Guild News 1.18.13

[Guru]

General News

WOTM Needs help!

Now that Asperser has resigned, WOTM needs an extra manager on the job to move things along. WOTM manager responsibilities include creating themes/components, posting WOTM threads and reading/approving entries – but the most help is needed in the planning process, as we’re short on creative minds. So if you’d like to share your ideas for WOTM, now’s the perfect opportunity! And if there are any RPG members with time on their hands and interest in running the contest, we’d love to see you aboard the WOTM team!

Username:

Activity around the forums:

Average number of hours spent on RPG per week:

Why you’d like to join the WOTM team:

Anything else you’d like to mention:

If you’d like to become a manager, please PM your application to WOTM. We’d like to announce the new manager in the February 1st newsletter, so the deadline for applications is Monday, the 28th. Can’t wait to see who’s interested!

-Kagamine

*Note that Applications for AOTM are still pending. Send in your Application before it is too late!

GM Interview

This issue we interviewed The Australian who has a quite a few RP's under his belt over his long GMing Career. From Nation Role Plays to Sci-fi, see what he has to say on the subject of GMing.

Lillian How long have you been RPing?

The Australian About eight years.

Lillian How did you start?

The Australian I had stumbled upon a roleplaying forum and found the whole thing rather spiffing, and decided to give it a go.

Lillian How long before you made the Move to GMing?

The Australian I think it had been about six or seven months after I had started.

Lillian And what made you make the switch?

The Australian I wanted to try out some new ideas that I saw was not being presented in other RPs.

LillianSuch as?

The Australian Well, they were mostly Fallout or fantasy-influenced RPs. I'm a fan of Fallout, so I didn't have a problem with doing that. Fantasy, not so much. Regardless, I wanted to do historical, sci-fi, and nation roleplays.

Lillian What would you say was your most successful RP and why?

The Australian As far as this site goes, Ex Astris Scientia.

Lillian What made it successful?

The Australian I have a wealth of ideas, for one. Dedicated players, as well. Personally, I just like the idea of a sci-fi roleplay, with a starship's bridge crew exploring space. And, if you'd like some cliché fodder, boldly going where none have gone before.

Lillian So then how do you define success?

The Australian I would say having a sustained interest from your players and yourself, enough ideas so your roleplay doesn't become stale and repetitive, and trying to get the best out of your RP.

Lillian How clearly do you plot your RP, do you plan for an end?

The Australian I do, in fact, plan for a rough ending. At least so it doesn't feel rushed and all.

Lillian How much control of the story do you allow your players?
The Australian A lot. For the major story elements and it's framework, I'd prefer to do it myself, but I like to let my players have some control over the story

Lillian Some GMs play characters, others just control the world and plot, where do you fall on that spectrum?

The Australian I much prefer to play characters. Like, for instance, the aforementioned Ex Astris Scientia, I'm playing the captain. If it's a nation RP, then maybe I'll probably just control the world and plot, because it's much simpler that way.

Lillian What was your biggest mistake and what did you learn from it?

The Australian I think it was not to let players completely run the roleplay and it's plot. Maybe I'm sounding a bit totalitarian, but, they took the plot and ran it through the ground. I did learn to have a bit more control in the plot-making aspect of the roleplay.

Lillian How do you handle the inevitable dropouts?

The Australian It depends on how essential the roleplayer, and in extension, the character in which they controlled, was. Like, I had a person drop out of a precursor to my current roleplay, and that killed the RP because his character had doubled up on so many roles that it would've been difficult to replace. But, I had a person drop out of my current roleplay, but the character was really rather unimportant (A helmsman) and we just NPC'd the character.

Lillian How do you handle inter-player conflicts and problem players?

The Australian I don't think I've ever had that GM-wise, but I've had that as a player. In fact, been an instigator many times. Needless to say, we got into arguments about his metagaming, pointless overkill, and back-and-forth politics.

