vorkosigan | Player interest query

tel posting in

I've spent the past day or so looking over the Vorkosigan sourcebook, and I was wondering if there was any online interest in a Vorkosigan campaign. I would be willing to run one. I do have an offline gaming group that does play one-shots like this, but they normally play, er, simpler oneshots. This could be via chat, on Livejournal/Dreamwidth, or on OpenRPG, or play-by-email, or any other venue players might prefer.

I understand there used to be a Vorkosigan RPG on livejournal that was more the classic livejournal RPG style, with people playing their versions of canon characters and interacting with each other. I'm not really looking to do that. What I'm interested in starting is more like the online analogue to a pen and paper RPG campaign, with players playing original characters within the universe. The game would have a defined endpoint/goal and would be small (preferably 3-5 players or so).

This would not -necessarily- be using the GURPS Vorkosigan system (edit: I'd likely be using PDQ, don't worry if you've never played it, it's very simple). Would there be interest in that sort of thing?

(edit: Tentative initial scenario would be Betan survey personnel captured and secretly held without contact with the outside world on Barrayar, reason unknown to them. This would be set during the approximate timeframe of Shards of Honor/Barrayar. Player characters could be from any advanced planet on decent terms with Beta Colony (I have a set of customizable pre-gens that includes a Jacksonian and an Escobaran) and there'd be opportunities to play (male) Barrayaran military characters as well.)

Current Mood: thoughtful

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

aedifica

Maybe? I've never done an online RPG.

From:

tel

There are several ways to play RPGss online, and all have their advantages and drawbacks compared to offline play. I've had experience with most of them, including the old-style Pern PBeMs, some Star Trek experience, participation in several prominent LJ RPGs, some forum play, and a D&D campaign over AIM chat.

In my experience it's a little less ideal and takes longer than offline play even at best, but it has its advantages too, especially if you get away from the dice and do more drawn out storytelling.

Scheduled chats are closer to the offline experience, while the PBeM side tends to have long conversations between characters stretching for weeks and several things going on at once.

From:

tel

More information is now here. (http://tel.dreamwidth.org/391.html). If you're still interested, follow the directions in that post.

From:

elf

Oh yes please!

I've never played an online RPG, but I'm a veteran of the paper-and-dice versions. And I could scrounge through my GURPS reference works and see if there's something about converting GURPS to a diceless system that might work for online play.

From:

tel

I'm a little leery about using the full system because I'm not experienced in running it (I have other DM experience, but not GURPS), the combat parts look a little involved and I'm not sure any players I might have would have prior GURPS experience. That's a bit of a bad combination, and in my experience combat tends to go even slower online.

I was thinking about maybe converting to one of the systems my gaming group likes for one-shots. They tend to pick simple, very easily learned systems that may not have fully realistic combat but are fun to play and, critically, allow and encourage wild improvisation.

Possibly even go systemless. You don't really -need- dice to roleplay, and if someone's coming from the kind of RPs that are generally found on livejournal it could even be a turnoff. If a group comes together that's tentatively interested, we can talk about that sort of thing further.

From:

elf

GURPS combat is complex (second only to Hero, IMHO) and would be utterly useless for long-distance play-by-text gaming.

A modified form of Amber diceless, or Everway, might be good, if a system were needed. I'm... a bit nervous about going systemless. I'd love to modify Houses of the Blooded for it, but I think even minimal dice-rolling would kill an online post-based instead of chatroom-based game.

I've never quite been able to figure out the interactive-story RPG thing. Willing to try, for a world I love as much as the Vorkosiverse, but still nervous.

What systems does your group like for one-shots?

From:

tel

I was thinking of using PDQ, actually. It's available in its basic form online for free, and with a good group it's fantastic.

http://www.atomicsockmonkey.com/freebies.asp

You could essentially stat out a young Miles (around Vor Game) like this, and it'd be fully playable:

Space Mercenary (+2)
Vor Lord (+2)
Bullshit Artist (+4)
Teratogenic Defects (-2)

It's obviously not a simulation system, but for the combination of high drama and low farce a Vorkosigan campaign would be I think it'd work great.

From:

tel

I think for this game I'll be going with PDQ. More information and a character creation post is now here: http://tel.dreamwidth.org/391.html

From:

flourish

How quickly would the game go? I may or may not be able to do it (I don't have a ton of time) but I would be super interested. If it was something that was either played over a short period of time in real-time, or something that was played over a very long period of time not-in-real-time, I'd be down with it.

I'm glad you're not necessarily thinking of using the GURPS system... complicated!

From:

tel

I'm fairly flexible- I'd prefer either short bursts or long low-intensity play too. Once I get the 'We All Want to Change the World' epilogue done, I'll make a few inquiries for players elsewhere. Like I mentioned, I'm increasingly thinking of using a basic form of PDQ to handle challenges to players and their resolutions. (http://www.atomicsockmonkey.com/freebies.asp#pdq)

Tentative initial scenario would be Betan survey personnel captured and secretly held without contact with the outside world on Barrayar, reason unknown to them. This would be set during the approximate timeframe of Shards of Honor/Barrayar. PCs could be from any advanced planet on decent terms with Beta Colony (I have a tentative set of pre-gens that includes a Jacksonian and an Escobaran) and there'd be opportunities to play (male) Barrayaran military PCs as well.

From:

flourish

Hmm, that's super interesting. I'd like PDQ - easy enough to do online, especially, which is important. And pre-gens are good.

Depending on when you guys play, I'd like to be a part, I think! Again, I'm sort of having a busy summer, so scheduling could be an issue. But if that can get worked out it sounds like a whole lot of fun. OTOH, if someone else is more flexible scheduling-wise, they should get the chance to play rather than me. :)

From:

tel

I'm thinking primarily scheduled chats at this stage, maybe a 4 hour block every two weeks or something like that. Possibly (optional) LJ continuation between times if people want. If you can do that sort of thing, what days or times would be good for you and what timezone are you in?

From:

flourish

I'd be down with that for sure!

I'm in EST, and my availability is... well, it's generally pretty good. I'm going to be gone at a conference for a week in July, but nothing I couldn't work around. I sometimes go on various backwoodsy trips and am hard to get ahold of, but if we plan things in advance, that wouldn't be an issue - I can plan to be in internet range when it's needed.

From:

tel

More information and character creation is now here: http://tel.dreamwidth.org/391.html

From: (Anonymous)

(From LJ.)

Would totally be interested. Have experience in LJ/GJ/IJ, PBEM, chat, board, but not tabletop. I'd personally prefer a journal format because I think it's the most flexible these days, but whatever would be cool. Plot sounds good!

From:

tel

If you're anonymous here, I need contact information or an LJ name to follow up.

In my experience, the LJ games I've played that are goal focused (I've played in a few very prominent ones) end up having to resort to chat, and then post chat transcripts. While there could be room for a journal side, I envision this mostly as a group game (more similar to tabletop than what you seem to be used to), with characters primarily staying together and interacting with challenges in a group. Some kind of chat seems more appropriate for that sort of thing.

From:

enleve.livejournal.com

I may be interested in playing.

From:

nishatalitha

I would be interested in playing (four hours every two weeks is something I think I can fit in my schedule) and it sounds like fun. I've never played online before nor the GURPS or PDQ system.

Scheduling may be an issue - I'm in New Zealand and I'm not sure what timezone you were planning to play in...

From:

tel

Yes, timezones are often a problem. I'm Pacific Time so it's not as bad as it could be, but still. If there's a lot of people in different time zones, possibly a compromise weekend time could be worked out? Weekdays are probably out with that sort of time difference.