For the record, for the sake of people's privacy, I will be using our various handles, as it were, when referring to each other. Namely, what I consider our most recognizable character names.
This message is going out to all the members of "The Crew", including our far-flung members across the globe. I, for one, look fondly back on our epic games during college, and have decided that I would like to at least TRY to keep something going on a semi-regular basis in a PbP setting. I know that Kagehiro recently sort of tried this, but it fell apart due to low frequency of updates.
I, however, do not think the undertaking to be impossible. So, I'm sending this message out to all of you in the hopes of finding out if any of you are interested in trying again to make something work in the online realm.
Namely, I am hoping to run a Necessary Evil game using the Paizo forums and their dice rolling mechanism. I also plan to use Roll20 to serve as a chat room service as well as where the game maps will be stored.
What I need to find out from you guys is the following:
1) Would you be interested in trying this? I promise to update way more frequently than Kagehiro did. Granted, there may be times when I'm busy on a work stretch that my own updates will slow down, but I try to keep everyone informed of when these would happen.
2) IF you are interested in trying this, would you prefer I run it as a sort of sequel to the previous Necessary Evil game? Or start fresh and develop it as a brand new campaign?
This message has went out to the currently active gamer group, as well as to:
R'k / Darknaut
Hion / "Dervish"
If any of you know anyone else that may be interested in joining, feel free to send them a link to this. I personally do not care how many people we have involved here, I just haven't been able to take part in the gaming and frankly miss the interaction with all you guys, and think this would be a way to do both!
1) Yes.
2) I wasn't part of the prior campaign, nor have I ever played Necessary Evil. That said, I have no preference either way, given that neither my character, nor will I as a player, catch any references.
Talked with Hion some on Facebook, and he said he is interested, and even has a character concept in mind. Just hasn't posted in the thread yet.
Now that I've finally had the time and energy to actually read your post:
1) Yes, I can safely say that I am interested.
2) No strong preference. I think dealing with a bunch of V'sori again might get a little old, so I might prefer a sequel or alternate take on events. I understand, however, that following the plot out of the book would be way f%**ing easier on you, and I'm not dead set against it or anything, either. So take mine as half a vote for "something other than the campaign straight out of the book."
I'd also like to add that I'm still not 100% confident in the whole PbP format. I felt, during the Hellfrost game, that I wasn't doing things quite right somehow. Not sure how accurate that feeling is, but I just wanted to say that if I act like a goddamn moron, that's why.
Brandon, any thoughts on house rules, requests for character types, or anything like that?
Like, what sort of house rules are you referencing? Remember that I've been a bit out o' the loop in the gaming crew "in house" for quite some time, lol.
Character types: I'm open to whatever you desire to build.
PBP: I just want to go on record as saying that you guys did perfectly fine in the Hellfrost game, better than many others I've interacted with on the games here. I know that the slower pace can be frustrating, but given that this is my primary form of gaming entertainment, trust that I will try to keep pace with you guys in posting frequency, and if I have any need for extended absences, I will let you know in advance.
Campaign: I know that playing the original campaign again would get old, so that's why I opened the door for other options. Let me pose it like this, perhaps...
Campaign 1: Sequel to original NE game. Previous characters would be Legendary figures, but likely MIA given their dimension hopping antics. This would be a post-V'sori Earth. For this to work, I'd need a refresher on how things stood when that campaign ended (lets be real, we were all over the place there).
Campaign 2: Generic Super-Character game, this would have heroes as well as villains still existing in a modern era Earth, with obvious comic-booky changes regarding tech. Players could either be heroes or villains, but I'd prefer that EVERYONE either be a Hero or a Villain, no mixed groups please. Doesn't mean you can't be an anti-hero or the dark, sadistic "for the greater good" type.
Campaign 3: Something Kagehiro had discussed before, but never saw to fruition, was a game where the players didn't pick their powers, but developed them suddenly and naturally. In this scenario, you'd make base Novice characters, and at some point, you would develop X power suite. Then your character would have to learn to live with said powers. Do they use their gifts for good? Evil?
