Caste RPG Discussion!

[Vio]

This thread is for discussion relating to 10th Caste RPG and a possible future installment.

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I went ahead and quoted the post-game table talk to this thread to get things rolling.

Sept 4, 2010 10:04:39 GMT Toadkiller Dog said:

((OOC: I gotta say this was a lot of fun. If we do another one I've got a great character in mind. Bella still lives on in my writing, though I guess it'd be in past tense now. In the past Bella was a part of a vigilante group, which I've touched upon briefly in a piece in the writing section. In that group were several other major characters, I've barely even got to scratch the surface on them. Paleface in particular is my favorite, and there were so many times I wanted to reference him in Bella's posts recalling past memories, but I feared it'd go over you guys heads, since you don't know even half of that whole story.

Paleface was one of Bella's true friends in life, despite being quiet, and pretty mysterious. He is a gigantic man who wears a white skull faced luchador mask. Gigantic as in being almost seven and a half feet tall and built like a semi truck. Bella never knew a whole lot about his past other than his being Mexican and having been an escaped convict for a severe crime he got framed into. But they worked together often and she had developed a good sense of safety in his presence.

Glenn was mentioned several times, his illness, his death, etc. But it was never really touched upon why he truly meant so much to Bella. Glenn was a shred of normality in Bella's life. She'd been lying to herself for years after escaping Brazil that she'd slipped into the proper role of a normal human being. Glenn knew almost nothing about her past, she'd worked hard to keep it from him. She'd met a group of normal young people whom she hung out with during her "normal" hours through Glenn. He was really her last anchor into normality. But even while dating him, when she was away from him and after nightfall the normality ceased, the "normal" hours gone she went into business mode and met up with The Oldboy Network to stalk the streets in vigilante justice.

Living a double life took it's toll on her as she continually struggled to keep it all away and a secret from Glenn and her friends. She intended to marry Glenn and give it all up for good, just fade away from that violent lifestyle and be completely normal, maybe even have children. But Glenn died, and with him died Bella's normality. She abandoned her friends and took up fulltime work with the Network, partnering with Paleface.

Bella lived a lie throughout most of this whole RP. Constantly telling herself she needed to get back to normality to live peacefully with her friends. When in reality her life was hardly any less chaotic and peaceful than the otherworld she ended up trapped in. She frequently thought back to the comfort of her small, cozy apartment with her cat, when in reality she'd abandoned it and slept on Paleface's couch in a small, dirty housing project apartment. Sleeping with her clothes on and a gun within arms reach at all times.

Bella also continually tried to lie to herself that life was worth living for her, and that everything would be ok. But in the end she did exactly what she'd wanted to do for a long time, kill herself. She was living a dirty, violent and extremely dangerous lifestyle in reality in hopes of getting killed one day, so she didn't have to do it herself, because she didn't have the guts.

She also lied to herself in the sense of trying to make herself out to be a truly compassionate person. When in reality she suffered from severe Sadomasochism disorder. Taking immense pleasure both mentally and physically in dishing out harm to others, and when receiving pain herself. To the point of seriously getting off to it. It was mentioned a few times of the scars lining Bella's body, true a few were received during her hard times in Brazil, but probably almost half of them were self inflicted.

Bella wasn't a serial killer, nor was she completely cold hearted, but she was as much a monster as some of the ones she encountered in this piece. That's what made it so fun to roleplay her. She only killed criminals, but she did so mercilessly and violently, taking immense pleasure in doing so.))

Sept 4, 2010 15:27:37 GMT Blackdog said:

[OOC: Now I've got to thinking after reading the last posts. I already had an idea for a character for the next game even though we had barely started this one. Due to her certain "issues" she could work into Jason's backstory a little. But don't be fooled; she is an entirely different kettle of fish to any character I've RPd before. ]

Sept 4, 2010 20:39:08 GMT BogeyMeph said:

(it's been amazing playing with everyone! I had really never expected to get to the end, let alone get OUT of that place. I was pretty sure one of you would kill James, withdrawal would kill him, or he'd be so convinced it was fake that he'd get murdered by a monster. I expected to get a month in before he died.

You guys have been a great group. You were all really diverse and you challenged how I played James. He started developing in the opposite direction that I'd originally planned. I had planned for him to continuously get worse and more .. stupid I suppose. Or have a massive panic attack or something and be reckless. But you guys really challenged him in a way I hadn't anticipated and I want to thank EVERYONE for that. Especially Christian. As James' father, he was not what I expected. We had both created independent characters were thrust upon one another. Originally James' uncle was actually his father. Then he had a father and his abusive figure was now his uncle. It played out so well.

