*OOC* Comments and Questions

[Spanner]

At last, the RPG begins! I have posted the opening scene for the RPG under the new topic, "The Adventure Begins". Please, when posting under "The Adventure Begins", or any other official game topic, ONLY POST IN CHARACTER. If you have questions or comments, well, that's what THIS topic is for.

Anyone can start playing pretty much anytime they want to. My initial post set the stage. Your character can arrive anytime within the two-week period mentioned by Harim. Or afterward, if you'd prefer to wait. Native El-Hazard characters can, of course, show up anytime.

Have fun, everyone!

[larewen_evenstar]

Okay, I'm pretty new to the whole 'RPG' side of things. pesifically what do you do in an RPG?

[Spanner]

Okay, I'm pretty new to the whole 'RPG' side of things. pesifically what do you do in an RPG?

Well, in an RPG like this one, it's a little like we're all writing a giant fanfic, each of us concentrating on the actions of only one or two characters (i.e., the characters you're playing).

What you should do, is read all of the stuff that's been written (only two posts, so far ), decide how that stuff affects your character(s) (it may not affect them at all), and then write a paragraph, or a few paragraphs describing what your character does.

If you'd like a few suggestions, how about this? The Eye of God has been glitching for a few weeks, and it's certainly possible that the Bugrom have noticed. Perhaps they could send your character on a scouting mission to figure out what is wrong (since she's human, she's MUCH less conspicuous than a normal Bugrom soldier when scouting human territories). Then, along the way, you can meet up with some of the other player characters.

That's just one idea, and you don't have to use it. This game is very open, and you can come up with whatever reasons you like to participate.

[executor82]

First you introduce your char in any way you like. Think of a situation you would like to start or continue a post of another char to interact with him. (meet him.)
read the posts of the others and decide how your char could react in that situation (if he's already involved). Then post something that might fit.  

[larewen_evenstar]

Well, I've worked it out, and I posted there. I promise I wont get out of hand.

I discovered the tower as well.

[Spanner]

Looks good, Lar!

Oh, and I think this is a good opportunity to bring up a point. Sometimes, when a player introduces an element to the game, other players may change that element in ways that the original player does not expect.

In this case, it is quite possible that Shaylas Raven intended the strange tower to be a standard El-Hazard landmark, one that the natives are quite used to, even though it would seem strange to Nolan, a newcomer to El-Hazard.

Now, though, Lana has come across the tower, and it is a strange thing to her, as well, even though she's lived in El-Hazard her entire life. This could mean one of many things. It could mean that Lana is not very familiar with the area that she is in. Perhaps the only travelling she's done has been in Floristica, and around the Bugrom Hive. It could also mean that the tower is NEW. Perhaps some ancient El-Hazard technological system thrust it to the surface of the planet very recently, for some unfathomable purpose. Perhaps the new tower is even the cause of the Eye of God's strange fluctuations.

The bottom line is, everyone needs to be prepared for their carefully laid plans to fall apart because another player misinterpreted them. Rather than correct the other players to try to keep your plans on track, be flexible, adapt your plans to account for the new angle, or discard them if they are no longer possible. It's all part of the fun, and a true excercise in creativity! Once something is posted, it can be considered permanent. Only in extreme cases will the Moderators allow an event to be changed.

If there IS something that you have planned that you truly do not any interference with, spell it out for the other players in this topic, or another out-of-character topic. It's all right to make plans in advance, and it's also all right to keep those plans secret, if you wish. But if you do, don't be surprised if another player accidentally spoils them.

[larewen_evenstar]

Plans? What plans?

[Spanner]

Plans? What plans?

Heh. If you have no plans at all, then no one can spoil them!

[larewen_evenstar]

Good point.  

Maybe I should make some plans.

[Shade]

Bleh.  I have the images in my head, but the words just aren't there yet.  I'll try to get something done with it at work, and then post tomorrow.

[Spanner]

In this case, it is quite possible that Shaylas Raven intended the strange tower to be a standard El-Hazard landmark, one that the natives are quite used to, even though it would seem strange to Nolan, a newcomer to El-Hazard.

Now, though, Lana has come across the tower, and it is a strange thing to her, as well, even though she's lived in El-Hazard her entire life.

Well, Shaylas Raven has declared the tower to be the Roshtarian Palace. Since there's pretty much no way that Lana would not recognized THAT landmark, since she used to work there, she must be looking at a different tower.

I hope you're okay with that, Lar!

[theravenisdead]

Me too.  I'm Sorry if I impeded on yer plan for yer character's intro in any way  

oh btw, How often should we do a post? Should there be a minimum n maximum? I think it'd keep the story in check if we did, that way people would be able to write posts without having the possibility of them being made redundant by others who post more frequently, as well as provide a steady flow of posts so that the story doesnt stall due to a lack of them.

Just a suggestion of course ^_^

[Spanner]

oh btw, How often should we do a post?

Ah, this question pops up in pretty much any freeform online RPG. There's no real clear answer, either - some people simply have more time to devote to a game than others.

It's tough to make actual rules governing posting frequency. If people are forced to post infrequently, then people who can post more often tend to get bored and disinterested in the RPG. If people are allowed to post very frequently, then players that can't keep up tend to get lost and annoyed.

It's also the case that sometimes, rapid posting is desirable. For instance, if your character is having a conversation with someone else's character, that conversation will last a long, long time if you only post once a day. In such cases, it might be better to post back and forth quickly in order to finish the conversation sooner. One-on-one combat between two player characters is another similar case.

I'd suggest that players only post once a day (other than in special circumstances, like the one listed above), but I won't make it a rule. Post as often as you feel comfortable doing, and try not to lose the other players. And don't be afraid to speak up if you're feeling lost yourself - the faster players won't know that they need to slow down unless someone complains.

[larewen_evenstar]

Me too.  I'm Sorry if I impeded on yer plan for yer character's intro in any way

No, you didn't. I didn't have any plans. So nobody could really interfere with them. But I just smashed a car and tripped over Allan, so it can't be going to badly.    

Having it as the palace was probably quite a good idea, because that means that Allan, me, Fio and Nolan are all in the same general area, and we can run into each other. Literally.  

[Shade]

And here I am, lagging behind again.  I WILL get a post up, finishing Alex's introduction.

Just not today.  :-/