Pick-up-and-go PRP?

[Linkachu]

I'm playing with ideas... Trying to flesh 'em out. Humor me while I do so.

I haven't RPed on Pokecharms in ages, mainly because I always find myself too busy/stressed out to keep up with my threads, but I'd like to try my hand at getting back into it for Gen V. Problem is, I'm still just as busy as usual, and I'll probably be just as stressed out when it comes to keeping up with stuff. That's why I'm trying to figure out ways to alleviate the issues holding me back from joining in.

One idea I've been contemplating is this: a completely open-ended RP. Whether there would be one main central plot I'm not sure, but the topic would allow people to drop in and drop out as necessary - given that they wrote their characters in and out in an acceptable manner. To give the RP some focus, it'd probably take place in the Unova region once B/W were released in NA/Europe.

Members of the RP would have a lot of freedom, and brand new or pre-existing characters would be fair game. You'd interact with other RPers as you usually would, but there wouldn't be any strict sign-ups or limits to how many people could actively contribute to the topic at any given time. The only rule would be that if you could not reply within, say, a two week period, you'd be encouraged to write your character out somehow so the topic could continue in your absence. Rejoining later on would be fine.

For something like this to work, I'm almost considering having someone do weekly or biweekly chronologies, detailing major plot events that had occured, so that people who didn't have the time to read through everything in the topic wouldn't have to. Not sure if that would be necessary, but it's an idea.

Anyways, yeah. That's about as far as I've gotten with this, and I guess in a way it could be considered a "newbie RP" - assuming newer RPers strived to write at the Pokecharms standards of quality. Have any of you guys ever attempted to run a thread this open? If so, what worked and what didn't? Even if this would be brand new to you, comments and ideas are appreciated.

 

[Louie Forest]

I would like to join this PRP! I don't really see anything wrong with it; sounds good! I can't think of anything to improve! :3

 

[Ked]

This is actually a really great idea. ^^

I like how you can drop out and come back in as you please since in some RPs, when a person drops out the RP doesn't go on. Then if I joined I wouldn't have to worry about ruining the RP for everyone else in it if I couldn't post for some reason.

The chronologies sound pretty nice too. The sound pretty useful for when you want to join in the middle of the RP, since you won't have to go back to the start and read every single post up to that point.

I think that if you drop out, if you happen to come back in you'll have to use a different character. Then if one of your characters leave, when you come back it won't seem like that character just randomly popped up for no reason. Sure, the next character would be pretty random, but if the old character said they were going to be doing something for a long time, and suddenly was finished, it wouldn't seem as weird.

So yeah, if this goes up I'd definitely join. ^^

 

[Blazi]

I loved this RP from the word 'Unova'

Seriously. It gives me a chance to introduce a charrie that's been stewing in my head for AGES.

Plus the last open-ended RP I joined got me fighting monsters :>

So I like them a lot.

The idea of letting a person come in and out, while still keeping the RP on a steady flow, and letting them join in again, is great. It allows large times away from the RP without it dying!

Anyway, I'm definitely joining, and I'd love to see where it goes.

 

[Chadwyck]

If this does get up and going, I'd be interested in joining it. I like the open-ended idea of being able to come in and drop out at any given time. So consider me interested ^^ ( especially because I've never actually been able to RP with Katie, so that'd be pretty sweet >>; )

 

[Aura]

I loved this RP from the word 'Unova'

What he said.

I really like the sound of this, just being able to drop out if say, your schoolwork etc is getting way to tough for you to handle. I honestly can't see a problem at all with the whole opened ended plan, although I half-half agree with Ked... Yes, it makes more sense to be a different character, but that could be rather annoying as well, not being able to go through with any sub plots you might have had in mind for that character, simply because you couldn't be there. As with most things, it would probably be something relative. If your charcter was going to, say, another region or something, it wouldn't make sense just to pop back after a week or so, which might only be two days in the RP. But if you were going to another town, or saying hi to your (I mean your charcter) uncle or something, then you should be able to come in again as the original character. That's just what I think anyway.

So, yeah, I'm interested.

 

[Linkachu]

As with most things, it would probably be something relative. If your charcter was going to, say, another region or something, it wouldn't make sense just to pop back after a week or so, which might only be two days in the RP. But if you were going to another town, or saying hi to your (I mean your charcter) uncle or something, then you should be able to come in again as the original character. That's just what I think anyway..

Basically how I was thinking about it, too. Characters would meet up, do random stuff together, and then (if something came up) leave to do their own thing. There's no reason why they couldn't randomly meet up with everyone else's characters again later, or say (if you worked it out with another RPer in advance) be called up by someone to meet them at a specific location.

