Posts made by ZombieGenesis

@groth This is just my opinion and how I see things and I could be very wrong BUT, this is how I feel about things...This place stopped being a community a long time ago. It became a gathering place for a certain clique to share their thoughts and ideas and belittle anyone who disagreed with them. It's why my interaction with this forum dropped off to almost nothing years ago and I know it's why several other people have left. You agreed with and were in CliqueX or you were an outsider for the most part.

I do feel this forum needed a change and I think the direction people want to take it is a good one. Was it a rough start? But that's how some journeys start.

Will this lead to something good? Who knows but I don't think what has happened has destroyed the board. I think it destroyed the board for a certain sect of people and, in the end, that may not be a bad thing.

@arkandel I 100% agree. I'm probably what others might term an "edgelord". I like dark stuff. I like really dark stuff. I read, write, and publish splatterpunk horror. I live for gritty and disturbing fiction.

Just not in my Star Trek. Or my Superman for that matter. It's why I never really enjoyed Man of Steel. It didn't feel like Superman to me.

It's also why I haven't really enjoyed Discovery or Picard(though I intend to go back and try to rewatch Picard season 1 so I can watch season 2).

And while I enjoyed the Star Trek reboots with Chris Pine and crew they also never quite felt like Star Trek to me. I just thought they were okay sci-fi movies(well, the first and third. Not so much the second).

I've been looking forward to Strange New Worlds since it was announced and I don't think the first episode disappointed. I loved it and can't wait for more. It felt like Star Trek and that excites me.

Boy, I wrote a lot and ultimately decided to delete it. I don't think any of hit was argumentative or inflammatory or anything, there was just a lot of it and I don't think people are that interested in anything I have to say. So I'll summarize my thoughts below.

In regards to racial modifiers in games, I think options are always good. I very much enjoy the toolkit approach to gaming and think that players should be able to create whatever version of a character they want regardless of the status quo in the game world. Sure, in this world elves might be agile and frail compared to other races but why does my elf have to be?

So getting away from racial modifiers is a good thing, IMO.

As for racial friction(elves vs dwarves) or races/species being based off of RL racial stereotypes...That's trickier. It's easy for me to say I don't think X or Y is offensive or to justify it existing when I'm not part of X or Y's culture.

I think you could write a lot on this subject and come at it from many different angles. I think there's a fine line to walk between being inspired by something and creating a caricature of that same thing. I do think that sometimes people take the concept of cultural sensitivity too far. I also think that some people are too quick to shutdown any concern they may hear about something being culturally offensive.

Finally, does the idea of racism existing in a fantasy setting bother me? Not at all. I mean, depending on the setting certain races might hate or feel superior to other races. I think you could go on about this at length as well but, as an example, I'll throw out goblins. Humans, dwarves, elves, and most other fantasy races see themselves as superior to goblins in most fantasy settings. Does this bother me? No, not really.

TL;DR: It's complicated, man. Mechanically, options are good. Thematically, I think it's too complicated to have a blanket opinion.

Neal Adams

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

... than shaming people into running things.

I'm out. Enjoy the thread everyone.

@sunny I could say your rage was implied and I responded in kind. That works both ways. You can't just reply to something no one said because you felt it was implied, which I heavily disagree with, and then get mad when someone comments on it.

You keep arguing against points that aren't being made or discussed. No one is saying anyone needs to learn new skills or that anyone should do anything they don't want to. I think some people may be saying that some people may be more capable then they think or that some people may just need a little encouragement but that's all.

I can't be responsible for what you think is being said if you don't ask if that's what I mean. The same thing goes for whatever incentive or encouragement based system that may exist on a MUSH. Just because someone feels they are unwelcome doesn't mean they are unwelcome. It may just mean they misread the situation and maybe they just need to speak with someone for clarification.

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

@zombiegenesis Yeah, that's fair. Maybe an 8-ball kind of code which, if at least half the scene's participants silently activate, spits out a random encounter in the room.

The game They Came From Beyond The Grave has these quote cards that you hand out to players. Players get rewarded for finding ways to get to a point where they can use the quote or action they were given. I think it's a really neat system and has encouraged a lot of creative interactivity in the gaming sessions we've had with it. Something like that may work too.

@arkandel I agree with you on all points except one; the 'let's all' part. I can't speak for everyone but that's not what I'm trying to do. I'm trying to find ways to encourage those who can and those who may want to try. Part of that is finding the right incentive system that doesn't ostracize those who can't or don't want to.

I really like the idea of automated prompts. Even something as simple as using an online writing prompt generator could be interesting.

@betternow I think you've just brought the conversation around full circle. The points you made were the very foundation of what we were talking about. We're all busy, we all have lives, we all have other hobbies, we all have other things we do, but we all still want RP and to have fun MUSHing.

The answer can't be, "let other people entertain me". That's the road that leads to stagnation and RP death. I think we're collectively trying to find ways to inspire people to find way to entertain each other. Even if it's just for a few hours.

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

“Everyone needs to just step up and run plots” is an unreasonable expectation, full stop.

I think you're raging against a point that was never made. I don't think anyone is suggesting everyone should do anything. And I certainly don't think anyone is saying we should chase away players who won't run plots.

I think the point is, at least from where I see things, is that there are people who will sit in an OOC room and complain about not having anything to do when, in fact, they may very well be empowered to go out and do whatever they want. I think we're trying to get to the bottom of why they don't and how can we, as game runners, help entice and encourage them to do so.

I think the word "plot" might be being blown out of proportion too. A plot doesn't have to be a grand adventure. It could just be, "Hey, let's go beat up some monsters down by the ocean front" and having someone willing to emit those monsters. Or, as a collaborative effort, a few people emitting monsters.

