77 replies to this topic

[Gozer]

Greetings all. As I see The Windborne Raven RP is widing down and I see that fine group of players getting ready to break up as others are trying to join I figured I'd start a new thread so we can hash out what kind of game we'd like. So here's what I think we need to answer:

1. Who is GM'ing. At least one (maybe two) people should be "in charge" to help push the group in some direction. That way we don't just go wandering about randomly blowing up bars and such.

2. What time period. Pick a year. I prefer Fourth Succession War era, but anything Pre-Clan I'm down for.

3. What Setting. Solaris seems obvious to allow for any house affiliation possible.

4. What rules? Are you going to run rules light, i.e. what they were doing in the Windborne Raven before? Or do you want to actually use the Mechwarrior RP rules? Or something in between? (I did like the idea of using TT rules to figure out what to RP during combat)

5. Where to play? Do we try to maintain a solid game here on the official Mechwarrior Online forum or do you want to open up a seperate game forum? Play by email? Play by Chat?

6. Posting regularity rules? I.e. 1 post per week at least or what?


I think that sums up the big "questions" that need to be answered first.

[Thom Frankfurt]

Gozer, on 30 March 2012 - 11:49 AM, said:

Greetings all. As I see The Windborne Raven RP is widing down and I see that fine group of players getting ready to break up as others are trying to join I figured I'd start a new thread so we can hash out what kind of game we'd like. So here's what I think we need to answer:

Gozer, on 30 March 2012 - 11:49 AM, said:

1. Who is GM'ing. At least one (maybe two) people should be "in charge" to help push the group in some direction. That way we don't just go wandering about randomly blowing up bars and such.

I like the Idea of a co-GM game. It would work nicely with hectic work schedules and such.

Gozer, on 30 March 2012 - 11:49 AM, said:

2. What time period. Pick a year. I prefer Fourth Succession War era, but anything Pre-Clan I'm down for.

I like the era post 4th SW up to the Clan invasion, so much peace and quiet. (well except for '39 anyways.) plenty of chances for border skirmishes and raids. Oh and all the nifty Level 2/tourney legal/whatever the heck they call it now.

Gozer, on 30 March 2012 - 11:49 AM, said:

3. What Setting. Solaris seems obvious to allow for any house affiliation possible.

Solaris is always good, Outreach and Galatea would be awesome and acceptable as well... How about a setting on Terra in '28 during the big wedding and all the PC's are members from each groups entourage? Or what I was thinking about... Taking place on Galeta right after the Dragoon's get Outreach up and running and we're playing a bunch of down on their luck merc's trying to find work and there's nothing but shady characters offering questionable jobs... Hell maybe we could RP the creation of the Dalian Guard (<~~~~D-bags.)

Gozer, on 30 March 2012 - 11:49 AM, said:

4. What rules? Are you going to run rules light, i.e. what they were doing in the Windborne Raven before? Or do you want to actually use the Mechwarrior RP rules? Or something in between? (I did like the idea of using TT rules to figure out what to RP during combat)

Simple rule. Keep it simple, and I can't believe that I'm saying it, but 'realism.' Try to use as much canon as possible.

Gozer, on 30 March 2012 - 11:49 AM, said:

5. Where to play? Do we try to maintain a solid game here on the official Mechwarrior Online forum or do you want to open up a seperate game forum? Play by email? Play by Chat?

Lets keep it here on the MWO forums till they crack down on us

Gozer, on 30 March 2012 - 11:49 AM, said:

6. Posting regularity rules? I.e. 1 post per week at least or what?

That would be nice. But sometimes people get post happy. Like in the 'Raven, we were in the bar having the drinks, I go to work, I come back and there's two more pages and some yahoo sticking a flamethrower in my character's face. Then sometimes your waiting on someone to post to figure out what your gonna do, and you keep waiting.... and waiting....


I think that sums up the big "questions" that need to be answered first.

Edited by Thom Frankfurt, 30 March 2012 - 08:47 PM.

[Nor Azman]

Thom Frankfurt, on 30 March 2012 - 06:42 PM, said:

I like the era post 4th SW up to the Clan invasion, so much peace and quiet. (well except for '39 anyways.) plenty of chances for border skirmishes and raids. Solaris is always good, Outreach and Galeta would be awesome and acceptable as well... Or what I was thinking about... Taking place on Galeta right after the Dragoon's get Outreach up and running and we're playing a bunch of down on their luck merc's trying to find work and there's nothing but shady characters offering questionable jobs... Hell maybe we could RP the creation of the Dalian Guard (<~~~~D-bags.) Simple rule. Keep it simple, and I can't believe that I'm saying it, but 'realism.' Try to use as much canon as possible. Lets keep it here on the MWO forums till they crack down on us

That is actually a very good idea Thom. *scratches chin* Playing the origins of the Delian Guards - a small low budget mercenary group, just starting out, maybe in Galatea or Solaris, with young dreams of honour and glory, to be remembered by all. The road of mercenaries is through the dark woods I guess. I have always have a fondness for pre-Clan Inner Sphere. Things seemed to be more gritty and murky, right and wrong seemed less clear.

