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From Randomramblings

RR RPGs (Role-Playing Games) are, for the most part, the least random threads in Random Ramblings. Rather than simply setting a concept loose on the general populace, the RPG forces the poster to play a character within a world, much like in other RPGs, such as Dungeons and Dragons.

Definitions

There are several definitions of an RR RPG. All of them have the same general principle, though; a GM (almost always the original poster, though occasionally there have been exceptions) creates a world, and then requests other posters to sign up, using character forms that may be complicated or vague, depending on how the GM wants the characters to act. However, there are a few basic concepts of the theme:

• Basic RPG: This is the most familiar form, wherein the characters are people, and each player controls his or her character directly.
• ArmPG: (information to come from someone else; Saurian2076 has no fucking idea what these are)
• Quest to Escape: In these, the player creates a character, and sits back as the GM takes complete control of said character for a series of fights. Seemingly going against the concept of an RPG, there have been occasions where a QtE has been counted as an RPG. The two genres of game have also influenced each other, crossing storylines and paths on occasion.

List of RPGs

Black Angel Saga: The first RR RPG and the longest running, thereby setting many of the ground rules for a forum RPG. Begun by Saurian2076 as a continuation of the storyline of the fifth Quest to Escape, the storyline was sprawling, and set in a world that encompassed both technology and magic. It focused on the evil dealings of the Black Angel corporation, and their connections to the forces of good which ruled the world. The players, for the most part, were soldiers in the Black Angel corporation. It should be noted that the original thread was somehow deleted at some point in late 2005.

Phase Shift: The second RPG in RR, notable for being created by future mod (and RR celebrity) Kenny Strife, as well as creating a fully-fledged RPG system, including a forum devoted for the most part to Phase Shift itself. The story was set in a universe that had, at one point, been two separate places, one that used magic, and the other that used science. The two had merged, and an evil god was making attempts to come back and reclaim what had been lost to him in the merger. Players were set on both sides of the evil god's plan, and while Black Angel Saga had attempted to create factions within the battles, Phase Shift is notable for being able to keep up the schism.

Ultrus Strain: Currently the RPG that ran for the greatest amount of pages, Ultrus Strain set players in a world where superheroes were real, due to an alien virus. Also created by Kenny Strife, the players were on both sides of a conflict over Raddin City: the "heros" and the "villains." It was wildly popular. Attempts were made to make it a RPG system like Phase Shift; however, both fell flat on their faces.

Divinity: The first and so far only RPG attempted with two separate GMs. This game was set in a world in which various gods were battling for control of the populace. Catdrake, the first GM, monitored the old gods, while Briddy monitored the young gods.

Testicle Rescue: A response to RR's inundation with RPGs, Testicle Rescue was created by Blue Max solely to parody the genre. The sole purpose of the game was to make fun of those who played and created RPGs. Sometimes a sequel will be created if a poster feels that there are too many RPGs yet again.

Vitality: An RPG by Kenny Strife. Based in a world in which zombies are the heroes, and are being hunted down and killed by the living humans. As in previous RPGs by Kenny, there were players acting as the living and the zombies.

Camp Treehouse: The second RPG attempted by Saurian2076, this game was set in a summer camp. It was ambitious in the huge amount of players for a Basic RPG (a full sixteen were present at the original sign-up), as well as the use of passing time to allow new and old players breathing room between various phases.

Vector Incarnated: The third RPG attempted by Saurian2076. A basic parody of Power Rangers and other, similar shows featuring super warriors with flashy, color-coded costumes. Notable for the fact that it was begun at the beginning of summer, and thus several important players ended up disappearing for very large periods of time. Was attempted again on the Phase Shift forums, though ran into similar problems as Black Angel Saga.

Motherboard: The fourth RPG attempted by Saurian. Set in a world within a computer, a set of virii were attempting to take over, and a few programs were chosen to survive and defeat the viral lords. Yet another failure, mostly due to troubles resulting from a bannedwagon.

Phase Shift II: Set in the same world as Phase Shift (albeit three millenia later) and run by Kenny Strife again, the storyline of this RPG focuses on a group of adventurers trying to raise a god from Oblivion.

Myth RPG Series: A moderately successful recent RPG series originally created by Medhiv. It drew a crowd but quickly fell apart due to almost non-existant GMing and plot. It was redone by someone_lurking and became a hit; the first part, Dawn of Time, hit 13 pages; the second segment, Age of Heroes, hit 6 pages before dying due to loss of interest. The storyline was centered around a pantheon of player-created gods, and the events that transpire as they shape the world.

Common Pitfalls

There are many common problems that an RPG can come across. Sometimes the GM, the most important part of an RPG, will simply feel overwhelmed by the game itself. While sometimes another player may be able to step in, often none are available.

In a similar fashion, there will often come times when a large amount of players simply do not show up. This can be from a number of reasons, including school-related problems, or multiple bannings.

There are also problems in the story of the game. The first problem many prospective GMs run into is that they want to run an RPG, but end up creating a generic fantasy story, set in either ancient Japan or medieval Europe. Occasionally, though, a game will be original and still run into the same story-based issues.

Another problem with an RPG can simply be that there are already too many of them active in RR already, causing a steep decline in interest.