Xenith on 10/10/2008 at 13:50

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(I'm not sure this is the right forum for this, but I don't think it fits anywhere else being what it is)

I remember playing a lot of forum RPs a while back and a couple of days ago this idea came up. Seeing as being a character in the Thief world is a very appealing thing and thinking that most Thief fans wanted to be a part of that world more or less, be it as a Hammerite or Keeper or even a guard, I thought an RP would be an interesting and fun thing for anyone that has that little extra time and likes to be a part of a story.

I don't know how many people played forum RPs before, but for those that haven't I'll just give some info so you can get a general idea. I haven't really been the gm of an RP before, but I've seen how it's done and I'm willing to have a go at it. Now for some info.

Roleplaying (RP in short) is taking the role of a character, and writing a story from his/her point of view. So basically if you can write, you can RP, but having common sense is a bit of a necessity (IE if you have a magician as character you would take the fun out of the game if he would have complete godlike powers). Of course keeping the speeling errors at a minimum is encouraged, but obviously none will blame you for small mistakes. RPs are mostly free form make-your-own-adventure games. This means that the story belongs to the players and they decide where it goes and how it turns out, but there is a "contour story" that they have to follow. (more particular rules for this RP near the end of this post)

Alright, now for the RP itself.


Stories from the shadows - A "Thief" RP

The contour of the story:

The happenings take place after the events of "Thief: Deadly Shadows". Keepers are starting to become what they once were and a new balance is shaping. There's even a rumour that the Mechanist religion has taken a new, but not influential or important form. Of course there is always a dark cloud shadowing the city and this time it formed due to some rumors about a certain count Christopher Dellamorte. People say he's a shady looking sort, but that's nothing new to the city. There is something that nobody can put their finger on though. Maybe if Garret, the Master Thief would be around he could investigate this character, but unfortunately he hasn't been heard of for some time and from what the fences say he left the city for a while. Well... whatever that count is up to it can't be anything dangerous... can it?


Making of the characters:

Name: Self explanatory.
Age: Also self explanatory. (keep in mind that a 50 year old character will have a harder time running and jumping into battle than a 20 year old)
Class: This is the type of character you have. You can choose from the following: Thief, Hammerite, Mechanist, City Watch Guard, Pagan and Keeper. (more info about each class below)
Appearance: How your character looks. Include basic information, like hair color, eye color, clothing, equipment (if he is carying any), location of equipment on character and other visual appearances.
Biography: Your character's background. Things like why your character is in the situation they're in, if they are part of any organisation/guild and just a bit of history.

Info on the classes:

I tried to give them a bit of balance, so don't be outraged that your thief doesn't like stuffing oil flasks in his pockets. This is the basic gameplay idea and should be followed so that one character can give the other a chance to act.

Thief - Your beloved outlaw that tries to make a living out of easying other peoples pockets. They are not as good as the legendary Garret, but can hide in shadows easier than others which makes them good spies too. They don't fancy magic or potions and would rather use their tools and keep the foe at a range when in a fight.

Hammerite - They follow the word of their Builder. Although some of them tend to shape the words to fit their own needs sometimes, it's rare to see a Hammerite break the rule. They prefer to smite their foes with their weapons, but will use a bit of magic for healing and taking care of the undead.

Mechanist - They too have set on following the words of the Builder now that their leader Karras is no more and his words no longer poison their minds. Still not being tolerated by the Hammerites they are but a small group that mostly deals in selling merchandise to the rich people of the city. From inventions of all sorts to talking machines, they prefer to use their gadgets and their weapons to defend themselves.

City Watch Guard - "Taking care of the citizens or taking advantage of situations" is the motto that goes around from Guard to Guard. They don't fancy magic and they don't fancy doohickeys, but they prefer having a trusty potion nearby to help heal those cuts or give that extra stamina when they need to run after a outlaw.

Pagan - Adepts of the Woodsie Lord and other beliefs tied to him. They prefer to stay away from the manfools of the city and others that don't share their view. They like magic and are bound to nature itself, but they also keep an easy to carry weapon just in case.

Keeper - Making sure things stay in balance and studying glyphs are their main thing. They don't carry weapons as they see the shadows and their glyph knowledge as being the only defense they'll ever really need.


Rules of the game:

Not as a rule, but as a way of keeping order (which is necessary) I will ask the participants to listen to any indications I give them concerning the story (not where and how it goes, but if they should slow down or speed up the story telling) and other such things. If you have questions either send PMs or make a comment in a post. There way you will do that is by following a simple format such as:

(OOC: What is the name of that ship again? I forgot...)

OOC means Out Of Character. Try to keep them at a minimum though.


Rule 1: There are no godlike characters. No incredible powers and that goes for every class. No Incredible Benny the Hulk guard, no Earth Exploding Pagan Shamans or Uber Master Thief. Your characters are humans so they have limitations accordingly. When it comes to magic, you will not have lughtning falling from the sky unless it involves a complicated process instead of just snaping fingers. Again, common sense applies.

Rule 2: There's no need to become freinds or interact with other players, but there's also no need or way to remain isolated. Of course I'll try and take of the balance of the story as much as I can without hindering anyones experience.

Rule 3: The factions (Hammerites, Pagans, Mechanists, Thieves, City Watch, Keepers) have the following default treaties:

Hammerites - Coexist with City Watch. Will not tolerate Pagans, Mechanists and Thieves.
Pagans - Coexist with no one. Will not tolerate Hammerites, Mechanists, City Watch and Thieves.
Mechanists - Coexist with City Watch. Will not tolerate Pagans, Hammerites and Thieves.
Thieves - No treaties. Interaction depends on the situation. No one knows for sure wheter a person is or isn't a Thief unless proof is given.
City Watch - Coexist with Hammerites and Mechanists. Will not tolerate Pagans and Thieves.
Keepers - No treaties. Interaction depends on the situation. No one knows for sure wheter a person is or isn't a Keeper unless proof is given.

