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Ogre in the Playground
Join Date: May 2008
Location: | In hiding. Always hiding. |
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[Nexus] OoC XXXI
WELCOME TO THE NEXUS!
Check your sanity at the door, please.
So, what is Nexus?
Spoiler
Well, the Nexus itself is like a rift, a single, brilliant point where all the universes in this strange thing we call 'reality' meet. Traveling to, from, and between any world or cosmology is theoretically possible here, and the Nexus itself seems to encourage this happening, often sucking beings and locations out of other universes at random, and dumping them on the world that lies at its center. It was not always like this, however. Once there were two worlds at the Nexus' heart, separate and distinct, though somewhat similar in ways. Similar enough that they slowly and eventually merged, so that only one remained. Here in this world the Nexus' influence reigns supreme, and as such the world has defied almost all attempts at classification. Here, knights of old may engage with Jedi knights. Gleaming spaceships land in Dark Age hamlets. Cowboys and samurai quest together to find holy sandwich boxes. And in the heavens above, Xi Wangmu and the Flying Spaghetti Monster meet every Woden's Day to play bowls with Pelor (it gets pretty epic). Here the possibilities are endless, and the universe without rules (except the Forum Rules, and the general FFRP rules, and the Individual Thread Rules, and oh whatever). Welcome to Nexus. Fun is had here.
Major Locales
Spoiler
For an endless world that defies all logic and classification, Nexus can be pretty darn consistent at times. As such, several locations have survived the test of time, remaining (somewhat) constant amidst the chaos of the rest of the world.
Inside - Inside mostly resembles a modern city, with high-rise buildings and apartments, alleyways and roads, though the odd Demonic Monument can still be seen rising up above the surrounding suburb, teeming with dark cultists. Inside is headed by a Council consisting of representatives from the major ACRONYMS, as well as Magtok and Zee, with law enforcement provided by Remnant, the remains of the once powerful Acronymian Empire.
Outside - If you ain't Inside, you're OUTSIDE!  Simple as that. Outside is a meta-thread for all those wildernessy type areas that don't merit their own threads, be it wood or lake or tiny shack.
Riverside - This is a completely separate city that has less law enforcement than Inside. Part of it is continually shrouded in darkness.
Underside - A sprawling network of underground caverns beneath the surface of the Nexus. The Underside is often considered a separate world beneath the feet of the Nexus, operating under strange, foreign rules and keeping its business where it belongs.
Mallside - It's a shopping mall, with shops run by PCs and NPCs alike. MagMart is the largest store, selling everything you can imagine. There's also a food court and a gorgeous fountain. By OOC consent, this is meant to be a peaceful thread, so starting fights or murdering npc's is not allowed.
Home - Whether in the suburbs of Inside, a desolate mountain cabin, a dingy flat somewhere... this is where PCs live. This is a meta-location, as the houses themselves may be many miles apart from one another. Or in separate dimensions.
Plot Threads - Many threads exist to contain plot events, such as a dungeon crawl or a dreamscape. Always check with the GM running a plot before jumping in.
ACRONYMS - Home to adventurers, these complexes provide headquarters and occasionally living space for like-minded Player Characters. Invariably equipped with cheesy names, these structures provide a place for their various members to fight crime, cause chaos, or anything of the sort. Current Acronyms include: - AMEN - Association for the Malicious, Evil and Nefarious. Evil aligned organization, exists to be EVIL! And sometimes Ebil.
- HALO - Heroic, Anti-evil and Lawbreaking Organization. Non-Evil aligned organization, exists to smite wrong-doers.
- GLoG - Good League of Good. Good aligned organization, exists to redeem evil-doers.
- NO - Neutralist Oganization. Neutral aligned organization, exists to perform mercenary contracts for other organizations and individuals in the Nexus without taking sides
- WATCHTOWER - You Know What? Screw It. Non-aligned aligned organization. Exists to destroy threats to Nexus, whatever form they may take.
- PACK - Perfectly Acceptable College for Kids. The local Nexus school. Class mostly occurs offscreen, though...
- MaGLoG - Gambling League of Gambling. It's a casino in the Red Zone of Inside, run by Magtok.
