The RPG Soapbox: Let your voice be heard!

[Byrd Man]

What MB said

 

[trustyside-kick]

Before I actually sleep I need to ask... When your One Universe and DC RPGs end, will they be rebooted? (because I'd be interested in applying for them)

As far as the DC RPG goes, the current season is Season 8. This Season is about to end. But the LAST Season will be the next, Season 9. So if you want to join the DC RPG, you won't have to wait for long to enter Season 9. Just know that come the end of Season 9, reboot; fresh-start and new continuity.

 

[Carnage27]

Same with OU. There will be another season, making next season, #5, the finale.

 

[wiegeabo]

I find it funny that there are a lot of complaints about not being able to keep up with continuity, and the need to reboot games because of it.

Yet, no one wants to do the work of keeping track of the continuities.

Seriously, it's not like you have to update the wiki every time you post (unless you like doing that sort of thing). Take five minutes during a break between seasons to type up a couple of paragraphs for each character.

And it can be pretty helpful. I really wish I had kept mine up because, while I was, I'd be skimming my old posts, and posts from other owners, and finding really cool ideas that I'd just plain forgot about.


Also, the idea that updating the wiki might kill the motivation to post? Firstly, the wiki would be updated after the season ended. So it shouldn't stop the person from posting.

Secondly, even though none of us likes to admit it, if you're having that much trouble getting the motivation to post for a character...you should probably drop the character. If a character is no longer fun to play and posting feels more like a chore...then what's point? Let the character go. Take a break. Recharge the batteries. Who knows, you might get that old inspiration back, or decide to try a new character for a change.

 

[Batman]

I find it funny that there are a lot of complaints about not being able to keep up with continuity, and the need to reboot games because of it.

Yet, no one wants to do the work of keeping track of the continuities.

Seriously, it's not like you have to update the wiki every time you post (unless you like doing that sort of thing). Take five minutes during a break between seasons to type up a couple of paragraphs for each character.

And it can be pretty helpful. I really wish I had kept mine up because, while I was, I'd be skimming my old posts, and posts from other owners, and finding really cool ideas that I'd just plain forgot about.


Also, the idea that updating the wiki might kill the motivation to post? Firstly, the wiki would be updated after the season ended. So it shouldn't stop the person from posting.

Secondly, even though none of us likes to admit it, if you're having that much trouble getting the motivation to post for a character...you should probably drop the character. If a character is no longer fun to play and posting feels more like a chore...then what's point? Let the character go. Take a break. Recharge the batteries. Who knows, you might get that old inspiration back, or decide to try a new character for a change.

Alright, you've definitely got a point. I think I'm turned around on it. It was a brief concern that passed between the sound arguments made by you and Eddie, so I feel better about the idea.

 

[Keyser Soze]

I still think it's a dumb idea to reboot 1U. It's in nowhere near as deep a hole as DC, and still has a lot more life left in it. To me it feels like it's just lumping 1U in with DC on the reboot bandwagon so we can have a do-over on the "no independent comic characters" rule. But I'm not playing in the game at the moment, so I guess I don't really have a say. It's the opinion of those playing that matters.

 

[Keyser Soze]

Also, I just updated The Joker's Wiki entry.

 

[Eddie Brock]

I still think it's a dumb idea to reboot 1U. It's in nowhere near as deep a hole as DC, and still has a lot more life left in it. To me it feels like it's just lumping 1U in with DC on the reboot bandwagon so we can have a do-over on the "no independent comic characters" rule. But I'm not playing in the game at the moment, so I guess I don't really have a say. It's the opinion of those playing that matters.

OU has barely any life at this point. It's basically four or five consistent posters, and by consistent I mean weeks between posts instead of months. Also, the general consensus seems to be against independent characters still, so that has no role in the decision.

 

[wiegeabo]

Also, I just updated The Joker's Wiki entry.

Without looking, I'm going to guess at the update's contents...



I KILLED BATMAN!!!!....and all I got was this lousy t-shirt

 

[wiegeabo]

OU has barely any life at this point. It's basically four or five consistent posters, and by consistent I mean weeks between posts instead of months. Also, the general consensus seems to be against independent characters still, so that has no role in the decision.

I'm not for a reboot either, at this point. I can see reasoning behind it, and have an idea so it makes sense if we go that route, but I'd prefer to try and drum up recruitment first.

 

[Keyser Soze]

When rereading Season VI of World of Heroes to help with the editing process, it reminded me of how awesome that season was. Surely the game's finest hour.

 

[Carnage27]

I still think it's a dumb idea to reboot 1U. It's in nowhere near as deep a hole as DC, and still has a lot more life left in it. To me it feels like it's just lumping 1U in with DC on the reboot bandwagon so we can have a do-over on the "no independent comic characters" rule. But I'm not playing in the game at the moment, so I guess I don't really have a say. It's the opinion of those playing that matters.

I don't think that's it at all, IMO. That's just an idea I've brought up for a possible reboot, which isn't a definite at all.

Besides, if the game gets popular again, we can decide against the final season. But as of now the game is puttering along with a few core players.

 

[Batman]

I still think it's a dumb idea to reboot 1U. It's in nowhere near as deep a hole as DC, and still has a lot more life left in it. To me it feels like it's just lumping 1U in with DC on the reboot bandwagon so we can have a do-over on the "no independent comic characters" rule. But I'm not playing in the game at the moment, so I guess I don't really have a say. It's the opinion of those playing that matters.

I disagree. I'm an outsider to the game, too, but I've looked into it and I've seen that it's really beginning to hit a wall as far as activity goes. I'm also against the idea of independent characters, but can still see the need for a reboot of that game.

