- Created By James
Thread of the Week
Another week, another great thread!
This time I've got a slightly different choice to present.
OtakuBoards has an excellent tradition of creative writing and RPGs. The above is one of the latest gems that is about to start (it's still in the auditions stage - I'll get to that in a moment).
Vicky is one of OB's more prominent RPG creators. She's been around for a while and she's gone from strength to strength. Her latest creation is based on a popular documentary that looks at what Earth would be like after human beings have become extinct.
I won't ruin anything for you here, but if you click on the link above you'll be taken to the Audition thread for this RPG. All the details are there. I think there are great possibilities here for talented writers to join in and have a lot of fun.
If you're new to RPGs, it's probably worth explaining that most RPGs on OtakuBoards have an Auditions thread and a Theater thread.
In the Auditions thread, the creator basically lays out what the RPG will be (basic premise, setting, etc). Then any OB member can sign up. When you sign up, you usually fill out a character bio, based on whatever criteria the creator wants.
So you might be asked to provide a character name, age, background, etc...
The character you create is the one you will primarily control/write during the RPG. However, RPGs on OB are really like ongoing collaborative stories - usually writers involve multiple characters in scenes at once. It's just that you really primarily control one specific character and you can decide what that character should be.
RPGs are wonderful for budding fan fiction writers, because they give you some exposure to creative writing without needing to be an expert. Also, you can collaborate with others and you'll often have to react to sudden story developments that other participants throw in - so you'll have to be imaginative, if an unexpected scenario arises.
I personally love RPGs and I still participate to this day. Many of our RPGs are beautifully written, contain fascinating characters and weave together in clever and unique ways.
So if you've never tried an OB RPG, I strongly encourage you to give it a go. It's refreshing, fun and most importantly, it helps to improve your writing skills. Plus I think there's something really interesting about being involved in a collaborative story where nobody can easily predict the next turn.
Adventure Square marches on.
You know, I have been so focused on making sure that OB World was going to provide a continuous stream of updates that I have neglected the whole blog aspect. And there are plenty of things that are worth blogging about when it comes to OB, so I really should start.
Perhaps you guys can tell me whether or not you’re even interested in a blog aspect to this page. I would like to look at giving out more posting permissions to key OB staff, so that they can blog and update the areas that interest them. What do you think?
This won’t be some grand introduction to OB-related blogging, though. Instead I wanted to address an area of the site that our updates have pretty much neglected: Adventure Square.
I think that we neglect this area a bit because it isn’t widely understood; even some OBers have trouble with it! Forum RPGs have been around forever, but we have a particular brand at OB that hundreds of members have cultivated and developed over almost a decade. It’s not tough to understand, it’s just quite different to what you see at other communities.
There have always been the "bigger" RPGs created by members who are well-known, but just as important are those RPGs created by lesser-known members. I think there are probably a ton of RPGs that have never really been properly credited simply because they haven't ever reached major prominence on the site.
Also, even when there's a lull in activity in Adventure Square, there are still always a couple of excellent RPGs running.
If you have never participated in an RPG before, or if you simply haven't been interested in them for a while, I'd urge you to take a good look at Adventure Square today. There are several great RPGs running and there are some excellent ones in the pipeline.
Here are a few that I thought I'd suggest looking at:
The RPGs above span the spectrum. Some are highly-elaborate endeavors with large casts of writers and high production values. Others are relatively modest in scope, yet have evolved into major RPGs with weaving story lines and complex character relationships.
What I love about RPGs is that they aren't just fan fiction; they are so much more. Collaborative storytelling can be a really wonderful thing to watch and participate in. And best of all, their dynamic nature means that you have to be prepared to change course because unexpected things can happen at any time.
We have been trying to set up a system where people can advertise their latest RPG creations in a sticky thread (Upcoming Attractions), but it really hasn't taken off.
I wonder if we can approach that in a different way - perhaps even a World dedicated to RPGs. What do you guys think?
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