Shaman Chill
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Post by Shaman Chill on Dec 14, 2014 19:53:22 GMT -8
I have an idea that's been rolling around in my head for a couple of months, and I decided it was time to share it. As most of you know, over time JvS has shifted from primarily spontaneous, short roleplay to an increasing focus on roleplay that is planned, closed, and/or long-term. And there's nothing wrong with those other types of RP, but it does make it harder for new players to get started, or for veterans to bring new characters into the universe. I think one reason we don't see any spontaneous RP is that there's no longer any place on the site you can go and count on getting a near-immediate response. In the old days, each planet was only 1 thread, and there were certain planets that you could post on and you would almost always get an immediate response, so it was easy for new people to get involved.
What if we got a number of well known names or guild councilors (or whoever wanted to join, really), and set a time and place every week (e.g. Wednesday 7-9 pm ET) that we would spontaneously interact with whoever shows up, and then publicize that in advance? I wouldn't ask anyone to commit to being there every week, and it wouldn't need to be every week or at the same time each week, so long as we had a schedule in advance so that people could plan. Once we have a group of people committed to run it, their responsibility would be to find the times and places that suited them (within reason). Coruscant would be a sensible starting planet.
Thoughts? Suggestions? Ideally, this is something that the Players' Guild Council would become responsible for keeping running, with Whill assistance in promotion.
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Xeonon Solomon
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Post by Xeonon Solomon on Dec 15, 2014 4:47:21 GMT -8
I like this a lot. Spontaneous unplanned RP is what I like (okay maybe there is a general idea but not the point). Ideally it would be on the weekend but for some odd reason the time when it makes the most sense for there to be a lot of activity, there is almost none.
I had been trying to do this where the RPs I started were going to last a weekend, but that turned into like 4 months because no one posted time after time.
Would it be up to us to decide what we are going to do or a super broad outline? (ie: bacta shortage on planet X have fun do what ever you want)
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Bloodrage Pirates
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Post by Bloodrage Pirates on Dec 15, 2014 10:33:44 GMT -8
I like the idea too and would be very up for participating as often as my life allowed. I'd suggest that Coruscant would not be th best planet to start on, simply because it is the galactic capital and there is a lot of politics that surrounds that. I'd suggest Tatooine as it's featured heavily in the films and can have areas that vary in RP style.
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Xeonon Solomon
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Post by Xeonon Solomon on Dec 15, 2014 16:14:02 GMT -8
I tend to agree. The location can be a hard one to pick. It should be a canon location that both super nerds and the common Star Wars fan would know. However many and more of the big names are used by groups that probably would not want wanton death and short unplanned RPs happening. Tatooine is an excellent option.
Kashyyyk, Naboo, Korriban, Taris, Bespin, Dagobah, Hoth, Mustafar, Utapua. Those are all likely candidates from the current planetary threads, being from games or movies and thus easily imagined as we have seen it.
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Aerandir Calmcacil
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Post by Aerandir Calmcacil on Dec 15, 2014 19:11:01 GMT -8
What I'm curious about is: What kind of rules would be in place, other than natural laws? Even if it's none besides, that's fine too, I just wanna know what we'd be looking at here.  |
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Xeonon Solomon
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Post by Xeonon Solomon on Dec 16, 2014 4:10:21 GMT -8
I think that falls under the crowd sourcing thing. Blue light planet all the way! No rules, except that there are no rules.
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Gaiscioch Dearg
Adventists of the Eye
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Post by Gaiscioch Dearg on Dec 16, 2014 8:09:50 GMT -8
Aerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr stop it before I call in a professional face slapper! The whole point of this is that it is OPEN.
I'm really glad that Chill posted this because it is so close to a conversation I had with someone a couple days ago via PM. I think a big part of the reason that the site is so barren these days is that everyone got way too caught up in their closed and planned out story lines. The second someone said "hey... you know what would be fun?" We see four topics created in the RP Planning forum discussing everything from everyone's clothing to their line's of dialogue.
