Comatose

Thanks for this, Cog. I would combine Rules 4 and 5 into one, and merely say that highly powerful epics with the ability to drastically change any setting they enter into (Regalia) should be considered High Epics for the purpose of the "no High epics as first character rule" and that, instead of saying you can have a High Epic as your third, or fourth, or fifth character, allow the GMs to decide whether or not a person has demonstrated the level of commitment necessary to control one of these characters. I'm not sure about the rule requiring players to adopt before creating an epic of their own. Adopting a first character can be difficult, as sometimes first characters are used to get to know the story. Also, people may come with characters already in their head, and while I think it's fine to ask them to change powersets or remove powersets, asking them to write a character other than the one they want to write for their first (and potentially only) character may drive people away. Some people may not have the time to write more than one character, and requiring someone only writing one character to adopt seems a little over restrictive in my opinion. I agree though that we should be emphasizing epic adoption over epic creation. I would say that either, (a.) once a person has created a first epic and vanilla, and has demonstrated they are ready for a second epic, they must adopt before making another epic of their own, OR (b.) adopting an existing epic is an option instead of making your second character a vanilla (while adoptable epics last). This allows a person to show their own brand of creativity and unique style with their first character, and then show a commitment to the story with their second or third. We might also run out of adoptable characters in certain cities, so if we do proceed with the first character must be adopted rule, I would argue that it should be city-specific, so people can still choose which city they want to RP in. Overall, I think that while, the different ideas could be integrated a little more to make them flow better, these ideas are quite good and would make a good set of rules. Since we already have an OOC thread, we could use it for this purpose. Maybe we could require new players to give their character a test drive in the OOC thread (or make a separate thread for test drives, but use the OOC for arena style fights). Another fun idea could be that, if we have multiple new characters at once (which usually happens) we could group people together and ask them to come up with an OOC scene to show their ability to collaborate. Bluefingers, I think it's important too to understand the purpose of these rules. Creating collaborative fiction is difficult, and that job is made more difficult when people jump in and then leave, or create important characters they are not ready to write. Instead of thinking of the Vanilla rule as a "quota" you need to fill, think of it as doing your part to make the story more well rounded and balanced. It's not fulfilling the character quota that entitles you to write more characters, its the demonstration of both your skills as a collaborative story teller, and your level of commitment to this particular story. I forgot to multi-quote this, but regarding the hiding of old posts, this is something I've struggled with on MBI as well. I'm generally against ret-conning things, and working with what we have as our canon, but I see the purpose of it in some instances, even if my personal preference is different. My opinion would be that, if we do hide posts, that we do it as little as possible. Since this decision involves story flow, it could be a decision left up to individual thread GMs, and that way we can all prune our threads to our own tastes and needs. One thing that would be nice is to consult with some new or prospective players, explain the new rules and the rationale behind them, and see if they have any feedback to offer, or ways to make the RP accessible while still achieving our stated goals behind the new rules. The goals I'm seeing people talk about are as follows (feel free to add more): 1. Generally, to privilege story more over the wants of individual players. 2. To balance the number of epics and High epics with the number of Vanilla characters. 3. To encourage players to commit and contribute to the collective story before taking on roles that can have serious impacts on other players. 4. To create a more substantive 'orientation' process that will help prepare new players to meaningfully contribute once they do enter the RP. 5. To avoid the abandonment of characters (especially characters with key plot-lines). Feel free to disagree or alter any of these, but if we keep some sort of list of goals in mind when brainstorming and explaining new rules (which I think we have done thus far), it will help us avoid making rules that are arbitrary or unduly restrictive. Good brainstorming team

