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[TolyK]

Anyone around here ever considered running an Endless RTD?

I'm imagining an RTD that not only has a waiting list for players, but for GMs too. Whenever one GM gets bored of the RTD, they just pass it off to anyone else who wants to take over. Then, they can take the story in any direction they want. It would just keep going on forever, with players and GMs cycling in and out as time went on.

RTDWARSNAO

I assume it would be like a miniature repeat of RTD wars, except not at all.

It would devolve into gibberish a few moments after someone like (someone who is not that good at GMing but doesn't realize it and we're all kinda too polite to say it) got the lead.

If it was consistently passed around good-adequate GM's, then yeah, it would work, possibly brilliantly. But also once GM's switch over, any fore planning is lost and the plot is thrown into a bit of disarray, unless you keep an internally consistent set of notes and pass it around. That is not counting the fact that new GM's would have to re-read the thread to figure out whats going on and what to do next.

From a non-RTD standpoint, its like handing the authorship of Harry Potter to a random fan of it partway through book two then repeating that process indefinitely. He might be a great writer, or she might be the author of My Immortal levels of shit-fic.

I'm not saying it's a bad idea. It's just that it has much more potential to erupt into a complete disaster than a regular RTD. Less so than the mess mentioned above, but still.

...
dammit.

I just want to see how long we could keep the damned thing alive.

Same thing here

[Dermonster]

I suppose, but realistically, any good GM already has their own RTD going on and cannot just run another one at the drop of a hat. Sean has MWM2 (ANd that pony thing currently), You have RTRTD, I've completely forgotten what digital has going (Does he have something going?) Tarran has the Dragon RTD, that's just some of the 'good' GM's I can list, and I don't think any of them could handle an entire plot falling into their laps in two weeks on Thursday.

This is where my fear comes in, because the worse GM's could snap the turns up like piranhas and we'd possibly see GM NPCS, lame plot and environs, and fairly horrible combat, because they just seem to get everywhere.

I could GM a few turns, but I don't know how I'd do.

(Yes TolyK I was kinda glancing at you during that second sentence of that post you quoted there. You and Shil.)

[SeriousConcentrate]

It's an interesting idea but I'd give it two turns at best. Most RTDs that are still going are doing so because they contain a relatively small number of people (D22 has five players and a GM, Z&D has six players and a GM, etc.) and once it grows past a certain limit it's sure to implode. RTD Wars will always be the perfect example of this. There were, what, three overlord GMs, seven regular GMs, and three players per GM? That was a bit much when it probably wouldn't have lasted with 1 overlord, 2 GMs, and three players per GM. As for changing GMs, what happens when a GM just gets bored with it (a lot of people who start RTDs tend to get bored of being a GM very quickly, it seems) and can't be bothered to come back and finish up their round, or even write a summary? Does the next GM attempt to take over the plot or do we all pull a TNA and just forget about it to move on to the next thing? I'd like to see it happen but I have severe, one might even say crippling, doubts that it would last for one GM, let alone multiple. The only way I could see this working is if each GM did very small story arcs... like level 1 AD&D adventures long. A major situation, up to ten minor concerns surrounding the situation, and when it's done there's a summary and they hand it on.

@dermonster: Digital has the Bounty Hunter sci-fi RTD going on.

[Dermonster]

To give it some credit, It would probably just be a regular RTD until the first GM gets bored, cause that's the only direction on when to switch. I'd give it until then at least.

[Gatleos]

So I guess RTD Wars is slang for clusterfuck now?

Note that I was perfectly aware of the inevitable "shit-fic" issue when I suggested the idea. But I doubt that there would be any troubles on the level of RTD Wars, since it wouldn't actually require any cooperation between GMs. The method of passing the story over would essentially be, "Well, I'm bored of this. Better pass it off. Hey! Hey you, with the Homestuck avatar! Yeah, you! You're GMing this now. Good luck."

Piss around here and you're bound to hit a budding and/or competent GM, so I doubt we'd ever be lacking there, either.