Lillian What would be the best bit of advice you would give a new GM about how to run a successful RP?

The Australian Hm, I'd suggest having a good group of players, a sound idea, and ideas.

Lillian How does one go about getting a good group of players? Do you have a screening process?
The Australian I tend to get a group of people I know that can pull it off. I don't tend to do interest checks for ideas that I consider 'valuable.'

Lillian So you GM by invite only?

The Australian Typically.

Lillian Just one more quesiton then, is anything else you'd like to add?

The Australian Well, I wish I'd known how difficult world building would be.

Lillian Have you learned any tricks or tips to make it easier you'd like to pass on?

The Australian In that case, then, you just have to figure out what you're going to work with.

We really appreciate all the time that the interviewees put into these interviews, be sure to let them know if you enjoyed it. Want to re-read one of these great interviews again? They are all put into this thread for easy locating.

We are actively looking for GM's to interview (the list is getting rather small) so if you know of one you'd love to see interviewed please PM their name to Lillian Thorne.

Roleplay News

RolePlay Milestones

Every now and then, a roleplay hits an achievement that roleplayers are proud of. Whether it is an anniversary, completion, or even something has simple as post count, they need to be celebrated. This week, we have the Free roleplay GM'd by xXLyraXx called No Escape. No Escape was completed on January 15th, 2013 and in honor of the completion, ZayZe was ask about his experience. Here is what he has to say:

The role-play is about a group of supernatural beings, being captured and imprisoned into a facility where they do experiments on the subjects to further their progress in genetics, technology, weapons, or whatever they can get their hands on. The facility was twenty years old, with my character being there from the beginning. I feel there was much more character development involved in this RP than what the description on in the thread says.

This was my first Role-play to actually play and to finish. It was a completely new experience for me. Nothing compares quite like this. I've played games for my whole life, being a hard-core dedicated E-Sports fan, it was a really nice change of pace. I love how I just unleash my imagination with hundreds of other people. It's definitely something I feel everyone should try out. Before I came here though, I browsed through other forums and they just didn't seem as user-friendly or just easier to get into. So I congratulate the admins/programmers that are here. Great Job

I feel what made the role-play amazing and excel was the activity our fellow RP'ers put in. It was an amazing feat. 1,000+ posts in 3 days. It was like a continuing story that would never pause or take a break. I love that. The players did a really great job describing and building up their characters. Every single one of us that was active are now friends. I love that I could just jump right into this forum, into a active RP and make friends right off that bat. I've had an amazing experience so far. Everyone here seems so friendly ^_^

There will be a sequel. TOMORROW, is what's planned. Our GM I feel is great, she's constantly on and friendly, she isn't a very strict GM either so we can just enjoy our characters and build up their story-lines as we go along. I feel it makes it easier to learn about everyone as a group when we can build up as we progress, instead of such a steep learning curve at the beginning that almost feels like it demoralizes you cause of so much detail. Just like in real life you don't know every single little detail about someone when you meet them, you gradually work your way up. What the GM offered here was a basic start and great character development as we go along. Her activity and everyone else definitely made this RP prosper. She did a great job.

Want to be featured for a RP Milestone? Take a look at your roleplay and see if it fits any of these criteria:

• It was recently completed.
  
• It has celebrated a year anniversary in the past two weeks or will sometime in the next four months.
  
• It has recently hit it's 1,000th post mark. This can also be 2,000 or 3,000

If your roleplay has reached any of these milestones, or if you think your roleplay has reached a certain achievement that is not listed, please don't hesitate to PM Squee with the link to the roleplay and a description of the achievement. If you are not the GM, but wish to surprise the GM, that can also be arranged. Happy Roleplaying!

Featured Roleplays

Title: Government Island
GMs: Savi
Level: Free

The government found out that there were special teenagers out there with special abilities They decided to kidnap them and put them on an island so they can test on them. The students have no contact with the outside world and are stranded in the government facility. Love, action, adventure, mystery and much more happen on this Island. Find out what the government wants with these special kids and what the kids are going to do about it.

