GuyYouMetOnline

Yeah, how much plot to reveal is a tricky balancing act. Don't worry, I'll reveal enough to catch people's interest. Of course, I don't know what would interest people, so I'll ask. What would people like to see story-wise in an RPG like this one? Any suggestions will help me make the story more interesting.

That's good to hear. Of course, there's a limit to how much of the story I'll reveal up front. I like to keep people guessing. Would anyone else be interested, or have questions/comments for me?

It'll be more like a standard RPG on the boards. All action will play out in real-time; no turn-based battles or anything like that. Although I idid identify [I]Crossover[/I] as an MMORPG-ish game, that was really just to give people something to compare it to. Action in [I]Crossover[/I] is strictly, well, action.

As you can tell from the topic title, I've got a new RPG idea I'm working on, but since my past several RPGs haven't done too well, I figured I'd guage interest here first. Some people may recognize this particular idea, since it is a modified version of an RPG I attempted called Intersection. The RPG never got off the ground (never even got out of sign-ups, actually), but I liked the idea, so I've refined it, and now I'm ready to give it another go. And to those who decided to pass up on the original, don't just dismiss this one, because it is substantially different. I'm calling the RPG 'Crossover'. The story centers around virtual reality, specifically a VR game called [I]Crossover[/I]. The game [I]Crossover[/I] is a logical evolution of the MMORPG genre. It's basically an entire virtual world, with a seemingly unlimited number of things for players to do. I realize that for something like this, you'd expect a wide range of abilities for players to learn and use, but I'm doing something different. Although many weapons and equipment have support abilities (things like atributes added to attacks or increased defense against various attributes), players themelves don't get any abilities. Instead, [I]Crossover[/I] uses what I'm calling the Etheria system, based on the summoning, or 'calling', of creatures called Etheria (singular: Etherian). I know many people are going to think of summons in video games, and in some respects, Etheria are similar. Perhaps the best comparason is with the Espers in [I]Final Fantasy XII[/I], which fight alongside the summoner for a set period of time or until defeated. Etheria are similar, in that they fight alongside the player when called. A player may possess up to five Etheria, but only two Etheria per player can be active at any one time. Etheria come in seemingly endless varieties, and each has its own different abilities. In the RPG, participants would choose the Etheria they want their characters to have, and what abilities those Etheria have. There would only be a few restrictions. First, nothing overly powerful. This should be obvious, but it's worth mentioning anyways. Second, an Etherian's abilities must match the Etherian in question; a water-based Etherian would have water-based abilities, for example. And third, no exact copies of summons from video games. Using pictures and names is fine, but don't just copy their abilities from the games. You can give them similar types of abilities, but do not just exactly copy any video game summons. Now, since this came up when I attempted Intersection, let me say that yes, Crossover will definitely have a story. The plot will be revealed mainly through the game [I]Crossover[/I], but it will be very real. And for those of you who are concerned about it (I know I would be), let me say that no, the world of the game[I] Crossover [/I]is not actually real. It is indeed virtual. I do have a pretty major twist in mind, but that's not it. Anyways, if you're interested, please say so, and if it looks like enough people are interested, I'll go ahead and give the RPG a try. Oh, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask them, and if you have any comments, please say them.

[COLOR=darkslateblue]"Okay, last one," Kiva said to herself. "And... there you are. Drone locked. Transport door open... all right, got it. Searching data... good, it's clean."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]Upon retrieving each drone, Kiva'd run a search program to look for any evidence that the drone might have been detected, but there hadn't been any. Which was fortunate, because if the enemy knew their positions were known, they'd redeploy their forces, rendering the collected data useless. Either that, or they'd pretend they hadn't detected the drone and lay a trap, but fortunately, it seemed that none of the drones had been detected. That wasn't absolute, of course, but it was as close as one could get.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]With her mission completed, Kiva course for the rendevous point. Daniel's fleet would be in sector 14 by now, and when the fleet finished there, it would head for the rendevous. By the time they arrived, the [I]Transcendence [/I]would already be there. Kiva would wait under full stealth functions with all nonessential systems shut down, in case of the enemy showing up at the rendevous by some random chance. When Daniel's fleet arrived, Daniel would broadcast a code, which Kiva was to respond to in order to verify her identity before revealing the [I]Transcendence's[/I] location. But Kiva had a different idea about how to do things, one Daniel didn't know about.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]When the [I]Transcendence[/I] arrived at the rendevous point, Kiva went to low power and full stealth as instructed, but she also did something else. She launched a drone, which was programmed to let its momentum carry it well away from the [I]Transcendence[/I] before using its limited propulsion sysetms to bring itself to a halt. When she received Daniel's code, Kiva was going to send her responce from the drone, which would use it's ECM systems to mimic the [I]transcendence[/I]. Since Daniel didn't know about this, he couldn't reveal anything about it if his end was compromised, so based on the fleet's actions, Kiva would be able to determine whether or not Daniel's end had been compromised. It was most likely an unnecessary precaution, but when undercover in the Empire, Kiva had survived by taking every precaution she could think of, and she didn't plan to change that.[/COLOR]

Due to some kind of internet problem, I've been unable to get on for the past couple days, but I'm back now. Fortunately, since Kiva's on her own at the moment, it didn't really affect anything. I should have a post up sometime tomorrow.

[COLOR=darkslateblue]Kiva knew her job wouldn't be easy. In sector 14, she'd just had to get within transport door range of Tessa, but this time, her objective was to map the defenses in sector 13. In order to do so while remaining undetected, a simple unpowered approach wouldn't be sufficient. She'd need to get it, sweep the sector, and get back out. Fortunately, the [I]Transcendence[/I]'s recon drones would help, and they were as hard to detect as the [I]Transcendence[/I], but theirmobility was limited. The [I]Transcendence[/I] would still need to pass through the sector to place them and retrieve them, which was a problem. But Kiva had a solution.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva exited hyperspace well outside of the limit and proceeded towards the sector at full speed, with all stealth systems active. As Kiva neared the sector, she deployed a recon drone, then altered her course slightly and launched another. She continued this until all the necessary drones had been launched, then entered hyperspace, still far enough away that this was undetected.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva's course took her around the sector. The drones would move through sector 13 under their existing momentum, and Kiva'd launched enough drones to cover the entire sector. When their ballistic courses carried them back out of the sector, Kiva would pick them up. By calculating the drones' trajectories, she knew where they should be. She also knew that this wouldn't be exact, but it would be close enough for her to find the drones. She'd retrieve them, then head for the rendevous point with the data they'd contain. With that information, the attack on sector 13 was likely to proceed smoothly.[/COLOR]

I'm back. I'll probably have a post up sometime either today or tomorrow.

