SyrianHamster

Fallen Realms: The Ruins of Ironshore (An exploration and dungeon crawling based RP)

Scenario 1 - Planting the flag

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Stren smiled his toothless smile at the Orc, "can't ya count, dumb dumb?" he sneered, "seven, we got seven left. Not like they're moving too fast to count, is it?"

His rapier sliced horizontally across the neckline of a bony and brittle upright corpse. The creature's head fell to the sand with a trail of black blood following behind, and it snapped menacingly at him after it came to a standstill. He booted it into the frothing ocean.

"Six, we got six left," Stren shouted.

The other shamblers moved on the circle; a sailor was grabbed by one, and hauled to the ground. His mate tried to help, stabbing it in the side with a spear, but the dead don't feel what the living do, and it continued to snack on its unfortunate screaming victim. Stren was not phased by this, and with a shrug, he drew his powder satchel and started to reload his pistol. One of the monsters was making its way for him, but he had enough time.

"This all ya got Ironshore? A bunch of dead'ns? Pah! Expected more," the wily ensign muttered, squinting as he looked up at the castle high above them. "Still, where there be dead, there usually be treasure, eh?"

Military RPs- a Cause for Debate

So we seem to be at some level of agreement.

Hypothetically, how would we go about making something that could cater to the average joe, and the average professor?

I think I'd start by creating a fictional operation, to deny the nerds their over-saturation in background knowledge.

The setting would have to be a well known one, so's that average joe isn't forced to go on wikipedia and read up on what happened and why. World Wars 1 & 2 would be examples of this... in fact I think a World War 1 military RP might be fun, but I'll lock that away for another day. Vietnam, everyone knows what Vietnam was. The Gulf War gets a bit fuzzy, because it was boring and lacked drama so people don't know a great deal about it in comparison to the others. But yeah you get my point, you'd have to choose a well known setting; otherwise, if you do choose something that isn't, then you'd have to explain it.

Some of the RPs I joined just said "This is happening during blah blah" and then I had to go away and work out what the Hell blah blah was.

So fictional operation, popular/well known setting. We got that.

Then it gets to the horrible part. Character design and weapons. I'd be tempted to literally equip everyone with the same thing, but that'd upset the nerds something chronic. So then you'd have to go the "choose whatever" route. Average joe picks his M16. Average professor picks his Mark 18 CQBR, which means nothing to anyone who doesn't know loads about guns.

Maybe fire teams? Put the players in charge of a group of anywhere between 2 and 10 NPC troops- nah, you'd get the same issue.

So, fictional operation, popular/well known setting, go crazy on choosing weapons.

It's a challenge alright. It's something that I'd have to go away, write up, shove onto an interest check and then modify it as people started pointing out flaws/things they didn't like. Yeah, get your audience, and then mould it to them.

Though that alienates future new comers.

Well, this has been an exercise in keyboard futility.

Any thoughts for your thoughts?

Military RPs- a Cause for Debate

I like military RPs, but I'm not in the military, and therefore I get easily gobbled up by people who are. OR, I get gobbled up by people who aren't but love to read all about it.

I think what makes them unattractive is, they are a very niche market. From what I've seen here, they require players who know their stuff. Not anyone can just pick it up and run with it - no - it has to be a war nerd or someone who's in/was in the military.

Seriously, I've seen how these RPs look; I've tried my hand at them too, and you get easily intimidated by the players who spam facts, figures and army lingo at you. I found myself having to google half of some peoples' posts just to so's my reply didn't look incompetent.

My two cents?

You want a military RP? Then you'll have to make it user-friendly. Which would be amazingly difficult, because it would mean you'd need to strong arm the nerds/vets/current enlisted into making more sense to the average RPer. On the other hand, you'd need to make sure the average joe knows how a gun works and has a vague understanding of what goes down in military ops. A nightmare balancing act.

Yeah, no, it's a nightmare. Something I think I (or anyone, really, cus I aint special!) could pull off, but it would take a gigantic amount of effort into producing something that would appeal to both sides of the table.

Of Steam and Ambition -

I am... thought we had more people than this though, and waiting for 'em to post.

Looks like another case of:

"HEY THIS RP APPEALS TO MY INTERESTS RIGHT NOW"

24 hours later

"Meh, I watched a movie about unicorns yesterday anD NOW I WANNA PLAY AN RP WITH UNICORNS BYEBYE BUT WONT SAY ANYTHING CUS LOLS"

... It's okay, you did nothing wrong.

Estermere - A Medieval Fantasy Roleplay

Professor_Wyvern said
You know that is not true. He loves Widowmaker.... Which leads to a strange scenario.

This is true. There is much tension between the two, and it will later unfold as a massive plot point.

