So, after my numerous failures in running a non-Pokemon RP, I've decided to try something a little different. While a significant part of those failures was my own inattentiveness/inactivity, I'd imagine at least little bit of it is the fact that, well, my RPs can be boring. They tend to be original settings with a plot built-in--but that makes them very GM-dependent. Why should the player care about this place or that history? Couple that with the need to hide parts of that setting to make a plot surprising, and all that's left are the rather dull bare bones and near constant GM interference to reveal additional bits of the plot and/or setting.
Compare that with the near-ubiquitous academy RP: it's a simple concept, and doesn't need a lot of backstory or even an actual plot (though those that have them are even better). What matters there is the heart of RPing: pure, worthwhile, and fun character interaction, something the players are actually invested in. A good academy RP doesn't really need a GM other than to keep thing moving; we've all had our share of pages-long conversations and simple interaction.
So, this is my little experiment. While there's the usual character sign-ups, I'm also asking every player to contribute something to the setting. It could just be a little town off in the countryside, or a shining city on the coast, all the way up to a mighty empire with a long and storied history. Let's see if we can make the setting and the world just as alive to you, the players, as any of your favorite characters. All that's shared between them is one little myth that unites them all...
THE CREATION MYTH:
GAMEPLAY:
THE WORLD:
RULES:
SIGN-UPS:
CHARACTERS:
Any questions or clarification needed, just ask Renewal!
Compare that with the near-ubiquitous academy RP: it's a simple concept, and doesn't need a lot of backstory or even an actual plot (though those that have them are even better). What matters there is the heart of RPing: pure, worthwhile, and fun character interaction, something the players are actually invested in. A good academy RP doesn't really need a GM other than to keep thing moving; we've all had our share of pages-long conversations and simple interaction.
So, this is my little experiment. While there's the usual character sign-ups, I'm also asking every player to contribute something to the setting. It could just be a little town off in the countryside, or a shining city on the coast, all the way up to a mighty empire with a long and storied history. Let's see if we can make the setting and the world just as alive to you, the players, as any of your favorite characters. All that's shared between them is one little myth that unites them all...
THE CREATION MYTH:
Before the Dawn, in the darkest and most forgotten of the Elder Days, the High Father, lord of the Sky and embodiment of wind and flame came across the Great Mother, the Land and embodiment of earth and water, in the infinity of the Void. From their joining came the avatars of Light, their first and greatest sons, Valya and Talna. In accordance with his transient and willful nature, the High Father left and returned to wandering the Void. But the Great Mother remained with her sons, nurturing them in accordance with her own nature. But the two were lonely, and so they birthed children of their own, the first and greatest of the mortal races: to lesser mortals in later Days, the sons of Valya became known as the Dragons, while the daughters of Talna became known as the Daemons. And so the Dragons and Daemons were the first and only beings to walk upon the unblemished Land, powerful with the light of their fathers within them.
But in time, the High Father returned, weary from his wandering and eager to join with the Great Mother once more. But the divine radiance of the High Father, mighty and unmerciful with the wildness of fire, threatened the mortal children of the light. Valya and Talna begged their Father to set aside his desires and so spare the Dragons and Daemons, but the High Father refused. In their desperation, the two attacked the High Father, calling upon all their might and the strength of their children. And so in a moment of vulnerability, the High Father was overcome, his physical form slain and his essence sealed within it. The High Father's body was cast down to the Earth, rending the land with his fall, before being imprisoned by the brothers. In time, the great chasms split by the High Father's fall were filled with the Great Mother's tears of sorrow and agony, raising the first ocean, the Pataric Sea.
In the trauma of the High Father's fall, both Mother and sons were wounded. The Great Mother fell into eternal slumber, while both Valya and Talna were diminished, Talna more so than his brother. With both Mother and Father dormant, it fell to the brothers to maintain and nurture the Land. As the stronger of the two, Valya became known as the Sun, and Talna the Moon. But with their fathers diminished and their attentions turned to their new duties, their children suffered and began to fade. The Daemons, children of the Moon, vanished entirely, while the children of the Sun, the Dragons, slowly dwindled to a precious few. Yet even as it seemed that mortal life would all but vanish from the Earth, the last children of the High Father and the Great Mother emerged from the Sea, where last the Sky and Land had met: men, elves, dwarves, and all the lesser mortal races.
And so, even as the last Dragons secluded themselves, new civilizations rose in their place. One among the Dragons, in his dying breaths, passed on the remnants of the divine spark within himself to mortals, blessing them with his soul's power. In time, those blessed few passed into legend, shaping the course of societies and the world with their power. As time passed, the title awarded to those so blessed changed from culture to culture and place to place--but the meaning always remained the same:
Dragonblooded.
