NEW RPG THREAD DISCUSSION

[Wedge14]

ANNOUNCEMENT
We've decided that it's about time to start another RPG in one of the two vacant spots. So we need to fire up this thinktank and start brainstorming some new ideas. Remember that we have to follow the guidelines of the appropriate section. The sections we have open are Gundam Alternate universe and General section for non Gundam mecha rpg.

Im interested in the ideas everyone will come up with. Red, will takeover once it becomes time to start the polls. (i guess i'm still on probation around here) Untill that happens we'll have an unset amount of time to work on the ideas!

[Inferno]

well I'd like to suggest, in the vaguest way possible (I just came up with this, I could flesh it out later) a VOTOMs RPG?

Or am I the only person watching it?

[Rob DS Zeta]

I'm always open and eager to see what the community has to offer in terms of new RPGs.

Also, I've still got my Gundam-based MMORPG style idea from last time. I've fleshed it out a bit, but I'm not sure if I'll be submitting it or not.

well I'd like to suggest, in the vaguest way possible (I just came up with this, I could flesh it out later) a VOTOMs RPG?

Never watched VOTOMS, but to each his own.

[Dark Duel]

I've occasionally entertained the idea of a Super Robot Wars RPG that takes place in the home dimension of Axel and the Shadow Mirror, possibly chronicling the events that led to their leaving their own home dimension behind.
I'll give it some thought, see if I can flesh out something a little more detailed.

[The Big Zabowski]

I've got either a Fallout inspired RPG or an amended version of my previous submission to give a go on. The former just uses the world as a backdrop and power armor is used..

Along with Laser Gatlings, Miniguns, and giant friggin ballistic sledge hammers (google power actuated nail gun) for melee combat. I'm nerfing MIRVs and Mini Nukes because well.. it's a nuke?

Probably take place during the last days of the war that started the wasteland and during the middle of the game move into factionism ala New Desides/Sleeves when the nukes start flying. So.. fighting a world war in 2.5m tall power armor and then nukes get dropped all over. Then what?

Kinda want a more story/character driven game than just shoot 'em up. Not to mention it will be mostly power armor vs vehicle/power armor since mutations took at least 50-80 years to appear.

The Fallout game would take place during the war and just after the bombs dropped.

[Fritz Ashlyn]

I have no specific, concrete idea but since we're brainstorming and spitting stuff out there I'd like to suggest Star Wars. Things like Phase III dark troopers, "spacetrooper" stormtroopers, and other military exoskeletons exist in-universe it wouldn't be too weird to focus on some kind of large powered suits.

[Cybaster]

Withdrawn.

[Inferno]

I've occasionally entertained the idea of a Super Robot Wars RPG that takes place in the home dimension of Axel and the Shadow Mirror, possibly chronicling the events that led to their leaving their own home dimension behind.
I'll give it some thought, see if I can flesh out something a little more detailed.

If that means I get a Gespenst then sign me up.

[Tangerine]

Looks like everybody has different ideas...

As for me, I have my concern about the new RPG ability to maintain itself after the initial few weeks period. Whoever wants to be a GM should have tons of more than enough surpluses materials at hand to run the RPG smoothly. Rundowns of what will happen to the players before and after an event like combat or battle. As for now I’m rather clueless and tired when a “character development” stage arrives after or prior to a combat.

I mean, it’s like another contemplation writing coming up about tragedies of war, such.. such.. and so on. I tried to avoid it and write something else but it keep bugging me especially if the period was lengthy. However, I know it’s inevitable if we’re RP-ing a war drama where battles will be fought in between the drama. And usually the heavy emphasize is on the drama and not the fight.

That being explained, why can’t we have something that’s keep rolling like a thriller movie? Where time is not in abundance and waiting isn’t exactly what you’ll be doing if you want your character to survive.

Say the world crumbling. Epidemic, aliens, zombies, natural disasters, or nuclear wars whatever. And group of rag tag survival tried to band up together and fight they way for survival. Put some plot twist and such so that it’s not purely a fight for survival but also touching everybody character about other issues such as… say leadership issues. who will lead them and do you trust them with your lives. more exotic materials are moral dilemma: leaving people behind, turning your back from your brothers for your own safety, keeping food from one another, and so on. normal problems can also be a rich topics like how do you feel about eating moldy bread, pet food, toilets breaks around the bush and so on.