The Taverns
What kind of vaguely DnD-esque adventurer would you be if you didn't visit one of these places at least once? The various Taverns, Grills, Hotels, Cantinas and Restaurant provide meeting places for the Player Characters, areas for quest givers to stand mysteriously in, and also places for people to eat and spend the money they seem to have infinite amounts of. Though there are a vast number of such places in Nexus, some with their own thread and some without, throughout history three major hubs have existed, without which Nexus as we know it wouldn't exist. The Dancing Fox Inn, which is located among some hills in outside. Finally, there is Trog's Tavern, which is located, maddeningly enough, at every corner of the Nexus at the same time. There is also the Black Dragon's Den, it's located roughly between the docks and the slums of Inside, and is the local hive of scum and villainy.
For more information:
The first post of every thread is valuable reading. It explains the purpose of the thread, whether it's private or public, and whether there are any additional rules you should follow. It's always a good idea to read it before you post in a new thread.
General Nexus FAQs:
Spoiler
Is there a guide to getting started?
Besides this post, which you're currently reading, you should also read post 3 of the stickied FFRP Central thread. Once you've read both, you can ask any questions you ask in the current Nexus OOC thread. If you have no questions, post in the Nexus OOC anyway to introduce yourself. And welcome. 
What kind of character can I make?
Any. There are no restrictions on genre, alignment, world of origin, etc.
Will my power work the way it does in the source setting?
Almost certainly not. In your setting, you may have been the Mighty Zorlox, whose power to control the world's socks was absolute, but in the Nexus, you may run across Madam Bo Peep, who controls the world's wool.
If my power goes against your power, who wins?
In combat or any type of adversarial situation, the defender has the final say. So if Zorlox tries to turn Bo Peep's wool socks purple, Peep's player gets to decide if her wool power prevails. But if Bo Peep tries to have a pair of wool socks strangle Zorlox, then his player gets to decide if his sock power wins.
Oh no! Someone's already using my character concept!
In the Nexus, all cosmologies are true. Just because someone is playing the incarnation of Death doesn't mean you can't as well. You are very unlikely to come up with a character concept that is wholly unique while remaining playable; there is nothing new under the sun, and so on.
Sometimes you'll say 'I just came up with a great character idea - they have x race and y abilities and z backstory and I'll call her Linda' and someone will say 'You mean like my character Lynda over there that I introduced last week?' No one really knows why these sort of coincidences occur, but the Nexus seems especially prone to them. When they do, the best thing to do is to look at your character concept and figure out what makes yours unique.
Where should I start? Long answer, you can start in any thread that isn't a private thread or a plot thread. Short answer, Trog's if you want a chaotic introduction with the possibility of brawls or random encounters. Mallside if you want a peaceful place to interact.
Do I need to get pre-approval for my character, or fill in a registry form before I start?
Nope. You can if you like, but it's not required. And sometimes it's better to get a feel for your character first, before deciding all the details about them.
Threads can be so confusing to read! So many people are doing things! How can I help?
There are two things that everyone can do that will make threads much easier to read.
First, please put your character's name in every post, even if it's just <Character's name> said, "<Stuff that was said>". Your characters are your babies and you know them all, but the other players don't. Even the people you roleplay with regularly probably don't know the text colors of all your characters. (The only exception to the 'name in every post' guideline would be if you're in a back and forth dialogue scene with only one other person no one else posting in the same thread at that time. Then I would change it to 'put the name in every third post'.)
Second, please use [Location Tags] to say where you are, so that people can keep track of events occurring in different places. For a good explanation of how [Location Tags] work, see the first post of the Outside thread.
I'm not getting any character interaction! What should I do?
First, try initiating interaction. Sometimes everyone in the Tavern is being mysterious and aloof, and someone has to be the first person to speak up and start talking to the other person. If that doesn't work, try posting in the OOC thread that you want interaction! It's a good idea to say if you're looking for a fight, a plot, a conversation, a romance, or anything else. Most people are friendly and will work with you.
Using this smiley in your posts can help too:
What if I disagree with another player about how the scene should go?
Talk to them, either by PM or in the OOC thread. If you've gotten angry, wait until you cool down to post. Ask non-involved players to act as mediators if needed. If it gets to the point where neither player is having fun, it's probably best to just agree on a way to quickly conclude the encounter and move on.
But I'm really mad! *ragequits and deletes all posts*
Well, first off, that's not a question, that's an declaration, Mr. Smartypants. Secondly, no one can really stop you, but it's not very courteous and makes problems for other players. Retconning out a scene can be done, but that's not the right way to do it.
So what's the best way to handle a retcon, then?
First of all, retcons should be rare. But if you really think you have a good reason for one, talk to all of the players involved in the scene and make sure they're okay with it. Remember, they all put their time and effort into roleplaying with you. Once everyone involved has agreed how the retcon will go, post a summary of the retconned changes in the thread involved and in the OOC thread so that other players will be aware.
