Okay, part of me wanted to just write and see where it led, but, most likely, that would lead to me writing and then not writing and then nothing more.  Instead, this should be handled the way TSP RP handles everything, which is with a community discussion.

So, hypothetically, if we were to start a fantasy character RP, what would you like it to include?  What kind of fantasy genre and setting would you like?  Is there room to mix and match?  Do you think we would need a fixed map?  Would you be willing to help work on one, if so?  Should there be an overarching plot, or several?  Should there be a person or team of people coordinating that?  Am I asking the wrong questions?  Do you have others you could suggest?

This is really just the start of the conversation and anything which comes from this would, doubtless, be a long way off, but hey, let's chat.

Founder of the Church of the South Pacific [Forum Thread] [Discord], a safe place to discuss spirituality for people of all faiths and none (currently looking for those interested in prayer and/or "home" groups);
And The Silicon Pens [Discord], a writer's group for the South Pacific and beyond!

Yahweo usenneo ir varleo, ihraneo jurlaweo hraseu seu, ir jiweveo arladi.

Salma 145:8

translate

The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.
Psalm 145: 8

Reply

We could go for albion's system and create a single man RPG

Or we can do a Game of thrones thing where there are dragons, or expand it to like Lord of the rings stuff.

I always have a soft spot for tech fantasy, like Steampunk, cyberpunk and dieselpunk. Dunno if people would prefer doing a single man RPG, especially if everyone got many ideas.

Perhaps we can do a D&D thing with a single story plot, but still have details of our own respective countries. Just like Res's Baliish incident

"毎日の小さな努力の積み重ねが歴史を作っていくんだよ。"

---

Put a little effort everyday and it will stack up and create a foundation for you.

- Doraemon


Treasure Island Awards Best Roleplay 2020
Treasure Island Awards Best Roleplayer 2020
Cocos Winner for Best Character Writer 2017
Cocos Winner for Best International Event 2017
Cocos Winner for Best Overall RP 2017

Things to know: Medical Intern and Biomedical Scientist from Indonesia, Muslim, 188 metres tall, loves trains

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First of all:
No rp based on built up worlds like the ones of GoT or LotR or so. You possibly exclude people that aren't into those worlds or even those, who know these worlds, but don't necessarily know everything of it and so maybe make severe mistakes, which takes away the fun somehow.
Also worldbuilding is important and one of the most fun things to do in rp imo, so that's why I'd let us all build the world together or maybe a certain group of "worldbuilders" could do so. This all leads to a map, yes. I sadly couldn't draw it, because my Inkscape skills aren't that advanced yet, but I'm sure, there would be people capable to do that.

As for the setting: I'm still a fan of the classical kinda medieval setting many good roleplay game worlds have (D&D, TES, even GoT).
Who's responsible for the story? Depends Could be one person or again a team of some depending on how many ideas we collect here or how many people would be willing to partake in such a rp.

Signed
Gianluca IV
Roleplayer (active in TSP since 2016)
TSPedia-Author
Head Bartender of the Lampshade Bar & Grill


Information about my roleplay
Pacifica GI-Land, Snolland (Hazelbrust), Guardian of the World Forum, IUFA-FWC/WFWC- and Pacivision Supervisor • 
Aurora Markatt (Maura)

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We could go for albion's system and create a single man RPG

Or we can do a Game of thrones thing where there are dragons, or expand it to like Lord of the rings stuff.

I always have a soft spot for tech fantasy, like Steampunk, cyberpunk and dieselpunk. Dunno if people would prefer doing a single man RPG, especially if everyone got many ideas.

Perhaps we can do a D&D thing with a single story plot, but still have details of our own respective countries. Just like Res's Baliish incident

I'm always for Steampunk etc., but that should be no surprise. - I'm also very fond of hybrid settings, which contain elements of a number of aesthetic sub-genres (so, a world with a steampunk culture and a high fantasy culture and an urban fantasy culture, etc. etc.)

What do you mean by a single man RPG, though?