Well, what do you know, it's Frankie. Haven't seen you around in a while. Welcome back (I'm Takuya, BTW; I changed my username). Name: Laresa Krales Age: 31 Gender: Female Physical Description: Leresa is a rather tall woman, well over six feet in height, with blue eyes and black hair. She's rather muscular, but not in a way that detracts from her looks. She is very good-looking, despite a certain... oddness. Something about her just seems off, though nobody has yet been able to identify what it is. It's not her skin, which is unusually pale, but not enough so to look unnatural. This is only accented by the dark clothing she tends to wear. Personality: In a word, bizzare. Laresa is constantly saying things that make people go 'huh?'. She seems to see the world in a different way than most people, which leads to no end of confusion for others. At times, she seems totally inconsistant, appearing to contradict herself, but she sees things differently enough that she does not see the contradictions that others see. Of course, some things that seem consistant to others, she sees as contradictory. She can seem cold at times, but again, this is because of the different way she sees things. Occupation: Genisis Operative Power: Laresa is able to manipulate the energies of both light and darkness, which are in fact not opposing forces. They're opposites, yes, but essential opposites, and not conflicting energies. Lersea is able to manipulate both energies with considerable skill. It's possibly this unification of opposites that gives Laresa her unique worldview. The abilities she has with light and darkness are suprisingly similar to each other. Essentially, she can do the same things with either type of energy, though the methods employed may differ. And just so I don't seem out of place: *ahem* Hope this is good.

Just a heads up. I'm leaving on vacation tomorrow, and won't be back until Monday. I won't have any internet access, so I'll be absent for the next few days. My character's by herself anyways, so it shouldn't matter, but I thought I should let you know.

[COLOR=darkslateblue]"You've got a smaller millitary presence here than when I left," Kiva said. "Is there an operation ongoing?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva was speaking to a man named Ekso Mais. who was currently in charge of the millitary presence in sector 9. Normally he wouldn't have done identity verification, but since the [I]Transcendence[/I] was an important vessel, being the only one of its kind at the moment, verifying Kiva's identity was more important. And as it turned out, Ekso hada also been instructed to pass new orders on to Kiva.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Yeah, that's why I'm in charge," Ekso said. "I'm the most senior officer remaining in this sector, so I'm in charge right now. Daniel took a large chunk of the fleet with him. He didn't tell me what the operation was, but I understand he itends for you to play a role in it. All necessicary information should be included in the orders left for you. Since they're encrypted and require a personal code of yours to access, I haven't been able to verify this, but I'm certain Daniel has included all necessary information. I'm transmitting the orders now."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]"Got it," Kiva said. "Reciept confirmed. I've got them. I will proceed to drop off Tessa as previously instructed. Kiva out."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]After transfering Tessa to a designated transport, Kiva entered her personal code and accessed the information Daniel had left for her. In addition to her orders, Daniel had provided an overview of the current situation and included general information, including notification of the capture of the [I]Eclipse[/I] and the fact that the Resistance was now calling itself the New Alliance. There was also an advisory that it was likely that one or more Imperial operatives were on board the renamed vessel [I]Liberator[/I]. In particular, unauthorized outgoing transmissions had been detected.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva had to laugh. [I]Amatures. I hope Daniel doesn't end up needing me to identify them. Tracking someone who makes that kind of mistake would be no fun at all.[/I] And Kiva had tracked down people like that before. As an undercover operative in the Empire, she'd prooved skillful at identifying Resistance agents. And it had nothing to do with the fact that she'd also been one. Most of the agents she'd uncovered had made it easy on her.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]There were several common mistakes undercover operatives seemed to make. Kiva couldn't understand why this was, since the mistakes seemed so obvious to her. Mistake number one was making regular reports, as this made one easier to track. It was best to make a report only when you had both information to report and a good opportunity to do so. Mistake number two was sending unauthorized transmissions, because given enough information about when and where the transmission originated, it wasn't hard to determine who'd made it. Sure, it was possible to use that to frame someone, but doing so was risky, and usually didn't work. The best way was to hide the information inside authorized transmissions, though there were other methods. Those two mistakes, as well as others, seemed obvious to Kiva, and yet agent after agent made one or more of them.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva turned her attention to her new orders. Daniel's force was moving to begin an operation in, ironically enough, sector 14. Meanwhile, Kiva was to proceed to sector 13 in preperation for a New Aliance attack. Her assignment was to sneak into the sector using the [I]Transcendence[/I]'s superior stealth systems and gather information on current fleet deployments in the sector. Remaining undetected was priority number one, since if they new they'd been scouted, they'd redeploy. So after gathering as much information as she possibly could while remaining hidden, she was to sneak out of the sector and proceed to a designated rendevous point, where she'd wait for Daniel's force. She would then return to sector 13 with them to participate in the battle.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva had no reason to delay, so she set a course for sector 13 and was under way.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=darkslateblue][FONT=Tahoma]"Okay," Kiva said to herself, "here we go. I hope you're in your quarters like I said, Tessa, because there won't be a second chance."[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][/COLOR][COLOR=darkslateblue][FONT=Tahoma]5... 4... 3... 2... 1... 0.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][/COLOR][COLOR=darkslateblue][FONT=Tahoma]Kiva didn't have to do anything. She'd already set the time, so the [I]Transcendence [/I]opened the transport door automatically. Kiva had allowed Tessa a window of ten seconds. Tessa was on board in five. The transport door closed, and the [I]Transcendence[/I] went to full power.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][/COLOR][COLOR=darkslateblue][FONT=Tahoma]"Kiva?" Tessa said, recognizing her.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][/COLOR][COLOR=darkslateblue][FONT=Tahoma]"Not now," Kiva said. "Sit down, strap in, and shut up. This could be nasty."[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][/COLOR][COLOR=darkslateblue][FONT=Tahoma]Tessa presumably took a seat and activated the safety restraints, but Kiva didn't bother to check. Her attention was focused entirely on the action. The [I]Transcendence[/I] had started moving as soon as Tessa was aboard. All systems were fully active, including defensive and weapons systems. Since the focus was on fleeing, Kiva didn't expect to do much damage, but it would give the enemy something else to think about. Kiva also had a few tricks up her sleeve.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][/COLOR][COLOR=darkslateblue][FONT=Tahoma]At Kiva's command, the [I]Transcendence[/I]'s rear missile tubes fired, but they weren't firing missiles. She had borrowed a trick from Kuro Talmresec, and Elite Specialist she'd gone up against not long before fleeing for sector 9, and loaded kamikazi drones into the missile tubes. The defensive fire was thus geared toward missile defense, and since the drones travled slower than missiles and were moderately maneuverable, they were largely able to avoid the defensive fire and detonate on or close to the pursuing vessels.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][/COLOR][COLOR=darkslateblue][FONT=Tahoma]"That'll give them something to think about," Kiva said. "Okay, I think we're through the messy part. We took a couple hits, but there was no serious damage. It's a good thing they were taken completely by surprise, though. If they'd known about my presence here even a minute sooner, we'd never have made it."[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][/COLOR][COLOR=darkslateblue][FONT=Tahoma]It was then that an incoming transmission was picked up. Kiva put it through. On the other end was the current director of the research facility, a man who's name Kiva didn't know, even though he clearly recognized her, having been in charge the last time she'd visited the facility.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][/COLOR][COLOR=darkslateblue][FONT=Tahoma]"Kiva?" the man said. "What the hell are you doing, Kiva?"[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][/COLOR][COLOR=darkslateblue][FONT=Tahoma]"Taking Tessa elsewhere," Kiva said. "What's it look like I'm doing?"[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][/COLOR][COLOR=darkslateblue][FONT=Tahoma]"Kiva, we're in a security lockdown right now at Fleet Admiral Stevens's order, given on his authority as a member of the High Council. We can't risk having anything more from here leaked to the Resistance. Nobody is allowed to enter or leave."[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][/COLOR][COLOR=darkslateblue][FONT=Tahoma]"Why do you think I had to sneak in?"[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][/COLOR][COLOR=darkslateblue][FONT=Tahoma]The man finally seemed to understand that Kiva wasn't acting under orders from the High Council. "Who told you to do this, Kiva? You're deliberately going against orders given by a High Councilor, something no Specialist has ever done. Why?"[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][/COLOR][COLOR=darkslateblue][FONT=Tahoma]Kiva laughed. "I see the lockdown includes civilian broadcasts. You have no idea what's going on, do you? Well, I'll give you a hint. I'm no longer acting as an Elite Specialist."[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][FONT=Tahoma]"[/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=darkslateblue][FONT=Tahoma]Stevens will not tolerate this!"[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][/COLOR][COLOR=darkslateblue][FONT=Tahoma]"Go ahead and contact him, then. And tell him he can kiss my ass. Goodbye." Kiva terminated the transmission. The [/FONT][/COLOR][I][COLOR=darkslateblue][FONT=Tahoma]Transcendence[/FONT][/COLOR][/I][COLOR=darkslateblue][FONT=Tahoma] was now past the hyper limit, so it was possible to enter hyperspace. The ship did so, and Kiva turned to face Tessa, who was indeed strapped in. "Well, that takes care of that. Damn, that was fun. Anyways, I suppose now's as good a time as any to talk."[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][FONT=Tahoma]"I don't think you need to say much," Tessa said. "I do find it surprising, though, but can you blame me? An Elite Specialist has turned traitor. I didn't think that would ever happen."[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][FONT=Tahoma]"You misunderstand, Tessa," Kiva said. "I have not turned traitor. My loyalties now are the same as they were the day I became an Imperial operative."[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][FONT=Tahoma]"Then what- wait. Are you saying you were a spy?"[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][FONT=Tahoma]Kiva nodded. "That's exactly right. I was an undercover Resistance agent."[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][FONT=Tahoma]"Um... wow. That's a surprise. But, well, I take it you're not anymore, then."[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][FONT=Tahoma]"That's correct. I participated in an operation where the captives included Daniel Landers, who knew of my position. There was no way I could fail to capture him and make it look real, so I took him captive. But then Stevens wanted me for recon missions, so I was to transfer Daniel to him. Obviously, I couldn't let that happen, so I fled, taking Daniel and the [I]Transcendence[/I] with me. Now I'm doing whatever the Resistance needs me to do; in this case, retrieving you. It had to be me, because no other ship could've gotten close enough without being detected."[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][FONT=Tahoma]"So you're still in command of the [I]transcendence[/I], then."[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][FONT=Tahoma]"Yes, though I didn't expect it. I thought I'd have to hand it over to the shipyards so they could use it to aid in making more, but I got orders not to give it to anyone. The Empire will undoubtably try to reclaim it, after all. I let the shipyards analyze it, but I was on board the entire time. And when they were done, they left, and now I'm just doing whatever needs doing."[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][FONT=Tahoma]"I see," Tessa said. "Well, I guess this trip won't take as lng as I thought, then."[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][FONT=Tahoma]"Yeah. It'll still take a few days, but any other ship would need more time. Anyways, you can use the crew quarters. Daego, my old crewman, came with me when I ran from sector 1, but he's still in sector 9, so the room's available. Just take it easy; I'm sure the Resistance will want to pick your brain clean once we arrive."[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][FONT=Tahoma][COLOR=black]----------------------------------------------[/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][FONT=Tahoma][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkslateblue][FONT=Tahoma][COLOR=black]OOC: Okay, that's it for the posts taking place before everyone else's. Assume that her arrival with Tessa happens at the same time as everyone else's posts.[/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR]

