Now Recruiting : RP Lite (A week-long group game)

[Ontan]

The RP Lite


Trying to coax your muse into action?
Looking for something to fill the gap between roleplays?
Do you just want to see a game actually finish rather than fizzle out?

The Concept:

Part RP and part writing challenge, the RP Lite is designed to be the ‘short story’ equivalent of a normal group game. It would last a meagre 8 days, starting one weekend and finishing the next (with one extra day added to account for different time zones). GM updates would occur daily; similarly, players should aim to post every 24 hours, but provided they can manage to post every 48 hours, they’ll still succeed. There’s no limit on the length or quality of each post: that’s entirely up to each player’s discretion.

Once the 8 days are up, the RP Lite finishes and player updates stop. At this point, the GM will not only conclude the story, but also post an epilogue for each individual character. This is essentially the end game scoreboard, and is determined solely by posting rate: if a player posted every day, their character gets a triumphant ending. If they manage to post every 48 hours, then at least their character’s survival is guaranteed. And if they post even less… well, then their character’s safety isn’t assured.

Voting is closed, so the plot has been decided – see below for the synopsis!

OOC Details:
Below are a few essential details. If there’s anything you’re not sure about, send a PM or, better yet, just post in the thread!

• This won’t be a normal RP – there are plenty of those already, and most are pretty great. Instead, it’s a writing challenge where the emphasis is simply on getting your character through the story. GM events will work as writing prompts, and the idea is to get something, anything, posted within a 24 (or 48) hour period.
• It’s not an excuse for me to be a douche, either. The epilogue isn’t there because I’ve got some misanthropic urge to kill off characters or punish players. Rather, it’s just supposed to spice things up a little: a character’s survival isn’t 100% guaranteed, so it’s a little more meaningful if they actually make it.
• It’ll be plot-focussed, and short. While it’s certainly permissible to write sex scenes, it might not be plausible given time restrictions and the setting. But hey, bonus points to anyone who manages it.
• It’ll take place in the Bondage: Human Small Group thread. Notwithstanding the earlier comment about sexual activity, there might be other forms of adult content (horror, moderate violence, etc.) that give it a slightly darker theme.
• If players want to have multiple characters (and think they can manage it), the limit is 2 characters per person.
• The RP is open to everyone. Cross-gender and cross-orientation characters are fine. Post lengths can be single paragraphs or whole pages. Third-person writing styles are preferred, but first-person writers won’t be penalised.

The Plot:
The Short War (Sci Fi)

Tensions had been escalating for an entire Sol year, giving both sides ample time to amass their fleets along the contested border. Now that war has finally been declared, it seems the outcome will be decided in a single calamitous battle. Both sides are confident of a decisive victory, and are committing their forces accordingly; once the fighting begins, there’ll be no turning back.  Win or lose, the coming war will only last a few hours, but the consequences will define humanity's future.


Admiral Renko does not share the conviction of his peers. Yes, their warships are technologically superior, but the fleets of Sol have been complacent for too long: the ships are untested, and most of the fleets’ crews have never seen a real battle before. Even Sol Command’s colossal flagship – the Khan – is more experimental prototype than dependable bastion. But what choice is there in the matter? Time has run out. The enemy is upon them. 


Whether you’re a crewman aboard the Khan, or the captain of your own ship, the time has come to muster for battle. Take your place in the sprawling formations, and steel yourself to drive back the inhuman enemy.

The Factions:
Two races will feature heavily (and perhaps exclusively) in the Short War: the ingenious humans of Sol, and the militant Praetor aggressors.

The Defenders: Humans (Sol)

Humans (Sol): Artisans, Individualists, Plague-bearers

General:
Of all the spacefaring superpowers, the humans of Sol are the only ones who are are not unified under a dominant administrative power. Despite a long history of wars, migration, politics, and trade, their civilisation is defined by internal division: even their homeworld of Earth is, at best, a network of fiercely independent powers bound only by economic agreements or non-aggression pacts. Unsurprisingly, this has produced several major drawbacks. Without some form of centralised governance, resource allocation is clumsy and hampered by in-fighting between nations, and Sol Command – its only truly collaborative enterprise – is similarly ponderous and bogged down by diplomatic bureaucracy.