I think I should win this fight! But the other person thinks they should win too! Should I make up a new power for my PC to win?
No. Never do this.
If you're planning on having a fight with another player's PC it's sometimes a good idea to work out ahead of time how the conflict is going to end. Especially if both sides go into it wanting to win. Because when that's the case things often spiral out of control and people get mad.
We aren't here to get mad, we're here to have fun.
So instead of getting mad save yourself some trouble and shoot a few PMs back and forth first.
Why We Fight: A Proposed Advanced Style And Concept Guide for Individual FFRP Combat By Neon Knight
Spoiler
Foreword
Introduction
Spoiler
Combat is an interesting subject in FFRP. FFRP is an interactive, cooperative endeavor, but combat serves a different purpose in FFRP than it does in other interactive, cooperative activities that FFRP might be patterned off of, like video games and table top RPGs. FFRP combat, rather, is more akin to a fight scene in a movie, book, or play. Another analogy may be that FFRP combat is not like an MMA match, which is truly competitive, but rather like professional wrestling, which is an arranged, choreographed performance intended to tell a story. FFRP is cooperative storytelling, and it remains so, even during a fight or action scene.
Why Competitive Combat Doesn't Work in FFRP
The Ideal of Cooperative Combat
Spoiler
Combat in FFRP should be cooperative rather than competitive, which by and large is the same purpose that most posts in FFRP serve. Combat should serve to tell a story and add to storytelling, provide drama and tension through physical peril, and to entertain through description. When your characters get into a fight, the ideal is to make that fight a meaning contribution to the plot, whether that be your character's overall arc, the plot of the other characters in the fight, the specific plot of the fight or place where the fight is taking... you get the idea. You should cooperate and coordinate with other players to make sure that you're all on the same page, fulfilling the proper purposes, and not stepping on anyone else's toes. Sometimes, you might not get to work towards the purpose you necessarily want, but compromise is one of the necessary parts of cooperation. This is the ideal of Cooperative Combat: to have fight scenes serve to support continuing plot lines and interaction, to serve the interests, needs, and stories of as many players as possible as harmoniously as possible, which is the same ideal for normal interaction.
What those purposes are will vary from fight to fight and plot to plot. Communicating with players in the plot and fight before, during, and after the occasion is ideal.
Covering Yourself and the Enemy in Glory
Selling the Hits
Spoiler
"Selling" a hit is wrestling terminology for acting as if a blow really hurt or serious injured/impaired you. A similar concept can be applied to the Nexus; selling is the act of briefly bowing to the assertions, that is, attacks of other players and letting them affect you. Selling is something that requires both people to meet halfway. The attack has to be appropriate in order to get sold; appropriate for the purpose and goal of the fight. The response has to acknowledge and account for the attack.
Thus, selling is something you need to keep in mind when designing a post, and when designing your character. You need to make sure your attacks and defenses allow both you and the other side to sell the hits, to avoid pointless exchanges were nothing really gets accomplished. A string of misses often adds nothing to the conflict or the plot, and doesn't move the action closer to resolution.
My suggestion is to try and design graded consequences for your abilities. For example, here is a suggested consequences list for an attack with a gun:
No Consequence: Total miss.
Minor Consequence: Grazing hit, or a hit in an armored location with minimum impact, character becomes more cautious/less aggressive, an item of minor importance is hit/lost.
Moderate Consequence: Flesh wound, character takes cover and doesn't act, character is forced to fall back, an item of importance is hit/lost.
Major Consequence: A disabling injury/injury requiring medical condition is sustained, character becomes pinned and temporarily unwilling to fight/risk self further, character begins to fallback, an item of major importance is hit/lost.
Full Consequence: Life threatening injury, death, retreat/rout, surrender, etc.
In general, you should take the consequences that are appropriate for the fight, and for the goals that the fight is intended to fulfill. But, in general, No Consequence hits should be used sparingly. Consequence lists will differ from fight to fight, situation to situation, character to character, and possibly from attack to attack. You don't have to have a response for every type of consequence. In general:
A No Consequence Hit does not move the fight closer to resolution. It has no real consequences on the fight or on the character.
A Minor Consequence Hit does not move the fight closer to resolution, at least not appreciably, but it is intended to have minor consequences for the immediate fight and for the character. These consequences aren't intended to be long term.
A Moderate Consequence Hit is intended to slightly move the fight closer to resolution, and has some consequences for the character. It is intended to last somewhat longer than a minor consequence.
