Posts made by Lotherio

@arkandel said in How do *you* make social scenes fun and enjoyable?:

Without that they are sterile; you can only meet so many times with Bob to feed him pieces off your background story.

I agree with everything @Arkandel said but wanted to spring off this background story bit.

Whether its bullet point or longer, give a few nuggets in your BG. Part of that RP sparkle, your BG is another reason to give feeders to others to want to play with you. I don't like fully flushed out BGs but something to use for RP fodder.

Can be small, Joe's lost his brother to traumatic thing and doesn't like water.

Anything, but then inversely, don't just drop that in the first RP social moment, I'm afraid of water and sometimes down cause I lost my brother to traumatic thing when I was young. Build it up, one time at the beach, look at the water longingly but don't go any closer than 20 meters. That one time near the YMCA pool, avoid getting close to the water and shy away from it, bow out saying you need a moment. Give it time to spark someone else to eventually say 'why don't you like water' or whatever.

For a contribution to the topic other than the article shared in the last thread, like @mietze I'll try to get a read to get myself into a scene and not expect or hope to be drawn in with attention to myself.

One thing I do more often than not is see what the topic is and make an opinion that mostly disagrees with the social topic at hand. If they're planning a gardening event on X street, I'll make a reason not to go there and try Y street for that event. If they think the one team should win the super bowl while planning a super bowl party, I pick the other team. If they think the city needs to clean up the streets, I'll say there are non-profits for that and having the city make a storm wash unit costs money while detracting from the charitable work of others.

Just change to fit theme, charitable event planning could be L&L folks deciding to send aid to House of John who is near the front of the war, I'll go with House of Tim is a more important point.

Better I'll see what theme is and work in something that doesn't fit for the purpose of social. Like a game focused on war, I'll make the pacifist. Not to be an argumentative jerk who yells at the war efforts, but to philosophically discuss why economy would be better without the war or something.

@zombiegenesis said in MUs That We Would Love To Make (But Won't):

I'd love an anthropomorphic animal game. TMNT, After the Bomb, Mutant: Year Zero. I'd even go for a game set in DC comics Earth C.

A conversation on what folks like in this (furry anthro) realm would be good.

Sidenote, the last campaign theme for D&D made by TSR might be interesting to borrow some concepts from too.

It was Dragonfist and it was a wuxia tribute. We played it a few times, I remember the more ridiculous the martial arts seemed the more likely it was too succeed (or could just be persepctive 25 years later). I remember we fought in a paper house, with twin villains fighting around each other, one was on the floor throwing fists under the legs of their counterpart at the players and one of the PCs had chopsticks from the opening restaurant scene that he kept using to grab fingers/block blows/start grapples and flip people with. It was completely wuxia and would be good for like TNMT if someone could adopt that to a more universal system to give fantasy wuxia martial arts and fighting too.

@squirreltalk said in MUs That We Would Love To Make (But Won't):

Are furries even still that stigmatized at this point? I feel like that's a holdover from the early aughts. At any rate, playing a different creature sounds more fun and creative than just playing tiny humans.

I don't know about others view of furries and playing a non-human. I'm with you, it sounds fun to me.

@ominous said in MUs That We Would Love To Make (But Won't):

I refer to Mouseguard RPG both for the design of its order - a group of mice knights who go around doing Jedi type things - and for its feel - insignificant people trying to survive in a giant, merciless world.

I feel your standpoint. I'm saying for me. A human facing the giant basilisk is different then running through the grass blades and being faced with a common snake that is just giant. I am not opposed to humans vs world, LotR felt that way, the monsters were big. But that is different than small world where encounters humans do not think are serious are bigger than life to small characters.

@icanbeyourmuse I am with you, I like grid over temp rooms myself. I like a grid I can explore. I like sometimes adding hidden exits with clues in the desc to get to more things for fun. I like the rooms setting tone or mood for RP itself. Being able to jump off grid from the desolate swamp and making the temp room 'happy meadow' as a location in that swam can ruin immersion for me. Just an idea to consider, best of luck with your decision.

