Best posts made by Saulot

I know I'm late, but I wanted to throw my 2 cents in. From my experience in MUSHing primarily in WoD spaces there typically isn't a lot of representation, but that's usually due to locale. Especially those set in New England and the Pacific Northwest. However, when I see games set in places with large black and other POC populations it always struck me as weird that every NPC was white. It's not a crime nor do I think there's even a hint of anything malicious, but it always looked weirdly, I guess, colorblind. I do have to admit that the majority of my experience with MUSHes are in WoD until relatively recently.

In the non-WoD and rostered games I've tried there's rarely non-white options on rosters or regions. I can't speak for Arx if anyone wants to bring them up as I only poked at the place for a few weeks before dropping off the planet. The more bothersome bit is what I see in fantasy games regardless of the medium. Essentially shoving Arab and Sub-Saharan cultures together, and calling it a day. I guess it bothers me because I don't see it as much for other locales and cultures. An easy example of this, if you don't mind the tangent, are the Redguards in The Elder Scrolls series. I won't lie. I'll take that over black folks not existing in a universe more often than not.

What @HelloProject was talking about is also something I've seen and known quite a bit in role playing when it comes to POC playing white characters. Before my time in MUSHing and in java/iirc I would sometimes get shit for not playing a white character in a predominately white area (seriously, something is up with WoD players and a love of New England), not typing out AAV (even if that's a large part of how I talk ooc), or, my favorite, not understanding why I really don't care for the vast majority historical settings.

In case it does need to be said: I've never felt attacked or like my presence wasn't welcomed on a MUSH due to my skin color or that of my PCs. I'm black, the vast majority of my PCs (I know I have had too many), and the only times anything troubling has ever come up is the typical "why would someone of this ethnicity be here!" or some of the typical exoticism. I also don't fault or think there's anything wrong with white folks wanting to stick to playing white PCs because it's what they're most comfortable with. On the flip side, I don't think there's anything wrong with those that wish to play a POC. I just think that, as HelloProject said, you need to learn to hold that L if someone points out that your portrayal is backwards, fucked up, or just outright ignorant.

Umbrella Academy is amazing. My view is likely biased since I never read the comics.

Umbrella Academy was so good that I fucked my sleep schedule up over it. I'm not 100% sure it was worth it, but, goddamn, I love that show.

Name: The Weird West
Opening ETA: Somewhere around May
Seeking: Storytellers & Admins
Location: Tombstone, Arizona and the surrounding areas
When: May 1881
What: Magic (completely homebrew) + Cowboys
Who: The Hashknife Regulators

Setting: Many men and women attempt to lay claim the nearby mines for wealth, power, and property. This is all thrown in disarray when they find an ancient box. When opened a rush of energy and light floods the mines, and in turn kills the eleven men and women within. This surge of energy unleashed unseen power in the human population and is now dubbed The Harrowing. Many beasts in the world have changed: some for the better, many for the worse. What's worst is this change has established a sense of lawlessness and fear across the known world, and humanity is fighting for survival or relative normalcy once more. A few even whisper of this being the end times.

Themes: Mystery: No one actually knows what happened, or why. Magic and magical animals now permeate the world, and no one flatly knows the cause outside of Tombstone. There are theories bandied about, of course, but no one truth may be right. The worst change of comes in the form of Hexen. Alien creatures hellbent on the death and destruction of humanity, and their frightening immunity to magic.

Themes: The Black Book: The Black Book is the standing repository of all knowledge of The Harrowing, and changes found in the immediate area. It is also a metaphorically living document, and information is almost constantly being added to it. The biggest necessitates for filling out more are research, autopsy, and plain experience with the changes wrought by The Harrowing.

Themes: Circling the Wagons: Even if you're not from Tombstone, you've a vested interest in its protection. Most of the surrounding towns have turned away or murdered anyone with any measure of magical ability, and a lone magician is simply prey for Hexen. However, Tombstone provides sanctuary even if you're only paying lip service to the Regulators.

Themes: The Good: People with magic are propositioned, strong-armed, and forced into the Regulators. The Regulators are a posse and militia of sorts headed by Tombstone's former sheriff Kelly Whitman. The Regulators serve as law enforcement, and double down as the standing defense against Hexen and the changed fera of the world.

Themes: The Bad: There are some people who'd take advantage of The Harrowing, and target innocents either with magic or good, old-fashioned robbery. While the law isn't what it used to be, there are bounties up and requests for returning stolen goods or avenging deaths.

