Future RP Ideas

[Velvet LeChance]

What sort of ideas MARS? I've liked the last few you put up, and have a bunch of characters imagined that I want to roll out, so I'm curious.

Question also,

Is there already a thread for people to discuss world-building? I started back into writing a near-future/cyberpunk world that could potentially host a RP, but the rolling out of this RP is so far distant that it wouldn't be appropriate here. I also like discussing this stuff, so a thread where those interested could get together would be cool.

[Dirty Spaceman]

DM Discussion or the Writer's Guild thread in the Arts subforum, maybe?

[BetaB17]

I wanna say two things. First off, that if you haven't read any of the Bartimaeus books, yeah, go do that. 2nd, in that I really want an RP based off the series. Preferably pre-modern, and of course, hosted by a quality DM

I mean, to fans of the series, can not not see it? The DM playing as the magician, all the players waiting for word while they stood bound to their summoning circles. Tell me that doesn't bring all sorts of good feels

I need this in my life. Soon, and done right (Please?)

[Velvet LeChance]

2043, Integralist Brazil.

It's been almost 10 years to the day that the Taquesdas snatched power from, ask some, the rightful and legitimate center-left government of Maria Perez, others, the jaws of anarchy. It's been almost 10 years since marshal law was imposed in the Brazilian state and one of the most intense, rapacious and brutal periods of modern Brazillian history began. Liberalizing reforms were introduced from the top-down; FDI has since flooded the country, incomes rose, life expectancy fell. The novos ricos now sport experimental cyberware, an ascendant middle-class discovered English-language newspapers, coffee with cream and syrup, and home gyms; over ten million still live in the Favelas, a sprawling megalopolis in itself.

You are one among this change. A man for hire, you are offered a job with a price-tag you can't refuse.

Searching for Utopia
Coming Summer 2017*

---

* Dependent on the speed of Black Legion, which is my first priority.

[BetaB17]

:

[Kerr]

Oh, I'm interested. Between now and then I'll have to decide if I want my middle aged mercenary to be a washed up former solider in a Right-Wing Latin American group or a washed up former solider in a Left-Wing Latin American group. On the one hand School of the Americas training, I'm sorry, Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation training (Jesus, that sounds way more dystopian) would be useful. On the other hand the ELZN have a really cool flag. Decisions, decisions.

Brazil is a really good choice for setting by the way, for all aspects really. And in general I like seeing things that aren't set in America or the UK just for diversity's sake.

---
Speaking of things set in America, I'm not sure when Delta Green is going to be made. I'm also hoping like mid 2017. Assuming there is still interest whenever it goes up. I'm hoping Fallout will be finished by then.

[KingFeraligatr]

I plan on starting up my full Mass Effect Rewrite RP on my forums this month. Do go there of you're interested.

I also still want run a Pokemon RP. I just need to know what setting and the like people are interested in.

[Velvet LeChance]

@KF: You are best off setting it in one of the earlier gens. It just bounds the level of complexity as close to none as possible and in a world with as many moving parts as Pokemon, that's always good.

[KingFeraligatr]

@Velvet So keep it like Gen 4 and/or before? I'm quite familiar with Pokemon up to and including Gen 4. After that, I still follow along but it's not as second nature as Gen 4 and before.

[Velvet LeChance]

del.

[KingFeraligatr]

I just had an idea to run a short Halo RP based on one of my own scenarios. Players would be mostly Humans and would be Marines, ODSTs, and more. However, the story also calls for conflict on the Covenant side of things and could accommodate some players there as well. I imagine this RP would be quick, comparative to some other RPs, as I said.

I know, I really want to run an RP here it seems.

[Velvet LeChance]

Draft,

Spoiler:

• It's been almost 10 years to the day that the Taquesdas snatched power from, ask some, the rightful and legitimate center-left government of Maria Perez, others, the jaws of anarchy. It's been almost 10 years since martial law was imposed in the Brazilian state and one of the most intense, rapacious and brutal periods of modern Brazillian history began. Liberalizing reforms were introduced from the top-down; FDI has since flooded the country, incomes rose, life expectancy fell. The novos ricos now sport experimental cyberware, an ascendant middle-class discovered English-language newspapers, coffee with cream and syrup, and home gyms; over ten million still live in the Favelas, a sprawling megalopolis in itself.
  
  You are one among this change. A man for hire, you are offered a job with a price-tag you can't refuse.

Culture

You can read about Brazil’s culture, here. For a brief overview, see below.

Brazil 2039 hosts significant cultural diversity owing to high levels of intermixing by indigenous- and immigrant-peoples. Nevertheless, it remains primarily Western in its orientation, having adopted to many of the norms brought by colonial settlers. One standout difference is the Brazilian emphasis on beauty; in Brazil, inquiring about how one looks is no less polite that demonstrating concern about their health. Brazil 2039 also hosts considerable amounts of economic inequality; there are the very rich, and the very poor, with relatively few in between - though, this middle has underwent a significant expansion in our timeline. Class distinctions are of considerable significance in Brazilian culture - and is used as a basis of systems of deference and authority in Brazilian culture.