Title:Game of Chance
GM: Sikako J
Level: Casual

Your character will awake on a train going from olden day New York to Washington DC. They will have no memory, no name or no clue what the hell is going on. Aside from the you, there will be a total of 22 people on that train. The train is driven automatically and you cannot see everyone on the train, as it has coaches, therefore there is one other person with you in it. You open your eyes and you see a cell phone in your hand. At that very moment a loud ringing sound occurs in your phone and it seems everyone else on the entire train. You answer it immediately and a cheerful yet daunting voice answers and explains the rules of the game.

"Want to play a game? Of course you do, you have no choice!" the voices gives out a giggle "As you can already see, you completely forgot who you are, where you are going and what on earth you are doing here. It's very simple I injected you with a formula that blocks the memories of your past. Are you scared yet? Don't be, it's fun!" That voice giggles again. "You must know there is a bracelet on your wrist that will not move and/or come off, it will resemble your name for this game. As well as a hard steel necklace that will self destruct in 22 days if you don't kill 2 people, that doesn't come off either. Why must you need a animal to represent you? Well, you simply don't have your name, do you? There is a total of 21 other people like you right now, but with only few differences. I'm going to need you to check your back-left pocket right now, but do not show the front of it away from you quite yet. As you can see on the way other end of the coach, there is someone else there. You wouldn't want one of your enemies to know your card already. This card will have a special ability that will give you an enhancement in the game. Either it be defensive, or offensive. To use it, simply point the card towards the enemy and say it's name. Oh, you think that is it? Just simply kill the person in front of you? Not quite!" The speaker mocks you. "You will have exactly 22 days to kill at least 2 enemies and collect their cards. You can use their cards once you destroy them, the same way you do yours. At the 22 day mark, that steel necklace around your neck will destroy you or release you depending on your progress. You cannot remove it, don't try. Red flags mark out of bound areas, if you go more than ten feet past them your necklace will exploded. But, remember, you may need to kill 2 people but so does everyone else. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

The phone flicks off and the trains stop. At once the train coaches suddenly starts to shake and spin in spirals. It seems they don't want everyone so close to each other. As your coach stops you fall out the coach door at your end as well as your counterpart, the coach sealing up.

Title: Mass-Effect: Blades of Aurora
GM: GrievousKhan
Level: Advanced

The Blades of Aurora are a private military company under part of the Aurora Corporation, and operates within the Mass effect universe just two years after Shepards death by collector hands. Founded and lead by Ex-Alliance veteran, Donald Armstrong, now known as The One-Eyed Man, also known as the legendary soldier who was rumored to have also founded the N7 Marine program. After leaving the Alliance in 2183 CE, Donald Armstrong, a.k.a. The One-Eyed Man, formed the "Blades Of Aurora," so as to provide military force, originally, for human colonies, as well as a cover to discover the nature of colony attacks in the Terminus system, later expanding it's services to any sapient being regardless of nations or ideologies. As such, the BOA also specializes in providing the full range of military services, including combat, logistics, training, weapons, outfitting, and R&D. In addition, the BOA is also designed to merge the small footprint and exceptional performance of Special Forces groups such as the N7 Marine program and the full military might of a full regular army, as a means to fully break free of there nation-state, as many in the early BOA were former Alliance soldiers tired of the politics of the Alliance. Employed by the Colony government of Noveria sometime after 2183 CE, Donald and the BOA fought an opposing mercenary unit led by a man named Kazuhira Miller. After BOA defeated the enemy force, Armstrong offered Miller a place in the group, which he accepted, later becoming its second-in-command. During this time, Miller also viewed BOA as being a "new kind of business" regarding guns-for-hire, that is neither tied to mercenaries nor to a foreign legion, and operated vastly different than previous groups like the Blue Suns or Blood Pack, and also intended to help Armstrong succeed in his goals for BOA. In addition, between its founding and its employment under the Noveria government, it often relocated there in order to avoid the STG and Council specters.