Themes: The Ugly: Hexen are the primary threat to living, let alone peace, and seem to revel in this fact. No one knows their wants, their needs, or what are their true aims. However, one thing is true: they want every human in Tombstone. Hexen are humanoid beings covered in pale white skin, coal-black overlarge bug eyes,

Notes:

• Deadlands & other books/games/movies: I've been asked a few times over by people that have seen a few previews, but this isn't an adaptation of Deadlands or any other settings. I've yet to read such material, but will give it a go down the line.
• The only required book is Chronicles of Darkness, but we will be adapting some of the Mental, Physical, Social, and Fighting Merits from Hurt Locker on a case by case basis.
• XP: XP will be fairly low, but can be passively gained. Everyone starts with 1XP, passively gains XP that goes down over time, and active XP gains (the usual Beat gains) are capped at 1XP per week.

I have few key details that are static. Like how npcs feel and react to things, various environments, and how npc abilities work. Past that I move by the seat of my pants.

Kittens.

@wretched I said what I said. Burn it all down. Set fire to the hive. Et cetera.

@Seraphim73 I know I sound like a pessimist, but I don't think there is a happy medium. You gotta accept that you can't please both audiences, and will have to cater to one. I may be wrong since I haven't been mushing for long, and there may have been games that have accomplished it.

I hate that I never get to be the haunt in Betrayal at House on the Hill.

I said it privately to a few folks, but since that cat's out of the bag let's just be real. It's fetish bait, and it's old hat at that. Seeing that it might be someone bringing over a concept from Shang et al explains things. It explains a whole hell of a lot. I've been told by two people that he meant no harm in it, and that he would have changed things if asked in a way they prefer (more oldies but goodies). I wanna give people the benefit of the doubt, but that's one of hell of a coincidence to fall into all of that all at once. It ain't impossible, but I'm betting on improbable.

Anyway, the Nubia bit depends on who you ask and their age. Short of young cats it's a thing about beauty or empowerment a lot f the time. Eg, my Nubian queen/king. Also in the name of one of my favorite acts outta NYC with Brand Nubian. Note, the beauty and empowerment thing can be taken to ridiculously stupid levels with NoI, 5%ers, and hoteps. I'm well aware that I don't speak for all black folks, but Nubian ain't much of a word of contention.

It's gonna be a lot of dickpicks, Ray Lewis, and a collage of beards.

@ Twilight Valley: Angelo Cudato, Frog
@ Fabula Rasa: Guillaume Darc, Simon Greene, Marcus Collins, JamesV (staff), Chimera, Bernard Dougal, Michael Bennington, Logan Hendricks, Jonathan Shepherd, Severus Bello, Carmine Patterson, Duane Sullivan, Jonathan Augustus Bailey, Quinton Fury
@ Nokturnis: Damien Harvey, Immanuel Froste, Fengxian
@ Wanton Wicked 2.0: Marcus
@ The Reach: Elmo, Humphrey, Samael, Seymour, Franklin, Masyaf (staff), Haqim, Huey, Michelangelo, Lilith, Everett, Clifford, Sylvester, Briggs, Vaughn, Jack, Jamaal, Emery, Sebastien, Maxime, Adam, Siegfried, Simon, Jonathan, Topinuwal, Leo, Edward, Hell (staff), Darius, Virgil, Lex, Jean-Baptiste, Sirius, Cain, Glenn, Kgosi, Soma, Agathangelos, Atlas, Solomon, Zahir, Dmitri, Graham, Ruby, Kelvin, Dante, Mael, Adewale, DJ
@ Safe Haven Harbor: Everett, Sylvester
@ Revelations IV: Shango
@ Haunted Memories: Idir
@ Darkwater 3.0: Demarcus, Tyrone, Magenta (staff), Conner, Malcolm, Khalil, Hissrad
@ City of Fog and Blood: Weaver, Saul
@ Reno: Smallest Big City: Slots (staff), Echo, Dion, Rae, Damien
@ Eldritch: Typhon
@ Fallcoast: Sage, Noah, Drea, Azad, Saulot (staff), Skén:nenohontsà:ke, Auberon, Romeo, Hannibal, Hrorsh, Twan, Saalah, Tilo, Marquis, Jasper Jade, Alnitah, Iokheira, Marcos
@ Lights Out RP: Ladarius
@ BITN: Rashawn, Inky
@ Modern Nights: Miles, Deacon, Raphael
@ The Descent 1.0: Israfil, Cosmo, Gehenna (staff), Andrew, Freddy
@ Tenebrae: Omah, Shay
@ Fallen World: Zuhura, Ari'el
@ Reno 2.0: Rudolph, Saulot (staff), Sin, Rafiq, Noah
@ Fear and Loathing: Valentine, Bas
@ Fate's Harvest: Jonah, Omari, Sorrel, Eckhart, Tendaji, Weaver, Abourassein (staff), Void, Raymond, Masamba, Aslan, Rhys, Hien, Akka, Eziyishumi
@ BSG Unification: Bami, Caua
@The Descent 2.0: Wrench
@ San Francisco MUX: Soyike
@ Arx: Aibek
@ The Descent 2.0: Wrench
@ Sanctuary: Dante
@ Spirit Lake: Cassidy
@ Echoes in the Mist: Eseosa, The Fang of the Eventide Sun
@ Ithir: Qahir, Rekke, Conri
@ Wanton Wicked 5.0:
@ City of Shadows: Simba, Whirlwind of Calamity
@ Savage Skies: Ajani
@ NOLA 2.0: Conri

Current:
@ Star Wars: Republic: Gears, Shen
@ City of Shadows: Whirlwind of Calamity
@ Heroes Assemble: Kaiyin Din
@ Echoes in the Mist: Eseosa

Thanks for the look, SS.

