Deep Water

Some of our KTDARPG storyies & plots come down to a single premise, usually supplied by our illustrious Game Master. At times that premise can get pretty deep. For example ...

Recently the in-game Fort River News published parts of the U.S. "Declaration of Independence." Now you have to admit, in this world where we play -- adults dead of a lethal virus; kids left alone to deal -- the concept of "all men are created equal" can be a bit of a puzzle. Our game-world has some pretty clear lines between haves & have-nots, slaves & masters, tribes & outcasts, independents & refugees. We've just survived 2 major "big bads" in the form of the all-controlling Brotherhood & then the death-dealing Anti-kids. It's only been about 2 years since the virus swept through & took out the old world. Just a few game-weeks ago, a 2nd virus was unleashed that could've wiped out the rest of the population. Now we bring in the concept of freedom?

This has set up 2 opposing camps & 2 distinct views of what freedom means. (And I really hope I capture these descriptions correctly. Someone from KTDARPG, let me know if I get it wrong, please!)

Camp # 1 -- The Cause of Freedom is what we might define as "responsible freedom" in the real world. Kinda like democracy -- freedom comes with responsibilities. The characters who subscribe to this belief (including West & Bishop) didn't want the old U.S. declaration to be published. They don't believe the game-world kids are prepared to understand & live with the responsibilities that come with being equal & free.

Camp # 2 -- This camp has the greatest number of adherents (including Pyro, Tom-F, Brena, Ishmael & Jade). Their Cause is total equality & total freedom. And "total" means total, including the freedom to live however you choose no matter how it affects others.

It's an interesting set-up. Some characters have interpretations that don't fit neatly into either of the 2 established camps duking it out for power. Just 1 example...rioters are on a rampage through the city questing for their own version of freedom & equality.

It'll be interesting to see how this one plays out. If nothing else, it's challenging as hell. Stay tuned for more as it develops. -Chyna

Photo source: copyright Cloud-9 "The Tribe"

Jet-lagged, but home

Long trip. Good trip. Too jet-lagged to sleep, so reading mail & catching up on the game. Everything's pointing our players toward the coming all-city meeting. Will be interesting to see if "The Powers That Be" can pull it off.

For me, I find myself at an interesting place. After being out-of-game for more than a week, it feels kinda like the first time I had a character walk into the game. Unsteady ground, many avenues to choose from. With my primary character, Valentine, I guess it's as near a clean slate as I'm likely to get.

Valentine's only barely been introduced in the game, with glimpses into her goals, desires, history & thoughts. She comes "pre-loaded," providing guidance, incentive & motivation to the mob of refugees & rioters who've been burning their way through the city. Now I need to decide how she'll interact with the rest of this cast of characters. Time to focus on what's behind the pretty face she shows the world...why she talked Sid into teaching her how to use a sword...why she depends on Mordecai (and who the hell IS Mordecai, anyway?). For some clues, I'll tell you that Valentine is a parallel to "The Tribe's" Taisan from 1st/2nd season (when she was still at the height of her space-cadet, new-age hippie days). Taisan believed in each person's power to rule & guide themselves, without leaders & laws. That's where Valentine begins...

In other words, time for the fun to start. Let me get some sleep, and then let the game beware. :)

-Chyna
Photo source: copyright Cloud-9 "The Tribe"

Ok, so I couldn't resist . . .

Just so happens someone here brought a laptop, so hi from the Riviera in Vegas! It's early afternoon & I couldn't resist peeking in at the game to see what's happening. (Ok, so you guys are a hard habit to break & I miss ya!)

As predicted, the game's still slow but that's cool. Means a build-up to March action when (hopefully) life gets routine again for more of us. There are a lot of plots building--kinda glad I'm not missing much.

Anyway, coffee is calling my name. And for those who're wondering--so far the slot machines are my friends. :)

-Chyna
Photo source: Webshots

Holiday

Starting today, Chyna's on holiday. First time away from the rpg for more than just a couple of days, which means I'm due--take a break, kick back, find a sunny spot, experience new things. What's weird is I'll be off computer altogether for at least a week. (When you consider my working life is totally computerized, this qualifies as big-time vacation!) My hands'll have to make do with martini glasses & poker chips for a while. I think I can handle that. :)

To my friends in the game, play nice & stay outa trouble if you can.
-Chyna
Photo source: Webshots

My idea of "fun" -- Thanks, Prince!

Tackling a text-based rpg isn't an easy way to get into writing. But when you have the right group of players who stay away from judgment calls & just focus on the game? It's creative, imaginative & a lot of fun.

Most of the players in KTDARPG today were already with the game when I joined, just about a year ago. Because I write as my profession, it's fun for me to interact with writers at different levels of development, watching them grow in skill & confidence.

