Before requesting access, you are required to read the following:
Game rules may be subject to change.
SECTION I. PLAYER QUESTIONNAIRE
In the past, I would have asked for potential players to answer a laundry list of questions, submit a writing sample, et cetera. However, I've found that this doesn't really filter for the players I want to play with. So rather try to be selective, I'm going to accept everyone who applies into the game.
I only ask that you answer the following questions:
- Why do you want to play in this game?
- What are your expectations for this game?
- What do you expect in your own version of a "successful game?"
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Here are some answers to some questions you might have.
What is the Big Picture?
This game takes place amid a fantastical version of the Trojan War cycle. All the Kings of Hallia must honour their suitors' oaths and ally together to bring justice to the famed city of Ilion for their treachery and deceit in the abduction of the most beautiful woman in the Known World.
The game will cover the entire ten-year cycle from the beginning of the conflict between the Hallians and the Prassians to the very bitter, and perhaps destructive, end. However, there is no particular plan. You may be familiar with the Trojan War myths, but that does not mean that this game will follow them to the very letter. Instead, think of the myths as inspiration for our own game and our own story.
The world itself is touched everywhere by the divine. People offer ritual sacrifices to the gods for their blessings. A stranger on the road could be a god in disguise, offering boons and banes alike. The words of oracles and seers are heeded, for they are the portents of the gods. Many can lay claim to divine heritage or at least possess godly abilities of some kind.
And in the Age of Heroes, men are ever conscious of prophecy and the deeds of those who came before. The songs of the ancestors, of ages long gone, of glories past and battles won and lost, predominate the consciousness of the people of the Known World. Will you be able to live up to the names of your ancestors?
Who are the players supposed to be?
The game follows the perspectives of a single Indrevite family and how they and their City become embroiled in the wider war between the Hallians and the Prassians. This is similar to how
A Song of Ice and Fire follows the Stark family.
This family is necessarily a wealthy aristocratic family, as they must be close to the political action in order to influence events. Still, as players you can become any member of the household, whether that mean becoming the head of the family; a junior member of the family, like a son or daughter; or perhaps even a servant or slave that must serve the household.
It is even possible that one of the players will play an important member of the Assmebly, the legislative body or council that advises the King. They may even play the King, if that is what they wish to do. Yet these responsibilities also come with particular hooks and obligations that must be fulfilled, not only to the people of the City, but also to the gods.
What kind of powers can I choose?
As a game steeped in myth, people with superhuman powers abound. They may descend from actual gods, or perhaps have been born under specific auspices. Whatever the case, I personally have no problem with
any power whatsoever. Whatever you decide, I can roll with, for the most part. Now, other people may have their own opinions, so if there's a power you personally would feel
uncomfortable being in the game, let your preferences be known as soon as possible. For example, maybe you don't like the idea of a power to induce torture, like the Cruciatus Curse in Harry Potter.
This is a
Mature game, so that means there's not to be any explicit or graphic sex or violence and such, and any power you selected would have to fit that scope. And we definitely want to respect people's boundaries. Just know that I have very few that don't already fit within the constraints of a Mature game. :)
Tricky to adjudicate powers will be handled with care, but they should certainly be doable. If you want to be able to travel in time or read minds, I will make accommodations for those powers. One thing I think might be tricky is if you have a Rogue or Peter Petrelli like power to copy other people's powers. Ensemble stories are all about making sure you have your own way to shine that other people can't mimic. If you can do it all, there's no point in making this a story about a group of characters, but more about one particular main character. That wouldn't be fun, I think, for the other players, but we can discuss it, if that's what you want to do. We can see about adding some fictional constraints to make it more interesting as a story.
Take this as my stance on any quote-unquote "problematic" powers. If there's an interesting story there, I'm willing to work a little harder, exert a little more effort, to make it work in the story we're all telling together. But remember that we
are telling a story together. Be open to feedback from other players as well as from me. :)
Something I want to explore in this game is how surreal, weird, strange, and frightening magic can be. How beyond our own understanding it is. How it plays with our perceptions of reality. To that end, there
are certain things that magic will not conform to. For example, I want to avoid concepts like
magical elements, like fire, earth, water, and air powers. If you must have fire or water powers, make it strange and interesting!
What is the minimal RPG system?
The
minimal RPG system is a system I devised over the course of many years, specifically for running games in a play-by-post format. It's more about getting out of the way of the players and the GM, in order to run any sort of game imaginable. It uses a simple resolution mechanic that's easy to understand to facilitate play, and the players can play any sort of character they put their minds to.
What about game balance?
I take a more nuanced approach to balance than is espoused in D&D and other game systems. Remember that this game isn't about combat per se. As long as every character has something interesting to do, I don't see a really huge problem. Often in stories you have an ensemble cast of characters with widely differing skillsets.
Style
I expect players to think about their characters' inner life and thoughts and feelings and be descriptive about such in their posts. Some players have only posted their outward physical actions, which is fine for some games, but not the ones I run. I'm interested in character arcs and narratives and emotional pay-offs and so forth.
Lay out your character's backstory gradually. The tendency of most players is to get it all out at the beginning, sometimes in the first post. I've had some players whose first posts were their entire backstory, with 1000 words or more.
Don't do that.
Not only is it contravention to the posting guidelines, but we're just getting to know the characters, the world, the story. The less you spill, the more that is retained. Leave us wanting more, instead of wanting to skim.
Collaboration
I expect players to be open to collaboration in the fiction. I'll rein you back if I feel you come up with something that contradicts the world, but players should generally be open to suggestions from other players and the GM. We're all in charge of the fiction together. You can write for another NPC, just as much as I can. Someone else can even chime in and move other characters around if their idea makes for a more interesting story.
I'm even okay with player characters moving other player characters, with each other's permission, of course. Comfort levels may vary, but if I was playing Doc Brown, and another was playing Marty, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch for me to move Marty in such a way:
quote:
"Great Scott!" said Doc Brown.
"What is it, Doc?" Marty said.
If you do move another PC or NPC, be sure to be open to making edits if someone says you're doing something to make them go out of character.
Regarding Romance
I'll leave it up to the players whether they'll engage their characters in a romance. Personally, I prefer for romance to arise organically in the story, as opposed to something that is forced or the "point" or the main driver of a game.
Nice as romance is, my aims and interests do not revolve around romance, but instead are concerned with the overarching narrative and the character arcs I'm trying to build in complicated webs between the characters. Romance can play its part, and maybe even a vital part for some arcs, but keep in mind that it's only one part amidst many others. o