@ominous said in MUs That We Would Love To Make (But Won't):

@lotherio

I would go with humans. 'Small verse," while flavorful, has the stigma of being furry-adjacent, if not just plain furry. I guess you could use halfling sized people instead of humans, which would effectively double the size of the world in relation, but I think you can translate "small verse" to full-sized humans. Just replace a snake in Mouseguard with a giant snake for humans. Replace owls with wyverns or dragons. If you want your forests to have giant trees, Redwoods are a thing, so just make your fantastical redwoods fantastically larger.

This is good. Just, for me, it just feels like fantasy in that case, no reason to refer to any small-verse theme/setting/etc.. Its not small verse if its not the eagle attacking that feels like a roc or the snake that feels like a dragon. I know its furry-adjacent and there is a stigma associated with that term and concept. I'm not opposed to that but get that folks would use it inappropriately, or feel uncomfortable and more ... its the reason I did not do small-verse (it was gnomes) or the Zootopia concept.

@icanbeyourmuse said in New Mu* Creation: Atharia:

The grid itself shouldn't take long to do at all. I'm trying to make a decision on how large to make the grid. I don't want it to be huge but I also want to set it up so people can play in their kingdom as well as the neutral grounds.

Just to suggestion. Main area of each kingdom as a hub to homes/locations. Each location has access to TP or Univeral room. That's if its not as cool as Ares; I don't know Evennia/Arx too well, but you can launch a temp room at any point and it cleans itself up when you're done. Offering an exit to an Anything room allows folks to do a temp location that isn't a part of the big grid as they like, or some other way to get to one in code. Put Anything rooms disconnected (if using older code), and +templocation sends them to one of those, marks their current IC location so they can +return or whatever.

That said, I still like big grids, but an option for smaller locations that won't be used often or more than once is good.

@ominous said in MUs That We Would Love To Make (But Won't):

Mouseguard RPG

Anything small verse. Mouseguard, Humblewood, WatershipDown, anything where the meadow woods is actually a big scary, mystical, magic place. Jedi like small knights (mice, gnomes, etc) escorting merchants through the bog of pure evil sounds good, fending of the croc mounted Badgers or evil gnomes or whatever. Its something I started to make but was dissuaded from it cause no one wants to play small things.

@groth said in MUs That We Would Love To Make (But Won't):

It's possible to make these scenes interesting(The article linked in this thread is great) but it takes more effort since you have to break the pattern and introduce something the rest want to interact with

This isn't limited to absolute social where nothing is advanced RP (character/story/whatever).

If I'm getting nothing interesting in combat, I'm likely not to combat again with that person. If the code indicates John hit the monster with his sword and his pose is, 'John swings his sword at the goblin it bites and blood flows, he moves to swing again', well that's as exciting as the social entrance of, 'John enters the room orders a drink doesn't look at anyone and sits in the corner alone'.

RP takes effort, regardless if its all combat or all social or everything in between. Want of one doesn't invalidate the other or others interest in doing just that.

@ominous said in Olympic Torches:

I'm watching it now, and I can think of is sympathy for Japan. All those expensive, empty stadiums and facilities. Countries never make back what they spend for these events, but that's definitely true for Japan in this case.

Yeah, that's a hard one. And they had a doctor and nurse as part of the torch teams in the stadium, that really hit home. I'm impressed and then sad yeah. The outdoor events have some people in the stands. Or cycling finish is getting people in seats. Still the indoor ones are empty.

I watched it like bright and early this morning, but more folks probably know. Way to go Naomi Osaka, that was awesome to see her lighting the flame as the final torch runner.

@derp said in MUs That We Would Love To Make (But Won't):

@icanbeyourmuse said in MUs That We Would Love To Make (But Won't):

Do you walk up to some stranger and go 'I was abused as a child. Has anything like that happened to you?' in RL?

Somewhere, out there, Jill the Guest has heard your siren call and prepares another round of questions about the school nurse...

Jill the Guest is scouring very small places now. We had them or someone like them start in on a player on Jade Crossing, they started asking them weird questions leading to the high school stuff they get into, but the player wasn't biting or feeding them just the right way so they left.

@seraphim73 said in MUs That We Would Love To Make (But Won't):

Thanks, I like being a freak, a weirdo, and abnormal -- actually I'm an introvert, but I've still been known to do all of these things.

Heh, true, there are a lot of freaks and weirdos it seems, I lean towards introvert myself but if a stranger (extrovert) talks to me first, I open up a bit.

