RPHQ July/August Spotlight
/ART SPOLTIGHT
Art by Shoutfinder
Art by Slayersyrena
CHARACTER SPOTLIGHT
Fridolin
SWTOR
What inspired you to create Fridolin?
“To be honest, I had two reasons. I wanted to see the male side of the agent storyline and was eager to have a character which could use a certain bowcaster. I picked Fridolin as name after the character in one of my favourite stories as child, a very lazy cat with a love for raspberry syrup.”
What do you like and dislike about Fridolin?
“Fridolin is quite different from myself. That makes him interesting but also a challenge.”
What is your favorite part of playing Fridolin?
“It is fun to roleplay somebody who has naive streaks while being a deviant. ‘I have experienced hardship - I have been camping.’ ”
What makes Fridolin unique?
“To be honest I do not think that Fridolin is too unique. He has a light mary sue streak by being very wealthy, besides of that he is mainly interested in having fun. The only thing which might make him unique is his fu-manchu. It seems like it isn’t a too popular beard.”
Art by Quartet
What have been your best and worst rp experiences?
“Being the GM of an ERP-Guild sometimes leads to people assuming that we are a brothel in character. Which makes them send me messages to inquire if they can hire somebody for ERP. This is something I feel very uncomfortable with.
On the other hand I am quite glad that playing Fridolin allows me to see a lot of the desires of others and being able to help roleplayers to find what they are looking for. ”
Briefly describe a defining moment in the rp history of this character
“When Fridolin turned 18 he finally was allowed to make use of the wealth of his family. Which means after long years of a very strict upbringing he got to experience what it means to be rich and free.”
BUILDING SPOTLIGHT
Wolf-Born Hall
The Elder Scrolls Online
Builder: Gangyzgirl
Guild: Ebonheart Exchange / Clan Wolf-Born
“I first joined the Ebonheart Exchange in its initial form in January 2015 where I served as an officer for a little over a year until finally taking over as its guild leader.
The Ebonheart Exchange is a merchant trading company that is lead by the patriarch of the minor Hlaalu House Anthyren. Making contacts across Tamriel, the company travels to different guilds and countries to conduct trade and form alliances. Whether its heading out to kill a mammoth for its ivory or diving into the haunting Imperial City Prison for a Titan soul, there is nothing the Exchange will not brave in order to fulfill their writs. The purpose of the guild is that since we are a trading company, we are not limited in whom we can approach to seek out as potential business partners. This benefits in giving us more rp with other guilds.”
“When the new DLC Horns of the Reach came out for ESO, a new Large House became available along with it: Hakkvild’s High Hall. I previewed it and was blown away at the sheer size of the grounds surround it, the amazing sights from the tower as well as the bonus of having my own private crypt. RP in crypts are great for immersion, but other players can sometimes intervene or troll which can be tiresome. This house had undead battle rp, a secret passage into a house for assassin rp and a immersion appearance of a grand Nordic clanhouse.
I knew there was plenty of small one shot rps that could happen, but the house was so impressive I wanted to do something more with it. As it turned out, there is a player in my guild, Royo Wolf-Born, whom has a minor guild for his werewolf clan that had been slowly working on the story of his pack. I have known Royo for years and he’s always had a strong presence for the RP in the Exchange. Hakkvild was the perfect environment in which Royo’s Clanhouse for his pack could be brought to life in a larger than life immersion of how far the Nord had come in claiming territory for his clan.”
“I have been practicing furnishing ever since it became available on the PTS and had a long time to learn how to control and adjust items, learn furnishing plans for items and complete achievements to unlock other unique zone furnishings. It’s fairly simple with the items separated into categories and then into smaller more specific branches so finding the item I want to place is not a chore. You have the freedom to alternate and adjust the position of an item allowing diversity when placing multiples of the same item. With thousands of furnishing items available in the game, it really makes personalizing a house to fit a specific vision very easy.
