A Wannabe GM's Roleplay Selection: What RP Should I Make For The New Year?

[Mangrale]

Hello anyone who happens to catch this early stage IC of mine.

I've been on this site for a decent amount of time now, but while I've attempted joining the occasional group RP, I could never really last for very long, whether I ultimately become unable to keep up with it or otherwise find that I couldn't see myself being a part of the campaign in the long term. In the end, I may yet only be able to follow through with RPs that I lead myself. That's definitely something I'd like to find out in the not too distant future.

Of course, I hope it's understandable enough that before I proceed with the work needed to make that happen, I would first want to know which of my concepts and idea, if any, will have enough interest behind it to make it worth the effort. Below are three projects that I feel comfortable enough to bring to everyone's attention, those that I could possibly see being expanded to the scope of a group RP, though of course only one can be worked on at a time.

And so, I'd appreciate it if you guys could let me know what you would like me to develop into a full RP over the course of the new year. As the chosen project develops further, I'll probably have a better idea of how many players I could accept, but for now it might be safe to expect openings of about 5 - 10 for each (though it is entirely possible that I end up taking proactive measures to avoid becoming overwhelmed as I have been in the past).

With that in mind, I expect the interest from those of you kind enough to engage with this thread to drop off by at least half by the time the chosen RP is ready. So if nothing else, I'd like to gauge the level of interest these concepts will get on a random day. And if this IC fails to get the sort of attention I feel is necessary, then I'll know that these ideas of mine probably aren't meant for group RPs. Kind of a shame, but the important thing is that I know now rather than later.

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Project Selection

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Project A

Assault Ogre Online _{│Tactical Shooter & Piloting VRMMO in a Modern-ish Age│}

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Potential RP Tags ▌Casual ▬ Sci-Fi ▬ Military ▬ Slice of Life ▬ Anime/Manga▐

Okay so in short, I'm aiming for a combination of Gun Gale Online, Titanfall, and Armored Core as far as the "VR game" part of the RP is concerned. Now the Armored Core influence is key when it comes to what to expect from the "gameplay loop", shall we say. In so many words, the RP will center around a special competitive event to commemorate the release of the titular VRMMO, an event separated into successive "rounds", each one taking place on different days.

Now I can't promise that this won't end in a tournament to determine the ultimate victor, but for the most part, the game map will encompass an entire planet, wherein participants will take on missions (likely one per "round") as freelancers amid an ongoing conflict among NPC factions, all the while building up their gear and honing their skills to meet other competitors in combat. Adapt to survive, form alliances, and become the last pilot standing - that whole thing.

The thought of making this stat heavy has crossed my mind and might be something I pursue further if interests in general push in that direction. But for the first version of this game, I'll be aiming for a quick and easy-to-manage approach to weaponry, defenses and abilities on the part of pilots and their mechs, or at least as close as I can arrange.

Project B

Durango: Pioneers _{│Survivors Journeying Within a World of Ancient Beasts│}

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Potential RP Tags ▌Casual ▬ Advanced ▬ Fandom ▬ Modern ▬ Ancient▐

This could be seen as a pseudo-tribute to the most interesting mobile game I've never played, and will never be able to, this one here. Now I'm not going to straight up call it an isekai, but I will say that the premise centers around people across the world coming into contact with a strange spacial phenomenon and finding themselves trapped in a primitive world filled with dinosaurs (essentially).

I don't claim any critical knowledge of paleontology at all, but the moment I became privy to the existence of the Zebraceratops, I've been having doubts as to the game's scientific accuracy. It's not that I'm complaining, and in fact I have no desire to stick feathers where they accurately should be. That does however raises the question: How much "fantasy" should be tolerated in approaching creature concepts. This is certainly something I'd like to discuss before committing to any of the more abnormal beasts players may come across.