Brazil 2039 is dominated by two emerging contradictions. Despite the hypersexualised image it presents to foreigners, and the growing liberalization of its dominant Catholic population, a rapidly expanding Evangelical population (evangélicos), especially with specific regards to the middle- and upper- class, has injected a certain social conservatism into political discourse: LGBT rights movements don’t hold the traction they do in Western states, and the percentage who report having extramarital sexual relations is in decline. Despite extensive censorship and attempts to enforce political conformism, Brazil has vibrant underground radical-political networks. However, as one would expect, it is the middle- and upper-middle class with the greater amount of time and energy to spend engaged with these networks - and thus, combined with purges of left-wing intellectuals, the right dominates ideological discussion.

Technology

Cybernetics
Non-neural cybernetics have been popularly available across the high-income world for a number of years. In Brazil, the official versions of these technologies remain out of reach for the vast majority of people - restricted to the upper-middle class, they have become a particular distinction of the novos ricos, young businessmen and technologists who made their millions in the research-oriented start-ups that have emerged, and been cultivated, beneath Tasquada. For the most part, these ‘wares are clunky and inefficient: integration with organs, in particular, has posed complications. However, for those with the cash - and, bills can reach into the millions, sometimes tens of millions - high-grade ‘wares are available.

The most basic cybernetic limbs are widely available and function as well as the real thing - though hit, as one would expect, like a lump of metal. More exotic forms - chainsaw arms, pistol fingers, and other such weapon-attachments - are legally restricted, though covert ones can be installed in Amapa for sums typically available to only the upper-middle class and high-income mercenaries. You can have your eyes replaced with cyberware which might allow you to see in the dark, see infrared, and so on, and are available to those on middle-incomes. Head-computers have appeared in the last number of years and have recently come into the availability of those straddling upper-middle income - at the current prices, these tend to be more restricted to hackers, but almost all mercenaries have basic communications-ware. Sub-dermal armor comes in a number of qualities, but most basic is available to even the lowest-earning mercenaries. Experimental invisibility ‘wares are available in Amapa to the richest of the rich. Most cybernetics that affect your internal organs are more likely to leave you dead after a few months, but are still available in Amapa to most in the middle-class.

Street-level knock-offs are available. Deaths aren’t common - but happen. As one would expect, the ‘wares offered through these services tend to not be as optimised. These tend to be most common among both mercenaries, and those straddling the middle-middle class and upper-middle class division. Prices are about a 20% reduction, thus some of the most exotic items - invisibility - is still only available to those on the highest incomes.

HAx
Bioware, or HAx, as they are referred to in common-speak, are much less prevalent, and in most high-income countries, there is significant restriction. Brazil, in contrast, is quite liberal with regards to legislated research ethics and this has facilitated both a large number of corporations locating there, and greater prevalence of these HAx than in countries at an equivalent income level. Amapa, ‘the wild west of science research’, also hosts a significant amount of development that falls somewhere between ‘unethical’ and ‘straight [&@%!]-the-hell-up’.

There are two forms of HAx. Those introduced through electroporation, and those introduced through direct genome editing. The former is cheap and available to most people from lower-middle class up: but, the procedure is painful and the effect wears off after 6 - 12 months, depending on the individual. The latter is more expensive, but affect the genome permanently. Most procedures are restricted to those on significant, upper-middle class incomes, but some of the more basic ones are available to those in the lower-middle class, upwards.

In terms of use, aesthetic-orientated HAx, from cheap, low-grade ones that alter basic features to more expensive ones that alter metabolic rates, are in wide use; most of the middle-class have access to the former. The last few years has also seen the introduction of the first legal HAx for furthering physical-capabilities - gene-doping has become a major fear of sports committees as a result. Examples here include HAx that will make you faster, stronger, increase your endurance to physical pain, increasing healing times, the amount of stress the heart can take - the price scales with the complexity. In Amapa, the upper-middle class can access experimental neural enhancements that can affect intelligence and memory skills. Otherwise, HAx have been used to increase fertility and as medicine - numerous genetic diseases have been brought to near-extinction in the high-income world.

Other
In other developments, in vitro meat is of increasing popularity, vertical farming is commercially viable in some of the world's largest cities, the use of stem cells have greatly reduced the need for traditional organ donations, full-weather modelling has been perfected, and 3D printers have revolutionized manufacturing - some countries have experimented with a basic minimum income in response. Self-driving cars have entered increasingly popular use among drivers in high-income countries, as have womb-tanks for the deliverance of children. Robotics have yet to reach the potential imagined for them, their intelligence is still quite limited. In 2038, the United States showcased its first stealth-tank, which can enter and exit invisibility. Solar is the most common source of electricity production in the high-income world. Climate change turned out to be real.

In Global Events:

The world is more interconnected than it ever was: whilst high-income countries faltered in this mission, increased connectedness among low- and middle-income countries has more than made up for this. The two most important developments have been the deepening of European relations, culminating in the creation of a common armed-forces in 2028, as it confronted a resurgent Russia and a down-sized American defence presence. The American pivot from Asia also initiated deeper co-operation in, and out, of ASEAN. Japan and South Korea have both joined ASEAN, and Indochina has come into a closer association with China.