The most challenging thing about building this, aside from the fact that I started at around one and the morning and continued until a little after six am? I would probably say finding the right items in order to make this Clanhouse stand out as nothing else than that of the Wolf-Born Clan. That meant I was restricted to mostly Nord items in design and there are not many wolf theme furnishings in the game. So, using what I had to make it a Clanhouse belonging to a werewolf pack was a challenge in its distinctiveness.”
“I honestly have to say my favorite part of this build might be tie between the outdoor gathering section and the inner battle sanctum. I love the outdoor spot because it has that large Dragon Shrine Alter where a speaker can give his report and adjacent to it is the Warhorn that actually sounds and can be heard from practically anywhere inside or outside the grounds. I also am very proud of the battle sanctum as it has the feel of an arena as people must observe the fight either from the balcony or the sunken in benches along the wall. The trophy heads lining the railings and wolf statues lining the pillows gives it the feel that a dangerous and powerful clan resides there.”
“The IC story for the Clanhouse goes back to the friendship that my toon Vytalas has with Royo Wolf-Born. These two have known each other for years and both have a deep sense of loyalty to one another. When Royo returned to Vytalas after a period of absence, he mentioned how he was reforming his pack. Vytalas knew that Royo would need a place of his own as the numbers in his pack grew. The Wolf-Born clan needed a good amount of gold which the Hlaalu Lord Vytalas had, thanks to his thriving trading company the Ebonheart Exchange.
As time went by, Vytalas wished to assist his friend and used some of his own wealth in order to finance the construction of the Clanhouse as well as oversee some of the building plans and designs. Both Royo and Vytalas agreed to have the building constructed next to a neighboring Nordic crypt that was settled near a village in the south-eastern portion of Eastmarch. With it now being guarded by the wolves prowling the grounds and the members of the Wolf-Born clan, any dead placed within this crypt are safe from would be grave robbing adventurers.”
Building in Rift
What exactly IS the Abyss Rising?
The Abyss Rising is a ‘second generation’ re-emergence of the former Abyssals in the form of an Order of Monks. Since lore dictates that the Abyssals were a very loose-knit group, each cell is perceivably pursuing its own agenda.
“As much as possible of the Guild lore is based off of existing Rift lore on the late Dragon of Mysteries, Akylios, and the Abyssals devoted to him; albeit a much more reasonable version of the Abyssal Monk, what I call Generation 2: a lot less ‘making skin suits’ and a lot more ‘scholarly pursuit of self-serving agendas’. The Guild’s tone of madness/insanity themes are largely based off of Sheogorath: the Mad God (Elder Scrolls); serious & dangerous but tongue-in-cheek!”
What is the IC Focus / Goal of the Abyss Rising?
Our agenda: we’re hot on the trail of an enormous, legendary magitech vessel, known as Garuda the Sun-Blotter, as old as time itself capable of traversing all manner of Reality and carry its riders to see wonders never before witnessed. Attached to this plot are many, many subplots in the form of our characters’ intertwining stories as well as Guild Arc Antagonists.
“In the first few months I had the website public, I allowed open, rolling recruiting for those who wanted to watch me finish the drywall in the guild’s structure, so to speak. During that time, I had several players join the guild early and sputter out. But when the time came that I got a member who was genuinely engaged and engaging, it was the coolest thing to finally see the story progress.
For all Guilds and GLs, especially if you fly solo like I do (being an introverted hermit), the first few months to a year of a new Guild are really hard… It’s a lot of sitting around online just WAITING for any bites! So when you finally get the First Follower or finally settle into a good core group and everyone gets a chance to mutually progress the stories they’ve been plotting, it’s the best moment.”
Sygiua, guild leader of Abyss Rising
“Two things in particular inspired me to create the story for the Abyss Rising: several tunes by Marilyn Manson and the newest expansion: Prophecy of Ahnket. I thought: “The newest expac is in…space? Heh. I should build a spaceship… What a terrible idea—or is it?” Afterward I essentially hatched the idea to create a scholarly order that is very vocally doing the last thing you might expect of it: it’s an Abyssal Order (that worships the late dragon-god Akylios from the plane of Water)—that wants to go to Space! Which is HUGELY nut-shelling the concept, but you get it.”