A Major Consequence Hit is intended to move the fight rapidly towards a conclusion, and is intended to have consequences that last for some time or require some action to redress.
A Full Consequence Hit is an attack at maximum effectiveness, intended to move the fight immediately to a resolved state. It is intended to have long term/permanent consequences or to require severe effort to redress.
Another proposed consequence list, this time for a sleep spell:
No: The subject is not affected by the magic.
Minor: The subject feels fatigued or slightly sleepy, but not enough to seriously impair ability, only enough to take the edge off their prowess.
Moderate: The subject feels fatigued, unable to perform at top condition, and may suffer a temporary lapse in concentration or focus. The subject might fall into a micro sleep for an instant or for a few seconds.
Major Consequence: The subject may lose focus for several seconds, and may become so tired as to need to actively fight to stay awake. They might fall asleep for several seconds.
Full Consequence: The subject falls entirely asleep, or is so disabled as to be helpless.
These are not the only gradations you can offer. Different scales might work better, either for specific, individual cases, or in general. But having the ability to mitigate an attack to the exact degree of harm and effectiveness to be suitable for the purpose of the fight is an advantage. Avoid all or nothing powers, except if that's supposed to be the point (of the character, the fight, or the plot) and if you do so, be fully prepared and ready to accept a series of No Consequence Hits. When going for all or nothing, make sure that both the all and the nothing are as acceptable and widely applicable as possible.
Be Open To Other Roles
Spoiler
In FFRP, your character is not always the protagonist. FFRP is a story composed of many other stories, each with their own characters. Each character might take different roles in different situations, and it is important to recognize this and to be ready to accept the many different roles you might get cast in. Sometimes, you're just a sidekick or ally in a fight. Other times, you'll be the main figure in a fight. And sometimes, you'll be the antagonist, and sometimes you'll get the role in the fight that loses. Being able to reconcile and relate this to your characters is an important skill in FFRP. Now, not every character will necessarily be interesting in every role, and it isn't a bad thing to try and put your character into the roles they are suited for whenever you can. But flexible characters who can relate and work in different roles can be more interesting than less flexible characters, and they may have more opportunities than those less flexible characters.
Conclusion
Your first character (copied from FFRP Central)
Spoiler
So, you're ready to make your first character. One of the hardest things to get used to in ffrp is that you don't start out in an adventuring party, and there's no DM to push characters together. You'll have to actually find people to interact with on your own. Here are some tips (not requirements!) for making that easier on your first character: - Don't be the quiet person in the shadowy corner. If you roleplay as someone who is outgoing and talkative, you'll find it easier to make IC friends. Someone who is curious or greedy will be more open to plot hooks and adventure opportunities. But if you roleplay someone who is shy or quiet or wary of other people, you're likely to be left alone.
- Don't be openly evil. If you walk into the tavern and start murdering npcs, you are unlikely to make a lot of friends and very likely to get jumped on by a bunch of PCs who were looking for a fight.
- Consider starting low-powered. It's tempting in a freeform system with no scores or points to decide that your character is the best at everything, but where will they go from there? They can always gain powers or magic items or skills as they go on.
- Don't be too needy. Remember in ffrp, you are not THE hero of the story. You are A hero, and there are many stories. The characters you meet at first are likely to be involved in their own affairs. Some players start by having their character immediately in need of rescue, healing, training, attention, etc. This can work well, but make sure you have a plan B in case there is no one willing to drop everything to devote themselves to being your rescuer! Can your character make it if they receive only a minimal amount of help, or none at all?
- Don't be too self-sufficient. Remember in ffrp, you are not THE hero of the story. You are A hero, and there are many stories. If you are a combat powerhouse and a healer and a master of obscure lore and a spellcaster, people are likely to get weary of their characters taking a back seat to yours and decide you can do just fine without them.
- Be aware of deadtimes and real life. Sometimes, not many people are online and active. Sometimes the people who are may only have a limited time to play and want to use it to progress their favorite storyline instead of meeting new people. Try to be patient and remember that it won't be long before you'll be the one wrapped up in your own favorite storylines. Talk to people in the ooc thread while you wait for your character to get 'stuck in'.
- Have fun! Remember this is a game, and if it isn't fun, you aren't doing it right.