To me restricting people from reusing the same characters at all would be far too limiting, so as long as people handled their exists & returns in a sensible way (meaning you couldn't suddenly leave and return a day later 5 years older with a completely different team of Pokemon XP) anything would be fair game.

Thanks for the interest so far you guys. Further comments and ideas are always welcome.

 

[Psycho Monkey]

I was actually planning on starting a PRP to introduce my new Unova character, but I couldn't think of a good plot that would interest people enough to join. With this, I can introduce my character the way I had planned and slowly integrate him into various interactions with other RPers. Great idea Katie!

 

[Doctor Oak]

This could be pretty cool. Especially if the thread (or maybe threads? A Kyak Islands like set up could work just as well here...) flowed around key locations. So, say a group of people in the thread are at one of the gyms, people meet up and challenge the gym leader and then head off on their own journeys again or interact with the others there or whatever.

I think it's an interesting idea, anyway. If it were truely 100% accessible, I'd even consider playing around a bit with it myself, especially since when I'd inevitably drop out it won't kill it off. I think it would take a lot of pre-planning and organisation though. It's going to be more of a time suck for at least one person than a normal RP - so it will need someone dedicated to it to keep it up.

 

[Linkachu]

I just wrote a big reply in response to Alex's post and my browser ate it!

Anyways... I'll be brief this time.

This could be pretty cool. Especially if the thread (or maybe threads? A Kyak Islands like set up could work just as well here...) flowed around key locations. So, say a group of people in the thread are at one of the gyms, people meet up and challenge the gym leader and then head off on their own journeys again or interact with the others there or whatever.

After much discussion in the chat last night, I'm considering Alex's idea using a sub-board. That way we wouldn't need to resort to chronologies because the threads would be much shorter in nature, and much less intimidating. You'd still be able to RP as you normally would, you'd just move to a different locational topic when the timing was right. People could then join the new location thread or stick around the previous area topic until they'd finished up what they wanted to do.

Alex also pointed out that in order for something like this to work, we'd need NPC character profiles (for gym leaders, elite 4 members, etc.) so that everyone could quickly determine what Pokemon they all had handy.

A few other ideas were discussed, but I'll leave things here for now. What do you guys think about doing this over multiple threads instead of just one massive topic? Any other comments or ideas are welcome, too.

 

[Dwayna DragonFire]

I think that dividing it up into multiple threads would be an interesting idea. Another interesting idea that would touch on what Alex suggested would be to name the topics after the central locations they seem to be at. I personally think it would be a fun idea, but it's ultimately up to you.

Oh, and I'm totally interested in joining this. I think I'd either make a new(ish) character or I'd cameo Ame, my adventurer, since it would make a lot of sense.

 

[Rolly]

Well , I haven't done any rp-ing here yet so this could actually be quite fun, as I'm normally not logged-in in the weekdays I would be interested in joining this .

 

[Aura]

The idea of having a sub-board/multiple topics would be pretty cool in my opinion. That way, if one of the topics died, the RP itself wouldn't actually die, so people who really liked it wouldn't suffer for it. Of cousre, that probably wouldn't happen anyway in this kind of RP XD

And I've gone ahead and made up a character for this, whom I'm going to try and stick to as a main character, 'cause it would be fun to do that.

 

[Linkachu]

Just an fyi: I have read all of the latest comments in this thread and I'm glad people are on board with this idea.

At the moment I don't really have a lot of extra time to put further thought into this or begin setting anything up, and there's a chance that the first RP thread won't get going for sometime after B/W are actually released. I'll try my best to make sure things get started sooner than later, though.

That's really all I had to say for now. As usual, further comments are always welcome. ^^

 

[Blisk]

I'm interested in this too. I just never got around to saying so. I would probably stick around for long lengths of time at a time anyways.

 

[The iFlare]

My gosh... This sounds like a great Idea... I'd like to take part... It'd be fun to have the PRP Crew poke some fun in Unova. And I'm interested in how that many characters could interact with eachother, and how drastically the story could change if someone were to suddenly write themselves out in a crucial point in the story.

 

[Linkachu]

The lack of non-private Unova PRPs has me wondering about this topic. As I'd mentioned way back in February, I'm pretty busy right now and honestly don't have any extra time to devote to setting something like this up.. but I would like to see us get some Unova PRPs going.

Is there anyone interested in helping me sort out the details for this project so it can actually get started? Off the top of my head, what needs to be sorted out in advance is this:

- NPC Profiles: We'd need profiles for every major character that might be reoccurring in the topics. That way they wouldn't suddenly have radically different teams or radically different personalities each time someone encountered 'em. This would need to be done before any PRPing began, but again... I really don't have time to sort it out right now. :X

- A topic for city profiles: If any notable changes occurred within a city, such as destruction or new constructions, it'd need to be documented somewhere so others could quickly take it into consideration. The majority of this could be sorted out as we went, but we'd need something basic to start with.

