BESM Free-form, ressurection?

[SponkleofInfini]

Well there have been mumblings of bringing back the BESM freeform game, with a new setting of course, who is still interested in this....I know I am.

[Cadogan Trahem]

I am but im waiting to see how many people know about, or atleast of, Appleseed (it was going to be the setting of choice.)

[SponkleofInfini]

Hmm who decided on that, you and Itches? I think the suggestions of others should be considered before setting has been decided.

I personally would prefer a fuedal japan type setting, ie. Samurai X/Ninja Scroll

[Cadogan Trahem]

Originally posted by SponkleofInfini
Hmm who decided on that, you and Itches? I think the suggestions of others should be considered before setting has been decided.

I personally would prefer a fuedal japan type setting, ie. Samurai X/Ninja Scroll

I wasn't suggesting this game should be Appleseed, I was saying that I was planning to run an Appleseed BESM Freeform depending on the number of people interested.

[SponkleofInfini]

Hmm perhaps a couple of settings could be run at once, that way there will be a mix. But quite a bit of interest would have to be shown though.

[Cadogan Trahem]

The general lack of BESM players here is something thats pretty much going to doom any BESM Freeform game. Freeform is a select taste, and currently not enough BESM players inhabit this board who like the sweet juices of freeform to keep a game going. Its a sad truth that needs to be recognised, I might go make another appearance at the Guardians of Order Website.

[SponkleofInfini]

Yes you do that........I'll be here twidling my thumbs.

[Sinder]

I'd be intreated in a freeform BESM (Not sure what a freeform games thought). I say we mix the fedual japan and Appleseed setting to get and get a escoflonesse like game. So we get fantasy characters with fantasy mecha. Thought a would that is like rifts would as be good this would allow mech, fantsy creatures, evil goverment agencys, and so on. Again thought I have no idea what a freeform game is thought I love BESM. SO as long as it's BESM I'm up for it.

[BigRedRod]

ESCAFLOWNE!
i'd be in for some of that action

of course what type of escaflowne you want is another big question

[AbusePuppy]

Hey, what the hell. If I'm in for one game, might as well be in some more- count me in for freeform BESM, regardless of setting.

Sinder: "Freeform" is the common term for running a game without the use of dice (and often without character sheets or even numerical stats). The GM/arbitrator simply decide what should happen, with player input of course. It's actually much closer to group writing than any other form of roleplaying is.

(Note, of course, that this is a generic summary- your milage with things may differ.)

-SMAP

"We have to search every place a sick, twisted, solitary misfit would hide."
"I'll check Radio Shack."

[Cadogan Trahem]

Our use of Freeform does differ slightly, we keep stats and dice rolling however we drop the one DM. To put it simply each player is both a player and a DM and helps decide how the game comes out, including plot twists and such.

Its more of a quasi-free form - we keep the statistics, rules, and dice rolls to have an equal platform for everyone and to see how something could have happened (i.e. to understand what one player did or didn't do).

[SponkleofInfini]

Well 4ish people isn't all that bad, we may be able to start something...I personally would rather wait for a tad more interest though.

[LeeCHeSSS]

You know, all this freeform activity makes me all happy. I love new members getting involved right away :)

[SponkleofInfini]

So true, so where's my game forum admin type person :)

[austinmonster]

Yeha, once we dicide on the setting, I would be all for a freeform game. I will admit that I don't have much experience with freeform, but it would be a good vacacion from long ass combat die rolling...

[SponkleofInfini]

Well it looks like enough interest has been shown to get started, once everyone decides on a setting we will get to work on a title and description :)

[AbusePuppy]

Well, it was mentioned earlier in the post that a possible Appleseed theme, perhaps either as an actual world or as a general idea (i.e. near-future realistic military) for the game, if people are interested in that. Some other ideas I've been tossing around for BESM games recently...

-Superheros; this seems like it would be well-suited to free-form, with everyone having their nemesi (is that a word?), hidden backgrounds, etc, etc.

-Martial Arts Mayhem: in the style or Ranma 1/2, or perhaps a more serious anime such as Street Fighter or the like. Basically, people who punch and kick a lot.

-Steampunk. You don't get weirder or more hilarious than steampunk. I'm thinking mecha here, but anything else could work. Metropolis and (obviously) Steam Detectives are the inspiration here.


I'm just throwing random stuff here; ideas and/or opinions from anyone else?

-SMAP

"Pikathulu, I choose you!"

[Sinder]

I was thinking a Yu Yu Hakusho campaign would be fun. There you go you got your hidden pasts, comady and martial arts mayhem. I was also thinking a Zoids game would be good the players could form groups and battle against each other. I don't know if I'd go with Superhero (thought DBZ would be kind of fun I can just think of 175 point build now grins evilly). This is just a personal preferance but I don't think Besm does Superheros well (I've tryed to convert marvel to it and it never comes out right), of course I don't like SAS any better for super heros (you really can' play anything but superman like characters all my marvel characters seem to come out even worse there). As for SteamPunk if it like Deadlands I love (I liked the Deadlands RPG but all the junk on the table started to add up and things got a little out of hand. ).