Attention Villains and Plot Instigators:
Spoiler
Conflict is great! It's the heart of any story, and there isn't much to roleplay without it. However, as a player to player courtesy, please check in with the players who are active at any given time before launching an attack. Not everyone wants to roleplay combat scenes, and sometimes there are other things going on that players don't want to interrupt for a random fight. Either a PM/IM to players, a short post in thread to say ((Mind if I introduce a villain here?)) or a longer post in the OOC thread if it's a larger plot is appreciated. However, taverns are usually considered fair game for a Random Encounter or general brawl.
If you intend to start a large scale plot, such as an invasion or apocalypse or the like, please consider the following guidelines:
* Don't spring it on players. Characters can be surprised, but players have lives. Make sure they want to play in your event before conscripting them by going "Suddenly, Apocalypse!" in a thread they're using for other things or at a time when the relevant players have exams, family stuff, vacations, etc.
* Go easy on the Nexus-wide effects. Ominous visual effects like a blood moon or a green sky tend to be accepted. Massive spells that affect everyone in the Nexus or city / org destroying superweapons... expect pages and pages of drama.
* Avoid apocalypse fatigue. If there's recently been one, there needs to be a cooling off period before the next one. People want to be able to roleplay how the event affected their characters and various locations, and this requires some RL time where they aren't in the middle of combat.
* Inside is the standard Apocatarget. If you're attacking Inside, this absolutely requires that Wolfy and the Remnant players are onboard, and have the free time to devote to it. The same principle applies to making any other thread your target - make sure the main players in that thread are willing to play. The other time this isn't required is for the Outside thread, since it's so huge that anyone can say they aren't at the Apocalocation. If you do this, consider simply making a plot thread for the apocalypse. It does lose some of the apocalyptic flavour, but it avoids a lot of headaches for players and the GM.
* Make sure /you/ as a GM know what you're doing. (1) If you've never GM'd a Nexus plot before, DO NOT start with an Apocaplot. Experience as a GM for tabletop games or other freeform verses is helpful, but the Nexus is different enough to have its own learning curve. Start with a bank robbery, a kidnapping, or some other lower end villainy to get some practice. (2) Make sure you have the free time to respond to many many player posts as well as handling the npc victims if no one else steps up to play them. If you don't already post daily, you should not GM an Apocaplot. Don't say 'I know I only post sporadically, but it'll be different for this plot.' Prove you can post regularly /first/. (3) Remember that you're going to /lose/. Your villain may not realize it, but you as a player must absolutely accept this from the start. Even if Team Hero completely and utterly fails, you do not get to say 'haha! Nexus goes boom!'
* An Apocaplot, by its very nature, is an open plot. Unless you have it in a separate thread, it's no fair to lock players out from participating, or to say you don't want high powered characters joining. If you're throwing around world destroying events, then Exalts, godlings, and other OP beings should be allowed to get involved.
* FFRP is supposed to be what we do for fun. If we start thinking of it as a chore, then that's a sign that something is going wrong. If any player wants out of the plot, work with them to find an IC way to let their character get out of it without killing them. If everyone is slogging through, forcing themselves to post, and really bored with it, consider wrapping it up in a cut scene. If people are ragequitting your plot, that's a really really bad sign, and requires a timeout for tempers to cool.
When Storylines Stall: Dealing with Deadtime
Spoiler
I have a suggestion for a new guideline (not a rule!) for roleplay. In group interactions, often the entire thing freezes when one player doesn't post. Then there's the debate about whether or not it's fair to skip that person.
My suggestion is that the default expectation be set at 24 hours. If you haven't posted in 24 hours without asking for more time, then the interaction is allowed to move on.
Caveats:
1. This would be 100% negotiable. If Pat Player knows he always needs 3 days to post, then he says so up front, and everyone in the plot knows that. Or Pam Player says she's never around on weekends, or Pav Player has a big homework assignment and needs some time off, or George GM says 'There's one week between turns in my plot' etc. The default is for when no one has said anything, but the post just isn't happening.
2. If the player is online and posting in other places, poke them first before moving on. They may have just forgotten.
3. There are no 'sanctions' for missing your turn in a plot or interaction other than cyber poke wounds. If skipping the person would mean something significant occurs to their character, then don't do it, or find a way to shield their character from events or give them multiple options for how they would have been effected (with 'no effect' being an option.)
OOC Archives:
Note: This is the OOC thread. Not a roleplaying thread. That's what the actual roleplaying threads and SMBG are for. 
Nexus Character Directory
Nexus Digest
Nexus Plot Opportunity Directory (experimental)
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There is happiness for those who accept their fate.
There is glory for those who resist their fate. ~Chibi Reinholdt by Siena.
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