China has become increasingly assertive across Central Asia, in particular. The New Silk Road has allowed for a much enhanced projection of its hard and soft power. In 2042 it entered a limited conflict with India that has captured most of the world’s attention. This has - unfortunately - distracted from the humanitarian crisis in Africa, where tens of millions have been displaced by the operations of a changing climate. Greater concern has, instead, been posed at the smaller numbers of Floridians displaced on the Caribbean, a region now subject to much greater regularity in its hurricane activity.

Full timeline available on request.

Brazilian Timeline

Brazil has had a tumultuous decade. In 2033, after years of economic stagnation, it found itself in the grips of simultaneous currency and banking crisis’. In 2034, the military staged a coup which displaced the elected centre-left government of Maria Peres - the civilian and leader of the extreme-right, neo-Integralist Order e Progresso, Mario Tasquada was nominated into government in her place. He has overseen a significant re-configuration of the Brazilian economy towards a more free-market orientation. Of greatest note is his leasing of Amapa to a consortium of neuro- and bio-technology corporations, in 2034 - this has transformed to the zone into the so-called ‘wild west of science research’. In 2040 the accounts of tax evaders were also bundled into securities and sold - rights to apprehend tax-evaders were also expanded. Since, there has been an influx of private soldiers, operating on the behalf of wealthy security-holders, arriving on Brazil’s shores.

The current year is 2043, and the economy has seen a broad recovery; economic growth over the last number of years has been strong and sustained. Inflation has been put under control - with Brazil re-denominating in dollars. But, unequalness has risen substantially - and the GINI currently stands at 0.58. Tens, perhaps hundreds, of thousands died during the shift towards Laissez-faire - one NGO put the figure at 1 million. Tasquada’s power was formalised in the constitution of 2038 - though, he is a popular autocrat nevertheless, with broad sections of the middle- and upper-class viewing him as having restored order and prosperity to the Federation, according to the latest GALLUP polling available.

Full timeline available on request.

Classes:

:

Name: Commando
Perk: +1 all attacks on other characters.
Major: 2 of (automatic weapons, pistols).
Minor: 1 of (etiquette (1), hand-to-hand, first-aid.)

:

Name: Sentinel
Perk: -1 all attacks against you.
Major: 1 of (shotguns, blunted-weapons)
Minor: 3 of (pistols, shotguns, blunted-weapons, first-aid, explosives)

:

Name: Medic
Perk: N/a
Major: 1 of (biomedical aid)
Minor: 1 of (pistols, shotguns, long-rifle) and 1 of (etiquette (2))

:

Name: Assassin
Perk: 40% chance of instant kill, when weapon is long-rifle used from distance of >25m, or bladed-weapon.
Major: 1 of (long-rifle, bladed-weapons)
Minor: 1 of (pistols, throwing-weapons, hand-to-hand) and 1 of (stealth (parkour), stealth (impersonation))

:

Name: Saboteur
Perk: 200% critical hit chance.
Major: 1 of (explosives, shotguns)
Minor: 2 of (stealth (parkour), shotguns, bladed-weapons, blunted-weapons).

:

Name: Berzerker
Perk: +2 all attacks on other characters, +3 all attacks against you.
Major: 2 of (heavy weapons (rockets, light-machine guns), shotguns, hand-to-hand)
Minor: 1 of (pistols, shotgun, automatic weapons)

:

Name: Technologist
Perk: N/a
Major: 1 of (cybersecurity and cybercombat, robotics and drones).
Minor: 1 of (pistols, shotguns)

:

(1) Street, (2) Corporate, (3) Academic, (4) Socialite, (5) Security

N.B.

• I am considering accepting just four characters - with the scope for four more IFF I get exactly four more characters.
• People that register interest early will obviously get preference, if that ends up being the case.
• If you want to send a sheet on to me early, that's fine. You'll note that I have included a format in this post: that's because I intend to leave that up to player ingenuity. You can go for something traditional, or write me a short-story or a political monologue, or whatever, but make sure it includes a section 'alias' and 'class'.
• I will be accepting at most two of each class. First-come first-served, etc.
• I would also appreciate all the feedback I can get - like really, really appreciate it. In particular around technology. I have been somewhat vague as with who can get what and that's been deliberate: other than 'you can't be invisible', I don't want to constrain character creation too much. If people would also be able to give me feedback on the classes, that would be perfect.

Searching for Utopia
Coming Summer 2017*

---

* Dependent on the speed of Black Legion, which is my first priority.

[Kerr]

I'm definitely interested. I may PM you some info on my character concept but it's basically a Middle-Aged hacker guy from Chiapas, Mexico. He was born the same year I was.

---

Class design, I'd redesign a lot of it and I'm going to give some recommendations. So this is going to be a pretty long post that I'll put in a hide tag.

