Hello, fellow 9thwonders users! This is the OOC (Out-Of-Character) RPG thread for a factions RPG unlike any other RPG I have seen posted on 9thwonders! That's cause this RPG involves "Story Dueling"--in other words, two or more players will do a post by post brawl for fun and glory. I have been discussing doing this new type of RPG for awhile with Requiem191, and originally planned for it to go online subsequent to his Shattered Fragments factions RPG. However, since people seemed to be looking for a slower RPG and the new season of Heroes was about to begin, I decided to start it early.
Anyways, I'll first list some things you should probably know:
1. TIMING
I'm also the GM for another RPG, Chariots of Blood... it's a racing type RPG, and I do NOT plan to be running both RPGs concurrently. And since Chariots of Blood attracted players faster than this RPG, this RPG will not begin until after Chariots of Blood ends and we have at least four players signed up.
2. PREMISE
The game will be set on an uncharted remote island that is somehow cloaked in the middle of the Atlantic. You (and hopefully your other factions members) will first be visiting the island at the request of Rebel, whom after finding it, discovered it had some amazing technologies. Are they Atlanteon? Alien? Something else? Rebel doesn't know, and he doesn't care. He found that it has an arena that can be adapted to change into different environments and is determined to use the arena as training ground/sparring grounds for the factions. The arena may just work via holographics, or it may be something else... you'll have to play to find out! In any case, Rebel is determined to use the arena as a training grounds and has announced to the factions what he calls the "Tournament of Power".
Also, Tournament of Power is, as I said, a factions RPG. Those unfamiliar with what a "faction" is, it is a group or team of characters created for the Heroes: Survival game on NBC.com. Players in the game act as advisers to their characters, telling them what to do and offering assistance that aids in their characters' survival. It's very similar to a Japanese pet game, if you're familiar with those. In this RPG, you will be role-playing a single character that you have created for the game. The game allows advisers to instruct their characters in the creation or joining of a "faction". Like the players themselves, these factions have a kind of personality. Factions can be heroic (always putting themselves on the line to help others), neutral (having a kind of balance between bad and good, and willing to take action), reclusive (keeping to themselves and only doing things to save their own skins), or villainous (set on ruling the world)--those distinctions define a faction's world-view. Just like in real life, outward appearances and actions can be misconstrued--a faction can be full of thieves and killers who are vigilantes instead of villains, or it can be full of people who act like saints in order to gain control of the fabric of society in order to maliciously transform it. The game allows you to be creative.
In any case, the factions are normally a group of individuals the come together for a common goal. That may just be to worship their leader (Heh), or, more often, it will be as a means of protection and/or power. From what I've seen in the game and in the show, some factions may live their lives in secrecy and are content with what life has given them, and others are more open and more ruthless in obtaining what they want.
Tournament of Power takes places some time after the Building 26 organization has been dissolved, when factions of individuals with abilities have begun to organize themselves and get things figured out. Each soon realized they weren't the only faction on the block, so to speak. Now, they need to take their values, whether good, bad, or somewhere in between, and make their way in the world.
3. MISSIONS
There will likely only ever be one main mission for this game--win the tournament of power. We'll be playing the tournament on a single-elimination basis, meaning you move on to the next round if you are the victor and you wait for the next tournament if you lose.
I or a referee appointed by me will be GMing the game and creating the setting for battles between two individuals or teams of players. After each battle, the other players in the tournament will vote on which player or team did better. Hopefully, they will judge in terms of grammar, creativity, perspective, and success (25% each). Of course, if everyone registered ends up participating in a particular battle, then those participating will have to vote. Everyone will have one week to post their votes after each battle's results has been posted.
In most battles, you will be fighting only another player or team. However, it is possible other elements or NPCs may be introduced.