“I think what I enjoy most as a writer is Character Creation & Development. Sometimes the best Conflict RP has nothing to do with combat. Generally I write and GM stories where the characters have significant interpersonal issues with one another; full of misunderstandings, lies of omission, betrayal of kinship, unrequited love, tragically flawed characters, personal weakness/vices, and other such tropes. I’ve always been a big fan of darker themes and serious hamartias in my Characters for my RP. I like classy, tasteful, nuanced antagonism that comes unexpectedly, in the form of ‘tenuous friends’ and ‘loveable foes’—or of course, brutal enemies with personal vendettas.”
“My aim in creating the guild is to offer other Players an opportunity to have their Characters ‘forced to face their worst fears’ and otherwise occasionally ‘character breaking’ situations —and then seeing how they react and inevitably have to survive (mostly) what we put them through. In the end, the characters develop deeply in ways only IC hardship can grant. It’s fun to look back and see how they’ve grown beyond their kill count.”
RP NEWS SPOTLIGHT
Recently rebooted MMO Secret World Legends is getting a TV series
"It’s Cthulhu meets the Illuminati"
“Pam Veasey of CSI: NY and CSI: Cyber will serve as showrunner and producer. James V. Hart, screenwriter of Hook and Contact, wrote the pilot along with Jake Hart. Producer Gudrun Giddings of G4C Innovation, along with Sam Sarkar, optioned the media rights for The Secret World upon its launch in 2012. The show will also be produced by Johnny Depp and Christi Dembrowski’s company, Infinitum Nihil.”
“When black markets develop on the sidelines of most massively multiplayer online role-playing games, most developers would panic. But with today’s rise of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, a growing group of game-makers are embracing some gamers’ tendency to turn in-game currency into real-world money.”
“Role-playing games like “Dungeons and Dragons” have risen in popularity in recent years, even being featured on hit shows like Netflix’s “Stranger Things.” But a Tampa Bay area mental health therapist is putting a new spin on it.”
“One of the main ways the game industry continues to be fresh is through the creation of new IPs. Rather than making sequels to old games or taking a world already established in other media, these nascent creations allow for a unique experience to be crafted from the ground up. In some cases, taking a world that exists in written form and turning that text into a visual, interactive experience can be a blend of both approaches. Such is the case for the World of Darkness IP, chiefly a tabletop series of supernatural, Gothic-atmosphere campaigns licensed by White Wolf Gaming Studio, which entered into partnership with video game publisher Paradox Interactive in October 2015 while retaining the rights to license its titles to other companies. With Vampire: The Masquerade and Hunter: The Reckoning having already seen video game iterations, the new titles will start with Werewolf: The Apocalypse before branching into other monsters. This partnership offers an enticing prospect for a world beloved by tabletop and live-action role-players alike to resonate with gamers on console or PC.”
“In an interview with South Korean media Gamemeca, Jeehyun Hwang, director at Pearl Abyss, said no mobile MMORPG actually succeeded in the western market before, and he hoped Black Desert Mobile would be the first one. He confirmed that auto-battle will be in BDO Mobile “because of the nature of mobile gaming”, but players can choose between auto fighting and the authentic action non-targeting combat.”
“Crusaders of Light is a WoW-Like Mobile MMORPG that boast amazing graphics, open game world, challenging PvE system, Dungeons, PvP system, Guild System and all the essentials of an excellent MMO.”
“LINEAGE 2 REVOLUTION is the Mobile version of the popular MMORPG with the same name. The game uses 3D Graphics with an isometric view with tab targeting system. If you are familiar with DIABLO game and MU then you should also be familiar with this game. Finally the English version of the popular game in Korea and one of the most anticipated mobile mmorpg game is here!”
RP ADVICE SPOTLIGHT
“But games have moved beyond that wargaming model. Even Dungeons and Dragons, the champion of goblin killing and loot gaining, now has sections in its rules about how to craft a story. With that paradigm shift, it’s vital to treat your players as partners in this collective storytelling experience. You don’t need to ask in advance before every plot reveal, but you should be in constant communication so you know how your story is being received and when you need to make changes.”