Hidden:

I'd just have Melee weapons as one skill instead of Blade/Blunt/Hand to Hand. Or have it be Melee and Hand to Hand. It's already situational as hell and hard to make your specialty, might as well make players competent at all of it.

Technologist and Medic. They kinda suck. Compare the options a Sentinel gets to Technologist and it's night and day. Having to choose between hacking and drones for such a character is a bad call. And they don't even get Etiquette, or a perk. I know you're thinking it's nice to give players choice, and it is, but if they choose a class that's specializing Decker/Rigger they're already making a choice that limits them in other ways. And picking that class should make them good at drones and hacking because clearly a person playing such a class want to be a tech specialist. Commandos don't have to pick between only being only competent with exactly one kind of firearm, it's unfair to do that to Technologists. And medics are just you can heal other people and maybe talk, that's it. Once again, really lacking compared to other classes. Also I'm unclear on the difference between first aid and what a medic can do.

What I'd do is I'd rework the entire class system, change it so it's like Combat, Assassin, Support (Sentinel,) Technologist, Jack of All Trades. And players pick one of those. It's more elegant, easier to understand and the differences are clearer. So the 4 specialist classes get major skills and Perks, Jack of All Trades gets no Perks or Major skills but can take minors from any class they want. So it's a build it yourself weaker hybrid. I'd also the remove the 2 class limit as a result of this. And I'd give all characters a single etiquette by default regardless of class, make additional based on like skills or perks so a character can have a maximum or three.

Commando: Just general combat. Choose which kind you want to be good at. Heavy weapons, rifles, shotguns, pistols, melee, etc. First aid, stealth and demo as optional minors. Have a perk be a bonus to accuracy or something.

Assassin: Spry stealth sneaky person, have stealth as a default major skill. Minors can be like pistols, rifles, melee, hacking, etiquette. So you could be a sniper or an up close sort of person. Perk boosts critical hit chance or something.

Support: Combination of Medic and Demoman, players choose which of those they want to be by how they build the class. So major in Explosives or Medic, not both, maybe other can be a minor. Then can minor in various types of weapons, stealth, drones, etiquette etc. Have perk be increased defense of some sort.

Technologist: Hacking and drones as major skills. And then a choose minor in some kind of weapon, first aid, etiquette. Gave Hacking or Drones as a major but then can still take the other as a minor so that I the player can still play a super techy person. Perk could again be increased defense as they're likely going to spend a lot of time sitting still.

Jack of All Trades: No major skills at all or perks, but can choose 3 minors of any of the skills. They're worse at everything than a specialist would be but they can be whatever they want. Want to be good a sneaking, etiquette and drones? Sure, go nuts.

I mean that's not as in depth as it could be, you'd need to work through the specifics of which class gets which skills as options. But I do think it'd be an improvement upon what's there currently. I mean obviously you don't need to listen to me or anything, do what you want. But you wanted advice on classes so there it is.

[Velvet LeChance]

I think you're basically spot on. One of the reasons that I specifically hoped for feedback on the class structure is that I recognized it could have been done better. I'd never considered a class system before this RP, just because I often find them too blunt an instrument when it comes to character creation. But, I figured they would work with this RP because it's supposed to be centered around a small, close team whose members are individually limited but can collectively take advantage of a host of synergies. So first, thanks for the response. Like I said, it is mostly spot on, but since I'm still undecided about a few things, I'mma see if I can tease some points out.

Hidden like yours:

Hidden:

I'd just have Melee weapons as one skill instead of Blade/Blunt/Hand to Hand. Or have it be Melee and Hand to Hand.

I figure you are right here, so I am doing this.

Having to choose between hacking and drones for such a character is a bad call.

Yeah, I came around to this view after some thought.

Also I'm unclear on the difference between first aid and what a medic can do.

Biomedical aid is intended to refer to medic's abilities to 1. heal character's wounds and 2. grant buffs to characters through, for example, electroporation (the latter of which first-aid can't do, and the former it can't do as well). I think you're right with regards to merging them into a general support character though - I am thinking their major/minors would be something like:

Major: 1 of (biomedical aid, explosives)
Minor: 1 of (pistols, shotguns, long-rifle) and 1 of (drones, stealth, parkour)

So their support 'weapon', their actual weapon, and a means of avoiding or escaping combat, dependent on preference.

Combat, Assassin, Support (Sentinel,) Technologist, Jack of All Trades

So I decided I would:
1. merge commando and sentinel into one highly customisable class, which will look something like this:

Name: Commando
Perk: +1 all attacks against others, +1 all attacks against you.
Or: -1 all attacks against you, -1 all attacks against others.
Or: Your dice-score will be the average of two rolls.
Major: 1 of (automatic weapons, long-rifles, shotgun)
Minor: 2 of (hand-to-hand, first-aid, explosives, pistols, automatic-weapons, long-rifle, shotgun.)

This is in part because I am reluctant to allow Jack-Of-All-Trades characters. I guess the explanation for that can be found in what I said above: characters are intended to be functionally limited and - resulting from that - have to rely on each other to really succeed. Saying this, I'm not entirely opposed - the rigidity of the class system can entail limitations as far as character creation is concerned - but for the moment I am going to prioritize that mechanic.