First of all:
No rp based on built up worlds like the ones of GoT or LotR or so. You possibly exclude people that aren't into those worlds or even those, who know these worlds, but don't necessarily know everything of it and so maybe make severe mistakes, which takes away the fun somehow.
Also worldbuilding is important and one of the most fun things to do in rp imo, so that's why I'd let us all build the world together or maybe a certain group of "worldbuilders" could do so. This all leads to a map, yes. I sadly couldn't draw it, because my Inkscape skills aren't that advanced yet, but I'm sure, there would be people capable to do that.

As for the setting: I'm still a fan of the classical kinda medieval setting many good roleplay game worlds have (D&D, TES, even GoT).
Who's responsible for the story? Depends Could be one person or again a team of some depending on how many ideas we collect here or how many people would be willing to partake in such a rp.

Oh, yeah, I should have said from the start - I'm looking for us to create an ORIGINAL fantasy character RP. Anything using an existing IP for more than just inspiration or a one-off event is doomed to failure, in my experience.

I love map-making, but my skills have never advanced beyond this, so I wouldn't be the best to take it on, either.

Founder of the Church of the South Pacific [Forum Thread] [Discord], a safe place to discuss spirituality for people of all faiths and none (currently looking for those interested in prayer and/or "home" groups);
And The Silicon Pens [Discord], a writer's group for the South Pacific and beyond!

Yahweo usenneo ir varleo, ihraneo jurlaweo hraseu seu, ir jiweveo arladi.

Salma 145:8

translate

The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.
Psalm 145: 8

Reply

What do you mean by a single man RPG, though?

Just making one single character and going from there, we'll not be rp-ing as a nation then

"毎日の小さな努力の積み重ねが歴史を作っていくんだよ。"

---

Put a little effort everyday and it will stack up and create a foundation for you.

- Doraemon


Treasure Island Awards Best Roleplay 2020
Treasure Island Awards Best Roleplayer 2020
Cocos Winner for Best Character Writer 2017
Cocos Winner for Best International Event 2017
Cocos Winner for Best Overall RP 2017

Things to know: Medical Intern and Biomedical Scientist from Indonesia, Muslim, 188 metres tall, loves trains

(This post was last modified: 06-27-2018, 01:22 PM by Hammerstar.)

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No rp based on built up worlds like the ones of GoT or LotR or so

I meant something similar to that setting. You can have like Narnia that uses almost every single mythical character ever, or Lord of the rings, that limits the species by the mod, or GOT where you make up species

"毎日の小さな努力の積み重ねが歴史を作っていくんだよ。"

---

Put a little effort everyday and it will stack up and create a foundation for you.

- Doraemon


Treasure Island Awards Best Roleplay 2020
Treasure Island Awards Best Roleplayer 2020
Cocos Winner for Best Character Writer 2017
Cocos Winner for Best International Event 2017
Cocos Winner for Best Overall RP 2017

Things to know: Medical Intern and Biomedical Scientist from Indonesia, Muslim, 188 metres tall, loves trains

Reply

What do you mean by a single man RPG, though?

Just making one single character and going from there, we'll not be rp-ing as a nation then 

Right, cool.  That's actually what I mean by calling it a 'character RP' (as opposed to 'nation RP', I guess, which is a term we rarely use, but that's 'cos it's mostly what we do), but now I know we're all on the same page.

No rp based on built up worlds like the ones of GoT or LotR or so

I meant something similar to that setting. You can have like Narnia that uses almost every single mythical character ever, or Lord of the rings, that limits the species by the mod, or GOT where you make up species 

Yeah, I understood and as I said to GI, I'm cool with existing IP being used as inspiration.  So if, for example, we had a white city, built in the mountains, that was remarkably like Gondolin but was called something else with its own history and character, that'd be fine.  Equally, if we decide on a world a lot like Westeros, that's cool, so long as it isn't Westeros.

Founder of the Church of the South Pacific [Forum Thread] [Discord], a safe place to discuss spirituality for people of all faiths and none (currently looking for those interested in prayer and/or "home" groups);
And The Silicon Pens [Discord], a writer's group for the South Pacific and beyond!

Yahweo usenneo ir varleo, ihraneo jurlaweo hraseu seu, ir jiweveo arladi.

