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Bioshock Infinite: Columbia

Started by Prosak, April 02, 2013, 10:09:58 PM

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Sacredless

But who creates these tears with the Luteces gone and Elizabeth uncontrollable..?

Karma

The Luteces could well have tried other methods than Booker first...

Prosak

#77
Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide
The lutece's are dead. If you listen to a Voxophone, around the time you are following the ghost of Elizabeth's mother. It is lady lutece, talking about how her, and her brother should be dead. After an explosion, likely caused by Comstock. She at first though they were somehow opening tear's, but through further observation she came to the conclusion, that they are dead, and are split into every fathomable dimension. Their everywhere, because they ARE every where.

Now, I think this is a good idea though, if done right. But we should put it to a vote first. I am not sure if any other people are interested in a second Columbia, or a  alternate columbia. Besides, it really is difficult, since Elizabeth, doesn't travel through other reality's. Tear's, are different reality's, SHE, created. And, only when she unlock's her true power, is she capable of truly going through to other reality's. So, I agree that using her, or a different girl that can, is out of the question. So, rather then focusing on that. Maybe it is just a different reality, altogether?

Sacredless

#78
I propose this is Columbia #123; the Columbia that comes after the game(Columbia #122). A Columbia that is cut off from the rest of reality by Elizabeth, but doesn't know it yet. It's to do with quantum theory... It's a bit hard to explain. Remember those soldiers that remember they died in a different reality...? Now imagine the entire city being like that; not knowing whether it exists or in what state it (ought to) exist.

On Mother Columbia(let's call her Mother Columbia to avoid confusion with the city); 'doors' are created in a number of ways; they can be created by machinery in a luttece-field, they can form coincidentally as tears or they can be opened by Elizabeth and the Lutteces in their quantum being. The machine created by the lutteces was demolished by Fink and, as far as I know, Comstock has attempted to rebuild it, but failed. He has attempted to harness the power of Elizabeth with the Siphon, but failed because he was too careful. Finally, Elizabeth and the Lutteces obviously wouldn't help Comstock create Mother Columbia in their quantum being. So, I think that the idea of using a sort of quantum cloning, while not out of the question later on as a continuation of the Mother Columbia production, is not plausible in the one that we are building off of.

What -is- possible is that Comstock indoctrinates men and women to be Father/Mother Columbia in Comstock House, just like Elizabeth indoctrinated the Boys of Silence. Essentially imagine Comstock trying to distill the personification of Columbia into a small army of people and replicate it to exact detail, to the point you wouldn't know the difference between two Mother Columbias by personality. Think Joo Dee from Avatar; The Legend of Aang and Lake Laogai;


Sacredless

#79
I was thinking, if we are doing this, do we want to add a roleplaying system to it...? If so, then which would we want to use...? I'm not very experienced with most systems, but for some reason the Scion or Aberrant seem incredibly appropriate. It covers modern combat and allows for supernatural powers, which could easily translate into vigors if handled correctly.

Wargtass

I just want to say that I'm still lurking here and am quite impressed with the direction so far. Good job Sacred!

As for system, I personally find them a hindrance in most forum based RPGs. It bogs action down to dice rather than creativity and all you need is a bad streak of rolls and suddenly the RP is far less enjoyable on an individual basis. It can be good for keeping a track of just how much your character can do though. A quick glance at the character sheet should be enough to gauge that. In the end it all comes down to do you trust players to be fair and play with their toys like good children?
O/O

Sacredless

#81
Quote from: Wargtass on April 14, 2013, 04:33:13 AM
I just want to say that I'm still lurking here and am quite impressed with the direction so far. Good job Sacred!
Oh thank you! This is my loving pet project and I'm very enthusiastic about people's ideas thus far! Quantum physics I know plenty about, which has helped me understand Bioshock Infinite better and enjoy it even better! I'm not American, not am I a non-white, so being an American non-white in a period where that was very hard is something interesting for me and is giving me a lot of stuff to research!

