Fast Forward

We're almost to the end of Season-6 in our "Tribe"-inspired rpg. It's been a bumpy ride for the past 8 months--escalating action, new characters, new players, compelling storylines, drama, mystery, comedy, you name it. But 8 months is definitely long enough for a season. With the end of the current slavery scenario, we'll move into Season-7: Yet-to-be-Named.

And here's the kicker: A time-jump for the game has been proposed. We've done this before, just not with so many character storylines occurring simultaneously.

What is a time-jump? Simply put, a fast-forward. In this case we're looking at jumping ahead one month, from our current late-May timeframe into early July & full-on summer.

Why jump at all? There are reasons for or against. "For" includes giving everyone a fresh start and a whole summer of possibilities. Sometimes players write their characters into corners, totally without meaning to, and find themselves trapped with no way to move. A jump is like a kickstart. "Against" includes missing out on the day-to-day development of characters for the missing length of time. Sometimes that growth is really fun to watch.

What do you do with the "lost month"? Lots of ways to cover the time you fast-forward through. Easiest--or maybe hardest?--is to have each player write a catch-up post that lets everyone know in some way (for example memories, a diary, thinking, a conversation) how his character(s) changed.

How do you set the stage? That is pretty easy. Me (as owner & a principal writer) will collaborate with other players & write a season introduction. It will introduce Season-7 and summarize details of what happened during the "lost month"--including any major changes to the city landscape, major plot points moving forward, pivotal facts that players need as we go into the new season (for example weather changes, deaths/births, economic or power changes). So players will have all the parameters they need for summer in Fort River.

Do you need player agreement for the jump? Well...technically no, but then I'm not exactly techno-girl. That's why our game-site has a player poll up now asking players for their thoughts, feelings, objections or endorsements for the fast-forward. This game isn't about just one person. We have lots of players, and their feelings & ideas need to be included when a decision this big is made for the game.

I've let all our players know to be sure and email me with any questions/concerns/problems they might have. [And any KTDARPG players reading this: Talk to me!] If this is going to happen, it could be really good for the game but ONLY if we're all on the same page moving ahead.

The one think I DO NOT WANT to happen is to spoil any of the fun or momentum we've built in recent months in the game. And only our players can help me decide on that one.

-Chyna
[KTDARPG game-owner]