Posts made by Botulism

@lotherio Right. A MU* is an RP environment first and foremost, and things that hinder RP aren't helpful. If going from A to B in a blink means more players can RP more often, why not?

@lotherio Which is funny, because in SW you go from A to B in seconds in the movies, especially the new ones.

I'm attempting to deal with the "everyone is spread out everywhere" problem on my Who game by encouraging players to group up into TARDIS crews with friends or others in their timezone. Then there are a few static locations that are public and open to everyone so crews can meet and people can mingle. I agree that having 10 PCs in 8 different places is a good way to kill a game in the crib.

@scissors I tried to make it simple. Glad to hear I somewhat succeeded!

I ran an original sci-fi/survival horror game called Cold Space that had a smallish but awesome playerbase. It was probably easier to get into because it wasn't super far-off sci-fi, maybe only 120 years or so in the future, and it was set in our history so there wasn't an entire history to build and civilizations to design. Still, it was never a big game, no.

I'm tryinga Doctor Who game as something different for sci-fi, hoping that between an existing fandom and easy character creation it'll float. Not expecting it to be big, either.

Open for character creation and recruiting Staff to help. The wiki is mostly finished, and everything needed to make a character is there.

Here is the ad:

Across Time and Space MUX - 138.197.94.50 5050 -- http://timeandspace.wikidot.com/start

Across Time and Space is a statless, story-driven MUX set in the universe of the Doctor Who TV series and related media. Players can pretty much play anything - Time Lord, human, alien, cyborg or robot. Things like the supernatural are simply aliens and magic is just science and technology, so ghosts, vampires and werewolves have all made appearances in the series over the years and may on this game. While there are a few restrictions on Time Lord and alien PCs, you'll find that you can make almost anything you like.

With time travel at the heart of things and a whole universe to explore, this game can be pretty much any genre imaginable. Medieval, cyberpunk, gothic horror, space opera, action/adventure, western, and a whole lot more can easily be used in your stories, and when you tire of one, just hop to another. The game can be anything you want it to be.

With a very quick and easy character creation process you can be out and RPing in a matter of minutes, even if you've never seen a single episode. You'll not a find an easier game to jump into with as many possibilities for stories, so why not take a chance? All of time and space awaits you!

Across Time and Space MUX - 138.197.94.50 5050 -- http://timeandspace.wikidot.com/start

@magee101 Not open yet. I'm sharing info while I develop it.

Beginners
The following is a quick-start character creation guide for beginners making a normal human character, but everyone should read it. Humans with psychic abilities, Aliens, Timelords, Robots and Cyborgs all have Special Traits, which are covered in the sections below this one.

Making a normal human character should take you less than five minutes, provided you have an idea for a normal human you'd like to play. Here's everything you need to do once you've created a character bit at the login screen:

First you need a background, and by background all we mean is a very brief bit on who your character is. Seriously, a good sentence is fine for human characters. You can write more later if you want, fleshing things out for yourself or others, but to get approved short and simple is best. We really don't want to read screens of text. See +help background for details on setting longer backgrounds. After the command is covered, we'll give an example using a made-up character named Alice.

+bg 1=<text>

Alice is going to be a college student and gamer who spends far too much time going down rabbit holes on the internet. Her player types +bg 1=Alice is a college student and gamer who spends far too much time going down rabbit holes on the internet. She's 20, lives in the dorms, and has a roommate. Yes. That's really all you need!

+race <race> - Your character's race. Human, Timelord, Robot, and Alien are the choices.

Alice is a regular old human, so she types +race Human

We do not use stats, but to help staff and others (especially people running stories!) get a quick idea of your character we have you set a few traits that describe them. These are one-word or short phrase descriptors, good and bad. You only need one good and bad for each, but feel free to use more! You set them with the commands below.

+phy <physical traits> - Everything physical about your character. Examples might be Strong, Athletic, or Ugly.

Alice is your average geek girl, so her player types: +phy Cute, Clumsy, Nimble-Fingers

+men <mental traits> - Everything mental about your character. Examples might be Observant, Knowledgeable, or Bad Memory.

Alice is good in school, has a great memory, but a short attention span, so her player types: +men Smart, Photographic Memory, Easily Distracted

+soc <social traits> - Everything social about your character. Examples might be Outgoing, Confident, or Arrogant

Alice is awkward and quiet, but really loosens up when she knows a person. She's also a good listener, so her player types: +soc Shy, Excitable, Empathetic

If Alice had, say, psychic abilities, or unusual abilities or powers as an Alien or something, she'd use +spe <special traits>, but we're making a normal human, so she leaves that part blank. Maybe Alice will develop some over the course play!

To check your traits, simply type +traits. You can also see what other players have put by typing +traits <name>.

The only other thing you need is a description. That's it! When you've finished, page any connected/active staffer listed as a Casting Director, or @mail 13 to let her know you'd like to be approved.