I'd say my posts are happening before everyone else's, too. When Kiva returns with Tessa,, then my posts will be at the same time as yours.

[COLOR=darkslateblue]The [I]Transcendence[/I] exited hyperspace a lot farther out than was required. It could've gone further in hyperspace, but then the exit would have been detected by the sensor systems set up in sector 14. Not even the [I]Transcendence[/I]'s stealth systems, the best there were, could hide an exit signature at that range. So Kiva'd set the ship to exit farther out. She wasn't beyond the reach of the sensors, but she was far enough out that the [I]Transcendence[/I]'s stealth systems masked its exit. Now came the hard part.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]The [I]Transcendence[/I] was currently the only ship with stealth capabilities sufficient to beat the sensor systems in sector 14, but it would be tough. Going in under full power would be suicide. The only way to evade detection was to have full stealth systems active and turn off all other non-essential systems, engines included. Momentum would carry the [I]Transcendence[/I] further into the sector.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva's objective was the retrieval of Tessa, a genetics speciallist working at the research facility in sector 14. Tessa had, through the hidden Resistance presence at the facility, requested extraction by the Resistance. She was one of only two people with the expertise to work out a way to even partially reverse the mental alterations that had been done at birth to nearly all Versilans, the other being Crystal. Since Crystal was with the Empire, it was extremely important that Tessa be successfully extracted.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]A lot had happened very quickly. As an undercover operative within the Versilan Empire, Kiva, in the position of Elite Specialist, had disabled a Resistance vessel attempting to flee sector 1. Among the vessel's occupants was Daniel Landers, a high-ranking Resistance member who had known of Kiva's position as an undercove operative. When ordered to transfer Daniel to the Creator, Kiva knew she was as good as exposed, so she'd fled to sector 9 with both Daniel and her crewman, Daego.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]Though Kiva had been givin new assignments soon after arriving in sector 9, Daego had remained in the sector. He had supported the Empire, but when the information about the mental alterations was exposed, he began to seriously doubt that decision. He no longer supported the Empire, so he'd made the decision to attempt to flee to sector 9. But even though he was certainly not going to support the Empire, Daego wasn't sure whether he wanted to fight against them. So Kiva'd left him in sector 9.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva calculated when she'd be optimally positioned, then sent a tight-beam message to Tessa's handheld computer, using the unit's ID to mark the message's destination. That way, the message was virtually certain to remain undetected. The message contained the time Kiva had calculated, with instructions for Tessa to be alone in her quarters at that time, with everything she would be taking with her ready to go.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]At the specified time, Kiva would open a transport door in Tessa's quarters. When she entered it, Tessa would be transported to the [I]Transcendence[/I]. But the transport door would be detected by the sector's sensor systems, and though it would take a bit of time to pinpoint where it had been opened to, it would be easy to identify where it was opened from. And though the millitary presence in the sector wasn't huge, it was more than enough to make things difficult for a single ship, even the [I]Transcendence[/I]. So as soon as Tessa was aboard, Kiva would have to get the hell out of the sector as fast as possible.[/COLOR]