Hungry, being chased by (your call really: ancient aliens, matrix machines, monstrous diseases, radio active, zombies, etc) without electricity and running water, unskilled and clueless about life in wilderness.

It should be more interesting if players should come from wide array of characters background, businessman, school teacher, housewives, ordinary pizza delivering guy, professional soldiers, etc. All trying to overcome their old life and jump into the exo skeleton machine for the first time and charge headfirst into the battle for survival.

And access to those machines should not be "easily given" to them. Maintaining them would be extremely difficult at first. changing oils and such is irrelevant as any machine would be pushed to their limits until they cannot be used anymore; like how in apocalyptic world one would just find a suitable car and drive until the gas tank empty, he then just find another suitable car and drive away until he reaches his desired destination.

[Wedge14]

I think Tangerine hit the nail on the head. To have a successful rpg, we need to think differently. Maybe we should try for a smaller story. A smaller more personal conflict and aim for a length of around 5~ chapters or so. Think of an OVA something like 0083,0080 or 08th ms team, instead of say Zeta gundam or the entirety of Gundam Seed.

We can't deny we've always had trouble with the 2nd rpg (with a few exceptions). So I think we need to think with a different mindset. And i'm at that stage in my life were i can't swoop in and perform CPR to a game like i did in the olden days. But I'll still try and support whatever we decide on.

[Cybaster]

That being explained, why can’t we have something that’s keep rolling like a thriller movie? Where time is not in abundance and waiting isn’t exactly what you’ll be doing if you want your character to survive.

Mainly, I guess, because RPGs on Mechatalk (I believe I asked the Trinary this before in another thread) have to be at least 'mecha-related' with the emphasis being on the actual mecha...and in most standard media where the mecha is the main focus, the two genres don't mesh well at all. Even something akin to the APU in the Matrix Revolutions would be like having the BFG in Doom: It annihilates 'em demons good and cheapens the horror aspect of the plot (unless it's a Demon who has it ).

That, and the sad reality of things here is that whatever newcomers emerge into Mechatalk for its RPGs are going to expect and want Mecha, if not Gundam, as its main focus, even though we ourselves as veterans are sick to death of it at this point; I would know about that myself, as there was a time long ago where I was coming up with non-mecha RPGs here as prototype ideas, such as a Time Crisis RPG a few years back --- despite people showing interest in the Discussion Thread, it got 0 votes, and everyone flocked to the Mecha-based and Gundam RPGs instead.

Not that I wouldn't be all for a Left 4 Dead RPG, myself, but...

And in Tangerine's vein, I'm actually going to ask this: do we really need a second RPG here? TftF is not even remotely finished yet, and I believe Sentinel is coming up next afterwards; That's more than enough content for the others already playing to keep them occupied aplenty, and all the previous RPGs actually did was detract attention from TftF and cause slowdown in both RPGs in the long run. Maybe we should let TftF and Sentinel finish before discussing a new RPG here so we can focus on this one.

[mcred23]

I think Tangerine hit the nail on the head. To have a successful rpg, we need to think differently. Maybe we should try for a smaller story. A smaller more personal conflict and aim for a length of around 5~ chapters or so. Think of an OVA something like 0083,0080 or 08th ms team, instead of say Zeta gundam or the entirety of Gundam Seed.

I feel the need to point out that's how TftF started, a much smaller story and a more personal conflict, particularly compared to the scale of things that were done in most of the RPG's on the old board (Where we'd have huge things like the Battle of Loum or the Gryps 2 battles as the start of the RPG, which basically just became all players vs NPCs). Obviously, it's become something much larger, but that was as much the way the members of the RPG developed it as it was planning on the part of us running it.

I guess what I'm saying is that starting small/limited is a good idea, but if it starts to develop into something bigger, go with it.

That, and the sad reality of things here is that whatever newcomers emerge into Mechatalk for its RPGs are going to expect and want Mecha, if not Gundam, as its main focus, even though we ourselves as veterans are sick to death of it at this point

I'm not sick of it.

However, what you said there plays into the bit you said before about the RPG's here having to be mecha related, as that's basically the only limitation we've been given on what RPG's we run. After all, the site is called MechaTalk, and like you said, most people probably expect mecha/Gundam and are certainly more familiar with them.

