Scraps, misc and etc.

What is this?
Think of it as the proving grounds for ideas. In order not to muck up a collaborative process I am creating this page in the hopes of keeping things running smoothly and that everyone is on the same page, and not undoing, or redoing work already done.

How should this be used?
As far as I know thus far noclafyrG/Edward is the 'boss man'. This is his brain child so I'm treating this as a place for concesus and approval by noclafyrG unless/until he deems a different process for contributions. This page is a test more than anything, it will change and come into its own as the situations dictate.

Current rules govering the proper usage of this article

 * If it's a change to an existing page that is more than 3 sentences in length, and/or the change is not to correct typoes/grammatical errors/provide clarification of a small detail, post your contributions here.


 * If you have a proposition for which an exisiting page does not (seem to) fit, and you have more than 10 sentences on it, make a new page, otherwise post here.


 * When in any kind of doubt, also post here.


 * Do not, under any circumstance, delete, edit, or otherwise distort the representation of someone else's idea here. If you don't have the consent of the poster themself, you are breaking this rule.


 * To keep things consistent, start each new cohesive idea/suggestion/etc with its own relevant title formatted with heading 3 in the appropiate section below, seperate cohesive parts with a return carriage (press enter once after you finish up your thought ;)) If you want, id your own postings, though it's not necessary.


 * For short snippets of ideas, group them together as it makes sense and start the heading of them with [snip]. If you have a lot of short and unrelated snippets to share you can claim a space and put all your snippets in it. Be sure to seperate the end of them with a return carriage as you would with longer ideas.


 * The rules presented here only apply in governing the usage of this article and may change as deemed within the boundaries of currently existing rules (ie concensus is currently a rule to make a change here, but if that rule is done away with by a concensus and within the other existing rules, new boundaries will have been set.)


 * Furthermore, all the rules laid out in the rules section govern all aspects of Idilean and supercede any contradictory proceedings elsewhere, this article is no exception. That being said, don't be a dick and we will all have a good time.

First things first
This page should not be used for actively discussing the ideas, questions, and comments presented, I'm going to say the ooc room on irc (not posting the one in case there's a better form of contact) should be used for talk of what is presented here. In depth discussion between two parties (or with yourself for the smart alecs on board :P) should be removed if it occurs on this page.

On forms of Magic in Idilean
The idea of magic has it's place in ways in any setting. However it's the very ungrounded, sky's the limit nature of the term that poses some problems in particular settings. I'm going to give a take on what a 'caster' in Idilean is, and what it is not.

Unless I'm mistaken, currently it is described as the rarest of talented individuals who are able to employ things that could be described as magical. I'm not sure the rareness is emphasized enough. For someone to be a caster and not to be constantly hunted down by governments seeking to abuse the potetial they see, or actually used by said governments, said government would need a caster in a high, if not the highest position to have any success in finding or truly abusing a true caster. Said caster would also have to be at, or above any target caster's ability

Casters are not gods, and they aren't impervious to everything. They are also incredibly rare. To truly be a caster one would be aware of the implications of such abilities, and take to very covert, and small actions to not draw attention to themselves.

If you cannot give reasonably detailed, and not pulled out of you know what bs explainations for any action you are asked for clarification on beyond the most basic actions, you do not understand what it means to play the role of a caster in Idilean. If you tend to act first with little thought to consequences, you probably should not play the role of any magic user.

If you take to arguing about any action, and cannot provide a logical explaination to support your actions in a way deemed reasonable by mods/admin/gm/dm what have you, you will not be approved for such a role. Approval alone isn't a safety net, if it's noted you're changing plans thinking you've done all you needed to fool everyone, you will be under close scrutiny. If you start to do anything deemed unreasonable by those approved to take decisive administrative action, you will recieve a warning. If the warning isn't enough, you will be taken aside to have a chat with, but we don't and won't play mind games with any player.

