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| Debra Charron |
 Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 11:36 pm Post subject: "If you could" part-II |
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Joined: 19 Sep 2007
Posts: 618
Location: Undisclosed
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A while back, someone did a thread on "what would you do if you were starting a RP sim". I've noodled that one for quite a while and I thought I'd post my ponderings here for public use and abuse.
Ok....I like the Midian concept. So, i'm thinking a dark, urban landscape..very midian/blade-runner in its look. But retrotech ala Gotham City from the first Batman movie starring Michael Keaton.... or maybe.....more like the look of the movie "Streets of Fire". The TV/radio microphones are big honkin' chrome thingies, cars have tailfins and the in-dash radio is an analog gadget with knobs, a needle and no LEDs.
My dark metropolis has had its tech level deliberately rolled back and kept that way. "Feds" (Shady Men in Black) and Cops come down hard on "unapproved" people using automatic weapons (tommy guns), and handguns are rare and hard to get unless you're an "established" criminal or a Cop/PI. The average fight is fists, knives or melee weapons with some home-made "zip" guns (a pistol shell fired from a pipe or other home-made device) tossed in for spice.
((firearms on the restricted list are no-copy/no-trans items that work for 30 days after 1st rezz and then go inactive. They can only be purchsed from an in-sim vendor and only if you have the right group-tag up. Only members of the Police, PIs, Crooks or G-Men groups can buy non-revolver pistols (.45 automatic or browning Hi-Power). Only Cops, Crooks and G-Men in certain restricted sub-groups can buy "choppers" (submahine guns like the .45 thompson). These guns are MUCH cheaper than regular guns ($50L each), but they have to be re-bought every 30 days and the proceeds go to support the sim. Thusly are the type and proliferation of guns kept under control...use of any others is bannable. I'd handle any "restricted tech" in that manner to keep a lid on any 'arms race" ))
The cops are corrupt, and have their hand out to every gang in town. The gangs are expected to police themselves a bit, because allowing members to screw up (violate the sim rules) brings on a visit from the Cops. ((I.E. you tolerate people in your group who are all packing Uzis or laser guns, you can easily se your gang charter suspended or even pulled)). So long as the proper hands are greased, the gangs are allowed to exist.....as having gangs means the city Mayor gets to keep his heavily armed thugs...er..cops.....to keep him or her in power.
The look and feel of this city is very 1940's/1950's Urban Blight.
OOC consent would be the law of the land. Period.
Would-be vigilantes and do-gooders should be aware that their existance threatens the powers-that-be's plan......the folks at the top don't WANT justice to prevail......so they should expect regular visits from the Bad guys and no protection from the cops. You can be a vigilante do-gooder all you want, just keep your "Practicing Masochist" tag handy. of course...sicko, EVIL vigilantes who hear satan telling them to 'just do things" get better treatment.
Secret societies, sex/snuff clubs exist and people vanish off the streets all the time. Think "Eyes wide Shut-meets-Dolcett".......Maybe someone is even conducting a "campus crusade for Cuthulu"...or even darker rituals in secret places below the city.
There is an active "gothic, artsie" community which is seen almost exclusively at night.....
Limited magic works here, of a ritual nature that usually take a long orgy-based ritual an some blood-sacrifice to make work.......
Bodies keep turning up near wooded areas........partially gnawed.........
OOCly, the sim would be organised for strong Faction-Leader influence. The FLs would have a lot of autonomy, but also be accountable for keeping their groups within the sim rules. One requirement for every FL would be to present and Moderate one story-arc for cross-faction RP every six months. The FL can generate this themselves, ot they can tap the creative juices of their Faction-members. FLs who do exceptionally well at this can earn beneficial perqs for their Factions.
Groups within the Sim would be broad (Hookers, Cops, Criminals, Junkies, etc). Each FL would be able to charter sub-groups under their banner, if the sub-group presents a valid reason to exist, convinced the FL and pays the Sim 2000L as 'Earnest Money" to show they are committed. This is non-refundable. This is to deter frivilous groups.
The "G-Men" and most of the City Government are Game Admin NPCs, utilised for RP-policing of the sim rules and/or driving plot in the sim. Gangs making alliances and the streets get quiet......a government agent can be counted on to 'manufacture" an atrocity to get them fighting again.
The City would have several ongoing threads. these are "top-level" simwide plots involving most or all factions. Maybe space-aliens are secretly controlling humanity and keeping things low-tech and near-chaos to conrol their food supply. Maybe the Illumanati have things going on, manipulating the Factions and Groups. Maybe...this *is* the afterlife...and the City is really Hell.
Anyway, I could go on with local colour.......but I'm sure you get the idea.
Dark, Cold, Retro, Evil, Violent, Sexual.......with kittens.........?
