zornwil Posted October 2, 2003 Report Share Posted October 2, 2003 Originally posted by lemming Oh this is just great. And my character wasn't all that paranoid at the beginning. For my game: There's a definite metaplot, but I've had to change a few things around due to some players. Mostly to do with aliens, other dimensions, and the Illuminatish groups in the background. Re the first couple sentences - glad I could help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zornwil Posted October 2, 2003 Report Share Posted October 2, 2003 Originally posted by lemming However if one really wants to hide stuff, this following technique may work: After a quick test: Yep, works pretty well, and the person has to actually do some work to get the hidden message Yup, it does. Back at ya... But the problem is that you still need to leave some space and a spoiler warning since it is easy for someone to just inadvertantly see the text. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemming Posted October 2, 2003 Report Share Posted October 2, 2003 Originally posted by zornwil Yup, it does. Back at ya... But the problem is that you still need to leave some space and a spoiler warning since it is easy for someone to just inadvertantly see the text. I suppose someone could inadvertantly see the text, but unless they're reading via subliminal or a funky browser, it's unlikely. I guess saying Spoiler in the hidden area may be a good idea... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zornwil Posted October 2, 2003 Report Share Posted October 2, 2003 Originally posted by lemming I suppose someone could inadvertantly see the text, but unless they're reading via subliminal or a funky browser, it's unlikely. I guess saying Spoiler in the hidden area may be a good idea... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEmerged Posted October 2, 2003 Report Share Posted October 2, 2003 See, the method you guys are using is a little "too" hidden for my tastes. The highlight method works well enough for my tastes. Besides, as I said I'm reasonably sure my players don't read this board. I wasn't aware of the other option though; I might have to start using your method then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom McCarthy Posted October 2, 2003 Report Share Posted October 2, 2003 I've got some very slow moving background plots, as the adventure du jour effectively hides the slower moving stroy arcs. Dystopia's been running over 2 years now, GSVC for one year now, and I hesitate to think how long Champions Battlegrounds and the run up to Day of the Destroyer will run. I had a serious/dramatic subplot regarding a trio of heroes with a common origin (two of them amnesiacs), but it took so long to unfold that one retired and another died before they got more than a whiff of the truth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemming Posted October 2, 2003 Report Share Posted October 2, 2003 Originally posted by zornwil Ah, I see your point. Though TheEmerged's version has the same problem. Spoiler: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bartman Posted October 2, 2003 Report Share Posted October 2, 2003 Originally posted by TheEmerged See, the method you guys are using is a little "too" hidden for my tastes. Gah... I'm inclined to agree. lemming's method is too much work. Now I'm sorry I even brought it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemming Posted October 2, 2003 Report Share Posted October 2, 2003 Ah. Not as hard as I thought. Hitting quote brings it right up for view without the tedious search through source. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei1c3 Posted October 2, 2003 Report Share Posted October 2, 2003 Originally posted by BarryB The characters have learned at least one metaplot that has been going on for the last three years. Like many campaigns, I use an energy field that has triggered superpowers within human beings. In the case of our campaign, the field is being generated, more or less deliberately, by the approach of a race of alien beings. The alien beings devour the life energy of sentient creatures. They particularly enjoy the flavor of those with superpowers. This race genetically modified promising species millions of years ago, inserting genetic code to make possible the evolution of sentient beings and to make these beings susceptable to the energy field produced by these beings. Cool! I played in your campaign briefly about 2 years ago, Barry, and I've been wondering how that particular mystery turned out. - Chris (Shadowstar) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zornwil Posted October 3, 2003 Report Share Posted October 3, 2003 Originally posted by lemming Ah. Not as hard as I thought. Hitting quote brings it right up for view without the tedious search through source. You were supposed to keep the "quote" message hidden, man, so the fools wouldn't know and the emperor's-new-clothing folks would grin foolishly as if knowingly. Now if THAT"s not the obnoxious post for the evening! I win! (hmmm, uh-oh, is 3:15 AM evening or morning? I think evening; I