RP Planning / Discussion Thread

I would be up for a cyborg / power suit themed RP.

I'd have to think of how we might want to frame it, then. I think last thing I had was more space adventure, although just sticking to a single planet (or two) would also work. And there's the general sort of questions on what sort of story we'd want to actually pursue. Adventure, war drama, slice of life kinda stuff, and so-on...

Space adventure sounds like a good ride. Count me in if it goes that direction.

As long as this is primarily brainstorming, let me toss up a few actually coherent ideas.

Could do something that's pretty close to classic cyberpunk dystopia, ruled by megacorporations who can dictate pretty much every aspect of peoples' lives, and even provide all the products they'd need to follow in step, to boot. Advanced technology has brought about all manner of cybernetics, from effective limb replacements to various forms of "augmentations" that don't merely replace, but improve upon flesh and blood. Biotech isn't to be outdone, and offers many an alternative to plastic and steel, in the form of a myriad of improvements on nature of its own. And maybe psionic powers would also be available for those who might be interested, although they'd probably also mean a lot of very unscrupulous groups with very deep pockets are interested in you...

Such a society would have its fringes, and in this one, there's quite the thriving criminal element. Organized crime is as big a business as ever, and there's a thriving black market for all the usual things. Drugs, cyberware, pirated entertainment, you name it. Characters would be criminals for hire to the highest bidder, acting as thieves, assassins, bodyguards, kidnappers, spies, saboteurs, or whatever else the job entails. By and large, this means you can bet your mission pay that you're just deniable assets for one corp in their various plays against another corp. But, gotta make a living somehow.

There'd of course be virtual and augmented reality. The 'Net, or whatever it's become, is everywhere, and can be quite nice bot for virtual escapism, or for all manner of fun if one is a skilled hacker. Also plenty of opportunities for violence of just about any stripe. Guns, melee, explosives, vehicles, the list goes on...

Not sure if there'd be much story, at least if I take on a "GM" sort of role. It may be more an episodic string of various jobs. Quite possibly linked together by reasons why everyone needs money again, which may well be buying guns, ammo, cybernetics, or whatever else to prepare for the NEXT job.

...and to add a few parting ideas... Take all of the above. Now make all the characters members of a school club. And add typical K-on style anime slice of life crap, only it's still a cyberpunk dystopia. You're always broke because you keep spending tons of cash on real tea and real cake.

* * *

Idea number two.

It is the far future, and mankind has spread across the stars. The invention of the hyperspace drive has finally freed humanity to play across the stars, flying through a superluminal ether. Humanity spread, fragmented, and spread further, until several small colonial powers had been established, across a portion of the galaxy.

It was then that we discovered, we were not alone. Alien monsters struck without warning, devastating the worlds they attacked, be they border colonies or further in. Wiping worlds of Human life, the unknown aggressors drove humanity back, and forced them to join forces to face their common enemy. The United Interplanetary Federation was born, and with it, the Interplanetary Space Defense Forces. The nascent government had trouble maintaining order, and continued to be under pressure from an implacable enemy which destroyed all that it could.

In the wasteland of Humanity's defeat, Guardians, valkyries of flesh and metal, rose to stem the tide. Their valiant efforts drove the monsters back into the darkness from whence they came, and earned a new peace for mankind.

That was years ago. The ISDF pushes forward, and so do the Enemy. Borders change, and occasionally planets are taken by either side. For most, life goes on.

Take on the role of a Guardian stationed aboard the ISDF Cruiser Astrea and enjoy a life of adventure, battle against horrifying alien monsters, tea and cake, and other things.

In short, combat cyborg space adventure fighting alien gribblies, and other such things. I've actually got plot to adapt from an old M&M game I ran on IRC, so it could well be interesting. Well...that was originally more planetbound, but I'd think of a way to make it work. Not like anything would go exactly as planned anyway.

I'm tempted to consider a combination of the two scenarios, if that would be a good idea.

Right now I have a big project going but I should be able to flesh out some RP ideas in a few days. Sorry I haven't been around more; otherwise I'd put together a more detailed list of suggestions and ideas.

I don't know if this is ripping off Elysium too much but what if people trapped in the first scenario you described were fighting desperately to escape the planet on which they were struggling in order to make it into space, where an entirely different class of civilization enjoys the benefits of traveling freely among the stars, using the vast resources and technology available to them and leaving the cyborgs on these planetary "ghettos" out of prejudice and fear?

Just throwin' some ideas around. I'll have some more later on.