We had a similar problem starting out with Mistborn: The Inquisition with Mistborn characters--both with there being too many Mistborn in proportion to other characters, AND with people creating a Mistborn and taking up one of those valuable spots, and then leaving. How we ended up dealing with it officially is by saying that people cannot make Mistborn as first characters, and an unofficial policy of not letting people write a Mistborn (or Inquisitor) until they write at least three characters, and show an intention to stick around on the site. We still have a lot of Mistings as first characters in comparison to regular people, but I think that's okay. How I've dealt with it in my head canon is by saying that although we have more Mistborn player characters than we should in proportion to other Mistborn characters, that number is still under 20 total, which is realistic for the number of Mistborn in the Final Empire. Because in the books, most Mistborn are tied to Great Houses, it makes sense that many of the Mistborn in the whole empire would be in Luthadel. So, my head-canon is that we are just RPing most of the existing Mistborn in the empire. Anyways, for the Reckoners RP, the issue I see is mostly with high epics. What I would say is that new players cannot make a High Epic as their first character. It would be a little unfair since others among us have done this, but I think part of managing a growing RP is creating rules and restrictions as the story grows and starts to become more difficult to manage. I would say adjusting our Head-canon to say that we are RPing most of the existing High Epics in Oregon could help with the plausibility as well (though we still might be over capacity). Hopefully restricting high epics will also encourage people to be more creative with their power-sets when making first characters. For the purpose of this restriction, I would include Epics like Regalia, who don't technically have a PI but are extremely powerful, as a High Epic. Such epics can be reserved for players who show a commitment to stick around and continue to play in the RP. For regular epics, it might be difficult to restrict people from making them first, since epics are what a lot of people come here to write about. Perhaps a rule saying that, if your first character is an epic, you must make a Vanilla before making more epics might work? These are just my opinions, so feel free to disagree.

Well, I think her main task is tracking down Insight, but there is lots going on the city right now that she could pop in and meddle with. Lots of new immigrants to tag as well. Sounds good! Should are start, or would you like to? It might not be anything much, but we can start and see where it goes. I think as long as its still easy to read, a different writing style if fine. Good luck! As for timeline, Rainmaker is in the later part of the afternoon now, which is where Thunderspear would have to be as well since they are interacting right now.

Thanks for the feedback Edge . I had a lot of fun writing those. I don't think you necessarily need a flashback of him joining; you could just start with him having already been a member of Security, and then let more come up over time. And we all know how considerate Rainmaker is of Buttercup's feelings . I think Rainmaker would see it as covering her bases: the more people looking for Iconoclast the better. She would also see it as a way of keeping Thunderspear occupied. Blaze, maybe during the Queen's meeting later in the day, we could have Buttercup confront Rainmaker about this (and possibly the Iron Ogress thing as well)? I think that could be fun. What do you think?

All right, I cleared things with Mailliw, so here are my promised RP samples for Ian the Lorist, and for Upgrade Ian Buhler RP Sample: Upgrade Profile: I wanted to do the scene with Timeport as well, but I think I went on long enough. What do you guys think? Also, I think the next plotline has Upgrade working with Quota, so Twi do you want to start a scene? Let me know!

Iconoclast is played by Blackhoof, and he's the one who is causing all the vanillas to go feral. He's basically trying to cause chaos in Corvallis by whatever means possible, but thus far has avoided being apprehended by Rainmaker's forces. Buttercup would be in charge of security. Once concern about Nijo is his use of traditional weaponary. Can he use firearms at all? Because that would be an expectation on Buttercup's security force, even if he mostly uses his knives for sneaky assassination type missions. Rainmaker hasn't set up anything new, and would just be using the existing peace keeping force since Euphoria left, so Nijo could just be a part of that. I am a little worried about how Nijo, who seems mostly like a traditional ninja in skill set, fits into a modern setting like the Reckonersverse, but I'm willing to give him a chance. What do other people think?

No worries about Shiny. I kind of figured she'd be busy. Parity sounds interesting to me. I'll check her(?) out too.

Thanks! I'll shoot him and PM, and then see about getting an RP sample together to make sure I get the voice correct. Also, on the subject of Brandon, I love sailing, so feel free to ship away . Nothing specific. Just more general bureaucracy. The list of names will be epics who have wronged or annoyed Rainmaker (Skinsaver will be on the list for sure). I was thinking Thunderspear would be housed in one of the old dorm buildings on Campus, providing him with the requested "bed and storage space". You can feel free to make up some NPC epics to steal from, if you wish. One thing to keep in mind is that the Government Building will have epic and human security, so if Thunderspear randomly starts shooting lightning at things or stealing there, you should probably have an epic guard come up and accost him. The guards there would be of middling power, and since they are used to dealing with epics, most of them probably have some sort of defensive ability. For the future, one idea that just occured to me is that Rainmaker could give Thunderspear the "challenge" of tracking down Iconoclast. Since Thunderspear seems to be a bit of a thrill seeker who likes to prove himself more powerful than others, if Rainmaker pitched it as a test of his abilities, do you think he would bite?