Hey all!
Yes I'm interested. Necessary Evil or Super Heroes in general sounds good to me! I actually already have some character ideas if you don't go with Idea 3.
All 3 ideas sound intriguing. If you wanted to place it in post-V'sori Earth, I'm sure I could do a run down of how it all panned out in the end, at least as I remember it. Could be fun little references to the old campaign and essentially give you some grounding for Option 2 or 3.
Option 2 is obviously the most wide-open and allows the campaign to go wherever you want it to and have us play heroes or villains. But that could fit into Option 1 easily enough if you wanted the story elements from that game.
Option 3 seems neat and intriguing but like the very mutants themselves, I'm nervous about which powers I'd get and how the randomization of the powers would happen. But I like the challenge of not knowing whether I'll be Multiple Man or being Matter-Eater Lad. All this to say I have a few character ideas if we are allowed to play our own designs
Finally, I think it'd be nice, ever so often, if we could have a night where we get on chat or Ventrilo or Google Hangout and have a face-to-face session, as it were. Not weekly or anything, but it'd be good to help push the story forward and maybe help when we get to a complicated story moment.
The link to the site i posted above actually functions as a virtual table top and has functionality for microphones and web cams!
Cool, so guess it's up to you, Brandon. Just tell us what you wanna do and we're game. Should we make characters or wait to have our powers randomly generated for us?
And are we villains? Heroes? Or just confused teenagers at a school for the newly powered?
I would rather run the game you guys prefer. I am open to any of the options. So...need more input.
Yes...I said that in a Johnny 5 voice.
Well...
I think we are down to do something other than the Necessary Evil pre-built campaign, although honestly I know it would be a lot easier for you to run. I kinda like the idea of us building a character from scratch but without powers and then getting them at random, that could be very interesting.
So...How about you put it on post-V'sori Earth? Here's what I remember happening:
We went through a lot of the initial campaign, eventually leading to the great big psychic control-room thing where The Judge decided to betray us all (good moves, Thron) and we somehow rallied and killed him. We weren't out of the woods yet, though, for some reason, and eventually led us to Dr. Robotnik who tried to help us against Dr. Destruction or something.
After going to several different dimensions with the help of Dr. Robotnik's dimensional gate, The Maw claimed leadership over a primitive warrior race from another dimension and we led them back to Earth for the big final fight: The Maw and his legions would engage on the ground while Darknaut, Cauldron, Profit ?and Chase? attacked the mothership in orbit. I remember the ship being literally torn in twain by some spell of Cauldron's (i think) and right when all seemed lost for our villain-cum-hero Darknaut, he was transdimensionally teleported to a holding cell awaiting judgment by the Darknaut high council for treason. I was begging my case, trying to prove that once and for all I was reformed and that I just wanted to get back and help save my friends, my future son, and the Earth, when....
We graduated. I think. I believe the campaign ended on an epic climax. Anyone else have any other remembrances?
Yup, we never got to poor Darknaut's trial. His fate remains unresolved.
Personally, I'm not all that enthusiastic about option 3. Probably it would be fine, but I fear getting some set of powers that don't suit my approach to the game. Also, how long would we be running around as normals? That doesn't seem especially exciting.
I think overall I would prefer a post-V'sori setting, or a generic superhero/villain setting. Fighting the V'sori just got old, at least from the DM's side of things. That's why shit got crazy cosmic later on in our previous campaign.
I think post-V'sori Earth has the most potential for interesting storytelling. All the heroes are still gone, only a handful of villains remain, and the whole planet is going to have to recover from the V'sori occupation. It just seems like a neat place to have superpowers in.
Ok then. Post V'sori it is. Feel free to start tossing around concepts.
How campy or comic-booky is the feel of this game? Is it like a Saturday morning cartoon or more like a Stephen King novel in its approach to the idea of supernatural powers? Or is it more like Venture Bros. where it kinda pokes fun at the genre? I'm trying to get the flavor right in my character concepts.
