Mission Statement

(This is a bit off-center, because I wrote it back when there was a global game still. However, it gives you guys a good idea of what to expect at and from game.)

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My goal with the venue would be simple – create a game that is as much fun and engrossing to watch as it is to play. The aspiration I’d have as a storyteller would be to create a game that plays almost like a great TV series. A game with protagonists you cheer for, antagonists you hate, twists that make you gasp, scenes that make you cry and a story arc that makes you ache to see the next installment.

In the game, players could anticipate heavy amounts of drama, mental and moral challenges, constant tapping of their personal histories, lots of movement, immersive ambience, extensive use of props and intricate downtime opportunities. Below are those aspects clarified.

1. Heavy Drama –
Life will not be easy for the characters, though there will be little risk of PC death. There will be an immediate and sacrosanct trade-off made: I’ll give you a guarantee of your PC not dying by my hand (unless you do something absolutely retarded, like trying to eat a bomb) but, in exchange, players will have to be open to taking on emotional and physical trauma. The Mortals venue will become the embodiment of Yes Gaming. To me, this is what creates awesome dramatic roleplay. There will be triumphs and richness (you can’t have well-rounded RP without good times to balance out the bad), naturally, but the struggle against adversity will never be completely eradicated and will take its dramatic toll.

2. Mental/Moral Challenges –
The PCs will be faced with obstacles that, while obviously larger-than-life (this IS the land of make-believe), will have a very, very realistic resonance. Reaction will be just as important as action. After-effects can sometimes be more interesting or crucial than the actual occurrence, and add invaluable facets and color to a character. The challenges the characters face will shape both themselves and the arcing story, as well as the environment in which they exist. Players will be heavily encouraged, through play, downtime and ST prodding, to look at the plot from many angles. The PCs will evolve, grow and change.

3. Personal Histories –
The game will not be generic. Though some aspects of plot will have to be flexible to make sure attendance or lack thereof of certain players doesn’t halt or muck up things, the game will never feel as though you could exchange one PC for another and have it be the exact same story. Players’ background histories, soft RP and downtimes will be critical to the game and be absolutely a requirement.

4. Movement –
Live Action Role Playing is just that – live action. While there are definite limitations in the amount of physical interaction one can have in a LARP, one of my biggest platforms as VST will be to have this LARP be an entirely different experience than a table-top game. To that end, players will not be sitting at a table when, in-character, they are walking down a street. Smaller mundane things, like a car ride to a store, may be quickly narrated for the sake of story. Think of a TV show – the incidental activities are rarely seen, in favor of showing the pertinent material. But players can anticipate moving about, changing locations OOC to represent location change IC (even if it’s only a few feet) and keeping physical actions at least marginally consistent with in-character activities.

5. Immersive Ambience –
Atmosphere is crucial to a good game, and story is best when it has plenty of ambience. As VST, I will consider ambience and flavor just as important as plot to the Mortals venue. NPCs will be three-dimensional and distinct, fully acted and utilized much heavier than narration for plot devices. Narration will be descriptive as possible, and I will be constantly making an ass out of myself, flinging my body about, making sound effects, gesticulating like a madwoman and generally doing everything I can to bring a setting/moment/NPC/etc.to life for you guys. If you laugh, I will desanction your PC. Just kidding. But I will have your PC eaten by a T-Rex.

6. Props –
Everyone loves getting Ninja Notes. You know – those little slips of paper For Your Eyes Only that have some juicy plot tidbit. They’re so much better than the ST telling you something in front of everyone else, taking the fun out of you, in-character, revealing new knowledge. I love Ninja Notes. I love music in game. I love physical props you can hold and not have to just imagine. I love costumes for NPCs, even if it’s just a hat change to distinguish one from the other. Just like the ST narrating in detail, props can bring you one step further into an immersive gaming experience. While I can’t promise that players will arrive at game to find a fully-dressed set, I can guarantee that there will be plenty of items, music, Ninja Notes, and other props for them to play with.

7. Downtime Goodness –
If I’m elected, there will be no Mortals e-mail list. Instead, there will be a message board. This will streamline and facilitate the game in several key ways. To start, no one’s inbox will ever be flooded. No one will ever yell about trimming posts. No one will ever accidentally delete vital info, be it OOC or IC. Players will have a one-stop place to go to get all their information. The message board will have an IC half to host interludes (single, player-written downtimes), scenes (interactive written RP between two or more PCs, NPCs or PC & ST), E-mails, game session summaries and venue-specific news. Players will have the option of making their Interludes and Scenes public or private. I will run side-plots on the board to keep energy and story flow consistent and constant. If you can’t access the board or don’t wish to, you will not miss out on anything crucial to the main story. The OOC half of the board will give game info, any site changes, soft RP events and OOC discussions/questions/comments about the venue. I will encourage lots and lots of downtime stuff – to me, this keeps things fresh and exciting, and avoids the issue of shit always and only going down on Saturday nights.

To sum up, I intend to make the Mortals venue as engrossing as possible, with practical applications aiding in that endeavor and a collaborative and symbiotic working relationship between players and ST to create a great story played out live every game session.