[Benedick The Winter]

Is it too late for me to join in? I just found this place by way of one of the visits to the GOO board. I'm up for pretty much any setting and don't have a particular preference.

[itches]

It's never too late to join in a free-form game. :)

[Benedick The Winter]

Hooray...now for step 2. Not screwing up. Hopefully I can't do that in a freeform game but I doubt it's going to be that easy.

[SponkleofInfini]

I stand by my suggestion of a fuedal japan type setting ie. samurai x/ninja scroll.

[Benedick The Winter]

I heartily aprove. I'm always up for slicing people up with honor. Or not with honor for that matter.

[Cadogan Trahem]

Now I think we should express our views on some sort of character creation guide lines, how many Character Points, maxium number of BP from defects, what attributes just won't work and what not.

If its a fuedal type of setting Technological attributes might have to be excluded.

[SponkleofInfini]

How about the standard that has been established on the boards? 40 CP, Max 7 BP, if fuedal then no mecha, or extremely limited.

The reason I want the fuedal setting is the fact, we went for a futuristic type to start with and that failed :) but I will be happy with anything as long as we get it back up.

[Sinder]

How about a feudal setting like Innyuhayu (cartoon network 1 am). This way we have samurai for these who want to slice and dice, half-demons for those who want that, spellcasters priest, monks and the like. Also I game what would make a better free-form game them a search for the jewel shards. We don't have to stick to the story I mean why not say the main characters didn't exist and the Jewel broke apart when it was burned. Just my two cents again.

[AbusePuppy]

Hmmm. I'm all up for a feudal game- I'm seeing an "Inu-Yasha" thing with spirits and crap mixed in to ancient Japan, with us as the exterminator squad, so to speak. Just trying to get the setting straight in my mind, you understand.

As for char creation... hmm. I'm more inclined to go with 30 or 35 points, but I also play more long-running games where experience gets handed out at regular intervals, so... Whatever the majority goes with, I guess.

Sinder: guess you beat me to the Inu-Yasha idead. :P I'm not so sure we should actually go with that *exact* setting, maybe more of that as a general idea for what it's like. I, for one, enjoy worldbuilding.

-SMAP

"The spell worked! They're all asleep, just by talking to them!"
"So *this* is what being a politician feels like!"

[SponkleofInfini]

Yeah same here, I am not up for stealing exact storylines from anime, I am for worldbuilding also, assuming that was what it would be like, from my experience anyway. But I agree with abusepuppy, have a fuedal japan setting but with some demons/monsters for good measure :)

[Cadogan Trahem]

Free Form is very much about building the world as you play, the current (and most succesful) Free Form game using D&D started with nothing but a vauge description of a single town, since then its grown.

If its going to be feudal I take it we're excluding all the technological attributes? If thats true then its a shame that Own Big Mecha won't be involved because for anyone who has seen Gasaraki, the Gasara are damn cool. :)

Either way, how does this look for a sketchy character creation guidelines;

35 CP
No Limit on level of attribute at character creation
No "Technological" attributes ("Universal", can be taken provided they are paranormal in nature)
No more then 10 BP from Defects

Other then that its pretty much open season. How's that sound?

[SponkleofInfini]

Sounds ok

[AbusePuppy]

Should we get a forum for this, or what? Or is one already cleverly buried somewhere?

-SMAP

"Does anyone else find a beer can with the words 'creamy head' on it disturbing?"

[SponkleofInfini]

No, haven't requested one just yet, there is still the matter of a name and description for the game.

[Cadogan Trahem]

I think we should take about two days to hear some ideas, and then just choose the best, the name isn't that important, but the description shouldn't be too descriptive and should include the fact that its a BESM freeform game (even if its only in brackets at the end.)

Once we get that we should start posting characters.

[Shyntar]

you know.... floating islands seems kind of cool atm...havent slept in 33 hours so i might just be tired


~Shy:cat:

[SponkleofInfini]

Floating Islands?

[Shyntar]

ya floating islands and if theres different races they could have different modes of transportation like humans= dragons elves=magical airships dwarves=catapults...just an idea

[Sinder]

First I want to say I think a fedual japan setting with floating islands is a great idea. I was working on a cyberpunk game with floating islands a month or so ago but scrapt it. Also I think catapults are the funnist form of tranportation to date it reminds me of a magic card flavour text. Card name Fodder Cannon (I think) "Step 1 find a cousin Step 2 get cousin into cannon Step 3 find another cousin"

[AbusePuppy]

Or of Dilbert- Elbonia Airlines, anyone?

