New Board Battle- For the Terminally Bored

[Faidth]

I've noticed a few of you have grown bored. Misthaven is on at least a temporary hiatus, and perhaps The Legion Immortalis BB just isn't for you. So, I'm calling you out! (Yes, I mean you Danyael and Soul, in particular, though all of you are welcome to respond.) Give me a suggestion regarding the type of board battle that you want to participate in, and I will Battle Host it for you. I'm open to pretty much all reasonable suggestions.

I can promise you a few things:

1.) I will post a MINIMUM of two times a week, though I can typically post more on weekends.

2.) If I need to take any amount of time off, for whatever reason, I will attempt to let you know in advance.

3.) I have plenty of creative writing experience in a variety of genres (I've written four novels already, and none of them belong to the same genre,) so I am confident that I would be able to gear my writing in any direction you would like.

A disclaimer: This board battle will be geared towards those who desire constant updates and will be able to post consistently. If you do not meet this criteria, then this will not be for you.

[Soul Reaver]

Funny, I actually only saw this after I'd posted up my new rule suggestion.

At the moment I haven't got a clear idea of any other battle I'd be wanting to play - if I did, I would host one myself, not force someone else to host it for me!

I actually did have one idea for slightly unsual short game/adventure, but it's not finished yet and I need to concentrate my efforts on completing To the Bitter End before redirecting my attentions to that particular project.

[Tyvaris]

Nothing wrong with doing something everyone could relate to like a modern day Zombie survival story, where everything is open ended.   


I plan to kick MH back into gear.  My big problem is I keep doing large posts when they are not necessary.   I keep trying to run Lark as my character and less as the narrator of the story.  I'm thinking of ways to make things more battle friendly and increase my posting efficiency.   Expect updates soon after I create a new writing station at home.   My current situation and computer location does not create a comfortable writing area and has far too many distractions.  A lot of times I sit down to write and don't feel comfortable and get serious writers block even though I have a substatial outline for the story and post.    I have the free time to write and it's more a case of not using my time constructively.      I'll make a much harder effort to post. I really like the story idea and a lot of the future parts of the story should be fun.

[Shadow Chorus]

Hmmmm....I always enjoy a good medieval fantasy adventure. I see a lot of warp travel and a lot of magic-ness immortality centric and such and some steampunk, but I don't see any good old fashioned fantasy adventure. Where are the adventures of Drizzt and Wulfgar, the stories of two mortal men overcoming all odds to die old in bed or on the battlefield with song in their hearts? Not everyone who is a hero is immortal, and having a board where your characters can die of old age allows you to create an amazing character, but not be stuck with the same one forever, because everybody dies sometime. But at the same time, the memory of the character is always welcome, and revival is a possibility.

Edit: In essentiality, good old fashioned DnD style fantasy.

[john greymore]

Ok, I've had this idea for a while, but I'm not sure how this will work. I'll throw it up anyway.

Picture one of those 'galactic arena' thingies, where the greatest heroes are there to fight to the death. That's where our heroes are, gathered from all around the uni/multi-verse

Except that they're not there to fight to the death. Instead, the 'ruler' will give each one a card/dice number/something probability related. These will be totally random, and each item will represent a 'dungeon' or some other form of challenge.

This is where the fun comes. Perhaps a card can represent a 'creativity challenge'. The most descriptive post possible, or to blurt out a fact about themselves (the characters i mean). This will not only develop character, but if the questions are worded right, it's possible to get a lot of tension going on.

Another card could be a typical 'dungeon crawler'. A short scenario where the hero must go on and kill stuff/pass the test/become the next god in that small world. Your typical BB sorta dungeon or battle.

And I say allow the characters to die. But also implement a mechanism where it doesn't punish the player. Perhaps 'revive' the character back at the arena with no penalty (or minimum penalty), or get a clone or something. If the player wants, they can just create a new character and restart.

Now I see a lot of problems with this. BB master must post like crazy, especially with so many characters. This may mean that everything is reduced to a 'creativity challenge', which is cool, but a bit one sided. There's also the problem of motivation. I'm not sure how a 'plot' can be formulated to drive the board itself.

But if someone can fix these things, I think it'll be quite fun, with all the diversity.

@Chorus: I prefer Dragonlance myself, but Drizzt's awesome all the same

[Cameron]

hey Castellan... let's keep the MH updates in the proper thread, please.

[Tyvaris]

Right-O.

[Danyael]

Why not have a battle where all of the published characters can coexist and travel/battle alongside each other? This does take place in a Multiverse, after all.  The old boards (yes, I know, this isn't the old boards) had battles set up where our characters, regardless of their origins, could traverse the dimensions to fight beside one another. As the Multiverse is centric to the core plot surrounding the board battles, why not maintain that function? What if the companions were able to traverse to the very realms of steampunk and magic, even to the DnD style universes, being the only foreign element to the realms? How would Drizzt Do'Urden (I probably spelled it wrong) relate to Soul Reaver or Faidth or Danyael or any of the other characters. How would a group of Red Dragons fighting Metallic Dragons would react to the summoning of chaos demons? How would the Y'gorl or Cireka react to the companions in a scenario when they were pitted against them? The list goes on.