If it's anything like our last NE campaign, it's full of camp and all the comic book tropes you've come to love. My character was a monologuing former-hero-turned-evil who then met his son from the future come back in time, who was Jess's character. Lots of glorious PC infighting, all that.
Do you want concepts here or in private messages?
Here is fine. I trust you can all refrain from using out of character knowledge in character.
I've got a couple ideas. Can't decide. Are we villains or heroes?
I meant more for organizational purposes. I didn't know if you wanted to start an actual game thread.
Okay, I have created my villain! (Man, I forgot how powerful you are at the beginning in this setting! Super Powers, for reals) (This is Marshall) (I'm a teleporter!)
(EDIT: Oh, okay, whoops! Fixing!)
You can only take power points 1 time per rank, so you should only start with 20 points maximum.
Okay, fixed! Less powered but still powerful!
For the record...that character is being shelved for another...more epic...concept with links to the previous campaign.
Just wanted to mention that my brother expressed an interest in this campaign. He has company this weekend, but should make an appearance here soon.
Oh man, evil psychic brain in a robot body! (Ignore Grimlin above, Over-Mind is here to stay!) Also, Chip's bro joining in sounds great.
Marshall, I always love your character concepts.
As for me, still brainstorming. I'll kick out a couple quick ideas tonight, see if anything grabs me.
Aww, Neal, so sweet :D
Been running Slipstream here with some of my Magic friends and let me tell you, that setting is ripe for cool weird characters :)
What are the odds of Jess joining us for this venture?
So far, I have confirmed:
Marshall - Overmind
Jon - time traveller?
Chip - ???
Chip's Brother - ???
Neal - ???
Campaign Thread is up and running, at least the Discussion thread is. Feel free to move yourselves over there as you find your way into the game. This includes any others of the "Crew" that wander their way in here.
That link doesn't lead anywhere, Thron. It goes to the GM side of the thread which we can't see it
Okay, here's my character concept so far:
If you've watched Parks and Recreation, just imagine if Tom Haverford were a giant, megalomaniacal praying mantis.
For the rest of you: Garlig "Preacha Z" Zalorax is from a species of tyrannical, hive-minded, psychic aliens bent on galactic domination. They've refined their art of planetary conquest to the point that only one member of their race is required to take over the typical planet. Zalorax was sent to Earth with all the requisite equipment to begin the takeover, but he became so enamored with Earth's pop culture that he . . . just sort of forgot the whole conquering thing.
He has a YouTube channel where he puts up his truly terrible amateur rap videos and reenactments of famous movie scenes. He wears a gold necklace with the words "YOLO SWAG 4 LYFE," also in gold, hanging from it. He has a shrine to Paul Walker ("There Will Never Be Another") in his living room.
If asked, he insists he'll get on with wiping out humanity and taking over the planet just as soon as Game of Thrones ends. Well . . . maybe not until the Blu-ray comes out. Gotta complete that collection, son.
Don't let this fool you into thinking he's jolly or friendly. He has a hard time talking in anything less than a scream, refers to humans as "flesh sacks" or "meat bags," and will casually slaughter those who critique his tasty rhymes -- or who dare to speak ill of Kanye West.
Love.
I'm concerned he's too insane, but we'll see what Mr. GM has to say.
I typed a 4 paragraph back story and the board was like, "Sorry, you took more than 30 minutes to research Romania while doing this so that your back story would be anchored in reality. So... F you. Gone forever." So this is just a place holder for now. More to come. Short version: Literal Psychic Vampire. Sucks brain energy through touch. Uses it to live / power his "dark side of the force" style mental powers.
feel free to move the conversation to the Discussion thread I linked above.
NOTE TO EVERYONE: Do not type anything but quick notes here. The dumb board resets your token every 10 minutes.
By that I mean "type everything in a word-like app first then paste it in here"
I have arrived.