Mass Effect: Chronicles (OOC)

[Nidhogg]

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Mass Effect Universe Roleplay
STILL OPEN TO NEW PLAYERS(RP STATUS UPDATES AT END OF POST)

IC Thread

Whether you would spend hours reading the entries or just get annoyed by its very existence, if you have played the Mass Effect games, then you are familiar with the codex. I have (over the course of many, many hours) read all the codex entries from both games. What I found was a rich and well developed galaxy full of history and lore.

I do love the epic adventure of Shepard and his squad, but there is so much more to Mass Effect than the events around the return of the Reapers. I want to start an RP where we create our own unique characters and don't fly around the galaxy in Shepard's shadow. In fact, I plan to start the timeline in the game 10 years before the events of ME2.

Even though I will be the one managing the thread, and handling certain organizational and management tasks, it is not going to be my story. I want this to be a collaborative effort. There will be no "main" character. We will explore individual characters' personal stories, and at times one person may be the defacto leader of the group. Just remember, the idea is to make this an ensemble story.

Now, I am going to make a few "executive" decisions at the beginning. Things like when to start, what the restrictions on character generation will be, and such. This is so we have starting point, and don't spend weeks debating on the basics idea.

I don't want anyone to feel like they need an encyclopedic knowledge of the ME universe to play in this RP. If I can't find the information in the Mass Effect Wiki, I'm not going to worry about it. I'm also not saying this needs to adhere to absolute canon. That shouldn't be an issue, though, as there is not a massive amount of established canon for ME.

If you need information on anything Mass Effect, just use the aforementioned wiki. It is an incredible database for ME information and takes all of its articles from official ME sources.

Mass Effect Wiki
Mass Effect Map


Here Are The Basics

• Character Species Options

• Humans
• Asari
• Turians
• Salarians
• Quarians
• Krogans
• Drell
• Volus
• Batarians
• Vorcha

While there are other sentient races, they would make things considerably more complicated. If you want to use something other than what is on the list, just pitch the idea and we can all brainstorm about how it might work.

• Character Class Options

*NOTE* This is not intended to be a rule based RP, but the character classes are a good way to base what (if any) combat training your character might have. They are also important in keeping a balanced and believable character. Your character can not have everything. The stronger your character is in one area, the weaker he is in others, just like everyone else. If your character focuses on biotics, then there is less time to study and train with guns. All of our characters will be well above average, and therefore we can push the limits of what they can do and learn. Just remember, even Shepard couldn't do everything.

• Soldier
• Engineer
• Adept
• Vanguard
• Sentinel
• Infiltrator
  
  Again, just remember that these are guidelines. Especially where the names are concerned. You don't have to be an actual soldier to have the Soldier skill set.

The official starting year for the RP is 2176 CE. Shortly after the Skyllian Blitz.
(Mass Effect 1 begins in 2183. Mass Effect 2 begins in 2186.)

MASS EFFECT TIMELINE

Beyond all of this, there is nothing else set or decided. If you are interested, please post in here, or even PM me any questions you might have. Once people start showing interest, we can start the collaboration.

The first order of business should be what our characters will be doing. The only idea I have thrown out, is that we are all Prothean Relic Hunters. Either as archaeologists, workers, or hired guards. That is all I have, so please, let me know what ideas you all have.

__________________________________________________________________________________

*Edit on 4/9/11*
This is a quick recap for people who want some basic info without reading the entire thread.

Current Players and Characters
Nidhogg - Alec Kaiser - Human Male
Dizzyfish - Atina'Evna nar Io - Quarian Female
MeanBlackjack - Kaito Foley - Human Male
Avellan13 - Vincent Anastasio - Human Male
Pimpmar - Dante Alaniyum - Turian Male

Current Status of IC Thread
Still in beginning stage of character introductions and meeting.

Current Mission/Goal
Assembling a team for Atina'Evna nar Io's mission to undiscovered Prothean Ruins on a dangerous and uninhabited planet.

 

[Dizzyfish]

FIRST POST!!!!!!!!!!!!
Popping them thread
cherries. Yeah buddy.

 

[Avellan13]

Your not the only one who loves the Mass Effect series. I wonder how Mass Effect 3 will be, it does suck that Earth is under attack by the Reapers. Here`s my character.

