Introduction thread! Yo.

[Teal]

Yo. Looks like I’m new here. Well, kinda. I actually joined this site a few months back, but kept putting off making this introduction thread – and doing anything else on the site, for that matter. This place’s more than a little intimidating, I fear.


Anyway, you all can call me Teal. I’ve been RPing for a while now – but mainly as a GM lately. Most of my experience comes from freeform forum games, but I do know the rules for Exalted, and I’ve run a few real-time sessions with a friend of mine to try and get a feel for the system. Also was a player in an Exalted game for a bit. I can say with a lot of certainty that the game is really hard to run well. Even so, getting a serious Exalted campaign together is a bit of a long-term goal for me.


Let’s see. Most of the games I play in are fantasy (sometimes High, sometimes not) – I really like magic in my roleplays. Also something of a difficulty junkie (I like hard games) and enjoy mysteries a fair amount. Consequently, my games are usually hard and feature magic and mystery prominently. I also put a pretty heavy emphasis on the roleplaying experience itself, both when I play a character and when I run a game.


So, why am I here? I’ve been meaning to join a dedicated RP forum for a while now, since most of my internet activity was in the RP sections of forums. I sorta knew about this place thanks to Keychain of Creation, so I figured I’d give it a shot. Not in an awful hurry to join a new game, but I’ll take a look around as time allows and see if I can get a feel for how things work.


So, uh. Hi there?

 

[Grey]

Welcome to the site! I hope now that you've decided to dive in, you'll enjoy it.


And speaking of things you might enjoy, I tend to run a lot of low fantasy with emphases on horror, magic, mystery, and various other themes. I also do not hesitate to kill players characters for horrible decision making.


Exalted is hella hard to run, as a system. The setting is just a matter of establishing scope and tone, but goddamn, that system. I'm sure someone will stride in and disagree - lotta Exalted junkies, and some of them appreciate the engine's little... foibles.


I'll inflict links on you later, when I've gotten some sleep and somone has mitigated my FULL CONTACT GREETING PRANA. For now - Welcome! Enjoy!

 

[The Dark Wizard]

Yo. Looks like I’m new here. Well, kinda. I actually joined this site a few months back, but kept putting off making this introduction thread – and doing anything else on the site, for that matter. This place’s more than a little intimidating, I fear.
Anyway, you all can call me Teal. I’ve been RPing for a while now – but mainly as a GM lately. Most of my experience comes from freeform forum games, but I do know the rules for Exalted, and I’ve run a few real-time sessions with a friend of mine to try and get a feel for the system. Also was a player in an Exalted game for a bit. I can say with a lot of certainty that the game is really hard to run well. Even so, getting a serious Exalted campaign together is a bit of a long-term goal for me.


Let’s see. Most of the games I play in are fantasy (sometimes High, sometimes not) – I really like magic in my roleplays. Also something of a difficulty junkie (I like hard games) and enjoy mysteries a fair amount. Consequently, my games are usually hard and feature magic and mystery prominently. I also put a pretty heavy emphasis on the roleplaying experience itself, both when I play a character and when I run a game.


So, why am I here? I’ve been meaning to join a dedicated RP forum for a while now, since most of my internet activity was in the RP sections of forums. I sorta knew about this place thanks to Keychain of Creation, so I figured I’d give it a shot. Not in an awful hurry to join a new game, but I’ll take a look around as time allows and see if I can get a feel for how things work.


So, uh. Hi there?

Welcome to the site!


If you ever need anything please do not hesitate to contact myself or any of the other staff members.


Glad you took the decision to make an intro thread. Let me know if you'd like some recommendations for some games, no rush though. I'm sure you will end up liking it here!


Enjoy your stay .

 

[Teal]

And speaking of things you might enjoy, I tend to run a lot of low fantasy with emphases on horror, magic, mystery, and various other themes. I also do not hesitate to kill players characters for horrible decision making.

Huh. Yeah, that all sounds my speed. Found your profile on the Roll of STs too, which looked encouraging. Was a bit surprised (and impressed, and intimidated, etc) to see how competent everyone seems. I'll be sure to look for your game(s?), since you were nice enough to say hello, though. Thanks.