Okay, some of you may remember this RPG as one The Boss made a few months ago that never actually got started. I had the idea to remake it, so I PMed The Boss about it. Although he's not doing RPGs at the moment (he's focusing on his individual stories), he said I could do the remake, so I am. I've made some changes, most notably in the format of the RPG. The original was set up as a competition, but I feel that the idea would work much better in the standard RPG format, so I've removed the competition. Now, since this was originally The Boss's concept, here's his intro, with just a few minor changes (things like names): [B][U][I]Pokémon: Age of War[/I][/U][/B] [B][U][I]The Tale To Be Told….[/I][/U][/B] [SIZE=1]“…. And so after God, in form of the Messiah Shen, finished his trials amongst men, he returned to a great mountain on the far reaches of the world. It was here that he ascended the mountain, and upon reaching the top of this mountain, he called forth his Five Holy Beasts to retrieve him from this world. And so on the back of the Holy White Beast, he flew back to the heavens, whilst the Holy Beasts of Fire and Ice and Lightning, and Life guarded him on his journey….”[/SIZE] [SIZE=1]Final Acts, Verse 4: 15[/SIZE] [SIZE=1][I][B]Book of the Messiah [/B][/I][/SIZE] [SIZE=1]“… And so the prophet Elias spoke, ‘Upon yonder mountain, lie the emissaries of Lord God himself. Five beautiful beasts of indescribable glory. He who can conquer these great beasts will have the powers created by God Himself at their bidding…. [/SIZE] [SIZE=1]….. ‘However,’ spoke Elias in omen, ‘… the cost of Our Lord’s power is vast and heavy. Beware the day that man seeks this power, for it shall be a black day, indeed.’…”[/SIZE] [SIZE=1]The Gospels according to St. Elias, Verse 8: 19[/SIZE] [SIZE=1][I][B]Book of the Messiah [/B][/I][/SIZE] [SIZE=1]“Brothers! Sisters! Here me, well. For a holy ground of Our Lord has come under the hands of blasphemers! Heathens, I say, have soiled the Holy Mountain of God’s Mighty Beasts! We’ve allowed this, and we must repent immediately! We must repent! Our sacraments, my brothers and sisters, shall be the blood of blasphemers. God has spoken to me, brothers and sisters; he has demanded we take his land back from those who wish to corrupt it with their evil lies, and spread the Gospel of the Dark King. We must cleanse our Holy Land. We must cleanse it with the flames of our outrage… the flames of conquest and glory! We must take back Our Lord’s mountain… the Mountain of the Holy Beasts... Mt. Silver.”[/SIZE] [SIZE=1]The Edict of Celadon Sanctuary[/SIZE] [SIZE=1][I][B]Father Jonathan, Grand Bishop of the Vestian Church of Celadon [/B][/I][/SIZE] [SIZE=1]------------------------------------------------------------------------------[/SIZE] [SIZE=1]“….. Whilst young Hari dreamed, he felt his body lift into the air by unearthly means. Opening his eyes, he found that he flew through the air at the gait of wind, finding beneath him a bed of warm red feathers, the back of the beautiful angel of Bhagat, known as Ho-Oh. Looking beneath him, he watched as the World traveled beneath him, whilst around him flew four other mighty angels….[/SIZE] [SIZE=1]In the distance, the angels ascended down unto the top of a mighty mountain. To either side, one could see the beauties of the World of Bhagat. To the left, a beautiful river delta, to the left, an amazing forest full of life and foliage. However, this was all overshadowed, as Hari looked to the skies above to see the unfathomable beauty of Lord God Bhagat. Hari became weak in the great presence and fell to his knees in submission….[/SIZE] [SIZE=1]And in an instant, with the site of the mighty Bhagat, all the worlds truth and knowledge burdened Hari at once, sending him into a deep sleep for many, many years. Whence he awoke, young Hari ascended the great mountain on his feet. Feeling thirsty, he journeyed to the beautiful river delta to drink. Suddenly he became shocked as he looked upon himself, for young Hari was young no more. He had aged many years in his sleep, now an adult, a long, silken beard grown from his face. He had become Bhagat’s holy prophet on Earth, his emissary, his messenger. He had become Govinda, the Preserver of the Truth.”[/SIZE] [SIZE=1]Tafsir 77[/SIZE] [SIZE=1][I][B]The Arhzang, Holy Book of the Temple of Govinda [/B][/I][/SIZE] [SIZE=1]“Children of Bhagat… I fear a dark day has come upon us. These invaders from the East, they intend to destroy our way of life, to take away from us the land where our great Messiah took the Love and Wisdom of Lord Bhagat Himself. We must go on a great Holy War against these non-believers! We must withstand to show our love to Bhagat and his messenger! We cannot falter! We cannot allow our lands to be taken from us! For what wraith would Lord Bhagat rain should we fail to protect his holy mountain? I never wish to know…. Let us fight! Let us protect our land! Our Temple!”[/SIZE] [SIZE=1]The Great Proclamation[/SIZE] [SIZE=1][I][B]High Khan Rahji, Cleric of the Temple of Govinda of Blackthorn [/B][/I][/SIZE] [SIZE=1]-------------------------------------------------------------------------[/SIZE] [SIZE=1]In a time long past in the world of Pokémon, a great war was waged between the lands Johto and Kanto. The two lands, locked in a struggle of religious grounds, have become mortal enemies. Much blood has been spilt and much more shall be. The greatest weapons of each nation are their native Pokémon, whom they each have grown to master the use of in war and battle. The Pokémon Regimens of each land are feared and respected world wide, and during the war, it was demonstarated just why this was. Charging on the Crusade, Kanto intended to both take back the holy mountain, Mt. Silver, and decimate the followers of the Temple of Govinda. Meanwhile, The High Clerics of the Govinda Temple had no interest in allowing the sharing of their currently owned holy land, and refuse to let it be invaded by any foreign land. They refused to allow religious temples of other than those of Govinda to be built and exiled all worshipers of different religions. [/SIZE] [SIZE=1]In the time of this war, Pokéballs and other Pokémon-related technology are not yet invented. And so the old Pokémon trainers had to focus on a limited amount of Pokémon to make their companions and to train. This resulted in not only strong, long lasting, and personal relationships, but also extremely powerful Pokémon. Tested in battles against occasionally over one-thousand enemies, both human and Pokémon, these creatures became exceptionally strong in power. Many believe that during modern days, such Pokémon no longer exist. [/SIZE] [SIZE=1]In the armies of most kingdoms, there was a small group of warriors known as the Pokémon Regimens. These specialized warriors would go into battle not only with weapons of their own, but their Pokémon by their side. The Pokémon that they trained personally. These warrior pairs were highly effective and highly feared in battle due to their prowess and skill.[/SIZE] [SIZE=1]This is the story of the many brave soldiers who gave their lives in a cause that they believed in deeply. The Beast Warriors, the Pokémon Regimens. The tale of how these great warriors pioneered Pokémon training and battle in a time of terrible holy wars and blood shed.[/SIZE] [SIZE=1][B]This is their tale.[/B][/SIZE] -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well, that's the story. Now, here's how this RPG is going to work. I'll let The Boss go first (again, I've made some changes): [COLOR=darkred][B][U][I]The Rules….[/I][/U][/B][/COLOR] [SIZE=1][COLOR=darkred]Now let’s explain what this all means.[/COLOR][/SIZE] [SIZE=1][COLOR=darkred]A war is being raged long ago in the past between the countries of Johto and Kanto in the Pokémon universe. The style of this RPG should be matched with Crusades era Europe and Palestine, however the Palestinian can and will be much more similar to Europe. The conflict is the same as the first Crusades for Jerusalem, however now the place is a mountain holy to both religions of the areas. [/COLOR][/SIZE] [SIZE=1][COLOR=darkred]Pokémon will be used, but to a much more realistic effect. A Charizard can burn a man alive. A Raichu can kill a man (or another Pokémon) with a lightning bolt. A Scyther will decapitate someone or thing. This is all taken seriously now. Humans can kill Pokémon just as Pokémon can kill humans. Pokémon are also allowed to be different sizes than standard canon. Such as an eight-foot tall Charizard or an Elephant-sized Donphan. Simply, the Pokémon are taken as real creatures of fantasy (if that makes any sense at all).[/COLOR][/SIZE] [SIZE=1][COLOR=darkred]The rules of this RPG are as follows. You will play a warrior from the Pokémon Regimen, who has a Pokémon they have trained for many years to fight with. You’ll only have ONE Pokémon, and that Pokémon will have to be from the native country you reign from. No legendary or one of a kind Pokémon.[/COLOR][/SIZE] [COLOR=darkred][SIZE=1]This Pokémon you choose, however, can basically be as powerful as you wish before the point of God-modding. Be creative, have fun, and enjoy it. Your Pokémon should have it’s own name, not just it’s species name. It can, and should, have some distinct appearance, such as battle armor, or defining features. Like I said, I’d like this to be realistic.[/SIZE][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkred]--------------------------------------------------------------------------[/COLOR] Okay, so I didn't make too many changes to what was there, but I did leave some stuff out, because those parts I am changing. First, as I said at the start of this post, the competition aspect of The Boss's versoin has been removed. Also, I'm modifying the Pokemon restrictions. The original restricted those on Kanto's side to the R/B/Y Pokemon set, while Jhoto players could only use the Pokemon introduced in G/S/C. Although I'm keeping that basic restriction, I am making additional allowances. See the Underground thread, located [URL="http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?p=791192#post791192"][COLOR=blue]here[/COLOR][/URL], for details. Also, I'd like to add that I put the M rating there for a reason. This is a war story; it's not exactly going to be a happy tale. I know Pokemon usually isn't associated with violence, which is why I felt the need to point this out, but I fully intend for that M rating to be used, so be sure you can handle it. Now, here's the sign-up form: [B]Name:[/B] [B]Age:[/B] Adults only, please. Kids don't fight in wars. [B]Gender:[/B] [B]Region:[/B] Johto or Kanto [B]Pokémon:[/B] The Pokemon your character has. It must fit the given rules. [B]Pokémon Name: [/B]The name of your character's Pokemon must be different from the species name. [B]Writing Sample:[/B] In this, I want to see a description of your character and Pokemon, and at least some hints towards personality. If you want a suggestion about what to write, write about preperations for the war (attack preperations for Kanto characters, defense preperations for Jhoto characters). I'll be using these to decide who gets in, so make them good. This is my sign-up: [COLOR=seagreen][B]Name: [/B]Kalria Selkes[/COLOR] [COLOR=seagreen][B]Age: [/B]34[/COLOR] [COLOR=seagreen][B]Gender:[/B] Female[/COLOR] [COLOR=seagreen][B]Region: [/B]Kanto[/COLOR] [COLOR=seagreen][B]Pokemon:[/B] Venusaur[/COLOR] [COLOR=seagreen][B]Pokemon Name:[/B] Terlamas[/COLOR] [COLOR=seagreen][B]Writing Sample: [/B]The Pidgeot swooped down to grab an unsuspecting Ratata. But it was the Ratata's lucky day, for the Pidgeot never got its meal. It was ensnared by a pair of vines that wrapped around it. The vines pulled in opposite directions, and Kalria, knowing what was going to happen, covered her face as blood splattered everywhere.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#2e8b57]"Dammit, Terlamas," Kalria said, "how many times have I told you to watch out when you do that? I just had this outfit cleaned, too."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#2e8b57]A grunt came from beneath Kalria. She rolled over and peered down at the face of the Venusaur she was riding on. "Yeah, I know, you can't pick how your prey moves. Just make sure I'm not under it when you actually make the kill, all right?"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#2e8b57]Terlamas grunted again. "Yeah, whatever," Kalria said, opening a ration pack and taking a bite. "At least you can eat well. Man, I hate this army crap. And us Pokemon Regimens get the [I]better[/I] food. I get sick just thinking about what the common grunts get. Anyways, I'm going to wash off in that stream over there."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#2e8b57]Kalria walked over to the stream, studying her reflection in the water before walking in. She was always surprised by how little being splattered with blood seemed to detract from her attractiveness. Maybe it was because she just appeared rough, despite her good looks. Any fool could see what good shape she was in just by looking at her. The scars on her arms and legs also added to the image. The one on her chest would have added even more, but it was usually covered by her clothing.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#2e8b57]Terlamas walked over as Kalria let the water wash over her. The Venusaur stuck her head in the water for a drink. Terlamas was rather large for a Venusaur, and like Kalria, she had a few scars, remnants of past battles. Kalria knew there'd probably be a few more scars added in the coming war.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#2e8b57]"It's going to be nasty, this one," Kalria said. "They've surely got a huge force at Mt. Silver by now, and we'll have to engage them with our equally large force. This is going to be a messy one. I'm just glad we won't get scouting duty."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#2e8b57]"Saur."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#2e8b57]Kalria could understand exactly what Terlamas was saying, but the two had been together long enough that she could usually figure it out. "Yeah, I know we're on patrol now. That's because we won't be scouting once the army starts moving. They always use the faster-moving Pokemon for that, so they're giving us our turn now. Once the army begins to move tomorrow, we won't be getting patrol assignments. Others will have that role; we'll be with the main force. Not that that's a good thing. Lord, this is going to be a nasty one."[/COLOR] [COLOR=#2e8b57]"Saur, Venusaur"[/COLOR] [COLOR=#2e8b57]"Yeah, I know we're up to it. But on the battlefield, skill can only take you so far. The rest is up to luck." She exited the stream. "Well, I'm wet now, but at least I'm clean. Come on, let's get back to our patrol."[/COLOR] Well, there you have it. If you have any questions, the Underground therad is located (insert link here).