Coexisting means they tolerate each other and will interact in a peaceful manner, unless the balance is shifted between them somehow.

These apply to other story characters, if any will appear. In other words these are the rules the NPCs of the RP wil follow unless instructed otherwise. Players have free will and can establish any treaties they desire with other players, but will not be able to establish other treaties with NPCs that will not tolerate them unless aother player from that NPCs faction creates the treaty.

Rule 4: I can't stress this enough and you're probably sick of hearing it already, but... common sense... apply it in every action your character does.

Rule 5: To keep everything more understandable, narration will be done at third person, past tense. For example: Jack went in the small dark caves, threading lightly when suddenly he heard a loud noise as if comming from the depths of the earth.

Rule 6: When interacting with other players try not to put words in their characters mouths or control their actions. Minor actions and interaction is of course required, but don't take full control of other peoples characters since you don't know how they want their chars to act.

Finally, try not to be a sore loser since it's easy to be ignored by others if you whine all the time or distrupt others in any way. Like I said I'll moderate the thread and will try to set an "ignore" status to such characters.


Alright, well, I'll wait until a few people have joined and I'll give the start. If you want to join after please send me a PM and wait for a confirmation rather than just jumping in the action.

Until everything properly starts, feel free to ask questions and such.

Oh, and one more thing. I can't stay 24/7 watching this thread so... heh you guessed it, common sense applies. (I know you hate me by now for saying that so many times)

KarrasEvul on 13/10/2008 at 20:16

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I hope this thread really will get going :P

Here's mine:

Name: Forza West
Age: 21
Class: Mechanist
Appearance: A thin adault man, about 1'78cm long. He got grey eyes and black, curly hair. He often wear a red robe with glolden details, along with his thin yellow armor. He also carries a blac and red cap. He allways has his black and grey messengerback around his shoulder. At his belt he allways has his leather purse, and a couple of cog-gears. Inside his bag he usually carries a healing potion and a "mechanist hammer" in a smaller size, just in case he gets attacked. He also has his repairtools with him in the bag.
Biography: Forza Grew up at a mechanist cathedral, and trained many years to become an guard. After Karras death he quit the order and started a small workshop in Hightowne, where he rapairs and build mechanical stuffs to people. He earn his money this way. Sometimes he also do instalation-jobs at peoples houses.

Peanuckle on 15/10/2008 at 01:25

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This could be fun. I think I'll join in.

Name: Bradon

Age: 19

Class: Pagan

Appearance: A young man of average height with closely trimmed brown hair and the beginnings of a beard. He looks underfed and you can see some ribs under his skin. His initial clothes are simple brown fabric shirt and pants. He has the mark of the Woodsie Lord tattooed on his left breast.

Biography: A bastard child from two adulterous nobles, he was given to the care of the servant women, who eventually were forced to abandon him or risk discovery. Pagan farmers found him on the outskirts of the forest and took him in, using his meager experience in the city as a springboard to train him as a pagan agent. He smuggles in plants and pagan objects for people with unique tastes, as well as keeping an ear out for hammerite movements. He regularly reports to the forest encampment once a month. His smuggling gives him a few black-market contacts for money and information, but he is still loathe to trust thieves. He is an incompetent fighter because of his thin frame, but he has a strong relationship with nature and can cause plant life to grow by spilling his blood on the site.

(Power is debatable, I'm thinking that he'd drop some blood to create a moss carpet, or a vine to trip pursuers. Not to explode a carnivorous plant in someone's face.)

ORIGINAL CHARACTER DO NOT STEAL ;)

Dante on 19/10/2008 at 17:34

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Name: Sansum
Age: 30
Class: Keeper
Description: Tall; lean; dark eyes (they don't seem to have a definite color); black hair with premature wisps of gray; slightly pale; hatchet-faced; stoic.
Biography: Sansum rarely speaks of his life prior to being taken in by the Keepers. Most colleagues think him an street orphan, but some have considered amnesia and even otherworldly origins. He tends to keep to himself and has a cynical way of thinking. Orland trained Sansum before he went on to become First Keeper; as that prestigious rank fueled Orland's arrogant, bureaucratic personality to new heights, their relationship deteriorated to the point where a rivalry developed between them. Some have wondered whether Sansum played a role in Orland's death.

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Does Dellamorte dwell in the City?

Peanuckle on 20/10/2008 at 19:40

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(OOC: If one of our posts doesn't fit with the story, should we delete/rewrite it? I suppose it'll depend on the situation at post time. Also, I imagine that Xenith will be handling the NPCs.)

Bradon dared to peek around the corner as he heard their footsteps echo away in the dark stone roads. The arrival of the count had raised worry that he might be a hammer-sympathizer, and a wealthy one at that. His village elders had decided to have him snoop around for information on the the new arrival, so that they might be better prepared in the event of a hammer resurgence.

"Rich he bees, with gold-chips most like. All these city-fools think about is more and more gold-chips." Bradon rounded the corner and walked down a back-alley, finally finding a door with a slot in it at about head-level. He knocked once, twice, paused for a few seconds, then knocked three times fast.

"Who's there?" Asked a hooded figure.

"Woodsy treasures me brings for you. It is Bradon." A few clicks were heard and the door opened.

"So what'd you bring with you this time? Not more flowers I hope." Chuckles were heard from dark corners in the poorly lit room.

"You asked, and I brought. Nectar from the eye-flowers, makes your eyes not so night-blind."

"Is that so? Well thats useful, for a change. I'm sure we could work a deal out."

"Along with your gold-chips, I wonders. Knows you anything about the count?"