LJ Game Idea
Now...I know that it draws on a lot of other LJ games/mediums/etc. but I think it would be interesting...but only if the people who first joined were *aggressive* in its beginning. If they just kind of stepped back and let it go, then it won't work.
So...here is my basic game idea.
There are three characters sitting around a chess board and talking about the game they have to play in order to go back to their normal lives. They've been told by their contractor (the GM) that they have to go against each other and then the winner will be allowed to return home. Each of these meta-characters (MCs) are existing in a meta-world, one that is in a closed room with no windows, no doors, etc. They are attended to by the GM's servants and are given anything they need. Their only rule is to play the game and win, no matter the cost.
The MCs are as follows:
1. The child MC, who wished to be happy forever and was given eternal youth. Stuck as a ten year old girl, she now wants to return home to her parents (whom are dead).
2. The truth seeker MC, who wished [I'm still working on this]. His ultimate goal is to win the game and discover the truth behind the GM and their fate.
3. The tragic MC, who wished for everlasting love. When she lost her lover, she craved for revenge and plots to return home to destroy those who have wronged her.
Each one is given a selection of characters (the player characters, the app'd people) and each one takes their pick. This will be a decision on the player's part to decide which MC their character best fits with. The child character will want pure characters, heroes, and kids. The truth seeker will want ambitious antiheroes and realistic people. The tragic character will want fallen heroes, villains, etc.
These, of course, can be played with as we please.
The PCs live in a world that has the bare minimum. It's a small town with three large meeting places for each of the groups. There is electricity but no food. Characters will have to hunt at first and cook their own food. They will have only a few select outfits to wear. They will have one blanket for their beds each, etc.
The MCs explain to the PCs about the game. They explain that if they help the MC win, then the GM will send them all home and everything will be back to normal. If they refuse to cooperate, then they will drag the group down and the MC will punish them if the world doesn't do that for them. They also explain that anyone not on their team should be considered an enemy and not an ally.
The PCs will need to, of course, make their own decisions on whether to help or not. If they refuse to help, this can generate fights and CR; if they agree to help, they can start banding together in order to take care of each other. [Be realistic here, of course. You guys know how to play out these sort of realistic things.]
At the beginning of every month, the GM will give the MCs clues as to how to escape from their prison. The MCs can do what they like with the clues so long as it follows the GM's rules. (Or they might cheat. And then there will be consequences.) They'll tell the PCs to do what they can to fulfill the obligations of the month and that they'll be rewarded if they succeed.
Example:
January rolls in with the GM sending the clue: "The key will open the door." Well, there IS NO DOOR for the meta-world. This means that the door, and the key, is somewhere in the PC world. The MCs tell the characters to find as many keys as possible and find the doors to them.
Child MC - 3 keys
Truth MC - 2 keys
Tragic MC - 4 keys
Tragic MC wins. The GM allows them to be one step closer to winning and to solving the issue of them leaving the metaworld. The Tragic MC grants her players servants who can cook them endless food.
The rest of the characters (the "losers") try to find ways to share the food, bargaining for it, stealing it, or even stealing the servants. This will generate more CR in the game, obviously, and cause conflict. It will also give the players more incentive to WIN so that their lives can be easier and safer. Each month will bring something new for them to find or solve.
Eventually, the identity of the GM will be revealed. Another MC might be added to the board. Cheating, lying, etc. will all play a part in the game. A winner will eventually be chosen...unless something else happens.
This game will run for a year at least. If it runs longer, that's swell. If not, then that's okay.
Multiple endings will be planned for. This is a game that will have its ending decided on how the players play things out.
A few things to note as extras:
1) Apps will open on the 15th of the month and will be open for one week (once we have enough players). There will be slots open for players to put their characters into each MC's camp. This will keep the game from getting too large.
2) All new characters/players will start playing on the 1st of the month.
3) One month in player-world = one day in MC meta-world. The first of the month marks a new day.
3) I'm toying with the idea of the "clues" being in the form of monthly shared dreams. Muns can write dreams centered around a theme for their characters which will be posted in a log on the LAST DAY of the month. The mid-sections (the parts separating the dreams) will be used to explain how the world is changing, what the GM is like, and what the MC characters have done. PCs can remember these parts and use them to their own advantage. (Did the dream make you feel sorry for your MC? Did it make you trust them less? etc.)
