I've had a lot of ideas for RPs since I really got into it, but quite frankly not a single one of them can compare to The Prophecy, my oldest and most precious idea, my brainchild that has had about a full decade to evolve from its first incarnation by now, and the universe of which I've already written one novel about and hope to write more. But I digress - what is important is not where the RP came from and what it has been, but what it is now, and that is that it takes place in what is probably the most detailed, thought out and organic original universe of the site. It is my pride and joy, and I am delighted to share it all with the players on the Guild.
The Prophecy takes place in a universe consisting of a number of Planes, but centering on the Plane of Reniam, the world of mortals, and within this world revolves around the kingdom of Rodoria. Here, a horrid plague haunts the population, spreading by unknown means, having no cure and always resulting in death, killing hundreds of thousands and leaving the kingdom without monarch or an heir to the throne. From this, a number of issues clearly arise, as the ten duchies of Rodoria engage in civil war to determine the next ruler of the land, all while the plague threatens to wipe out the country, and ultimately perhaps even the rest of Reniam. As the story progress, it becomes clear that this plague is far from ordinary, and by no means a natural occurrence... and from there, things only escalate as plots and schemes are revealed, and in the end, the fate of all the Planes will hang in the balance.
Although the universe and story of The Prophecy is based on the idea on which I have written my novel and plan to write the rest of the series, it is important to note that they are by no means the same thing, and only loosely related to one another, especially the story since I do not decide that - I let the players write the story for themselves, and give their characters completely free reign within my universe, to make the decisions they want to make and go where they want to go, what objective to work towards and who to chose as allies and enemies. Of course there is the underlying plotline for the rest to be built upon, but somehow it takes to the background most of the time and let the characters and the adventures they make for themselves take the limelight, exploring the world not where I want them to or it would be convenient for me, but where they think it best to go. This obviously means that not every adventure will advance the main plotline of the story and massively prolong its duration, but at the same time I ensure that everything that happens has its own impact on the world and story-progression.
Earlier, I claimed that The Prophecy was the most organic original universe of the site, and I claim this for a reason. As I just said I let the characters do what they want and go where they want, all while I, as GM, constantly keep track of not only what happens in the character's immediate vicinity, but what happens everywhere. They might not see me pilot more than my handful of PC's and NPC's to interact directly with their characters, but I am actually piloting thousands of NPC's the whole time, keeping track of what happens everywhere at any time and always considering how the players' actions change the world, for better or for worse. They might face the consequences soon after, or it may take days, weeks, months or years before they feel them, but events have a way of spreading like rings in the water, and ultimately something they did that seemed minor at one point might come back to end them, unless they are ready to face the challenge.
I guess that is what I enjoy the most about the RP: how unpredictable it is, even to me, because as long as an action is at all possible within the laws of the universe, I allow it. It's a lot of work for me to adapt to this all the time, of course, but it is work I do gladly, because (I hope) the end result is exactly what the players want, and in the end, a RP is only as good and successful as its players allow. The GM is only really there to keep the players happy and entertained, and I happily fulfill that role to what I hope is its fullest, and that it is because the players are thusly happy and entertained that The Prophecy has survived as a RP for two years.
I know that many GMs have probably said this in the past, but that is because it is true: the credit for The Prophecy surviving this long goes mainly to the players, especially the dedicated core that has been with it for a long time, in one case not only from near the start of the RP, but since its previous incarnation. I am merely the force that stubbornly urges them on while trying to keep them happy, but The Prophecy is the players' characters' story, not mine. It is their actions that drive the plot onward, their decisions that determines their fates, and the fate of the Planes, and it is them that forge the bonds between the characters that make them all the more interesting. I also act as a player myself with my own characters, to portray events from on the scene, but I am not important. My characters are not the main characters; all of them are, or have potential to be, and without them there is no story, and the RP dies.
A particularly interesting thing about The Prophecy is that an aspect I did not at any point actually expect to be surprised by, but always half-expected to progress as it had in the previous incarnations of the RP: the focus. While previously the predecessors of the current The Prophecy seemed to focus mainly on action and story progression, this version of it seems to have naturally moved its focus onto social interaction and the characters' state of mind, not because I meant it to, but because the players made it so. There are times when I wish they would hurry up so that the story could progress a little faster, simply because I am excited about what is to come, but it is very fascinating and at times amusing to see the characters interact socially, to be forced to rely on other skills than magic and swordplay, and actually have to find a way to tolerate and trust each other. Consequently most of what has happened has been between the characters themselves rather than between characters and NPCs, and while I at times have worried that the players might find it tedious and boring that so little new happened, when I've addressed the issue I was actually told that they would like more social interaction rather than less.
I must say that while I am unused to this sort of RP-experience, I find myself enjoying it immensely. It adds a whole new level of depth to what goes on, and even though the plot moves far more slowly than I am accustomed to, so much more happens on a smaller scale with characters building relationships, developing their hopes and dreams, and finding the will to continue their quest. Two particular events comes to mind, one a simple chat between Hymusia's character, Thaler, and one of my NPC's-unexpectedly-turned-PC, Olan. This comes to mind because it was so heartwarming a moment, so simple yet so touching, when Thaler, a sad blind woman, asks the old man Olan not to leave her side, and he promises that he never will. There was nothing romantic about it at all, and it is hard to express the depth of the situation, but seeing a bond of friendship like that forged is something that burned the moment into my mind. The other event was when xbriannova's character, the name(s) of which I have been asked not to mention, lost her mind and ended up in a vicious struggle against the other characters, Shienvien's character Aemoten in particular. Not only was the fight itself quite impressive, but the dilemma of the characters being forced to chose which of their traveling companions to side with made it all the more intriguing. That is what the depth of interaction in The Prophecy does: it means that no decision is simple, and situations where the conclusion might have been obvious before become complicated because the player cannot simply have the character act by what it thinks is logical, but by what it feels needs to be done in its heart.
I could go on and on for days about The Prophecy, but I think that is what makes it stand out as both unique and great among the rest: there is always more to it, one can always dig deeper, experience more. It is also what gives it such survivability and the ability to continue for as long as needs be. The main plot itself is potentially pretty long, but it is made even longer, unlimitedly so almost, by the fact that the world is open to the characters for them to do what they want, how they want. There are countless adventures that can be found and experienced in the vast Prophecy-universe, and although certain choices might ultimately lead to the Planes literally coming to an end, effectively ending the story right there, as long as the Planes still exist in some form or another, The Prophecy can continue for as long as they players wish, even past the end of the main plot. The Prophecy has been going on for two years now, and I expect it will go on for three, four, or even more, before coming to completion, if ever.
But again, that is the beauty of The Prophecy: not even I know what is going to happen, how it will end, or even if it will end. The Prophecy is the characters' story. Two years is far too little with a RP like this. I'm there for the long run, until the end, whenever that may be.
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