And yet, humanity thrives. Rivalry has made Sol strong: its nations are vigilant to the point of paranoia (as much to guard against other nations as alien threats), while economic competition encourages innovation and ambition among its powerbrokers. Moreover, humanity knows when to set old grudges aside, and the nations and colonies of humanity have always rallied together to present a united front against alien aggression.

At an individual level, it’s hard to make many blanket statements about Sol humans due to the dizzying variety of cultures, but a few commonalities nevertheless shine through. True to their individualistic reputation, humans tend to value family relations and individual rights over the interests of the population as a whole, and a strong survival instinct means that acts of genuine self-sacrifice are rare. Most other spacefaring races sneer at the apparent selfishness of Sol’s inhabitants, yet humanity sees itself as a bastion of individualism and equality - and perhaps even a solitary example that individual welfare needn't be at odds with prosperity.

Physiology:
A race’s physical attributes might not seem particularly important in an age of mechanised industry and orbital warfare, but it can still have a profound effect when considering how ‘competitive’ the race is compared to other spacefaring civilisations. Metabolic demands and reproductive rates dictate how rapidly a given race can colonise worlds, physical resilience determines reliance on technology, and even a race’s appearance will affect how it’s received by others.

By galactic standards, Earth is a nightmarish maelstrom of disease and infection, and this unsavoury (but not inaccurate) reputation has tainted humanity’s dealings with other races. Humans might view the occasional cold or flu as an unavoidable fact of life, but for most other races, any kind of microbial contagion is considered one of the gravest threats imaginable. Unfortunately, human colonists (along with introduced flora and fauna) often act as carriers for such contagions, invariably devastating a planet’s native ecosystem and rendering in inhospitable for anything except more Earth-derived organisms.  This ‘corruption’ of garden planets hasn’t endeared humanity to the other races, but there’s no way around it: it’s one thing to completely sterilise a lone ship, but trying to sterilise an entire colonisation project simple isn’t feasible. 

Other information

• Due to regulatory and political factors, Sol’s spacecraft are over-engineered almost to the point of absurdity, and their vessels are typified as being few in number but exquisite in their craftsmanship. In true Sol fashion, this has produced strange but effective results. On the one hand, Sol’s spacefaring fleet is understrength because it can only afford to field a small number of extravagantly expensive craft, none of which are expendable. On the other hand, their workmanship makes them extremely daunting opponents; even Sol’s civilian freighters boast sturdy armour, powerful engines, and numerous backup systems.
• Most of humanity’s expansion has been the result of avaricious colonisation rather than military conquest. Notwithstanding some unsanctioned skirmishing and military conflicts with vastly inferior belligerents, Sol’s last ‘shooting war’ was twelve years ago, when the Praetors (see below) tried to forcibly repel human expansion. Ostensibly, the war ended in a decisive human victory, though it’s common knowledge the Praetors were diverted by concurrent wars with other races.

The Aggressors: Praetors

Praetors: Guardians, Arbiters, Warmongers

The Praetors are a race of sentient machines, originally created as guardians for a race known as the Titans. They gained self-awareness when their creators boosted their intelligence in order to make them more effective, though contrary to popular belief they never turned on their masters: when war broke out after Event Day, the Praetors were simply not strong enough to prevent the Titans being exterminated. The Praetors endured to build their own civilisation, and have repurposed their society to act as self-appointed arbiters over other races. Militant and aggressive, the rise of Praetor civilisation has been terrifyingly swift, so much so that some (non-human) races believe the Preators are favoured by the ancient Ascetic people.

Whether the Praetors are a force of good or evil is largely a question of perspective. On the one hand, Praetors often come to the defence of weaker civilisations… but equally, the Praetors aggressively curtail any alien military that could potentially rival their own. As they see it, Praetor supremacy is the only path viable path to galactic stability. 