Now... I'm not saying it's a bad thing. Planning makes for truly masterful works on our sites. However that level of planning makes story lines take months and make people wanting to join feel very uncomfortable. So many rules and plans.
Chill made a wonderful point to bring up Facebook. I think people on the site tend to forget that our beginnings were completely based on open role play. If someone showed up and did something you didn't like.. you had to deal with it and figure out a way to get rid of them through RP. Not smugly PM them saying "sorry betch this is a closed SL."
Something like this could get us out of our comfort zone and back into actually interacting with each other. Instead of just sitting on one planet with our three to five person groups with a "keep off my lawn" sign out front lol.
Okay.. I'm going to stop ranting lol. In short, this is a great idea.
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Aerandir Calmcacil
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Post by Aerandir Calmcacil on Dec 16, 2014 13:28:11 GMT -8
Aerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr stop it before I call in a professional face slapper! The whole point of this is that it is OPEN. Oi, "rules" doesn't necessarily mean "restrictions," I'm talking more about the outline, the layout of these "events," and not in a "pre-planned" way either, more the general "how this works," are people just poofing in, is there some kind of goal, or is it all basically "do whatever the hell you want"? A guy's gotta know these things. |
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Galdaart Fel
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Post by Galdaart Fel on Dec 16, 2014 13:52:05 GMT -8
I'm in, like BRP, as often as schedule allows. (But if Wednesday were kept as the day... just a heads up that Wednesdays are the day I play my tabletop D&D campaign...)
pushes taped glasses up on his nose, and replaces pen in pocket protector
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Gaiscioch Dearg
Adventists of the Eye
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Post by Gaiscioch Dearg on Dec 16, 2014 14:11:44 GMT -8
Aerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr stop it before I call in a professional face slapper! The whole point of this is that it is OPEN. Oi, "rules" doesn't necessarily mean "restrictions," I'm talking more about the outline, the layout of these "events," and not in a "pre-planned" way either, more the general "how this works," are people just poofing in, is there some kind of goal, or is it all basically "do whatever the hell you want"? A guy's gotta know these things. :p Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine. I retract my face slapper comment ;P |
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Shaman Chill
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Post by Shaman Chill on Dec 16, 2014 14:51:33 GMT -8
Nobody said it had to be Wednesday. I was just trying to provide an example of how focused I think the timeframe needs to be. Limiting it to a couple of hours removes some of the problems that we have seen in the past where you plan a storyline for a weekend and then no one posts for 24 hours and the momentum dies.
I agree with Aerandir that there will need to be some basic ground rules, but I do not have any strong opinions on what they should be. That's up to you all (within reason).
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Aerandir Calmcacil
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Post by Aerandir Calmcacil on Dec 16, 2014 15:10:20 GMT -8
1. Everyone must bring bacon.
I don't think we need much more than that.
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Mike Frantz
Databank Operations
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Post by Mike Frantz on Dec 16, 2014 15:31:09 GMT -8
I like this... A lot. A lot enough that depending on the times selected it may bring me around to have some fun and wonderfulness and all that.
Aer bacon is a given, bacon is always a given, like rum.
As far as rules, all basic rules of respect and all that apply aside from that it's spontaneous so kind of everything goes, although it might be good to make some recommendations like not writing books because it's hard to respond spontaneously to a 9 paragraph essay about your internal opinions of me. Still an acceptable options... But maybe mention that might not be a good idea....
But really I think the fewer formal restrictions the better and honestly it may be better to kind of create the hard rules we have to as the issues come up, if they come up.
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Xeonon Solomon
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Post by Xeonon Solomon on Dec 16, 2014 15:34:06 GMT -8
1. Keep it to the rules
2. The natural laws may be bent but not broken
3. If you show up you accept the risks
4. Your colour badge will be taken into consideration but will not save you
5. Everyone must bring bacon
6. You do not talk about fight club
7. Keep the posts small, we do not need a novella (maybe 5-8 paragraphs for example)
8. Keep the planet knocking up to a minimum
9. A plot may be given but it is up to you to advance it or ignore it
10. After the prescribed time all activity may continue but under the regular rules of the boards.
11. Death is optional after it ends but find a way to make it fit
Just a quick idea.