A dedicated GM/Duo GM is needed. It is a thankless, underappreciated, and time-eating role but is a must to nudge storywise in a clear direction. (salute to all RP GMs out there)

My only concern for myself is time constraints - may be able to post once two - three days and fear the RP thread may just move on too quickly. And I am kinda self conscious of my lack of knowledge in specifics and technicals of the BT universe. Apologizes all around. Will try to stick to realism and cannon, but am determined to play. Well not too much. *rummage to find his old quantum leap character*

Will definitely be on the look out for an RP that seems promising.

[Kevin Kirov]

I will be there no matter what and i hope we can get it going soon.

[MacabreDerek]

((I am personally more of a fan of back-water worlds, though I could only imagine what Rick would do in a setting like Solaris 7. Whatever it is, I hope the next one is soon, because I really want to play this character and see what his quirks and manerisims will develop into.))

[Thom Frankfurt]

Nor Azman, on 30 March 2012 - 07:59 PM, said:

That is actually a very good idea Thom. *scratches chin* Playing the origins of the Delian Guards - a small low budget mercenary group, just starting out, maybe in Galatea or Solaris, with young dreams of honour and glory, to be remembered by all. The road of mercenaries is through the dark woods I guess. I have always have a fondness for pre-Clan Inner Sphere. Things seemed to be more gritty and murky, right and wrong seemed less clear.

A dedicated GM/Duo GM is needed. It is a thankless, underappreciated, and time-eating role but is a must to nudge storywise in a clear direction. (salute to all RP GMs out there)

My only concern for myself is time constraints - may be able to post once two - three days and fear the RP thread may just move on too quickly. And I am kinda self conscious of my lack of knowledge in specifics and technicals of the BT universe. Apologizes all around. Will try to stick to realism and cannon, but am determined to play. Well not too much. *rummage to find his old quantum leap character*

Will definitely be on the look out for an RP that seems promising.

Thanks for correcting my spelling of Galatea...

I was just shooting in the dark. I'd be up for the duo/multi GM thing but would only really have the free time to truly GM decently on the weekends. The hours I'm pulling at my job (damned yuppies and their Starbucks) are outragous.

We'd really have to keep an eye on the PC's. Not to do anything not neccessarly (My spelling is horrible, sorry. Glad the wife was a spelling B-Champion) outragous, but things that would let the game degenerate into a three ring circus, I hate to say it, but let's face it that's what happened (Good thing we had the Legendary Azman to save the day.) in Raven.

[MacabreDerek]

(( I personally have a bit more free time to spare, but I wouldnt know the first thing about running an RP on the forum. Still, if there is any way I can help, I'd love to hear it. Still, if anyone has some ideas, or just happens to go off on their own RP thread, send a message to the previous participants, it was truely something to behold, and something I'd love to join in on ))

[Thom Frankfurt]

*Shakes fist at the Heavens*

"Damn you Real Life!!"

[MacabreDerek]

~Hugs Thom~

[Thom Frankfurt]

I'll seriously try to work on something this weekend. What I dunno, but something. Still hoping I don't get dragged off to my nephew's (I hate that kid) birthday party.

[MacabreDerek]

Well, I have a fair amount of 3D and Photoshop expirence if that might help ya at all. Was actually going to work on a 3D model of Rick's Archerer because it seems everyone's got a pic of their ideal mech lol. Anyway, whatever you come up with Thom, I'm sure it will be great.

[Thom Frankfurt]

MacabreDerek, on 30 March 2012 - 09:45 PM, said:

Well, I have a fair amount of 3D and Photoshop expirence if that might help ya at all. Was actually going to work on a 3D model of Rick's Archerer because it seems everyone's got a pic of their ideal mech lol. Anyway, whatever you come up with Thom, I'm sure it will be great.

Thanks for the vote of confidence!! That's awesome that your skilled with the computer bit, because I'm bit of a knuckledragger when it comes to them.

But despite how cool the Centurion is, it's not my ideal mech.. I just like the picture. That's usually how I roll when it comes to TT...

[MacabreDerek]

I thought the Archer was just a logical choice of mech for finding something common enough that it may be a little easier to arrive at bring it from 'scrap' to a kind of 'living-death' mech barely hanging together for comedic value.