So, I'll need to think about this a little more, but since I'm starting work soon and will have a more regular schedule, I was thinking of adopting one of the Portland characters, and fulfilling my goal of writing in that setting. After looking the available dominion epics over, I was thinking Upgrade might be fun. I did a search of the thread, and all I got is that he seems pretty relaxed, that he gets annoyed with epics like Timeport, and that he is good with knives. I couldn't find his profile in the Epics of Oregon thread - does anyone remember who posted him? I kind of like that he's really useful, but that there is lots to fill in about him personally, since there hasn't been much character development yet, which would be fun. I'm also looking to make a more minor character into a viewpoint one, rather than adopt an existing major character, to avoid biting off more than I can chew. Who should I ask about taking him? If you guys think I shouldn't, I might try looking into Murphy, or waiting for a Empire of Light or Thoughtown Character to become available. If you guys think its okay, I would be happy to submit an RP sample for approval to see if I get the character correct.

Rainmaker laughed out loud. She couldn't help, it really. How a nomadic kleptomaniac had ended up in Corvallis of all places was beyond her. Surely he would have done better in chaotic Portland. Even epics in Astoria were more free to come and go, provided they submitted to the Diamond Queen's rule. Did Thunderspear not realize where he was? "My apologies," she said, once her laughter had subsided. "I was just laughing at a private joke." Giggling again to herself at how ridiculous this was, she returned her attention to the matter at hand, hoping to resolve things quickly. "The giant force-field you passed through on the way in here keeps everyone in, of course, but provided you do not represent a danger to the city, you are welcome to leave the next time the bubble drops. As for punishment if you get caught stealing, there is only so much I can do publicly to protect you, but in exchange for a favour or two, I'm certain I could figure out something." Rainmaker lowered herself to better accept Thunderspear's handshake. "I'm glad to see we have come to an agreement. Head to the Oregon State University Campus at the centre of the city. I'll leave a list of approved targets, and directions to a 'storage space with a bed' for you with my staff there. Just say your name and they can assist you from there."

Taylor and, perhaps more importantly, there's [FINALLY] a Brandon post up, if anyone is interested. Did we have any plans for Brandon. I remember suggesting that it might be "fun" if Shiny Sparkle was tasked with searching for him once people realize Reader let him escape without a full interrogation about what happened to the rest of those guards, but I know Shiny is busy with other stuff, and wasn't sure if that idea was actually picked up. For Brandon, I'm good with whatever, I'm just eager to get more interaction for him now that I've started writing him again.

Had Taylor heard right? Did Edgerunner really just tell Deathwish to get hit by a missile or something? Taylor could not tell if she was being serious or sarcastic. While Taylor was certain she could survive the missiles, and Deathwish obviously could as well, the vanilla she was playing definitely could not. She wanted to continue working the relationship with Deathwish to see what she could get out of him, any vanilla would surely balk at the idea of being put in such danger?" "Ummm, did you say missiles?" Taylor gulped audibly, and let some panic sneak back into her voice. "You'll be setting me down before that happens, right?" Brandon stared glumly down at his bowl of tomato soup and greasy grilled cheese sandwich. After a night of being accosted by a nosy epic telepath, a freaky epic-child with a monkey, and a contingent of the Dalles city guard, he was ready for some comfort food. On top of everything else, the public housing projects rooms had not been comfortable, and the group room was filled to the brim with a dreadful combination of snorers, sleep talkers, and crying children. After all of that, Brandon had woken up in the morning, feeling dirty and depressed, with no idea of what he was going to do about finding something to eat. A kind woman on the street who said he had a nice smile had provided him with a coupon for a soup and sandwich at a local diner, and so here he was, staring at the tomato soup and grilled cheese. It's funny that I still think of it as a local diner, when every diner is technically 'local' now. Calamity had made nation-spanning food and retail chains a thing of the past. Brandon's stomach growled, and he begrudgingly dipped the sandwich in the soup and took a bite. It tasted amazing, but he couldn't help but feel a sense of dread in the pit of his stomach, along with the remnants of the greasy sandwich. On their trip to the Dalles, Taylor had him on a diet of lean proteins and vegetables whenever possible. She ate whatever she wanted, of course, but it was important to her that he maintained his impressive figure. If she caught him eating grilled cheese of all things, he'd likely be in for a scolding, but at least that would mean they were together, and he was back under her protection again. Resolving to cancel out the extra calories with some crunches later when he found the time, Brandon took another bite of the sandwich, and tried not to feel so pathetic.