think 4:30 AM is morning) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemming Posted October 3, 2003 Report Share Posted October 3, 2003 Originally posted by zornwil Now if THAT"s not the obnoxious post for the evening! I win! (hmmm, uh-oh, is 3:15 AM evening or morning? I think evening; I think 4:30 AM is morning) One way to hide is to place the hidden message in a I think if it's before you go to bed, it's still evening. Unless you then have to go to work, once you walk through those doors, it's morning. I'm going to have to do some work on my Meta-Plot. Too much depending on players that aren't cooperating by showing up for the games. Orion had a decent arc that I had to junk due to him missing the last four games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zornwil Posted October 3, 2003 Report Share Posted October 3, 2003 Originally posted by lemming One way to hide is to place the hidden message in a I think if it's before you go to bed, it's still evening. Unless you then have to go to work, once you walk through those doors, it's morning. I'm going to have to do some work on my Meta-Plot. Too much depending on players that aren't cooperating by showing up for the games. Orion had a decent arc that I had to junk due to him missing the last four games. Now THAT is a good trick! Yeah, player attendance is an issue; like Orion, Neumann, even at lower power levels, adds an interesting dimension to the Justice Squad but...y'know... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted October 3, 2003 Report Share Posted October 3, 2003 "Pretty sneaky, sis." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemming Posted October 3, 2003 Report Share Posted October 3, 2003 Originally posted by zornwil Now THAT is a good trick! Yeah, player attendance is an issue; like Orion, Neumann, even at lower power levels, adds an interesting dimension to the Justice Squad but...y'know... Well, I've got arcs setup for "Blazing Arrow of the Western Sea who talks to Mules" and I'm getting one for Sargent Sonic ready. For some reason, I'm having problems getting inspired by Corioulus. Concrete I've got some ideas, but haven't implemented them yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zornwil Posted October 3, 2003 Report Share Posted October 3, 2003 Originally posted by lemming Well, I've got arcs setup for "Blazing Arrow of the Western Sea who talks to Mules" and I'm getting one for Sargent Sonic ready. For some reason, I'm having problems getting inspired by Corioulus. Concrete I've got some ideas, but haven't implemented them yet. Hey, that's Blazing Arrow from the Western Sea who Talks to the Old Mule. My character doesn't go around just talkin' to ANY mule! And you can just let Blazing Arrow come up with Corioulus' story arc, I'm always PLENTY inspired! (for those watching at home, Blazing Arrow has a reasonably-but-not-entirely-friendly rivalry with Corioulus - as C. is kind of an arrogant jerk, though well-intentioned) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarryB Posted October 5, 2003 Report Share Posted October 5, 2003 Originally posted by dei1c3 Cool! I played in your campaign briefly about 2 years ago, Barry, and I've been wondering how that particular mystery turned out. - Chris (Shadowstar) Hi there, Chris. Shadowstar still has a statue in front of the Citadel with an eternal flame burning. The Carlos Museum was repaired, but seems to consistently be the scene of combats. You can check out the campaign web site, available through the link in my signature, to see what's been going on. You'll want to concentrate on the K'dan and Maggidos for the full information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RealmForge Posted October 11, 2003 Report Share Posted October 11, 2003 Legend In My Own Mind I think I've got it. I've been wracking my brain for something at least partially original with respect to superhero plots. The only other one I ever saw even remotely like this was The Maxx. One character is a real, living breathing ... normal. But something in his life drove him over the edge. I have yet to decide what this is, but it will have to be something tremendously jarring for the average mind to have to deal with. Because it drives him completely bat-crap insane. The plot starts out with the character as a "world-saving" style superhero. I think I will name him Statesman and give him the whole Superman/Captain America thing going on. The other characters are superheroes, but they are also simply figments of his imagination. Keep in mind, all of the players believe the "super" world is the real world in game. The plot progresses. They have many adventures in the style of typical comic books. This will make it easy to run as two of the players are my two oldest boys. Just kids and just learning how to roleplay. As things develop, the main "insane" character starts to have flashes of being trapped in a very small, brightly-lit room. There is someone there with him. Someone who asks a lot of questions. Probing questions. Enter the psychiatrist. This is where the campaign becomes dynamic. What