Reviews Roleplay / The Insane Quest Of Unfathomable Randomness

A Critical Analysis of the "Insane Quest" Social Phenomenon

It's rather impressive for a Play By Post Game to be active for over 365 days. How did The Insane Quest manage it?

Well, for starters, it has what I call the "60-40 Rule of Story." This rule holds that the ideal story (for this Troper, anyway) should be 60% serious and 40% silly. When TIQ began, it was more of a 5-95 rule, but after Chapter II, it has come closer to the 60-40 Rule, as the rampant silliness has become more of a background for the dramatic events to unfold in front of. The players that came for the silliness are staying for the story (and the silliness). Is it coincidence that the players really started supporting it after that point? I think not.

Additionally, it features what I call the "Rule of Three for Characterization." This principle states that a good character should have three "facets" to them: Racial/Cultural, Social, and Personal. For example: Washington is a penguin (Racial), a gentleman (Social), and an alchemist (Personal). The fact that so many characters in TIQ hold to this previously unnamed rule is partially what makes them so engrossing. It's also partially because heck, who wouldn't want to see a vampire, a blob, and a magical pencil working together to defeat a bunch of pirates?

But what DOESN'T work in TIQ? That question is easy: it's the fact that the GM has a bad habit of not updating his RP for extended periods of time. If he was consistent in his updating, the RP would probably be on Chapter X by now (it's just barely started Chapter VI). My major criticism lies not with the RP itself, but rather in the GM's absences, which have become increasingly common in these past few months.

How does it all add up? Plot: Rampantly random at first, but suddenly coming closer to this Troper's "Golden Mean." 9/10 Characters: Most of them surprisingly complex underneath their bizarre appearance. 10/10 Setting: A universe made up of distinct worlds allows for wildly varying backdrops and characters. It's unfortunate that the GM confined himself to a pre-determined number, however. 9/10 Pacing: The GM's absences hurt the RP in this category. 4/10 Other: There can be no doubt that everyone involved loves the RP dearly, as evidenced by the fan works, the Wiki, and even this Tropes page. 10/10

Total: 42/50=A solid B

This review is not intended to offend any of the participants in any way.