Perhaps we should start an "adoptable chracters thread" where we can keep an updatable list? That might help when new players are interested. We could also star characters that are high priority to adopt, or something.

Funny out-of-continuity idea: Someone steals some of Rainmaker's DNA to make a motivator out of, but the only current they can get to work properly is the one that activates her shining skin power, providing them with a flashlight that makes a very powerful epic angry and helps her to track them down. Maybe it's not that funny, but it is in my mind. Also, Wpx, I didn't notice the edit of your earlier post before, but I am enjoying the Rainmaker/Thunderspear exchange as well, haha.

Rainmaker relaxed a little, her skin dimming almost entirely, as the epic spoke. It would seem he was willing to see reason, and she would not have to hurl him into the river to see if he drowned or not. "Deal?" Rainmaker snorted. Thunderspear had been doing so well. Why did he have to try bargaining with her. "And what do I get out of that deal? You get the freedom to do most of the things you want, and I still have to put up with the inconveniences caused by your shenanigans. For your information, humans in Corvallis do not technically possess property. Everything they own is either the property of their epic Masters, or of the state." Not wanting to put his back up again, Rainmaker thought on her feet, hoping to speed things along so she could be on her way. "I can't have you stealing from any epic weaker than you are. Just because an epics powers are ill suited to combat does not mean they do not have their uses. I can provide you with a contingent of human slaves and a residence suitable for an epic of your power. I'll admit that your powers could prove useful. This is the deal. I let you stay in my city, and do as you wish within the bounds of my laws, and," Rainmaker smiled mischievously, "My office will provide you with a list of acceptable epic residences to raid at your leisure, provided that, if you get caught, you deny my involvement. In exchange for these freedoms and privileges, all I ask is for the occasional favour. What do you say?"

Rainmaker's skin began to shine more brightly again in response to Thunderspear's idiotic arguments. How dare he contradict her! It was as if he wanted her to try to kill him then and there. Letting her anger grow, Rainmaker almost did just that, and prepared to call winds that would hurtle him high into the air, to see if his defensive powers would allow him to survive a fall from extreme heights. Before she let loose her onslaught, Rainmaker checked herself and held herself back. While she was fairly confident she could best this new epic, what would be the cost? He had already shown a tendency towards destruction, and who knew what kind of mayhem yet another battle between epics would cause. Between the energy epic, the shape-shifting gifter, and Gunsmoke, the city had already had its share of battles in the last 24 hours. Though it hurt Rainmaker's pride, she had to admit that solving things diplomatically would likely be best for the overall mood of the city. If Thunderspear continued to disappoint her, she could always have him killed later, when it was more convenient for her to do so. "Do I look like an immigration official to you?" Rainmaker tried her best to contain her emotions and dampen her glow to allow Thunderspear to see her disapproving facial expression. "I don't have time to monitor epic power profiles. Why do you think I created this city in the first place? You're right about one thing, I suppose. Power is the only law. Here in Corvallis, my supporters and I are the most powerful, and so we make the laws. You think bureaucracy and laws are pointless, but the fact remains that Corvallis is my city, not yours, and it is my opinion that matters. You will respect the government of Corvallis not because you see any value you in it, but because I have instructed you to do so. Since you are new here and appear a tad dull, I will repeat myself once. If you want to remain in Corvallis, you make reparations for the damage you have caused, you will follow my commands, and you will report to immigration services with a full profile of your abilities. You will cease to cause senseless destruction, and await instructions from me." Rainmaker took a breath, trying to calm herself after noticing that her glow had steadily increased as her speech progressed. When she spoke again, her tone was low and dangerous. "I am an enterprising woman, and I can see the value of having an epic of your caliber as an ally. However, if the problems you cause outweigh the benefits of having you around, I will be forced to remove you, one way or another. Do you understand?"