_________________
~Deb Charron
Audentes Fortuna Juvat (Fortune Favors the Bold)
BlackStar Military Services
Commander: Midian City Operations
Pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/debcharron/
Blog: http://debcharron.livejournal.com/ |
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| Kc Cuttita |
| Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 3:18 pm Post subject: |
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Joined: 16 Mar 2008
Posts: 44
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Wow that sounds like a fun place Debra.
When I first came to Midian I really didn't know what to expect, but the more I see of it the more I find myself so wanting to experience, in my mind of course, the type of hard life that a city like that would and could be.
One of the things I think I'd like seeing added to your idea is a faction for victims. I guess that's sort of what I play in Midian and if I don't "bump into" someone looking for a victim, then I end up just wandering the streets or visiting with friends.
I love your ideas about it being hard to get strong weapons like guns and machineguns. I think they end up hurting the fights that could and do develop. My gun is bigger and badder then your gun to me just doesn't feel like the way to go. Where as a good knife fight, fist fight, one with a broken bottle the other with a baseball bat has more of the street fighter to it to me then someone shooting 500 rounds a minute at someone else that dodges the rounds.
I think I'd also add in that anyone that isn't a faction leader or high up in the government is poor. I mean dirt poor and would just about sell their souls for a good home cooked meal let alone what they'd do for clothes that aren't torn, worn and tattered. It'd make people I think hungrier, more savage then if they owned a lear jet, a limo or a rocket ship to zip them back to the mainland and it'd make the weaker, victim type people stand out even more as they'd be the ones left with basically nothing which would force them to fight too. People could fight over a pair of decent shoes only to have the winner find out that they're too small for them. |
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| Debra Charron |
| Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 4:36 pm Post subject: |
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Joined: 19 Sep 2007
Posts: 618
Location: Undisclosed
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| Kc Cuttita wrote: |
Wow that sounds like a fun place Debra.
When I first came to Midian I really didn't know what to expect, but the more I see of it the more I find myself so wanting to experience, in my mind of course, the type of hard life that a city like that would and could be.
One of the things I think I'd like seeing added to your idea is a faction for victims. I guess that's sort of what I play in Midian and if I don't "bump into" someone looking for a victim, then I end up just wandering the streets or visiting with friends.
I love your ideas about it being hard to get strong weapons like guns and machineguns. I think they end up hurting the fights that could and do develop. My gun is bigger and badder then your gun to me just doesn't feel like the way to go. Where as a good knife fight, fist fight, one with a broken bottle the other with a baseball bat has more of the street fighter to it to me then someone shooting 500 rounds a minute at someone else that dodges the rounds.
I think I'd also add in that anyone that isn't a faction leader or high up in the government is poor. I mean dirt poor and would just about sell their souls for a good home cooked meal let alone what they'd do for clothes that aren't torn, worn and tattered. It'd make people I think hungrier, more savage then if they owned a lear jet, a limo or a rocket ship to zip them back to the mainland and it'd make the weaker, victim type people stand out even more as they'd be the ones left with basically nothing which would force them to fight too. People could fight over a pair of decent shoes only to have the winner find out that they're too small for them. |
TY for the feedback KC. Thats def something to include in the plan ;-) Ease-of-contact between victims and abusers would facilitate Play - which is beneficial.
I'm also looking at the whole policy on Vigilantes. I can forsee some plotlines where they's get to occasionally 'win one".....just to stimulate retaliation RP 
I was also looking at the use of titlers to defuse and arguments angst over people 'intervening" in someone's rape scene. The rapist and victim, having agreed OOC about what is happening, and NOT being open to any "saviours" popping in..both put up titlers saying "Consensual Scene - Do not Disturb". This is a standing non-consent for intervention and anyone with a role or motivation that *might* compel them to intervene then knows to "manage" what they see and do in a way that does not contravene this.
_________________
~Deb Charron
Audentes Fortuna Juvat (Fortune Favors the Bold)
BlackStar Military Services
Commander: Midian City Operations
Pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/debcharron/
Blog: http://debcharron.livejournal.com/ |
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| Kc Cuttita |
| Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 5:04 pm Post subject: |
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Joined: 16 Mar 2008
Posts: 44
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I can see there'd be a fine line between rescuing someone from a rape and stealing their scene. Anything that would some how warn people to stay out of the scene would be a benefit. Perhaps if there's a crowd of onlookers and someone tried to jump into the scene to save the girl the onlookers should start throwing rocks at the do gooder, LMAO. Or maybe a quick IM from them before jumping in might be better although sometimes I think the stoning of the do gooder might be the better answer.
People play victims because they want to be a victim not because they want a shining knight to come racing in on their white horse to save them so having victim titlers would help as would having a do not disturb sign somewhere. |
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