Overview:

I created my series of RPs after a couple of years of seeing RPs getting started here and falling apart within weeks of them getting put up. I hated creating a character, really liking him/her and then having to dump the whole idea because even though the RP had a good story line it was poorly managed. After about six months of trying to start up my own forum, trying to get some ideas going inspiration hit and everything sort of fell into place. The main idea was to keep things organized. Give people a set goal and let them go on about doing that. The RP story lines would be linked together but also separate so that new people could join in at any time without having felt that they need to "catch up" on something.

So I made Siege of Sentinel which went remarkably well. Lasted for some 14 months maybe more. Afterward we moved to High Rock, but the manner in which I handled that RP was both good and bad. The scope was too big and although we had some good writing, i've found out that you can't really have RPs that span such a big territory. People get separated, isolated and the momentum dies. Even so the RP lasted several months but once it was dragging it's legs I put it to rest.

So now i've come up with three ideas i'd like to ask you guys to critique and discuss. Don't vote right away. Discuss a bit and see which one would really work for you, then i'll work on it for a week or two and post it up after New Years when everyone will be around. I might post it earlier if there is enough demand.

First Idea:

The main setting would be the Imperial City where we would give some depth to the Cyrodiil Vampires. I'm looking for a sophisticated upper class gothy feel. Think this http://www.maskandwigworld.co.uk/images/elements/logos/VenetianCollection_Index.jpg

Anyway the vampires would be split up into families with the families each working together a way for them to maintain their lavish life styles. Perhaps they own a mercantile trade route, or they simply collect protection money from the shops in the market district, or make money off of the bets in the arena. Instead of having 50 vampire families all "RPing against each other" I am thinking of having two major alliances vying for power against one another.

The vampire society will have intricate social classes. For example you have the converts, recently made vampires. Some people when they become vampires go insane, these will be the apostates, they roam the sewers below or the caves outside of the Imperial City. Then you have the adherence, these are the converts who stabilize after becoming vampires. Above the converts you have the nobility. These are older vampires that are more powerful and influential. For example they'll have "dolls." These are mortals who serve the vampire nobility. You have willing dolls which serve of their own accord and then you have enslaved dolls which are kept in control by the noble's vampiric powers. Above that you have the patriarch/matriarch which acts as the head of the family.

The two sides will fight one another, not in an all out brawl as that is highly unproductive for everyone, but through proxies. Damage the other's ability to sustain their life style and they lose clout in the council. I don't mind "fighting" per say but I don't want the RP to turn into a UFC match. There will also of course be vampire hunters. Some will be hired, others will be appointed by the church to deal with the vampires.

Second Idea:

Colovia will be the setting for the second idea. With the Empire losing control of Tamriel they decided to withdraw their legions out of Colovia. As they do that, the Altai (A newly created race based on the Turkics, Tungus, and Mongolic people) started shifting east into Colovia for now grazing lands. The various counts of Colovia do not like this too much but can not afford a full out war. The Merchant's Guild, headquarted in rebuilt Kvatch, also have problems with the nomads as they are threatening the trade routes toward the west. Their caravans have ended up destroyed/robbed.

What you'll be doing is RPing either the nomads or Colovians as they deal with one another on this frontier. This idea is a bit more free form than the previous and has elements of politics, adventure and military if need be all wrapped up into one. This is a bit more vague at this stage but i'm looking to expand it if there is interest.

Third Idea:

This will be a good old fashioned adventure RP set for a group of dedicated writers who want to focus more on character development but also has a bit of action. The story line will be that with the Empire falling and with no legitimate heir to the throne, the Mages Guild takes control quite brutally with a newly created weapon. Taking pure ebony and using a Dwemer machine to compress it then enchant it, they turn the wielders into very capable and dangerous users of the arcane. I'm considering adding very primitive fire weapons and air ships. Anyway you'll be RPing a resistance group using whatever means necessary to harm the Mages Guild. The RP group will be a bit smaller numbering a half dozen or so. I need dependable people who can carry a story making unique characters and that interact with one another. I'm also thinking of adding a "hunter" group who seek to catch the resistance and exterminate it.

The manner in which this RP will work out will be very much like the classical Final Fantasy games where you got your group starting out with a very basic plot and expand upon it exploring the entire continent.



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Now remember these are all very basic ideas with different level of development done right now. I'm looking toward you to expand upon these and create one you like.