Physical features
Each Praetor unit is fully independent from another, though they often seem to act as a single entity due to their ability to communicate near-instantaneously. This also means that Praetor communities can reach a consensus in mere milliseconds: they still have the digital equivalent of arguments, but the sheer speed and accuracy at which they transfer data mean they can quickly reconcile any such disagreements. Extreme caution should be taken around large numbers of Praetors: on its own, a Praetor is slow-witted and ponderous, but their collaborative nature makes them exponentially more intelligent (and dangerous) in cohorts.

Curiously, there’s a clear divide between their autonomous drones and self-aware machines; in Praetor society, it’s taboo to manufacture sentient machines below a certain threshold of intelligence. Due to the difficulty of producing and maintaining units with actual intelligence, Praetor culture still places a significant value on the ‘life’ of individual units. Finally, Praetors are unable to heal like biological creatures, and much of their labour is dedicated purely to repairing the rest of the workforce. This has prompted human commentators to make unkind observations on the number of Praetors needed to change a light bulb.

Other information:

• Although Praetors themselves are unaffected by biological disease, they hold an extremely grim view of humanity’s colonisation efforts, which invariably introduce all manner of Earth-derived contagion to garden planets. Their first diplomatic interaction with humanity was the infamous Planned Retreat Directive, which mandated that all human colonists were to return to Earth in order to stop the spread of microbial contamination. Humanity’s refusal led to the first Sol-Praetor war.
• Just over a year ago, the Praetors issued the Ingris IV Proposition, which offered “generous” economic compensation in exchange for the wholesale annihilation of human life on the planet in question. While this marked a significant change in Praetor politics, there's little question that the terms were utterly repugnant by human standards. The subsequent breakdown of diplomatic efforts has set the stage for a second war against the machine race.

Want to more Lore and background info? Check out the Worldbuilding Thread for extra details!




Character Sheet Template:

Due to the weird and wonderful nature of the RP Lite, it's especially important to have a good character sheet, as there might not be a chance to depict your character's subtler traits in-game. Please note that all player characters will be human, and fighting on the side of the defenders.

Code Select Expand

[u]NAME:[/u] Civilians and military personnel are both fine, but include your rank for the latter.
[u]AGE:[/u] Fairly self-explanatory. Future medicine has greatly improved the quality of life for seniors, but life expectancy hasn’t changed much. Minimum of 18 years, no exceptions.
[u]ROLE:[/u] Your occupation or specialty, as distinct from rank. Engineer, boarding crew, news reporter, whatever!

[u]APPEARANCE:[/u] Stature, grooming, etc. Also any distinctive clothing or equipment. Guns are functionally similar to 21st century weapons, but a wide variety of high tech ammo is available, such as bullets carrying an electrical charge.

[u]PERSONALITY:[/u] Again, self-explanatory.

[u]BACKGROUND:[/u] A brief history of your character. It can be as detailed or concise as you like.

[u]SHIP:[/u] The ship you’re commanding / serving aboard for the battle. It can be the flagship Khan, or a vessel of your own making. There are no restrictions for the latter: anything from a fighter to a dreadnaught is fine.

[u]ADDITIONAL NOTES:[/u] Maybe you really, really don’t want your character to get killed. Maybe you want to play a haywire Praetor defector. If you've got GM approval to bend the rules or breaks from lore, make a note here for everyone else to see. Conversely, if there's any other extraneous information you want to include about your character, this is the place for that too.

*

Sample Character: Admiral Renko

Consider this an example of a 'long' character sheet. If it's much shorter (hell, or even a bit longer), don't worry!

NAME: Admiral ‘Ark’ Renko
AGE: 57
ROLE: Commanding officer of the flagship Khan.

APPEARANCE: A peppering of grey hairs and an emergent pot-belly betray his age, but Admiral Renko is still a picture of robust health. His large stature is compounded by broad shoulders powerful limbs to lend him a brutish visage, but his eyes still gleam with a sharp and dangerous intellect. He wears his uniform during virtually all waking hours; ‘off-duty’ is something of a misnomer when it comes to his personal life. Unusually, he insists on being armed at all times, a quirk that causes no end of headaches and arguments at summits or public appearances.