NAME: Avellan Evendur
AGE: 19
GENDER: Male
APPEARENCE: Standing 5'11" and weighing 145 lb, Avellan has a thin and gangly appearence. He has little muscle but very quick. He has straight black hair, light blue eyes, and light pale skin.
PERSONALITY: Shy and reserved, Avellan isn`t very social, he has few friends. Avellan has no family, they were all killed in the First Contact War, therefore he holds a grudge against turians. Avellan is highly loyal to his friends and companions and determined to see his goals throught to the end.
HISTORY: Avellan was born on Shinax. He was still a baby when the First Contact War began and his family were killed in the turian invasion. He grew up all alone with a hatred towards the turians and every other council race due to there bigotry towards humanity. Avellan joined the Alliance to preserve humanity and to get something done with his life.

 

[Dizzyfish]

I may not be the only, but I
am the first and will be the
last. I win. Self proclaimed
OG Mass Effect Player. FTW
playa'.

 

[Nidhogg]

I appreciate how quickly you got on board, Avellan13. But we haven't even decided what our characters will be doing. We have no concept right now and I would prefer if you held on to character profiles until we have something to actually work from.

And another note, we probably won't be doing a military based RP. We might, but probably not. So a character doing active duty in the military would be unlikely to hang around with a lot of civilians. There might be a way to make it work, but we won't know until we hammer out more details.

 

[Avellan13]

Ok.. how about I make my guy ex-military. He did something to get him kicked out or disbanded from the Alliance.

 

[Nidhogg]

Again, that isn't the specific issue at hand right now. It just seems a little premature to come up with a character at this point. Whether he is currently in active military duty or not can be worked out when there is more of the initial story to go on. I only brought it up to deal with a possible eventuality.

After we come up with what the group concept will be, we can work it out. I just didn't want you to develop an entire character just to find out a basic element of him wouldn't work. I guess the best thing to do with your character is plan him out for both possibilities. You might have to make him an ex-soldier, or you might be able to work an active soldier in to the group. We don't know yet.

What I hope people would work on right now, is pitching ideas for why our characters would get together in the first place. We can't really just meet in a space-tavern and decide to go off looking for adventure. Our characters don't even all have to be complete strangers.

 

[MeanBlackjack]

Hi everybody,

Right, so going from the PM that was sent I really like the idea of Prothean relic hunters. What about we're a group of doctors/archaeologists after a renewable energy source that these relics may just provide.

Over the course of the RP we meet several other groups that are after an old, abandoned station known simply as 'The Vault'. It was a station that ran for several weeks on power provided by the relic but no one had heard from it since. Any rescue efforts were to no avail. Maybe the Prothen relic was in fact Reaper technology and had indoctrinated everyone in the station?

My two pence anywho, please excuse any typos I'm on my iPhone and it's erratic at best with it's spelling. Can I be a whore and plug my two Mass Effect literotica stuff too? I've got two fic's on the site, one with Miranda and Jacob and one with a female Shepard and Garrus going at it after their 'love' scene. Damn it Bioware I paid good money for hardcore sex and they just bumped heads?!

...

Cheers team,

MeanBlackjack

 

[Nidhogg]

Nothing wrong with plugs, MeanBlackjack. At least they are somewhat related. And turians find nothing more erotic than foreheads. I mean, they might. They certainly aren't mammals and wouldn't be that interested in "mammal-y" parts. We've all got foreheads though. Hot...sexy...foreheads...

*cough*

I like the idea of "The Vault." But I think that should be held on to for later when we need to work on major plot points. Still working on the "Relic hunter" concept, I think there might be more freedom for the thread if the group doesn't have a specific goal in mind. Possibly starting out as small time "archaeologists" who just look for stuff to sell, rather than study. Or possibly just working on a more generic excavation of a newly uncovered Prothean ruin site. These could, of course, all lead to bigger discoveries and mysteries. I mean we don't want to spend too much of our time as small time shmucks, right?

Maybe the actual scientist/archaeologists are rookie, or amateur or still in school. (Think grad student) So they might just be out on a basic dig to a place the "experts" have picked over and it leads to bigger finds like "The Vault" or something else, or even multiple things.

Another thing about the possibility of doing a dig team, is what if no one wants their character to be a scientist or archaeologist? I think that the scientist could be an NPC that one person controls, but doesn't have to put the effort and development in to that their personal character requires. It could also be a trade-off task, where different people write the NPC.