You'll notice this never covered things like money, skills, natural talents and the like, other than the brief mention in Alice's background that she's in college, is a gamer, and has read a bunch of random internet sites. That's really all we need. Mention if you're a soldier, a musician, a professor, a nurse, etc., but you don't really need to tell us everything your character knows or can do. Likewise tell us if they're wealthy - Alice was a college student, so she's clearly not! - and if they have anyone close to them like Alice's roommate who might notice if they randomly disappear and reappear from time travelling. Again, we don't need your entire family history or your live-in boyfriend's favorite color, just the broad strokes.

@thenomain Because most people before you had issues. But yeah. I personally agree with you, and you're right that I'm mostly talking to WoD players here, so they aren't necessarily the target audience.

I just want the game to have the best chance it can.

@thenomain Oh I agree completely, and am fine with a diceless stat system, but MU*ers tend to prefer dice with their stats, and XP to grow them, and that brings in a whole slew of things I'm really trying to avoid - XP balance, power creep, vote vs. time-based XP, and so on.

If I have stats, people will want advancement. If I allow advancement, it'll invariably favor certain kinds of players over others.

I really would like to avoid that.

@seraphim73 Except you could turn PST into attributes and skills as you go. Probably just going to go without stats, though.

@roz Yep.

@faraday said in Diceless/Stats Optional:

@botulism said in Diceless/Stats Optional:

...True. But there ARE good players who won't do statless/consent RP.

Sure, but there are good players who won't do a lot of things. As long as you're willing to accept the limited audience, doing the kind of game that you'd be happy running is more important than doing what the unspecified masses may want.

That said, it's pretty well-demonstrated throughout MUSH-land that a) advancement-free games are a tough sell, b) "players do their own thing" games often devolve into relationship soap operas, and c) small-group-based games often lead to a splintered playerbase where people are off doing their own things with limited opportunities to interact. So I think you've got three things working against you from the start. That's not to say "don't do it". Just be aware that you're starting from a disadvantage and will likely have to work extra hard to get people interested/engaged.

Yeah. Maybe the answer really is to just drop stats. Make getting a character and playing as easy as possible to encourage people to try something new. A couple lines of a concept/overview/bg, a description, and you're approved.

@thatguythere said in Diceless/Stats Optional:

@botulism said in Diceless/Stats Optional:

@seraphim73 No, more PERMANENT Story Points. Temporary points come and go. Permanent is what you refresh to after a story ends.

So you start with 12 permanent story points (let's call them PST). A few Traits in cgen can cost PST, but not many. So say you start the game with 12. This means you start each story with 12 temporary, spendable points.

Things IC can give more, and you can go over that 12 - there's no max. At the end of a story, though, you reset to your PST (12).

Inexperienced lets you start with a higher PST.

My question on this would be how on a mush do you decide when the story points refresh? Every scene? Every week as x time? Etc, because not everyone involved will be on the same story track so refresh at the end of a story is kind of meaningless and can be contradictory. For example in the last week I was in two PRPs they were run by different people, PrP A started scene ended final scene scheduled, PrP B started and finished before the final scene from PrP A. Under the story point thing at which point would Story points refresh?

I'd have to have it on a set time. Every two weeks or something.

@ganymede said in Diceless/Stats Optional:

@botulism said in Diceless/Stats Optional:

No stats at all, then? That loses some people, too.

It seems to work okay for a lot of superhero games.

...True. But there ARE good players who won't do statless/consent RP.

@surreality said in Diceless/Stats Optional:

This sounds like it would be really fun for tabletop, or for a small-scale game (roll20 or similar).

I am not sure how well it would fare in a 24/7 persistent world while people are left to their own devices.

It could either be brilliant, or become a perpetual argument generator of epic proportions, and I wish I could say which I thought was more likely. (With a small group of mature players who ideally know each other a little, likely fantastic. A larger group of strangers with a lot of mystery wild cards in the mix... not as confident it wouldn't trend toward disaster over time.)

That's why I'm wanting to encourage group app/troupe play. You and your friends make a TARDIS crew and do whatever you like. There would be a few static 'hangout' locations to meet others and open RP, but you only have to deal with others as much as you choose to.

@seraphim73 No, more PERMANENT Story Points. Temporary points come and go. Permanent is what you refresh to after a story ends.

So you start with 12 permanent story points (let's call them PST). A few Traits in cgen can cost PST, but not many. So say you start the game with 12. This means you start each story with 12 temporary, spendable points.

Things IC can give more, and you can go over that 12 - there's no max. At the end of a story, though, you reset to your PST (12).

Inexperienced lets you start with a higher PST.

@sanguine said in Diceless/Stats Optional:

Moving around points doesn't exactly feel like it would show growth and development of a PC over time because you're not exactly improving so much as saying screw this area, I need this more for my rolls or whatever. Or, at least, I feel like that's what this would amount to. I've been known to start with very low level PCs just to have the opportunity to grow and progress over time. It doesn't sound like that would be a very viable concept with this system. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Also, not having dice at all always does my head in. I will admit FATE makes me want to bash my head into a wall. And this SP system would probably make me just as crazy if I'm to be honest.

