Guild News 1.27.12

[Guru]

General News

Weird Layout

Some of you may have noticed some odd stuff going on with the layout of the Guild where white borders have appeared and the text colors of thread links are different, hard to see colors. This is nothing to worry about. Mahz has stated that it is a faulty code that was causing the problem and things should be back the way they were now.

Comrade Projects

The comrades have been working hard lately on coming up with new projects other than the Guild News to bring you guys and early February, we are introducing a few of our ideas. We look forward to them, and hope you all find them helpful! Here are some things we have been working on:

• Discussions: There will be monthly discussions hosted by the Comrades to get our community's perspectives on different aspects of Roleplaying, which can range from general Roleplay etiquette to discussions about specific Genres. Contact Genkai if you would like to submit your ideas
• Ask A Comrade: In an effort to better help people around the forums The Comrades will be starting an Ask a Comrade thread where you can ask them questions about RPing in general, the site and other things that don't require a moderator. You will be able to find it in the Introduction Section.
• New Articles: With the success of the New player guide to Guild, the Comrades have been looking into other Articles and helpful guides to display for members.
• Interest Check Help: A lot of users find themselves frustrated with Interest Checks that go overlooked and in an effort to help that out, we have been slowly getting into Interest checks and leaving helpful comments and encouragement for these users to help with their interest checks
  
  That is it for now, but we look forward to new stuff as often as we can to help our fellow members, old and new.

Guild Roleplay News

Featured Roleplays

Title: The Saviors of our World
GM: Alec2Adia
Level: Free

The Fantasy world and our own world that will meet total destruction by the ruler of the underworld and the ruler of our surface world. The ruler of the underworld Saton has decided to fuse the two worlds for he can be the total ruler of both of the worlds fused into one huge new planet.

Title: Natrelmon: Chromium
GM: Innue
Level: Casual

This Pokemon Roleplay has lots of interesting plots including this one:

Trainers were asked to make a decision. They could either slide a blade into a cave wall at behest of a rather creepy and strange old man or merely leave the cave.

Some left, some did as they were told. It was later revealed, mostly through PM of those that did put the blade into the wall, that they had killed an innocent person from the city of Toran that the old man had abducted and put into the walls with a powerful earth magic (those that did this action were PMed the result of the action and why he was doing it). They are now faced with the repercussions of their actions and the moral choices they will have to make moving on knowing they've already committed murder of an innocent. The old man was forcing them to commit this action in order to find an apprentice.

This was followed up by the attack on the Toran Arena (our version of a gym) by a group of individuals seeking to reassemble an ancient gate they refer to as the Black Gate. The trainers attempt to fight off the invaders, but are outclassed and a Natrelmon is incinerated by the attackers, destroying one of the trainers' companions. They are saved by a character from the original Natrelmon known as the Fishmonger and a mysterious old woman known as Rinkoo, who handily dispatched one of the invaders.

The plot parts have been rather exciting and you are more than welcome to check out the IC.

Title: Shadows of Olympus: Chapter Two
GM: Lillian Thorne
Level: Advanced

After the epic conclusion of Shadows of Olympus, the gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus return in Shadows of Olympus: Chapter Two. The time is Now, and the once-powerful Pantheon lay diminished and divided against the backdrop of modern American society, merely surviving in a world that no longer believes or worships them.

However, old enemies stir, forcing the Pantheon into action. Echidna, scheming Mother of Monsters, and her devilish consort, the dreaded and murderous Typhon, overcome the defenses of the Underworld and take the realm of Hades as their own, with their unholy sights set on death, destruction, and most of all -- revenge against the arrogant Olympians that had imprisoned them.

Battles are fought; tragic lost loves reunite. Betrayal from within casts its dark shadow, and those souls long believed dead find life anew. The Olympians find themselves engaged in the greatest battle of their immortal lives. Can they put aside old schemes and enmities to work together against a common foe, or will the prejudices and prides of antiquity see that they fall into myth forever?

Have a look, and find out.

--Unlit, participant in Shadows of Olympus, Part Two

Featured Interest Checks

Title: May The Odds Ever Be In Your Favor
GM: EternusVita
Level: Free

This RP will be based on The Hunger Games.

What if Katniss hadn't found Peeta? What if Katniss and Peeta both died in the hunger games?

"Ladies and gentlemen, WELCOME! To the 75th annual hunger games, where, as we all know, double the amount of tributes shall enter the arena, this is the Quarter Quell, NOW. May the odds EVER be in your favour!"

We can have the 24 tributes, family, friends. As this Hunger Games will probably create the rebellion that Katniss was meant to create, the people outside the Hunger Games will come into play also.