Good point. I'd assumed that, as a Lorist, he'd know about the Dalles, but you are correct to point out his junior status would likely mean he wasn't privy to its location. Euphoria vanished at the beginning of the last game day in Corvallis, so it's been over 24 hours, but not 48 yet, which means I might have to wait to insert him into the Dalles (which is fine with me). I could see him getting his hands on a bicycle or motor bike, or something, so that mode of transport could work if others are okay with it. As for finding the Dalles, what if he discovered the Dalles on his way to Corvallis? Then, as he's leaving Corvallis, he would already know where the Dalles was, and be able to travel straight to it instead of meandering. I'll keep working on the transportation thing.

Here is the new character idea I thought up. I was thinking it would be fun to start writing him the Dalles, but am open to other suggestions if people think he's not a good fit (if he does move to Dalles, I could see some interesting interactions between him and Lyla). Preliminary warning: I wanted to write him as a low ranking Lorist. I know the lorists are kind of mysterious, and we don't want to get to into detail with them, but since Calamity is out now, and he's low ranking (mostly just a field researcher), and thus not privy to some greater mysteries, I thought it might be okay. If it's not, I'm totally open to changing him. Ian Buhler Let me know what you think. I was going to do a scene from his viewpoint, but it's getting late, so I'll try to get that up tomorrow.

And done! I also merged your temp account into the new one, so your posts and upvotes will count.

Welcome back Winter! I'm looking into getting your account reactivated right now, so stay tuned. I might have to run out the door soon, but I or another admin will try to get it done today . We have a policy against multiple accounts, so if you can't log into your new account, it's probably because the old one is back online. Cool, we will see where things go then . PS: I have an idea for a Vanilla (decided to stop creating epics I might never use) that I might want to insert into the Dalles. More details to come.

Not terse at all! No worries. I am a bit confused a bit about what the comment was directed at. I knew everything in italics was thoughts, and what was in quotations was said aloud in your post. I reread my post over again, and I didn't see Rainmaker reacting to anything she should not have been. Am I missing something because you edited? If I made a mistake, I'm happy to change it, but I'm not seeing it currently. If you are speaking about the italics in my post, I was using them for emphasis, to show the inflection Rainmaker is using, which is another common use for them. Since they are in quotation marks, it usually isn't too hard to tell them apart from the thoughts. Sorry that I'm missing the point, care to elaborate? Sounds good! Thanks for the reply. I'm really liking Thunderspear's personality so far, even if his attitude is annoying Rainmaker (I tend to like it when Rainmaker is annoyed haha). So, in the scene, things seem to be devolving pretty fast. Since she's powerful enough to demand it, she's going to expect Thunderspear abide by her beurocracy if he wants to stay in Corvallis, and won't really care if he thinks that is stupid. The next reaction I'm getting from her as a character is to give him a final warning (since, despite her bravado, Rainmaker is nervous about fighting unknown quantities), but if he doesn't fall in line, she's going to have to restrain him. I'm kind of torn about this chain of events though, because on one hand I feel it is the natural result of both of them being in character, but on the other, it kind of limits Thunderspear's ability to interact with other epics. Before we proceed, I'm curious to know what your intentions for Thunderspear in Corvalis are, since he doesn't seem interested in the city at all.

Rainmaker smirked as Thunderspear collided with the wall, and then watched with interest as he rose and blasted his way out of the debris. She had suspected that the epic must have some sort of defensive power because of his arrogance, and his shaking off a blow that could have broken bones without much trouble all but proved that. Her smugness was spoiled as the epic glanced at his watch and asked how long they would be. It would seem he still viewed her as a mere inconvenience. It was time to disabuse him of that notion. "Your welcome is as 'normal' as your actions upon arriving were. I don't take kindly to those who disturb the peace in my city. It's too bad you didn't decide that you were not interested in causing trouble earlier. As for how long this will take, the answer is that it will take as long or as short as I desire." Rainmaker tried her best to press down her anger and dim her skin to allow the epic to better see her facial features and figure, rather than just a blob of light. "If you wish to remain in Corvallis, these are my conditions. First, you must agree to abide by our laws and systems. You will need to make reparations for the damages you caused at the checkpoint, and return any property you stole to its rightful owner. Second, you must follow my commands, and do whatever I say. Finally, you must provide the Immigration Offices with a full and complete description of your powers, including whatever ability allowed you to remain uninjured after my attack." Rainmaker paused for effect, folding her hands in front of her and doing her best to appear brave. "Do these things, and Corvallis will provide you with a life of wealth and luxury. Fail, and I will either find a way to bypass whatever defensive abilities you possess, or will let you rot in a private prison. If these terms are not acceptable, you may remain in secured custody, and then leave the city the next time the Bubble drops."

