Shireling
A Servant of King and Country
I keep finding that I have a hard time getting into a good group roleplay because I never seem to either be able to get a good group together or join one already in progress. I came up with an idea that might be able to remedy my problem, and similar issues of malaise in the community. Sometimes you just want to get into something! Thus, here is the idea:
Cold Harbor, Maine (it's a stock setting of mine) is a fictional port city on the Atlantic Coast known for its dreary weather, biting cold, and chronic violent crime. The island city is somewhat isolated from the rest of the country, and thus has developed a seedy subculture that has given rise to a hardnosed, cynical population.
In the 19--'s (it's left ambiguous, but think aesthetically 1970's but with Motorola flip phones) a generation of up and coming youngsters begin beating the pavement. These are the player characters. Once someone makes a character, they're free to do whatever it is they want to do within the setting. It can be a good way for newer players to join and learn from more veteran roleplayers, or for veterans to practice their writing.
The characters start out poor with like a knife. They can do contracts for certain NPCs and get...stuff. I don't really know at this point. Some of them I'm sure will be able to join the police force and then they can antagonize each other. Most free roam RPGs are like that.
The advantages of such a system are myriad, of course there are also some drawbacks. One big advantage is that you don't have to have the whole group together to go through a plot arc. It might just be Bob and Jim doing whatever down by the Waterfront. It also frees the GM up assuming that the player characters don't have to be micromanaged.
On the other hand, if everyone wanted some sort of big plot arc to come into play, the GM could easily organize an event for everyone who wants to participate.
Furthermore, the idea of levelling where the players get better stuff as they do more stuff in the roleplay (and hopefully become better writers in the process if they weren't already decent) prevents you from having the random noob with a chainsaw katana and a rocket launcher.
Some downsides, yes I realize this is a very similar premise to the Grand Theft Auto franchise. I began working on this premise with a focus on realism. Basically, I asked myself what was the best way to have essentially blank slate characters that can run around a do whatever. And I figured the best solution was to drop random people in a city somewhere with a dollar in their pocket and the option to do whatever from that point. I figured the focus would be on crime and punishment, because lets face it we all want to live dangerously.
Unlike a video game, I would like to focus on realism in relation to the character's actions having consequences. If they kill an NPC, that NPC is permanently dead in the canon. That way, the roleplayers feel like they actually have some input in setting and how it's formed. But also, I planned to realistically portray law enforcement. Likewise if you mug a lady and steal a car, you're definitely gonna wanna lay low for a while.
I've talked a lot about the idea as if it is a gritty crime drama, and that's what it's sort of meant to be, but to be honest I assume the characters can do anything I just don't think the life of an accountant would be very interesting. Anyways, tell me what you think. Comments, questions, and suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Cold Harbor, Maine (it's a stock setting of mine) is a fictional port city on the Atlantic Coast known for its dreary weather, biting cold, and chronic violent crime. The island city is somewhat isolated from the rest of the country, and thus has developed a seedy subculture that has given rise to a hardnosed, cynical population.
In the 19--'s (it's left ambiguous, but think aesthetically 1970's but with Motorola flip phones) a generation of up and coming youngsters begin beating the pavement. These are the player characters. Once someone makes a character, they're free to do whatever it is they want to do within the setting. It can be a good way for newer players to join and learn from more veteran roleplayers, or for veterans to practice their writing.
The characters start out poor with like a knife. They can do contracts for certain NPCs and get...stuff. I don't really know at this point. Some of them I'm sure will be able to join the police force and then they can antagonize each other. Most free roam RPGs are like that.
The advantages of such a system are myriad, of course there are also some drawbacks. One big advantage is that you don't have to have the whole group together to go through a plot arc. It might just be Bob and Jim doing whatever down by the Waterfront. It also frees the GM up assuming that the player characters don't have to be micromanaged.
On the other hand, if everyone wanted some sort of big plot arc to come into play, the GM could easily organize an event for everyone who wants to participate.
Furthermore, the idea of levelling where the players get better stuff as they do more stuff in the roleplay (and hopefully become better writers in the process if they weren't already decent) prevents you from having the random noob with a chainsaw katana and a rocket launcher.
Some downsides, yes I realize this is a very similar premise to the Grand Theft Auto franchise. I began working on this premise with a focus on realism. Basically, I asked myself what was the best way to have essentially blank slate characters that can run around a do whatever. And I figured the best solution was to drop random people in a city somewhere with a dollar in their pocket and the option to do whatever from that point. I figured the focus would be on crime and punishment, because lets face it we all want to live dangerously.
Unlike a video game, I would like to focus on realism in relation to the character's actions having consequences. If they kill an NPC, that NPC is permanently dead in the canon. That way, the roleplayers feel like they actually have some input in setting and how it's formed. But also, I planned to realistically portray law enforcement. Likewise if you mug a lady and steal a car, you're definitely gonna wanna lay low for a while.
I've talked a lot about the idea as if it is a gritty crime drama, and that's what it's sort of meant to be, but to be honest I assume the characters can do anything I just don't think the life of an accountant would be very interesting. Anyways, tell me what you think. Comments, questions, and suggestions are greatly appreciated.
I prefer more fabtasy based worlds though 