I'd rather gor for the first or third - the second rubs me somewhat the wrong way in introducing a whole new race and culture that seems to be popping out of nowhere. You're probably already planning some fleshing out, but as they're presented they seems out of place

My two cents on where they might come from :
* make them a mongrel mix of redguard desert nomads and refugees from both the Oblivion Crisis and the following crumbling of the Empire
* about the same, this time in southern Cyrodill/northern Elsweyr

It will give them both a reason to be nomads and explain why a new culture is appearing, which solves the 'appears out of thin air' issue.

I am either first or third. Preferrably third

Well they didn't really appear out of no where. They were present in SoS. Personally I think the whole 10 races thing is a bit limiting. I like to make sub groups and add more depth. The Altai would be the steppe nomads of north eastern hammerfell that were lost to history.

http://img262.imageshack.us/i/cuman1az9.jpg/

There's just so much culture you can pull through with them. You can take it as indepth as you like or simply regard them as "archers with horses society." I can see how some people wouldn't like the addition though.

I'm going to partly agree with Manu on this one, but then there is the fact that the mountains of Hammerfall and Highrock are not FULLY explored. But still, it does seem a bit of a stretch.

The first one has many problems. Firstly, you are going to attract that 'vampire RP zomg' crowd, which would NOT work for this sort of rp. Secondly, that sort of rping is generally not the most successful style on this forum; more than likely it will dissolve into actiony fights at some point. Some rpers can pull it off, but I can say unashamedly right now that economical/political aspects of rps appeal very little to me and I do not rp them very well, so an rp which leans heavily on those mechanics will not appeal to me.

The third one I find most appealing. Most would think 'oh no, not another standard Adventure RP' but I trust you to be able to make things interesting. More than likely you'd get political mechanics involved somewhere, toss in some real RP challenges beyond fighting. Anyways, my point is that with an interesting plot and a real solid reason for our activity, that would be most likely to succeed. However, you might want to avoid the Hunter party, as two groups might make things sorta like High Rock. But then again, it could make things like Siege of Sentinel, so who knows.

My biggest problem with having an adventure group is from my experience we end up getting one or two people who don't post and keep EVERYONE else waiting. So I want to keep the group small, yet at the same time have as many people involved as possible. I also don't like RPs without a human antagonist. Much less motivation. But it is a work in progress.

I must honestly say I disagree with FC4.

Of Blood and Quill took off with some brilliant rp'ers and a very large crowd and only failed due to poor management. Politics aren't entirely frowned on as long as you can provide the not so politically inclined players with a decent amount of action and character development.

Also, Halfy's 'Dark Bloods' rp is going in a good direction. So to say that a vampire rp would attract the 'zomg' crowd is a little underestimating. I do agree that there are some issues with iffy players joining and turning the story into a bloodbath, but from what I've experienced in attempting to join ImmortalBlood's rp's, the amount of detail and background he provides is almost intimidating. Not that I like to say it, but I'm sure the rp'ers who don't feel up to the task won't stray too close until they're comfortable.

I sort of liked the third idea, but all-in-all, I'm up for the first one.

I like the first one the most, but like said before, the "vampires are ZOMG awsome!" crowd could possibly carry it away. If that one doesnt get going then I like the idea of number 3 as well.

I don't mean to sound arrogant with my vampire statement. But due to their popularity (along with assassins) you sometimes get a handful of RPers who join only due to the fact that there are vampires and/or assassins in the story line. It happens with all sorts of RPs that you get a few people that don't "get it" and mess up the RP. I've just seen it happen mostly in those two genres.

Even so the vampire RP answers very quickly who the antagonist of the other RPers will be. It just has to be managed well.

I really like idea three. It fits a character I tried to use earlier but just couldn't get to fit. Also, once someone says "character development" I start drooling.

One question though, would the declining Empire be the Septims or the Remans? Durp. If it's the Septims, Red Year could be used to great effect, since the eruption may push out quite a bit more Ebony to the surface for those willing to brave the An-Xileel to get it.

I have to say that the first idea doesn't appeal to me at all. I'm not much of a vampire fan and I don't like RPing them.

The second or third both work for me, but since I'm more of an adventure RPer than anything else, the third is naturally the most appealing.

3rd...

Honestly valid disagreement, I say to you.