[Thom Frankfurt]

It's a good choice. From an RP standpoint I would try to sell it off and get some fully functional el-cheapo mech... Locust perhaps, but if you ever get the parts and ammo for it....

It's kinda funny how the shot up mechs always seem to have so much more character than a fully functional one.

[MacabreDerek]

I think the mech in some way always reflects it's rider. A person who keeps their mech in prestine condition may not have had the combat expirence, or is so rich that their ride is always brought back to show-room quallity, or an arms mechant using a polished mech as a show-case for his wears. There is always something to the mech that it will tell about it's pilot. The fun with the shot-up mechs is it means the pilot has seen action and is alive to tell it. I am currently using my 3025 tech manuel to fill in the details to mechs to play the 'mechanic' roll. And besides, I would love to know that some how I earned repairs/ammo/better mech for Rick as his expirence increases, or to see him fail entirely, broken in dreams and tears as his walking wreck finally bites it beyond even his abilities to macgiver it. It also shows the pilots approach to things, some like to be loaded up tough as nails in the thick of it, some want to possition and become a bit more strategic in it's application, and some may just want to keep their distance (In Ricks case, he has a long-range missile support mech with no missiles, armour, or even working lasers, which tells alot about a guy who's in over his head).

[Joe Davion 86]

i'd like to get in on the next one. i missed out on the raven RP but as long as we can get some decent RPers im in just PM when u wanna start up.

[Charles Martel]

I'm game.

[Nor Azman]

Thom Frankfurt, on 30 March 2012 - 09:02 PM, said:

(My spelling is horrible, sorry. Glad the wife was a spelling B-Champion).

Then you are a lucky man in the sincerest sense of the word.

So Im game Im game.

*Shakes fist at the heavens with Thom and everyone* (its just good exercise)

ps. character Azman is only a legend in his own mind, playing strip poker with a space monkey...and azman's losing... *mutters*goram space monkeys*mutters*

[Sloth901]

Count me in

[Gozer]

Okay so we have players and it sounds like Thom might be willing to CO-GM but not main GM that about right?

Now I was hesitant to say this at first but as no one else has stepped forward I will say that I HAVE GM'ed quite a bit in my life, both on and offline. So I can do it if you all want. Currently I'm on a rotating schedule (The next four weeks I have Sat-Mon as my weekends. Then the next four weeks is Tues-Wed off. Some months days, some months mids. You get the idea. ) but I tend to post from work anyway.

So if Thom is up for it, that'll settle the Co-GM question.

Next up as for time period it looks like we're all in agreement pre-clan invasion is cool.

The setting is the telling bit and sounds like most don't really want a Solaris game but a more backwater "boot strapping" adventure of a brand new Merc group on the fringes of the sphere. Does that about sum it up?

Simple rules set, ran here on the official forums, with a "light" post limit. So 1 post every 4 days minimum does that about sum it up?

--------------

Some things I'd do if chosen as a GM (Just so you know what you'd be getting out of me ) I would set up an OCC/character thread as well as an IC thread. It's an old habit of mine to help keep the main thread clear of extra bits. OCC Comments in the IC thread are fine (I'm fine with brackets or parenthesis) but the character sheets and such wouldn't be there.

Also there would be more than 1 thread if the game continued. I like to break things up into "episodes" so you don't have 30 pages to sort through. It also helps keep the players focused as we have "moved on" from this scene to this scene.

I would also request some clarification language to the posts to help keep everyone going. Every post would have a header like this:

[Outside the Windborne Raven]

Any time your post goes to a new area you'd also do a break with the new area title like this:

[Inside the Windborne Raven]

Sure it's a bit "Script like" but it helps players keep track of where they are. As a GM I would occasionally post location updates (espeically when folks get broken up) which would be like this:

[Inside the Windborne Raven]
Time: 14:44
Characters: Thom, Sloth, Azman

[Outside the Windborne Raven]
Time: 14:44
Characters: Charles, Joe

Again it's part of my job as GM to help move things along and to do that I tend to be a bit **** about it. I tend not to do maps but I can. Though they'd probably be quick Blender images and not pretty Photoshop stuff. (I do 3D modeling)

Finally, the CO-GM and I would have to have a Pow Wow to get some key points and characters figured out, and then set-up some character creation rules. I'm not going to get so heavy into rules lawyering just some thoughts of Mech Types allowed (if any), personal weapons allowed (gernades?), hidden histories (Azman you rock), house affilation (or are we all Mercs) that type stuff.

So if you want a semi-an al GM to help ride herd on your creative game feel free to ask. Otherwise I'm all for just playing.

Edited by Gozer, 31 March 2012 - 05:33 AM.