Trepidation (No Slots Left, Under New Management)

[Ultrajoe]

From the depths of hell...

While i was scheduled to rock onto the scene (A hint? Who knows? ... actually, i do. It's not.) second, i am willing to parade onto first slot if it means getting underway quicker. My monster is no less fun than Msh's, and has had no less work put in... but i think a sacrifice is worth it for the joys of getting this thing running.

This means, however... that you will need to re-write your characters. You can use the ones you have when it comes to round 2, but my little circus of horror (it's not a circus) takes place not inside a hotel, and new ones are called for.

If you want to re-write your characters and start under-strength, then i'm willing to begin immediately.

Spoiler: Burning Blizzard

Monster: Ha! Like i'll tell you that!

Intro...

Hollow Pine Trailer Park... what a dump. Admittedly, not as shocking as some you might find nearer the south, in that it was occasionally a holiday spot for the unrepentantly cheap or desperate. You wouldn't want to stay there at this time of winter though, place was an absolute icicle in the snow and freezing rain.

Luckily, you aren't. Your plane leaves for the sunny shores of Australia in 4 hours, once you've picked up one last member of the tour... Unable to make it to the designated leaving point, instead your final member convinced the tour guide to make a tiny stop along the way at Hollow Pine to pick her up. You wish they hadn't, you packed for bloody Sydney, not the driving drifts that wafted down over the bus as it rumbles down the road towards the gates.

Power outage? Why weren't the lights on the neon sign on? Oh, you see it. A tree fell over the lines... yikes... place must be freezing without electric heating. You can see smoke from one or two trailers, however. So presumably, the folk here were riding out the storm.

It doesn't matter. In a few hours you'll be cramped into an airline seat... and then... white sands and blue ocean. The perfect holiday.

 

[rogueshadows]

i'm not sure that's a great idea ultrajoe, everyone's already got characters for Msh's monster, and it will take yet more time to write new ones. i'll happily write a new character, but it might be better if we start at the beginning. (now i know the setting, i'll be writing a character sheet for yours anyway, and i'll just keep refining it until we start at "Hollow Pine")

i think it will be much easier to continue as we've started. while only down one or two people, we can start, and attract more players, but asking everyone to write annother character sheet before we start the meat-and-entrails (yes, i chose that metaphor for a reason) of the RP is perhaps a bit harsh.

so, standingby to post a new character, but i'll wait for Qayin to give the go-ahead first. it is his RP after all...

edit: in any case ultrajoe, you ought to post a character for the hotel anyway...

 

[Ultrajoe]

edit: in any case ultrajoe, you ought to post a character for the hotel anyway...

I talk to Qayin over MSN all the time, so he knows i'm here and i can post as we start if needs be. I can gladly make a character for the Hotel, but i know the monster and everything about the round. But I am always 'On task' as it were, and can be called in at any time to take up slack, but we'd rather get in players than monsters in men's shoes.

The only reason i suggest Hollow Pine is because Msh might not want to use her monster on 11 people. And because the Hollow Pine monster is simply more tweak-able to suit a fewer number of players. I know that it's a ***** to write up new characters, but i suggest it only as an option.

if nothing else, all of you can start to plan for Hollow Pine now.

And Qayin is reading this thread, i do this with his go-ahead. He's just trying not to think too much about it, as it drives an OP up the wall (I can attest to this) when a thread that they have worked on is struggling.

If we get 2 more, i'll jump in with 2 NPC's and we an get the party started.

 

[Revenent]

Qayin, I don't think anyone was trying to insult your intelligence. We were just saying that maybe we won't be able to start this off perfectly, but it's better to start it off with some flaws than not start it at all.

 

[rogueshadows]

right.

Spoiler: Josh Dent

User Name: Rogueshadows

Character Name: Joshua Dent

Background: Joshua grew up pretty much normally, but early in his childhood he was exposed to Kung Fu movies. After years of fantasizing, on his 16th birthday his father found the nearest Karate dojo, and Josh hasn't looked back. Having now trained for almost 2 years (<important, this gives his skill level) he really enjoys himself, though he concentrates on showmanship and routines, having an anger problem that makes sparring difficult (or rather, makes controlling himself while sparring difficult). So he doesn't fight much, and concentrates on doing triple-jumping-spinning-crescent kicks instead. He is slightly tall for his age, and slight, both of which are helpful in pulling off the acrobatics in his routines. He is fit, (training twice a week for a year or two will do that to a teenager), but not bulky, he has the typical martial artist physique. He has fair skin, blond hair and blue eyes, and usually wears baggy jeans and a sombre T-shirt (whichever one was on top in his drawer).

Reason for being in location: Josh has recently won a number of local tournaments in weapons, showmanship and form categories, so he's off to try his luck at the International Sport Karate Association World Cup in Sydney. Plus, you know, he hears there's some cute babes down under.

