Darkraven

XCOM Roleplay - An Open Discussion on How It Should Work

Excellent, the very first universal opinion. Everything is going according to plan... :)

I'm glad that you're playing that game, Derpestein. You won't regret it, unless you lost your job because of it.

Anyway, another concern I have is how combat will work. It's not as straightforward as it seems, because I'm sure you guys know that combat with aliens can be extremely... Invasive :D Here's a few ideas, but it would be great if I could get some from you guys too:
- Player gets to act, but cannot decide the results. Aliens will act, and players cannot decide the results. (This is to follow in the spirit of Xcom, in which players must take what they are given, and suffer the pain of anxiety as they wait for aliens to appear in the horizon and fire a barrage of plasma at them. Especially in Iron-man mode)
- Players get to act and decide the results, while the aliens get the same privilege. (Not recommended, as this is not chess. I fear that it might just become a series of escalating ego contest)
- Players get to decide everything. (No, just no. There's no thrill in knowing everything :D)

What do you guys think?

XCOM Roleplay - An Open Discussion on How It Should Work

Thanks for the support, guys.

So basically, we have a rather mixed consensus on every aspect of the roleplay. Therefore, for every aspect of the roleplay, I will have to compromise. With more recent feedbacks, I guess I will also have to compromise on when the RP actually starts. Basically, some of you wanted it to be before the events start while others wanted after. One of you prefers not to waste time on recruitment/training - but really, no worries on that front, as there won't be a training phase, considering that the ranks of XCOM would be drawn from the best and brightest in the world.

In other words, I guess the RP will start in the XCOM base itself, and before the invasion happens. Basically, my idea is that XCOM would begin as a token organisation devised by the UN to unite the nations under the pretense of concern over the increased number of UFO sightings, incidents (though nothing deadly) and official sources. The base would barely be functional, soldiers and military presence would be next to nothing and the general mood would actually be cheerful and/or feeling absurd over the UN and the world being hysterical over a bunch of lights in the sky. Heck, I don't think it'd even be called XCOM at first since a war with aliens isn't expected.

Hmm... Next thing to talk about would be the range of characters we'd be creating. Here are the possibilities I think would do well...
- Only the best of the best, the most experienced and combat hardened soldiers will get to join XCOM. (Not recommended, as it limits character possibilities)
- The above, plus soldiers who are good on paper. So even top recruits and freshly graduated officers could be drafted. Furthermore, soldiers recommended one way or another (even if they are not necessarily the best of the best). (I think this is the best compromise)
- Anything goes. (Not recommended, as this will pretty much throw realism out the window even if it offers complete freedom. Also, I don't like the idea of expendable troops.)

XCOM Roleplay - An Open Discussion on How It Should Work

Alright. I have an idea. Since there's some demand for a combat heavy Xcom roleplay, yet a character driven RP is the natural path for it, we could have the best of both worlds by swinging between them as the situation calls. The two different modes of RP could also draw elements from each other. I mean, who's to say that character development can't happen during combat? And that combat or dangerous things may not happen during the more restive and quiet periods in base? :)

Also, chances are, we'll be following real world classes than the kind set in the games, but I'm sure the real world will have plenty of analogies to the game classes. Plus, who's to say that there won't be an informal class system amongst the ranks? Or that some form of culture won't emerge at base?

Heh :)

XCOM Roleplay - An Open Discussion on How It Should Work

Lol... It'd be far more than that. I'd say we could have a main character with other characters if you could handle it. We'd have a ton of NPCs who may or may not be in the RP on the long term, who may or may not be important.

Inept rookies probably won't exist. There'd really be the best of the best in Xcom, but inexperienced against aliens predictably...

Furthermore, it would be some time before this starts as I prefer to get the system right before I begin. Also, it will likely be an advance RP, though I don't really like categorising things, so the end result might have traits of both casual and advance RPs.

XCOM Roleplay - An Open Discussion on How It Should Work

Definitely, the contents of enemy within would make for some interesting elements. How could I miss that? Thanks for the heads up!

Any other suggestions?

Given the kind of environment the Xcom world is though, character development is going to get interesting, considering the implications of so many life-changing events and discoveries going on...

That said, I believe that a combat heavy Xcom roleplay would still be wasted potential, as Xcom has always been about the story as much as it is about the gameplay- and what is interesting is that the game has always allowed us to write our own stories, and I'm sure plenty of fan fiction writers did just that.

XCOM Roleplay - An Open Discussion on How It Should Work

I've always wanted to be in an XCOM roleplay, or heck, go out of my way to even run one. I've been in one before, long before the fall of the old guild, but it never worked out right from the beginning.

I have some very good ideas as to how it might work out, and how it might not. For one thing, the reason why the first XCOM roleplay I joined failed was because of overcomplication - basically, it has huge systems dedicated to numerous functions, and it's a nation roleplay with one player taking charge of one base. That way, it's also impersonal, with no connection between player and character.