PERSONALITY:
Where most senior officers in Sol Command prioritise caution and defence, Renko’s strategies have always been defined by daring attacks and pre-emptive strikes. An exception to every rule in the book, Renko’s temperament is aggressive and assertive, as both a tactician and a person. It proves to be a source of constant frustration for his allies, and nightmarish terror for humanity’s enemies. Naturally, there’s always some outrageous controversy for all his ingenious victories, but Renko wouldn’t have it any other way.

Notwithstanding his excellent performance as an officer, anyone else with Renko’s record would’ve been court martialled decades ago, but the media have always been a powerful ally of his. It reflects a furtive side to his trademark brashness: a sly operator, Renko is extremely adept at publicising his victories, and using public opinion to shield himself against fallout from his transgressions. For better or worse, this manipulative side of him rarely comes to light. 

Despite his flair for lateral thinking an decisive action, Renko is an unrelenting disciplinarian when it comes to the conduct of those under his command. Whether it’s a minor infringement regarding the weight allowance of personal items, or a full-blown case of insubordination, Renko will punish any and all wrongdoing to the fullest extent of military law… and perhaps beyond. Unsettling rumours of brutality and extrajudicial punishments have started circulating from those formerly under his authority, though thus far these tales have been uniformly dismissed as unsubstantiated mud-slinging.

BACKGROUND:
Daring, aggressive, and fearless, Renko has been making a name for himself ever since he enlisted in his teenage years. Starting with a seemingly suicidal mission to extract a failed diplomatic envoy, his career was brilliant but controversial from the start, rapidly earning him a staggering number of commendations and reprimands… and even more fans from his adoring public. The media were quick to pick up on the outrageous anecdotes of a young, semi-rogue officer, and it wasn’t long before his exploits were being sensationalised across humanity’s information networks.

Renko fervently claims to be a self-made man as, unlike most officers, he had no formal education prior to joining the military. Starting with a local colonial defence force, he had to claw his way up from the very bottom rung, one promotion (and qualification) at a time. Given his powerful ties to the media, this is likely only half true, but most people are content not to investigate too closely: the tale is an inspiring one, and in any event there’s no questioning Renko’s military brilliance, which is nigh-unrivalled anywhere in humanity’s spacefaring history.

Unlike many officers, Renko is also old enough to have served in several conflicts. His service history ranges from ‘gunboat diplomacy’ to cow grumbling belligerents, murderously effective crackdowns against (non-human) raiders, and most notably humanity’s first war against the Praetors. Humanity as a whole has certainly benefitted from his expertise, though the individuals around him don’t always fare as well. His wife and son were killed in action only a few years apart; his daughter eschewed the military life, maintaining an affable but distant relationship. These perceived shortcomings in his personal life have left him with a slow-burning anger, but as ever the admiral places honour and duty above personal interest. He remains a loving father to his daughter, a zealous defender of Sol’s interests, and an unwavering tyrant to those under his command.

SHIP: The Khan is Sol Command’s prototype flagship, which acts as an armoured carrier. It has yet to see active service in battle, but many consider it to be the current pinnacle of human technology.

Where most spacefaring races rely on energy shields for protection, Sol ships are characterised by their dependence on heavy armour plating. The Khan’s armour is among the most sophisticated of its kind: its plates are ‘threaded’ with heat and chemical dissipaters, and digital reactive armour shelters it against piercing weapons. The result is undeniably effective, though like all Sol ships the Wu Zhao still has to contend with a somewhat barbaric visage; the immense slabs of metal lend it an antiquated appearance, but humanity takes great pride in its idiosyncratic designs. Its physical armour is also augmented by an impressive array of point-defence turrets and one of the most advanced electronic warfare suites ever developed; it’s designers claim the latter make it nigh-indestructible, though a lack of field testing makes such boasts questionable.

The Khan’s armament would be terrifying in its own right, comprising of enough missile batteries to wipe out an enemy taskforce single-handed, but its greatest weapon is also an indirect one. What makes the Khan truly special is its ingenious hangars, designed to rearm and repair smaller vessels even in the midst of combat. Fighters, corvettes, destroyers, and even a frigate can dock within the Khan’s colossal repair bays, and can do so without ever presenting an easy target to enemies.

