Well, looks like The Final Branding's not going to get off the ground, so I guess I'll try my hand at an RP that should have some interest already built in.
Mass Effect has, over the course of the summer and binging on all three games, become one of my favorite video game series. It's fast-paced, filled with action, while maintaining a rich setting and strong, deep characters. But--controversial endings aside--its focus on a sole character and his/her crew have meant that the setting has never been as deeply explored as it could have, especially as the series focused on its shooter aspects starting in Mass Effect 2. Moreover, it was always designed as a character-driven RP (as opposed to the rich world-driven RPs like The Elder Scrolls), meaning exploring the setting was always going to be second priority--not that that's a bad thing, of course.
Anyway, spiel aside, I'd like to see if there's any interest before I develop the sign-up, to see if it's worthwhile or if I should instead focus on another original RP. Here are a few ideas I've worked out; feel free to pick and comment on them, or suggest something completely new. The point of this thread is to generate a concept that interest all of you, rather than just myself.
Ranked in order of descending complexity and presumable difficulty:
As I've said above, comment on and add to my thoughts, or think up something new. I want to work together with fellow Mass Effect and sci-fi fans, not force my ideas on them.
Mass Effect has, over the course of the summer and binging on all three games, become one of my favorite video game series. It's fast-paced, filled with action, while maintaining a rich setting and strong, deep characters. But--controversial endings aside--its focus on a sole character and his/her crew have meant that the setting has never been as deeply explored as it could have, especially as the series focused on its shooter aspects starting in Mass Effect 2. Moreover, it was always designed as a character-driven RP (as opposed to the rich world-driven RPs like The Elder Scrolls), meaning exploring the setting was always going to be second priority--not that that's a bad thing, of course.
Anyway, spiel aside, I'd like to see if there's any interest before I develop the sign-up, to see if it's worthwhile or if I should instead focus on another original RP. Here are a few ideas I've worked out; feel free to pick and comment on them, or suggest something completely new. The point of this thread is to generate a concept that interest all of you, rather than just myself.
Ranked in order of descending complexity and presumable difficulty:
- Something set during the Reaper War. Put most simply, this is an RP of the Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer. Very action-focused and probably character-driven, as the plot is already determined. Sweet and to the point. All that's needed are characters, abilities, and weapons, and we are good to go.
- Something set during the series, but not from Shepard's point of view. Less action-driven and more exploration-based. The ideal time frame is somewhere after the end of ME1 and before the start of ME3, especially as ME2 sees Shepard mostly in the backwater of the Terminus Systems. The only difficulty is in thinking up something that doesn't contradict the canon of the games too much.
- Something set prior to the events of Mass Effect. Similar to the preceding, but without the constraints of the series's plot. Of course, that somewhat limits the scale of what we could do, but that's not too much of a problem. While it'll probably be after the First Contact War/Relay 314 incident and the debut of humanity on the galactic stage, I'm not averse from doing something set earlier, such as during the Rachni War or the Krogan Rebellions. The real challenge is that we'll need to come up with a plot wholesale.
- Something set after Mass Effect 3. Again, similar to the preceding, but without any of the constraints of the established timeline. Literally any plot is possible here, though we'd have to agree on which ending to branch from. Moreover, being set after the endings, this has the most epic potential as we can explore and discuss the ramifications of the chosen ending. Destroy is similar to the above, as it's essentially the restored status quo, minus the geth. Control lets us explore the integration of the Reapers into galactic society. Synthesis is that, plus exploring the synthesis itself (for example, I've seen it being equated with 'genetic rape' on a few other forums); though the Synthesis ending in the Extended Cut extols its virtues and declares an eternal peace, how do you really deal with having your entire genetic and biological structure being completely rewritten? And Refusal from the Extended Cut lets us go completely wild, building new species and worlds, with only the presence of the Reapers and the eponymous mass effect limiting us.
- A complete AU of the series's events. This is keeping only the setting, and making up the plot wholesale, with possible differences in the background. For example, what if Shepard never existed? Or the Reapers? Or if the Protheans had won the war in their cycle? Anything is possible here.
As I've said above, comment on and add to my thoughts, or think up something new. I want to work together with fellow Mass Effect and sci-fi fans, not force my ideas on them.