Salma 145:8

translate

The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.
Psalm 145: 8

Reply

So, hypothetically, if we were to start a fantasy character RP, what would you like it to include?  What kind of fantasy genre and setting would you like?  Is there room to mix and match?  Do you think we would need a fixed map?  Would you be willing to help work on one, if so?  Should there be an overarching plot, or several?  Should there be a person or team of people coordinating that?  Am I asking the wrong questions?  Do you have others you could suggest?

In terms of a fixed map, whether or not there were to be an overarching story, I tend to think that it would help make sure things are consistent and just generally make things simpler, easier to understand, and would give people a visual guide to bring them more into the world and keep them invested, or at least that is what I tend to think. I would also say that it should be built by everyone involved in the RP, both because it is another way to get people more invested, and because, as GI said, it's one of the most fun parts. After all, you don’t necessarily have to be one of the ones actually creating the physical map to give useful input that would help to shape it and the world it represents. If we did end up making a map for this hypothetical RP, I would be happy to help, here is my most recent map to serve as an impression of my ability.

In terms of a plot itself, I would say that a single overarching plot driving events would be helpful and useful, even if it’s in the background much of the time. I tend to think that it would be a useful way of focusing the RP even if the main story isn’t always at the forefront. It should probably be made by one or a small group of people(not including me), with a more limited input from the rest of the group while still letting them have some say on certain aspects as chosen by the writers, so as to make sure that the entire plot isn’t known fully by everybody. I would also favor the inclusion of smaller character-driven plots of greater or lesser importance to the central story, depending on what the individual RPer prefers, both because it would exist to a certain extent anyways, and because allowing for focus on them would allow the RP to be more flexible while still not losing its driving core.

With setting and genre, I would favor a central theme, be it 19th century steampunk, D&D/LOTR-style medieval high-fantasy, silkpunk(often described as a kind of sub-genre of steampunk), or what have you, but with room for diversity and influences from other styles that could be adapted to fit the setting, one example being a steampunk style world using magic to power it or even having a harvest-able magical fuel to power everything from individual spells to giant airships. Either way, the way this world works should probably be constructed by the people in order to give everyone a stake in it.

What also needs to be made clear is the scale of this hypothetical RP, as much of how the setting is constructed will likely greatly depend on that. does it take place in a single country, a small group of polities within a small region, or does it stretch across an entire continent or world? The diversity of the world in terms of how it functions would probably be in relation to the scale we decide upon. If it is a single country or even a small group of neighboring countries, a single theme would likely dominate, with small amounts of differing ideas showing up here and there in everyday life to show a larger world, even though it would largely not be interacted with. This would also likely allow for these few elements that are experienced to be interacted with on a deeper level, allowing for a small but thorough glimpse of a wider world. On the other hand, a larger scope, be it a grand empire of many nations or a large number of countries interacting with each other, there would probably be a larger amount of diversity in how things could be organized from place to place, although there should probably be certain fundamentals to how the world works to shape what kinds of things would exist.

I hope this all makes sense, i'm a bit iffy on my last paragraph myself if i'm being honest, and I often tend to feel that I'm rather bad at explaining myself. Just felt I needed to put this little caveat here at the end.

Unity, Order, and Freedom

-Motto of the Republic of Ubesii

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[Image: U6v6WIB.png]

The Ever Silent and Anxious Kiwi(Bird) of The South Pacific

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So, hypothetically, if we were to start a fantasy character RP, what would you like it to include?  What kind of fantasy genre and setting would you like?  Is there room to mix and match?  Do you think we would need a fixed map?  Would you be willing to help work on one, if so?  Should there be an overarching plot, or several?  Should there be a person or team of people coordinating that?  Am I asking the wrong questions?  Do you have others you could suggest?

In terms of a fixed map, whether or not there were to be an overarching story, I tend to think that it would help make sure things are consistent and just generally make things simpler, easier to understand, and would give people a visual guide to bring them more into the world and keep them invested, or at least that is what I tend to think. I would also say that it should be built by everyone involved in the RP, both because it is another way to get people more invested, and because, as GI said, it's one of the most fun parts. After all, you don’t necessarily have to be one of the ones actually creating the physical map to give useful input that would help to shape it and the world it represents. If we did end up making a map for this hypothetical RP, I would be happy to help, here is my most recent map to serve as an impression of my ability.