A second XCOM roleplay I was in failed simply because people started quitting during the first mission. 'Nuff said. I guess something must be done so that only the most dedicated player will get in, or at least, the RP needs to be able to lose even half its players without dying.

One thing that seems to work though would be to build on what is given to us by the games. We shouldn't simply copy everything from the game, but improve on it. In my second RP of XCOM, what happened was that the scale of XCOM was raised realistically, with two to three dropships going in at once and not a squad going into battle, but up to 3 or 4. Furthermore, the stakes and difficulty in relation to the games were raised, and the overall atmosphere made quite realistic (aka What would happen if aliens really invaded a few years later from now). Therefore, expect things to be extremely different from the games. Any of them.

Like in the first RP though, the second RP suffered from having huge systems that pretty much killed the GM on the inside, so that's a big no-no.

Moving on... With the proliferation of XCOM spiritual successors, there's plenty of general settings we could choose from, say:
- 60s (As in The Bureau. Not recommended)
- '79 Cold War (As in Xenonauts. Could be interesting)
- Contemporary (To an extent, like in the originals, though everything should be modernised and made realistic. But I much prefer...)
- Near Future (As in the famous Firaxis XCOM: Enemy Unknown. Around 2020, with slight advances in technology and political changes going on)
- Apocalyptic Near Future (As in UFO: Aftermath. Not recommended)
- Far Future (As in UFO: Apocalypse and UFO: Afterlight. Not my cup of tea)

Then of course, there's how the RP ought to be RP'ed. As playing as commanders running entire bases didn't seem to work out, here's the other alternatives...
- Combat heavy (Focusing mostly on the battles. If this is it then I'm not getting into that RP)
- Character-driven (This seems to work best for me. Also, character-driven RPs tend to be the most interesting and longest lasting. Equal amounts of time will be spent on characters interacting with each other, NPCs and the world.)
- 'Nation' (A little too cold, clinical, impersonal and hard to pull off in my opinion. A flat NO)

And lastly, how the RP should start. We could consider...
- Starting immediately in XCOM HQ, be it in times of relative peace or just before the first battle.
- Starting together in some multi-national training exercise before being attacked (though this part is not necessary) then swiftly recruited by XCOM.
- Starting before being recruited and before any action happened.
- Or heck, starting in the middle of it all, with things already developing and all RPers coming in at the bottom rung of the soldier ladder and having the need to work their way up.

What do you guys think? Anyone willing to start an XCOM RP? Or should I give GMing a go?

Surviving: The End (character-centric; modern zombie survival)

Me too. By the way, have you seen the collab Google doc? Hope it'd cheer you up :)

Surviving: The End (character-centric; modern zombie survival)

I think life is cruel in general, judging from everyone's update on themselves. I'm joining the club. I've been suffering my bit even though it means financial advancement.

Surviving: The End (character-centric; modern zombie survival)

So... Is this RP dead?

The Walking Dead : Among the Ruined - Season 2

I'm quitting this RP. Apparently I've been conveniently forgotten about one or two weeks ago.

I've put my faith in this little establishment to at least bring a small modicum of colour into my new life working temporarily in a warehouse, and my faith has been betrayed.

I tried to be enthusiastic, I tried to get involved, and all I've ever gotten was second class treatment, starting with Panda posting for you guys and not me and claiming to be busy despite this, then harassment and ill treatment from the rest of you. I didn't even want to pursue this with Panda until she messaged me. I just found her in Chatzy and decided to follow up on it since it would be rude to ignore her.

I find it particularly interesting that QT hated my guts right from the beginning, even before I've done anything (his words, by the way). I guess that explains partly why he's always supporting everyone but me, other than the fact that he's a bigoted and unfit GM who looks out only for himself and his friends.

Favouritism is an ugly thing, and I've seen it tear roleplays apart. Thankfully for you guys, this RP remains one of the two rare exceptions in which favouritism works, at least for the core people in the RP. You guys are right and I am wrong. This RP is not one of the best. In fact, far from it. I guess I've learnt one other thing, and it's the fact that whether an RP live or die before it ends properly has little to do with whether it's good or not.

You guys claim to respect me (QT's words) and wanted me to stay, but all I've seen is the opposite. You guys are either the lousiest liars I've ever seen or just human beings who lacks self-awareness and/or sentience, and instead acts on impulse like animals. What else can I say? I mean really, there's no reasoning with you guys since anything (and I mean anything) I say could be misconstrued as a way to disturb a peace and thus a reason for QT to kick me out. Then of course with QT as the judge, there's no chance at all for anything I do.

Well guess what? You guys can't kick me anymore because I'm done and I'm out, thank God and goodness. I don't care if this was read or replied to. That gesture would mean very little since I'm either speaking to animals or a bunch of extremely flawed human beings who speak in stock phrases lifted from the Walking Dead, who despite being huge fans of the franchise, failed to learn the important lessons contained in the stories of the franchise.