Last night, I watched a HUGE breakthrough.

Prince has been around since the game began. He's under 20, still in school, and brings a wicked enthusiasm & crazy passion to the game. His primary character is generally a loner, and we never really know which direction he'll go in next. This guy is fearless--he's tackled both major & one-on-one battle scenes, high comedy (we'll never forget when his character had chicken pox, or when he put on that bunny-suit!), sorrow & death, and creating a rock concert scene for Solstice. When he decided to broaden his horizons & develop a 2nd character, he didn't do it the easy way. His secondary character is female. Just the fact he's trying to stretch that way says a hell of a lot about his growing confidence in his writing.

Last night he was challenged with a "farewell" scene with a girl-character that his primary cared about. When I read it, I was floored. It was funny, sensitive & very touching. The language was vivid & alive. With the player whose character was the girl, Prince created a farewell-scene that you could feel.

Wherever his inspiration is coming from, this time he got it more than right. Much more. As I told him after I read his post, last night Prince left the amateurs behind & joined the pros. -Chyna
Logo copyright Cloud-9 "The Tribe"

Hiatus

We've been spoiled these last 8-10 months in the game. For the most part, action's moved pretty fast. The varying plots have developed into an amazing story. Characters you care about...a city that lives in your mind...a compelling story...doesn't get any better for an rpg.

Ah, but you know it can't last.

Reality has a way of being...well, real. Players have lives. Students have tests. Others have jobs. People get sick, go on vacation, get snowbound in the 2006 New York Blizzard (stay safe, Krystal!).

So the game waits. Players without other obligations check it daily, hoping somebody posted (even just a one-liner!).

In the '80s, biorhythms were the thing--charting the ebb & flow of a person's physical & emotional health. An rpg has something similar. For February, looks like the tide is out for KTDARPG.

But don't worry. It'll flow again. -Chyna

"The Tribe"

Remembering where we started... I pulled out my season-1 "The Tribe" dvds last night and spent a few hours remembering why I enjoy this so much.

Premise: The modern, technology-dependent world as we know it is gone. A virus has killed all the adults. Only children are left to figure out how to live on tinned foods, bottled water, battery power--and competition for every resource. The strong survive; the weak are trampled under foot. After the first wave of despair & frenzied looting, the kids begin to form into tribes (think gangs) to defend what they have & start to re-build their world.

"The Tribe" has some great characters, especially in season-1. Zoot, leader of the Locos, the strongest & most dangerous tribe in the city. Ebony, Zoot's woman, crazy as he is, high-priestess to his madness. Amber, one of the Mallrats & usually their reluctant leader, concerned for her friends, known for her fairness & common sense. Bray, tall eco-warrior who finds it hard to commit to anything in this world; but once he does, his commitment is complete. Taisan, new-age hippy. Lex, all brass & bravado but few plans on how to get where he wants to go. Trudy, a young mother. Jack, scientist & problem-solver. Salene, struggling with self-image & bulemia. Zandra, Dal...so many others. All unique. All survivors.

In KTDARPG, a lot of our characters are inspired by those originals. We have our version of Zoot and Ebony, Amber and Bray, and many of the others. Knowing the originals helps us visualize our own characters & build them into unique people in the game. We think about their styles in clothes & makeup, their actions, their plots & schemes, the way they talk and live, what motivates them, the dangers they faced & the challenges they overcame. Yeah, it helps.

Any time I'm looking for inspiration or just a new plot twist, I always head back to my dvds or just catch an episode on tv (re-runs still pop up on cable usually every day). Hard to beat the creativity of "The Tribe" and the world the writers and producers and actors created for us. -Chyna

Photo source: all photos copyright Cloud-9 "The Tribe"

How do you keep track?

I just realized that, in addition to a couple of primary plot lines, our game currently has more than a dozen separate threads (diverging story lines) all happening at the same time!

The question becomes: How do you keep track? Of your own character(s)? Of the ones you're interacting with? Of what's going on around you that will affect your play down the road? Fort River isn't the largest of cities, but there's an awful lot going on especially behind the scenes. What happens in a small dark basement in Sector 5 can affect everyone's lives throughout the city.

Some players keep their own private game journals, noting down post #s of pivotal events so they can refer back to them later.

Some players keep & refer to the story-digests as they're published. (Problem there is, I'm responsible for the digests & they're usually several game-weeks behind current action.)

Some depend on our "game historians." We have at least 2 players who are so focused on the details (or just have really, really good memories) that we can use them like librarians when we're trying to keep storylines straight.