And I'd like to say a HUGE thank you to VIO for not only running this, but really giving James a way to grow. I think I started clapping and cheering loudly when I first saw the way this was starting to end (once the uncle took James into that hole) and I just loved it. The story made him think and use his awkward, drug related knowledge to make decisions in battle (like when he and Bella were in the restaurant!!) and giving him the opportunity to fight his battles from the very beginning.

This really has been an amazing game and I'm so happy I was apart of this! If there's another one, I'll definitely sign up with some friends along too!)

Sept 4, 2010 23:42:44 GMT Toadkiller Dog said:

((I'd be up for another one of these entirely. This one was a blast. Bella was a character I'd already been tinkering with before even starting this RP, from a short story I was writing "Oldboy Network", but she wasn't a major character at the time, which is why I picked her. Because everything hadn't been completely planned for her yet, so I'd get to make some of it up as I went. Worked great.

She was a lot of fun to play, and I was pretty positive she'd die, I too thought didn't think she'd make it through until the end. But the way things had to end for her was too fitting, near perfect. She's one of those characters that just isn't destined to have a happy ending, no matter what. Too many problems. Too much drama from her background and she wasn't completely mentally stable either, though she (for the most part) hid it well.

It's been tremendous fun, and I feel like I was part of a huge epic here in having done this. If you can come up with a player pool and the time, please start another one when you're ready Vio! And also thanks to Alx for playing an absolutely devious character that was easy to hate at times and easy to relate to at others, and his artwork, excellent work there btw.))

I just wanted to thank you all for taking part! Especially to alx for supplying the artwork and to play the role of the villian - nevertheless when he died I took the reins of the Jordan Victim; and Dwz for being my partner in crime (he was roleplaying as the Victims - Brian, Kris, and Phineas) and I have to admit that his zeal did get Christian and Jordan killed, but hell it was exciting for me to watch him hunt you guys down as you explored the world and since I didn't know what he was going to do next.

BTW, I love the UFO ending, who needs drama when you got giant fighting robots and copyrighted attack moves which are announced in advance - old school style. But, I have to give props to alx for creating practically all of the images for this game, which helps the immersion so much! I used to compose music files for these games however the MIDI sound quality is just too awful, and I am too poor to buy better software...

I really wanted to give Bella and Jim a happy ending, and I was hoping that you guys would figure out the ritual in time, but oh well it is better this way. Toadkiller is right, a happy ending just doesn't fit the characters too well. Wait a minute, Jim is still alive, and in a mental hospital, that would make a perfect returning character if I put together another Castes RPG don't ya think?

Well, I'm glad that someone got a happy ending out of this, James has a new start, so there my OtherWorld is not entirely evil, although you kinda have to forget that over a dozen people died, one lost his mind, and the End of Days almost happened...

Poor Jason, thank you so much for hanging on Black Dog, I was afraid that you would lose patience with me, considering the way that you character was inactive/captured for much of the game. I love Jason's epilogue though, it so cute in a macabre sense.

I'm glad you guys enjoyed the way I tried to place your characters in uncomfortable situations, to get them to grow. And about the monsters, I have always liked the kind of situations when the character has to outsmart the enemy - who is much stronger. For this kind of forum game, having the characters overpower the monsters becomes very boring and not very scary...

About a sequel, I would need some time to get my life in order with all of this work in the Realworld, and there are a couple improvements that the administration is going to make to the Forum itself, and then I (and alx, help?) have to develop a new game - new levels, monsters, weapons, etc... Perhaps, I will make the next one shorter, this one got away from me, it lasted one year and nine months and was roughly 1,366 posts, I'm just happy you guys stayed with it and didn't get bored, I'll work on tightening up the pacing in the future, and cut down on the ambushes which got a bit repetitive in the middle.

[Toadkiller Dog]

I'm all for a sequel, and I've got so many great character ideas.

As far as general idea go, maybe I've just been inspired by Cryostasis, but I think the idea of a dead, extremely large ship vessel in a great idea for a horror setting. Any sort of setting that forces the player to stay inside of it's confined boundry, like a ship (It doesn't have to be at sea, even shipwrecked into a glacier, surrounded by brutal winter, like Cryostasis.), or the Antarctica setting used in Carpenter's The Thing is perfect. Natural disaster or extreme conditions blend well with horror in my opinion, because they're one thing most ANY human being fears even if they have absolutely zero fear of anything supernatural.