Quote from: Wargtass on April 14, 2013, 04:33:13 AMAs for system, I personally find them a hindrance in most forum based RPGs. It bogs action down to dice rather than creativity and all you need is a bad streak of rolls and suddenly the RP is far less enjoyable on an individual basis. It can be good for keeping a track of just how much your character can do though. A quick glance at the character sheet should be enough to gauge that. In the end it all comes down to do you trust players to be fair and play with their toys like good children?
I suppose I agree with that. At the same time, I feel that viewing roleplay completely are a writers' endeavour can be harmful for the entertainment value. Don't get me wrong; players should take their time in writing their characters' actions in great detail, but sometimes it goes overboard, stalling disfavorable conclusions with the excuse of adding more literature to the roleplay.

With gun-slinging, it's a lot more spraying and praying, with bullets constantly flying past your ears! It's doubtful that we will ever come to a situation where people are waging public warfare on the streets of Columbia, but it's possible and for those cases, it's a good idea to keep a system or two at hand to resolve matters quickly and move on, so that players won't get bored. I am personally a great fan of Amber diceless systems being expanded upon with dicefull systems. Amber is on-the-fly comparison of stats to get swift conclusions to an encounter and prevent people to get bogged down in calculations. Very useful when you want to keep things flowing in one-on-one situations versus the environment. On the other hand, the Scion and Storyteller system can deal with larger scale situations, where things get more explosive and chaotic.

For me, the RPG systems are nearly always optional. You sneak up behind someone...? I'll roll a dice off-screen just to keep things exciting, 1 out 10 you're character gets a scare, though not a bust; no calculations on the players' part. You and another player are armwrestling? Decide amongst yourself, I ain't touching that. Are three of you taking on fifteen Vox? Depending on how well you are prepared(like traps you've set, positions you've taken, etc.), I may or may not ask people to grab their character sheets.

It's just a backup in case people are starting to get lost in their own literature and begin to lose interest. Sometimes, you just want things to be over with and get on to the creative stuff. I know I hate writing combat situations, because I don't want to give my opponent an unsatisfying victory or bargain for his character's soul! I dunno, that's just me. I want to get it over with and get to more interesting stuff!

Karma

*chuckle* Sounds like Sacredless is the GM now... I'm on board with the Columbia method. What's behind this reality existing? Does Elizabeth need it to maintain her existence in the multiverse?

Prosak

#83
That may work. Elizabeth needing this, or at least one version of columbia to exist. So she can exist. There for, tearing a rip so that this columbia is of it's own. And is unknowingly cut off from the rest of the world.

Edit: And hey, I take offense to that Karma! *Pout's and turn's head away.* Now excuse me while I put on my dunce hat, and go to that end of the internet where people like me sulk. :P lol. Any way. I think if Sacredless want's he can take full control. He seem's to understand Bioshock Infinite way more then me.

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide
I am still right about the Lutece though. They are dead, no longer make rip's. And are every where, just because they literally are split into every dimension.

Sacredless

Oh gods. Me? Uh. o+o I don't think I'd be good! :S I've never GMed anything in my life! I'm just a game designer, I happen to know my systems. :x Actually, I've barely done any forum RP at all recently! I wouldn't know how to weave a story for your guys. :(

I can try, I guess, but I'd need some help getting it done!

Karma

#85
If it is the only remaining Columbia, then I would suggest this is not a pre-Booker universe; there will never be a Booker here. Lutece and Elizabeth have already succeeded in the rest of existence, and in order to keep godlizabeth and prevent everything they've done from collapsing in on itself, this universe must continue uninterrupted. As it is cut off, there would be no more tears, leading to much more technological and vigor experimentation, with much stranger results than seen ingame, giving us access to all those concept creatures and an unlimited future time line.

Prosak

Ya, well I can still help plan out a story I guess. Lol.

Also, Karma your right. And, I think this is now turning into a pretty interesting set up. Are we not glad Warg voiced his opinion against a mafia set up? I know I am.

Wargtass

It certainly feels more like a B:I-game now. If you need help I can co-GM, only reason that I haven't started up a B:I-game a long time ago was that I hadn't finished it and that I didn't have time to GM it by my own.
O/O

Sacredless

#88
Okay, okay, okay... Let me think for a moment... Yes, I have it! I think. Alright, this is what we are going to do. There will be tears and anomalies, but I'm not going to spoil why they are there.

The conceptual stuff will be added and we'll see a lot more. The Black Hand might be implemented; all the concept art we've seen will be implemented. There will be more cults, like one based on "At the Back of the North Wind" and the Charge vigor. There will be Mothers and Fathers Columbia. A lot of exciting stuff! Handymen will have little-sisteresque male native american, negro, etc. servants who crawl into potholes to keep the city afloat.

