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[Azkanan]

So, I've decided to make a turn-based Forum Game with ASCII Graphics support, and most likely, character profiles.

Any ideas what you guys would like to see in this forum game, or what it should be about?

Game So Far:
Turn Based + Game Master (Everybody posts, Game Master posts results, next turn begins)
ASCII Gameboard (Ascii graphics would display the game's graphics, maps, and so forth)

Needed:
Genre (Fantasy, Medieval, Futuristic, Modern, etc)
Game-style (Roleplay, Dungeon Crawler, world-domination, group-control)

What is...

Roleplay?
Everybody knows what Roleplay is... You play as a certain character, who has an inventory, level, spellbook, etc. Players can go where they want, do what they want. Work together, work against each other, or completely ignore each other.

Dungeon Crawler?
Basically it's roleplay, but everybody is in one location, which most usually wandering around some random dungeon for no apparent reason, hunting gold and monsters.

World Domination?
You are a lord of a kingdom (Or emperor of a space civilization... etc) and you command troops to go where and do what. Give them level-upable commanders who gain experience from training/battles. The scale of battle can be a region, a planet or a galaxy. The "Commanders" act like single players in the Roleplay terms, equippable with inventory, upgradable with experience and so forth.
The only difference is, they are their own people and their own mind, and if they so wished, for example, they could turn against you. Get upset. Want to take extra rewards for their latest immense undertaking.

Group Control?
Group control is a mixture of Dugeon Crawling and World Domination. It's World Domination gamestyle, but with the Dungeon Crawling limitations of location. "Siege this location" is an example mission, in where you command your squad/group/battalion to take on the area.

Others?
Other examples of whatever kind of gamestyle you can come up with.

[Digital Hellhound]

Group Control and World Domination sound fun.

No idea for genre thou.






(I GAVE HIM THE IDEA TO MAKE A FORUM GAME ME ME ME)

[Armok]

Setting: new/surreal. A universe that is extremely different from our own, and were the main means of intelligent beings to manipulate their environment is not quite magic, technology, or any other system we are already familiar with. Evry single aspect of the setting is unlike anything we have ever seen in at least some way. The only example thing I can think of at the moment that goes right in this category is MSPA.

Game style: Roleplay.

[Azkanan]

(I GAVE HIM THE IDEA TO MAKE A FORUM GAME ME ME ME)

Not quite. I've wanted to start a forum game for a while, you simply told me what tool you used with the ASCII, friend.

Setting: new/surreal. A universe that is extremely different from our own, and were the main means of intelligent beings to manipulate their environment is not quite magic, technology, or any other system we are already familiar with. Evry single aspect of the setting is unlike anything we have ever seen in at least some way. The only example thing I can think of at the moment that goes right in this category is MSPA.

Game style: Roleplay.

...MSPA? I've never heard of that.

The setting idea sounds pretty good, but, what timescape would that be? Sure, an alternate universe, but, are they still using sticks and stones? Firearms? Flying ships in space?

[Armok]

You have never heard of MSPA?! Google it, then read it.

As for those questions... The answer is probaly either "no" or "concept is not appliable" to that type of questions, or at least ones that matter.
Firearms? They probably have some kind of ranged weapons that fills the same nich as guns, bows, or wands of fireball, but is nither of those.
Spaceships? They probably have some kind of large veichle, but pherhaps they don't have space! They have something that fills the niche of a boat, a zepelin, or a starship, in that it is like a moving building that transports peaple and objects betwen places but is neither of those.
Sticks and stones? They probably use pices of whatever the ground is maed of for something, but if that is similar to the naturaly occuring minerals on earth is another question. Likewise, the defenition of a stick asumes it comes from a tree, and maybe there are not trees, or trees have widely different propeties so they dont produce sticks.

[LeoLeonardoIII]

Sounds very "postmodern game design"-y. Would work really well with Burning Wheel or Nobilis.

[Azkanan]

You have never heard of MSPA?! Google it, then read it.