2. Take up your advice on assassin basically entirely.

3. Take up your advice on support basically entirely.

4. Technologists; as mentioned, I agree your totally right about not pushing towards a cybercombat-drones binary though I still rather uncertain about how I intend to balance them. As I see it, drones are quite close to having another character on the battlefield, in and of themselves, so I am reluctant to grant them that and a strong weapon otherwise. So my currently tentative Technologist class looks something like:

Name: Technologist
Perk: 5% chance of avoiding hit - rises to 10% when interfacing.
Major: 1 of (cybercombat, drones).
Minor: 1 of (shotguns, long-rifles, drones, cybercombat) and 1 of (pistols, stealth)

So the tech-iest characters can't expect to be able to take on enemies head-on. But I don't think that's much of a problem since they have the ability to sit in the other room and just pound enemies with lead from their drone, all the while sipping at their skinny latte.

5. I am going to maintain Berzerker as being the game's equivalent to heavy's, with the catch that their strategy requires hit-and-run-type approach. Being as, a lot of the time, you are going to be crawling around corridors, I am reluctant to grant them them too much fire-power, else they dominate.

But you wanted advice on classes so there it is.

Thanks again. It was really helpful.

[Kerr]

Yeah, that all looks pretty good.

[Unionhack]

I've been slowing down to a post per week for my 2 DM'd RPs. The sub is in a lull while school is in.

And yet I am still fighting the insatiable desire to try running yet another Mass Effect RP because Andromeda has me so hyped.

Counting Inquisition, Reclamation 1/2, and Aftermath, this would be Unionhack Mass Effect RP #5. And only 1 of them has reached completion. >.>

[KingFeraligatr]

Speaking about Mass Effect, my Mass Effect Rewrite (MER) RP is conceivably starting up fully very soon. We need more players, as I have said before. However , as I have hammered and repeated countless times before, it is on my own forums found here: http://kfmerewriteforums.proboards.com/ . While you can join even after we start up, I am soon going to be finishing up recruitment of my current players' characters soon. After that, we will be kicking it in high gear. If you need to ask any questions, ask me in PM here, ask me in threads/PM on my forums, or Discord. The MER Discord server is located via permanent link here: https://discord.gg/0zG4gAPzOKJLyMcW .

I would I have posted this anyways even if Union hadn't posted about ME. I just felt it was a nice jump on.

[BetaB17]

@Vw from S.S UESP thread

Seriously, could you imagine a story driven, SciFI spacefaring RP heavily inspired and featuring the ideal personas of, well, we the players

'Waves hand thru the air' A research vessel, off exploring the far reaches of known space. An enigmatic crew, their destiny unclear

Hell, there's so many ways to go about it. Stranded in space, trying to beat out the clock before power fails? Either have a common goal like repair, or mystery vibes?

Caught fending off raiders, pirates, ect? A bit more action heavy and survivalist?

Wandered too deep into a strange nebula, and the ship is being invaded by an 'unknown hostile force'. Have it take after a Survival horror type

:

I don't know ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I just do know how much of a hassle it would be to balance out the characters and prevent conflicting backstories..

[MARS]

It's time, boys, girls and everyone in-between and beyond. I'm back. Back and ready.

Hidden:

Yarrow Run

YouTube Link

Population: 20.042

Settled along the shoreline of Riffe Lake in Washington State, the small town of Yarrow Run looks across the water from the north. When you sit on the pier at night the lights of Nesika on the other shore shine over, instilling the feeling that one is so close and yet so far from the next instance of civilization. Off further in the distance looms Mt. St. Helen's, the volcano which disastrously erupted in 1980, over 25 years ago. The younger people have mostly forgotten about the plumes of smoke by now, but the mountain retains its quality of firmly cementing the calm eeriness of the WA pine forests.

It is here that you arrive today. Wherever you've come from, whatever your life has seen up to now, the authority in your life has decided that from now on you will live in Yarrow Run, more specifically in the 'Boarding Academy for Special Cases on Little Hill'. What constitues a "special case" has not been made entirely clear. What is certain is that strange things have tended to happen around you, with you, with the people in your environment. You can't help but feel that this weird aspect of your life is the reason you are sitting in the ages old bus rumbling steadily over the little one-lane road along the forest, bound for this small town.

Helped along by the portly old bus driver's melancholic voice chattering throughout the entire ride you can't deny a certain dreadful premonition about the new life you're being forced into overcoming you. "...been hearin' some things lately uh...guess there are always people side-eyein' that town as somethin' a lil' weird. Don't know why, every time I went it seemed alright to me. Not exactly a metropolis for youngsters like you to be livin' up their youth, but it's nice an' quiet. Guess an old geezer like me just has a natural 'preciation for that kinda thing, huh? Haha..." it almost seems as if he's pitying you and the rest of the passengers, who, on closer inspection, all seem to be about the same age as you, with the same proportion of luggage.