This is actually something I wanted to mention earlier but forgot. I like the idea of having Narrator posts. Anyone could just make a post titled "narrator" and the focus of the post would be about NPCs who are doing things related to the characters, but not around the characters. Bad guys making a plot seems to be the most common way people go with it, but it is not limited to that.

The one major problem with this is the tendency for some people to use meta-game knowledge. For people not familiar with that term, "meta-game knowledge" is using information that your character does not know, but you the player do know.

Example would be the player being aware of an ambush about to take place, and suddenly the character is doing something that they have no real reason to be doing. Like bringing a weapon when they normally wouldn't, having special ammunition ready for no reason, and so forth. At some point, we've all done it to a certain degree. Most of the time players don't realize they're doing it. So if it is pointed out that you are doing it, the best thing is to apologize, possibly work around it, and just try not to do it again. The worst thing to do is get mad at the people who point it out, and then try to come up with some convoluted excuse for their character acting out of character.

I honestly think the "Narrator" posts will work out great. Another RP thread I joined had been using them, and I like how they work. If you guys don't like the idea, just let me know and we will all talk about it before we make it an official thing.

So, as of right now our main group concept seems to be the Prothean Relic Hunters idea. Blackjack and I both have some thoughts on how to focus it, so hopefully these ideas will get you guys thinking on ideas of your own, and our brainstorm will grow.

 

[MeanBlackjack]

Right, so here's what we need.

1) Flesh out major plot points.

Why are we relic hunters? A rag tag group who need credits and need them fast? We have an experienced biotic scientist (I don't mind being this role) who knows what will sell where and to whom. On one particular dig site we bump into another crew, we get into a fire fight, they trap us in there, get cocky and mention their big haul is on Altair IV. We escape, chase them to it and find the relic. We have the option to kill off the main guy or let him escape, possibly biting us in the ass later? We could have hired guns as protection who eventually take a liking to us, similar to Major Kira in DS9 or Jayne in Firefly.

What if there were two scientist/archaeologists? One older and the other his/her student? Maybe boyfriend and girlfriend? Husband and Wife? Perhaps Asari life partners?

Why is the scientist looking for the relic? Cash? Fame? Recognition in his field of work? Maybe he's a biotic who's starting to suffer from headaches and what's them to stop? He could also have been nearly indoctrinated when he was younger and the Reaper still has it's claws in him? He could have almost a gut 'instinct' as to where to dig and that's the Reaper telling him where to go. We could have an Event Horizon moment after we find the relic where he gets possessed and we have to kill him?

Also, on topic of the narrator, we could make him the scientist and this could all take place in a framed narrative where he's giving a talk at a university?

What are we going to do after the dig? Maybe get contracted by the Shadow Broker? Perhaps we have to bring back a live Yahg for the Shadow Broker's company? Perhaps we go into loyalty missions or character specific stories with the others backing them up?

2) Meta Gaming.

Lol to admit to this brings me great shame, but I was already aware of what meta gaming was. Too much D+D when I was youn... Ah, hell. Too much D+D generally!

What if someone took the role of narrator for each separate dig site so no one but the RP'er would know what was coming?

However, I have thought of a humorous option. We could have a character who says 'I've got a bad feeling about this' just before they get jumped and in the time it takes him to say it, the group get ambushed?

 

[Dizzyfish]

I am cool with everything.
I don't even think anything
I think will contribute. Soo.
Go you guys!

And Meta-gaming. God. Makes
me want to punch people in the
fucking jaw. They do it a lot in
the other forum thread I am in..
We call those people Macgrubers.
While totally funny to laugh at
their idiot because they get mad
and think they are being genius.
Helluve ineffective. They are able
to create things out of thin air that
honestly can't possibly work together.

My D+D D.Master, he kills Meta
Gamers for fun. I think the first
time I played with him, I was the
only one left standing.... it was
frightening. XD

Wow... I rambled...
Macgrubers= Bad idea is bad.

 

[LeoHawk35]

.....

 

[Dizzyfish]

I am very, very emotional right
now. And want you all to go out
and get your meningitis vaccinations
right now! -has been sobbing-

 

[pimpmar]

Tag me in this. I just started re-beating both Mass Effect games for the nine-millionth time, and I'm happy to see a Mass Effect thread on here. Seeing as how I'm an aspiring Science Fiction writer, this will be a great way to sharpen my skills.

