Avatar Discussion [guest posting allowed]

[chamir]

Oh. >.>

So what was it like and how did it often go wrong?

And I don't know about those outside the USoA, but I glad that Nick seems rather forward thinking enough to host their LoK online with probably no strings attached, as opposed to other sites where they give you clips, a time limit for how long an episode will be up, or wanting you to have a cable/satellite account first. *smh*

[jialingjin]

It failed because no one wanted to finish the plot and people were getting bored and the story wasn't going in the direction I wanted. The RPG's plot was better suited to either a small group of players that all knew the plot or a fanfic. I should have shared the plot direction but I also felt it was running to it too fast in some instances and too slow in others.
So I told everyone what would happen ideally and ran the two timelines side by side but it was a massive failure with everyone going to the new timeline. Of course there was the failure in that no one seems to enjoy a good story full of death like me. :/

[gandalan]

Not all of us enjoy death so much.

After seeing the last two episodes of Korra... I'm changing my opinion. I don't care what we have to do or how long we have to wait. I want to RP in that timeline. It's freaking epic, people, and I like the way this new storyline is going.

TO THE REVOLUTION, COMRADES! KILL THE CAPITALIST BENDER SWINE! ;D

[Meilan]

Add me to the list of people who love Nick for putting episodes online, no strings attached. Otherwise, I'd be hard-pressed to find them, living in Canada where Nick Canada doesn't even show Korra >,<

[chamir]

I'm reminded when FS first started, I don't think Book One was even completed yet. So lack of show information hardly has ever stopped us. Whatever we finally get we find some way to eventually incorporate it. Which means we can pretty much do any part of the timeline: sometime post-hundred year war, between Aang's death and Korra leaving for Republic City, or anytime during the show's timeline.

We just gotta make a choice.

Thus far I count seven of us total. Even after we obtain more players and the core circle of players change, we should keep in mind, that starting with us, we'll have to maintain an overall tone and pace and direction for the game.

And that a small group of players, especially admin players, will often have to push things along for everyone.

Whatever overarching stories we come up with, timeskips or not, if players are not on or near the same page as others then they may have to be hurried along or temporarily left behind or inserted as needed, rather than have things drag to a halt (as what often happened to us). Both overall storywise and in singular threads.

[jialingjin]

*thawks Hibiki over the head with her quiver of arrows, then slings it back over shoulder.*

I agree with you Chamir, we'll need a core group of players that will keep action moving. If we were to start prior to the Avatar Korra time, we would need some sort of plot for the site. Some over-reaching plot otherwise people will form their little cliques and not move around. Also, as we've seen.. some areas get neglected more than others - the Water Tribes and the Fire Nation because all the action was in the Earth Kingdom. However, After the War (100 ASC -170 ASC) as far as we know there is no plot that we could use but we have the rebuilding projects of the South, we have the Fire Nation's potential economic ruin (which considering the wealth they have may not be so bad), and we have an Earth Kingdom that would consider it's Victorious. From what I've read about the Post-War books, many of the Earth Kingdom are almost vengeful in what they want from the Fire Nation.

I am strongly reminded of Zhi and Hebi's ideas for their RPG - an Fire Nation driven to economic ruin ala Germany after World War I. Hell, I don't doubt Zhi dances in place for every little tidbit he got right that they're sharing in Korra and the books (Electricity exists in Korra's Time! Powered by Fire Benders but it exists. Dunno if it's a lightning bender thing or if they're heating steam for generators..).

These are all themes we could play on reguard the aftermath of the War - We already know that a year after the war, the Fire Nation isn't in any sort of damage of suffering Financial collapse or at least it hasn't be revealed in the books. Zuko and Aang are occupied with the Harmony Restoration Movement and later, after Zuko visits the former Colonies, forming the United Republic of Nations - Which to be honest.. I'm kinda surprised Aang wasn't gung ho for that but then again in his time, the nations were always separate..

