RPHQ April 2016 Spotlight
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Black Desert Art
“Hello everyone! Here we are, all gathered, brooding over the end of the week, waiting patiently for BDO to be released... some finding other stuff to procrastinate on, some crying of boredom, some playing Minecraft, some... arting! That’s right, art! I’m opening this thread because I’m expecting to draw a lot out of this game, full of juicy stories, characters and environments, just like I did once with GW2. I can’t wait really. This artcove is for all the works to come, all the adventures.”
ARTICLE SPOTLIGHT
“Housing is one of the main features in Black Desert. It’s a very important object for all crafters and merchants. Different crafting professions require different equipment and workbenches. It’s possible to access public workbenches, but you will have to pay every time you craft there. Serious crafters can place these workbenches in their own houses and use anytime.”
CHARACTER SPOTLIGHT
Dimadrios “Rio” Taurnil a.k.a. Purple Crocus, Rift
What inspired you to make this character?
“Essentially, Rio is the apogee of my desire to entertain (read: torment) my guild mates. What happens when the new boss turns out to be equal parts coquettishly flirtatious and fashion-obsessed cross-dresser?
Some of the things/people/characters that inspired the flair of Rio as a character were, in no particular order: the jazz-handed wackiness of Jack from Will & Grace, the presence of the rock god Freddie Mercury, the style/palette/facial appearance of total Top drag queen Detox Icunt, the zaniness of Shore Leave from the Venture Bros., the delicious baritone of Tim Curry, the cunning of Winston Wolf from Pulp Fiction, and a whole heap of Patsy from Absolutely Fabulous—sweetie, sweetie darling!”
“Cochise by Audioslave has always been the real theme song for Rio, because he’s a sassy cat with a penchant for decadence. This song really encapsulates the attitude he has with its lyrics and serves to show the side of him that is rarely seen.
Boy is a Bottom has to be Rio’s general anthem because he’s a total top despite the drag and his small stature. TMI? Thaaaat’s Rio!”
Likes and Dislikes?
“What I like about Rio: There’s a lot to learn about the character and it’s not easy to discover. Much of his backstory has never been told in RP. He’s an interesting character to write stories around and an exercise for me as I prefer quiet, serious characters. He thrives on awkward social interactions and innuendos.
What I don’t like about Rio: I made Rio a non-canon lore character. And it’s not that I don’t like it, it’s just not my usual style. This was because I have been playing Rift since closed beta and honestly, I was at a loss for something new to try. Also, at the time I had two Nalthema Kelari characters in the guild—which according to lore, means they can’t make connections or pacts with Spirits and that they actually cause spirits discomfort. So I thought, wouldn’t it be cool to make a character look like an elf but actually be a spirit masquerading as a human? So I sort of made up a type of spirit loosely-based on my miniscule understanding of genetic evolution and pre-existing concepts of meta-human lore. ”
Brodas Fernbrook, ESO
Art of Brodas Fernbrook by Oak FG
“Brodas is a 23-year-old Bosmer from Valenwood. He is an experienced mage of great talent and cunning, yet a young man of simple pleasures. He is timid and loyal, yet slow to trust and a quick neurotic mess towards strangers. He has the misfortune of having a mouth that runs quicker than his brain, thus leaving him to many embarrassing choice of words. He has a love for clever wordplay, but also possesses an immature sense of humor. He is terribly nosy and curious, often going out of his way that sparks interest or suspicion. He has a strange hobby of studying and collecting insects.”
What was your motivation for making this character?
“Characters I have played in the past usually came from a place of wanting to fulfill some sort of power fantasy I wouldn’t readily experience in real life. My first character was a charming knight who won the love and respect of many; the latter was a positive, happy-go-lucky bard who had no shame in how he carried himself.
Brodas was originally meant to serve that same sort of fantasy. He was meant to be a skilled warrior with a snarky attitude. When I actually started playing as him, he became someone completely different. He became a self-deprecating parody of myself. I have trouble expressing myself and I have this constant fear of sounding stupid, unfunny or boring. That aspect of myself reflects onto Brodas’ tendency to fret and fuss over how he approaches conversations with other people. He ends up stammering, backpedalling and struggling to make coherent sentences.”
Polymorphius has chosen 'Elven Mist' as Brodas' theme song for it's mixe of feeling, magic, and curiosity, and it's undertone of wariness and fear.
What kinds of adventures has Brodas experienced through your roleplay with him?