4. CHARACTERS
You may only enter ONE of your faction characters into each tournament, and you cannot switch/tag-team characters in the middle of a battle. You may RP having your other characters watch in the arena in the Tournament of Power thread, but they cannot interfere or post in the battle thread of a match. Such threads should only be used by the players in the duel and the GM/appointed referee. Anyone watching can role-play in the Tournament of Power thread as if they are behind a forcefield wall, so to speak. The setting for each match I will cook up/design such that it should be an even match for those two characters/teams alone, trying to make it fair for both sides. As GM/referee, I will not compete.
If you do make a new character, put their character sheet in the post in which your original character's sheet is in and then link me to it. The same rules apply to this character as your original one. They must be in a Faction and have a detailed history (etc).
5. BATTLE RULES
A. No God-Modding, power gaming or metagaming. This means that you don't use your powers to extremes or suddenly create for yourself an improbable scenario. Also, you cannot be all-knowing, omniscient, or unstoppable like a god. In addition, you can't have a Hiro, Sylar, Ted, etc., type of character. Limited omniscience is also out unless it has to do with your character's ability--in other words, no knowing stuff your character wouldn't know. No playing other people's characters. You should have enough time to provide a response for your own character. If your ability lets you control another character, you need to indicate somehow to the other player what he/she should do, either by internal thought or by hand motion, etc. Also, no killing someone else's character without permission. Yes, this is a fight, but it's not to the death.
B. Your character can't be a canon HEROES character, related to any canon characters, or be derived from any existing character. Only OC (Original Characters) are allowed. No ripoffs, please.
C. This RPG is a fantasy (superpowers aren't considered to exist in the real world), but you should try to be as realistic as possible to keep the RPG fun for everyone. Live your character's life like an actual life, like it really matters to them. Interact with other players how you think your character would interact in real life, and remember that every decision has consequences.
D. Remember to disconnect yourself from your character. If your character loses a battle or gets injured/killed, you need to not take it personally. Even though the battles are not to the death, there is a small chance that your character may die in this game. Just like in real life, if you get into a life-threatening situation and don't handle it properly, things can go bad. Although you may or may not approach the tournament location as a team, you'll be working individually for the most part without other faction members. But if you're smart, you should be able to get out of most situations easily enough. If a character dies, it should be either because the player wanted that character gone or because of something else probably involving me, yours truly. (Don't worry, I don't intend on killing anyone's character in this game.)
6. GENERAL RULES
A. Please don't abandon your character. If you want to leave, tell me by PM here at 9th Wonders or on my HeroesWiki.com userpage. Those who don't participate in a round of the tournament will automatically be withdrawn.
B. Keep it PG13 by following the fan fic guidelines that also apply to RP and follow the board rules.
C. Work things out (continuity errors, questions etc.) in the OOC/Out-Of-Character thread (this thread), please. If you have a problem with another player then PM that person and try to solve the situation in a civil manner. If I feel that the problem is affecting the game, I WILL get involved. If you want to chat, please use this thread for that as well. Leave the story posts where they belong and keep everything that is OOC here.
D. I, Volts, am the GM (Grand Master) of this game, so I have final say in any and all issues. If you do something clever, trying to bend any of the rules I set, I reserve the right to still take action against your character.
7. POSTING
A. I will create the main IC thread when we are ready to start the game. The main IC thread will be used for role-playing the discovery of the island and any side missions I come up with (although I'm not planning any side missions at the current time). The pairings/players list for each round will also be posted in the IC thread.
In the main IC thread, we are going to use the TAG System. At the beginning of each post, you will place any pertinent information that needs to be known (i.e. the location, and your character's name). As GM, I will provide the time of day for what is happening. At the end of each post, you will TAG the Player that you want to respond to your post. Here's an example post for the normal Tournament of Power thread:
Location: Costa Verde - Sam's Comics
IC: Claire Bennet
"I thought I'd never see you again!" Claire screamed for joy as Rachel walked in the door.
TAG: Volts
And that's the TAG System. It's easy to use, so no worries.