The idea I'd discussed with Alex a couple of months back was that each location would have its own topic, and when people were ready to move on to a new location, or wanted to post a new location topic, they'd notify me in advance. That way trusted RPers would be allowed to start new location threads (and I'm pretty flexible with that really), but we'd still have some control over who made the topics and when they were created.

For something like this to work, there would always need to be at least two people RPing within any given area. You can't advance anything in RP without someone else to bounce posts off of, eh? So if people were wanting to start their character in a different location than the main group, you'd have to have at least one other person interested to do so. We can use this board or a designated sticky or something to coordinate stuff like that if necessary.

That's all I can think of for now. If anyone is interested in putting together some brief character profiles (consisting of their Pokemon teams and reserves, and a very brief description of their personalities), post here with your interest. Thanks~

 

[Dwayna DragonFire]

Would the NPC profiles need to be in a different topic than the official PRP Character Bios? If so, we'd definitely need to label it as different. I also like the idea of the city profiles... If this is going to be that sort of full scale deal then I would suggest a separate sub-forum, perhaps?

I could do some brief character profiles no problem... Here's an example from the suggestions you put down.

Name: Ame Wyxm
Personality: Reserved and somewhat cold unless towards PokeMon or with significant amount of time.
PokeMon: Charles (Shiny Charizard), Garazi (Gardevoir), Liana (Roserade), Chori (Garchomp), Wendy (Walrein), and Abraham (Absol)
Other: Because of being an adventurer, Ame often carries around a large variety of items with her just in case someone asks for her help... for a price, of course.

If this is the short format you were thinking of then I suggest other users feel free to use this. However if more information needs to be provided then it can be easily added on.

 

[Linkachu]

If this is going to be that sort of full scale deal then I would suggest a separate sub-forum, perhaps?

That's the plan.

So yeah, the NPC Profiles would be in a separate stickied topic from the standard character profiles. I'll be setting that up when we're ready for it, but for now any NPC profiles could be posted in this thread. Posting the profiles here first will also allow us to make alterations before things are finalised.

If this is the short format you were thinking of then I suggest other users feel free to use this. However if more information needs to be provided then it can be easily added on.

Looks fine to me. ^^

Since we already know what Prof. Juniper, the Gym Leaders, etc. look like, what they typically wear, and roughly their ages, that info isn't really necessary for the profiles. What you've covered here would give people more than enough info to work off of. An "Other" field is definitely good too, because we might want to make quick notes on the types of battling strategies certain Gym Leaders like to use and such.

Anything else we felt was missing, or extra little notes people wanted to make, could be added later on.

Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated, Dway. Thanks!

 

[Dwayna DragonFire]

No problem, Katie. Here's a few starting ideas, then: The PokeMon Professors.

Name: Professor Samuel Oak
Personality: A bit eccentric at times, but overall very kind, knowledgeable and wise.
PokeMon: Gives out - Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, and Pikachu (on the odd occasion)
In the anime - Dragonite, Pidgey, Charmeleon (Possibly evolved since it was Oak in the past)
In the game, through Glitch - Tauros, Exeggutor, Arcanine, Gyarados, and the fully evolved starter not chosen by the player or his grandson.
Other: The first and most famous PokeMon Professor, he often gives help to the Professors in other regions and is on good terms with most, if not all of them.

Name: Professor Elm
Personality: Prides himself in his work and often gets absorbed in it, to the point where he doesn't notice his surroundings, or where he goes on long winded rants.
PokeMon: Gives out - Chikorita, Cyndaquil and Totodile
In the anime - Corsola
Other: The second PokeMon Professor who was mentored by Professor Oak and often gets into arguments with him over their research. He specializes in PokeMon breeding/evolution and is credited with the discovery of PokeMon eggs.

Name: Professor Birch
Personality: Outgoing and a little bit reckless, but all the same a very nice man.
PokeMon: Gives out - Treecko, Torchic and Mudkip. On completion of the Hoenn Pokedex, he may also give out Chikorita, Cyndaquil and Totodile (in game only).
In the anime - Poochyena
Other: The third PokeMon Professor who specializes in PokeMon habitats and distribution. His preferred mode of transport is his jeep.