Okay, this is the Underground thread for my redone version of Pokemon: Age of War. The Adventure Inn thread is located [URL="http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?p=791193#post791193"][COLOR=blue]here[/COLOR][/URL]. Now, as I said in the Adventure Inn thread , here is a description of my altered rules for Pokemon choices. First, the simple rule: Kanto players may use any non-Legendary from R/B/Y, while Jhoto players may use any non-Legendary introduced in G/S/C. Unlike in The Boss's original, however, this is not the only rule. You may also use any Pokemon that fits one of these cases: [B]Case 1: R/B/Y Pokemon with G/S/C evolutions[/B]. Many of the new Pokemon in G/S/C are evolutions or baby forms of R/B/Y Pokemon. In this case, any of the Pokemon's forms may be used by a character from either region. For example, Zubat and its evolution, Golbat, are R/B/Y Pokemon, but G/S/C introduced a Golbat evolution, Crobat. Zubat, Golbat, and Crobat are valid Pokemon choices for characters from either region. [B]Case 2: R/B/Y Pokemon with alternate G/S/C evolutions. [/B]Some G/S/C Pokemon are alternative evolutions for R/B/Y Pokemon. A good example is the Oddish line. Oddish evolves into Gloom, then Vileplume, all of which are R/B/Y Pokemon. But G/S/C introduced an alternate evolution for Gloom, Bellossom. In such cases, a character from either nation may use any Pokemon from that evolution line, including any of the alternate evolutions. [B]Case 3: R/B/Y or G/S/C Pokemon with evolutions introduced in R/S/E or D/P.[/B] Some Pokemon had new evolutions introduced in the more recent Pokemon games. A new evolution may be used by characters from the region the previous evolution is from. For example, Weavile evolves from G/S/C Pokemon Sneasel. Therefore, Weavile may be used by Jhoto characters, but not by Kanto characters. There you have it. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask them.

