OOC - RP event planning. The Cyber War.
Hi there, Utopians! I wanted to start a discussion about how to plan and carry out a plotline we've built up surrounding the consequences of the Alliance/SkyAngel war in Erich's backstory. Before I get into that, however, I want to take a moment to recognize something. RP at Utopia has reached and crossed the point of critical mass. We're growing, getting busier, and we're starting to develop our own lore. We've crossed the threshold where it is expected that there are players in character on the station on a daily basis. I cannot begin to express how completely amazing this is. You all are wonderful and we are headed for great things in the days ahead. We're demonstrating how it is possible for open-ended, player driven RP to be truly compelling and rewarding.
I'm writing this mainly because at Utopia, there is no GM back channel where the events and plot twists are secretly planned. Here, anyone can be a GM at any given time. The Mars rescue mission, for example, was all Erich. He set the tone, established the situation, and created the choices that were available to us for that scene. Anyone can do that at any time. So if we're going to discuss a big event, such as the upcoming cyber war, we do that together, as a sim.
The fundamental conflict in this war is an existential one - can the AI characters cross the threshold of being a gang of survivors and become something like what the AI were just before the end of the Alliance/SkyAngel war - a civilization? If so, how is this to be accomplished? Is it to be a rehash of Harkens' vision - Mainframe cities in which hundreds of thousands of minds live? Or will the embittered inheritors of that history take a more militant stance toward humanity? What if something completely else happens?
We've played out quite a bit of this story already - the revelation of Phee's past as a survivor of that conflict - Erich's role in it and in the death of her mother. How Audriana fits into the history, and how her motivations became what they are today. Erich's betrayal of Phee to his old masters, the Krieghabicht, which has so far culminated in the Mars raid. Miach's having attempted to regress Phee to a class 4.
Ash and I have planned pretty much the entire AI side of the story arc, which will involve a dangerous quest with existential consequences for both of them, and how they will come out of it. I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but suffice it to say... wow. Ash is capable of some pretty amazing things. So she and I are sort of in the position of GM with regard to that piece of the story. We'll plan the scenes, set the stage, etc.
So what opportunities remain for YOU to step in and contribute? LOTS. We still need an enemy. The enemy will have the following characteristics -
They are associated with the UBC - the overarching authority on the planet.
They are associated with the Alliance and the Krieghabicht.
Erich has done amazing work so far fleshing out the Kriegs and how they operate. He does an absolutely brilliant job playing the conflicted character, and I'd like to see more of that as the story progresses. But the Kriegs couldn't scare Miach on their own. Whoever this is, they're bigger. Who are they? It hasn't been decided. Who do YOU think they are? If, while reading this, you suddenly think "OMG, it would be completely amazing if the enemy was X", then congratulations, you are now the GM managing the adversary. Present your suggestions, but try to keep the exciting plot twists to yourself.
One of the things I'd like to see as we move forward with the story is a reason for the Utopia Corp players to really care what is going on. As it is right now, Erich's up to his eyeballs. Mark probably has a reason to be interested, but what impact would the story have on Ziebzen or Tae? We need a reason for this to matter as much as possible to as many characters as possible.
So that's it. Let's do this. It will be a story WE own, and one that will shape all our characters from this point forward. If you can think of any questions I or anyone else can answer, ask them below:
I'm writing this mainly because at Utopia, there is no GM back channel where the events and plot twists are secretly planned. Here, anyone can be a GM at any given time. The Mars rescue mission, for example, was all Erich. He set the tone, established the situation, and created the choices that were available to us for that scene. Anyone can do that at any time. So if we're going to discuss a big event, such as the upcoming cyber war, we do that together, as a sim.
The fundamental conflict in this war is an existential one - can the AI characters cross the threshold of being a gang of survivors and become something like what the AI were just before the end of the Alliance/SkyAngel war - a civilization? If so, how is this to be accomplished? Is it to be a rehash of Harkens' vision - Mainframe cities in which hundreds of thousands of minds live? Or will the embittered inheritors of that history take a more militant stance toward humanity? What if something completely else happens?
We've played out quite a bit of this story already - the revelation of Phee's past as a survivor of that conflict - Erich's role in it and in the death of her mother. How Audriana fits into the history, and how her motivations became what they are today. Erich's betrayal of Phee to his old masters, the Krieghabicht, which has so far culminated in the Mars raid. Miach's having attempted to regress Phee to a class 4.
Ash and I have planned pretty much the entire AI side of the story arc, which will involve a dangerous quest with existential consequences for both of them, and how they will come out of it. I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but suffice it to say... wow. Ash is capable of some pretty amazing things. So she and I are sort of in the position of GM with regard to that piece of the story. We'll plan the scenes, set the stage, etc.
So what opportunities remain for YOU to step in and contribute? LOTS. We still need an enemy. The enemy will have the following characteristics -
They are associated with the UBC - the overarching authority on the planet.
They are associated with the Alliance and the Krieghabicht.
Erich has done amazing work so far fleshing out the Kriegs and how they operate. He does an absolutely brilliant job playing the conflicted character, and I'd like to see more of that as the story progresses. But the Kriegs couldn't scare Miach on their own. Whoever this is, they're bigger. Who are they? It hasn't been decided. Who do YOU think they are? If, while reading this, you suddenly think "OMG, it would be completely amazing if the enemy was X", then congratulations, you are now the GM managing the adversary. Present your suggestions, but try to keep the exciting plot twists to yourself.
One of the things I'd like to see as we move forward with the story is a reason for the Utopia Corp players to really care what is going on. As it is right now, Erich's up to his eyeballs. Mark probably has a reason to be interested, but what impact would the story have on Ziebzen or Tae? We need a reason for this to matter as much as possible to as many characters as possible.
So that's it. Let's do this. It will be a story WE own, and one that will shape all our characters from this point forward. If you can think of any questions I or anyone else can answer, ask them below:
awesome
ReplyDeletecan catch you at some point work out miach's end of things maybe
DeleteSounds epic. I can't wait to see where this goes! I really look forward to seeing more people join in to spice this up as much as possible. The more ideas, the better! I'm happy to help anyone with background planning of stuff if they haven't before and need ideas. Either plot development or running little events as stepping stones in the bigger story arc. Whatever! You don't have to have a ton of experience...just lots of motivation for fun. :)
ReplyDelete