@seraphim73 said in Diceless/Stats Optional:

I think that this might appeal to some subset of players, but I do have one caution: removing the ability to better your character removes a series of storylines from play entirely. You cannot play the rookie who becomes a pro. A solution, if you would like to keep XP out of it, is just allow characters to come on-grid with some of their points unspent, and then later on, spend them.

I played on an RP MUD years ago that (by the end) didn't actually have any combat system, combat characters had a single stat that represented how skilled they were at personal combat, and magic users had two stats (one for their brute strength and one for their finesse). If your number was higher, you were likely going to win (unless the other player pulled off an awesome trick in a pose). It worked, it was some of the most fun I've had in my entire MU*ing career... but it's difficult to get most people interested in.

I can put that in as a suggestion - don't feel you HAVE to spend all your points up front. Unspent points become more permanent Story Points (you have temporary and permanent) anyway. There's a Bad Trait called Inexperienced that converts attribute and skill points into more Story Points, too. In any of these cases, I can allow people to convert permanent SP to attributes and skills.

@ganymede said in Diceless/Stats Optional:

I'm not following too well.

How do two players roll if they are contesting one another?

They don't roll. It's like Amber diceless - higher one wins, difference determines by how much. Story Points can be spent on both sides, and one or the other may not care to blow as many points.

Also, you'll get little traction, in my experience, with no XP.

No stats at all, then? That loses some people, too.

So I'm looking to go with a simplified version of the system from Adventures in Time and Space, an RPG for the Doctor Who universe, and am curious as to how people see/feel about stats, XP and such.

The basic system is Attribute + Skill (+any modifiers from Traits, which are like Merits and Flaws) vs. a difficulty number. In the dice system you roll 2 6-sided dice and add that in, too, but I'm probably yanking the dice. Firstly, when human max in anything is 6, 2 6-sided dice adds a HUGE element of chance. The best person on Earth would have an Attribute+Skill of 12, and since you can roll a 12, you could have someone with Att+Skill of, say, 5, beating the Best Person On Earth (TM).

I'm also wanting to speed things up and simplify, hence no dice.

You CAN spend Story Points to add +2 per SP you spend. Story Points come and go throughout play. So you can 'buy' a success, or improve on it. You can also at times 'buy' a failure to GAIN SP.

As I'm steering things as far away from PvP as possible, does this sound reasonable?

Second, no XP. Everyone starts with the same points. Spending points in certain ways in cgen can ADD points in places at a cost in another, so there will be fluctuation, but everyone has the same chance to have the same stuff. No XP, but you can rearrange a few points from time to time to allow your character to evolve and grow.

I know this will turn off a certain cross-section of players because they like XP and building up over time. There are also those who like to be a boss at everything. I'll lose them, and I couldn't care less about the latter, but I understand in the case of the former.

I'm just tired of who can kill who eating up so much time and energy as a Staffer. In advancement-based games, especially those with PvP elements, some people will always be stronger than others, and trying to deal with that drains me. I just want to tell stories, you know?

Thoughts? Feedback?

Okay, so this is going to be one of the rare games that not only accepts but actively WANTS group apps. I'm making the game troupe-based around TARDIS crews (ideally 6ish PCs) - 1-3 (max) Timelords and their companions. Coming in together as crew means you're bringing friends you mesh well with, you probably have similar online times, and you're ready to hit the game running.

Yes, you can app as an individual (independent) Timelord or companion, and try to find a crew or group once you're IC, and we'll ACTIVELY help you find some. Or you can stay independent and run with whoever you feel like.

All Timelord players will be required to run scenes (they can be statless/freeform), so playing one is a responsibility as well as a privilege. A TARDIS crew can share their Timelord - each time he/she Regenerates, a new person takes them over - or be static, played by one player, but whoever is playing them must fulfill scene-running requirements. You may only play one Timelord at a time.

In addition to Timelords, companions are the other character template, and you can play multiple companions as long as they aren't in the same TARDIS crew. Companions can be human, alien, cyborg or robot in nature. It's going to be really wide open.

Everyone gets the same character points to make their character, and there is no XP/advancement, though Bad Traits (Flaws) that get RPed through can be swapped for new ones as needed, and Good Traits (Merits) that get used up can also be replaced as needed. Beyond that, every 2 months you can rearrange up to 1 Attribute point and 2 Skill points, and swap out 1 Major or 2 Minor Traits. This way your character can evolve over time.

Approval will be very quick and easy. As long as your points add up, companions only require a description and a couple sentences of background in broad strokes. Timelords will have few additional requirements, but not many. We'll have pre-made Roster characters, too. If you've never seen Doctor Who, play a modern day human and get dragged through time and space, learning as your PC does. It's easy.

I'll post more as I develop it.