War of the Ages
The Idea
This role play was inspired by Marvel, the popular app game Medal Masters, and World History.
Opening
You awake in a room. You do not know your name. You do not know where you are. You can’t remember anything, but you are not alone.
The chamber is dimly lit and the room is square and stark-white. There are nine other figures surrounding you, lying on what appeared to be blue magic circles. They appear to be asleep having not yet awakened like you have. As you gaze around at your surroundings, you hear the soft murmur of machinery humming from behind the plain walls. The floor is cool and smooth like metal.
You notice that your rune circle has stopped glowing and a rectangular impression forms in the shape of a door upon the wall before it slides open to reveal a lit gray corridor. Curiosity eventually has you get up and travel over to the door. You step through and walk to the end of the plain hall where another door opens.
The room opens to a reception where several business-dressed men and women are seated greeting you with friendly smiles. They weren’t all human as you notice with the rabbit-eared receptionist who first greets you, “Welcome to Alta. That is the name of our world. You will learn as you proceed. My name is Sofia Keys. I am here to record your information. What would you like to name yourself?”
After Sofia is able to gather your information you continue to the other stations receiving a blue jumpsuit that zips in the front from the crotch to the collar bones. A receptionist directs you to your final destination, a room full of delicious smells: melted butter, baked bread, sizzling meats…you are directed to grab a tray and regain your strength for the brief would begin soon.
The Story
Your character is someone famous from history. He or she could be an inventor, philosopher, general, king/queen/emperor/empress, legendary hero, folktale, tall tale, scientist, martial artist, president, etc. (Do not post the historical character you wish to play in this thread. PM me who you would like to play. If someone chooses a character that is taken, then I will simply tell you that that character is not available. You will learn why as you continue to read.)
What your character cannot be are: gods, goddesses, or villains. There will already be villains from history in this game and I will give writers the option to GM them for a mission if I don’t GM them myself, but for now I digress.
The difference between these heroes and how we know them on earth is that in the high-fantasy world of Alta, they are superhuman and are capable of reaching the level of gods.
The powers that you choose for your historical character must be related to that character in history. So be creative when coming up with powers and skills. I will be reading over them and approving/disapproving them. I will not reject your character, your idea, or your character’s abilities without telling you why and without offering an alternative or suggestion to help your creation fit comfortably in this game.
Your character has been summoned to the world of Alta, and in the very beginning of this game, which I will call Chapter One, they are going to be based solely within the compound that they have awakened in. They won’t ever be allowed to go outside until they complete training.
Chapter One of the game is going to feel pretty closed because it is supposed to portray how it will feel to your characters. They are trapped within this compound undergoing rigorous training to become the legends of this new world and to stop those villains who had been stopped before.
As you read in the “Opening” the characters do not know who they are, and you the writer are not to tell anyone but the GM (not the co-GMs either). You are not allowed to tell anyone who your historical character is because it is a part of the game and it will be fun for the group to try and figure out. Saying this, when you come up with a temporary name for your character, his or her name must not be the same name or be anywhere close to hint at the historical character you’re playing. So if you are playing someone from Ancient Egypt, do not pick an Egyptian name. Do not even say in your character’s description that he or she is “Asian, Egyptian, English” in appearance. When your character figures out his or her true identity later, it should be a fun surprise to everyone. So do your best to keep the secret.
Chapter One Summary
Everyone’s character will wake in the mysterious compound. Their information will be recorded, they will receive their clothes, and they will eventually be released in the Mess Hall to eat (and they will be starving). During the Mess Hall period, the game is pretty sandbox as your characters wait for the brief. During this time also, characters can be acquainted and friendships or rivalries can be made. Eventually, the characters will receive a briefing in the Mess Hall by The Compound Director. You will learn why you are here, what kind of training you will undergo, and how you will graduate. Throughout the training phase, the character’s may see their bodies (muscle memory) performing stunts that they didn’t think they could do, and it all seems familiar. However, by graduation, The End of Chapter One, their memory should start to return and they remember who they are. They then realize the actual purpose of the training was to awaken the heroes before the real battle begins!
I gave you this summary of the chapter that we will play out so that we all know the direction the chapter is supposed to go. The adventures we have getting there is the fun part.
Your Characters
The theme of your historical character is going to determine his or her abilities. Not all characters will have blockbuster abilities and not all characters will be geniuses. However, they all possess superhuman physical capabilities above those of the people of Alta.