As for those questions... The answer is probaly either "no" or "concept is not appliable" to that type of questions, or at least ones that matter.
Firearms? They probably have some kind of ranged weapons that fills the same nich as guns, bows, or wands of fireball, but is nither of those.
Spaceships? They probably have some kind of large veichle, but pherhaps they don't have space! They have something that fills the niche of a boat, a zepelin, or a starship, in that it is like a moving building that transports peaple and objects betwen places but is neither of those.
Sticks and stones? They probably use pices of whatever the ground is maed of for something, but if that is similar to the naturaly occuring minerals on earth is another question. Likewise, the defenition of a stick asumes it comes from a tree, and maybe there are not trees, or trees have widely different propeties so they dont produce sticks.

I was talking about the level of technological advancement, not the actual usage. Primal, medieval, modern, futuristic, etc.

[LeoLeonardoIII]

So, not what type of long-range death-dealing weapon, but whether they have it at all and how deadly it is.

It could be ping-pong balls full of Ether, for all it matters, but whether it has the efficacy of a rock or a gun is the thing.

I personally like something above Stone Age because too few tools and technologies makes things less fun.

Guns and other high-danger technologies make the game more unpredictable but not everyone likes that.

Mesopotamia of about 3000 BC is pretty under-represented in gaming but it's a nice spot to be in. Some armor, bronze and some iron, bows, religion, government, armies, but nothing more advanced.

If you wanted something with an older civilization under it for the "ruins full of treasure" you could go with slightly better technology (crossbows, watermills, windmills, swords).

[Azkanan]

That's a little too old for me, Leo! I was working on a game where I had to go into every detail of roman history. Now i'm sick of bronze and marble, heh.

Also, this is why I didn't google it and asked you about it, Armok. "MSPA" is far too limitted to pull out any relevant links, unless you are talking about Mystery Shopping Providers Association, MySpace, MS Paint, MS Paint Adventures, M-Spa International... and so on...

Damn thee google!

[LeoLeonardoIII]

I assumed he meant MS Paint Adventures. But I always assumed that was a browser adventure game, not something you "read", which confused me.

[Azkanan]

Yes, I just checked it out... I don't see why I would remember it, to be honest. I don't see the point in it D:. You just keep clicking a word, where it tells a half-funny story, mocking a game...

Anyway. Back ontopic. Any votes on Genre/game type?

[LeoLeonardoIII]

How about a near-future mission-based game?

Like Shadowrun, or if you don't like the magic / fantast element, just strip it out and use Cyberpunk straight up.

If it's mission-based, you can have people sign up as characters and then when you want to run a mission you put out a call for volunteers. People who already signed up use their character, new people make up a new one and start. Character skills etc carry over from one mission to the next. You make a rule that a player cannot play in three consecutive missions.

Since each mission can be short, you avoid the player fatigue associated with long forum games. They know they just have to hold out for a week or so and that mission will be over. They get the rewards only if they finish the mission. You give XP based on how many turns the player participated or whatever (it's effectively a penalty for missing a turn, but you don't call it that because that sounds bad).

If a player drops a mission in the middle you can put out a recruitment call for a replacement. But it counts as a mission for both players to prevent them from taking 3 in a row.

I kinda like the idea. I might work something like this up for after my Expedition game ends.

And you could make just about anything mission- or episode-based regardless of genre.

[Armok]

*Sigh* If the concept of the setting I'm intended hasn't cklicked yet, it probably never will do so enought for you to GM it, so never mind.

[Azkanan]

*Sigh* If the concept of the setting I'm intended hasn't cklicked yet, it probably never will do so enought for you to GM it, so never mind.

On the contrary, I know exactly what you mean. I meant only I didn't understand the MSPA thing.

[LeoLeonardoIII]

But Armok, for people to understand what's going on and not feel like they're in a Salvadore Dali painting, they need a baseline of what is recognizable. The referee needs to say "the world is like this analogue, but with changes A, B, C, and D". You can use an analogue that isn't the real world, but it has to be something everyone knows. For example, Alice in Wonderland used the real world as the analogue, adding:

"There are magic items like potions that make you bigger or smaller"
"You can have extraordinary effects on the environment, like crying enough to flood"
"There are strange creatures like the White Rabbit and the Card People"

But there are still trees, and roses, and houses, and pocket-watches ... you don't re-create the whole of existence. Because that takes too long to convey to your players.

I'm not putting your ideas down, or saying they can't work. I'm just saying it's really difficult to do.