I love when I drop plot seeds, and people pick up on them without hesitation. Bonus points for my pc's pack gaining more traction.

We're using Evennia over TinyMUX. I ask that those of you interested in having conversation on the pros and cons of that to make a thread for it as this thread isn't specifically for that.

Magic. That's it. That's the only thing required for me to check out a game.

@Arkandel I know, right? I was blown way the fuck away by him. However, Klaus/Number 4 is my favorite. He is just too perfect.

@Sunny said:

Has seriously no one ever played in an experience limited campaign in tabletop?

I have, but you are also proposing a throttle on progress, not just gains. On the online games I've played on with limits on gains/spends hasn't really appeared to limit power level or twinking. Especially when your powers are grab bags like werewolf or demon, and aren't too limited by getting to x level in a given metric. The end result I see is similar to what @arkandel and @derp said. It usually punishes those not well versed in a given system, and doesn't do much of anything to people that know what they're doing.

Easy. Three eyes are better than two. I may switch to Garnet at some point as well. Same reasoning too.

@SunnyJ said in The State of the Chronicles of Darkness:

@Saulot I really loved that setting as well! Surprisingly so. I've incorporated some stuff from it in Fallen World, but I am not sure how I would conduct a full game on that setting, tabletop or MUXland. How do you plan on doing it?!

Honestly? It would take a lot of things, and I wouldn't start it in Europe or use the chapter in full (the just the majority for theme and setting). I'll try to break things into bullet points now since I always ramble.

• Everything would be "centered" around a specific village, and large portions of the surrounding wilderness. The most likely thing would have the village near the Red Sea, the Levantine Sea, or the Black Sea.
• The game itself would allow Mages, Werewolves, Wolf-Blooded, and Sleepwalkers. Generic mortals I am very much on the fence about, and lean towards no.
• All players would belong to the single tribe that composes the village. The tribe itself would consist of 5 bands (with veneration for their own preferred deity - each below the creators).
  ** This does beg the question of what it means for potential players that wish to be or start as outsiders to the village. It's something I'd think about later since the most I have right now are a few ideas rattling around my brain.
• The theme of the game would be survival, and the mood is revolution.
  ** Survival: Away from home and the safety of fire the Abyss lurks. Watching, waiting. Pangeans grow greater in number and power, yet Urfarah still lives. Spirits grow fat from the wars and dissent among local tribes as warring chieftains demand resources and sacrifice to their gods above all else. Most importantly, everyone has to eat.
  ** Revolution: Things are coming to a head. Urfarah grows weaker by the day, signs of the Time Before are slowly leaving this world, and the needs are the village have grown too great for the meager land they now hold.
• Outside of the village itself I would have 3-4 competing villages in mind with them all (including the player village) be warring over land, resources, and to appease their given gods.
  ** Speaking in terms of concepts I'm thinking this. A tribe of nomadic slash and burn farmers situated around a specific basin who are mostly proficient with stealth. A tribe subsisting on sacred cannibalism, ritual murder, and veneration of something I'd like to keep secret if I actually make this game. The last one to come to mind at present is a village essentially ruled over by a child of Rat (the Pangean and later Plague King if it needs to be said).
• As for things to run: The usual spirit troubles, Mysteries of the ever changing fallen world and places of shattered time in unspeakable places, war, religious zealotry, and even the occasional hunting of mundane (or close enough) prey.
• As for daily RP: I must admit that despite my extreme dislike for lords and ladies I've learned something. Players enjoy specific roles, jobs, and niches as it gives them something to do in the meantime when plot isn't being run at that moment, and a purpose to interact with others on some level. As such I'd look into seeing about working players into roles that fit their given concept or the things they'd like to do.
  ** Guards, farmers, midwives, priests/esses, attendants to the priests, attendants to the chief (the chief will always be an NPC), the war council, medicine wo/men, educators/historians/storytellers, hunters, weavers, potters, carvers, scouts, sacred fools/jesters, et cetera are all things to come to mind.
  *** It should be noted that if I were to go forward with this I'd get a very small playerbase so this much may be overthinking.
• 1xp to start, and slow, low xp gained over time (passive as well, but anyone that has seen the things I want to do on Goetia they'll see that things won't hit high for 2e xp for a while).