"Uh, but yeah anyway, someone apparently went missing. That was a while ago, haven't been hired to drive there in a month or so...I wouldn't let it worry ya. It's not Seattle, but it's got a lil' nightclub, your friendly mom and pop store, some other young people...yeah." He trails off, probably realizing that he's not really helping along.

The bus stops, and whether you wanted the ride to end or not, you have to get off. You and the others stand there, between the bus and the road down to town, with the bus, your only way out driving off with a salute and a formless expression from the driver. It's as if you've stepped into another wolrd. Down the road, a man is walking up toward you, probably your pickup.

It's very quiet, save for some birdsong and the humming of insects typical for the early autumn.

Welcome to Yarrow Run.

A new RP by yours truly. Mystery, drama, spooky stuff, funny jokes and lots more in this original story inspired by the likes of Twin Peaks, Stranger Things, and The X-Files. Coming this summer, probably. Thread with info to follow. Feel free to ask questions and stuff.

[Velvet LeChance]

Obviously joining.

1980, over 25 years ago.

Is it set in the mid- to late-2000s? (I think that would be cool.)

[MARS]

Yes. It's vaguely "present day". Having a smartphone wouldn't be out of place. The 25 was actually a placeholder I forgot to edit out, but now I have to run with it.

[Kerr]

Well you know I'm in. Already shared some details of my Californian punk with you before, think I have decent character image too.

Hidden:

Is it set in the mid- to late-2000s? (I think that would be cool.)

That would give us access to mobile phones but more limited access to the internet. It would be neat, but yeah, any decade's good.

We're all in the same year at the school, correct? I think in America Juniors are 16/17 and Seniors are 17/18.

[Velvet LeChance]

Just to help avoid conflicts, I'm writing a female, Uighur-American nerd called David* [half way through the sheet].

Also, MARS, don't feel pressed to keep it in the 2000s just because I expressed an interest. I really don't mind what decade it's in either.

---

* This or I plan to name her after someone who became famous a few years after her birth. Something that prompts others to initiate conversation anyways.

[MARS]

Oh no, no I wanted it to be in the 00s anyway. I meant that I would have moved the date ahead even more. Something like 2015-17.

I'm very excited to see your characters! I'll make the OP with supplementary info sometime in the coming days. I wanted to do it today but I probably don't have the time.

You're all roughly in the same year. Somewhere between 16-19 I'd assume.

The internet is definitely a commonplace thing, the problem is getting access to it. Little Hill has very bad reception and no wifi.

[Unionhack]

So I posted this about two years ago, but it never gained much traction and I never got around to actually making it. The concept here will generally be the same here, but with some changes. Now that Persona 5 is out and I've beaten it (best game I've ever played, by the way), I've got a hankering for making this a thing at long last.

It's a different take on things, a bit of a separation from the characters in an RP interacting with a very tangible, physical world. In this roleplay we'll be exploring the mind and the subconsciousness. We'll be taking a look into the aspects of our personalities that we hide from ourselves and tuck away into the shadows. We'll be delving into the wonderful world of Persona.

PERSONA: SHADOWS OF THE MIND

(working title)

Hidden:

As the leaves begin to wilt and part from the branches, the ending of summer approaches. The 20th of August has arrived, and with it, the fall semester of the school years begins for the students of Horizon Academy of Toronto, Canada.

You are an incoming student to this academy, leaving the comforts of summer and home behind to engage in another year of education. For some, autumn signifies a retreat from the blistering heat of summer and a chance to reunite with friends. Others mourn the end of summer vacation, and yearn for the comforting embrace of their beds.

You join your fellow students on the Horizon campus, perhaps looking forward to another school year as you prepare for college, or dreading the environment of the classroom. However, you are destined to discover a secret of a significance beyond what you can learn from a textbook.

The winds of change are blowing, and upon falling asleep one night, you find yourself in a supernatural world where the hidden aspects of your inner psyche manifest into a being known as your 'Persona', a being that is your only defense against the foul creatures that inhabit the world beyond your own.

Together with a number of your fellow students, you must harness the power of your underlying emotions, your Persona, to survive the nights in the other world and discover the truth behind the supernatural events plaguing the Academy.

_____

Persona: Shadows of the Mind is an urban fantasy RP based off of the Persona series, and as an extension of that, the Megami Tensei series. In this RP, your characters will be balancing two lives; life as a high school student at the fictional Horizon Academy in the city of Toronto in Canda; and life within a dark, shadowy realm only accessed when the characters sleep.

The RP takes place during the unspecified year of 20XX; some time during the 2010's, meaning that smartphones are a prevalent technology and inter-connectivity is an unavoidable part of life.

The Persona series is steeped heavily in symbolism and self-discovery, and these will be reflected in the RP. Thus, there are a few setting elements that must be elaborated upon beforehand.


The Concept of 'Persona'

Spoiler:

The Persona series derives much of its terminology and inspiration from the works of Carl Jung, a psychologist who believed in multifaceted human personalities and an underlying subconscious of the entire human race.

