Future Posting Games

[BlueBard]

I'm not saying for certain that I will... but what type of role-playing posting games do you want to see in the future?  And what would you be interested in playing if I ran it?

Some of the options may not be known or clear to everyone, so I'll run down the list.

• Generic Superhero:  Every player plays a super-powered hero (or maybe even a villain!)


• "My Secret Identity":  Players start out without super powers and develop them as the story/game progresses.


• Cyberpunk:  Set in a future Earth where cybernetic and genetic enhancements are commonplace and social unrest seethes below the surface of society as governments, terrorist organizations, criminal syndicates, and megacorporations plot to control everything.


• Space Opera:  Set in future interstellar space, where space travel is commonplace and aliens interact with humanity.  Just like Star Wars, or Traveller.


• Paranoia:  A darkly-humorous tongue-in-cheek post-apocalyptic game of betrayal, intrigue, crazy clones, rogue robots, weird science, and The All-Powerful Computer.  Sort of like a cross between 'Logan's Run' and Mission Impossible meets Abbot and Costello.  I can't really describe it if you've never played it.


• Fantasy:  Ok, I don't do D&D.  But I can come up with some sort of fantasy-themed game.


• Survivor:  Just like the TV Show, only FR-style.


• Interactive fiction mystery:  I will loosely script a whodunnit which the players will act out and one of the players will secretly be the murderer/thief/whatever.  The rest of the players will contribute to the story and solve the mystery.  As well as running the game I will also be the victim (if it's a murder mystery), so if you ever wanted to bump me off here's your chance.


• Alternate History:  Based on an alternate version of history.  Could involve steampunk, mad science, pivotal changes in historical events, all of the above, etc.

You get three votes... use them wisely.

[bearded]

i vote for a combination of 3.  generic superhero/cyberpunk/giant mech.  ok, you didn't have mech on the list, but here's my idea for you.
it's set in the future, post wars.  humanity generally reside in giant city domes, with superb computer tech, cyber web.  the wars were fought with giant mechs.
in the domes, people have superheroes, vigilantes, and villians.  in cyber reality there are businesses and communities.  outside the domes are the wreckages of the giant mechs.
each player would have superhero powers in the dome, cyber rigs and shadowrun style on the net, and kit bashed mechs for outside, to forage for more mech parts.
i would definetly play this.  altho it would need more fleshing out.
in effect, each character would have 3 sets of stats, for each realm.

[BlueBard]

i vote for a combination of 3.  generic superhero/cyberpunk/giant mech.  ok, you didn't have mech on the list, but here's my idea for you.
it's set in the future, post wars.  humanity generally reside in giant city domes, with superb computer tech, cyber web.  the wars were fought with giant mechs.
in the domes, people have superheroes, vigilantes, and villians.  in cyber reality there are businesses and communities.  outside the domes are the wreckages of the giant mechs.
each player would have superhero powers in the dome, cyber rigs and shadowrun style on the net, and kit bashed mechs for outside, to forage for more mech parts.
i would definetly play this.  altho it would need more fleshing out.
in effect, each character would have 3 sets of stats, for each realm.

That's... a lot more ambitious than anything I was thinking about running...

I could see a cybertech/mech combo, though I have not much interest in running something like that... at least not with mech combat being a major part of the game.  I'm not sure why mechs would be used to fight wars when you could have superhumans duking it out, but I'll keep an open mind there.  I haven't played a mech-based RPG in eons and I'm not sure how well it would translate to a posting game.

[Viking]

One of my votes was, "You forgot a genre!"  As such, I'm specifying here.

Loosely speaking, I call it the "alternate history" genre.  This encompasses Steampunk Wild West America (possibly incorporating unexplained magical phenomena), or adventuring in a European setting where mad scientists have dominated technological developments and politics.

Put another way, it takes the framework of a known historical setting, and then operates on the assumption that something fundamental has happened to change the cultural/technological/political development as history originally dictated.

[BlueBard]

One of my votes was, "You forgot a genre!"  As such, I'm specifying here.

Loosely speaking, I call it the "alternate history" genre.  This encompasses Steampunk Wild West America (possibly incorporating unexplained magical phenomena), or adventuring in a European setting where mad scientists have dominated technological developments and politics.

Put another way, it takes the framework of a known historical setting, and then operates on the assumption that something fundamental has happened to change the cultural/technological/political development as history originally dictated.

Either of those ideas sound interesting.  I'll add a choice for Alternate History RPG; you can modify your vote if you want to.

BTW... If you have any interest in "Steampunk meets Gaslamp" with mad scientists mixed in, check out Girl Genius by Phil Foglio.  You can find it at http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/

[Viking]

Oh, I'm quite familiar with Girl Genius, the comic.  That's some inspired work.  It was part of my inspiration for the Alternate History genre suggestion.

[bearded]

the reason for mechs is a different scale of things.  superheroes would be on the batman to general xmen level of things.  mechs would be super stats.  the only thing that would hurt a mech, would be another mech.

another idea for you:  what about an rpg in which the major battles were fought using  :ff: or  :ffvstr: online in multiplayer?  you could set up the game to use the ff stats for dice rolling.

[Glitch Girl]

Let's stick with play by post for now. Makes it easier for people with odd schedules to play.  Keep it Simple, Seriously.

Of course if you want to try to run something like that, go for it.

[Uncle Yuan]

I had voted for other things, but in reading other posts I agree that victorian steam-punk/League of Extrodinary Gentlemen/Screw-on Head/Wild Wild West would be a lot of fun!!

[Glitch Girl]

Dang it, I can't change one of my votes from "Generic Superhero" to "Alternate History".   :(

[Uncle Yuan]

Oh, I'm quite familiar with Girl Genius, the comic.  That's some inspired work.  It was part of my inspiration for the Alternate History genre suggestion.

Are we signing up for characters?!  I call dibs on Captain DuPree!! :twisted:

And how do we change votes, anyway?

[BlueBard]

I selected the option that's supposed to let people change their votes... I don't know how or even if it really works, though.

It apparently does not work... or there's some trick to it I am unaware of.

[Sword]

I'd like to see a pulp-themed game, using the Spirit of the Century rules.

[BlueBard]

I'd like to see a pulp-themed game, using the Spirit of the Century rules.

You'll have to elaborate on that... I have no idea what the 'Spirit of the Century' rules are.

[Sword]

Have you heard of FATE system? Spirit of the Century is the third edition rules for that. Where instead of levels for things like strength, wisdom, you instead have "Aspects," personalized characteristics that have a direct effect from the GM on storyplay. Aspects like "Grease Monkey" or "Girl in Every Port" For a "FATE Point" characters can activate these aspects to change the flow of the story, or the GM can "compel" them by offering an extra fate point for it, at the cost of taking a penalty for that action.

http://zork.net/~nick/loyhargil/fate-srd-rest/Fate-SRD-2005-03-31.html There's the general idea of it.
http://www.evilhat.com/?spirit- the makers

[BlueBard]

Ok, Sword, I'll file that away for future reference.  I'm not a pulp aficionado, so I'm not sure I could pull off the genre very well.  But I won't rule it out, either.

[Deaths Jester]

I'd like to see a pulp-themed game, using the Spirit of the Century rules.

Ohhh....this sounds interesting!!!