If we were to play in Korra's time - I can guarantee everyone would want to be in Republic City. No other areas would get any other play.. especially if we had the Amon thing going on. I seriously doubt Amon has reach outside the Republic - Like Hibiki said .. Korra doesn't fit in with Republic City. It's too modern, the spirituality is lost. Bending is no longer seen as something sacred in Republic City but something for sport and gain. I'm sure that it's still sacred in the cores of the various Nations and I doubt they have gained as much in technology. Republic City has the grace of having great minds from all nations put together in one place (A Fire Nation Citizen can collaborate with an Earth Kingdom Citizen and a Water Tribe Citizen can chime in) easily and freely, where as in the old countries - Bias may still exist and they are a much, much more homogenous society.

So I think our two largest problems plot wise are
1. If we play during the 100 ASC 170 ASC time period we have to have some sort of driving world event.
2. If we play during Korra's time, then everyone will focus on republic city. We need to decide if we're okay with a smaller world or if we want a larger world.

[Nanuk]

I'd be okay with a smaller world, and it would likely draw more potential members than the alternative...

I just know that I'd miss the global feeling of having the whole world available.

[Shen Fàn]

I definitely understand how the small world could be a problem, in that it's always best to have activity in areas around the globe. Obviously, I wasn't a member of FS when it was open previously, and as such I can't give my opinion on that global feeling you're all referencing.

However, I'd have to say I agree with what Hebi had to say in regards to drawing in members. The beauty of Republic City (at least, in my eyes), is that it's supposed to be a sort of melting-pot of various backgrounds and cultures. As a result of this, while citizens of Republic City may be going through the same ordeals, there is the potential for a wildly diverse set of characters, regardless of their shared environment.

In addition, there will likely be others, such as myself, who would be willing to try and spark activity outside of the city.

However, I would also be interested in pursuing a setting after ATLA's finale, as I think it would be interesting to build on what we know, as well. I guess mostly, what I'm trying to say is that I wouldn't have a problem with either of those ideas, but that we definitely shouldn't discount the second of Jia's options simply because of the idea that it might result in a smaller world.

[gandalan]

Obviously, there are problems with both.

A) If we go with the idea of being outside of Korra's timeline, then we're playing the "original Avatar plot" with absolutely no idea if it's true or not. OF COURSE, that never stopped us before, but it might put off some people if we decide to start a plot like that, and it turns out it didn't happen that way. (We could always argue our way was better.)
B) There's also the trouble of the big world. There are obviously advantages to having a big world, in that there's a variety of things to play depending on what you want. The biggest problem I see with this is our constant problem of "nobody to RP with". Whenever I see smaller RPs, one thing they do to fix this is concentrating roleplay in a single area at the beginning, and then opening up as more people come in. You may agree or disagree with this, but a problem I see in many of them that DON'T is that they either sputter and die, or they're terribly disparate in timelines- because the way they fix having nobody to RP with is by letting their characters RP wherever they want. -_-; I'm fairly certain I know what we think of that.
C) Last, and I think most importantly, we only know vaguely what's going on where in those books. It might be a very interesting bunch of plot, but the thing is that it seems to me like it's not a very long plot. There are problems for up to a year before those books happen, and then it starts- and the Aangang has stuff to do, and there are a few others involved, but the renewed war won't last long. We'd have to either elongate or complicate that storyline on our own. I'm not prepared to do that. Not even a little.

Now, there are problems with the other side as well.

A) If we are part of Korra, there will be less to RP than the "fighter" might prefer. Unless they're part of a task force or the police or the Equalists, there will be less to do for them in a fighting sense. Basically, Korra has ushered in the age of the "civilian". Whereas in the past, any idiot could chuck a rock or some ice at somebody, or even pick up a sharp stick and go at it, the Universe of Korra realizes that most of us really wouldn't stand a chance. We're civilians for a reason. That might put some people off.
B) We don't know what Republic city's actual diplomatic relations are, and we don't know the extent of "the nation", because Republic City is just the Capital.
C) We also don't know what is going on in other nations at ALL, which essentially limits roleplay in any accurate sense of the plot to Republic City. This severely limits plotting, because civilians have nowhere to go, fighters have to be discreet, and the plot must be somewhat accurate to the show. (Granted, that's not necessarily bad, but... again. We have to sell the place.)
D) We do seem to know a lot about Republic City, but with a place this big, there's a lot we DON'T know. One thing I think we can discern so far is that we know a little about their culture- it's a lot like US. Kinda ugly in the mirror, innit? But because of this, people might revert to be more like themselves than their character, even slip into modernisms.