Two years have since passed and the remote and seemingly random attacks on human colonies still continue, though the Blades of Aurora has grown now expanding it's recruitment to trustworthy Sapient Aliens and it's wealth and influence undeniable. But at long last one of Armstrong's most ambitious projects has been completed, "The Polaris". Thanks to his contacts within the alliance combined with the latest in ship building technology by the Aurora Corporation, Armstrong was able to obtain the resources and technology to craft an advanced spacecraft, partly based on a prototype of the early Normandy. The Polaris is stat-of-the-art, expansive, and incredibly efficient, built for speed and rapid deployment with tougher armor and shields then that of even the former Normandy at roughly twice it's size as well and of greatly different design. With a lead in the missing colonist, Armstrong has quickly Assembled a team of the best operatives in Aurora to find a figure known only as 'Little Angel'. Along the way, they must face gangs, outwit and outfight Cerberus, and avoid the entangling webs of the Shadow broker and an organization even more powerful and deadly then Cerberus and the Shadow broker combined two fold. All this in a bid to uncover the truth. Will they succeed and prevent galactic war? Or will they fail like so many before them? The ate of untold billions rest with them and their choices.

Title: The Undercover Journalist
GMs: Jones Sparrow and WhiteLily
Level: 1x1

A New York Times Journalist travels to Venice Italy, to go undercover and tear down the largest crime lord in Italy; Piedro Dimonte. To get close to the family he decides to go undercover as a body guard, where he slowly falls in love with the crime lord's daughter. At first they don't like each other at all, she tries to run away from him while he's desperately trying to keep his job and stay alive, but then they grow used to each other, and eventually fall in love.

After a while the journalist is split between decisions that could either keep his identity secure, or hurt the one he loves more than anything. What decision will he choose? There is action, romance, and more in this RP!

Featured Interest Checks

Title: Will you be Champion of the Old One's?!
GM's: CheyenneMarie91, Z2010Deadmeat, gunskids
Level: Free

Welcome to Arundhati, Island of the Old One's.
Here on the Mystic and Ancient Island there are 3 Cities that Rest on it's Lands.
...........................
The City of The Craftsman,Obrtnik Dar

In the Eternal City of Obrtnik Dar things are Always Advancing and Changing. With their Immense Skills in Both Science and Magic they Develope some of the Most Advanced Weaponry and Armor the Multiverse has Ever Known. With Excelled Knowledge of Mystic Alloys and the Proper Alchemic Mixtures their Crafters and Smiths are some of the Most Renowned in All the Universes.

...........................
The City of the Dragon Lord,Parjir

In the Mountains of Arundhati rests the Elegant City of Parjir. Ruled over by The Dragon Lord King of the Planet Mandalore, Parjir is Renowned for it's Fine Art,Architecture,and Uniquely Crafted Weapons & Armor (Made from One of the Strongest Materials in the Galaxy,Beskar or Madalorian Iron). With it's Substantial contribution in Material Trade wether it be Metals,Treasuries,or Vast Supplies of Natural Resorces,Parjir is indeed One of the Most Thriving and Prosperous Cities in All the Multiverse.

...........................
The Hidden Forest Kingdom of The Lycan Queen,Lykaios

Deep in the Murky Wilds of Arundhati's Forests lies The Hidden Kingdom of Lykaios. This is the Realm of the Mysterious Lycan Queen along with her devoted Wolf & Lycan Followers. It has been said that you Cannot Find more Brutal and Fierce Warriors than those from Lykaios. With their Multiple Skills (In being Healers,Warriors,& Trackers) the Wolfpack Bond of the people of Lykaios are Unmatched by Any Other Force in the Multiverse.