At one point, there were a fair amount of gamey mechanics I would have liked to make a part of the RP, such as a map to facilitate open-ended travel, and character skills/inventory/equipment. Finding that sweet spot between engaging depth and overly complicated slog would be the key. There is plenty to be said however, for keeping things simple, especially if we want the project to be completed quicker. Let me know what you guys prefer.

Project C

Astral Nexus _{│Adventure and Intrigue Across an Ocean of Stars│}

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Potential RP Tags ▌Casual ▬ Sci-Fi ▬ Superhero ▬ Future ▬ Anime/Manga▐

This idea sort of sprang up from noticing a lack of anime sci-fi/sci-fantasy RPs when compared to straight fantasy, as well as just a general interest in an outlet for interesting character (occasionally alien) concepts. With that in mind, I'm cautiously optimistic in saying that if all goes smoothly, I might be able to afford offering the particularly industrious players a way to submit their own playable races to inhabit the universe. I'll likely set limits on how many submissions I can accept, along with parameters as to where these cultures will fit into the wider setting.

Well as you could probably guess with "Anime/Manga" being one of the tags, the science involved in world-building is gonna be pretty soft when all is said and done. Expect some fairly ludicrous phenomenon to explain away what makes the universe work (possibly even including super-human abilities), but applied consistently enough so that everyone knows generally what to expect in most circumstances.

What inspired my interest in an RP of this kind was actually the game Infinite Space for my original DS as well as the more recent FTL. I'm interested in a more character driven story, revolving around a crew of individuals finding common cause in a heroic mission. I intend for the ship to be customizable and upgradable as the group progresses, to suit their method of meeting the challenges set before them on their voyage. It's tempting to say that "choices will matter" when it comes to how the group interacts with the elements they come across, but dynamics like that can only come from proper implementation on my part. I will give it a shot however.

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I hope that even what little information I was able to muster for each project was enough for you guys to at least approach a decision, but I'll try and entertain questions as best I can, even if/when a project is chosen. Thanks for reading this far, guys. Feel free to let me know what you think and have a nice day. Oh right, also Happy New Year.

[Red7VII]

Out of the three, the Durango project piqued my interest most. Good luck!

[seanmcchapman]

Dino seems like a good idea. I love your wizard sifi but I do wonder about its limitlessness and the meaning of life more. Simply Dino make wanna not die n enjoy Dino daycare but space magic scares me with the lack of self created meaning in myself in that setting. Space is vast and I'm a boring person n thus the comparison reflects my boringness even easier by its limitless possibilities! Sorry about thus post cuz

User(me) wrote this with their phone while being a I do it let's go

[Dark Cloud]

Dino seems like a good idea. I love your wizard sifi but I do wonder about its limitlessness and the meaning of life more. Simply Dino make wanna not die n enjoy Dino daycare but space magic scares me with the lack of self created meaning in myself in that setting. Space is vast and I'm a boring person n thus the comparison reflects my boringness even easier by its limitless possibilities! Sorry about thus post cuz

User(me) wrote this with their phone while being a I do it let's go

@seanmcchapman

I agree, I like the Durango plot. It grabbed my interest.

[Mangrale]

@RedXIII@seanmcchapman@Blackmist16
Thanks for the comments guys. I honestly wasn't expecting Durango to receive so much support right out of the gate, being from a really niche mobile game and all. On the other hand, mech-based RPs do come around pretty often, and I suppose there is plenty more uncertainty involved with a space opera. Really I'd be pretty glad to happen by an RP with dinosaurs that wasn't JP/JW related too.

[seanmcchapman]

@RedXIII@seanmcchapman@Blackmist16
Thanks for the comments guys. I honestly wasn't expecting Durango to receive so much support right out of the gate, being from a really niche mobile game and all. On the other hand, mech-based RPs do come around pretty often, and I suppose there is plenty more uncertainty involved with a space opera. Really I'd be pretty glad to happen by an RP with dinosaurs that wasn't JP/JW related too.

