The RPG Soapbox: Let your voice be heard!

[Misfit]

As people who pretend to be superheroes on a nerdy website, Im pretty sure we all have a passion for little known characters. A lot of the time, the problem with writing B-Listers and beyond, for me at least, is the lack of characters to draw on. There's also an appeal for me to discovering obscure characters to fill a niche. But I feel like I end up robbing them of their names and likeness, just to avoid technically making someone new. What really got me thinking about it was readinjg a piece of excellent Batman fanfiction that introduced an original villain, The Skeleton, and his gang ("We are the bones picked clean").

I feel the New 52 Wally West is a pristine example ofa character taken too far from its roots. I think it wouldve been better to use a wholly different character. Id rather use a fresh character when Im writing than mutilate a recognizable one. I think that would be easier for people to pick up on because its simple to write them off as long as youre responsible with your NPCs. But, Eddie, that would definitely be the trick.

 

[Andy C.]

While I'm not flat-out opposed to the idea of having original characters interact with pre-existing ones, I'd probably want that to be on a case-by-case basis-- I've seen the horrors of "OC" fan-fiction a few times too many. it'd be way too easy to have someone whip up some Mary Sue who's just the coolest and bestest at everything ever, or have the OC's become so prominent that we're essentially just playing the CAH game and could leave the DC/Marvel stuff out of it entirely (or worse, we'd be making a DCUO fan-game....)

What could be pretty interesting, though, is if we make it a collaborative thing. Like, we brainstorm together and come up with, say, a new villain for Superman to face, or a new member of the Bat-Family, something we can show people as a Hype Original (tm).

 

[Byrd Man]

I've created quite a few, I wouldn't go so far to call them original characters, but people who don't exist in the canon before hand. The rules I usually use are:

1. They can't be a superhero or a supervillain, and have to have as little or no affiliation to another character besides my own.

2. They have to fill a role that no already established character can fill. Why give Batman another police ally when Jim Gordon is the bomb and the only one he needs. Same with an Alfred or Lucius Fox type character. Now, if you wanted to create a Jim Gordon like character for someone like Daredevil who never really has had someone like that, then go ahead and just make someone. This same principle applies to villains, especially a villain you want to kill off. You kind of have to create bad guys if you want to play the Punisher because... damn.

3. Make them expendable. Not necessarily someone who can be killed off, but someone who isn't so entangled in the character's life that if another player picks them up they can't explain the character's absence without it seeming like they're getting put on a bus. (Comics writers are plenty guilty of this one... *cough* Milla Donovan.)

 

[Misfit]

I like Andy's and Byrd's solutions. Hype Originals.. I love it. An exclusive canon to this site. If youre serious about that Id love to work on it.

Byrd, Is that already fine for general use in the games?

 

[sabetoonth]

Im months late. But that's a good idea I think. I could get behind it. It would just need to be worked out and perfected. Maybe I'm too late though?

 

[grayghost]

Disappointed this place seems dead, always wanted to do one in the past but didn't have the time, just thought of it today and can't really find anyone anywhere still doing these RPGs.

Would totally be on board if it took off! I really like seeing everyone reinventing/interpreting characters.

 

[Misfit]

Disappointed this place seems dead, always wanted to do one in the past but didn't have the time, just thought of it today and can't really find anyone anywhere still doing these RPGs.

Would totally be on board if it took off! I really like seeing everyone reinventing/interpreting characters.

I go by Nightrunner. If you still want to get in on the fun, go to Roleplayerguild.com, find Maximum Comics: Insurrection under Advanced, and sign up. I'm trying out for Daredevil.

 

[sp9880]

Is it possible to start a game that doesn't come from an existing fandom? I usually rp on Fanforum and the format is different.

 

[Eddie Brock]

It's been done before, but I don't think we have the manpower these days to support it.

 

[Byrd Man]

What's the concept? Couldn't hurt to at least float the idea. If it's rural southern cops and criminals, so help me god...

 

[Misfit]

So I had an idea.

