First Contact Discussion

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Character Profiles.

Here's the discussion thread for First Contact. I'll be posting game information and other stuff that I don't want to clutter up the signup thread with here. Keep an eye on this thread for the starting date and other news.

Discuss away.

edited 19th Jun '13 5:34:01 PM by CDRW

*Throws a beanbag chair into the corner, and starts getting comfortable*

So yeah, discussion.... well, all of these races are interesting, that's cool. Also cool that we have a robot. I often play robots in Sci Fi RPs, so choosing an organic made me a bit sad thinking about how we'd have no robodudes, but now we do. Yay.

To be fair, robotic AI aren't normally a species.

Still, it's pretty interesting. They're a bit like the Geth from Mass Effect, I think.

So right now we have an insectoid, a plant alien, a robot, and a rhinoceros man. Sounds like a party.

Going to be interesting to see how everyone fits into the Five-Man Band. Or even how our characters react to the existence of aliens (which I guess is the point).

And now a lizard? I hope! :D

So I heard you like weird-ass aliens, so I put weird-ass aliens in your weird-ass alien RP so can be weird while you... you know.

YEEESSS, Starfish Aliens! :D

All right. We've got six characters approved and two more that I know of in the process of being made. I still haven't made mine though, because I've been busy with the worldbuilding. I've got most of the game environment planned out and am starting on actual text descriptions of everything.

I think it's time we talked about a starting date. When do you guys want to kick this off?

I don't have much of a preference for starting time beyond ASAP. Any time next week is fine with me since I'm certain you don't want to devote an entire weekend to this.

Oh, while I'm thinking about it, I'm going to re-iterate this in the rules that I include in the first post of the actual game, but to those who's characters have guns and other deadly weapons:

Roleplay responsibly with them, or I'll take them away.

The nature of this game means that PC conflict is almost inevitable, and really, if there isn't any it could get very boring. However, capping your fellow player in the head is a major no-no.

What's the schedule we're planning to use, anyway? Are we attempting to do this in real time, or it more of a play-by-post deal?

The Way of a Soldier is one first of Sensing, then of Speaking, then of Striking, then of Spearing. Preferably with a lethal, highly toxic dart to the face.

edited 14th Jun '13 1:51:40 PM by Eventua

It's going to be play by post. It's hard to say how fast it'll go, but in previous games I've been in, I only needed to check in and post once or twice a day. I've seen them go faster and slower too though. There was one that got a couple hundred posts in the first day and settled down to a comfortable few dozen a day later on. Of course, that one had, like, thirty players.

Good to know. The only other RP I've done on here was play by post as well and averaged two or three pages a day. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't a "We're all going to meet for three hours on Saturday" or something. I don't have time for that.

Are you saying that the Absolute Xenophobe ant-KGB with a record of violent conduct is likely to scratch his itchy trigger finger? I am offended, sir/madam!

But seriously I've already worked out a pretty good RP reason for my character to not try to kill everyone instantly (even if he may want to). Mainly the fact that he'd likely die in the attempt. And that would be extremely unproductive.

I just realized... will there be Translator Microbes? Or are we going to have some fun sign language times?

Will make it interesting for beings with no mouths.

Lol. The thought never crossed my mind.

Yeah. We need some communication to help get things started, otherwise the game will devolve into an incoherent mess. Everybody can understand the literal content of everyone else's conversation, so long as they are fairly proficient in whatever sense is being used to communicate. S.A.M.U.E.L., for example, won't be able to understand any pheromone communication, but would be able to understand a hypothetical sign language. Translations do not extend to cultural context or concepts that your own culture doesn't grasp. It also doesn't extend to emotive gestures or things like that, only literal language.

edited 14th Jun '13 6:54:39 PM by CDRW

Hmmm, I was actually planning on having 2183 communicate with pheromones, but now...

I'll just go ahead and say that his species have a resonating chamber organ somewhere in his body that lets him create sound.

Doesn't mean he can't also communicate via pheromones. Mass Effect's Elcor use pheromones and sub-vocalizations among their own species to convey complex meaning but have to explain their intent in a monotone voice because other species aren't equipped to "get it."

I agree.

Oh, by the way. In universe, it's every bit as weird as it for your characters to suddenly be able to understand a half dozen or more alien languages and writings as you'd expect.

edited 14th Jun '13 7:31:58 PM by CDRW

Well I created my character, and am just waiting to get it approved now so hi everyone.

Hi!

• Grabs a second Bean bag, and sits down next to Nman*