RP COMMUNITIES SPOTLIGHT
- TABLETOP
REVIEW | GALAXY OF PEN AND PAPER
Space the final frontier, these are the voyages of some geeks and their GM.
“I have roleplayed for two decades of my life. I have been a Super-Hero, Jedi, Elf, Orc, you name it and I’ve been it. There truly is nothing quite like having a group of pals, some dice, and way too much time on your hands. Unfortunately, as you grow up that changes, you have less time than you had. Buddies move or get married and have kids, life happens. If you find yourself looking for some of the humor and charm of roleplaying but can’t actually roleplay then Behold Studios has you covered. Galaxy of Pen and Paper is our campaign today and its packed full of charm, pop-culture references, and plenty of geeky dialogue.”
The best tabletop RPGs of 2017
7th Sea: Second Edition Core Rulebook
“7th Sea is a tabletop RPG of swashbuckling and intrigue, exploration and adventure, taking place on the continent of Theah, a land of magic and mystery inspired by our own Europe. Players take the roles of heroes thrown into global conspiracies and sinister plots, exploring ancient ruins of a race long vanished and protecting the rightful kings and queens of Theah from murderous villains.”
“Visit a world not our own, but strangely familiar—a world of heroes and villains, of wonders and dangers, and limitless adventure! The Atlas of Earth-Prime is a trip around the world of the Freedom City and Emerald City settings for the Mutants & Masterminds RPG. Your heroes can explore the sites and perils of all seven continents, as well as fabled Atlantis, the Lost World, and the strange realms of Sub-Terra that lie at the center of the earth.”
“Bubblegumshoe looks like the perfect system in which to play out your very favorite vintage Judy Blume and/or modern Archie fan fiction. Best of all, it’s based on the rock-solid foundation of the Gumshoe System, which was created in 2007 by Robin Laws and now exists in an open-source format.
The world is full of mysteries. It’s up to your group of intrepid teen sleuths to solve them. In Bubblegumshoe, players step into the shoes of high-schoolers solving mysteries in a modern American small town. Discover clues, solve problems, and throw down with enemies in this streamlined RPG based on the Gumshoe System.”
“The latest, entry-level product in the Call of Cthulhu tabletop RPG, which was first released in 1981. It includes five new scenarios as well as ten “diverse and ready to play investigators. If you can’t tell your fhtagn from your mglw’nafh this sounds like a fabulous place to start.”
“This post-apocalyptic RPG is a big deal in Europe. It posits a world where humanity has been driven from the land into the sea. As the tagline in the trailer above puts it, “Humankind was born in the seas, and is now coming back here to die.” This English adaptation of a game is the product of a successful Kickstarter campaign from April last year. ”
““Simon Stålenhag’s artwork is well-known for its blending of 1980s suburbia with the fantastic,” wrote The Verge. “Giant robots roam the empty countrysides of Sweden, while sleek buildings loom in the distance. It’s the perfect environment in which to channel something like Stranger Things, and a new role-playing game utilizing Stålenhag’s art will let you reenact your own version of the Netflix show.”
“TimeWatch puts players in the high-tech boots of a rogues gallery of time-travelling secret agents. Think Legends of Tomorrow meets Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure and you’ve only just begun to scratch the surface. The best part is just how quick and easy it is to get players performing at the table. The system is light and virtually melts away in motion. ”
“The spiritual successor to Planescape: Torment, the computer game called Torment: Tides of Numenera was successfully funded on Kickstarter in 2013 to the tune of nearly $4.19 million. If you read Polygon’s review, you know that the final product — which was released earlier this year — came out just fine. The Explorer’s Guide is the player’s guide to the tabletop incarnation of the Ninth World, the setting created by Monte Cook.”
“Earth itself has become an alien landscape where the people, cultures, technologies and madness of countless alien worlds and realities collide with our own. ... [The] setting is one of contradiction and juxtaposition. It is an environment that is simultaneously familiar and alien, wondrous and horrifying, good and evil. It is an adventure setting where the magical, supernatural and alien may come to you, or you may find them.”