“He wanted to have his research on Green Pact-friendly alternatives to alchemy to be funded by working as a field alchemist for the pro-Dominion paramilitary organization known as The Emerald Empire ... He quickly lost his way when he was drafted as one of the Emerald Empire’s soldiers. In his service as a soldier, he had done many things he did not dare to speak of. As his military career went on, he and his comrades suffered a crushing defeat from a powerful criminal organization known as ‘The Circle’. Many of the Emerald Empire were hunted down and scattered.
Brodas Fernbrook fled to the Ravensmere Inn ... the inn was filled with dangerous outlaws, Covenant and Pact turncoats and people afflicted with lycanthropy and vampirism. Brodas had nowhere else to go and feared the wrath of the Circle. Several months would pass over the dark inn, before it soon encountered its most powerful and sinister foe: Vaermina and her servants of fear and terror.”
Why do you like playing this character?
“This may sound a little mean, but I take joy in watching Brodas suffer as he tries to communicate with other people. Whenever he is in a social pickle I have to make sure I know what I want him to say, but be haphazard in how I have him say it. Sometimes the jokes write themselves, but I sometimes edit it midway for better comedic timing. It is funny and a good mix of cringe, because i know exactly where he is coming from.
As far as rp combat is concerned, I find the most fun rp fights to be based on wit and resourcefulness. Brodas is physically weak, but he has an eye for the environment to use as his weapon, with the extra help from his environment-altering spells.”
You can see Brodas' full character profile here!
MUSIC SPOTLIGHT
RP ADVICE SPOTLIGHT
RP Advice from Yengne, the player of Rio from our character spotlight this month:
“ It can’t be said enough: remember OOC communication is key. If you feel confused, ignored, shy, intimated, slighted—send a /tell and glean some clarification! It’s most helpful when you want to approach someone, but don’t know if you should or how to. Or even for when you’re in a crowded place RPing and aren’t sure if the person is a slow typist or didn’t see your emote. Communication is how we build community! ”
RP COMMUNITIES SPOTLIGHT
RPHQ Discord Server! Follow this link to gain access to the server
“I choose to assume that at least some of you are aware of what Discord is, and for those who don’t.. Well it is pretty much a VoIP akin to your Teamspeaks, Ventrilos, and Mumbles, although existing as both a program or can be kept in the browser.
Also has better text chat options, offering the ability to set up several independent text and voice channels on a single server. Not to mention pretty darn good TTS support allowing those who do not wish to speak themselves, to still participate in an active discussion.
If you don’t already have an account, you will have to set one up in order to use Discord, but when made by using the above link, you’ll get access to the server once you’re done, without having to do anything else. ”
LARP
Each world stretched across vast millennia of time. Each played host to a race whose civilizations rose to supremacy but eventually died or scattered, disappeared or transcended. During the time each world flourished, those that ruled it spoke to the stars, reengineered their physical bodies, and mastered form and essence, all in their own unique ways.
Each left behind remnants.
The people of the new world—the Ninth World—sometimes call these remnants magic, and who are we to say they’re wrong? But most give a unique name to the legacies of the nigh-unimaginable past. They call them…
Set in a far, far distant future, the Numenera RPG puts a new spin on traditional fantasy, creating something unique to reinvigorate the imagination of gamers everywhere. Player characters explore a world of mystery and danger to find leftover artifacts of the past: bits of nanotechnology, the datasphere threaded among still-orbiting satellites, bio-engineered creatures, and myriad strange and wondrous devices that defy understanding. Numenera is about discovering the wonders of the worlds that came before, not for their own sake, but as the means to improve the present and build a future.
With streamlined, intuitive rules, Numenera allows players to create characters in minutes, emphasizes imagination and narrative, and features an elegant, flexible, and powerful rules set. Numenera is the latest creation of one of the biggest names in roleplaying games, award-winning designer and fan-favorite Monte Cook.
MMORPG
Is there Roleplay in Dark Souls 3?
Hear our own Nicholas Transue in a special edition of Dark Souls Lore Implications!
“A special episode of Dark Souls lore, well what we were able to piece together through various pieces given throughout the games. This episode focuses on the first two games and ends with hopes that the third will answer some questions for us. Have you been awaiting the release of this game? If you have been perhaps this will heighten the antici...pation a bit more!”
LotRO Roleplay
For the complete guide to role play, immersion, and the lore of LotRO, click here
Crusadecraft
Crusadecraft is a historical minecraft roleplay server aimed at creating a realistic medieval society set in 11tht century Sicily.
