinked, even as it continued to rain ash.

The first thing Luana did was consult her spear. The interesting part wasn’t what she saw, but what she didn’t see. The dragon came from the mountains just like everyone had predicted, but it seemed that the spear was having a hard time showing her Reinhardt as the dragon’s flames washed over him. Surely he survived the attack somehow, but it was curious that her spear couldn’t discern it. Endless Eclipse had never failed to show her anything, so this was very strange to see.

”Alright you overgrown lizard, Let’s see what my magic tells me.”

It was weird to use her magic like this. She hadn’t been trained for it, and she had never fought anything quite like it either. So instead she used her magic to communicate with the earth itself. She could feel the surrounding dirt trying to communicate back. Then the distant trees. But while Luana had been a resident of a forest she never considered herself its neighbor. She felt like a foreigner, bumbling around and barely able to communicate with anything. But the world was at least reacting to her. When she looked up at the dragon though, there was none of that. It nor the flames didn’t resonate the same way the trees did, or even the dirt under her feet. And then it clicked for her.

Neither the fire nor the dragon were made from the earth, they were made by something else.

With a sigh, Luana lowered her hand. If Sorcha knew druidic magic, maybe Luana would be capable of learning some of it. But for now, she could tell that there was something very wrong with this dragon.

”By Aigorost's twenty-one eyes…”

Luana marched back towards the group. Unlike before though, she kept her eyes squarely on Reinhardt ”Not to rain on any hearts or anything…” Once she had approached the group, she looked at everyone present. ”But there’s something very wrong with that dragon. I would deal with everything you cut from it with extreme caution. I would recommend on holding off on processing it until we’ve had time to search the mountains.” She looked back at Reinhardt. ”When that giant lizard breathed fire on you, what happened?”

March of the White Rabbit: A Roll-Your-Own Magical Girl Roleplay

"I'm a hentai hentai highway star.”

— Tonya “Get me the hell out of here” Murphy

Tonya “Mac” Murphy

Age: 24/11 | Gender: Female/Female | Illusion, Gravity
Body | Power of Friendship, Regeneration, Third Eye | Cradle
Coercion, Soul Jar, Martial Training, True Sight, Parasite, Gifted, Awareness, Overcity Shift, Mystic Artifact

Magical Overload, Cradle Supply, Connected, Gifted Item (Aigorost) | Monstrous Form, Exposed, Mercy, Distrust
Redirected Magic, Second Specialization | Non-Standard Limbs, Destroyer

STR: 05 | AGI: 04 | VIT: 05 | MAG: 03 | LCK: 03
+46
STR: 20 | AGI: 20 | VIT: 20 | MAG: 20 | LCK: 20

Earnings this post: (to be calculated)

Remaining: 8 Gold, 30 Silver, 39 Bronze
Total: 12 Gold, 162 Silver, 183 Bronze

@Majoras End@PlatinumSkink

A wink from Nefer, an outburst from Oliver, a wild look from Mayra, and a complement from her boss on a job well done.

Mac didn't respond to any of it.

Iron Mouse scrambled to get into the car with the others before they drove out of town. For a job well done, it didn't feel like she had done that much. Yes, they had done a number on wonderlands soldiers, but it seemed like she had plenty more of those. Aside from buying time for beacon, it didn't seem like they had accomplished much of anything. Then again, "not much" could be looked at as significant when you were handicapped and your opponent was cheating. Sometimes there was no shot at certain victory, only margins of defeat.

The seating arrangement was just as confusing as it had ever been. Mouse had urged everyone into the back before getting in herself. She was seated in Oliver's lap and Mayra and Finn were sitting side by side, both holding onto Finn's head with all their might. Everyone seemed to be feeling a bit different. Mayra and Nefer seemed to be in high spirits, but Oliver and Finn were devastated. It was hard not to share in her fellow agent's discomfort. Mac didn't know any of them that well, but she at least knew Oliver was a good guy and didn't deserve to experience what was happening to him. Sure, Finn didn't have his head, but Oliver was easily more upset. Something happened to his friend that he wasn't able to prevent.

And of course, she was technically deceiving all of them. She'd come clean as soon as she returned to Cradle's HQ.

Did Cradle have an HQ?

She looked over her shoulder just in time to see the mad scientist lady get injured, laugh in her rival's face, and depart. Mac felt like that had some sort of significance, but with her third eye deactivated she couldn't really appreciate what had transpired.

"Well.” Iron Mouse finally spoke up. "Not everything went according to plan, but we've got one thing going for us.” Iron Mouse reached over and patted Mayra on the head. "I think we can all agree this girl's a massive upgrade from Justine.”