Simply put, if you can't be responsible for any of your actions, and have little expectations as such, you aren't 'magic user' material for Idilean. Magic users are not the in character police, nor are they a 'gm's puppet'. They are a character played with the same expectations and rules that govern all players. Any kind of 'magic' does not give the ability to break in character and out of character seperation. If you want to 'God Mod' take it elsewhere, you will not fit in here. At the same time do not hesistate to mention if you have any problems with any player for awny reason, so long as you are civil about it and mention it in private. Admins/mods might be running the show to ensure things stay orderly, but they aren't perfect, and won't see everything. On the other hand, abuse in the form of spamming, or trying to achieve some personal agenda will result in the appropiate administrative action layed out in the rules.

If you do have genuine interest in playing a 'magic user' do not hesitate to discuss the idea with the admins/mods. Not everyone is a skilled writer or the best at conveying ideas, this is largely the reason for the current 3 classifications of magic users. If you want to have some kind of 'magic' ability or skills, we can work out which would work for you, otherwise we'll make suggestions to similar 'non magical' character concepts.

Also, until more is fleshed out about Idilean, I would suggest thinking up 'mundane', ie typical, "normal" character concepts and how they might fit in with the setting. At the moment of writing we have more on magic and its limitations in Idilean, than any other kind of job/class/profession, or even race if we wish to mix things up a bit. There is a reason for this, and if you can't see why, start thinking up non 'magic' character concepts.

What Steampunk is, and What Steampunk is Not
Being the creation of the collective imaginations of like minded indivduals, it's not hard to imagine how people mix it up with similar, but collectively understood to be unique ideas. This is true of anything that fits under the umbrella of the oh so broad and general concept of the word fantasy. I'm going to present my take on what can be considered within understood boundaries of a steampunk setting, and things that don't necessarily fit. I believe too many write it off thinking it's something it is not, with others getting into arguments having radically different expectations of steampunk.

First you should be familar with the very similar, but distinct Cyberpunk. Both are 'punk' in the idea that a punk is a rebel, or a radical deviation from the 'norm' or even reality (Think of the pink and green mohawk, tattooed and motorcycle riding 'punks' from 80s pop culture in the United States. The coniciding of rapid advances in technology along with the rudimentary ground work of computer connectivity, and ideas of virtual reality have had a large impact in cementing some erronious ideas of what Cyberpunk is in of itself)

The word Cyber is meant as it is used in the word 'cyberspace', the idea being there exists or can exist another dimension that links everyone and everything in some uiniversal way. However there are endless takes to this, but generally they involve ideas in science fiction, usually derived in part of current known 'science fact' with a bit of creativity to bring everything together.

Now back to steampunk, with the above understanding of what cyber brings to cyberpunk, we can apply the same logic here. The core of any steampunk fantasy world is harnassing the power of steam to make advances in technology, even over 'magic'. Since steam powered inventions and discoveries are quintessential to what we call the Victorian era, it is easy to use as a basis for understanding steampunk. Much like how using ideas of science fiction based on science fact are the easiest 'foot in the door' to understanding what cyberpunk is about.

The problem here is the same of what I described above with 80s pop culture and various advances of technology near the birthing of cyberpunk ideas. You have to think of it as an alternate dimension where harnassing the power of steam lead to all the rest of the advancements, and to far more amazing things than we know in our own world currently. With time, the technology would have drastically changed from what we know of it, and along with it, knowledge, people, governments, even fashions ;). One of the most beloved ideas of fans of steampunk is the idea of steam powered golems, or in more modern terms, mechs. However, things don't stop there. Imagine steam technology comming to do all the things electricity and technology as we know it today, and even more. Some even see it as a rediscovering of lost knowledge and technology through the power of steam. That, if I am not mistaken, is the essense of steampunk.

Of Races, Class/Job/Architypes, and General Character Concepts
No matter if you've been playing role playing games since the days well before the internet in a college dorm with friends, or just now curious and largely new to irc, we plan to make Idilean an inviting and interesting place for all. It doesn't matter how much or how varied of experience you might have; when it comes to role playing games largely of the imagination of the players, there is no set right or wrong way to doing things. The most important trait in this regard is flexibility, that and/or simply knowing what you enjoy in a RPG and being able to say your goodbyes if it just isn't going to work out.

'''In any RPG, as the name suggests, you are playing a role in a game (ie a fantasy place for fun). Idilean, like most RPGs, assumes the role you play as a character/characters of your own (within approved boundaries) design.'''