Jung's concepts of 'Personas' and 'Shadows' are represented by beings in the narrative. Negative, repressed thoughts and feelings of humanity become 'shadows'. Some blessed with the ability are able to harness their shadow as a Persona, a summonable being that confers the ability to cast spells, grants superhuman strength and other such enhancements, and other miraculous feats.

Personas take the form of deities and other mythological figures from religions the world over, such as Thor, Kaguya, Michael the Archangel, or even the Mothman. The form a Persona takes is based upon the personality and inner thoughts of the person it stems from; a brash, tough-guy sort of character would likely have a Persona such as Ares instead of Ishtar.

The appearance of a Persona is equal parts inspired by the deity or figure it derives from and the quirks and personality traits of the summoner. A captain of the football team who summons Thor might have a Thor that shares the classic hammer and belt popularized by myth, yet might also wear a football helmet and thick athletic pads in lieu of armor.

The method of summoning a Persona varies from game-to-game in the series, but for the purposes of the RP, calling out to the Persona either vocally or mentally will be sufficient.

When choosing your character's Persona, you can draw from any belief set or religion in world history, but try not to get too obscure. Overwhelmingly powerful beings such as Lucifer are off-limits... at least for now.

Duplicate Personas will not be allowed. If someone takes Loki, you've got to choose something else. Luckily, there's an IMMENSE amount of things to choose from.

The Major Arcana in Tarot

Spoiler:

Another significant aspect of symbolism in the Persona series is that of Tarot cards; specifically, the 21 Major Arcana. Your character, and thus your character's Persona, will correspond to one of 20 of the Major Arcana (The World is off-limits), based on their personality and various personal dilemmas.

The Major Arcana that you may choose from are as follows:

0. The Fool - Associated with beginnings, innocence, spontaneity, a free spirit / Naivety, foolishness, recklessness, risk-taking

I. The Magician - Associated with power, skill, concentration, action, resourcefulness / Manipulation, poor planning, latent talents

II. The Priestess - Associated with intuition, Higher powers, mystery, subconscious mind / Hidden agendas, a need to listen to the inner voice

III. The Empress - Associated with fertility, femininity, beauty, nature, abundance / Creative block, dependence on others

IV. The Emperor - Associated with authority, father-figure-types, structure, solid foundations / Domination, excessive control, rigidity, inflexibility

V. The Hierophant = Associated with religion, group identification, conformity, tradition, beliefs / Restriction, challenging the status quo

VI. The Lovers = Associated with love, union, relationships, personal values, choices / Disharmony, imbalance, misalignment of values

VII. The Chariot = Associated with control, will power, victory, assertion, determination / Lack of control and direction, aggression

VIII. Justice = Associated with justice, fairness, truth, cause and effect, law / Unfairness, lack of accountability, dishonesty

IX. The Hermit = Associated with soul-searching, introspection, being alone, inner guidance / Isolation, loneliness, withdrawal

X. The Wheel of Fortune = Associated with good luck, karma, life cycles, destiny, a turning point / bad luck, negative external forces, out of control

XI. Strength = Associated with strength, courage, patience, control, compassion / Weakness, self-doubt, lack of self-discipline

XII. The Hanged Man = Associated with suspension, restriction, letting go, sacrifice / Martyrdom, indecision, delay

XIII. Death = Associated with endings, beginnings, change, transformation, transition / Resistance to change, unable to move on

XIV. Temperance = Associated with balance, moderation, patience, purpose, meaning / Imbalance, excess, lack of long-term vision

XV. The Devil = Associated with bondage, addiction, sexuality, materialism / Detachment, breaking free, power reclaimed

XVI. The Tower = Associated with disaster, upheaval, sudden change, revelation / Avoidance of disaster, fear of change

XVII. The Star = Associated with hope, spirituality, renewal, inspiration, serenity / Lack of faith, despair, discouragement

XVIII. The Moon = Associated with illusion, fear, anxiety, insecurity, subconscious / Release of fear, unhappiness, confusion

XIX. The Sun = Associated with fun, warmth, success, positivity, vitality / Temporary depression, lack of success

XX. Judgment = Associated with judgement, rebirth, inner calling, absolution / Self-doubt, refusal of self-examination

All of this may seem quite daunting at first until you realize that the suits of the Tarot symbolize the journey through life, involving feelings and emotions that most people experience throughout life. The key to choosing one for your character is observing their dilemma, the problem defining their stage of life and the challenges facing them in overcoming this problem, and choosing an Arcana that fits.

For example, a student doing passably in school but facing the pressure of not being exemplary, not planning for the future, or not bettering the self through extracurriculars and other such activities, would be aligned with the Temperance Arcana. A young man who has discovered his sexual orientation and thus joined the community, yet still struggling with the repercussions of his discovery and coming out to his family, could be aligned with the Hierophant Arcana. A captain of a sports team who shows confidence and leadership on the field, but weakness and timidity at home when dealing with his abusive, over-expectant father, would be aligned with the Strength Arcana.