Another great setting that I never really thought about until playing the wonderful, little overlooked gem of a DS game, Theresia, is a deep underground labyrinth. The feeling of helplessness, despair and isolation in that game is nearly unsurpassed. And when you finally set foot into the sunlight it's shocking to your senses even as the player.

[SilentHero]

Awww... I missed a chance to talk about my character's evolution in the game! Hope Vio will show me mercy if I add my thoughts on Jim and the game as well.

When I had first wrote Jim's character, he was only 20 and had just finished avenging the murder of Farrah and the orphans in Iraq, with Jack (Dwz's Jack. bearing in mind there were two Jacks early on). But when the game had started, Vio had informed me that Jim's age would jump ahead 15 years. That bit of news kind of had me turned around for a few posts, very confused.

I had envisioned Jim to be a character thinking that he had just closed a big chapter in his life and the nightmares leaving him, finally feeling he could move on but realizing that it wasn't truly over as the nightmares began anew in the Otherworld.

The older Jim had never gotten rid of his old nightmares, which heavily influenced his future relationships, causing any woman in his life to leave him almost on their first night together, because of his nightmares.

That is one reason I had him lean towards Bella as a love interest. Although they were different ages, they had both been mentally warped by combat and both suffered from violent nightmares. In Bella, Jim had found someone he could somewhat relate to and wouldn't judge him harshly for his night terrors.

I didn't really write him as being blind to Bella's darker nature, he just felt that she could naturally reform or at least he could have been a positive force to keep her in check.

The older Jim was also a much more desperate character, holding on to the last woman he really loved from years ago, than I thought the younger Jim would have been. I think younger Jim would have had a much different reaction to seeing Farrah also, only losing her so shortly and feeling he had freed himself by avenging her death. Young Jim would have been more attuned to thinking it was a trick.

The only regret I had was not putting more out about Jim losing a child through his first girlfriend having an abortion and his wanting to have a child. This was the main motivation for him wanting to leave his hometown and join the military. Plus, it was also the factor for him falling in love with Farrah, who was a very motherly figure. Also too bad she never got to spend any time with Jason. That would have been an interesting scene to see her maternal instincts kick on, or not, possibly causing suspicion.

As for the end, as a player I was shocked Bella didn't make it out, seeing the message on the door said she could go if she wished. But, as someone who appreciated a good story, I kind of liked how it all turned out. I never saw Jim and Bella living completely happy in any ending with them together, not with some heavy friction between them from time to time.

I had one major idea for a very twisted and sad ending with them together. It's a little disturbing, but I could share it sometime if it interests anyone.

Jim going nuts just felt right to me, after originally thinking of having him look around in different places Bella lived around the world. I knew that wouldn't work because the instant he couldn't find her by his side, he would know what happened and of course snap under the pressure from all the lost. Jim was a suicidal when he first heard about what happened to Farrah, so it was only logical that he would try to off himself again, even though all memory of that part of his past was gone. It was like the tragedy was renewed.

All in all, I loved the game. The length was a bit dubious, but the challenges kept it interesting. I also would have liked to see every monster from the first game make at least one appearance, but maybe that's something to do for the next game to keep from any heavy repetition, especially considering there will definitely be another new batch of freaks added as well, I'd imagine.

It was really a pleasure to work off each of you guys and the wonderful characters you had. Especially the other members of the final four, you're all awesome.

To Vio, I'll definitely consider having Jim return for a second round, but his time in the loonie bin may change him somewhat into a darker character. I'm not sure yet.

I'd also like to share some ideas I have for this follow-up story with you since it will be Tenth Caste canon heavy. It might also feature some ideas that could offer some interesting new perspectives on the Otherworld (with your permission of course), but I think it will definitely interest you.

[Blackdog]

I always enjoy playing Caste. I didn't even know we had been going for over a year?! Wowza. Time sure flew. I applaud the hard work everyone put into it. It made the experience all the more enjoyable. So thank you!

@ Vio. I didn't mind that Jason was 'Incapacitated' half the time, being a Damsel in Distress suited his personality and character. It was nice to give him an ending even though he was dead, and what with Mr Teddy being Ultra jealous, it seemed obvious it would hang on to Jason even after death. And Jason, well... I felt that in being dead, he would forget about everything and care for nothing except what was with him in that afterlife limbo. Namely, Demon Bear.