Mike and I said many of the same things. Maybe we should jump the gun here. Promote the shit out of it on Facebook, twitter, tumblr ect. Show ourselves to the nerd text based role play as fun and not elitist. Show ourselves to the unwashed hordes as the nerds we are.
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Mike Frantz
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Post by Mike Frantz on Dec 16, 2014 15:35:10 GMT -8
Also I think it should be kind of like the old days, you can explain oh I flew here and that's just accepted. Things that happen are within the current stream of time and all that, no special separate alternate timeline and all that. If you don't want things to happen to your character than make a special new one just for this idea.
Also as far as location why not pick an archived planet or a total new one and start there, see how that works, then maybe move to one of the more popular locations depending on the success of the weekly event.
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Shaman Chill
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Post by Shaman Chill on Dec 16, 2014 17:20:12 GMT -8
There are enough abandoned or underused planets that we can easily feature a "new" location without adding anything to the boards. I would rather drive increased traffic to our existing locations than divide our collective output any further.
The two main guidelines I would put on this are:
1) Make sure you clear it in advance with the other writing presences (if any) on the planet. I would be surprised if anyone said no, but it's a matter of courtesy.
2) Nothing that happens will permanently alter the planet in a significant way. (I mean, you can blow it up, but it won't stay exploded.)
I also agree with the suggestion death being optional once the event is over.
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Post by Atuna Davinari Lemep on Dec 16, 2014 21:12:07 GMT -8
I'd like to be in on this, if we could settle on a time and date.
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Mike Frantz
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Post by Mike Frantz on Dec 17, 2014 5:08:55 GMT -8
Although I am a proponent of death actually being death I can understand why we'd add that as an optional thing. Also nice that we can blow things up even if they don't stay exploded because explosions are fun.... As is death. As far as the death thing goes if you die and don't say dead try to at least have a "oh that was just a fake me" excuse or something just so we don't have to toss everything that happens out after the event. As far as a date and time why not December 28th from 8-12. It's a Saturday night so at least a few people will be around (I can even be around). I know it's soon but I always feel like we wait too long to do things and then all the interest gets thrown out the window.
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Xeonon Solomon
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Post by Xeonon Solomon on Dec 17, 2014 5:36:39 GMT -8
I accept death to, three of my characters have died thus far but I know a lot of people dont. It may turn people away if it is permadeath. Id be tentative of the weekends, from my experience and just looking into chat there are less people on than normal. Usually the busiest days are Tuesday-Thursday but I cant prove it.
Its better that it is sooner rather than later, that way this is still on everyones mind and I will be there for most if not all of it if it is on a weekend.
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Cathaoir Ordo
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Post by Cathaoir Ordo on Dec 17, 2014 5:49:13 GMT -8
*whispers to Mike* The 28th is a Sunday.
Anyways, just trying to rap my head things since I've been gone forever and a day now. As for this idea, I really like it. Been around since those early days where there was one thread to a planet and it was a given that you'd have some kind of response from someone; especially on Korriban (my first and only account for a long time was a sith so yeah i didnt really get out to the jedi/republic parts of things much in the beginning. In my opinion, yes having the long drawn out, planned/closed SLs can add a lot of development to one's character, and also an intense or exciting read, but at the same time it takes away from one of the things that initially made this site so great at the beginning; the spontaneous interaction between people who knew nothing about each other and allowed them to write in the moment about what was actually going to happen rather than write to meet an end result. Both have their pros and their cons but each serves a different need for the writers who partake.
I'd step up right now as a suitable volunteer to help to the best of my ability, if I knew I could make a reasonable return to the site, but I'm not sure I can do that as RL is very hectic for me these days; however if I am able to make it around, I will do my best to help with this in what capacity that I can
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