Rainmaker sniffed as the impudent epic put on sunglasses. Did he dare to mock her in her own city? Despite herself, Rainmaker felt her skin begin to shine brighter in response to her growing frustration. The stupidly satisfied smile on his smug face did little to temper her growing annoyance. I'll teach you not to take me seriously. With a careless gesture, Rainmaker conjured a wind powerful enough to scoop up the epic and send him flying into a nearby building and let it loose. Perhaps a little punishment would teach him to behave.

No worries Blaze! We all need more time than we have sometimes. So what you need to do. We can sync up the different timelines before the end of the story day.

Rainmaker laid back, allowing her servants to comb through her dark hair and work on her nails as she received reports from her staffers. Her massage had gone late into the afternoon, and between that and her nap, it seemed she was behind with the governance of her city. For the hundredth time, Rainmaker found herself missing Euphoria. Her second in command would have known exactly what things actually needed Rainmaker's attention, and which things could be handled without troubling her. Skinsaver, either through his own incompetence or as a pitiful attempt at rebellion, had seemingly decided to send a report of almost every action he took on to Rainmaker. "Enough Char," Rainmaker said. She had thought that having a woman who reminded her of Euphoria give the reports would help comfort her, but it only served to make Euphoria's absence even more plain. "I need someone who has been around longer to just tell me the things that Euphoria and the other Queens usually report to me, and tell Skinsaver that its his job to handle the rest. I don't have time for pointless bureaucratic nonsense." Another civil servant whose name Rainmaker could not recall stepped forward. "Gunsmoke remains contained above the city. The guards you posted to watch the energy epic who attacked last night have reported an explosion shortly after the prison was sealed. They suggest that, because she did not free herself sooner, it is unlikely she is able to teleport freely, and that she either was making one last ditch attempt to escape, she was trying to take a few of her captors out with her, or she has some sort of resurrection power. Her description has been spread among our agents, and they have instructions to report directly to you or Queen Buttercup if there are any sightings. We also have reports from City Security of several high epic newcomers that will require your attention, Bright One. Queen Buttercup is already on route to deal with one potential threat, but received reports of two others who may be above her power scale. City Security has sent over their surveillance folder, as well as power profiles from Immigration." "Bring them over and hold them open for me." Rainmaker began to scan through the pages, ordering the man who brought them to turn pages when she was done with them so as not to disrupt her manicure. Once she felt she had a good understanding of the epics' respective powers, she sent the man away. "Good. Now, just because Euphoria isn't working right now, does not give you license to be lazy or incompetent. You all know your jobs, so do them. Char, you stay with me. Everyone else, go about your business." "What do you require of me, Bright One?" Char stepped forward, adopting an even more subservient posture, if such a thing was possible. "Send for my Wardrobe people to bring out a few options for this afternoon, then wait with me until we are finished here." ***** Two hours later, Rainmaker flew through the air, sparkling in the light of her own personal ray of sunlight peeking through the crowd. As she flew, she listened to Char's voice in her ear, reading through her speech for that evening. The words and ideas were familiar to her, but there were a few new elements worked in that Rainmaker wanted to get perfect. Her first target's immigration documents identified him as Thunderspear. Using the intel from her security forces, Rainmaker located him without too much trouble. As she descended to hover near eye-level, she encouraged her skin to shimmer brightly. "I would say 'Welcome to my City, little epic,' but your recent actions make it difficult to welcome you. Tell me, do you have anything to say for yourself, or should I just eliminate you now?"