ADDITIONAL NOTES: As the main NPC, Renko will have a position of authority in the upcoming battle.

[Kuroneko]

I'd be game for this, but ... isn't this quite a bit faster than your usual posting rate? ;)

[Jett Void]

This actually sounds really interesting. The bit about Sunless Sea helps as I really enjoyed it, along with its sister Fallen London. Although that prompt wouldn't be necessary at all for my participation.

Just out of curiosity I do have a couple questions. 1. In your mental image of the game, seeing how it's more of a group writing prompt, will there be much player interaction?

And 2. In the post you spoke of the epilogue and how your posting rate would affect your character's outcome. Would you be willing to accommodate players that wished for that to be lifted? I would much rather that if I shoot at the captain of a vessel and leave it open ended then you would take into account the strength of both parties and choose a winner for yourself. Just makes me feel as if my actions have a bit more weight that way.

Once again, the answer to either of those won't affect my interest, it still sounds like fun either way. 

[yuki92]

This one is interesting.. count me interested.

it's just that the interaction between players that become my concern. won't it be different for each player? I haven't tried group game before, (i have but it didn't go long) so i hope this will be a good place to start.

[eightxinfinity]

A short term RP might be just what I need to jump start my creative process again. Color me interested, especially in the sci fi plot line!

[Ontan]

Kuroneko: Well, this isn’t just for people who already post daily. Part of the idea is to get people (GM included!) out of their comfort zone, and hopefully break a few procrastination-related habits along the way. Think of it as NanoWrimoin miniature, with an RP slant.

Jett:
1) The level of player interaction is entirely up to each player, however, the game’s time constraints might create some OOC challenges. In my experience of group games, it often takes an entire week for a gathering of 5 players to have a ‘short’ conversation, usually because everyone’s politely waiting for everyone else to reply before advancing the scene. Simply put, the more complex the interaction, the slower everything goes.

As for my personal mental image… I imagine players would break up into pairs or trios, rather than moving around as one big group. That’d allow them to coordinate posts far more quickly, especially if they’re both online at similar times. But again: it’s entirely up to each player how they manage things.

2) I’m more than happy to accommodate that for those who want it. That said, they should still try to keep up with the mandated posting rate, if only to be sporting ;)

Yuki: It’ll almost certainly be different for each player, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The sci fi plot provides a good example: some people might elect to stay aboard the flagship, while others might want to pilot their own fighter. The GM updates will only relate to major events, so each player gets to decide how they react to it. Hopefully that answers your question… but if it doesn’t, feel free to ask again  :-)

Eight: Thanks for the expression of interest!

[Kuroneko]

Heh, I immediately thought Of NaNo when I read the description ;)

[ZephySempai]

I'd like to give this a try as well. An 8-day writing challenge would be a great exercise and spark some much needed muse on my part. I'm definitely game. Looking forward to the sci-fi plot as well ^_^

[Ontan]

Poll up! Now that there have been a few expressions of interest, I decided to open up voting for the plot lines. Going from the comments, it looks like sci fi is the current favourite, but I figured I'd formalise it nonetheless ;)

[ZephySempai]

My vote has officially been cast :D

[CarnivalOfTheGoat]

Hmmmmm. This is intriguing. I'm really not sure how much anyone could accomplish in a week, even if they posted twice daily (which is about my limit)...

But that's no reason to avoid finding out, now is it?

[Ontan]

Keep the votes (and expressions of interest) coming!

Zephy: Thanks for the interest!
Carnival: Sure, it’s a bit of an unknown, but I’m cautiously optimistic. After all, it’s not too much of a stretch to get through a single battle scene in a week… just a little stretch. The good kind, really   ;)

[Lustful Bride]

m interested :)

Also a game inspired by "Sir you are being hunted" Might work rather well as this if its more comedy based.

[Ontan]

Thank you all for the votes so far!

I’ll leave the poll open for a couple more days, then I’ll start up a worldbuilding thread for the most popular plot. At risk of cutting voting a little bit short, I’m keen to move things along lest it all starts to stall.