Karma

What do you see Mother Columbia's role being? Purely figurative, or is the city going to be more actively aggressive, giving her opportunities to display her powers?

Sacredless

#90
Quote from: Karma on April 14, 2013, 08:06:16 AM
What do you see Mother Columbia's role being? Purely figurative, or is the city going to be more actively aggressive, giving her opportunities to display her powers?

All in all, Columbia the city will appear very much like Prosac originally described it; pre-Booker, possibly by a few years, consistent with the game.

Mother Columbia is a motif, a narrative device for propaganda. She is evidence that the propaganda posters are true to life. Perhaps she's easily manipulated and naive, or strong and misguided. Perhaps she's loud and redundant or prefers to speak with actions. I will allow you to formulate your Mother Columbia as you see fit or would like! That is your piece of the world and I will accommodate your creation! :) If there are other Mother Columbias, she doesn't know of any. Depending on what you design her like, she has either met Father Columbia in person or has observed him from a respectable distance in the past.

Prosak

Quote from: Sacredless on April 14, 2013, 08:45:12 AM
All in all, Columbia the city will appear very much like Prosac originally described it; pre-Booker, possibly by a few years, consistent with the game.

Mother Columbia is a motif, a narrative device for propaganda. She is evidence that the propaganda posters are true to life. Perhaps she's easily manipulated and naive, or strong and misguided. Perhaps she's loud and redundant or prefers to speak with actions. I will allow you to formulate your Mother Columbia as you see fit or would like! That is your piece of the world and I will accommodate your creation! :) If there are other Mother Columbias, she doesn't know of any. Depending on what you design her like, she has either met Father Columbia in person or has observed him from a respectable distance in the past.

As I originaly described it!? Yay! Im useful. *Start's doing his little jig.* And here I was planning on hitting you with my Mangekyō Sharingan. Trust me, it suck's. :P

Karma

That's all consistent with what I had in mind. I guess the question is: what opportunities has she had to put her abilities into practice?

Sacredless

#93
Quote from: Karma on April 14, 2013, 09:01:47 AM
That's all consistent with what I had in mind. I guess the question is: what opportunities has she had to put her abilities into practice?
Again, that depends on how you write her! A public figure who cuts ribbons or a crime fighter or a silent presence or a war hero. I can write this for you, but I really loved your other two characters, so I'm curious as to what you can bring to the table. :)

Karma

#94
Okidoki. If you didn't have anything particular in mind, I'll hop to writing it out then. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't stepping on any toes, since you originally suggested the concept.

Once we get this hammered out, do you guys think we should reboot the interest thread to get more players?

Sacredless

Quote from: Karma on April 14, 2013, 09:17:50 AM
Okidoki. If you didn't have anything particular in mind, I'll hop to writing it out then. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't stepping on any toes, since you originally suggested the concept.

Once we get this hammered out, do you guys think we should reboot the interest thread to get more players?
Working on it now!

Karma

#96
Name: Mother Columbia (Columbia or Col to those very close to her), formerly Katharine Evret

Age: 30

Bio: Debuting in the 1893 World’s Fair alongside the floating city, Miss Columbia was as much of a modern marvel as buildings in the sky. Outfitted in a special apparatus, she was capable of unassisted flight and great feats of strength. Though lifting great weights and effortlessly wrestling strongmen to the ground in seconds, Miss Columbia impressed the crowds most with her golden, winged armor that seemed impenetrable to bullets. Some called her the Iron Lady though of course the alloy she wore was nothing of the sort.

During the of Columbia for the next four years, and the relative absence from America of its famous designers Comstock and Lutece, Miss Columbia was the city’s ambassador, passing from town to town, spreading patriotism and American values anywhere she went. She partook in nationalist stage plays, gave quotes to newspapers, and even spoke passionately before Congress on more than one occasion, both in favor of her city and of the American people. America had never seen such a champion.

It took very little time for the American military to request her aid on the frontier, and in the wake of Wounded Knee, Miss Columbia’s decisive action put an end to most remaining major resistance. From there she was sent to various overseas interests and foreign nations, professing American values from shore to shore. Her involvement in American affairs culminated in the rapid end she put to all fronts of the Spanish-American War, thoroughly freeing Cuba and the Philippines, and putting a bookend on the Spanish Empire.