@Exalted, I'm really not sure what the hardest part of running it is, for me. For any scene, I usually need to do about a week of background work and have around five or six manuals open to reference the labyrinth of different rules that play into anything that happens in the game. If I've done everything I need to, things usually go pretty smoothly. But, uh, the amount of prep. work is sorta prohibitive. Lot of things to take into account, etc.


And yeah, I'd actually appreciate any direction you guys wanna offer. Site's pretty big, so its hard to figure out/settle on what to look at. And again, thanks for saying hello, both of you.

 

[Grey]

Our Roleplays is probably the most immediately useful resource, for you.


It contains the pitches for all our extant games, sorted by Recruiting, Joinable, Waitlisted, and Closed. Normally with a link to the appropriate forum, but it's also quite easily done wiht CTRL-F.


Take the relative competence of our membership as a learning opportunity - no one is ever elitist or condescending, in my experience, and GMs are usually willing to help in any way they can. As are some fellow players. You only stand to gain, really.


My own Fallen game might be up your alley, as might To Reign In Hell - both are highly populated, but I get twice as many dropouts as I do regular, reliable players.

 

[Wolf Rawrrr]

Hi Teal. Welcome to RPdom! *bark*


Wolf's glad to have you. Really. Approve of your bio. This community needs more freestyle players. No offense to anyone, but I think we're really saturated in Exalted/WoD/Crucible/StuffLikeThat etc. So looking forward to playing with you someday! *howl*

 

[Grey]

Fallen[/URL] may appeals to your fondness for mystery, magic, and difficulty. Mainly about tragedy, self-determination, and the price of power.


Tears in Rain is more of a collection, and currently not immediately joinable. But you may want to look at the options for later.


To Reign In Hell is a highly versatile, high-powered game of Demonic power-plays and intrigues.


Darkening Skies has one space open in the near future, and is more high-fantasy than most of the my other games.


I'd suggest other games, too, but any I'm in a position to comment on aren't really taking in new players.


I've been trying and failing to rope people into eldritch-horror mystery game Insylum, too.

 

[SephirothSage]

Eldritch Horror Mystery? INCOMING!

 

[Grey]

Eldritch Horror Mystery? INCOMING!

Could you maybe reformat the post so the observation is OOC? I guess the links to the setting and sheet stuff are not clear enough. I'll see if I can bold them or something.

 

[SephirothSage]

Oh, crap. Sorry. I thought the link would be to the OOC Forum, or something- *Facepalm* Didnt expect it to be to the RP forum. Sorry.

 

[Grey]

That's cool, totally understandable. My mistake, really. Follow the link! It'll tell you a lot more.

 

[Teal]

Fallen[/URL] may appeals to your fondness for mystery, magic, and difficulty. Mainly about tragedy, self-determination, and the price of power.
Tears in Rain is more of a collection, and currently not immediately joinable. But you may want to look at the options for later.


To Reign In Hell is a highly versatile, high-powered game of Demonic power-plays and intrigues.


Darkening Skies has one space open in the near future, and is more high-fantasy than most of the my other games.


I'd suggest other games, too, but any I'm in a position to comment on aren't really taking in new players.


I've been trying and failing to rope people into eldritch-horror mystery game Insylum, too.

So, first, clarification: Which of these is joinable? I'm getting some mixed messages here. For instance: I looked up To Reign in Hell and that's pretty well-populated (also Waitlisted). Concept has my interest, but I know what being an overextended DM's like, and I really don't want to inflict that on someone if I can avoid it. I still need to read-up on the precise details of the settings of Fallen and Darkening Skies (and To Reign in Hell), but at first glance, I'm okay with either/any if there's room. If not! That's fine too. I'd be slightly more interested in Fallen (or to Reign), from what I read, for what its worth. Interest in Darkening Skies is cooler and reliant on something grabbing me when I read up on the setting in more detail.


Speaking of, what do I need to read for each? Like, generally. All the threads in their forum? A couple? I assume the Crucible rules will be necessary to all of them too, right?