Okay, I've signed up. I'm just using Kiva this time, and not Daego. He may show up, but if he does, it'll be as an NPC. I decided to try a second character in the first Silver One, and I did it for the duration, but I really prefer using a single character, so that's what I'm doing for this one.

[COLOR=#483d8b][B]Name:[/B] Kiva Salqarian [B]Age:[/B] 74 [B]Gender: [/B]Female [B]Race: [/B]Versilan [B]Loyalty: [/B]Resistance member [B]Description: [/B]Kiva is a rather tall woman, well over six feet in height. She's very good-looking, though not what one would call beautiful. She's in very good physical shape, which one can tell just by looking at her. She has the look of one who's been through quite a bit. In particular, she has a few scars at various places on her body. She preferrs to wear clothing that's loose-fitting, but not baggy. [B]Weapons:[/B] Kiva's firearm of choice is the HM-SS.7 model gun, the most recent model in the HM-SS series. The HM-SS series of weapons has long been Kiva's favorite. An HM-SS gun is designed for fast access and easy aiming, and the HM-SS.7 model features the addition of a fully automatic fire mode in addition to the series' standard semi-automatic fire mode. In addition, HM-SS power cells are quite long-lasting, as well as easy to replace. However, the HM-SS series' effectiveness is lessened against armored targets. The HM-SS.7 is an excellent anti-personel weapon, but is almost useless against heavily armored targets, such as millitary vehicles (though it works just fine of human millitary vehicles). The HM-SS series features one uinique characteristic. An HM-SS weapon is strapped onto the user's hand. To fire the weapon, one must first deactivate the safety lock that prevents it from being fired accidentally, which is a risk with the HM-SS series. Instead of a trigger, HM-SS series weapons detect a specific voluntary muscle action, which triggers the weapon to fire. The HM-SS.7 model uses a different muscle action for the autofire mode. [/COLOR][B] [COLOR=darkslateblue]Special Skills:[/COLOR][/B][COLOR=darkslateblue] In addition to being quite proficcient with the HM-SS series of firearms, Kalria is also skilled in hand-to-hand combat. She's also good at reading people, and at deceiving them as well. However, she's probably most skilled as a hacker. This skill set makes her very useful as a spy, which until recently is what she was. [B]Personality: [/B]Kiva is a very resourceful person, and her determination is strong. She can also be pretty stubborn at times. Once she starts something, she will finish it, and she'll probably do so in a way that nobody will see it coming. She's quite inventive. She's also quite intelligent, and is a fast thinker, as well.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]Kiva turly enjoys her work. Sometimes it appears that she really doesn't understand how serious the situation is, but this isn't true[COLOR=darkslateblue]. She just seems that way because of how much she enjoys what she does. She's well aware of what's at stake, and she seems to have a personal involvement as well, though she's never revealed what it is. The assumption is that it's related to her father, a[/COLOR] neutral scientist who was killed by either the Versilan Empire or the resistance, depending on which side's version you believe (OOC: His death was actually an accident).[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b][B]Summary: [/B]Kiva was a resistance operative undercover within the Versilan Empire. Success in her role as an officer in the Imperial military led to her eventual promotion to Elite Specialist. She, along with her crewman Daego Kelse, was assigned to assist in the invasion of Earth. Eventually, she was chosen to receive the working prototype for the new class of messenger ship, a highly advanced vessel she named the [I]Transcendence[/I].[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]After returning from Earth, Kiva met with High Councilor Erica Kendrick as per standard procedure, as she has just captured the Empire's two most-wanted individuals. The two were alone and unmonitered when the meeting took place, and Erica revealed to Kiva that she was the leader of the resistance. She had Kiva participate in her exposure and capture as part of her plan to expose the information about the illegal mental alterations. Because of Erica's illness, interrogation would kill her, so nobody could get information such as Kiva's status as a resistance agent from her.[/COLOR] [COLOR=#483d8b]AfterErica's capture, Kiva took a couple assignments, eventually capturing high-level Resistance member Daniel Timbers, who knew of her role as an undercover resistance operative. And he was in perfect health, so there was no reason he couldn't be interrogated. And his interrogation would undoubtably lead to the compromization of Kiva's position. So Kiva fled sector1 in the [I]Transcendence[/I], taking Daniel with her. Daego, who was sympathetic to the resistance's positon, went with Kiva and Daniel to sector 9 to join those opposed to the Empire.[/COLOR]