Title: Rise of the Shadows
GM: Ferrovax
Level: Casual

Long before Maximillion Pegasus created Industrial Illusions and released his card game upon the world, it was played by powerful sorcerers and mages of Ancient Egypt as a replacement for war where to lose means facing a harsh penalty, often death. As time passed the magic to call forth these creatures of the Shadow was lost and the first age of Duel Monsters disappeared from Mankind's memory till it was eventually resurrected into a much gentler incarnation in the 21st century.

But the peace could not last, for those who do not study the past are destined to repeat it. The Shadow Games have returned, inexplicably taking friendly mundane matches into the Shadow Realm where only the victor walks away without harm. The manifestation of this phenomena has turned the Duel Monsters card game on its head, where people who previously played for mere enjoyment are not too afraid to so much as touch their deck for fear of invoking the ancient magic.

The world government's response to this crisis was two-fold: First a task force was formed to investigate the reason for the previously benign card game and see if this turn for the worse can be reversed. Second, a ban on duels has been placed though it has not been very effective as while not uncommon the phenomena has been to rare to discourage the avid player, as anyone too poor a player to survive has either quit the game or been weeded out by this darwinian competition.

Their is now a sect of duelists who live for the newer deadlier form of the game, thrill seeker who delights on putting their life on the line and taking the lives of their compatriots in the ultimate high stakes game. While the police agencies around the world struggle and fail to stop these illicit duels (which are often held in underground clubs where the outcome of each match has several thousand dollars or more riding on it.) the tides of chaos is rising. Gathered together these individuals have started to organize themselves into gangs dedicated to the purpose of becoming the best in there area, nation, and the world.

Rumor has it that among the top of shadow duelists (as members of this group is now called) that for every victory achieved their personal power grows, the shadow magic focusing through them like an apex from the top. Through these rare and few individuals their monsters can be manifested in the physical world to do their masters bidding for good or ill. But this is just a rumor. Right?

Whether you are a member of the Investigation Committee, a thrill seeking shadow duelist, or just an average joe trying to survive the coming storm is too much for any one person to bare never-mind stop alone. Will you step forward to try and stop the Shadows and who or whatever is behind it, or perhaps increase its speed, or will you just sit by idle like the rest of the sheep plaguing the world? The choice is yours.

Title: West Coast Wonders
GM: JordanUlery1994
Level: Advanced

“Everything is gone,” the man sighs.
A dull laugh cuts the air as he continues, “That is a disturbing though, I know, but try to imagine it. Everything is completely gone. All of the people you love, gone. All of the homes you knew, gone. All the things you used to have, gone as well. Now that you know, let me try to explain a little further.”
“The world went dark nearly twelve years ago. I myself am not so glad it happened and plan for this to be my final adieu if you will. But before I take my bow, listen to me close, don’t trust the ECR. And don’t listen to the voice of Reason. And please, for the love of god, don’t play with the children!”
There is a silence in the recording before the old man begins to speak again, “My name is Robert Allen. I was a former rich man, I guess you could say. Before the bombs fell of course. Nuclear hellfire wiped humanity’s stain from the Earth. It’s an odd thought really, hell’s fire burning away the good and evil alike, licking at our cancerous heels as we yip along hopelessly. Excuse my metaphors please, I know I am older than you’d wish to listen to.”
“But I must explain my three orders. And I know most of you won’t like it… Some of you, perhaps, won’t even listen to my words. Reason has probably already dug its hideous claws into your mind. But I digress. You see, the East Coast Republic is a horrible mockery of what we use to call government. I know, the governments of the old world were not something to behold, but trying to bring order to the American wasteland is a noble cause I guess. But the ECR is far from noble my friend.”
“They are a nation of slavers and corrupt politics, pirates and whores, murderers and arsonists. For three years now they have spread out of New Virginia with their old world weapons, tanks, helicopters, and APCs; the whole shebang. I know it doesn’t sound all that bad, and you must be thinking, ‘wow this old coot is crazy.’ But I am not. The ECR is a formidable enemy, trust me friends.”
“And the Children of Heaven… Oh they are a mighty foul bunch. I would never say God is a horrible thing, being a holy man myself, but they are not what they make themselves out to be friends. Horrific atrocities the likes of which I cannot explain through words are committed by their people in the Midwest every day. And not to mention, they don’t take kindly to strangers.”
The man paused, and the sound of glassware can be heard before he continues slowly, “Mmm… I apologize for that, where was I? Oh yes, the voice of Reason. Reason is a bad man my friends. He broadcasts his station all across what use to be America. I have not found him, but I wish I could’ve. The man is a horrible liar, a terrible sinner, and a corrupt savior. Do not, please, I urge, do NOT listen to his words.”
Another long pause is heard as the man holding the radio smiles, looking at the others in his group as a click is heard and the old man’s voice cracks, “Head west friends. Where ever you are, head west. Los Angeles harbor is still safe. They have been sending boats from up north to bring us to Alaska, but don’t head to Alaska yourself, to many of those damned mutated bears… Wickens I think they’re called… Come to LA. We can hel- They can help you.”
And again, a short pause as the man begins to sob, “I have done all I can. Now I give you my bow… Don’t worry about me friends… I am getting what an old man like me deserves… A glass of whiskey–“ the sound of glassware on a table is sharp, “–And a bullet to the he–“ and the radio signal dropped with a loud bang.
Brian cringes and looks into the radio, “Christ, let’s turn the channel.”
He fumbles with the nobs and static cuts the air before a deep, clear voice with a southern drawl eases the mood, “Friends… I implore you, stay away from Pittsburgh. The ECR is heading through the city at the moment, raping and murdering anyone they find. I have reports of some people being taken into slavery… Again, my brothers, we must cast off these chains of tyranny. I urge you, either stay out of the city, or fight while you still can… Until tomorrow, this is Reason, signing off.”
Brian sets the radio down before picking up his M16 assault rifle and turning to the shambles of Pittsburgh to the south, his group behind him, “Well… Here we go,” his foot hit the dirt, and he never looked back.

