March 25th 06: The story thus far developed is that the story is based loosely on the premise of Stargate SG-1, that there are Stargates linking a number of worlds together and provide the only means of interstellar travel.
However that is as far as it goes, there is no Stargate command, the technology level will be that of a classic dungeons and dragons game the difference being that a combination of magic and science exists, some worlds may skew more strongly in favor of one side then another.
Major Characters: I decided that for each character will undoubtedly result in an overly complex story line, so I’ll start off with three characters.
Felix: A teenager from a mainly agricultural world, he loves to read books and come up with inventions hoping it will help the world some day, until a gang of mercenaries commanded by the infamous Col. Slifer who kidnapped his girl friend named Isabel. However a mysterious and ancient crystal was also stolen and Felix will eventually realize that he has to retrieve it or else risk catastrophe.
Zelik: An Ilythiirian or “Dark Elf” his home world is Shar, a shadowy world, with magic rather then technology. Zelik left his world through the Stargate to get away from it all, eventually he found a High Elf from the world of Avilin and here he fell in love with her and her name was Nerwen. A master of dual wielding enchanted Katana’s he is a force to be reckoned with.
Nerwen: The love of Zelik but is only slightly aware of his affections mostly worried about what an infatuation would cause to her reputation at home. She just past her test of High Magic and is venturing into the world as a full sorceress.
Goal #1: To rescue Isabelle.
Goal #2: To retrieve the Phial of Erebus. Legend has it that this Crystal is an ancient Nexus of tremendous power and to wield would grant the wielder the powers of a God over mortals.
As far as I got so far, can anyone help me out with a name?
posted
What makes this different from any other RPG?
Posts: 2432 | Registered: Feb 2001
| IP: Logged |
Blayne Bradley
unregistered
posted
that I made it and no other one as far as I can tell made on involving star gates. and yes it will be a workable game when its done.
IP: Logged |
posted
Blayne...take a deep breath. I know you're MAKING it. You asked for a name for it. I gave you a name based on the premise that other people might PLAY the game...and it's about gates.
posted
It's nice to have a name for your own game. Makes it cooler. I made up a card game with my cousin once and we gave it a name, and obviously it's not going to be published.
Posts: 2054 | Registered: Nov 2005
| IP: Logged |
Funny that the first link doesn't work, I just googled "Rifts rpg" and that site came up. Copied and pasted, but it was the same again.
Here's the basic breakdown of Rifts, published by Palladium Games:
- Rifts are tears in the dimensional fabric that open doorways between worlds. They can be from dimension to dimension, planet to planet, or even from time period to time period.
- Different dimensions have different technology or magic levels, so a high powered being came sometimes step through into a low powered environment and wreak havoc.
- The game combines a mix of fantasy and science fiction elements, such as, but not limited to: bionics, cybernetics, lasers, particle beam weapons, cyborgs, computers/hacking, space travel, AI/Robots, dragons, psionics, vampires, gargoyles, all manner of fantasy creatures, wizards, technowizards, warlocks, demons, aliens, dinosaurs, knights, faeries, etc, etc, etc...
- Rifts from along intersections (nexuses) of lines of mystic energy (ley lines). Upswells of mystic energy sometimes overloads a nexus and creates a tear, allowing any manner of thing into that dimension.
- The history of Rifts is such that there was a world war on Earth that caused untold numbers of deaths in a short amount of time, which flooded the ley lines with energy, which tore into the dimensional fabric. The tears let in all manner of Not Good Things that caused more death and destruction, and in turn more dimensional tears. The setting is post-apocalyptic Earth.
So, some similarities, some differences. There are like 50 or more Rifts books at this point, I think, covering all manner of topics. That was my game of choice in high school before I evolved to White Wolf.
Posts: 3960 | Registered: Jul 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
Blayne, out of interest, why not try for something a little more original? Adding gates between worlds doesn't really mix up the formula for players, and probably won't expose them to much that's genuinely new in terms of gameplay or storyline; after all, most computer RPGs effectively have the equivalent of "gates" between regions, anyway.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
| IP: Logged |
Blayne Bradley
unregistered
posted
I'm used to FF titles, Baldur's Gate, Chrono Trigger and a few others.
This is a title I wanna try first, my second would be something based loosely on the Warring States Period of Ancient China, and another idea I had was to make a game based on europe where your main char was a detective of some sort.
But this is the most original I came up with. Aside from one borrowed premise it is very original.
But ya I am unaware of any rpg's with a "gate" system of any sort, there maybe places which lead to another zone due to say server limitations, but I'm unaware of a similar system.
IP: Logged |
posted
I don't want to sound harsh, but as a gamer formally obsessed with RPGs (computer and P&P) I can confidently say, as others here have, that it doesn't sound like your idea is especially original.
Posts: 367 | Registered: Apr 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
Give us a synopsis of the storyline already.
Posts: 1138 | Registered: Nov 2005
| IP: Logged |
Blayne Bradley
unregistered
posted
Its only been a day I'm configuring my Ipod atm and ya I never ever thought up story lines before I add em on organically, give me some time I'll think of something.
IP: Logged |
posted
I'm not understanding which part is meant to be original here, Blayne. Frankly, I'm much more interested in your "warring states of China" concept, even though that's been done a few times, too.
It may be that I'm just missing the bit that's revolutionary; if so, what is it? What part here stands out?
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
My "warring states of Australia" story is cooler than that. Only problem is, who but me is gonna go for some wacky plot like that?
Oh well; beats the rise and fall of intergalactic civilization that almost all my other stories entail...