The Two Dogs Cartel Guild on Rift
“Two Dogs Cartel has always persisted as the story of a few people just trying to eke out an existence in Telara by selling and shipping lotus dust on the sly. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to play with some of the best writers and weavers of web I’ve seen in all my MMO RPing. We encountered Saega Windflare; the serious, often aggressive warrior who became the first member of Two Dogs. Not long after, the reserved, unassuming Ambiehelos Flickerwick, known ‘affectionately’ as King, joined us.
Between the three of us, and many others along the way, we’ve woven a deep intra-guild plotline focused on character development through in-house antagonism. Which doesn’t mean random arguments and grumpy characters fighting all the time. We create characters that play off of one another’s strengths and weaknesses or that create a whole new dynamic for everyone to adapt or react to. For us it’s all about contriving new, terrible ways to introduce your characters to their worst fears and strange circumstances. Which is to say, we do create personal villains and antagonists for long and short term rivalry, revenge, and other assorted mayhem. It’s not necessarily a playstyle for everybody, but we enjoy it.
The guild has collectively ventured across the high seas, tumbled into planar tears, stepped through magitech portals to parts unknown, been abducted and trapped in hellish prisons, and experienced loss and suffering as well as great triumph and growth. We all enjoy making antagonists for the situation or for long term plotlines.
We’re planning on launching a new round of rivals soon in the form of an NPC guild posing as a rival Cartel bent on personally dismantling Two Dogs, led by an elusive fellow and his elite commandos. The original Den of Iniquity burned down and no one is sure exactly what happened. Not to mention the legal troubles plaguing several of the Cartel’s oldest members which is prompting the installation of a new cartel Kingpin. At this point, you can count on at least monthly appearances from us at the Den of Iniquity. If you want to volunteer for a performance or host your own party at the Den, contact me!”
The Den of Iniquity, a dimension built by the Two Dogs Cartel guild on Rift and used for server-wide events.
ARCHITECT SPOTLIGHT
Black Desert Player Housing
“There is no building system in Black Desert. Players can’t build their own houses. Everything is built and is waiting for players to come. The game offers several thousands of different placements a player can rent. If you rent a house you have to pay special fee every week.
Your house is not just a place for crafting stations and NPCs. When you purchase a house it is empty and you can place a lot of different furniture there. You can decorate it to make it beautiful. It’s possible to place different cupboards, tables, carpets and other objects. There is special interface which allows you to add furniture.”
RPHQ's UPCOMING CONTENT
RPHQ Meeting - On May 19th at 9pm EDT we will be meeting to discuss what we'll be doing next with the site and how everyone can best use their talents to contribute. If you're interested in sharing your original content with the site or helping us turn this into the central hub for RP on the internet, message TheHumanFloyd at thehumanfloyd@gmail.com and let him know you want to be part of the RPHQ team!
Season Finale, Rock'n'Roleplay - The podcast will be taking a hiatus over the summer but first we want to talk about transitions and story arcs in RP. When is it a good time to end your character's story? Or change it? When (if ever) is it a good idea to kill off your RP character? All of this and more great music!
Guest Blogs - If you want to submit an article be sure to message Floyd or post here:http://rphq.enjin.com/forum/m/35146228/viewthread/25652480-rphq-open-projectspositions
RP Communities and Resources Database - We're still working on getting the database up but if you have any suggestions for content please let us know.
RPHQ's PREVIOUS CONTENT
White Falls Rock'n'Roleplay: The grande finale of Taage's White Falls RP campaign is at hand. Find out what the heck is going on in the cursed little town and join in on the OOC discussion on what makes a good RP setting with Ma1function, Dyna and Floyd.
https://rphq.squarespace.com/rocknroleplay/2016/4/9/white-falls-rocknroleplay
Lore Implications - Warhammer Lore: Mycroft and Pooch take us on a journey through various times, places, and figures of Warhammer lore! Get ready for a heavy dose of knowledge to be gifted from them, to your ear, and hopefully right to your brain!
https://rphq.squarespace.com/lore-implications/2016/4/3/lore-implications-warhammer
Lore Implications - Dark Souls 3: A special episode of Dark Souls lore, well what we were able to piece together through various pieces given throughout the games. This episode focuses on the first two games and ends with hopes that the third will answer some questions for us. Have you been awaiting the release of this game? If you have been perhaps this will heighten the antici...pation a bit more!
https://rphq.squarespace.com/lore-implications/2016/4/11/dark-souls-3
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