happens after this will be based on what the player decides to do about the inquisitorial phantom. They could think their character is going insane. They could be under the influence of some sweeping secret society that has the ability to trap a hero and do what they will, let him go and give him little knowledge/memory of what occured. He could think he was under some mystical or dimensional effect. Either way, the entire team will end up investigating this very strange phenominon. Further along, four-color heroics give way to the metaplot - fighting against this "organization" or mental instability. I think I am going to push it along the lines of the heroes believing that the source of this disturbance is the secret society - to give them a real villain to fight. They undergo missions to defeat this society. Every so often, one of the characters dies. This is actually the hero's subconscious healing itself, refusing to believe in this fantasy world. Things start to break down. Cities are destroyed. The entire "continuity" of this fabricated world comes apart at the seams. In the end, the hero will find himself standing in the ruins of the universe asking why, only to be met by the doctor again. The doctor will simply smile, friendly and professional, and tell the hero that "The real healing can now begin. Are you ready?" Thoughts? Suggestions? Is it stupid? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightray Posted October 11, 2003 Report Share Posted October 11, 2003 Re: Legend In My Own Mind Originally posted by RealmForge Thoughts? Suggestions? Is it stupid? Sounds interesting. My only comment would be regarding this: ...two of the players are my two oldest boys. Just kids and just learning how to roleplay. You've got a mighty intense roleplaying campaign planned. Are they ready for this kind of thing yet? If they're younger they may not understand, or may not be happy with the sudden reversal. It may be a good idea to let the build-up be long and very slow -- maybe to the point that they're becoming bored and looking for something else. Instead of ending the campaign then would be a good time to pull the switcheroo. Of course, they may be mature and ready for challenges, in which case: carry on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RealmForge Posted October 11, 2003 Report Share Posted October 11, 2003 I was thinking of a dual-theme for most of the game. Kinda like Looney Tunes. Kids love it, but it's just as entertaining for adults. One of the kids will understand it alright, with a bit of explanation, and the other one will simply be pleased to kick villain butt throughout the campaign. I had some ideas on how to keep them interested when the plot turns sideways on them. The lead character will still be in the throws of his insanity and there will be plenty of action to keep them entertained. Which is really all they are in it for anyway, for now. They are at THAT age, if you know what I am saying. I agree whole-heartedly on the long buildup point. I am confident even my older players won't catch on for a while, either. Which works in favor of the plot. But then ... there is such a thing as famous last words. Now that I've said that, one will see right through me in the first ten minutes of the story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zornwil Posted October 12, 2003 Report Share Posted October 12, 2003 Originally posted by RealmForge I was thinking of a dual-theme for most of the game. Kinda like Looney Tunes. Kids love it, but it's just as entertaining for adults. One of the kids will understand it alright, with a bit of explanation, and the other one will simply be pleased to kick villain butt throughout the campaign. I had some ideas on how to keep them interested when the plot turns sideways on them. The lead character will still be in the throws of his insanity and there will be plenty of action to keep them entertained. Which is really all they are in it for anyway, for now. They are at THAT age, if you know what I am saying. I agree whole-heartedly on the long buildup point. I am confident even my older players won't catch on for a while, either. Which works in favor of the plot. But then ... there is such a thing as famous last words. Now that I've said that, one will see right through me in the first ten minutes of the story. Won't the younger of the kids be pretty upset as despite their efforts cities are laid waste and the universe crumbles? It sounds pretty grim even fro adults. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RealmForge Posted October 12, 2003 Report Share Posted October 12, 2003 There is that possibility to consider, yes. I will have to think on it some. One thought that comes immediately to mind is maybe the theme will make a somewhat jarring transition from four-color to gritty, street-level setting where he returns to the real world and, despite being "healed", mentally, he is still compelled to follow his old ways as a defender of freedom, etc. Not sure about this one, though. Again, I'll have to think on it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.