But seriously, while floating islands may be cool, I'm not sure how well they'd mesh with feudal Japan. Are we just looking at a "ancient samurai warriors" thing (in which case it might work), or did we actually want pseudo-historical accuracy (like Kenshin or Inu-Yasha)?

-SMAP

"Darius?"
"Yeah?"
"There's a goblin sneakin' up on you."
"So?"
"Just sayin', that's all."
(Wave of Indifference, baby.)

[SponkleofInfini]

I was thinking psuedo-historical accuracy with a bit of a twist with the creatures. Hence my apprehension about the floating islands.

[Cadogan Trahem]

In either case we need a name. Since we're going for a type of Fuedal Japanese setting, how about something like...

Rising Sun

[AbusePuppy]

Hmm. I've always thought that names should have some relevance to the basic theme of the campaign- thus, coming up with a generic theme here would be a good idea. Here's some thoghts:

Into a World Becoming Corrupt
The shoguns and dynasties of the past have fallen, become weak. The gaijin are invading with their guns and their ships. What can a rag-tag group of ronin do against the might of Western civilization? Everything they can...

Nigh Unto the Twighlight
The eighteenth century, and the Warring States period has not yet ended. House upon house, clan upon clan, it continues. To one side, the Americans sit, helping no one (at least openly). But behind the scences, something is not right- someone wants this war. Badly.

Rise Like the Sun
The Emporor has proclaimed a tournament, and the prize is literal godhood. Now, samurai and ninja, peasant sorcerer and mystical creature, all compete for the title of Child of the Moon.

Walk the Razor
The master swordsmith Masamune forged twelve blades, they say, before he finally died. Lost for untold years, it's said that if a true warrior collects them all, he will find enlightenment within. But sometimes self-knowledge comes at a heavy price...


There's some suggestions for what I think a feudal-based campaign would be like. If anyone else wants to throw something out, I'm open to it.

-SMAP

"I wasn't aware that the Tokyo Police employed uneducated, paranoid, delusional foreign delinquents."
"In my case, they made an exception!"

[SponkleofInfini]

I like the first one, perhaps chaneg the title to Into a World Corrupt

[Cadogan Trahem]

Im all up for a psuedo-historically accurate setting, but it somewhat undermines the purpose of having paranormal or super natural abilities and creatures. If we stick too rigidly to a setting like that it becomes very hard to be almost artistic about the game, and rather degenerates to more of a book-like setting. I prefer the standard way Freeform has been run so far; near nothing known about the setting except the general gist (fantasy, fuedal, cyberpunk etc) and what is and what isn't appropriate (Mecha, Magic, Psionics etc) and from there the world is built by the players as the story goes along.

That way the story can truely develope while we play.

In either case I like the last two (especially the last one), each player has a common goal (or maybe uncommon hmm?), but there is little said about the setting itself. The idea that everyone might be after these blades/champion status in a land practically unknown sounds good.

[SponkleofInfini]

Hmm yes, I think that may be the only way this freeform game has a chance of surviving. Reconsidering my vote, I will vote for the last one.

[AbusePuppy]

Fine here. I've never actually been in a freeform campaign as you guys run them, though I have done no small number of other online writing projects. Someone smack me if I get out of hand, kay?

I assume we're still going with 40 CP and no more than 7 BP of defects? Obviously, mecha and Unknown Superhuman Power don't work too well in a game like this...

-SMAP

"But none of that matters, because the Ninja Mystic is still the most nekkid person in all of Rokugan."

[SponkleofInfini]

Yep, well I shall request the forum, hopefully we will get it soon.

[Cadogan Trahem]

Actually here is the creation guide lines we agreed on earlier(trying to break up the 'general' gist of BESM games around here with some variations in the creation rules)

35 CP
No Limit on level of attribute at character creation
No "Technological" attributes ("Universal", can be taken provided they are paranormal in nature.)
No Unknown Super Human Power
No more then 10 BP from Defects

This is somewhat less powerful, but with fewer limits then the 40/7 routine.

And yea go ahead and request a forum Sponkle, once we get it someone should create a character thread and post the Character guidelines and an OOC thread. Once say two or more people have their character's done someone should start the game.

[LeeCHeSSS]

Who shall I make the moderator?

[SponkleofInfini]

Well me :)

I have a cool concept to :)

[Cadogan Trahem]

Ok so;

Name: Walk the Razor
Short Description: Twelve blades forged, lost for untold years. Collect them all, and find enlightenment within. But sometimes self-knowledge comes at a heavy price... (cut it back a bit)
Moderator: SponkleofInfini

Creation Rules:
35 CP
No Limit on level of attribute at character creation
No "Technological" attributes ("Universal", can be taken provided they are paranormal in nature.)
No Unknown Super Human Power
No more then 10 BP from Defects

All that sound right?

[SponkleofInfini]

Just about