@ Toadkiller, Your ship idea reminds me of Forbidden Siren 2. That was one of my favourite area's. So I concur with this suggestion. Also now I've been playing Fatal Frame 3, how about diverging between a dreamscape and reality?
Alternating between a Ship of Dreams and the waking world, only to confuse the characters as to which is which as they get deeper into the mystery.

----

Even if we don't get to do another one for a long time, that gives me plenty of time to work on what sort of character I really want for it. The one that has been tinkering in my head for a long while wants to break out, but with talk about going back and connecting some of the previous characters I'm considering fleshing out the Pyromaniac Nurse and THE Doctor. Will be fun. I'll do a bunch of character idea's and see which one appeals.

[Toadkiller Dog]

Cryostasis had a neat, unique approach to an "alternate world" as well. The player would go back into time upon touching certain corpses on the ship to see how they died, and to try and help them overcome their torment, by making it so that they didn't die in the past, thus freeing their tormented soul from the presence.

Another thing that made both Cryostasis AND The Thing so urgent and, no pun intended, chilling was the extreme cold temperature as a constant threat. In Cryostasis it was bad enough to the point of using ANYTHING as a heart source, including light bulbs.

[alx]

Of course my favorite bit about Cyrostasis was the way they treated the ice, especially the fractal 'fern' patterns of frost growing on the walls in real time. But that's what you expect from an artist... I spend most of my time in any given game staring at the walls and moaning "Wouldja lookit dat TEXTURE?!?" and getting aroused by secularity maps

Blackdog: What's all this about Demon Bear? I was just kidding about Mecha Teddy-san; if it was actually possessed and tormenting your PC then fess up now!

[alx]

Whoops! I missed the first post of this thread so please allow me to respond to it retroactively: It is always a pleasure to play the villain and it goes without saying that I had a great time bringing my vision of the Otherworld to the players. And don't think of it as a selfless gesture- I got some great portfolio pieces out of the effort

A version of the Cris revenant has been a fan favorite on my site for over a year now, so I should be thanking you. Even the pieces that didn't make it into my gallery were excellent learning exercises, since they all turned out pretty solid with the exception of Japanese Phineas (My bad, could've sworn you said he was yakuza) So my only regret would be that I didn't have the bandwidth to include more content. Props to Vio for exhaustively scouring my site for existing content and incorporating it into the game 'cos it saved wear and tear on my already impacted schedule

Glad to hear someone appreciated the UFO ending: I put a lot of effort into bringing an otaku style finish to the game. Also pleased to know that DWZ got to play from beyond the grave (I really hate PC killing) and think it is only fair that he got to return the favor: Hope we can still be friends now

Regarding the soundtrack, didn't you get those links I sent to freeware music composing apps? Obviously I can't be expected to audit that kinda software for you but there are reviews and such to help you decide

When it comes to another sequel, it sounds like you have the right idea: Take some down time and then move forward. Speaking as an artist, I like all the lead time that I can get...

[Vio]

About the whole using a natural disaster as a setting for the horror story, that's what I tried to do with setting it on the American Gulf coast with Hurricane Ike in mind which caused severe damage and floods to the real Galveston and Houston (where I live). If you guys remember the storm at the beginning of the game, and the devastation afterward.

As far as changing characters are concerned, I think it is important that certain characters are unknowingly connected to others in a Silent Hill enviroment, and also it makes roleplaying a little deeper if there is some back story that can be developed and to surprise the PC's later on in the story. And to ensure that the characters work well in the world, like SilentHero explained about the Jim-Farrah relationship.

Important point: I welcome suggestions and ideas for a new game at any time, nevertheless I will kill the surprise (and its effect) for the other characters if they are discussed in public, if there is a suggestion that I should take seriously, please send it to me by PM.

alx, freeware? You mean the stuff you sent me, could be used for free? I stored it away thinking that I had to pay for it, I'lltake another look at it then. As for the warning time, I guess you can just get a monster concept/sketch in every now and then, and we can discuss which ones can be finished. That way no time will be wasted with projects that won't be used. Oh, and double post again and I will send Mr. Teddy after you.

[Toadkiller Dog]

I liked the flood idea actually, that's kinda what had me thinking about the natural disaster bit. It worked well here, kinda wish it'd been played upon more though.

[BogeyMeph]

I thought the flood thing brought in a lot of realism and created an interesting problem for characters. And it created an environment where you weren't sure if it was the real world or silent hill or in between. It blurred that line for a while after the initial disaster situation. So I found that to be interesting too. We knew there was a flood, a storm. So when we got out there and saw the destruction, our characters could see the broken environment around us as the product of natural forces. It wasn't until the monsters we had any reason to think this was different.