Arena

Duke is dead, and new Fighters have come from their holes. Alba and Soiree Meira have finally defeated Duke, but at the cost of many lives, the majority of the south-town gang are now dead, and the twins are looking t replace those numbers in the best way possible. Another KoF tournament. There are new and old contenders alike in this tournament that is like no other.

Daemonandae19 is hosting this King of Fighters tournament and is looking for more people to join in!

Also, Rilla would like to wish a warm welcome to Klikxx to Guild's Arena! Klikxx is a highly praised fighter by Rilla who competed against him in the Grassroots tournament on RoleplayGateway. Arena members, make sure you get a piece of that action!

Off Topic News

Off Topic News

Role Playing Discussion

Interesting discussions are always going on, come join in and chat about our mutual hobby

RP or GM?

Captain Sharp has made a pole and started a discussion about Being a Role Player Vs. a GM. Do you prefer one or like a mix of both? Go and see what your fellow members have to say and maybe weigh in yourself.

Featured Galleries

RPG has a lovely Gallery section that doesn’t see enough encouragement and attention. If you have some scribbles lying around or some art you’d like to share start up a gallery and show people what you can do outside of an RP! If you'd like to be featured, be sure to send a note to either Guru, Genkai or LT.

Art Gallery: Jabrosky's Art

Jabrosky has some great sketches and art posting in their Gallery. Some of it is tribal and some it has dinosaurs. Their art has a historic flair to it and their coloring and shading is quite nicely done. Check out their work and leave a comment.

Writing Gallery: Rose's Stories

Rose Swan has started to post a story based on a roleplay they have written. It seems to hold a lot of promise to check it out, read and comment.

Official Contests

Don’t forget about RPG’s Official Monthly contests Artists of the Month and Writer of the Month, the prize is a nifty colored user title. The contestants work really hard and put out some outstanding work. Stop by and check it out and while you are there don’t forget to Vote and Comment on the Contest entries, the more votes and comments, the more satisfying the victory is! We could always use more people. If you want to get involved and send in an entry, please see the Contest section of the site. Remember the more, the merrier!

This month's WOTM, Utopia/Dystopia, is now in voting until January 31st. Casual - Advanced

This month's AOTM, The Circus, is now in voting until February 8th. Casual - Advanced

As a final note, Genkai has stepped down as AOTM Manager, and WOTM has made some Changes. You may read them here and discuss them here.

Last month’s AOTM’s Winner, Lillix

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Last month’s WOTM Winner, wXw