B. Battles will be begun by me in separate SD (Story Dueling) threads, and will use the the one-action system. You'll need to do at most one offensive, preparatory, or defensive action per post, being as creative about it as you can. You can add as many internal thoughts/flashbacks, etc. to your post as you want, but only do one real-time action in each post. Offensive actions include things such as throwing a dagger, defensive will include things such as dodging or setting up some illusions. When reading your character sheet, I may decide some of your character's abilities should require one or more preparatory moves. This means you'll have to waste X amount of moves before you can use it. If you break any of these rules and double move, myself or the appointed referee may allow your opponent an extra move for his/her next post and/or instruct the voters to penalize your score. Along with the one-action you take, you must role-play the response to your opponent's move and determine yourself whether any offensive move should have had any effect on your character or whether your character would be immune/able to dodge. Be honest, though, cause 25% of your score will be based on maintaining perspective/realism. You can lose the battle and still end up with a higher total score. In general, the more description you add to a move, the better. For single player matches, the game will end after you each have executed 15 moves/posts, or after your opponent is knocked unconscious or withdraws, or after one week--whatever is shorter. If the match has not been finished in the one week after it is posted, the GM/appointed referee may allot more time or call it a draw. If you post within the first couple days and your opponent doesn't post within the week, the match will be considered forfeit by the the person who does not appear. The tournament will work using a single-elimination pairings system.
Example preparatory moves:
* Meng stood still, closing her eyes and concentrating as she prepared to transform into her misty self.
* Eric stood still, his hands to the sides of his face, as he prepared to lift the large boulder into the air.
Example defensive moves:
* Meng quickly transformed herself and belongings into a dark mist that Eric could see.
* Meng hid behind a large boulder in the middle of the arena.
Example offensive moves:
* Meng's misty form moved quickly towards Eric at a cheetah-like pace, leaving no footprints in the dirt of the arena.
* Using her knowledge of taekwondo, Meng executed a drop-kick towards Eric's face. Meng's leg moved in a twist-like manner, springing with a chicken-like resonance.
Example responses:
* Using his ability, Eric forced a boulder to roll between himself and the path of Meng's misty form, blocking her attack. A thunderous crunch was heard as it rolled to a stop and partially cracked open.
* Eric was helpless to dodge Meng's quick karate move and took a thwap to the face. He began bleeding profusely from the nose. A few more hits, Eric thought, and he'd be out cold.
That should pretty much surmise the battle system. It's pretty common for text RPGs, and is actually not that complicated, once you get used to it--really!
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Finally, we have the Character Sheet you need to post and have me approve before you can participate in the game!
The Character Sheet for Tournament of Power is slightly different than the one used for Shattered Fragments. So if you have a character approved in that RPG, it should be most likely get approved here if you post it and add an appropriate move # for the use of your ability (use your best judgement; I'll advise you if I think you are off). A Character Sheet displays all pertinent information for your character leading up to the very beginning of this game. That means I need to see every detail of your character's life, especially what skills your character has acquired. If you character can fly a plane, I need to know that and how/when he/she learned that skill. Also, if your character has a giant scar on body, I want to know where it is and how it got there. Every detail is important to make your character feel more life-like and realistic. So be as descriptive as you can! Now, just copy the sheet from this post and paste it into a reply to this topic and fill it out! Here's the Character Sheet:
Character Sheet
Name:
Gender:
Ethnicity:
Age:
Height:
Weight:
Hair: (Style and Color)
Eyes:
Personality:
Hometown:
Faction:
Worldview: Heroic, Neutral, Reclusive, Villainous, etc as stated by your Leader. If you do not know what your Leader wants as an Overall Worldview, just place the current Worldview here.
Personal History:
Ability:
Move #: # of moves your abilities will take to execute... Let me know for each ability. If your character has more than one power, I'll let you know if I think the # is too low or too high.
Miscellaneous Info (Anything else we need to know):
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So, with all that said, I'll leave this to you and let you post your sheets, along with your thoughts and feelings on the game. I'm always willing to take anyone's feedback--bad or good. So feel free to share your comments!