Lustful: Funnily enough, I nearly got that just for the tweed-clad murder robots…

[Lustful Bride]

Woo! I hope this will eb a lot of fun. But I have a question when the week long game ends, will there be another lite RP like the one previous?


If so I say we should have one inspired by War of the worlds.  The Great Martian War!

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_R1KiVoc3G4

Plus the ending is easy, the martians succumbing to germs :P

[Ontan]

Lustful: I’ll wait and see how the first one goes before making any grand promises… though I’m actually really glad you mentioned the bit about War of the Worlds. In this setting, humans are similarly defined by their alien-killing germs  ;)

[Ontan]

Polling closed! It looks like the Sci Fi wins, though it was great to see the other options got a little love too.
The worldbuilding is already well underway, but to keep you all going, here are the important bits:



EDIT: For posterity's sake, here are the plots that didn't quite make it:

Horror: Sunless Sea

Sunless Sea
(While this will be loosely based on the game, no prior knowledge is needed. Unfamiliar players are encouraged to join.)

Far beneath the surface of the earth, there is a vast underground ocean called the Unterzee. There are cities and steamships dotted along the coastlines, but make no mistake: the laws of civilisation, and even the laws of nature, are weak in this place. Strange forces thrive in the Unterzee, creating horrors beyond the contemplation of ordinary minds… and yet, there are always those willing to explore the very darkest of waters in search of fabled treasures and forbidden knowledge.

The latest expedition was supposed to be the greatest the Unterzee had ever seen: a grand ship, a daring ambition, and a council of celebrated explorers to lead it. It was supposed to discover the legendary city of Irem, but as it travelled ever deeper into darkness, it found naught but ice and tragedy. The expedition has been an unmitigated disaster, and now the dying engines struggle at half pace, using the last of their strength to merely retrace their steps back home. Like the rest of the crew, you’ll be returning empty-handed, but after everything that's happened, the mere prospect of getting home alive suddenly feels like a godsend beyond compare.

Safety is only a few days away, but for all the expedition’s hardships, its darkest hour is only just beginning. The flash of prow lamps – the only artificial light for countless miles – has attracted the attention of something ancient, something powerful. This… presence… does not want the ship to escape. Keep the guns loaded and a flare on hand, for this evil will soon be forced to play its hand.

Fantasy: The Siege of Blackwall

The Siege of Blackwall

Maybe it was the use of spiders and snakes as heraldic animals. Maybe it was something to do with Karrak’s ruler being an undead skeleton. Maybe their knights just didn’t have enough flowing blonde locks of hair. In any event, Karrak has always had a reputation for being an indefinably ‘evil’ nation, and the invention of gunpowder proved to be the final straw. After months of secretive meetings, the four kingdoms of the north banded together and, moving as one, set about the task of destroying the burgeoning empire of Karrak before its (alleged) evil could spread any further. The fighting was fierce, with the defenders deploying all manner of diabolic war machines in the ensuing battles, but the might of the north could not be broken.   

Only one obstacle stands between the northern alliance and total victory: the citadel of Blackwall. As a loyal citizen of Karrak, you find this to be more than a little alarming: the prospect of foreign invasion doesn’t sit particularly well with you, and as it happens you’re quite patriotic about your undead emperor. Whether you’re defending the walls alongside the tattered remnants of Karrak’s army, or barricading your home in the meek hope of merely surviving, you must prepare for the coming storm. The fate of an empire – and all its citizens – is about to be decided.

[ZephySempai]

This is definitely looking like a one-sided match-up lol

*Cracks knuckles* I'm ready tho! Yay Suicide missions! Hoah!

[Ontan]

Well, it wouldn't be fun if it was easy…  ;)

[Lustful Bride]

Lets pull a thunderchild if we are going to die I say. :)

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTF6bd1NcTA

Might as well ram the ship right into the enemy bridge.  8-)

[Ontan]

Recruitment is now open! Please see the opening post for the character sheet template.

In other news, the Worldbuilding Thread is also up! It’s a work in progress, so expect further updates over the next couple of days, but any and all feedback is appreciated.

[Vill]

I'm absolutely in. I'll have a character sheet up tonight.