Now, I'm liking the whole archaeologist idea, a rag-tag bunch looking for a quick bunch (or, er, credit.) It leaves alot of room for alot of mishap, alot of adventure, dueling personalities, romances, and so on. So, I think I'll throw a wild-card into here.

The character I had in mind, which would fit into this context, is a pilot in the likes of Han Solo. Chartered by these archaeologists to fly them around, and keep them out of danger. Some grizzled vet from the First Contact War. I think it'll create an intresting drama as far as if the credits run dry, if he[s truly loyal to the team, or just to the money. As time wears on, he'll naturally become more friendly. Think of Rambo, during the final vomit-fest (er, movie.).

If you guys have room for another Mass Effect junkie on board, count me in.

 

[Nidhogg]

You're welcome to come aboard, pimpmar. It certainly seems like we're all enjoying the idea of being relic hunters. I guess you can only be a sci-fi merc or bounty hunter so many times before it gets repetitive.

I like that you don't shy away from comparing your character to Han-Solo. The character is so iconic that most people do anything to distance their characters from him. But the Han Solo archetype has a lot of flexibility, and it can fill several different slots for group dynamic.

I will now point you to the OOC thread for Dizzyfish's RP, wherein my feelings for Han Solo are adequately expressed. It is not a Star Wars RP, but the topic seems to come up anyways. We are nerds, after all.

http://forum.literotica.com/showpost.php?p=37133919&postcount=38

'Nuff said.

The idea of having an old vet on the team could provide for some interesting stuff. The closes "old vet" personality we got in the games was Zaeed, and he was a douche. Of course, which side of the conflict was he on? To him, was it The First Contact War? Or the Relay 314 Incident?

I hope we don't end up with a bunch of humans (and one Geth, of course) because of how cool some of the ME species are. I keep seeing a lot of people shy away from other species because they don't want to play that type of character. I've always been under the impression that any species that has free will and individuality can be as varied in personalities as humans.

While there are cultural aspects that define species, not all krogan are bloodthirsty brutes, not all turians are stick-up-the-ass militarists, and so forth. I just want to pass along advice I was given when I started playing D&D and other RPGs with other species besides humans.

"At no point should a character's species be a major personality trait."

Just thought I'd toss that out there. So let us continue to brainstorm. Since we all like the Relic Hunter idea, and no one has given any alternative suggestions, I think we can safely say that will be our basic concept. Now we just need to get some more details worked out. I do think that it would be a good idea to have a major plot point (like Blackjack's "Vault" idea) but I don't want us to get settled in to any specifics on to how we get to that point right now. I also don't think it would be a good idea to develop anything after that plot point. At least, not right now.

We do need to have some direction and some sense of where we're going, but this shouldn't be treated as a collaborative fan-fic. I want to take on the role of this character, not just write about this character. The way I'm going to approach the overall story will be like I would one of my tabletop RPG campaigns. You can't have too much of a script, or players feel like they have no freedom. You can't have too much freedom, because then players won't know what to do. (Or they'll resort to the all purpose RPG player contingency of "just start killing stuff until something happens")

The main reason not to get too hammered in to specifics future events at the beginning, is that the players will want their characters to have freedom of choice in how to get things done. There also needs to be flexibility so that the actions characters take have consequences.

Since we are not limited by a computer code, we can have the actions have much more of an impact. We can also have, essentially, unlimited choices. We're all in this RP to have fun, so we will always find a way to get from point A to point B. And while the core of what happens at point B will not change, the way we get there, how it is handled, and who is there waiting for us, needs to be able to change.

Damn...I should learn brevity.

I won't. But I still should.

Alright, Professor Nid (I might as well accept the damn nickname) has finished his lecture. Office hours are never. I am going to go get drunk with university funding and complain about how no one appreciates Nietzsche any more.

 

[LeoHawk35]

.....

 

[pimpmar]

That Han Solo thread. Made me laugh so hard. But, in response to your concern, I volunteer to be a Turian. Adds even more of a tension between any humans on-board and a turian. A veteran pilot of the siege of Shanxi, now a pilot-for-hire. I'll take those guidelines and refine them a bit. Consider me apart of this team.