I've never much been up for dice casting or any of that, as I feel it tends to take control away from the player, which is why I enjoyed the Epic battle style so much more. The player's character is their own creation, and thus should be in control of their character and their actions and not leave the results up to a random cast of chance.
I would love to see all of the characters in the boards involved in battles side by side. It would make for an interesting experience (i think, at least) to see how they'll interact with each other, as well as meet the challenges throughout the battle.

I have plenty of creative writing experience in a variety of genres (I've written four novels already, and none of them belong to the same genre,) so I am confident that I would be able to gear my writing in any direction you would like.

What are the titles? I think I'll buy them.

[Cameron]

Why not have a battle where all of the published characters can coexist and travel/battle alongside each other? This does take place in a Multiverse, after all.  The old boards (yes, I know, this isn't the old boards) had battles set up where our characters, regardless of their origins, could traverse the dimensions to fight beside one another. As the Multiverse is centric to the core plot surrounding the board battles, why not maintain that function? What if the companions were able to traverse to the very realms of steampunk and magic, even to the DnD style universes, being the only foreign element to the realms? How would Drizzt Do'Urden (I probably spelled it wrong) relate to Soul Reaver or Faidth or Danyael or any of the other characters. How would a group of Red Dragons fighting Metallic Dragons would react to the summoning of chaos demons? How would the Y'gorl or Cireka react to the companions in a scenario when they were pitted against them? The list goes on.

I've never much been up for dice casting or any of that, as I feel it tends to take control away from the player, which is why I enjoyed the Epic battle style so much more. The player's character is their own creation, and thus should be in control of their character and their actions and not leave the results up to a random cast of chance.
I would love to see all of the characters in the boards involved in battles side by side. It would make for an interesting experience (i think, at least) to see how they'll interact with each other, as well as meet the challenges throughout the battle.

At a glance, this pretty much just sounds like the Epic Battle. Battle Masters running the Epic Battle can pretty much take the Epic characters to any plane of existence. That's kind of the whole point of the Multiverse setting. If someone wanted to do any of the things that you're describing here, they could easily do that within the confines of the Epic Battle itself.

[Danyael]

She asked for my suggestion. I gave her my suggestion.

[Faidth]

I do like the idea of introducing Epic BB characters into new settings, though as previously stated by Cam, that can easily be done in upcoming board battles, so I don't want to trounce on something that could definitely be used for that. Here's what I am looking at tentatively.

I loved Shadow's idea for gearing a  BB towards a straight-up fantasy setting. I also really enjoyed Greymore's suggestion of an arena (though I probably wouldn't dedicate an entire BB to it.) Here's the idea so far:

Fantasy BB (Title, TBA)
- You play a heroic mortal. Magic can be involved in the setting and can be as integral or supplemental as the characters wish.
- Through the course of the BB, your hero will age, thus allowing for characters to be retired or killed in action, hence allowing for new characters to be introduced by a player as they see fit (though no character ADD, folks.)
- As per Greymore's request, I will include an arena plot-line that will allow for challenges (or perhaps PVP upon request only.)


If you can give me until next saturday, I can get a setting prepared for such a BB. Until then, I will gladly accept anything else that you would like to suggest. Until then, start brainstorming your character proposals (i.e. character name, age, background/character history, Abilities- what makes your heroic mortal so heroic?, the goals/motivations of your characters, etc.)

Danyael: The novels I mention remain unpublished (fiction is a difficult market right now as many publishers are not accepting new clients. I have had interest I expressed in them, but never anything definitive.) In short, I decided I will likely self-publish one of them this summer.    I'll let you know once it is out (crossing my fingers!)

[Faidth]

On a side note, because I forgot to mention this, Soul, you had mentioned being attached to Clang and Soul Reaver because those are the characters you care about. Truly, there must be room in your heart for more love!   I'm attached to my characters too, but part of the fun of this atmosphere is exploring new horizons, new characters, and new interactions! Make new characters, but keep the old (one is silver and the other gold... Wow... that was totally from kindergarten.) Nevertheless, it's a valid point. Danyael, you have a VERY interesting writing style, and I'd love to see you do something with a character other than Danyael just to see what you are capable of. Soul, you've been Soul for like a decade. Clang seems very interesting, but imagine the possibilities available to you in a new setting. Maybe even consider an earlier incarnation or offshoot of Soul if it would help you!

Also, just for fun, I think I'll go ahead and take Castellan's idea into account as well. If anyone is interested in another BB (a Zombie Hunter, Urban Fantasy type thing) let me know and I'll take care of that, too. I'm a teacher, so I'm a master multi-tasker/load-balancer.

[Danyael]

Danyael, you have a VERY interesting writing style, and I'd love to see you do something with a character other than Danyael just to see what you are capable of.

As you wish. And thank you.