@Mangrale

what ever work for you too- maybe just mix em all lol

[Mangrale]

@seanmcchapman
Ha ha, very funny. XP

Even if this proto-IC doesn't get much traction, I could see myself working on these ideas now and again. Projects A & C might start out as 1x1s, but for Durango I might dabble with making a functioning game map first of all (something I've never done before but it could make for some nice experience).

[Mangrale]

Hey guys! It wouldn't sit well with me if I let this thread just stay unused, so I thought I'd update anyone interested on where my thoughts are after about a month of mulling over my options.

As I said in the post above, both Projects A & C could possibly be adapted for 1x1's in the future. But as for something Durango related, I've since sought out a free-to-use map maker to get a sense of generally what it'll take for something as grandiose as my original, mechanics-driven RPG idea, and my findings pretty much come down to: quite doable, but not something I'd be willing to put myself through and sink time into for just a handful of players.

Now something altogether tighter and shorter within Durango's setting, that I can absolutely manage. Expect a more focused experience surrounding a band of characters from different backgrounds (from new arrivals experiencing the world for the first time to more seasoned survivors already making a living within the primal frontier.) What it lacks in an open sandbox, I hope to make up for with a more concise story, perhaps even taking into account the choices in background for your characters.

As an added perk, instead of starting out with no dinos and having to tame them in-game via a random encounter table as per the original idea, we can just discuss beforehand what creatures any of you would like to have tamed already, under certain restrictions of course. There will of course be more opportunities to fit in some taming into the story, especially when it comes to the "higher tier" creatures.

I am curious to know if this new approach appeals to you guys, especially the three of you, @RedXIII, @Dark Cloud, and @seanmcchapman. Let me know if you're still interested in being a part of something like this.

On the other hand, if anyone else would like more information on Assault Ogre or Astral Nexus, then I'll accommodate as best I can.

[seanmcchapman]

I'd be up for it but I'm already busy and un reliable by nature. Good luck to you!
I suggest taking the idea to the 1x1 interest check no that you might be ready. Perhaps link this thread to it for later idk-!
:)

[CalicoNextDoor]

I would be interested in more info about the Astral Nexus idea.

[Mangrale]

@seanmcchapman Fair enough. I probably will end up linking it when the time comes. Have a good one. :)

@CalicoNextDoorWell first of all, thanks for the commenting.

Now then, if there's anything specific you'd like me to elaborate on, go ahead and tell me. For now though, I'll see about summing up the main idea behind the setting as best I could.

I wanted the setting itself, in its broadest sense, to allow for a good variety of storylines, not just the one that I might have settled on in the event of a group RP. There are civilizations (homogeneous or otherwise) of all kinds, dispersed throughout the cosmos, and under normal circumstances many of them would never come in contact with each other. Instead however, some species, like humanity would happen upon strange wormholes in their attempts to explore across the stars. These spacial phenomena form a network that spans across the universe, and as you would expect, conflicts arise as worlds collide.

Now can you expect major groups in a storyline, whatever it ends up being, to be determined typically by species, (i.e. Group Representing All Humanity, Group Representing All of Alien Civ A, etc.)? Not necessarily. Sure there could be dominant authorities, but there could also be dissenting parties, criminal elements, resisting colonies, two-faced corporations, secret agendas, and plenty other things that make a setting richer than you would have otherwise thought at first glance.

One of the plotlines for the Astral Nexus group RP, the one I was leaning towards most heavily in the first post up there, would have involved a secretive mission wherein the group would have been compelled by in-story necessity to use this vessel, designed to accommodate modular compartments, anything from crew quarters to fabrication centers, making for player choices to open opportunities throughout the story. Suppose I was rather inspired by games like XCOM when I thought of the idea.

Like I said, let me know if you have anything specific to ask about the idea overall. Major details would come with a full-on interest check, probably of the 1x1 variety by the looks of it. Again, thanks for stopping by.