Advice/Help Balancing consequences in roleplay?

WhiskeyMarten

I am FangS31
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Hello!

There is currently an idea in my head, but I'm trying to figure out how to go with it. For context, I want to make a roleplay inspired by the game Fear & Hunger 2 (minus the parts that would get me booted off of RPN). This game is incredibly unforgiving, some might even say unfair in how ruthless it is. Sometimes you will get killed in one hit and just have to deal with it, hoping that your limited amount of saves hasn't run out. This is a very important part of what makes the game special, it makes the bleak atmosphere all the more dangerous, has you looking around at every turn trying to figure out just what you are able to trust, and
(coupled with the many ways NPCs can be killed) it feels like the stakes are genuine.

Now I want to translate this into roleplay. I want the players to feel like their characters are in a dangerous situation, but that leaves me with a dilemma. How mean can I be without putting people off?

A simple solution is saying that kills will only be done with permission, but I fear that will result in people just... not killing their characters because they don't have to. I can say "hey, this is out of your hands, I'll kill when I see fit" and that would work in giving off the Nobody is safe tone I'm after, but would people actually bother participating? Some would be understandably upset if they die prematurely. I think if I did this I'd have to find a way to let them introduce someone new, so that they may continue on with us. I could compromise by giving players the choice when it comes to situations they can reasonably survive, but warning them that they'll die if they push themselves into obvious danger too much.

Please let me know your thoughts on the matter. Would death that's out of your control put you off of joining a roleplay? Would the compromises be more suitable?

Thank you for reading <3 :)
 
I actually thought about making a roleplay inspired by the first game, so I have some thoughts that might help!! I didn't play the second one yet, but I imagine the fights and game functions are somewhat the same. :ghostl:

Did you maybe consider making it kind of like a D&D campaign? It would reflect the enemy encounters and unpredictability I think, plus it would put the fate of who's going to die to dice. Maybe with some planning, you could lose limbs like in the game, too. That combined with a 'traditional' roleplay might work? :0

I do def think that people would be interested, but since roleplays where your character is expected to die are a niche, it might be good to think around a small cast? Another though is that since the setting/atmosphere is so grim and bleak, you could maybe consider having the roleplay planned for a short run. Eventually, I imagine people might lose interest with the constant death - so a short run could be more effective regarding Fear and Hunger's cruelty. Like, if you see a NPC die the first few times, it's shocking... But for the 50th time it loses that power. :"D

These are just thoughts, tho!! I hope they helped at least a little bit, and hopefully you get to create an amazing roleplay! Fear and Hunger is living rent free in my head rn, so it would be so cool to see a roleplay like it. πŸ₯²
 
I actually thought about making a roleplay inspired by the first game, so I have some thoughts that might help!! I didn't play the second one yet, but I imagine the fights and game functions are somewhat the same. :ghostl:

Did you maybe consider making it kind of like a D&D campaign? It would reflect the enemy encounters and unpredictability I think, plus it would put the fate of who's going to die to dice. Maybe with some planning, you could u
lose limbs like in the game, too. That combined with a 'traditional' roleplay might work? :0

I do def think that people would be interested, but since roleplays where your character is expected to die are a niche, it might be good to think around a small cast? Another though is that since the setting/atmosphere is so grim and bleak, you could maybe consider having the roleplay planned for a short run. Eventually, I imagine people might lose interest with the constant death - so a short run could be more effective regarding Fear and Hunger's cruelty. Like, if you see a NPC die the first few times, it's shocking... But for the 50th time it loses that power. :"D

These are just thoughts, tho!! I hope they helped at least a little bit, and hopefully you get to create an amazing roleplay! Fear and Hunger is living rent free in my head rn, so it would be so cool to see a roleplay like it. πŸ₯²
Thank you so much for the reply!

2nd one's gameplay similar to the 1st, just more fleshed out :) I'm very unfamiliar with D&D campaigns, but great suggestion w/ dice, I will definitely consider that, and would definitely plan permanent injury into the rp.

I wouldn't run this with a large group, thinking around 5-6 people max, and I'm already planning on not making it too long (though you never know with roleplays). I think it would be good to have a shorter story in mind with the potential for "sequels" if it runs successfully and people are still interested.

I'm very fixated on F&H at the moment so I've been craving this all the time while I've been playing it
 
Aaa I'm glad if my thoughts helped a little bit! I'm also not super familiar with D&D, but it does have aspects I think would translate the feeling of the game well (stats, drops, etc.) :0 I forgot to mention this, but you could maybe also count down hunger/mental stability. For example, if a character starts with 100% fullness, then maybe after each scene it goes down 10% or such. Though, instead of just seeing it on a screen like in the game, it's shown through writing? A character's stomach growling and them starting to feel weak - or with fear, the walls suddenly seem that much closer.

Again, I have no idea if the second game has sacrifice, but having the party vote on who will be sacrificed so the rest get healed could possibly be interesting? πŸ‘€

I know these aren't super revolutionary thought considering the game, but hopefully it still gives you some ideas!

Honestly same - I usually hate games that make you play again and again, but the atmosphere and game itself are so cool. 🀧
 
How mean can I be without putting people off?

You can't. That's the long and short of it. No matter what decisions you make about a roleplay, you'll cut some people off, and with something like this you'll cut a lot of people off.

It should be noted, however, that the people you are cutting off here are the people who don't want to participate in a roleplay where your character could die at any moment. In other words, it cuts the people who wouldn't enjoy what your roleplay has to offer and wouldn't want to cooperate with that idea. Provided there is still a group who enjoys it and is large enough to actually give you some players, this should be enough, no need to fish for people who don't want to be in the roleplay anyway by nature of what it is (as opposed to people who don't participate due to presentation for example). As such, I think the best approach you can have with this is to simply be upfront and honest. Tell them from the start and in no uncertain terms that this is the kind of RP where characters can just up and die. If you have any mechanics on how that might happen (and they don't require an overly extensive explanation) you may even want to share how those work.

Sudden death in roleplay is not something I personally enjoy, but then neither is the tone you're going for. I'm not going to sit here and say to not try to appeal to a wider group of people, but I would also consider if I were you, whether you'd rather a larger group with a compromise or a smaller group but without taking half-measures, so those who are there for the sudden death and dangerous environment get your committal to that concept. It's your choice and either comes with its own risks, but what I'm saying is to consider your priorities.
 
Hoyo!

I would say your concept is less about being "mean" and more about being transparent. Designing a roleplay where death is a consequence that could come up at any time for any character isn't mean. It's just niche.

As Idea pointed out, transparency about your intentions and design will help filter those who like this kind of RP from those who don't.

If you want to find a compromise to make it so that anyone interested sticks around, I would advise making sure that the roleplay's design is very open and easy to jump into for any new characters at any time. That way if someone initially joins with only one character, and that character's number is called and dies, they can make a new one and hop right back in.

If the roleplay's design doesn't easily facilitate getting back into the action when one character's time is up, what's the point? Does that make sense?

Cheers!
 
Someone will always be turned off regardless of what you do. The only thing I can advise is just finding players who are okay with the potential risk of character death and be careful who you accept in. You could also potentially allow players to create new characters too if their original ones end up killed.
 
If you're looking to emulate F&H, perhaps find some players who are also fans of F&H? This way you all understand that you're on the same page.

Next I would advise to find some way of quickly generating a new character after you die, so that way you can get right back to playing. Character creation is fun _once_ but not three times in the same session. Players have a limited amount of patience, so best to put it towards engaging with the game. And another reason is that players shouldn't feel like they've wasted their efforts when they do die.

Hope this advice helps.
 

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