But in time, the High Father returned, weary from his wandering and eager to join with the Great Mother once more. But the divine radiance of the High Father, mighty and unmerciful with the wildness of fire, threatened the mortal children of the light. Valya and Talna begged their Father to set aside his desires and so spare the Dragons and Daemons, but the High Father refused. In their desperation, the two attacked the High Father, calling upon all their might and the strength of their children. And so in a moment of vulnerability, the High Father was overcome, his physical form slain and his essence sealed within it. The High Father's body was cast down to the Earth, rending the land with his fall, before being imprisoned by the brothers. In time, the great chasms split by the High Father's fall were filled with the Great Mother's tears of sorrow and agony, raising the first ocean, the Pataric Sea.
In the trauma of the High Father's fall, both Mother and sons were wounded. The Great Mother fell into eternal slumber, while both Valya and Talna were diminished, Talna more so than his brother. With both Mother and Father dormant, it fell to the brothers to maintain and nurture the Land. As the stronger of the two, Valya became known as the Sun, and Talna the Moon. But with their fathers diminished and their attentions turned to their new duties, their children suffered and began to fade. The Daemons, children of the Moon, vanished entirely, while the children of the Sun, the Dragons, slowly dwindled to a precious few. Yet even as it seemed that mortal life would all but vanish from the Earth, the last children of the High Father and the Great Mother emerged from the Sea, where last the Sky and Land had met: men, elves, dwarves, and all the lesser mortal races.
And so, even as the last Dragons secluded themselves, new civilizations rose in their place. One among the Dragons, in his dying breaths, passed on the remnants of the divine spark within himself to mortals, blessing them with his soul's power. In time, those blessed few passed into legend, shaping the course of societies and the world with their power. As time passed, the title awarded to those so blessed changed from culture to culture and place to place--but the meaning always remained the same:
Dragonblooded.
GAMEPLAY:
This is ultimately, a very straightforward RP--all our characters do is explore the world around them and react to it. What makes this RP (hopefully) stick out is that each player is also responsible for the parts of the world they create and add to the RP. It can be as simple as pointing out a location they want to describe and think is worth going to, to engineering an entire civil war in their created location. Think of it as a player-created and player-driven Skyrim: no one conflict totally dominates the game--you don't even need to finish the main quest!
Sticking to the title, all our characters are Dragonblooded (but you can of course just make them regular beings for story's sake)--but how that manifest and what that means depends on the background you think up for them and where they come from. It might mean they become a god-king of sorts, the next chosen ruler of their local empire. Or maybe they are cast out as unnatural, a cured being in their hometown's midst. Who knows? You do.
While the fun of this RP comes from the ideas each player brings to the table, what keeps together, like in other RPs, is GM fiat and authority. If things ending up going absurdly off track--such as sitting in one tavern in some godforsaken corner of the world for 300 posts--I can interfere with my overarching plot as need be. And in order to keep you from godmodding too much, there's also a loose level system for your Dragonblooded characters; you define what your characters gain at what level in your sign-ups. I'll award levels as the RP progresses, for exploration, character growth, etc.
Sticking to the title, all our characters are Dragonblooded (but you can of course just make them regular beings for story's sake)--but how that manifest and what that means depends on the background you think up for them and where they come from. It might mean they become a god-king of sorts, the next chosen ruler of their local empire. Or maybe they are cast out as unnatural, a cured being in their hometown's midst. Who knows? You do.
While the fun of this RP comes from the ideas each player brings to the table, what keeps together, like in other RPs, is GM fiat and authority. If things ending up going absurdly off track--such as sitting in one tavern in some godforsaken corner of the world for 300 posts--I can interfere with my overarching plot as need be. And in order to keep you from godmodding too much, there's also a loose level system for your Dragonblooded characters; you define what your characters gain at what level in your sign-ups. I'll award levels as the RP progresses, for exploration, character growth, etc.
THE WORLD:
Here's what's been added so far:
Locations:
Factions/Cultures:
Locations:
- Talanian Hinterlands (by Renewal) - hilly territories on the coast of the western continent, near the Pataric Sea. Surrounded by the wealthy coastal kingdoms to their east, and the fertile lands of Endal to the west, the Hinterlands are much poorer in comparison, dominated by subsistence farmers and herdsmen, and consequently have seen much bloodshed over the course of their history. For centuries the nomadic tribes that inhabited the Hinterlands have been displaced as their neighbors warred on their lands. The past few years, however, have seen a stunning reversal of their fortunes, with the rise of Alesia ker Talna, a nativeborn turned conqueror, seizing control of the HInterlands and uniting them.