I really thought the writing of the first half kept us guessing and wondering. Then the second half had such specific direction that it kept us on our feet and kept us running for the end. I really enjoyed how you did that, Vio.

[alx]

Agreed, it kept the other PCs wondering if they'd somehow missed the rescue effort. And then Vio leveraged that concept with the hotel flood which encouraged PC bonding. Solid concept all around

[SilentHero]

The flood really was a great point of character bonding, forcing everyone to stop being an individual looking for escape and join together to avoid catastrophe. It helped Jim to form a strong relationship with Riiko as both of them were unable to regroup with the others in the elevator shaft, and it helped introduce Jim to Bella when she offered to share body heat to keep Jim and Riiko from dying of hypothermia.

After the first flood, I was terrified that another would strike when we least expected. That's how effectively shocking and threatening as a gameplay element it was. Although I was afraid of what a second flood would have done to Jim, I was more than a little disappointed that it was never introduced... kind of.

I like Toadkiller Dog's idea of a blizzard environment. I'd imagine it would be a system of exploring open streets, investigating buildings in hopes of finding one, if any, that can provide temporary shelter until the player's conditions are healthy again, while providing further areas to explore.

But the flooding concept works much better for Galves, given it's location. Nothing scarier than being on an island that can be swallowed whole by the ocean, gone and forgotten.

Away from the topic of locations and weather, I had one suggestion. In the next game, all guns should have a limit of how much ammo a gun can hold. Always in ambushes I worried that if I used my gun it would suddenly be out, that's why I had Jim constantly checking his clip from time to time, but it was never known how many bullets he had left, but it never seemed to matter.

While it is comforting to have a gun in-game that is always ready to fire, it makes you rely on it too often, firing away instead of thinking of a different, more creative, form of attack, or a create a plan to sparingly use what little precious ammo you have more effectively. I think if that was more of a concern it would add more realism to the fear of running into a creature, even if you had a powerful weapon like a machine gun or a sawed off shotgun.

Ammunition could be an additional searchable item and could provide some interesting choices for those who find ammo for another person's weapon, whether they wish to give it to them or keep it for them selves, depending on their personality and relationship with that character.

[spearofhope]

RSVP'd, Color me in.

Character Direction? Christian was a Prisoner who had always been in crime but only ever felt an ounce of guilt for the one crime he was convicted for - the one crime he never wanted to commit. The Accidental murder of his wife, For which his responsibilty was meant to remain ambiguous, did he push her, did she fall accidentally, to the very end. Then, The surname Hawthorne became Sentzke, he got some random crazy brother, a living son and an inability to team up or spend time with anybody but James. I lost control of my own character in so many ways, which I'm still a little bitter about, but I made it work, and I made the best of it. I had so much fun with the game, back in the day. Thanks so much for the experience. I've done a good ammount of roleplays, writing and games, and never have I met a group where so many of them really put the time into each post and put the thought into the arc of their character. I wish I could be in something like this all the time.

Ah, Christian. Yelled at people about what to do about the Hurricane. Disappeared for a month because I was mysteriously banned. Got Teleported into the Other-Other-World, in which he kicked ass consistently and made a surprise survival. Ah, how he beat up Cris, how he fought off V. Rejoining the group, Bidding farewell to Jordan, the man with all the answers. Traversing the Spiral Staircase on Ash Tree Lane for some reason. Meeting an unfortunate, meaningless and mostly unmourned end, because I forgot about the damn seal!

Rescently I was in another game, a Silent hill Rp, which was just between me and a good friend with a lot less form, rigor and overall 'game' status, with no GM, just going by mutual agreements instead of control. That Game was played very well and I'm intensely proud of it, Because what we did with that game was to get the style of Silent Hill perfectly right, and we did it as if it was one of the Silent Hill games, reminiscent mostly of One or Three. In playing it, we kept in mind Gameplay, what it would have been like as one of the games. We described the cutscenes and alltogether they came out as truly believeable as cutscenes of a Silent Hill Game. Maybe I should post it on the forum, I'm not sure.

But that's something that struck me about The Castes RPGs. They're not very much like a Silent Hill Game. They have the atmosphere, certainly. The style of characters, and monsters, but there are many characters, all of them 'protagonists', and the fighting is very different. There is no controlling plot, just moving from place to place and moving towards some unknown goal, unlike searching for a daughter, attempting to get to your apartment, attempting to save victim after victim or looking for someone else. It's not to imply that the Caste games are unsucessful in replicating the sense of the games, but instead just a musing. Considering it, between the game I explained, which plays very much like a Silent hill video game, and this game, which is very unique and and very different, I would probably choose this one.