[Soul Reaver]

Why not have a battle where all of the published characters can coexist and travel/battle alongside each other? This does take place in a Multiverse, after all.  The old boards (yes, I know, this isn't the old boards) had battles set up where our characters, regardless of their origins, could traverse the dimensions to fight beside one another. As the Multiverse is centric to the core plot surrounding the board battles, why not maintain that function? What if the companions were able to traverse to the very realms of steampunk and magic, even to the DnD style universes, being the only foreign element to the realms? How would Drizzt Do'Urden (I probably spelled it wrong) relate to Soul Reaver or Faidth or Danyael or any of the other characters. How would a group of Red Dragons fighting Metallic Dragons would react to the summoning of chaos demons? How would the Y'gorl or Cireka react to the companions in a scenario when they were pitted against them? The list goes on.

I've never much been up for dice casting or any of that, as I feel it tends to take control away from the player, which is why I enjoyed the Epic battle style so much more. The player's character is their own creation, and thus should be in control of their character and their actions and not leave the results up to a random cast of chance.
I would love to see all of the characters in the boards involved in battles side by side. It would make for an interesting experience (i think, at least) to see how they'll interact with each other, as well as meet the challenges throughout the battle.

At a glance, this pretty much just sounds like the Epic Battle. Battle Masters running the Epic Battle can pretty much take the Epic characters to any plane of existence. That's kind of the whole point of the Multiverse setting. If someone wanted to do any of the things that you're describing here, they could easily do that within the confines of the Epic Battle itself.

Yeah, I agree with Clutch; the ability to use other settings etc is pretty much the point of the Epic BB.  Right now we've got the medieval-themed Soul Reaver fighting a bunch of Chaos Marines, after all!

On a side note, because I forgot to mention this, Soul, you had mentioned being attached to Clang and Soul Reaver because those are the characters you care about. Truly, there must be room in your heart for more love!   I'm attached to my characters too, but part of the fun of this atmosphere is exploring new horizons, new characters, and new interactions! Make new characters, but keep the old (one is silver and the other gold... Wow... that was totally from kindergarten.) Nevertheless, it's a valid point. Danyael, you have a VERY interesting writing style, and I'd love to see you do something with a character other than Danyael just to see what you are capable of. Soul, you've been Soul for like a decade. Clang seems very interesting, but imagine the possibilities available to you in a new setting. Maybe even consider an earlier incarnation or offshoot of Soul if it would help you!

Also, just for fun, I think I'll go ahead and take Castellan's idea into account as well. If anyone is interested in another BB (a Zombie Hunter, Urban Fantasy type thing) let me know and I'll take care of that, too. I'm a teacher, so I'm a master multi-tasker/load-balancer.

When I try to come up with an idea for a character (within the scope of a certain setting), there's sort of a sense of something immediately 'clicking' into place if it's one that I like.  I'll see images of that characters adventures, and trials and tribulations; glimpses of things potentially still to come in their future.  I'm immediately attached.  That's why I asked Castellan if he could make and exception and approve Clang, despite him being outside the normal scope of the characters he'd suggested were allowed.

I can certainly come up with more characters, but I only really want to play them if they 'click' with me, and whether they do or not is often a bit arbitrary.  I feel if I don't care about them enough, my posts will seem dull and insincere.

But I'll gladly join a new Board Battle too if I can come up with a character I like.

[Shadow Chorus]

I'd gladly create a character for the new board battle, especially since my idea basically inspired it (Not gloating here, I promise). I have tons of old characters that are just begging for a renewal, and I'll get to work on them as soon as a template is up.

[Faidth]

Awesome! I'd love to see what you can do, Shadow Chorus.   Like I said, I'm already kicking around some more details for the setting, but I already have a few ideas. I should have something up for all of you by next Saturday.

[Angie]

Low-Power.

No walking gods, ancient vampires, famed heroes or anything like that. A story where the characters are new to the stage and the game is the start of their relative stories.

I don't care much about setting specifics, though I like an alternative approach to both fantasy and science fiction more than the classical space opera, steam or cyberpunk and high/low/dark/whatever medieval fantasy.

EDIT: A good old fashioned war campaign might be nice to see, as I have not played one of those in forever. Or perhaps something with the players filling the role of retainers or retinue for a high-class muckity-muck of one sort or another

[Faidth]

Angie, I liked the idea that you put forth in your edit. I think I will give the players the option of pursuing this is a plot line, should they choose to.

[Faidth]

Okay, the new campaign title will be Estershadow (The Five Kingdoms.) Before I post the setting and introduction, I have a few questions for you:

1. Do you want the characters to be restricted to being human, or would you like to opt for other fantasy race staples to be included as well (dwarf, elf, etc.?)

2. Do you want me to give characters the option of selecting individual deities, or would you like a canon god of some sort?

3. How involved would you like the concept of Magic to be in the setting?

[Shadow Chorus]

I think that while Magi should not be common, they should be powerful and respected. Wizards should be of generally high rank, possibly the leaders of cities, and all should be part of a specific order. And rather than a single canon god, I think a pantheon of canon gods to choose from would be appropriate. Also, why restrict it to humans? Add in other races. Humans, dwarves, trolls, elves, anything fantasy should be appropriate here.