An internal affair

Sometimes I wonder how I, Stomach, juror of endless cases, find myself sitting and watching, powerless, the unfolding of events. Pancreas, sleepy from the over-work of the last period, sits next to me, careless of how this one is going to be ruled.
Some time ago, Heart and Brain signed this contract again, the same usual contract: “Heart agrees to provide a standard rate for the entire period of the relationship, and Brain will not perform enquiries on the status of the involvement of any third parties with Heart”. Simple.
This time, however, Brain scheduled a private meeting with me and asked whether I could agree on a footnote together with Liver. It seemed harmless to commit to provide overage service upon request. Liver also had no objections. We were just not aware that Brain knew that Heart had signed another agreement with Intestine, the big guy.
In contrast to our agreement with Brain, this one read like a long service contract. It seemed that the purpose was to have Intestine acting as a guarantee of the agreement between Heart and Brain. Several notes and commas, and side notes, and addenda, and errata, contoured the main body of the contract. In other words: a mess. A mess as only Heart could do. Simply put, Intestine was to recall Brain activity on local issues according to an unnecessarily complicated list of conditions, with the exclusion of nameless exceptions.
After a while, we had this meeting with Liver and Pancreas. Pancreas is not exactly the kind of girl that would speak her issues out loud. Yet, in face of Liver complaints of the extra-work that Brain had assigned to the three of us, she just could not keep it any longer. She did not scream, she did not yell. She just made her point very clear: as her subcontract was with me and with me only, she was not going to respond of her performance with anybody else but me. She also added that I’d better not complain, else she would notify Heart of my agreement with Brain. Back then, I felt guilty and did not reply. However, I had the unpleasant sensation that I had overlooked something. Indeed I had!
Few moments ago, Liver sat as witness. Usual stuff. He had to clarify his role in the situation, recall the last time he had seen Heart, state whether he knew of the agreement between Heart and Brain. Then something happened, which surprised me. Liver was asked whether he and Heart had any relation of sort. Liver of course had none. Then he was asked whether he had any relation to Brain. Liver looked at me, grinned and again said he had none. He just claimed working extra hours on some tough products, which, according to his claim, were lost in the production, resulting in excess work of Heart for just nothing.
How smart! We shouldn’t have expected any less than this from Brain! The scum knew that, despite the restrictive contract, Heart was going to try the best. A couple more beats every now and then to give us all a good time and have us all push on Brain to let the barriers down. Was he really going to let Heart try? He certainly gave the poor thing the illusion of fairness by letting Heart to involve Intestine with the incomprehensible garble of conditions. Then, the stab came.
Liver and I, despite our past arguments, were brought to agree on working extra-time. Brain worked it smoothly, leveraging on the need to settle our old scores and to prove us considerate in providing the maximum for everybody. What was not clear from our contract was that we were going to work on nothing. So brilliant! Our purpose as pawns in the greater scheme, was to occupy Heart and wear it down, and put Intestine in constant alert, de facto driving it away from its controller role. So brilliant!
Now, the contract between Heart and Intestine has been unmasked, and Liver denies any involvement with Brain. Even better, Brain insists that Intestine was too distracted to provide Liver with the right stuff, and no one between Eye, the judge, or Aorta, the defending lawyer, will not ask me to confirm that I passed anything to Intestine, because I am in the jury. Most brilliant of all, Eye has insisted that I am in the jury. Eye! Who could be more corrupt and in favor of Brain than Eye? I still wonder how we all could have been so blind! Brain and Liver must have had this planned ever since. An absolute masterpiece!
I guess the case is closed. Brain has won.
At any rate, I did not really like this new guy: a very bad cook.

Other News

Mahz's Guard

Mahz's Guard is a Dungeons and Dragons Online Guild devoted to the Awesome Mahz! Members of the Guild include members of our own community who have got together to play some DnD Online together. If you would like to participate, see the thread linked above. They are more than happy to accept new people into their ranks.

__________________________________________________ ______________

All featured RPs and Linked threads have been chosen by random based on the number of responses to the thread and how active they are. If you'd like to have a IntChk, Roleplay, or Gallery featured in the next Newsletter, please send a message to Guru. Your thread may or may not be used, depending on the number of entries and random choice.

This Newsletter is brought to you by your Comrades. Enjoy!
Guru Genkai Lillian Thorne Tanaka Grif of Hearts Bela

This Banner brought to you by Bela

Next Guild News: February, 10th 2012

[love that panda]

Great news letter, I love the thing with the commrades! Great idea! c:

in unrelaed news, the next news letter is the day before my Bat Mitzvah!! O_o

[Genkai]

Great news letter, I love the thing with the commrades! Great idea! c:

in unrelaed news, the next news letter is the day before my Bat Mitzvah!! O_o

What thing with the Comrades?

We're doing a few things. XD

[love that panda]

well all of them are great! But I think ask a comrade will be really helpful

[Guru]

Sorry for the delay in getting this up guys. It has been one of those days. xD

Haha Panda.

I'm guessing them all Genkai. XD

[Genkai]

Guru is so smart. XD

I hope that doesn't get sigged with my other one. TOTALLY out of context...

[Guru]

Guru is so smart. XD

I hope that doesn't get sigged with my other one. TOTALLY out of context...

Oh. That was your fault this time. I wouldn't have even thought about it. :P

[Squee]

I have a question:

I think this has been brought up before, but I feel like the 1x1's get left out. Maybe those can be mentioned in the next new letter?

[love that panda]

The banner was a nice touch, I hope you do that reguraly. ^_^

[Genkai]

I have a question:

I think this has been brought up before, but I feel like the 1x1's get left out. Maybe those can be mentioned in the next new letter?

Refer here the last past or two talks about why they don't need a mention and probably won't get one. I hope that helps. ^^;

@Guru: I looove being mentioned jk jk

@LTP: We will.