Whatever historical characters aren’t chosen, they may become supportive NPCs in this game. The NPCs will be recorded on the OOC page so that everyone can keep track of them for it is knowledge that all characters should have.
You are not allowed to change the race of your historical figure. He or she cannot be a Beastman and I may or may not allow gender-bending. It depends on how well the gender-bend is. You are free to send me a gender-bent character and see my reaction, but if I ask you to change her to him or him to her because I feel it just doesn’t work, then please calmly do so. I will treat you like an adult so please return similar respect. This is just a game.
I am not going to put a limit on powers. The reason why is initially people are trying to devise their character’s abilities. When they aren’t limited, they can come up with some interesting and creative abilities. My job as the GM is to make sure nobody is sending me a god-character from the get-go.
So let me go ahead and say that powers that: manipulate time, space, matter, and organic molecules are not allowed.
Character Class
Just like a RPG, your characters will be classified into roles: healer, warrior, defender, lancer, ranger, and mage. I explain each class in detail below.
Healer – Your historical character did not have to be a pope, prophet, or priest in his or her past life to be in this class. Your character may not have had a specific theme and you probably don’t like direct combat and would rather support the team. Being the most valuable class, you are also the rarest class to come by. Characters can be classified here. They use their magic to heal and fortify the team, and they can liberate cursed/possessed heroes.
Warrior – The warrior is a class between the defender and the lancer classes. The warrior is sturdy as well as strong and in the absence of a defender, the warrior can substitute. However, the warriors lack in range.
Defender – The tank class that absorbs more damage than it deals. This is the toughest class and they are hard to take down alone. Even though the defender doesn’t deal as much damage as the other classes, if aggravated, this class can become a significant threat. The defender can support the team with mild support skills in the absence of a healer making them the second most valuable class.
Lancer – The lancers sacrifice defense for medium-range and damage. They can keep foes at a distance with their pole-armed weapons and with a good team, they can dominate an enemy. The lancers specialize in weakening the physical defense of an enemy and wrecking mounted foes. They are strong, but they are vulnerable even more so fighting at the front. They lack in long-range and are vulnerable in close-quarters combat.
Ranger – This class encompasses more than just archery. Ninja classes, thief classes, and any class with speed and being light of foot goes here. The ranger specializes in long-range combat and stealth. They prefer to fight at a distance and bog down the enemy or at times, up close and personal. They take out other snipers, mages, and long-range opponents to allow the ground units to advance. They specialize in infiltration, lock-picking, trapping, and ambush. However, they are at risk in open battle surrounded by multiple enemies. Thus a ranger’s best strategy is cover.
Mage – This class encompasses more than just magic. Alchemists and Psychics also fit in this class. Whether characters wield staffs, tomes, crystals, potion bottles, or just simply use their hands. The mage class specializes in taking out mobs of enemies. They are the nukes on the battlefield but in return for great magic power they are glass canons. Physically, they cannot defend themselves that well. But that’s okay, most mages tend to be very clever.
Occupation
If you want to give your character class a specific name such as Bard, Alchemist, Ninja, or whatever. Occupation is where you would write it out.
My Role as the GM
Now, before I give you the Character Sheet and cut you all loose. I want to tell you guys what my role as the GM will be. My role is basically to guide the game. I will also be making the game challenging during combat to test your strategic mind and creativity. You know those characters who pick who they think is the most badass mofo in history and have their character start off by killing 100 men? Nu-uh. People who think they’re going to do that in this game are going to be in for a rude awakening.
I am fair. I promise you I am fair. There will be times where if you are fighting one of my villain NPCs that I may have him or her injure your character. Yes, in an auto-attack fashion and you will be required to just take the hit. Do not automatically jump to conclusions and think that I would do such a thing for no reason. The reason why I would do that is: 1) if the plot required it and usually I would just PM you before it even happens to see if you are okay with it, and 2) if you weren’t thinking during combat. I punish bad moves. By doing this, it forces the writer to pay more attention next time. My overall goal is not to kill off your character.
If a player leaves this game, disappears without telling me where he/she went, then I will assess how valuable their character is to the plot and either: a) toss them back into the character pool, or b) kill them off for dramatic plotness.
But basically, I’m just here to guide the game and paint out the world for you all to play in. I would like to have two Co-GMs and they will have to be people who are just as eager to write in this game as I am. Who are just as creative and capable of leading the game onwards if ever I am too busy and away. Everyone will know the summary for each chapter because it is written where everyone can read it. How you make it happen is up to you.