This is because it is the characters, and not the setting, environment, or given boundaries that make a story. All the rest serve to get the 'creative juices' flowing and set a mood for the characters you make to come to life in a world of their own. If our planet was always barren of all life, it wouldn't have much much of a story would it? Without characters to enteract and make sense of any environment it could very well not exist at all. If aliens came upon a barren planet, the story starts upon their arrival.

Now that we understand the importance characters have in any story, (I'm going to assume we do at least :P) we can get to the topic at hand, what makes any character what it is? It is the creator(you, the player) of any character that makes them what they are.

For some players this process comes quite naturally, however most(nearly all) come to relate with it so much more with practice and experience. While no one has the exact same idea of what makes a "great" character from a "poor" character, in any RP group a general concensus has to be met by all the players alike. Part of the fun figuring this out is trial and error. So if you've had a bad experience the few times you tried a ffrp (free form role play), and always the best with a sound and well fleshed out set of rules (dice, stats sheets, game flow, etc) don't just assume what you've found to work is the best for you. More often than not, it's the "system" we first get acquainted with other players that we overadapt to. If it's the characters that make a story, it's the players that make for a fun time.

To this end, I've thought up some exercises to aid the character concept creation process. No matter what your experience, check it out. You never know what and where you might learn something.

So first off, forget anything and everything you know or have experienced with anything not observable in some concrete physical manifestation by the majority in the world we share together (ie, reality). You don't have to forget, so much as suspend any knowledge and experience of creative, imaginative, and subjective matters for the purposes of this exercise.

Now turn on your imagination (or think in your mind, whatever works) Put an exact copy of the types of people you know, and how they behave, talk, act, etc in interactions with yourself and/or others. Don't put anything else, just pretend everything but people faded away from the world, but no one notices and it has no impact on the daily lives of everyone.

Next, of any of these types of people, however you have imagined them here as you see them in reality, which is the closest to a 'type' of person you would like to be? Count yourself as well ;). Take this 'type' and think if you can change anything about it(and not in a physical sense) what would you want?

Time for some examples. First some more superficial ones. Say your desire is to be pretty/charming/alluring etc. Think of a few different ways this could be achieved. You could achieve it by a percieved phyical beauty by others, or it could be just as effective by way of words, persuasion, wit, charm etc. Pick whichever of these makes the most sense to you. Now ask youself, why you would want this, and what do you plan to do with such an ability. Is it simply to be liked by those you consider peers, maybe for a type of leadership role, the ability to persuade and have people come to a common ground and see things your way. The deeper you think into the intentions and desires of any character concept and the more questions you ask yourself to more interesting and 'real' a concept will become. The more you flesh out the concept of what makes a character you wouldn't just 'play as' but would genuinely love to be if given the chance to try it out.

However, this is a double edged sowrd. If you think too much and get into specifics you will come across many pitfalls. I am reminded of a phrase used by a literature teachure of mine in school pertaining to the process of writing. "Think of it like a girls skirt. Make things long enough to cover everything, but short enough to keep things interesting." Sexist thoughts aside (the teacher was a she for the record and she got a point across without anything 'dirty' crossing my mind.), this is very true of any creative thinking pursuit. If you flesh out too many details, it starts to become a labor of love. You fall in love with a character, writing extensive and detailed novels about the characters history. The problem with this is you tend to set up unrealistic expectations for the future of this character in a new unknown world, that is not of your own creation. This can lead to bitterness and unecessary conflict between you and the other players (key word there, players, not player characters) when expectations for your character are not met by others.

So where so you start and stop with an idea? Imagine being "born" as an adult with no knowledge of the world you are thrust into. Think of others being just as varied and true to many of the people you know in real life, and everything your character knows at this point is experience with different types of people. After that let your character come into his and/or her own with further interactions shaping this "Child" into an adult in the new world around them.