Miss Columbia did not take part in the crushing of the Boxers, still being engaged in the Philippines, but was quickly recalled afterward on the chance that the Americans would be able to contain her. Newly renamed Mother Columbia to bring her in line with Comstock’s mythology, she assumed a new place as practically a living goddess; the Prophet declared her the personification of the angel who gave him his first visions. Privately she protested this, knowing it to be false, but as with everyone but Lutece, Comstock’s surety worked its way into her head, and she started to at least subconsciously believe it.

Though the statue of her can be seen from anywhere in the city, the woman herself can be seen daily, casually touring the city, benevolently meeting citizens and communing with officials about what’s best for the people. She often visits Finkton, both to give comfort to those who live there and keep a stern eye on the Vox Populi. Loved by most and hated by none, she is the paragon of Columbia.

Personality: Though depictions of her are often stern, this is to intimidate those who might fear her. Rather, the Mother is known to the people of Columbia for the brilliant, warm smile that graces her lips whenever she interacts with the people. She is a favorite of the children, and is of such stature that all but the most lecherous of men would never admit to being attracted to her. The Mother is a stark contrast to Father Comstock; while he preaches fire, death, and righteous oppression, she speaks of peace and kindness for all. Her actions in war were to expedite the end and save lives rather than to impress the American will.

True History: Known only to Comstock, Lutece, and perhaps a few of the other Founders, Columbia was once Katharine Evret, an orphan girl from Boston. Her currently Germanic features are the result of vigor infusions; she was once raven-haired with dark eyes. Katharine was the first subject of Comstock’s “personality reassignment” method that would later culminate in the establishment of Comstock House; much of what they know came from Comstock’s work with Katharine. Who is now Mother Columbia remembers nothing of her real past, as Comstock manufactured her memories of growing up on the prairie, with two loving, Christian parents. Katharine is not the first Columbia, and will probably not be the last; Comstock trains them up in groups, as they often experience a mental break that reminds them who they really are, which turns them on their creator.

Orientation: Bisexual, though her sexuality is severely repressed by her identity

Weapons: Sword and Shield of Columbia

Vigors: Whirlwind, Electrocute (Experimental, high powered, related to Charge and Shock Jockey)

Technology: Columbia’s armor is made of a custom, superlight metal designed by Jeremiah Fink. Though it is hard enough to break fists and resistant to denting, the true protection comes from the Lutece Magnetic Repulsive Shield. The fatality rate of the shield infusion is another reason that Comstock trains Columbias in groups. Columbia uses refined, undiluted liquid salts; in this purest of forms, they are highly addictive. Columbia cannot go more than a few days without it before the onset of withdrawal. The powers she gains from vigors are significantly stronger than any other vigor user due to this. While in the armor, she is fed salts directly, but out of the armor she must use syringes. Electrocute is self-explanatory, but Whirlwind is not exactly Charge. Instead, it gives her limited control over air currents, allowing her to create "artificial" lift with her mechanical wings, and in a pinch use a very destructive tornado-like "levitation." The Sword and Shield of Columbia also benefit from Whirlwind, allowing her to retrieve them via shaped currents, giving them the appearance of telekinetic boomerang-style weapons. The secret to her strength is infusions - these allow her to tolerate the stresses of flight and fulfill her goddess role.


Sacredless

#97
I'm loving this profile! I love the idea of having the character fly, I hadn't thought of that! However, there's some corrections I need to make to prevent discrepancies.

- The Lutteces were no metallurgists; a bulletproof alloy is more something for Fink to invent and I suspect this would be a development several decades down the line.
- Quantum Levitation is not yet powerful enough to be used for use on such a small scale; otherwise, there is very little need for sky-lines!
- EVE is not invented yet! It was made using adam, which is made with sea slugs. I'm afraid that's not entirely plausible!

I would like the suggest the following;

- The Lutteces -did- invent the magnetic shield infusion, which would allow Karma to withstand bullet fire for periods of time before it recharges.
- Instead of Quantum Levitation, you could use a gold-feathered glider-wings to allow her to get around the city in combination with a skyhook and upward draft that allows her to gain upwards momentum.

Let's get in touch over PMs to discuss the suggestions that I made! :)

Karma