Now I’m not a miracle worker. I cannot make you like this game. I cannot hold your hand and make this game fun for you. I am big on character development and interaction and so I will encourage writers to write with others who they didn’t invite to the game at times. But try to create a character that you’ll love and want to see grow. Having said this, let’s get down to business.
Character Sheet
You can design this CS however you want. Add graphics, colors, etc. The character sheet is going to seem very bare initially because your character doesn’t know much about him or herself and neither do we. After Chapter One, the character sheet is going to grow in depth (a little). So be prepared! Also, send the CS to my PM. I am going to make sure it doesn't reveal or hint at who your character is. When it is approved just hold onto it. This post will be the OOC post, and I will write an opening IC post to layout the compound so that writers can easily navigate it.
Temporary Name: The name your character gives to him or herself. It is UNRELATED to their historical name and the country he or she originated from in his or her past life. Again, do not reveal who your historical character will be!
Gender:
Height:
Weight:
Hair Color:
Eye Color:
Physical Description: This is where you mention distinct features or where you can go into further details about his or her details. Tattoos, highlights in the hair (if any), scars, build and curves, etc. Everyone starts off in plain-white undergarments and then will get a nice blue jumpsuit for starts. So don’t worry about clothes. I mean, if you plan to have your character alter his or her jumpsuit, or wear it a certain way, then you can write that here.
Visual Description: You can use digital and original art. If you do choose to use anime, please do not make it a character that is widely known. It should be OC anime. I do not want Naruto or Ichigo in this game. So please try to find some original works. You also do not need to have a picture if you don’t want one.
Personality: Brief personality. I don’t care how you write it. If you want to do the whole five words to describe yourself. Whatever.
Likes:
Dislikes:
Quirks: These are like bad habits or psychological quirks. Maybe they’re OCD, maybe they’re a nailbiter, maybe they bite their lip a lot, maybe they have superstitions and crazy fears of bugs or birds or something. Write them here.
Class: Healer, Warrior, Defender, Lancer, Ranger or Mage. Choose 1.
Occupation: This is the specific name that you want to give to your class. Just remember, regardless what you want to call it, do not forget their role on the battlefield (thus the “Class”).
Powers: These are supernatural abilities. As I said, there isn’t a limit to them at this time. I will, however, go through everyone’s powers and abilities and ask you to remove them (if applicable) or tweak them.
Skills: These are abilities that aren’t supernatural. They are skills the character might have had in his or her past life but again do not write something here that may reveal what historical character you are role playing. Try to be very vague with these abilities.
Weapon: Your character either has a weapon or doesn’t use one. Their fists just might be their weapons. Their brain just might be their weapon. They do not have to have one if you don’t want them to. At this time, seeing as this is Chapter One, the weapon that he or she will receive will be very simple and generic. Your character will select a weapon later. If your character rather not use a weapon, then they don’t have to grab one.
Rules
1. Try to keep all OOC conversations in the OOC. That is why it is there.
2. If you use pictures, please size them down. We do not want ridiculously huge pictures taking up the whole game and lagging out people’s computers.
3. Activity: You have 14 days to post. If you do not post within 14 days, then I will PM you. If you do not respond in 30 days, then I will do what I need to do with your character. However, after 7 days of inactivity, I will ask the writers that you left hanging to move on.
4. What I say goes. I tend to make decisions for the sake of the game and not for the sake of my personal opinion. If you do not like my decision, then you can either: a) deal with it, b) tell me in a constructive manner why you don’t like it, preferably in PMs, or c) get out. This takes us to the next rule.
5. No drama. I don’t like pointless arguing, so if you start an argument over this game, I will tell you how to fix your problem. If you don’t like it, then leave. I’m not going to argue with you. It would be a waste of my time to do so.
6. Chapter One Rules: Do not reveal who your historical character is. PM ME who you plan to play. PM MEEEEE! Do not drop it in the OOC going, “Oh man, this game sounds fun. Can you reserve me for hjdhfkjdhf?” NO! NOOOOOOO! Just don’t do it. If you read this, then in the first response to this game write “Ireadthisbruh.” If you didn’t read this, then I’ll definitely find out now won’t I when you screw up?
7. Communication: Please PM me when you're going to be absent for a long period so I can accommodate your absence. I do not need to know your business. I just need to know an estimated duration of absence.
8. Have fun!