Okay, um, I was expecting this to be more of a serious RPG, and this was only reinforced by the serious tone of most of the sign-ups. I've tried humorous RPGs before, and have never enjoyed them, so I've stopped signing up for them. But it looks like I got fooled this time. I don't think this is an RPG I will enjoy, so I will be withdrawing myself from participation in it. I apologize for having to do so.

[COLOR=black]Well, I finally came up with a character I like, so I guess I'll sign up.[/COLOR] [COLOR=green]Name: Leresa Krales[/COLOR] [COLOR=green]Age: Unknown[/COLOR] [COLOR=green]Species: Unknown, but she appears human.[/COLOR] [COLOR=green]Occupation: Traveling Mercenary[/COLOR] [COLOR=green]Appearance: I have not found a good picture yet. Hopefully, this description wil suffice until I can find one: Leresa is a rather tall woman, over six feet in height. She's quite an attractive woman. She's also in excellent physical shape. She has a rather tough look to her, enhanced by the scars on her arms and legs. She also has a scar on her stomach, but it's covered by her clothing, and thus is usually not seen.[/COLOR] [COLOR=green]Personality Flaws: Leresa is generally a very cold individual, sometimes to the point that she seems completely emotionless.[/COLOR] [COLOR=green]Specialty: She has a high level of proficeincy in armed combat, and has fire- and air- based elemental abilities, as well as some telepathic ability. However, her apearance changes when she uses her abilities. Her eyes turn an unnatural red color. Her skin appears to harden, and lines appear in what looks like a scale pattern.[/COLOR] [COLOR=green]Reason for Living: To discover what she is.[/COLOR] [COLOR=green]In What Manner You Suffer from Story Line: Amnesia. She has no memories from more than six years ago, aside from her name. She doesn't even know what she is. People tend to assume she is human, because she looks tha way, but she does not believe this to be true.[/COLOR]

Okay, so now we're who knows where, and we'll all seperated. You can be with someone else if you want to, or you can be alone like Treana is. You can explore the area, speculate as to what happened, whatever. Just don't get too comfortable with the current situation, because I've got more surprises in store.