- Solara Islands (by Renewal) - an ancient archipelago in the heart of the Pataric Sea, surrounded by dangerous currents and frequent whirlpools. Rocky and virtually barren, their appearance and age have earned them the nickname the Bones of the High Father. Near worthless and far from most civilization, the Islands would have been abandoned centuries ago were it not for the sole structure still standing on one of the smaller islands: the Temple Solaris, an ancient temple dedicated to worshiping Valya. The Islands are thus the center of Solar worship, and thus see steady traffic year round from pilgrims from all corners of the globe.
Factions/Cultures:
- Alesian Empire (by Renewal) - the newest empire on the western continent, forged from the conquests of its leader, Alesia ker Talna--or in the tongue of her tribe, Alesia, child of Talna. Her empire has seen rapid expansion, unchecked by any so far. But in styling herself a divine conqueror, but denying that she is Dragonblooded by claiming descent from Talna, she is regarded at best as a divisive and controversial figure--her boastful name is seen as tremendous blasphemy by many--Talna is often regarded as a minor god, often a liability to his glorious brother Valya. The Alesian Empire's tremendous growth, even as it inspires fervent loyalty from citizens of the Hinterlands, has inspired great fear and hatred from the other kingdoms of the world. Whether Alesia truly has the favor of Talna or nor has yet to be seen, with the future of her empire hanging in the balance.
- Solaris Templars (by Renewal) - as the current occupants of the Solara Islands and the Temple Solaris, the Templars claim inheritance to the ancient legacy of the Solar Cult, and thus the rightful leaders of Valya worshipers across the globe. The truth of their legacy is, of course, much thornier. The Templars have inhabited the Temple for roughly 300 years, and are merely the latest organization to occupy it: they were installed by the now defunct Endalian Empire in their war of conquest. However, in the decades since, the Templars' efforts at reconciling with mainland sects have seen them gain a measure of authority. Though their doctrine remains controversial--especially regarding their declaration that both Dragon and Daemon worship are heretical--they are somewhat well-regarded as guardians of the Temple. However, the rise of the Alesian Empire has seen active bloodshed between Alesian force and Templar knights, threatening to divide the Solar Cult even further.
RULES:
- The usual BMGf etiquette: no spamming, no tennising, no godmodding, etc. Basically, all the normal rules of RPs: play nice!
- The GM's word is law. My job is to keep things flowing smoothly. If it comes to that, my word is law.
- Respect each other's settings. The point of this RP is to explore each other's ideas. Respect it, and when it comes to facts about that player's particular setting, what they says goes.
- If you're lost, ask for help. Don't be afraid to ask for recaps--that's a key part of my job, after all.
SIGN-UPS:
Name:
Age:
Gender:
Race: Can be any race of your choosing or creation. Try to stick to fantasy races (i.e., avoid robots or extraterrestrials)
Appearance:
Personality: Detail please--a few sentences
Background: Try to include something about your character's culture/faction (see below)--they don't exist in a vacuum, after all
Hometown: Either your custom setting from below, or one already made
Location: Describe a new setting to add to the world, or one you've made for a prior character. Try to touch a little on its climate, its location in relation to other places, and its inhabitants
Culture/Faction: Elaborate on the inhabitants of your setting. Can be very simple, but detail is always a plus, especially if it's large, like a kingdom or empire
Dragonblooded: State whether or not your character is Dragonblooded, and what powers they consequently have
Class: Optional if your character is Dragonblooded, but recommended. Describe how your character fights and what they specialize in. Like everything else, can make up your own class
Level Progression: State what your character learns at what level. Levels start at 1 and go to 100. Try to make sure their not too crazy, and that they make sense in the context of their Dragonblooded powers and their class
Age:
Gender:
Race: Can be any race of your choosing or creation. Try to stick to fantasy races (i.e., avoid robots or extraterrestrials)
Appearance:
Personality: Detail please--a few sentences
Background: Try to include something about your character's culture/faction (see below)--they don't exist in a vacuum, after all
Hometown: Either your custom setting from below, or one already made
Location: Describe a new setting to add to the world, or one you've made for a prior character. Try to touch a little on its climate, its location in relation to other places, and its inhabitants
Culture/Faction: Elaborate on the inhabitants of your setting. Can be very simple, but detail is always a plus, especially if it's large, like a kingdom or empire
Dragonblooded: State whether or not your character is Dragonblooded, and what powers they consequently have
Class: Optional if your character is Dragonblooded, but recommended. Describe how your character fights and what they specialize in. Like everything else, can make up your own class
Level Progression: State what your character learns at what level. Levels start at 1 and go to 100. Try to make sure their not too crazy, and that they make sense in the context of their Dragonblooded powers and their class
CHARACTERS:
Any questions or clarification needed, just ask Renewal!