In terms of a plot itself, I would say that a single overarching plot driving events would be helpful and useful, even if it’s in the background much of the time. I tend to think that it would be a useful way of focusing the RP even if the main story isn’t always at the forefront. It should probably be made by one or a small group of people(not including me), with a more limited input from the rest of the group while still letting them have some say on certain aspects as chosen by the writers, so as to make sure that the entire plot isn’t known fully by everybody. I would also favor the inclusion of smaller character-driven plots of greater or lesser importance to the central story, depending on what the individual RPer prefers, both because it would exist to a certain extent anyways, and because allowing for focus on them would allow the RP to be more flexible while still not losing its driving core.

With setting and genre, I would favor a central theme, be it 19th century steampunk, D&D/LOTR-style medieval high-fantasy, silkpunk(often described as a kind of sub-genre of steampunk), or what have you, but with room for diversity and influences from other styles that could be adapted to fit the setting, one example being a steampunk style world using magic to power it or even having a harvest-able magical fuel to power everything from individual spells to giant airships. Either way, the way this world works should probably be constructed by the people in order to give everyone a stake in it.

What also needs to be made clear is the scale of this hypothetical RP, as much of how the setting is constructed will likely greatly depend on that. does it take place in a single country, a small group of polities within a small region, or does it stretch across an entire continent or world? The diversity of the world in terms of how it functions would probably be in relation to the scale we decide upon. If it is a single country or even a small group of neighboring countries, a single theme would likely dominate, with small amounts of differing ideas showing up here and there in everyday life to show a larger world, even though it would largely not be interacted with. This would also likely allow for these few elements that are experienced to be interacted with on a deeper level, allowing for a small but thorough glimpse of a wider world. On the other hand, a larger scope, be it a grand empire of many nations or a large number of countries interacting with each other, there would probably be a larger amount of diversity in how things could be organized from place to place, although there should probably be certain fundamentals to how the world works to shape what kinds of things would exist.

I hope this all makes sense, i'm a bit iffy on my last paragraph myself if i'm being honest, and I often tend to feel that I'm rather bad at explaining myself. Just felt I needed to put this little caveat here at the end.

That's some pretty mapwork! Also, I sorta collect these terms for aesthetic sub-genres and silkpunk is a new one to me, so thanks for that.

It seems to me that we're already building some form of consensus: map, collaborative worldbuilding, central story team, etc.

I guess what we need next are the specific choices, many of which you've outlined here, Ubesii. Genre/aesthetic and scale seem to be the two big ones before we go any further.

I'm keen on large scale, for maximum diversity, but that has a lot of problems, especially to begin with, with too many choices for players to make before they start. A compromise would be a small scale that broadens over time as we add to the world and flesh out ideas sown in character backgrounds, scene setting and story ideas. I might even be inclined to start very small, with just a region of warring city states, for example, or a duchy rife with intrigue.

Genre-wise, I like things that veer away from the traditional, but that doesn't mean I'm against a traditional fantasy base, necessarily. I just like the freedom to explore more imaginative ground and there can be room for that even in a fairly traditional setting over time.

Sent from my KOB-L09 using Tapatalk

Founder of the Church of the South Pacific [Forum Thread] [Discord], a safe place to discuss spirituality for people of all faiths and none (currently looking for those interested in prayer and/or "home" groups);
And The Silicon Pens [Discord], a writer's group for the South Pacific and beyond!

Yahweo usenneo ir varleo, ihraneo jurlaweo hraseu seu, ir jiweveo arladi.

Salma 145:8

translate

The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.
Psalm 145: 8

Reply

I'm going to bump this.  I don't want to give up just yet and I'm sure there are more people who would like input.

Founder of the Church of the South Pacific [Forum Thread] [Discord], a safe place to discuss spirituality for people of all faiths and none (currently looking for those interested in prayer and/or "home" groups);
And The Silicon Pens [Discord], a writer's group for the South Pacific and beyond!

Yahweo usenneo ir varleo, ihraneo jurlaweo hraseu seu, ir jiweveo arladi.

Salma 145:8

translate

The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.
Psalm 145: 8

Reply