Others (like me) just wing it. I mean, let's face it--we have more than 5,000 separate posts after almost 18 months of gaming! That's a lot of details, a lot of story. So if you can stay focused in the moment, and just read all the posts as they hit the game, you can usually be pretty accurate about what's happening.

And, hey, if one of us goofs & gets something wrong? There's usually another player or 2 quite willing to let us know immediately. :)

Whatever works for you! -Chyna

Photo source: copyright Cloud-9 "The Tribe"

Putting the "PG" in RPG

Ok, guys -- very important. You absolutely have to remember your primary audience when you're in a role-playing game. And for every game, your Primary Audience are the players around you. When that gang of players includes people under 18, then you have to always be conscious of that fact. Just like "The Tribe" on tv was rated "PG", our Keep the Dream Alive rpg strives to follow those same standards. The target player-age we write for is maybe 18. So we may come closer to PG-13 sometimes, but we do our best. This isn't a visual game -- all our actions are text-based. We're not including pictures with gory details or "graphic" anything -- but people still have very good imaginations. We can't control others' minds, but we can control our own words & actions in the game.

That's not easy, in a game where we try to keep what happens in the realm of possibility. Truth is, with all our characters anywhere from age 8-10 up to maybe 19, in the "real world" there'd be a lot more violence & a lot more...umm...hormone-related issues to deal with. We've done the violence thing (yeah, we had a head or two chopped off & body parts strewn around and some wicked wounds). We've done the sex-thing & the one-night-fling-thing & the she's-having-a-baby thing. But our players have done this according to the developing storyline and NOT just to shock somebody or prove their writing skills. All of the action in-game has come about because of where a story took us. And the players have handled some pretty difficult situations with grace & common sense. You don't have to use graphic language to get a point across. You don't have to "spell out all the details" to create a scene. We've gone only so far...and then stopped & moved on. Story completed.

From time to time, we have some under-15 players; those are usually friends or family members of older players, so the older ones have been good about doing a bit of censoring when needed.

KTDARPG is a game that is open to the public & played by all ages (and we've been good about putting the proper warnings & disclaimers in place, just so everybody who visits or becomes a member knows what's going on here).

Most of our stories are focused on character development, on describing our world, and on the relationships we build among characters in the game. We're not perfect -- neither the characters, nor the players who create & move them around this chessboard we call Fort River. We're learning as we go, and that's what has kept the fun in the game.

It's probably why we're well into our 2nd year of playing, too. We take chances with stories. We try new strategies & new directions. (We also try not to stray into scifi or fantasy...well, we try...). And we're really never sure where the next plot-twist is gonna come from!

If you aren't a member, stop by & give us a try. You might find something you like.

-Chyna

Joining the game: What do I do now?

Sorry for the mood interruptions, guys. OK, where was I? Ah, yes...

You've created your very own character & brought him/her into the game. What's next? Time to move.

In Keep the Dream Alive rpg, play is text-based. But the writing that's involved should not intimidate. We focus on ideas & plots & dialogue, not on whether grammar is English-class perfect. There are a few rules & directions on the mechanics of "how" to post your play into the game. But that's where rules end & fun starts.

Tip # 1: Stay true to your character. That's the easiest thing to say but the hardest to do sometimes. Fix a really strong image of your character in your mind, especially when you react to what's happening inside the game. If your character's words & moves are consistent, other players will learn what to expect from you & what your goals and ambitions are.

Tip # 2: Have a goal. Even if it's as simple as being accepted into a group or making friends. If you're one of those people who come into a game, read the backstory, see where the game's going AND figure out how to twist it in a new direction with your character in the lead--MORE POWER TO YOU! Those are the players that frustrate the shit out of me & challenge me to be better. (Yes--I happen to like those kinds of players!)

Tip # 3: Ask. Games usually have moderators who'll work with players & help you when you need it. Gamers are also willing to chat, give advice or even cooperate when you have a story idea that involves multi-characters. But you have to ask. (In KTDARPG, Chyna is one of a handful of moderators. If I can ever be of help, always willing!)

Tip # 4: Have fun! C'mon, it's a game--don't get too serious (although "competitive" is always a good!) or too hung up on rules. When they get in the way, we just tend to ditch 'em. -Chyna

Photo source: copyright Cloud-9 "The Tribe"

RPG 101

I've been reminded of one reason gaming is so much fun. More than tv or a book, the rpg lets you take an hour or two & just move inside your head, in a world you helped manufacture. For a short time, you can set aside real-world & play inside a place where you know the rules (because you helped write them). You know the problems (because you helped create them). The solutions are there at your keyboard, just waiting for you to wrap a crisis up all neat & tidy and move on.