[COLOR=gray][FONT=Tahoma]The group had found a cave just before nightfall, and they'd decided to spend the night in it. Chloe was taking the first watch, so Jake and Micheal had gone to sleep pretty quickly.[/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=royalblue][FONT=Tahoma] Treana, however, didn't. She sat down beside Chloe.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=royalblue][/COLOR] [COLOR=royalblue][/COLOR][COLOR=gray][FONT=Tahoma]"Why did you do it, Treana?" Chloe said.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=gray][/COLOR] [COLOR=gray][/COLOR][COLOR=royalblue][FONT=Tahoma]"You made me, Chloe. I told you we would get Lenny to safety. You should have let us do so."[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=royalblue][/COLOR] [COLOR=royalblue][/COLOR][COLOR=gray][FONT=Tahoma]"I didn't think you could do it with the energy interfering. I had to do something."[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=gray][/COLOR] [COLOR=gray][/COLOR][COLOR=royalblue][FONT=Tahoma]"Well, you forced us to make a choice, and I told you that your life takes priority. When you put yourself in danger, you forced us to choose between you and Lenny, and it had to be you."[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=royalblue][/COLOR] [COLOR=royalblue][/COLOR][COLOR=gray][FONT=Tahoma]"Are- are you saying his death was my fault?"[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=gray][/COLOR] [COLOR=gray][/COLOR][COLOR=royalblue][FONT=Tahoma]"No. It was our actions that caused Lenny's death. We take full responsibility for that. But your actions were the reason we had to let Lenny die. Just be careful, Chloe. You're the highest priority. We don't like it, but if we have to choose again, we will choose you."[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=royalblue][/COLOR] [COLOR=royalblue][/COLOR][COLOR=gray][FONT=Tahoma]"I- Treana, I can't just let someone die."[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=gray][/COLOR] [COLOR=gray][/COLOR][COLOR=royalblue][FONT=Tahoma]"We never asked you to. Just be careful, Chloe. We'll take care of the others; you take care of yourself."[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=royalblue][/COLOR] [COLOR=royalblue][/COLOR][COLOR=royalblue][FONT=Tahoma]Treana walked further into the cave, to where the others were sleeping. "Wake me when it's my turn, Chloe," she said. She laid down, and was soon asleep.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=royalblue][/COLOR] [COLOR=royalblue][/COLOR] [COLOR=royalblue][/COLOR][COLOR=gray][FONT=Tahoma]After an uneventful night, the group resumed their search, but they didn't have much success. However, Chloe did sense a few people who'd been taken from Earth. Somehow, they'd freed themselves from the energy.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=gray][/COLOR] [COLOR=gray][FONT=Tahoma][COLOR=royalblue]"Well, we don't think there's any reason the people couldn't free themselves," Treana said. "They just think it's a dream, right? So they can free themselves, but they don't think there's a need to. But with the number of people the energy took, it was inevitable that some of them would decide that just in case, they would act as though it was real. And of course, once they'd freed themselves, they could help others get free. So we're not surprised that other people are here. Where are they, Chloe?"[/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=gray][FONT=Tahoma][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=gray][FONT=Tahoma][COLOR=gray]"Multiple locations," Chloe said. "It looks like they split up to cover more territory. I've been trying to contact them, but they haven't responded yet. I think it's probably the energy interfering with their abilities."[/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=gray][/COLOR] [COLOR=gray][FONT=Tahoma]"Let's try to find some of the," Jake said. "Lead us to the closest one, Chloe."[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=gray][/COLOR] [COLOR=gray][FONT=Tahoma]"All right," Chloe said. She started to move, then stopped. "Something's happening."[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=gray][/COLOR] [COLOR=gray][FONT=Tahoma][COLOR=royalblue]"We feel it, too," Treana said. "The energy is acting up."[/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=gray][FONT=Tahoma][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=gray][FONT=Tahoma][COLOR=gray]"It's moving inward," Chloe said, "towards the core of the planet. It's moving fast, too."[/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=gray][/COLOR] [COLOR=gray][FONT=Tahoma]"I don't feel it around us anymore," Micheal said.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=gray][/COLOR] [COLOR=gray][FONT=Tahoma]"Yes, but don't drop your shields," Chloe said. "I don't know what'll happen when it reaches the core."[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=gray][/COLOR] [COLOR=gray][FONT=Tahoma][COLOR=royalblue]"I assume the other groups all know about this?"[/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=gray][FONT=Tahoma][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=gray][FONT=Tahoma][COLOR=gray]"Yes. Okay, it doesn't look like the energy's stopping at the core. It's going right through the core."[/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=gray][/COLOR] [COLOR=gray][FONT=Tahoma]"Going through to where?" Micheal asked.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=gray][/COLOR] [COLOR=gray][FONT=Tahoma]"Back to the surface, of course. It formed a sphere around the planet. The sphere contracted, and now it's... inverted itself, I guess, I really don't know how to properly say it. But the energy's coming back up to the surface. Faster, too. I don't know what this is, so be ready for anything."[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=gray][/COLOR] [COLOR=gray][FONT=Tahoma][COLOR=royalblue]Treana lost sight of the others as soon as the energy hit. Whatever was hapening, her shield didn't seem to be stopping it. There were images flashing by too quickly to tell what they were. There was a sense of others caught up in whatever was happening. There was a feeling of movement. And the experience had a very dreamlike quality to it. After a while, the storm of stimuli was too much for Treana, and she passed out.[/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=gray][FONT=Tahoma][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=gray][FONT=Tahoma][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=gray][FONT=Tahoma][COLOR=seagreen]Treana got to her feet. Her other self was more disoriented than she was, so she had taken over. She looked around and saw that she was alone. The area looked much like where the group had arrived on Rilenti 4, or at least what Treana could see did. She couldn't see much, because there was little light. The area seemed covered by an unnatural darkness.[/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=gray][FONT=Tahoma][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=gray][FONT=Tahoma][I][COLOR=royalblue]Where the hell are we? [/COLOR][COLOR=seagreen]It appears to be Rilenti 4, but that isn't certain. [/COLOR][COLOR=royalblue]I can't sense anyone else. [/COLOR][COLOR=seagreen]They're all elsewhere, then. I don't know if they're all by themselves like we are, or if some of them appeared together. [/COLOR][COLOR=royalblue]If they're even here. They may not be. [/COLOR][COLOR=seagreen]We can't be certain, though, so let's take a look around. [/COLOR][COLOR=royalblue]I don't sense the energy around us, but we should keep our shield up anyways. I don't know what it is, but I can sense... something around us.[/COLOR][COLOR=seagreen] Then we keep our shield up while we search.[/COLOR][/I][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=gray][FONT=Tahoma][I][/I][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=gray][FONT=Tahoma][COLOR=#2e8b57]Treana looked around one more time before choosing a direction at random. She began walking in the chosen direction, looking for any of the others, or any himt as to where she was or what had just happened.[/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR]

Well, if other people are still interested, then I'm for continuing this.

It may be the Phantasy Star part. I don't know how much of a fanbase that series has on OB, but if there isn't a decent-sized Phantasy Star fanbase here, a Phantasy Star RPG isn't going to do very well.

I'd like to mention something nobody else has mentioned yet: an RPG's title. I remember one RPG someone (I don't remember who it was) tried to make a while ago. It was titled 'Dragon Heart'. Now, for those of you who don't know, there is a movie by the name 'Dragonheart' (there was also a sequel, 'Dragonheart: The New Beginning'). When I saw the title Dragon Heart, I though I might like the RPG, since I enjoyed the movie Dragonheart. So I read the backstory. The backstory was something about a dragon sealed away or something (this was a while ago, and I don't remember the specifics). Nothing to do with the movie Dragonheart, but whatever. I though that maybe he hadn't heard of the movie (it's not exactly a new movie), and I like dragons anyways, so I kept reading. It wasn't until after the backstory that InuYasha was mentioned. It was an InuYasha RPG that did not mention this in the title or the backstory. Not being interested in InuYasha, I left the thread. When that RPG didn't really get any sign-ups, the creator made a topic here asking about why it failed and how he could make it better. Meanwhile, I'm thinking 'duh!'. To me, it was obvious why that RPG didn't attract people. The title, Dragon Heart, was one that would attract people who liked the Dragonheart movie and people who just liked dragons in general. But the RPG had nothing to do with Dragonheart. It was an InuYasha RPG. But InuYasha fans weren't attracted to it, because the title made no mention of InuYasha. So not only did people who viewed the thread get something totally unexpected, but the people who would have been interested, InuYasha fans, didn't know it had anything to do with InuYahsa. When it comes to attracting participants, an RPG's title is one of the more important things. You want the title to have something to do with the RPG's story. If the RPG's story is based on dragons, dragons should be mentioned in the title. If demons are involved, the title should reflect this. If it's based on a movie, book, TV show, etc., the name of the movie/book/show/whatever should be somewhere in the title. The title also needs to be something that catches people's interest. An RPG titled 'Star Wars' wouldn't attract a lot of attention even among Star Wars fans. It's a bland title. It doesn't sound interesting. So Star Wars RPGs on OB have always had attention-grabbing subtitles. A few general tips about titles: 1: Don't make the title too long. If you've got a huge title, try cutting any redundant words. Some subtitles may also be unneeded. 2: I'll say it again: the title needs to have some relation to what the RPG is about. 3: Don't be unnecessarily vague. You don't want people going, "What the hell does that mean?" The reaction you want is, "I wonder what that's about?" So your title should be vague enough that one can't see what the entire RPG is about just from the title. It should just be enough to get people curious about the RPG. 4: If you're retrying an RPG, add (Second try) or something like that to the thread title. That way, people will know the RPG's being done again. Otherwise, people may think someone revived a dead thread. Well, that's what I have to say.