“This is a new sourcebook for the Lamentations of the Flame Princess (LotFP) system, which you may not have heard of before. It’s a weird fantasy setting ‘born out of love for underground heavy metal, horror literature and film, and in fact all things strange and macabre.’ ”
- MMORPG/CRPG
Lost Ark
“Lost Ark is an upcoming MMORPG that combines the fast paced gameplay found in action RPGs like Diablo 3 with the sense of discovery and immersion found in open world MMORPGs. The game will feature both open world environments and instanced raids like those found in Vindictus. Players will even be able to discover unique islands in Lost Ark as they explore the World Map abroad their own ships. Lost Ark has some similarities to Lineage Eternal, another upcoming Korean MMORPG, but seems to offer a wider range of features.”
“Lost Ark Key Features:
-Set Sail for Adventure – explore the world on your own Ark to discover unique areas or hunt for treasure!
-Multiple Classes – seven classes revealed thus far with up to eighteen in total awaiting release.
-Raid Bosses and Cinematic Dungeons – team up to defeat powerful bosses on interactive battlegrounds.
-The Colosseum – challenge other players to combat in 1v1 or 3v3 PvP matches.
-Tripod Skill System – mix different skill elements to perform different variants of the same base skills.
-Mini Games – take a break at the local tavern and challenge players to a monster card game or keg drinking contest.
-Live Your Life – mine, fish, dig for artifacts, chop trees, and practice other life skills to collect valuable resources.
-Island Ownership – conquer and manage your own island as you see fit.”
“For decades, a Pokemon game where players can catch and train monsters, together and online, has been a distant fantasy for fans around the world. The camaraderie and competition so integral to the Pokemon story — the tale of a young hopeful going out into the world to make friends and self-actualise — has always felt a little lacking in Pokemon blockbuster single-player games. So, imagine: A free Pokemon game, accessible on PC, Mac, iOS, Android and Xbox, where you can do everything you do in an official Nintendo game, but with your friends.”
Secret World Legends
Ragnarok Restart
“Ragnarok Restart is the latest progressive server from iRO’s, trying to bring some old 2013 nostalgia feelings with a fast-paced fantasy MMORPG.
Developers also promised that each month, Ragnarok Restart will get a new update or an expansion, unlocking additional content and moving towards Ragnarok Online.”
Wild West Online
"Wild West Online: A Great Deadly Sandbox In The Dusty West"
“They want WWO to be “a place for people to role-play in the towns, prospect for gold, build a homestead. [We’re] trying to find that balance between the PvP players and the role-playing/PvE type of stuff, resource gathering, exploration, building, etc.””
Fortnite
Flight Sim X
“Flight Sim X is a dry game. You fly the planes, you land the planes. That’s pretty much it.
But some people found a way to spice their game up with a little role-playing.
See, here’s the thing: you can do more than be a pilot in Flight Sim X. There’s also the option of taking on the high-stress responsibilities of an air traffic controller in an odd, uniquely Flight Sim form of cooperative gaming.
Those factors set the stage for this wonderful online encounter, in which YouTuber Airforceproud95 — a highly competent virtual pilot and, by all appearances, an eternally patient man — deals with some... apathetic air traffic controllers (or ATCs).”
Sid Rubin is on a field trip at a police station when she sees photos of a murder victim, noticing something that even the detectives didn’t—a steampunk costume that indicates the woman had been participating in a LARP event when she was killed. What’s a LARP you say? Live action role playing, except this woman had clearly been playing in a most unusual game. Sid and her friends are pulled into the investigation to help find the LARP where the murder happened and quickly find themselves down the rabbit hole of the dark web.
Blood Moon University invites all horror, fantasy, and fans of things that go bump in the night to attend the school’s UnDead Prom and Murder Mystery Halloween party. The event is a 4-hour long, fully immersive Live Action Role Play (LARP) event suitable for longtime enthusiasts as well as newcomers to the community.
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