Equipment: Bottle of water, Showmanship Kamas. (Kamas are an Asian farming tool used in some martial arts. In this case, though, these are designed as showy shiny things - for looking good while doing routines at a tournament. They are not sharp, and will probably break when used to hit anything stronger than a cardboard box. A thin cardboard box. These ones are black handled with orange stripes and silver-coloured blades.)

actually, if i may offer a suggestion, why not change the topic to include "now recruiting for Hollow Pine" or something to that effect? and while we're at it, perhaps to just "Horror Project" (not to belittle Qayin's creation, but i don't know whether a "home brew" would scare anyone away...)

 

[The Kind Cannibal]

I'll join, thanks to Ultra for giving me the heads up about this cool looking RP.

Spoiler: My Character

User Name: The Kind Cannibal

Character Name: Ecky Barnes

Equipment: A skateboard and a zippo.

Background: Ecky grew up in a fairly normal family, single parent mother raising him in his fathers absence. His father had died in a horrible office fire leaving them with a bit of a insurance to keep them comfortable. Ever since then Ecky's turned into an introverted asshole if you will. 7th grade he was expelled for lighting the school on fire. Was sentenced to two years probation in his new juvenile center after sending the arts and crafts room up in a blaze of glory. Finally dropped out at around age 16, with a myriad accounts of fires in his wake. Two years ago he was convicted for arson, but luckily they did not treat him as an adult. He's voided the community service hours since then and is paranoid that a warrant is out on him, a great way to celebrate his 18th birthday.

Reason for being in location: Ecky's mainly looking to burn the place to the ground, but wouldn't mind grabbing a few items of value before he does.

Any Additional Details: If it's not already clear, Ecky is a pyromaniac.

 

[Spartan Bannana]

I don't see why everyone wants to make new characters for Hollow Pine(if we end up doing it), while I did tailor my char to a hotel setting, I really would only have to make a few tweaks.

 

[The Lyre]

And Qayin is reading this thread, i do this with his go-ahead.

Half right on both accounts;

I am reading this thread, but with each cry for this to start immediately at the cost of ____, and therefore to launch in a much inferior way, I rage to the high heavens.

I have already considered all the ideas suggested thus far - if I had agreed with those suggestions, I would have already done so. I am not going to start a game that will not work, and I am not going to start a game that is not enjoyable - if all you do is die for 2 weeks, then all I have is a collection of gore, not a good RP.

I gave the go-ahead for Ultra Joe to advertise/hype his monster, but I gave no opinion either way on using his monster first - in fact, my opinion was mostly negative, in regards to everyone having to make another sheet.

I appreciate that people want this RP to go ahead, but right now I frankly wish I'd never put it up, as every day I feel nothing but anger towards this RP.

Admittedly, it is my fault - I didn't account for the fact that it would require at least 14 players. I was too busy fixing large holes in gameplay to think about it, really.

Thank you for your suggestions, even if they are unnecessary, but I really do not need them.

 

[Spartan Bannana]

Your standards are much too high Qayin, what you've planned out here is amazing.
I guess what I'm trying to say is: Don't be so hard on yourself.

 

[Revenent]

-this post is dead

 

[The Lyre]

I was not kidding when I said I spent a month working with this RP, trying to make it playable. It is already far from my ideal.

I am not about to change and comprimise with it even more just because a few players can't wait. If you can't even respect my wishes for my own RP, then I can't very well expect you to follow the rules, either.

If you want to play, you're going to have to deal with me being 'stubborn' in something I have heavily comprimised with before even posting it. If you'd tried to give Ultra Joe this crap with his 'baby', Heirarchy, he would have most likely threatened to kick you out.

This is not the holy grail, it is not the second coming of RPs - try to be at least slightly patient, I said at the very beginning that it would be a long while before this started. It is not the end of the world if this takes a while to get started, nor will it kill anyone if it doesn't work out.

 

[Revenent]

What "crap" are we giving you? Last I checked, we were all looking around for people so you could actually get this thing going. An RP is nothing without the players, so threatening to kick people out will hurt you more than it hurts us. You're taking our general impatience way too seriously, as if it were a personal insult. Take it as a compliment. People are excited enough for this that they're giving suggestions instead of just leaving.

That being said, I haven't really seen you compromise anything throughout the thread, but I'm sorry for what you've had to do.

 

[mshcherbatskaya]

Thank you for your suggestions, even if they are unnecessary, but I really do not need them.

Wouldn't it be a good idea to think about what the RPers want instead of just your perfect ideal for the RP? I know it's yours, but all you're going to do is make everyone mad by being stubborn.

Either way, I took down my Hollow Pines character.

While I appreciate you impatience, Revenent, because I'm in the same boat, your tone here is rude. He'd the GM, what he says goes, and players, or would-be players need to accept that. He knows what's going on behind the scenes and what sort of traps he (and I) have planned out, and what the likely mortality rates are for likely situations, and you don't.

What would help:
a.) Finding more players

What does not help:
a.) "Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?"
b.) Questioning the GM's judgement regarding the game.
c.) Giving the GM shit because he's getting sick of a. and b.

 

[Khedive Rex]

Revenant, chill. Qayin knows his RP better than you or I do and if he says we need more people than there really isn't any point arguing.