The clues will be in a colored font that every MC and PC will remember.
Example: The key will open the door.
So...here is my basic game idea.
There are three characters sitting around a chess board and talking about the game they have to play in order to go back to their normal lives. They've been told by their contractor (the GM) that they have to go against each other and then the winner will be allowed to return home. Each of these meta-characters (MCs) are existing in a meta-world, one that is in a closed room with no windows, no doors, etc. They are attended to by the GM's servants and are given anything they need. Their only rule is to play the game and win, no matter the cost.
The MCs are as follows:
1. The child MC, who wished to be happy forever and was given eternal youth. Stuck as a ten year old girl, she now wants to return home to her parents (whom are dead).
2. The truth seeker MC, who wished [I'm still working on this]. His ultimate goal is to win the game and discover the truth behind the GM and their fate.
3. The tragic MC, who wished for everlasting love. When she lost her lover, she craved for revenge and plots to return home to destroy those who have wronged her.
Each one is given a selection of characters (the player characters, the app'd people) and each one takes their pick. This will be a decision on the player's part to decide which MC their character best fits with. The child character will want pure characters, heroes, and kids. The truth seeker will want ambitious antiheroes and realistic people. The tragic character will want fallen heroes, villains, etc.
These, of course, can be played with as we please.
The PCs live in a world that has the bare minimum. It's a small town with three large meeting places for each of the groups. There is electricity but no food. Characters will have to hunt at first and cook their own food. They will have only a few select outfits to wear. They will have one blanket for their beds each, etc.
The MCs explain to the PCs about the game. They explain that if they help the MC win, then the GM will send them all home and everything will be back to normal. If they refuse to cooperate, then they will drag the group down and the MC will punish them if the world doesn't do that for them. They also explain that anyone not on their team should be considered an enemy and not an ally.
The PCs will need to, of course, make their own decisions on whether to help or not. If they refuse to help, this can generate fights and CR; if they agree to help, they can start banding together in order to take care of each other. [Be realistic here, of course. You guys know how to play out these sort of realistic things.]
At the beginning of every month, the GM will give the MCs clues as to how to escape from their prison. The MCs can do what they like with the clues so long as it follows the GM's rules. (Or they might cheat. And then there will be consequences.) They'll tell the PCs to do what they can to fulfill the obligations of the month and that they'll be rewarded if they succeed.
Example:
January rolls in with the GM sending the clue: "The key will open the door." Well, there IS NO DOOR for the meta-world. This means that the door, and the key, is somewhere in the PC world. The MCs tell the characters to find as many keys as possible and find the doors to them.
Child MC - 3 keys
Truth MC - 2 keys
Tragic MC - 4 keys
Tragic MC wins. The GM allows them to be one step closer to winning and to solving the issue of them leaving the metaworld. The Tragic MC grants her players servants who can cook them endless food.
The rest of the characters (the "losers") try to find ways to share the food, bargaining for it, stealing it, or even stealing the servants. This will generate more CR in the game, obviously, and cause conflict. It will also give the players more incentive to WIN so that their lives can be easier and safer. Each month will bring something new for them to find or solve.
Eventually, the identity of the GM will be revealed. Another MC might be added to the board. Cheating, lying, etc. will all play a part in the game. A winner will eventually be chosen...unless something else happens.
This game will run for a year at least. If it runs longer, that's swell. If not, then that's okay.
Multiple endings will be planned for. This is a game that will have its ending decided on how the players play things out.
A few things to note as extras:
1) Apps will open on the 15th of the month and will be open for one week (once we have enough players). There will be slots open for players to put their characters into each MC's camp. This will keep the game from getting too large.
2) All new characters/players will start playing on the 1st of the month.
3) One month in player-world = one day in MC meta-world. The first of the month marks a new day.
3) I'm toying with the idea of the "clues" being in the form of monthly shared dreams. Muns can write dreams centered around a theme for their characters which will be posted in a log on the LAST DAY of the month. The mid-sections (the parts separating the dreams) will be used to explain how the world is changing, what the GM is like, and what the MC characters have done. PCs can remember these parts and use them to their own advantage. (Did the dream make you feel sorry for your MC? Did it make you trust them less? etc.)
The clues will be in a colored font that every MC and PC will remember.
Example: The key will open the door.