...........................
In the Center of these Cities lies "The Golden Library" holding an Infinite Knowledge of the Many Universes.
Lastly in the Center Grounds of the Library lays a Tower known as "The Bridge" where the Multiverse Gateway is held.
This Gateway is used only by the Old One's and their Selected Champions to Traverse and Assist the People of the Vast Multiverse.
...........................
You may Chose to be a Champion of One of the Old One's and Train under their Wisdom.
Along the Way Travel the Vast Multiverse of Several Worlds, Wether it's Game,Anime,or Movie Universe!
Any and All can be Reached using the Multiverse Gateway!
Will you Join the Old One's in their Quest to Rid the Multiverse of it's Many Evils?!
This is a High Free-Casual RP Group looking for dedicated Members!
If your Interested, Please PM Me via ->CLICKING HERE!<-

Title: Aistopodia (Fantasy medieva adventuring RP there will be mutton!)
GM: python13579
Level: Casual

Alright, so this is me breaking out of a mean mean writer's block. Hope this sounds good to everyone on paper, as good as it sounds in my mind!

In the kingdom of Denardryn, war and turmoil have been things of constant occurrence in it's lengthy history. After years of constant bloodshed and battles with neighboring kingdoms, the men of the Denardryn cavalry ranks happened upon a mysterious tomb. It looked to be centuries old if not older. The king ordered an exploration of the tomb. A small scouting party was sent in, but, they never returned to the surface. Instead, an almost endless torrent of pure power washed over the lands, as far as man had ever gone. This power seemed to leak out forever. However, years later it finally stopped. This power changed the lands, the animals, the sky, even the people themselves. This was what was only seen in legend: Ryela, in other words, magical power. This power effected many lands and people differently, but quite an effect it had on things, if any. Powerful wizards and sorcery had risen. The most important effect of this new power: warfare. As the discoverers of this power, the kingdom of Denardryn had the most time to study and perfect uses of this new power and became dominant in the lands, ending most warfare entirely with nothing but a show of force. This peace has lasted for many hundreds of years, but it seems the Ryela wasn't as limitless as everyone had hoped...the power has stopped leaking out of the tomb, and sorcery everywhere began to dry up, as the power that was once accessible from just breathing, would now have to be siphoned out of living things. With that being an end the king did not want to have to come to, he decided to call together a group of brave, or foolish, maybe both, adventurers. The tomb must hold the key to more of the limitless power, right? There must be a way to save this new and most valuable power!

So thats what I got so far. Maybe if this sparks interest I can fetch this story outta my head The story will pretty much begin in thwarted royal hall of castle Denardryn, where the adventurers will meet and be given a few items of their choice as gifts from the king to go on this quest for him. I have a lot of dungeon type stuff planned for this, and a nnice ending should we make it that far. I wanna leave character creation open, the magic may or may not have affected your character, maybe you even studied the ability to cast spells with Ryela. Who am I to say no? :3

Title: Gambit: a gameshow gone fatally wrong
GM: adriane
Level: Advanced

About a year ago, a lottery opened up. The prize was being sent into paradise to compete in challenges of physical and mental strength for victory on a new game show, Gambit. Only a low fee and an easy application and your name was thrown in a bowl to await the drawing. A few months ago the names were drawn and the new contestants contacted and told to start packing.

But what the contestants weren't told was the most important thing they should have known. They weren't told that not only were the challenges difficult, straining, and dangerous; they were deadly. That the contestant that lost the challenge and was expected to be eliminated would instead be executed. That advancing into the next round of the show would not only bring you closer to the monetary prize and the title of victory, but it meant surviving for at least another day.

---

This roleplay is going to be the gameshow Gambit. The contestants are going to compete in a challenge each day on the remote tropical island they were sent to. The challenges will usually be physical challenges that can be solved through strength and speed just as much as through mental wit and strategy. The overall rule of the challenges is that everything is fair and nothing is foul, and they can achieve their goal in any means they wish to. After each challenge the loser will be killed in some horrific manner. This was not disclosed to the contestants or the audience watching the live show at home. Because of the murdering, we're going to have a few NPC's to be the losers for the first few rounds so we have a chance to play with our characters and possibly have them escape or at least attempt escape.