@de-villefort said in MUs That We Would Love To Make (But Won't):

Ever see anyone organize a group of strangers for a one-off bowling game then leave without having any other form of contact outside of bowling?
No, you haven't because it's crazy and a massive waste of everyone's time.
Most people don't do it IRL. Some people might do it.
Those people are freaks and weirdos in the eyes of the public because it's abnormal.

I have no idea what world you live in but literally most bowling allies I go to offer social bowling leagues to meet strangers. Sometimes its one time event sometimes its just open 'league' bowling for whoever randomly shows up.

Here you are again saying most people don't chat with strangers at random 'social' places. Yesterday I was in a conversation with the guy behind me at Home Depot cause the clerk asked what I was buying all the paint for. This weird never happens ever event in your world was 15 minutes of conversation about painting interior vs exterior (cause of the heat), they asking if I was selling, me saying I just want to paint the living room.

A few days earlier I was in a rare doesn't happen in rl social event at the taco bell cause after I ordered on kiosk I started talking with the clerk about kiosks and the next guy game in to get one burrito so I apologized about that, having a big order and him having to wait. We joked a little about me getting the mild sauce for my niece and me calling it baby sauce as I got diablo sauce for me.

Literally yes, random strangers do talk in public at places like coffee houses and bowling alleys. Last bowling alley I went to, I talked at the food area while getting fries and nacho cheese. I took my girls there, I talked with the guy at the counter cause he liked my Ramones shirt.

These situations that people make fun of in coffee/bar rp, how people meet, actually does happen. A lot. How do you think people met each other before like the internet?

http://ifanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Superman-Vol.-1-76-1952.jpg

Apparently getting to know each other's secret identity happens throughout various continuities of the main lines?

@icanbeyourmuse said in MUs That We Would Love To Make (But Won't):

@lotherio said in MUs That We Would Love To Make (But Won't):

@icanbeyourmuse said in MUs That We Would Love To Make (But Won't):

A more fighty type? As suggested over hear plans of a mugging or potential murder or whatever and go be heroic and try stopping it with your friends. Train with your buddies, discuss the latest combat techniques. (I don't know much about combat stuff so best I can do)

Not to add more reasons why to go the gala/social event. But this here. Both supers are not familiar though in the comics they end up on the same team. This moment where you're both in your mundane identity and something happens in front of your face - how do you stop it, do you out your secret or do you find another clever way to stop it. Not just the show up later in disguise after overhearing, but literally if you two seem to get along during the social event, move to something happens that tests this secret identity even.

It has been a while since I watched anything super but I recall Bruce/Batman and Clark/Superman have both been pretty clever in explaining their absence at certain times. Got knocked out, was taking notes on the scene in a safe place. Doesn't Bruce/Batman present his Bruce persona as a bit f a coward? Been some time since I watched or read so I could be remembering wrong.

Maybe, my last reference is the Snyder Movie and Bruce had pretty much tracked them all down to their alter egos.

But I still think something happening and them reacting while protecting their identity could make for something interesting. Both coward out to be unseen and return as superman batman. Then they can argue, why you got your peanut butter in my chocolate Superman, this is Batman demesne we don't need your Kryptonian do-goodery at Gotham Galas!

My point is more there are tons of reasons to Gala that contributes to story and development that isn't 'Batman enters the Bar RP and sits in he corner giving everyone else no hooks to actually interact with him. All his other poses are dark and brooding and doesn't allow any reason to interact with him'.

@icanbeyourmuse said in MUs That We Would Love To Make (But Won't):

A more fighty type? As suggested over hear plans of a mugging or potential murder or whatever and go be heroic and try stopping it with your friends. Train with your buddies, discuss the latest combat techniques. (I don't know much about combat stuff so best I can do)

Not to add more reasons why to go the gala/social event. But this here. Both supers are not familiar though in the comics they end up on the same team. This moment where you're both in your mundane identity and something happens in front of your face - how do you stop it, do you out your secret or do you find another clever way to stop it. Not just the show up later in disguise after overhearing, but literally if you two seem to get along during the social event, move to something happens that tests this secret identity even.

@de-villefort said in MUs That We Would Love To Make (But Won't):

I realize Clark Kent could go to some random gala as a reporter and Bruce Wayne could show up at a random bowling alley in Gotham to hang out with the plebeians... but why...? Why would you want to role play that?