What if we did a game where we were encouraged to play OCs? Here's the catch: You can't play your own original characters. You can only have each original villain/sidekick appear in your posts three or four times as an NPC before someone else has to pick them up as a PC or feature them.

Beside that feature, I think it'd be cool if it was just like the Age of Heroes or any of the games that pick up Post-Crisis or in the 616 continuity. Instead of Create-A-Hero, we could call it Adopt-A-Hero. What do y'all think?

 

[sp9880]

What's the concept? Couldn't hurt to at least float the idea. If it's rural southern cops and criminals, so help me god...

It took me a long time to get this into words. The entire thing is here:

http://www.fanforum.com/f37/starchild-academy-myoc-game-63155820/

This was the premise I put in there, although they didn't leave me enough room for detail. I'll post again giving it more of an explanation.

There's a town that's not on the map, hidden from view and hidden from humanity. Everyone there is a hybrid alien and all of them hate humans. They believe that they're the only ones who can save their people from humans and take back the surface that was once theirs.

This town has a school called Starchild Academy that places most of the responsibiity on. The school trains the children to be part of the future so they can infiltrate human society, study them and contribute to the cause.

In the beginning, students were kidnapped or forced to go. However, they realized that students with rare powers may have parents who would look for them. The school selectively recruits students or looks for those who need help and brings them to the school.

While the school has basic things in common with any other school,the main purpose is to teach them how to be children of the stars.

 

[Reek]

edit

 

[NiteMare Shape]

So, I'm glad to see the basement has become somewhat active again. I'm currently running a Star Wars game on another site, but miss these boards. Would anyone be game for a Star Wars RPG set over a 100 years after ROTJ?

 

[sabetoonth]

So, I'm glad to see the basement has become somewhat active again. I'm currently running a Star Wars game on another site, but miss these boards. Would anyone be game for a Star Wars RPG set over a 100 years after ROTJ?

Having recently freed myself from what had distracted me before(I know I suck), that could be cool, I dont know much about SW but still.

 

[Mtheumer]

Here's my premise for a Marvel Open-World RPG

On Earth 619, the Civil War between those in support of and those against the Superhero Registration Act, have laid down their arms and a truce has been negotiated between Tony Stark (Iron Man) and Steve Rogers (Captain America). There would be an all-volunteer force created that spanned all groups of superheroes. This force, known as “The Initiative” would work in conjunction with all the governments of the world and be headed by Iron Man, Captain America, Professor Xavier, Dr. Strange, Black Bolt, Black Panther, Reed Richards, Namor, and Maria Hill as a SHIELD representative and liaison between the superhuman community and world governments.
The Initiatives first act was to establish training facilities, based on establish a hero’s origin type, to help guide them in the use of their abilities, coordination in forming groups, and all the threats that they may encounter. These facilities are as follows:


The Xavier Institute for Mutant Studies – Mutant

The Sanctum of Mystical Mastery – Magic

The Enclave - Technology

Camp Hammond Field Training Institute – Natural

The Four Freedoms Foundation – Science


Heroes who join one of the five institutes are granted access to a network of resources from all facilities as well as S.H.I.E.L.D. While performing hero work outside the Initiative is not prohibited, doing so outside the law may get you branded a vigilante.


Upon hearing of the formation of the Initiative and fearing a unified hero front, villain organizations and key players gathered to form their own version, The Cabal. Like the Initiative, the Cabal would seek out new super powered beings twist their perceptions and turn them to a life of crime whose profits would funnel up to the founding members, Dr. Doom, The Mandarin, Mr. Sinister, Baron Zemo, the High Evolutionary, Magneto and Taskmaster acting as the head of training and representative of the Cabal to all the other gangs and organizations set to profit from their involvement. The Cabal too established special facilities across the globe to funnel resources to create an endless stream of super villains of all types, but like the Initiative, separated into four facilities:


The Latverian Metahuman Acadamy – Technology, Magic

New Genosha School for Mutant Excellence – Mutant

The Hydra Advanced Combat Institute – Natural

A.I.M. Facility One - Science


See more details at www.themarveluniverseonline.com