There are no other people on the island- the cameras are hidden throughout the island, the challenges instructed via letters and technology, and the sailor who dropped the contestants off is long gone. Once they arrive they'll have no way off the island, and they'll find they must participate in the challenges against each other and try their hardest not to come in last if they want to survive.

The application will be more or less the basic one, but make sure you're gonna flesh it out and have motives for entering the competition and all! The roleplay is gonna be casual to advanced.

Adriane and Maykxor are the co-GMs

Questions/comments/suggestions/etc. are welcome!

Off Topic News

Role Playing Discussion

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

A novel with no main character.

Photon talks about the number of protagonists in both roleplays, which usually involve multiple, and novels which usually only involve a single main character, and how this can affect the story itself.

Official Contests

Don’t forget about RPG’s Official Monthly contests: Artists of the Month & Writer of the Month, the prize is a nifty colored user title not to mention the glory. 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! The contests could always use more people. If you want to get involved and send in an entry, please see the Contest section of the site for rules and directions. Remember the more, the merrier!

This month's theme for WOTM was Sacrifice and has just ended! Stay tuned for the next WOTM competition.

This month's theme for AOTM is Cats! and applications are open until the 20th of January.

RPG has a lovely Gallery section that didn’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! While you are there take a moment to offer some encouragement and insight in another user's gallery, maybe they will return the favor. If you'd like your gallery to be featured be sure to send a PM to either Fallenreaper or Guru.

Gallery Highlights

Art Gallery: I haz GFX [Gallery]

Oblivious definitely has fun creating her GFX artwork, it shows through in each and every one of her pieces. From avatars to banners, each one is lovely to look on so if you have time, take a look and comment on her gallery to encourage more works of art.

Writing Gallery: My Poems

KenzieRoo's gallery has some fun poems, long and short, and even an ode to imagination. Each piece, from a child's simple gift to a poem from a well known copycat, draws fun and interesting thoughts. So if you have a moment, stop by her gallery and take a peek.

Other News

Lifelong Dream

Everyone has that one dream that they wish to accomplish in their lifetime. Maybe you want to be an actor or a politician; a rock-star or a author. For one member of RPG, his dream has been becoming an astronaut and that dream is just within his grasp. He can taste it because it is so close. But he can't reach his dream without a little push from you. Darkmatter asks for a favor, a simple click or two. Lynx has offered places for their inaugural flight in 2014 and he wants a spot in it. All you need to do is click here and cast your vote for Cian Sewell. Feel free to share this link with everyone you know! Let's help our friend reach his dream.

__________________________________________________ ___________________________

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. We are also always looking for banners to top the newsletter.

This Newsletter is brought to you by your Comrades. Enjoy!
Guru, Lillian Thorne, Grif of Hearts, Lyzan, FallenReaper, Squee

Next Guild News: February 1st, 2013

[Darkmatter]

Thanks for the mention again guys I appreciate it.

[★LunaLight★]

Gambit looks pretty awesome.

[CheyenneMarie91]

Thanks so Much Again for the Mention of our RP Group Interest Check! Were so Honored to be Mentioned v~v<3

[adriane]

Thank you guys so much for the feature, me and Maykxor really appreciate it!

[Maykxor]

Extra Extra read all about it! We made front page news! Thanks for the boost guys.

[Kagamine]

Can't wait to see who's interested in the WOTM position. ^^

[KenzieRoo]

It's sweet I got on here, the again... Not much is going on in the Gallery.

[VanceXentan]

Alright glad to see everything is working out well here. Congratz to everyone featured and everyone else as well.

PS. If you guys are running out of GM's to interview I'd do one for you guys.

[CommunistZed]

Can't wait to see who's interested in the WOTM position. ^^

Yo.