Currently on wikipedia researching whether or not someone can get jilted by a crossbow, just in case I create a paradox.

Vec said
I don't know how to respond to this.

That is probably best.

Estermere - A Medieval Fantasy Roleplay

Professor_Wyvern said
Yes... yes it is no bueno.

Speak for yourselves. When the sextbomb explodes and you all vanish into your sordid pm boxes to fullfill your text-based carnal desires, Gukb's gonna be so alone that his reputation as an upstanding asexual will be beyond reproach.

Estermere - A Medieval Fantasy Roleplay

Gukb stood back and admired his work. The floor was hair free! A fine feat of house keeping, indeed. He carefully put the broom back, and then turned to look at the gaping hole in the roof. Staring into the starry night beyond, he chuckled to himself as he mused over Elric's invitation.

"Askin' old Gukby to go bingin' wit 'im? Askin' old Gukby to get speared three feet from tha' door, more like!" he sneered. "Got's me better things to be doin', than convincin' tha' drunk locals I ain't here to murder their sheep."

The goblin walked over to the hole, and putting both hands onto the edges, he heaved himself out onto the roof. A gentle breeze caught him then, and for the first time in years, his scalp felt it too. Releasing a long pleasurable sigh, he scratched his itchy head; more cuttings dislodged themselves from their entangled prison. His foot kicked something hard and wooden.

"Oh," he said softly. "Widowmaker, me love, hope yer didn't miss me. A King needs his Queen."

Picking the weapon up, he slung it over his shoulder and turned to repair his vandalism; though a sudden spur of distant merry making drew him back. The town was alive, even in the night-time hours, and the goblin marvelled at the sprawling blanket of shadowy roofs and pulsing lights before him. Estermere in the dark may have passed as pretty, he figured, but the daytime version was a much more ugly affair. That was the thing with the colour black, it had a tendency to warp perception.

Gukb soon found himself bored with looking out over a deception, a mere trick of the light indeed, and turned to face the three foot wooden panel he'd dislodged from the roof earlier.

"My Kingdom will be a fairer place, oh yes it will," he murmured, kneeling down to inspect the panel. "No filthies, or povertah-ty, poverty. No cryin' babes. No weepin' womenfolk." He paused his ramblings, so that his lungs could lend their assistance to his arms.

With a grunt, he picked up the panel, and walked it to the hole. His legs were unsteady, for though the load was not too much for his arms, it was a top heavy affair that lashed at his balance. A tile creaked beneath his shoes, and for a second he felt himself going over.

"Be typical that, King Gukb the Humble fallin' to his doom performin' a simple errand," he said with a crack of laughter. "Wonder what they'd do wit me corpse."

He knew what the townsfolk would do, Elric's kindness be damned.

The panel slammed against the weakened framework, and Gukb released a sigh. It was in place, but it wasn't secure. Now it was time for hammer work. The goblin didn't have such a tool, but Red Rust was a versatile ally. Using the discoloured pommel, he battered away along the edges of the panel; knocking rusted and bent metal into damp and lice-ridden wood.

"Ye," he wheezed, "be keepin' out tha' rain this."

And then he realised he was standing on the roof with no way back into the building. Profanity followed like a raging river of fiery justice directed towards the Gods of Sod. The trellis had carried him up, but he'd broken the last six rungs; getting down was going to be a comical affair.

Where Angels Fear to Tread (Community Revived Edition)

Steel fist said
Everything is expensive in our days, ain't it! What do you work at?

"Area Leader" at a corrugated cement roofing factory.

In short, I get bossed about by managers, but I boss about the peasants.

If you want to get an inside look into my professional life, have a total stranger slap their testicles against your face repeatedly, and you'll have something pretty similar. Have worked the last three weekends, 6am-4pm, and I am knackered. I want to type IC, but everytime I sit down to do something my brain just goes "blurrrrrrrrrgh". Will probs be in a better frame of mind tomorrow.

Not working next weekend though, brother's stag do over in Holland. So I'll be jetting myself out there to sample Europe's (because apparently we British don't consider ourselves apart of it?) coffee shops and lax prostitution laws. Joking of course. Maybe.

Where Angels Fear to Tread (Community Revived Edition)

Stefan0620 said
Good, hamster?

Sorry bro, super busy. Working overtime like a fish in heat for megga bucks, but it's eating up my free time.

Yeah, looks good to me. I'll add it to the list when I get a sec.

Estermere - A Medieval Fantasy Roleplay

I've given you a way out; bed time for me again, got another early start tomorrow.

By all means go mingle with the townsfolk whilst Gukb tries on womens' clothes and paints himself with lipstick. Or what passes for it anyways.

Night all!