Real-world is never that neat & tidy. Gets confusing. Gets messy. Solutions aren't that easy to find...still, every day above ground is a good day! :)

Sorry, guys. Chyna's had a rough week. We all get 'em, from time to time...when someone else "controls" and you're the chess piece being moved around the board.

Ah, well. I've had my hour in the game. My characters are where I want them to be--singing or talking or just "dealing" confidently inside the story.

Now I'll go and be a good chess piece.

Tomorrow will be better. Promise. -Chyna

Joining the game, Step-2: Make an Entrance

Ok, you've got your character. You know who you are, what you look like, what you can do & where you came from. Time to join the game!

2. Making an Entrance

First, take some time & read what's happened up to the current point of the game. You need to know what's going on. See who the big players are, what the predominant plot line is, and scope out the lay of the land (city? country? mountain? river? seaside?).

Second, decide how you want to play it. Are you gonna ease your way in & stay in the background awhile? Will you try to join a team of characters already working together? Will you come in & challenge one of the main characters for dominance? Fill a void you can see the game needs (teacher, healer, underdog, holy man, computer expert)? Or will you carve out your own place & your own storyline? Lots of options!

Once you know what's happening & how your character will fit in, time to write up the scene & get in the game.

Easing your way in is the simplest way. Recently in KTDARPG, our city had a huge influx of refugees (great opportunities for new players to join). Also recently we had a special Solstice Celebration that drew characters from throughout our territory (also great openings for new players). You can start as part of a crowd, or just walking down a street describing what your character sees. It won't be long before you'll hook up & start interacting with other characters.

Joining an existing team has lots of advantages. KTDARPG has "tribes" -- ready-made families, lots of different people with different skills & interests. Joining a tribe (or any kind of team) gives your character an immediate group-identity & also a group-view of the game world that you can build on as you move forward. Filling a void also gives you an immediate identity & reputation. Every game needs its healers/medics, its teachers (and a lot depends on what it is needs to be "taught"), even its politicians & shopkeepers & security guards.

Carving out your own place in the game is the most fun of all, but it's not the easiest thing you can do. This is usually something more experienced gamers do effectively, because you really need good writing & plotting & strategy skills. Still--why not give it a try? What you do is analyze the game to date, see where you have an opening to come in with your character & twist the storyline in a new direction. You have to know your character really well & be very specific about what s/he can do & can contribute to the story.

However you choose to do it--get in the game! You'll never know how much fun it is until you play! And once you're inside, you can watch how other players portray their characters & develop them within the story. We learn by doing...

Next time, Step-3: Now I'm here, what do I do?

-Chyna
Photo source: copyright Renaissance Pictures

Joining the game, Step-1: Create your Character

For those of us already in an rpg, it seems easy to join--just create your character & jump into the fun. Simple! The reality is, it's a lot harder. How do you create a character? How do you decide at what point in an ongoing story to "drop in"? That's where it begins ... maybe I can help.

1. Create your Character

First, male or female? People usually stick with their own gender, especially for a first character. Second, a name? Something you like, maybe something you wish your parents had given you, or a name you have planned for your firstborn. Third, physical description? Start with age and then figure out tall or short, fat or thin, blond or brunette or redhead, pale or dark, "normal" or muscular or sexy--it's easy to get carried away with all the details. The simplest method is to pick a tv or movie role you have in mind for your character, then use the physical description of the actor who portrays that role. Or just look in the mirror & describe yourself. Who's gonna know?

Once you know what your character looks like, consider his/her capabilities -- especially in light of the type of rpg you're joining. For example, if the rpg tends to have a lot of fighting in-game, better be sure your character has some skills in that area (unless you plan for that character to be a victim or somehow "above it all," which is always possible). Does your character sing? gamble? cook? know computers? dance? hunt? have medical skills? tell a good story? is s/he a leader or a follower? maybe just a loner (which means you'll need more skills to make up for fewer friends). Lots & lots of possibilities, but remember: if you decide your character will have medical skills (as an example), you'd better have some knowledge or start reading up on the subject. The point is to have those skills play a part in the game--and for that, you need to know what you're talking about!

Next: history. Your character didn't just pop into existence the minute you entered the game. Character histories are written with the general game-story in mind. For example, with KTDARPG, we created histories to describe where our characters came from & what their lives were like before the Virus killed all the adults. How did they become the people they are now? Usually you can give as much or as little detail as you want. (I tend to go with fewer details -- keeps my character more unpredictable & just a bit mysterious, which is kinda fun.)

That's pretty much it. All this gives you a character ready to play. And it's even more fun to see how that character develops as s/he interacts with other characters & moves through the story.

Stay tuned for Step-2: Making an Entrance ...next time!

-Chyna
Photo source: copyright Renaissance Pictures