I think you'll also find people are more capable than they think. On a private game I run right now most of the players have never played on any other MUSH before. They're total MU newbies for the most part. They asked me what they could do on the game and I told them, "whatever you want". They actually came up with an actual big old plot that they're working their way through. It may not always be pretty but they're having fun and that's the point. Just having fun.

I think this mentality exists IRL as well. One of the women in my tabletop group really wanted to try and run an adventure for D&D but didn't think she could. She was terrified but decided to give it a try and we all had a blast. Sometimes it just takes a little confidence.

And gaming with the right people. If you run something and people bitch and whine about it? Those aren't the type of people you should probably be gaming with.

Gaming partners should raise each other up.

With all that said, there will still be people who aren't capable or just don't want to run plots. That's fine. But should that stop us from trying to find ways to entice and encourage those who can or those who may be on the fence about trying but are unsure?

@arkandel I had once thought about locking "major FCs" behind a plot barrier. Want to play Batman? Well, that's cool but you have to run a plot for Gotham. Then, when that plot is over, the character becomes available again and someone else can step in and have a run. I never did it though because I had fears of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman all just sitting idle and stagnant.

@bear_necessities I think it depends on the game. I know people will cry "favoritism" the second anything is offered to one player isn't offered to everyone but I honestly have no problem with it.

I was thinking about how to do a Dark Souls game with the new RPG coming up and one of the things I was thinking could be cool is earning "reward points" or whatever by running plots for yourself and others that you can cash in for special gear or spells or something. Want Havel's Ring? Work with staff to create content for other players then they'll work with you to run you on a plot that ends with you getting Havel's ring or something.

On a comic game? I guess it depends on the specific universe but something similar could happen. Cool perks that don't overpower a character or unbalance the game. Some players helped you run that Thanos/Infinity Gauntlet plot? Their PCs are now the guardians of the Infinity Gems(ala the Infinity Watch comics).

I think things like that could work.

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

Nothing has changed. This is still the case.

This is just an opinion, I'm not trying to be antagonistic or anything, but while I agree with you I also think that mentality needs to change. I'm not one of these "the sky is falling and MUs are dying" types but the fact of the matter is most of us in the community have lives and jobs and other hobbies. It's difficult to balance all of that with running plots on a game while also finding RP for yourself.

This isn't just a MUSH problem either. For me at least. I run into the same problem as the DM for my tabletop group. I have barely any time to prep an adventure. I spend a lot of time winging it or using random tables or something.

I think if people want to get the most out of the modern MU scene they need to embrace the idea of self-contained plots and running things themselves for themselves. I know that may be easier said then done but it's how I feel.

Just got my PDF copy of Mecha & Monsters: Evolved and it makes me sad that this is likely not a game that will ever exist. Giant robots fighting giant monsters in a pretty slick and fast paced system. Ah well.

@squirreltalk Man, don't tempt me. Especially with the RPG coming out next month in the U.S.

@lotherio I think you could really embrace this with Ares. Say Player A wants to create a setting, they submit a synopsis to staff who approve or reject it or whatever. Say they approve it, they can add the setting to the demographics for people to select(so the directory sorts characters into the right tabs) and the player could either create an actual grid or, and I don't think people do this enough with Ares, create a series of wiki pages describing the setting and locales where RP could happen. Since Ares allows players to define the location of the scene as the scene is created having an actual grid isn't necessary really. You could go gridless or support a minimalist grid or have a full grid if the player was so inclined.

I had been tempted to do something like this once with comic universes. DC, Marvel, Image, whatever. Each separate but everyone on one game.

@pyrephox I agree. I think one of the fears staff has with being too open is players making sweeping changes to the grid and/or theme. I'm experimenting on a private game with players being able to claim an area or organization for a plot. For example, the current plot centers around college students stuck in a summer program being stalked by a slasher. It's confined to the college and the characters that are stuck there for the summer. The players can do whatever they want within those confines. I'm hopeful it works well.

As for tools I'm providing them(I'm not actually taking part in the plot to have it almost completely "staff" free) we use a modified version of the Storypath system as presented in They Came From Beyond The Grave as our backbone and for system related stuff. They have disposable NPCs they can use in scenes. And, as said, free reign to do whatever with the summer college crew.

RE: MU Community Supporting Each Other. I don't think people take advantage of sandbox opportunities enough. Either from laziness, fear/anxiety, or not being clearly shown the tools they have at their hand. I think people are also afraid of the dreaded word "cliques".

I'd love to see a gothic horror game(Vampire Diaries, True Blood, Dark Shadows, etc) set up like this. Players could app into certain plots run by staff or other players either with temporary characters or permanent, whichever. Run through the plot then either create a new character and enter another plot or move your current character to something new.

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

Which original TV series would actually make for a good MU*? How would you set it up?

I know this isn't very original but I'd love to do a Clone Wars game with...feature characters! I'd use FCs as roster characters for players who just wanted to jump into the game without having to worry too much about an application and allow people who wanted to create their own characters the option of OCs. I think if you just keep it to Episode I and II as canon sources there's no real reason why any FC has to be More Important than any OC. If I used an RPG system I'd just make sure that OCs and FCs are both made out of the same points/levels or whatever.

Adjacent to that is Star Trek. Strange New Worlds has me craving Trek RP hard and I'd love to do something set in that time period. How would I set it up? Who knows. Maybe have one "plot ship" for people to join for staff-run plots but allow players to create their own ships with a crew to also do sandbox RP? Star Trek is a tough one.

@runescryer I know there were some projects in the works but I'm not sure how far along they got or if they're still in development. These systems are so complex the juice may not be worth the squeeze, as it were, depending on what you were looking for in coded systems.

I've been tempted to do a 5E game or something and just use PDF sheets and the basic dice rolling system plugin.