 

[Nidhogg]

@ LeoHawk35

Well, playing a Geth changes things a little. He doesn't have to be that old to be considered "adult." He wouldn't have to have years of training to do what he does. And he doesn't need, or want, the social interactions that would help form another character's backstory.

Now, when we were chatting about you making a mobile and independent Geth I said the character would only work if he had a good and solid explanation for his existence in addition to the thought out backstory any character needs.

That being said, I think you need to work out a few more things. I don't like taking apart people's characters, so I am not doing this to be rude. Just trying to take a practical stance to this. Any specific idea I present is only presented as an example or suggestion. I do not want to tell you how to make your character. The only stuff I take a definitive stance on are things that simply do not logically fit.

First off, how long ago was he made? Add 6 years to that and that is how long it will be until the Geth build Legion. While Shadow may not be as far down on the development to be a prototype, he would at least be the beta for Legion. Earlier versions would not be as good as a final product. In my opinion, this gives you a great opportunity to add some character flaws to Shadow.

Flaws are important to all characters because it makes them real. Flaws have to be flaws though. None of this thematic flaw that is actually the character's greatest strength in practical use. I think you should come up with glitches or bugs for Shadow's programming. These might be permanent problems for him, or they might be things he is supposed to troubleshoot and solve on his own so he can relay the fix back to the other Geth. You could do the same with a hardware issue. Just think about it and I'm sure you can come up with something that makes Shadow stand out. You can not call his inability to socialize a flaw, though. He is Geth. He is not supposed to socialize. You can't list "inability to fly" as a character flaw for humans. Design flaw? Maybe. Character flaw? No.

Remember that Legion (even though they didn't touch on it enough in the game) had whatever weird glitch that made him idolize Shepard. He patched his own body up with pieces of Shepard's armor. While not entirely a flaw, it was a quirk that helped make him more than just a Geth.

The other thing I'd like to see worked out, is how he plans to interact with or just be around people. Like you said, he doesn't need to show himself on Omega, but the game isn't on Omega, and he will have to be around other people. It won't be very interesting if there is just a ship to stay on while 3 people go in to areas just to get back on the ship as soon as possible. You might want to have an idea in your mind how he can get around without drawing a lot of attention, even if Shadow hasn't thought of that problem yet. That could just be something the group has to deal with in a small story arc when Shadow wants to come along.

Which brings me to the last point. What exactly is this Geth platform testing? If it is just combat and functionality, he would probably not want to sign up with some treasure hunters. If he gets told by the other Geth that he needs to start testing social interaction abilities, that could provide him some motivation.

Sorry if I rambled on too much or dug in to your character too much. I am honestly just trying to help and I am not saying I don't like the idea. I do like the idea, I just want to help flesh it out some more. When I propose my character, I hope you guys do the same.

 

[LeoHawk35]

.....

 

[Dizzyfish]

My sobbing has stopped.
(Thank goodness) Yet,
I must say I am very jealous
of all your awesome ideas.
Whereas. I have nothing. XD

 

[Nidhogg]

I'm sorry if I annoyed you, LeoHawk35, but I had no way of knowing what you might or might not post in the IC thread for your character.

So, Shadow has a good enough backstory? I had to think a little on it, but I think it works.

You asked, I gave an honest answer, based on available information. Geth was not on the list for characters, but we had discussed it before the thread started, so it is fine. But I am pretty sure there were some requirements stated for your Geth.

As long as you have a good and solid backstory for how another mobile platform is getting around it should be fine.

From your first post, I wasn't convinced you had that. I did my best to give you polite and honest feedback. If you don't actually want an answer, then don't ask the question.

 

[Avellan13]

I forgot to list my character`s class. He`s a sentinal.

 

[Dizzyfish]

I want to be a Quarian.
I have decided. I want
to stick with what I love.

 

[Avellan13]

I want to be a Quarian.
I have decided. I want
to stick with what I love.

You like quarians don`t you? Same here. Every time I played Mass Effect 2, Tali was always my romance option. There was just something about her that I liked.

 

[Nidhogg]

Tali is just awesome. Even if she wasn't a quarian she would be great. If you ever played Baldur's Gate II, a pioneer for western RPGs, the best romance option was Aeire who Tali shares a lot in common with. Aerie was more melodramatic, but still that sweet, nice and fun girl.