Think of races in Idilean as we think of 'different races' in the entire human race. There are observed physical, even mental characteristics between all humans. However, think of it in terms of how much environmental factors (climate, culture, and meeting with new people) effects these trends in characteristics. You don't have to agree with specifics on this, it is simply used to illustrate a point. Today many 'races' were once considered seperate and different groups. The irish english, scottish, celts, jewish, and generally people who have settled and lived in western europe for long enough to have a pale complexion, for example, are largely considered one as one race of whites or "anglo saxons" in certain parts of the world (mostly in more modern times in the 'cultural melting pot of the world' aka the USA) others still hold these and many more distinctions. The intentions of thise aren't necessarily good or bad, sometimes it makes sense for the well being of any given groups for the time and area. (ignorance, making one superior to others they would be appalled to be considered the same 'race' as, are reasons just as well as advances in medicine and health where such distinctions in terms of genetic makeup can lead to breakthroughs in improving and even saving lives).

In other words, if such distinctions are essential to a character's concept, there can be distinctions in races. Otherwise for now we assume all characters in Idilean are of the same race, for now I'm calling them Idileans (ala earthlings).

Character Concept Exercise
Step 1

Pick three personality traits your character wouild most definately have, preferably compatable ones that can fairly easily be tied together and not covering all ranges of traits (and as much as you might like, no one is superman; green kryptonite is NOT a good enough reason). There can be more but try to at least think of three.

Example:

Stealth, wit, charm.

[You can more easily imagine a real person who has these traits. A street wise thief, or a charismatic leader for a common cause for example.]

Example of poor trait choices:

Strength, speed, smarts

[It's a lot harder to think of any real person who has all these in a realistic way. And no, superman, demigods/fallen angels/angels/demons/half whatever celestial/creature of the dark you might find in no lack of fan fictions, vulcans, jedi, etc are NOT real enough for our purposes. Start with a more 'down to earth' concept and prove to everyone you are capable of such things. You have to earn your reputation, stories of your past might as well be rumors.]

Step 2

Next figure out how you might link the concepts together with the least amount words that conveys some actual meaning.

Example:

X relies first on his wits in any situation, but he is no stranger to using  his charm to get what he wants. If his wits deem a situation might be too much for his charm to handle, he falls back on covert actions, and can find escape routes in most situations.

[See what I did there. X now has a realistic form on his abilities and how he handles situations, but he can still be any number of characters types. Note the not so absolute word choices. If and might are used in the second sentence instead when and is. Most is used in place of all in the last part.]

Example of bad bad, VERY bad:

Sara Hasawalong'moniker was a very fragile child. Everyone disliked her for  seeming to posess strange and unnatural abilties. Some even suggest she is the product of unnatural origins. Sara never means any harm but her seemingly psyhic-like abilities have caused one too many problems with her elders..... (long overdetailed back history continues) [You might be laughing now, but many type up things like this without actually realizing it. It already has way too much thought on it, yet the lengthiness of it shows a chaotic and unrealistically flat/cliche concept with little real consistency. For starters, a few paragraphs will suffice on describing a character, if its too vague or/and clarification is needed, you will be asked for more info. Otherwise Idilean will be the stage that makes your character what they ultiimately come to accomplish, not the stage in your head. Also, handicapping or 'shackling' your character who otherwise left unchecked could easily be a god to everyone is in insta-red flag. Yeah Sara 'means well' and is a 'fragile girl' but she has "unnatural", "fearsome" and ultimately superior powers in most every way otherwise. What happens when she comes out of her shell?]

Step 3

A recap: Pick 3 traits, link these traits, repeat until you have enough of a barebones to run by for approval/testing.

Keep in mind these are all suggestions for those needing a little 'brain food'. At this time there is no official process for character creation nor approval. When you think you have enough log onto the OOC room on irc and run it by admin or mod there. Even if you think you don't have enough hop on and join the fun. Currently only 3 total have been playing with concepts in the IC room. A lot of what ultimately makes its way into Idilean 'canon' will come from experimenting there.

Don't expect anything to go how you think a character should progress, and be open to the possibility of your character being a big disappointment. Like some guy once said sometime "You gotta get back on the horse when you fall off. That or settle for being dragged around by your foot caught in the saddle."

Character Bios
Rogue- from the Idilean irc ran by an idea with me that I think is a good one. Right now she's sketched up a potential potrait of what a given character within Idilean might look like. When the ball gets rolling and we have more story and actual character history down hopefully we can start some seperate pages for various important character bios, both npcs and pcs. I think she has a pretty good idea, looking at her first sketch, and she's really excited to get into a steampunk fantasy setting.