Finally! Gonna express bemusement at Tears in Rain - mainly because I don't know what I'm getting into, even in theory, here. Fortunately, Tears isn't joinable and I appear to have other options to consider, so let's not worry about that. Regarding Insylum, love the concept of eldritch-horror mystery, but have concerns/am mildly uncomfortable with the format, so I should probably pass there. Would go into further detail on that, but I'm not sure this is the place.


...and that's where I'm at right now. You are enlightened?

 

[Grey]

This forum has a huge Exalted fanbase, so a lot of mechanical crunch is kind of inevitable.


Anyway, when it comes to joinability - Reign is technically Waitlist, but that game has a high traffic of people joining and then vanishing. You'll notice a lot of character sheets marked Leaver, if you look deep enough. A lot. So you are free to join Reign, and I will gladly talk you through as much as you need.


Fallen likewise has a high turnover, but right now i'd only accept one more character. So you are likewise free to join that, and I will be happy to assist you in getting a handle on it.


If you're cooler on Skies, don't trouble yourself too much with it. That said, I always appreciate feedback.


I have a newer version of the rules I can furnish you with. For Fallen, all you need to read is the basic setting info, and the threads about Diabolists/Witches, so that you can decide on a concept and direction. For Reign, ignore the .pdf and read over the Grimoire subforum until you have a feel for it and a concept. There's less text in there than you might think.


You do not need to read other players' threads, unless you want to do so for fun or ideas.


Tears is not joinable right now, no, but it is meant to be a succession of short games (if the players ever finish their sheets), so you could, if you so chose, vote on the next scenario later and join in. It's basically open to everyone, but that can be hard to explain.


I would be curious to hear your concerns about Insylum's format, and here is, to my knowledge, as good a place as any (It'll get your post count up for other site features, too).


EDIT: Also, time is not a factor so seriously go at whatever pace suits for any of it.

 

[Teal]

Alright. I've now read through Fallen and Reign's Folklore and Grimoire respectively, and a fair amount of Darkening Skies' Celestial Fulcrum. Still haven't cracked open the pdf, which I'm thinking I need to look at for the precious, precious setting information. Of the three, I admit, Darkening Skies' has particularly impressed me because of the diverse disciplines of magic available and the original (to me, anyway) terms used to describe a lot of it. This is hard to do! And very interesting.


...I'm a magic-junkie. Though, admittedly, I don't usually design dedicated mages (usually try for hybrids). Still! I would keep this on my list as a possibility, though journey-style games are usually less-than my style.


Edit: Oh! Right. I also love the Void/Anti-Mage mechanic.

I would be curious to hear your concerns about Insylum's format, and here is, to my knowledge, as good a place as any (It'll get your post count up for other site features, too).

Most of them come from the idea of playing someone with a serious mental illness. Aside from being a little intimidated (I don't know how to write someone with, say, bipolar disorder, much less schizophrenia), I'm also somewhat concerned that the characters would be less sympathetic than more normal ones, particularly since they wouldn't have a lot of motivation beyond survive, and wouldn't be that interesting in the long-term. Also quite concerned that it might be in bad taste, though I know you stipulated that we portray mental illness respectfully, writing characters who have a mental illness requires that we understand their circumstances to a degree, which...I really don't.


Like, I really, really don't. It feels a little mean to make their circumstances into the subject of a game, though I know that's not the intent.


As a secondary matter, that the game appears to have an extremely structured format also concerns me (it begins at explicitly 8am), since that's potentially quite constraining, especially when I don't know much about the setting. Moreover, since the, uh, most important? Part of the game, as far as what it says on the tin anyway, takes place at 12am, the prospect of roleplaying a full day in an asylum sits...a little uneasily with me. That's a lot of day, I don't know much about the setting and it feels like it might be in poor taste. Asylums can be a lot like prisons for some people and all.


That said, I do love how much it reminds me of Persona. ...and might be overthinking things. I do that.

Also, time is not a factor so seriously go at whatever pace suits for any of it.