All this is quite vague for the ease of letting several Arcana align with your character and their various ordeals. Choose whichever fits the best to you, but do make sure it fits. Try making your character's background first, and then deciding on their Arcana afterwards.

Much like Personas, there will be no duplicate Arcana. Every character will have a different associated Arcana to promote character diversity and for general setting reasons.

Spell Elements and Suffixes

Spoiler:

Persona: Judgment, being inspired by the larger Shin Megami Tensei series, will be using SMT elements and names spells. Your character can have an affinity for one element ('Strong Element') and a weakness to another ('Weak Element'). Your character can also have a strong affinity for healing spells, thus weakening the overall power of their affinity element but giving them a strong disposition towards healing their friends.

In the Megami Tensei world, the names of spells typically have names derived from languages throughout the world. However, for the sake of simplicity, for now these will likely be omitted. Simply commanding a Persona to spout fire will be sufficient.

The elements are:

-Physical (Strikes from weapons, Using your Persona to physically pummel an enemy)
-Fire (Fire spells have the prefix 'Agi' - In order of strength, the fire spells are Agi, Agilao, Agidyne.
-Ice (Ice spells have the prefix 'Bufu' - Bufu, Bufula, Bufudyne
-Lightning (Lightning spells have the prefix 'Zio' - Zio, Zionga, Ziodyne
-Wind (Wind spells have the prefix 'Garu' - Garu, Garula, Garudyne
-Darkness (Darkness spells have the prefix 'Mudo' - Mudo, Mudoon
-Light (Light spells have the prefix 'Hama' - Hama, Hamaon)

-Healing spells have the prefix 'Dia', and scale in power from Dia, Diarama, and Diarahan.

Character Sheet

Spoiler:

Name:
Age: (14-18 please)
Sex:
Academic Class: (Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior)
Campus Involvement: (Sports, Music, None, etc)
Major Arcana:
Persona:
Strong Element:
Weak Element:
Appearance:
Persona Appearance:
Personality: (Optional)
Backstory: (Optional to list; if kept hidden, I require it to be PM'd to me. Keep in mind that you are all high school students, and word of your life tends to spread.)
Items, Possessions: (Westwood is a private educational institution and thus requires uniforms, but you have a degree of freedom in how to wear it.)
Relationships: (List individuals name, age, relationship with the character, and other relevant information)

Sheet format in Code

Spoiler:

Code: Select all

[b]Name[/b]:
[b]Age[/b]:
[b]Sex[/b]:
[b]Academic Class[/b]: 
[b]Campus Involvement[/b]: 
[b]Major Arcana[/b]: 
[b]Persona[/b]:
[b]Strong Element[/b]:
[b]Weak Element[/b]:
[b]Appearance[/b]:
[b]Persona Appearance[/b]:
[b]Personality[/b]: 
[b]Backstory[/b]: 
[b]Items, Possessions[/b]: 
[b]Relationships[/b]:

Example Character

Spoiler:

Name: Natsuki Amano
Age: 16
Sex: Female
Academic Class: Junior
Campus Involvement: Orchestra (Violin, Piano)
Major Arcana: Death
Persona: Kaguya
Strong Element: Ice
Weak Element: Fire
Appearance: Natsuki is an asian female with a bit of a snobbish face. Her hair is straight and jet black, she wears glasses, and sometimes wears green contact lenses. She is quite short, only standing at 5'3".
Persona Appearance: Kaguya appears as a tall woman in japanese, traditional regal robes and moth-like features. She constantly sheds speckles of light.
Personality: Natsuki is outwardly snobbish and difficult to approach. She has more admirers than friends due to her closed-off, isolationist nature. She is studious and dedicated to her advancement through school, but shuns almost everything else. Those very few she is close to know that she doesn't readily show deep emotions. Most would describe her as aloof, even cold. She has a weakness for kittens.
Backstory: Natsuki grew up as the only child of a single mother in Yakushima, Japan. Her father died when she was only a baby, a victim of the harsh world of Japanese business who took his own life. Despite rather squalid conditions in her hometown, Natsuki grew up to be a happy child who treasured her beautiful surroundings and rich culture. However, her mother saw things more practically and drew the affections of a visiting American businessman. The two were married and soon Natsuki and her mother were on a plane to America, where Natsuki would grow up from the age of 10 onwards.

Being proud of her heritage, Natsuki immediately despised her new surroundings and resented both her mother and new stepfather for ripping her away from her homeland. Her only option, in her mind, is to study hard, get into a good school and thus get a good job that allows her to work in Japan.
Items, Possessions: Besides generic implements such as her uniforms, school supplies and personal computer, Natsuki owns a green magatama necklace.
Relationships: Her mother Hisano Silverman (nee Amano), Her stepfather Grant Silverman, and her 2-year-old half brother Evan Silverman.
Other Info: She is fluent in English and Japanese.

This is all subject to change, but I'm very confident in the idea being a good medium for a great roleplay that really drives character development as a significant plot device. I hope you all are drawn to the idea, because I think it would be a great time.

If you have any questions, let me know. I plan on putting an OP up in a few weeks.