And in Tangerine's vein, I'm actually going to ask this: do we really need a second RPG here? TftF is not even remotely finished yet, and I believe Sentinel is coming up next afterwards; That's more than enough content for the others already playing to keep them occupied aplenty, and all the previous RPGs actually did was detract attention from TftF and cause slowdown in both RPGs in the long run. Maybe we should let TftF and Sentinel finish before discussing a new RPG here so we can focus on this one.

We're not sure when TftF is going to end, nevermind Sentinel, so you'd be waiting a long time for that (Years?), and we want to give people the option to play in a game that isn't UC 0088, since we know not everyone is a fan of that. We've had periods where we ran multiple RPG's (Basically 2007 to 2009, with the first G RPG and then the TARRRPG going along side TftF) and things worked, so it's not like we can't do so again.

[Rob DS Zeta]

So, basically, we need a RPG with a good, driving plot, mecha, a small scale, and a GM that gives a hoot.

...Good luck with that.

[Wedge14]

Let's leave the negativity on the live journals. We go in expecting to fail, we will fail.

I can help people create a plot if need be, even help overlook things. We just need to get an idea on some mecha settings.

I like the idea of a Votoms rpg, we could play out a blackhawk down scenario with a small team of votoms suits having to hold off against a waves of attackers for a few days while waiting for reinforcements and what not.

[Inferno]

Yeah, I was sort of hoping the idea would keep the PvP to a minimum and mostly focus on the cooperative survival action against hordes of Fattys. (It's a VOTOMS mech, don't get mad) And the cool part is, it doesn't take much to get a feel for the VOTOMS universe, just watch one of the movies (I recommend Roots of Ambition) and you'll get an idea how the mech combat works.

[Wedge14]

Heres an idea! What if we go with a route where the ATs are the actual antagonists of the story? And the game can be centered around a town occupied by them.

We can stage a rebellion of sorts. That way we can involve ordinary regular pizza delivery guys and stuff within our cast. This is also a bit of a loophole for the people who're tired of the "mecha genre" to try something new.

[SNT1]

My views on my last RPG was too grand, that's why there were enough confusion. Anyways, I'll sit this one out as a potential GM, but I'd prefer to see an 00 RPG, possibly an alternate universe 00 where its AEU vs HRL vs Union without CB interference. Back to basics mecha RPG, all the backstory and plot material is started for you.

[Wingnut]

My views on my last RPG was too grand, that's why there were enough confusion. Anyways, I'll sit this one out as a potential GM, but I'd prefer to see an 00 RPG, possibly an alternate universe 00 where its AEU vs HRL vs Union without CB interference. Back to basics mecha RPG, all the backstory and plot material is started for you.

I've had that idea too, but one would need some kind of major spark that lights an ongoing fire as the narrition states that the three powers have that Zero Sum Game going where nothing really gets too out of hand.

[blind_dead_mcjones]

So, basically, we need a RPG with a good, driving plot, mecha, a small scale, and a GM that gives a hoot.

...Good luck with that.

*crosses arms* challenge accepted.

a detective (think cluedo or something to that effect, best example i can think of) story based rpg set in the patlabor universe, the structure to which will be similar that FMP! suggestion someone made some time ago where all the player characters are on one side but in different roles (eg: detective, beat cop, labor operator, mechanic, etc) with the antagonists and neutral individuals (witnesses, lawyers, informants, and so on) being GM controlled NPC's.

as an addition there will be a chapter based time limit in which to get all the evidence required to resolve the mystery/crime

[Tangerine]

Problem with Votoms is their mechanical design for their mechs, it's not very appealing. Why can't we have something pretty like FSS' designs.

Now, joke aside...

There's a patlabor movie that in the first minutes or so showed military labor being trapped in the jungle and get killed without much confrontation. I think something like that could work instead of just another two super powers getting mad at each other.

Say a new advanced mechs division joined with peace keeping force in south asia region during an armistice negotiation between the rebel and the government. What looks like a perfect opportunity to test the machine turns out into an all out war when the civilians rioting and overthrown the government. Another party that benefited from the instability in the region play their cards and before anyone knew almost all the peace keeping force are destroyed save for few survivors.

Now all of the players are trapped in the vast jungle. Rescue are delayed as new international and political turmoil arise. Limited food, limited ammo, and with nobody helping them. and then BAM, a monstrous being appeared, devouring anything in their path.... lol wat? ahaha!