The person you are presenting yourself as is a lie. The person the other players characters are presenting themselves as is also a lie.

You both ends up talking about meaningless stuff with people you know you're never going to have any real connection too because you're lying to their face and all you can hope to get out of it is a chance to arrange to meet them again to talk about more meaningless stuff while you continue to lie to each other.

Why bother?

As I noted this reads as the other half I pointed out. This is not a MU issue. Batman and Superman know each other in the comics. This is a player issue, you don't want social RP is how this reads.

I'm still gonna play out this exercise from my stand point. So here are some reasons to bother:

1: In your player plots, some baddy is in the city sabotaging galas, you're both making notes to track suspicious activity to get a lead the LuthorCorp or something.

2: The last 4 scenes were just +combat, you're tired of it. This could be a decompress from helping Green Lantern in another galaxy. If you two get a moment to talk you can discuss how to help monitor the Lanterns sector such that it doesn't take you away from earth and try to put that into play with the rest of the justice league.

3: You're tired of combat. This is a time to be human a little and rediscover what you're fighting for.

4: Its an open event, Dr. Pamela Lillian Isley is there, its not revealed yet she is Poison Ivy. Wayne Foundation donated money to some of her research, she's being honored. Its a great chance to build character story arcs so that in a few weeks when she brings down half the men in the city and you go to deal with it, there is this reveal --- You! You were so nice at the gala and here you are doing your villainy! Curses! (Yes, in a story it plays out way better for this switch reveal if there is story before it not hand waving).

5: Meet any number of folks for same reason as number 4, build story so that in a fight it means more in the story

6: Clark the disguise of Superman thinks the Bruce the disguise of Batman is just that and they play some cat and mouse to try and out each other. Clark tests Bruce's reflexes, Bruce pulls out his secret Kryptonite stash to see how Clark reacts.

7: Just to RP and see what comes from it. I know there is a push to arrange plots and ideas, but on the other shoe, its fun to see how they develop. Maybe Clark player doesn't know Hal player, so they can meet see how interacting is and then plot some Green Lantern Superman crossover even.

8: You're playing a feature, you need to be accessible to other players, help them with stories. Maybe there isn't a Jimmy Olson but some other reporter, it gives them a chance to know Superman's alter ego before they know the truth of who he is (again, story build up is better than wave the hand reveal). Some random non-superman villain wants to know the supers and play with them to build some trust to come up later to Superman player with idea for a plot to foil.

9: You're character development. Clark Kent passing as human is pretty big in all superman stories and movies. Don't hand wave character development. We're RP'ing to tell stories together, if you want a game, check out gaming consoles and computers that let you play superheroes where you get to constantly do the ass-kickery.

10: I could keep going. If you really don't want to do most of this, I'm curious why play on a MU* which involves writing and development and interaction between players.

@de-villefort said in MUs That We Would Love To Make (But Won't):

All these setting create systemic isolation. That's what I'm saying. Game designers and people who run games need to be aware of this if they want to address it.

I agree and this is fair, its not most MU's in my experience. I don't see it in most games I play on and games I run do not enforce some masque or other reason for players not to social RP together. The more they know of each other the easier it is to plot some PrP or get in Staff Plot as a group versus random strangers.

As a player I have been to WoD places that were huge on mask, I know what you're referring too its just not that prevalent as seems implied. I recall one time on one place I had a shifter who met some offshoot changeling being who presented as a tree or some nature thing and talked about Gaia or something and my PC admitted enough to let them know he wasn't wholly human and the next day staff NPC/alt/whatever reamed him a new one. I was still able to make and find meaningful social RP at that place.

I don't think its all games though.

As important to staff and game design though, I include at least half responsibility on players to make the effort. Taking for granted the fewer places where someone might think you need to die for breaking the silence/revealing the secret (or more so in the 90s maybe), in the end folks can still find ways to plot and play together. Literally on that same place, when that same char would meet people, I'd ooc talk first about what was okay to 'let out' or find ways to 'reveal' things such that they could work together more (or in opposition if they wanted).

Or like supers, like 2-3 scenes or 1/3 of the comics I read is combat (give or take), the rest is social. If Bruce doesn't let Clark Kent to the gala, that's on the players. Clark could be journaling the event while secretly maybe they both expect some Luthor attack on them or something. They can find a reason.