Posts: 1138 | Registered: Nov 2005
| IP: Logged |
Blayne Bradley
unregistered
posted
its slightly more original then some other games I have seen, however whether or not its completely original is completely irrelevent and even if it was relevent I could care less, I am working on it, and I am developing a back story.
IP: Logged |
posted
No, no, you don't understand my question. I'm asking what, specifically, makes the gameplay and universe of your game feel fresh and new to the player?
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
Yes, and why should I care about your storyline if you're making a SYSTEM (keyword there) in which I'm going to place MY storyline?
I'm not particularly wowed by either. Yet. You haven't provided any of the details of the gaming system that make me sit up and say, "Holy freakkin' A+! That makes so much more sense than what WotC is doing!"
And your storyline's just standard RPG stuff. The only thing more cliche than genius inventor farmboys are rich gothic vampire adolescents.
And dark elves. Bleh.
Posts: 14554 | Registered: Dec 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
Hey, give him a break. Why shouldn't he cash in on the apparently vast market for cookie-cutter fantasy settings?
Posts: 10645 | Registered: Jul 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
Well, he won't be getting MY cash, 'less I see some originality. I want generic, there's OpenSRD.
Posts: 14554 | Registered: Dec 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
Blayne, I was puzzling over this--it sounds like you're designing a universe and a campaign rather than an actual game system--when it occurred to me that it was possible you were talking about a computer RPG rather than a pen and paper game. Is that the case?
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
| IP: Logged |
Blayne Bradley
unregistered
posted
wha? design a new system you crazy! I'm using the Japanese designed RM2k3 or RPG maker 2003, Its old looking ff3/terranenigma style graphics.
I'm talking about universe/storyline I'm not making a whole new system and I am not selling it I'll be uploading it for free, since technically enterbrain owns all rights to the maker I don't think it would be ethically right to sell an rpg even if I did make it.
If I made a whole new game from scratch maybe I would sell it, but this is mostly drag and drop, with the only code being swtiches and variables.
IP: Logged |
posted
Ah, okay, I thought that you were talking about creating a pen and paper role playing game. I think, though I could be wrong, that I wasn't the only one who thought that that was what you meant.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
| IP: Logged |
I can't think of any titles right now, but I'll think about it and get back to you.
And guys, lay off him about being "unoriginal" For one, in any art, whether writing, painting, poetry, whatever, if you spend all your time worrying about whether a project is original, you never get anywhere. The best thing to do is make something and let it be whatever it ends up being. And besides, "Originality" is what marketing is for.
Posts: 681 | Registered: Feb 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
Well, I've made a number of pen and paper campaigns (for my gaming group(s) to play - as I'm guessing others on Hatrack have also done) and there's really not much more depressing than finishing the campaign and realising that it's a carbon copy of fifty other campaign settings.
After playing RPGs (both pen and paper and on the computer) for a number of years, I don't even consider looking at one unless I think it's somewhat original (which means I don't play new RPGs very often).
Posts: 367 | Registered: Apr 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
Oh, I don't know--Slash's Overlook campaign's brilliance isn't due to the uniqueness of the general outline of the story. If a person were to sum up the larger plot in a few sentences it would probably sound fairly trite. And yet the execution, both on the part of the players and on the part of the DM, is stunningly good*.
*If someone hasn't read the Overlook campaign and checks it out on the basis of this recommendation, give it a little while to get going, while the players find their characters and the plot gets underway. Once it gets going it's a hell of a ride.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
I'm not saying it doesn't have to be original, just that when sitting down to write a plot, you can't worry about that sort of stuff. It clogs up the proverbial creative gears. Leave originality and gameplay for the second/third drafts of the plot and the actual development of the game.
At least that was my impression of Blayne's initial post: that the plot and characters are still being fleshed out and that he's just looking for a good working title. I may be wrong of course. Posts: 681 | Registered: Feb 2004
| IP: Logged |
quote:when sitting down to write a plot, you can't worry about that sort of stuff. It clogs up the proverbial creative gears. Leave originality and gameplay for the second/third drafts of the plot and the actual development of the game.
Mmmm... I disagree. If the originality's not there in the first draft, I don't see much point in continuing the development.
That said, I don't think that the author needs to be thinking all the time, "Is this original?" while writing. It may be something you can't see until you take a step back and do a critique.
Posts: 14554 | Registered: Dec 1999
| IP: Logged |
Blayne Bradley
unregistered
posted
I consider it original to the point of doing a rpg game inspired but not based on the ability to use a gateway system between planets, its very hard to make an rpg that doesnt have the generic good guys vs bad guys, in fact for any rpg i doubt its even possible the point is to have a story line with lots of twists and turns that keeps the audiance playing for hours on end to the point of missing food and work.
I'm hoping I can recreate that effect.
IP: Logged |
posted
If it's an RPG, why force your players to choose characters of your own making? Why not let them create their own? Half the fun of playing an RPG is making up your own character.
Posts: 14554 | Registered: Dec 1999
| IP: Logged |
quote:I consider it original to the point of doing a rpg game inspired but not based on the ability to use a gateway system between planets
But I don't see where that adds originality to the gameplay, Blayne. As I said earlier, many CRPGs already effectively have "gateways" between levels. That you aren't moving from one PLANET to another when you go from the fire level to the ice level is largely irrelevant to most players.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
| IP: Logged |
Printer-friendly view of this topic
![[ROFL]](graemlins/rofl.gif)
![[Laugh]](graemlins/laugh.gif)
Bob. At the joke and your responses.
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