However, my statement was simply of the general mass, I know there are RPers on these boards that are very willing and capable to pull off a political and KEEP it political. And even the Dark Blood's RP is not immune to the vampire craze. But if the RP is managed well, it can weather through such issues. The first idea would simply require a lot of good management on the end of the RP creator and the RPers themselves.

Nail to the head. That is the key to RPing, and RPs being successful.

The statement is self explanatory. Dren is right on the management, in fact, the only thing keeping that RP in tact was the RPers. You also need dedicated people who will not drop a political role, and go on until the end. Those 3 things, to my knowledge, equal successful RP. That is why SoS was successful. I wasn't in it, or around when it was here, but I have read some of it after saving the threads on word. The key was good hosting, good RPing, and people that stayed in and did their duty. They didn't just ditch it.

To be quite honest, I'm more for the first idea.

The other two just seem so similar to ones I've seen in the past. The second (although I am a tad bit opposed to new races) is very good sounding, but it seems loose for some reason.

The first idea would work well because I honestly haven't seen a vampire RP that takes a Victorian-esque approach with warring families and a masquerade type styling. It sounds fun, and I know I could have some fun with it. All the other vampire ideas are way too much the same, either its all just one big amalgamation of vampires and werewolves fighting, or its incorporating a group of vampire hunters who kill off both factions with some necromancers thrown in. With your idea, we get to see the underbelly and the dark world within the vampire families, and be a part of secret dealings and shady characters.

Ohh I'm giddy just thinking about it

I personally like the first one, though the third is good as well. Regardless, I've always wanted to get into one of your RP's, so please make sure you keep a slot available for me.

I found Siege of Sentinel too far too late.

Well I might as well beat the dead horse some more and state my opinion that the first one could be very fun to be in if there are *no* uber vampire assassins running around fighting all thread. The family concept reminds me a little the Guilds from the Forgotten Realms books. But would they be involved in illegal things like drug trade and smuggling as well as other "business"? I assume that the Empire doesn't know the two families are made up of vampires, thus making high use of the "dolls"? Lots of subterfuge and politics would be fun, as long as it doesn't break out into uber-[censored] killer vampires and all that stuff thats been said already.

Also, no werewolves. Honestly I'm getting sick of people being the mysterious werewolf from Nowheresville, Tamriel, who hide in sewers and feed on beggars, hellbent on killing the vampire/werewolf that slaughtered their family.

Well, can my vampire's history be an uber vampire assassin, as long as I'm fair about things in the RP?

It's a bit loose because i'm not sure where to go with it exactly. As for the new race, the more diversity the better. As a historian I personally find the race/ethnic/culture aspects of TES to be very bland compared to our world. Over the summer I visited Constanta on the Black Sea and in that city alone there are 16 different unique cultures and ethnicities living together.

I don't think we'll be using werewolves since they can only transform to the wolf form on a full moon anyway. But I do want to add an environment with the vampire RP. Have certain laws based on classical vampire myth such as not being able to enter someone's house unless invited in. I'm just not 100 percent sure how people are going to act and RP. It needs structuring a bit. How would you visualize it all?




Would be helpful if you told me how you'd visualize these RPs going.




The interesting aspect about vampires won't be their super powers. If that's all people can think of that's sad for them. But the focus will be more on their life style. Think about it, what are vampires but arrogant immortal beings that just want to feed their egos and fulfill the status quo of their life styles?




Noted.





What would that entitle?

Nothing really. Just pretty much playing a stealth character with a [censored] background.

I think the first idea would be great, I already have a character in my mind that would fit well with this. Oh, and I have one question. When will this be getting started? I'll be able to post heaps in the following weeks so that should really help things along.

Might get started after New Years but I could start earlier. I think we'll do the vampire RP and then we'll do the adventure plot.

Number 1 isn't a bad idea honestly. Nice underground war, and with a good story, it could do great.

And it would just stretch upon one district, correct? I don't know if this would work, but what if you took the order of virtuous blood, and united most of the hired vampire hunters into one faction? It may help with interaction, and it would also unite them under direction, and have people working together, etc. Things may get questionable if there are just a bunch of hunters running around by themselves.

Now, that doesn't mean there wouldn't be mercenary hunters. I am saying that there could be one major faction that is against the vampires, and is capable of rooting them out. What do you think of this?

Well I just like them all, really. First and Second impress me the most, but I could go with the third. It's really no big deal.