I'm going to give this some advertisement in the Superpowered RP. Hopefully that should bring a couple more players.

 

[gamebrain89]

Revenant, chill. Qayin knows his RP better than you or I do and if he says we need more people than there really isn't any point arguing.

I'm going to give this some advertisement in the Superpowered RP. Hopefully that should bring a couple more players.

On a different subject, I made my character before I read yours Khedive, while I was at work , but ended up being the same occupation as yours. As yours was up before mine was, I will let you decide. Are you ok with having two cryptozoologists, or do you want me to make a new one and save the current one for another time? Edit, and is Qayin ok with that also?

 

[mshcherbatskaya]

OK, folks, I'm helping Qayin tally up the membership. Part of the problem is that people who said they were in initially then turned around and didn't follow up. This is one of the sad facts of RP: one of the reasons we need so many people is because inevitably, some of the players are going to back out due to whatever personal reasons, or just slack it off and die because they couldn't be bothered to keep up.

So, ROLL CALL!

If you still intend to play, please PM me and if you haven't already posted a character sheet, make sure you do.

Updates

Confirmed:
Bling Cat [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/362.79762?page=2#1051277]
gamebrain89 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/362.79762?page=2#1076505]
Khedive Rex [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/362.79762?page=2#1056965]
Abako [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/362.79762?page=3#1079478]
Spartan Bananna [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/362.79762#1047193]
Fire Daemon [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/362.79762#1049589]
Revenent [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/362.79762#1048037]
berethond [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/362.79762?page=2#1052048]
The Kind Cannibal [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/362.79762?page=2#1078079]
Clairaudient [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/362.79762#1048809]
Higurashi [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/362.79762#1047846]
rogueshadows [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/362.79762#1047895]
Flying-Emu [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/362.79762?page=3#1081574]
linchowlewy [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/362.79762?page=3#1080581]

WE NOW HAVE ENOUGH CONFIRMED PLAYERS!!

 

[Khedive Rex]

On a different subject, I made my character before I read yours Khedive, while I was at work , but ended up being the same occupation as yours. As yours was up before mine was, I will let you decide. Are you ok with having two cryptozoologists, or do you want me to make a new one and save the current one for another time? Edit, and is Qayin ok with that also?

That's fine with me. Actually, I think that could be interesting. Do I smell an alliance in the making ...

So, ROLL CALL!

If you still intend to play, please PM me and Qayin and if you haven't already posted a character sheet, make sure you do.

I'm still in. Gulliver DeLune. Page two.

 

[Abako]

User Name: Abako

Character Name: Corporal James Larsen

Equipment: Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment (MOLLE rucksack used by the marines), Maglight

Background: James has always been facinated with building things since the time he was given his first LEGO set. By age 10 he had built a massive machine out of Erector-Set pieces that was able to bring breakfast into his room when his mother set a tray on it. Needless to say, as he went through high school, he always dreamed of becoming a structural engineer. Seeing as how his grades were excellent for all of his life, when he applied to MIT, he was granted early acceptance. But there was one problem. In James' senior year of highschool, a downturn in the economy had cost James' dad his job. With barely enough money coming in to support the family and keep their mortgage payments met, his parents had no way of sending him to college. Also, due to his family's financial problems, no bank would give him a student loan because his parents would have to co-sign it. With no other place to turn, James enlisted in the military to get money to pay for college. He chose the marines because he knew that not only would he recieve better training to keep him alive, but that a lot of women loved a guy who had been a marine. His plan worked for the most part. After basic training, the marines sent him to college to get a structural engineering degree, but for a slightly different reason. Upon graduation, James was trained as an demolitions specialist because of his knowledge of structures. He has currently spent the last four years of his life in the marines even though his required tour of duty only lasted three year. This is because he has actually grown to enjoy his career as a Combat Engineer. Due to his training, James has basic skill with a pistol and rifle (not as much as a combat marine) and basic self defense training in the form of hand-to-hand combat, both unarmed and with a knife. He also has extensive knowledge of explosives and structural engineering.

Reason for being in location: James is currently on a two-week leave, in order to take a vacation. He is currently staying at the hotel. (will add more to this later)

Additional details: James is fairly physically fit due to 4 years in the Marine Corps. He about six foot, with a shaved head that is common amongst marines.

Sorry for taking so long with this sheet Qayin, I forgot I hadn't posted it yet. Sorry for delaying everyone.

 

[The Lyre]

I am perfectly okay with two cryptozoologists...things.

I am currently 'constructing' your 'map'.

By this, I mean labelled rectangles on paint.

No, I'm not kidding, the idea is that this is either a mental map or one done quickly in a pad as you go from room to room. I wouldn't make it detailed even if I had the ability to do so.

 

[mshcherbatskaya]

So, Abako, your character is an expert in Demolitions, and has firearms, and knife training, but to be clear, he has no access to explosives, nor is he carrying any weapons. You list a backpack - is it empty? I'm assuming he's using it as luggage for his clothes, and not as some sort of trenchcoat transport?