And the biggest problem of all:

Either way we go, all of the mods (whoever they are) have to be 100% behind this thing, passionate, driving it forward and making sure people wanna be here, and wanting to be here themselves. And if we're split on this decision, whichever side loses out will have to reconcile themselves to that, and cut their losses.

IMHO, there are less serious problems with the second proposal to follow the Korra timeline, but I can understand the frustration with being cooped up in Republic City, and with our lack of knowledge about the place. That's my vote, though.

Thoughts?

[jialingjin]

I have a lot to say. However Hatfields&McCoys has me bawling my eyes out so I'll share this idea I had while in the shower.

Do you think that with Republic City perhaps not as spiritual and as in touch with nature like the other parts of the world that we could, over many many decades, see bending decline in the city and perhaps even one day.. be gone?
We know bending is tied to one's spirituality.. but as Hebi elegantly pointed out.. Republic City has no need of the mystical anymore. Could bending eventually disappear there?

[gandalan]

May 30, 2012 22:19:23 GMT -5 @jialingjin said:

I have a lot to say. However Hatfields&McCoys has me bawling my eyes out so I'll share this idea I had while in the shower.

Do you think that with Republic City perhaps not as spiritual and as in touch with nature like the other parts of the world that we could, over many many decades, see bending decline in the city and perhaps even one day.. be gone?
We know bending is tied to one's spirituality.. but as Hebi elegantly pointed out.. Republic City has no need of the mystical anymore. Could bending eventually disappear there?

... yyyyyyes.

It could.

...Lots of things COULD happen.

[Auina Kym]

>_> Poking my head in, after shuffling commissions on my DA page's gallery brought up a reminder of Auina.

I will say this about Feng Shui....it did so much to advance how I approach creating characters for RP. I took the lessons I learned here and at Court Intrigue, and use them still when I create characters on City of Heroes' roleplay server.

I've had a lot more time to dabble in GM'ing this sort of thing....and my advice is to keep it simple. No matter what time period you go with -- whether its during Aang's time, post the War, or during the timeline in Korra -- stick to a smaller world.

While Feng Shui had GREAT stories going on...they were so far and so spread, the chances of some characters coming across others was next to nothing. Then again, in order give members a chance to play water, earth and fire benders, you had to do that to stay true to the show.

With Republic City, that is no longer the case. It's an excellent setting to use, because it is small enough to keep the plot a little more wrangled in (making it easier to weave individual side plots into the overarchig plot) but large enough that it doesn't seem like you will always been running into the same people over and over and over.

There are a lot of angles you could go with this too, especially with the founding of Republic City. Just what happened that let the modern age gain such a foothold in the city? What events led to the early stages of the equalist movement? Or...even something as light hearted as how pro bending came to be. Some of these may be answered int he comics, which I have just now learned even existed...so yeah, someone can fill in the blanks if this has been answered. xD

Anyway...hope that sorta kinda HELPS some!

[gandalan]

Good to hear from you Auina!

[gandalan]

Woooooooow, stuff is gettin' REAL. Sucks to be a non-bender. Sucks to be anybody pretty much.

I like the issues that the show brings up. Can't explain them all. Sincerely hope Tarlok gets his face ripped off. ...Nah, that wasn't very Christian of me. But I do hope he stops being a meanieface.

Anyway. Good episode. I think.

[jialingjin]

Thanks for your input, Auina! I am glad to see you're still around and I hope you're doing okay.

As much as I don't like the idea of cutting off the rest of the Avatar World, and in a way, the more traditional cultures of Avatar (I suspect the Four Nation's proper are not as advanced as the United Republic because they are more likely homogenous and more staunchly traditionalist. ), I do support and agree that going with just Republic City is probably the smarter thing to do. I just really hate focusing on that only but it's probably my love of playing people and cultures that are so radically different than my own - Republic City is much more modern - that is driving that. But it's not my RPG, it's yours.