 

[Keyser Soze]

I'm not for a reboot either, at this point. I can see reasoning behind it, and have an idea so it makes sense if we go that route, but I'd prefer to try and drum up recruitment first.

Yeah, I think there's a difference between looking at a systemic downturn in activity across multiple seasons of a long-running game - to the point where one season is having to be prematurely ended - and concluding it is time to wrap things up, and wanting a reboot because the current arc has hit a dry spell. 1U had really good activity levels until this season, and even though this one has been a lot slower, I still think it wasn't TOTALLY dead, at least not at the point I left. To me it's like the difference between needing Batman Begins after the Schumacher films, and opting to do a Spider-Man reboot after Spider-Man 3.

 

[wiegeabo]

As for indie characters, instead of being in OU, I rather liked the idea someone brought up of a From The Pages Of reboot that only allowed characters that started in comics.

Not only would that bring the potential character list way down, it may also make it much easier to combine their universe. Sure, that's a lot of potentially great characters going unused...but we were using them already and look what happened.

 

[Carnage27]

As for indie characters, instead of being in OU, I rather liked the idea someone brought up of a From The Pages Of reboot that only allowed characters that started in comics.

Not only would that bring the potential character list way down, it may also make it much easier to combine their universe. Sure, that's a lot of potentially great characters going unused...but we were using them already and look what happened.

That was me. I was mainly talking about a possible OU reboot, but hey, a FTPO reboot like that would be great as well.

I think we should let that one stew for a little though. FTPO just officially kicked the bucket.

 

[wiegeabo]

Screw that noise.

Bring it's ass back like a day old zombie!

 

[Carnage27]

Screw that noise.

Bring it's ass back like a day old zombie!

While it's brash, I don't know if the overall interest is there.

But hey, if you can drum it up, I'm there.

 

[wiegeabo]

Unfortunately, interest in the game would be more like week old zombies.

 

[Carnage27]

Unfortunately, interest in the game would be more like week old zombies.

Yea, I know.

Someday...someday...

 

[Blacklight]

As for indie characters, instead of being in OU, I rather liked the idea someone brought up of a From The Pages Of reboot that only allowed characters that started in comics.

Not only would that bring the potential character list way down, it may also make it much easier to combine their universe. Sure, that's a lot of potentially great characters going unused...but we were using them already and look what happened.

Now this I can get behind.

 

[Hound55]

May not be entirely relevant since I wrote this at work whilst thinking about things when this thread was only a few pages old...

Personally, I don't think all of these are relevant in CAH due to the nature of the game itself, as such some of the smaller problems become bigger because some of the major ones in other games are just not an issue.

For example, there's no fear of someone butchering a character beyond repair and thereby forcing people to write-off a character... thus leaving GMs the unenviable task of debating amongst themselves the merits of allowing someone to retcon events for that character or if they're just going to have to maintain the integrity of continuity.

So because of that it makes smaller issues like pacing a bigger deal, people can jump in and out very easily with less sense of urgency to post because they know people won't "jump in their grave" and highjack their character while they're gone.

Speaking of those page-by-page summaries I'll be doing for CAH which Wieg mentioned on the opening page. I'll still be working on them in the coming weeks, but due to my having somewhat restricted access (power surge took out my desktop and for the most part I've been getting by with the PS3 and emailing stuff to myself from other computers to copy-paste whe I have time) they'll probably need some editing just for readability because the format doesn't translate very well across the two and formatting posts is made difficult on the PS3.

That said, I think the idea of the page-by-page plot summaries is a good one which should make the decision to return/start playing an easier one. Games become far more accessible when you can read through a page of a thread to get up to date, rather than having to wade through 20 pages of a game thread. I think it will be even easier to keep up to date once I've caught up to where we are in continuity rather than being so far behind at the start of the season. Might be worth consideration for some of the other game threads as well...

 

[Hound55]

That becomes a bit more relevant with the wiki issue being discussed now as well...

Summaries I'll be writing are more plot-based, have the intention of making the game more accessible to newbies and prospective returning players. Wiki is more character based (excepting the main page).

I quite like the idea of demanding that returning players update the wiki before re-applying between seasons. It's almost like a tarriff on returning players and aids the other point which has been mentioned of wanting to see characters rotate through new players a bit more. Returning applicants still have as good a shot as anyone (probably better because they KNOW where they've put the character as well as anyone from the previous season) but it makes them put that extra effort in between seasons to prove it (and it does the game a service at the same time, by allowing others more direct insight into their own character in the wiki).

 

[wiegeabo]

There are a number of things we've discussed that don't apply to character created games like CAH, or the created characters in Star Wars.

And that's a valid concern; people not worried about others taking their characters, therfore not posting frequently and slowing down arcs.

The way we handle that in SW is we still enforce the two-week rule on created characters. If you lose your character, it becomes on NPC that anyone in an arc with the character can use as they see fit. At the very least, this keeps arcs moving. At the most, it's an incentive for players to keep posting and not risk their characters getting used in ways they don't want.

 

[NiteMare Shape]

There are a number of things we've discussed that don't apply to character created games like CAH, or the created characters in Star Wars.

And that's a valid concern; people not worried about others taking their characters, therfore not posting frequently and slowing down arcs.

The way we handle that in SW is we still enforce the two-week rule on created characters. If you lose your character, it becomes on NPC that anyone in an arc with the character can use as they see fit. At the very least, this keeps arcs moving. At the most, it's an incentive for players to keep posting and not risk their characters getting used in ways they don't want.

And for the most part it's worked out pretty well. And if you stop posting...your character may just get frozen in carbonite....