No need to be that accommodating, Grey, though I certainly appreciate the gesture. If Skies or Fallen fill up, just tell me. I'm pretty flexible in what I can design and play, given enough time and information. Same goes for Reign - I realize I'm slow and other players might be able to throw things together more quickly.


Edit: Uh, right. Forgot to ask: The other magic disciplines (Torch Bearer comes to mind immediately) referenced in the Fulcrum can be found in the pdf, right?

 

[Grey]

I actually have a more detailed .pdf I can send your way. I'll get on that soonish.


As for hybrid vs pure mage - Crucible is explicitly designed to do away that dichotomy. The closest to a pure mage is a scholar, whereas there's nothing stopping you from playing a barbarian warlord who is also a mage, and will charge screaming into melee with his flaming greatsword.


As for Insylum - a lot of your concerns are intentional facets of the game. I didn't write Insylum; it's an indie game I quite like. Essentially, your character doesn't really have a mental illness - they have amnesia, and may think that's a marker of illness, but the truth is more sinister. Likewise, the less you know about the setting, the more fun you might have. As for the time constraints - I'm flexible about that and intended to keep things moving apace, i just wanted to make it clear when significant parts of the day happen.


That said, I do fully appreciate your concerns; it's a response that enthuses me about your participation in any of my games or those I'm playing in.


Skies is going to be a very wandering game. Fallen can stick to one place, and Reign, well...


I'll PM you momentarily.

 

[Teal]

As for hybrid vs pure mage - Crucible is explicitly designed to do away that dichotomy. The closest to a pure mage is a scholar, whereas there's nothing stopping you from playing a barbarian warlord who is also a mage, and will charge screaming into melee with his flaming greatsword.

You mean other than a desire to live through the fight, right?


Still, good to know! I'll look at the new .pdf presently.


@Insylum, the amnesiac element lessens many of my concerns, yeah. When I was writing my commentary, I did wonder if we were playing actually mentally ill individuals, or just people with some ludicrous degree (to the point where it might be a totally fictional condition) of amnesia. Erred on the side of 'what I wouldn't like to see,' I admit. Thinking I'm interested though, with that description.


...but I don't know the rules, what to expect, or how to design a character for this. Suggestions on how I might fix this?

 

[Grey]

You don't get to be a barbarian warlord without being able to get through a fight. Being able to set people on fire by sheer force of will while fighting them helps. Seriously, I could generate a starting Conflagrant/Warlord who could fight almost anyone to a standstill (though he'll be a little dumb). For extra hilarity, go Necromancer/Warlord and recruit the fallen as you go.


The rules for Insylum are easy, and I was going to explain them as they came up - normally you just roll a d6.


What you can expect is a lot of exploration, investigation, puzzle or mystery solving, and the most unsettling, eerie imagery I can come up with.


Character creation is a bit tricky, yeah. Basically, you come up with a character's personality and a rough idea of their life - then you strip away everything but the five truths and whatever they've invented to fill in their blanks, if anything.

 

[Teal]

Yo, still around. Been mostly chatting with Grey, between essays, over PM about joining something. There is a character in the works! I'm just tied down with time constraints right now. It will be completed at some point!


...hopefully before that game ends.

[QUOTE="The Dark Wizard]If you ever need anything please do not hesitate to contact myself or any of the other staff members.

[/QUOTE]
Anyway, I'm not sure if this will work, but would it be possible to cash in on this offer and get Dark Wizard (or another Admin/Mod) to message me? There's something I'd like to ask about. Would contact one of you myself, but my post-count's too low, so I need to ask first.

 

[The Dark Wizard]

Yo, still around. Been mostly chatting with Grey, between essays, over PM about joining something. There is a character in the works! I'm just tied down with time constraints right now. It will be completed at some point!
...hopefully before that game ends.


Anyway, I'm not sure if this will work, but would it be possible to cash in on this offer and get Dark Wizard (or another Admin/Mod) to message me? There's something I'd like to ask about.

Sure.


Would you like me to send you a private message? (Since you need 10 posts to start your own)


or you can contact all of the admins at once by posting here: http://www.rpdom.com/forums/admin-contact/