It's an interesting idea but I'd give it two turns at best. Most RTDs that are still going are doing so because they contain a relatively small number of people (D22 has five players and a GM, Z&D has six players and a GM, etc.) and once it grows past a certain limit it's sure to implode.

That's the thing, though. There would only be one GM and a small amount of players at any given ti-

To give it some credit, It would probably just be a regular RTD until the first GM gets bored, cause that's the only direction on when to switch. I'd give it until then at least.

Yeah, that.

I say we should at least try it. The worst-case scenario isn't anywhere near RTDW.

[Bill the dwarf]

Is there any other GMs that would be both good enough and know enough to make a working Geneforge/Shaper RTD here? I've seen Aklyon try it twice, but he didn't get very far either time. Its such a good universe to do one in though, I'd say.

[SeriousConcentrate]

OK, but what if the new GM doesn't like the villain/setting/plot or whatever? Are all the players magically transported elsewhere and the previous stuff doesn't matter? See, that's my problem. What if they start in space and the next GM wants to do Victorian-era steampunk? What if the players want to stick to space? Does the new GM just say 'whatever' and hand it off again, or are the players teleported and re-equipped because he's the new GM and this is how things are going to be?

[Gatleos]

I doubt anybody who doesn't like the very premise of the RTD would exactly be jumping at the chance to GM it. Perhaps the plot of the RTD should be organized around the episodic nature of the stories? Like I said, it would be a lot like a TV show, or a comic book: small to medium-sized story arcs that are self-contained. When a GM's story is told, they pass it on. The only thing tying it all together is the players and overall setting.

RTD The Animated Series: Tuesdays on B12TV.

[TolyK]

RTD The Animated Series: Tuesdays on B12TV.

...
I'm seriously considering doing this. In pivot.
 

[Bdthemag]

Everyone on Bay12 loves games that are extremely Meta, its a proven fact.

[Dermonster]

Okay, so I guess we'll give it a shot then. (Holy shit five new replies)

For a setting, I've had an idea that bugged me a few months ago.

Basically, the world is sorta stuck between a middle ages thing and some type of -punk. Well, all of the punks.

It's a realm where humanoid elementals walk among regular folk. Living masses made of water, fire, electricity, ice, metal, wood, rock, air and even a few made of sapient light, and rumors of skulking shadows. The fire elementals congregate around volcanoes, rock in the mountains, ice in the ice caps and such. There would be a singular... say dwarf punk city that the metal ones congregate in, and an electric punk city where lightning ones congregate in, and a floating city for the air elementals. Wood ones may be found most commonly in forests. They can still travel, you may see a water elemental roaming the electric city, or a rock elemental in the forest. Their personalities usually resemble the element they are composed of. (Fire is aggressive, but can be warm, rock is patient, metal is cold and logical, electric is hyperactive ect ect) Maybe at some point they would come across the universes only Nuclear elemental.

Due to this, technology is wildly inconsistent (You could only find[or use] an electricity using device in the electric city and near surroundings.), and magic is well studied (Ritual, enchantment, elemental, other stuff), but still holds many mysteries in this time period.

Light elementals all (With one or two exemptions) reside in a small moon orbiting close to the sun (basically Prospit) and a large city on the edges of the solar system for shadow (Basically Derse.)

I imagine that there is at least one city overwhelmingly dedicated to one particular element for each one (Except light and shadow[excepting the prospit/derse thing] for they are exceptionally rare), and that each elemental city each has one overarching 'conflict'

[Digital Hellhound]

Cool, I'm apparently considered a good GM 'round here? I do have two RTDs going on, Nowhere To Run and Hammer of the Emperor. I haven't had time to update due to NaNoWriMo though.

In any case, sounds like a great idea, count me in.

[Dermonster]

The excellence of your mad scientist RTD's cemented you in my mind as a good GM, really.

Or did you do the other thing...

I can't remember suddenly.

[Digital Hellhound]

Indeed. I've actually thought of restarting at some point in a more steampunk/industrial revolution setting (no limit to creations and what they can do though) as a result of rereading Girl Genius and find out Genius the Transgression exists.

[Dermonster]

Anyway, does that setting I posted sound interesting? I'm not going to use it, so it's up for grabs.