Name: Professor Rowan
Personality: Stern, which makes him seem intimidating and mean, but he is actually very kind and patient.
PokeMon: Gives out - Turtwig, Chimchar and Piplup.
Other: The fourth PokeMon professor who specializes in PokeMon evolution. He mentions that he still feels a thrill whenever he travels anywhere with his Pokémon. He also (apparently) has a bit of a sweet tooth (the refrigerator in his laboratory is full of nothing but sweets and candy).

Name: Professor Aurea Juniper
Personality: Outgoing, kind, and generally cheerful.
PokeMon: Gives out - Snivy, Tepig, and Oshawott.
In game - Minccino, Patrat
Other: The first female and fifth Pokemon Professor who specializes in the origins of PokeMon. Not much else is known due to her being the newest of the five.

These are just some ideas to start us out and to hopefully inspire others.

 

[Aura]

Link, I could probably get some location information up for you - seeing as no one else is jumping to it. Probably something along the lines of:

Name:Obvious
Places of Interest:Like a gym, or a massive spiral tower with dragons
People who live here (of importance): Just a list of them, nothing huge.
Pokemon found here: Obvious
Other:Any other little quirky bits of information I can find.

Would that be all right?

 

[Linkachu]

That would be just fine, Aura. Thanks! ^^

As I mentioned to Dway, if anything else needed to be added we could just do it later.

 

[Aura]

Here's some stuff, up to Nacrene City.

Name: Nuvema Town
Places of Interest: Professor Juniper’s laboratory can be found here.
People who live here (of importance): Professor Juniper
Pokemon found here: Snivy, Tepig and Oshawott (From Professor Juniper)
Other: A small, quiet town. Other than the lab, there is nothing much else of interest here.

Name: Route 1
Places of Interest: None
People who live here (of importance): None
Pokemon found here: Patrat, Lillipup, Audino, Herdier, Watchog, Scraggy, Basculin
Other: You can access Route 17 from here if you can swim, and leaves blow in the wind here in Autumn.

Name: Accumula Town
Places of Interest: A large square where people are often known to speak to the townspeople about certain matters.
People who live here (of importance): None
Pokemon found here: None
Other: This town has three levels, all connected by stairs.

Name: Route 2
Places of Interest: None
People who live here (of importance): None
Pokemon found here: Patrat, Lillipup, Purrloin, Audino
Other: Battling trainers can be found all through this route

Name: Striation City
Places of Interest: Fennel’s lab, Gym, Pokemon Trainer School
People who live here (of importance): Fennel, the three gym leaders Cress, Chili and Cilan.
Pokemon found here: Basculin
Other: The city features a beautiful garden before entering Route 3, and it is said that at the Gym they serve a meal ‘to suit everyone’.

Name: Dreamyard
Places of Interest: Basement
People who live here (of importance): None
Pokemon found here: Munna, Patrat, Purrloin, Audino, Watchog, Liepard, Musharna, Pansage, Pansear, Panpour
Other: The basement is home to some stronger Pokemon, and there is a young girl there who is willing to give you one of her elementrial monkeys.

Name: Route 3
Places of Interest: Daycare (for both Pokemon and people)
People who live here (of importance): Daycare man and woman
Pokemon found here: Pidove, Patrat, Blitzle, Lillipup, Purrloin, Audino, Basculin
Other: The Daycare people’s daughter runs the Childcare next door.

Name: Wellspring Cave
Places of Interest: None
People who live here (of importance): None
Pokemon found here: Roggenrola, Woobat, Drilbur
Other: More of the cave can be accessed after obtaining surf

Name: Nacrene City
Places of Interest: Gym/Museum,
People who live here (of importance): Lenora, the Gym Leader
Pokemon found here: Omanyte, Kabuto, Aerodactyl, Lileep, Anorith, Cranidos, Shieldon, Tirtouga, Archen
Other: A city that has been referred to as the ‘Art Capital’ of Unova. Fossils of ancient Pokemon can be revived in the museum.

It's pretty short, but I figured you didn't really want essays here.

 

[Linkachu]

Dway and Aura, please check your PMs. I've sent you both a message.

Now, to the point. I'm officially putting this project on hold, unless someone wants to take it over in my place. I wouldn't expect such, but I wouldn't say no either.

I'm realizing that I have neither the time or energy to devote to getting something like this off the ground and maintaining it. I'm also helping Sem with his project now, so that will consume some of my time.
However, I'm still interested in the project, so I'm keeping summer as an option. I'll let you guys know if anything changes... or you'll see it yourself if a PRP sub-board pops up.

In the meantime, I might instead just make a single topic like originally planned but keep the rules of how people come and go lax. You'd need to follow the RP yourself and keep track of events, but you wouldn't necessarily need to be replying all the time in order for the story to move. Again, that may or may not happen, but we'll see.

Thanks again for all the of interest you guys.