I really have missed this game, and I can't wait to get to the next one, fingers crossed of course. If there's anything I can do to help, just tell me.

P.S. And James Lived? WHAT. Flabberghasted.

[Vio]

@ SilentHero,

Thank you for your PM, it has some very interesting ideas, let me think about it, and I will get back to you!

Now the ammo issue:

I've grappled with the ammunition issue ever since the first game, and I have always been too scared to use it. As you all know, during a fight I take liberties on how it will go, and typically I would make the fight physically difficult for the character, so often when a player tells me that they dispatch a monster easily I respond with that player getting his ass kicked. Usually the plan doesn't work out perfectly for the player and I think that prevents the battles from becoming routine and enables the player to be afraid of the monsters:

PH is Scary because he is dangerous, fast, and you can't kill him.
Butch isn't scary because he is too slow to be a threat, and you can hide on the other side of that counter pumping bullets from the AK you just found a couple buildings ago.

So here is my dilemma:

Player's Player: In order to save ammo, I will shoot at the monster enough times to hit it three times, (that should be like five or six bullets) then I will beat it with a stick to finish it off.

The Player might become upset if I say that it takes more shots to hit or weaken the monster, so that after those three hits, he needs to shoot the monster more to weaken it - do I have the character continue shooting at the creature - enraging the Player due to loss of a clip - or do I have the character stop firing - enraging the character because his player is going to have his ass kicked.

I want to add suspense by by having the character in a difficult situation with a monster but end up frustrating a player over numbers. But, as long as this issue is made clear to the players before we start, then we can introduce ammo into the game, which would really help balance those pesky guns.

spearofhope

I have to admit, your character concept and SilentHero were the most I've tweaked with during this last installment, but I don't feel bad since I told everyone that I reserve the right to mess with your character in order to connect it to others in the game. You got connected with Bogey, but only since he could have been shoehorned into your bio as your younger son. And in turn I changed Christian's last name - change I still consider to be cosmetic. I thought the brother was from your bio? I really don't remember the details since it was almost two years and two hard drives ago.

I'm sorry that you felt that you lost control of your character since the opposite was my intention. I intended to change the start, and to add some secrets that player needs to figure out during the course of the game - not just the character, but the player itself. And I can't do that unless I change a few things at the outset, if the player already knows everything at the start, then the player feigns surprise when a character learns a revelation that he player knew all along. I would have had Christian dig deeper into the story surrounding his wife - resolve the brother issue, if it wasn't for his untimely death.

I wanted the James-Christian paternity to be one of these but due to my name changing, it was figured out in the first chapter of the game.

About the Seal, well Jordan was killed because he didn't recognize the Sword of Obedience, so I like to have a few insta-kills here and there. But seriously, I did not want player death to be reserved for major plot points and intentional sacrifices and otherwise heroic behavior, but otherwise as the interruption of a life - something that happens in a dangerous world from time to time - and that it is often quick (Christian, Brian) or drawn out and hopeless (Jordan), and not romantic. I want the characters to feel that they can die at any time (because they do), and that the Otherworld would not bat an eye at their passing.

As for not being able to communicate with any body but James, well that's between him and the other players.

As for being offline for a month, I think that was a glitch that occurred when I banned Vehilli from the forum, something about the IP address was similar to yours, I fixed it as soon as a realized that that was the reason you ceased to be active.

Sept 19, 2010 10:20:43 GMT spearofhope said:

But that's something that struck me about The Castes RPGs. They're not very much like a Silent Hill Game. They have the atmosphere, certainly. The style of characters, and monsters, but there are many characters, all of them 'protagonists', and the fighting is very different. There is no controlling plot, just moving from place to place and moving towards some unknown goal, unlike searching for a daughter, attempting to get to your apartment, attempting to save victim after victim or looking for someone else. It's not to imply that the Caste games are unsucessful in replicating the sense of the games, but instead just a musing. Considering it, between the game I explained, which plays very much like a Silent hill video game, and this game, which is very unique and and very different, I would probably choose this one.

I consider the Caste Series to be a reinterpretation of Silent Hill, using the games themselves a backdrop, but not a carbon copy, mostly because the medium is so different between a console game and a Internet Forum. The pace needs to be slower and the game overall needs to be more social which contradicts the loneliness essential to the series. I try to find ways around this, and many aspects will be altered again if I do another game. As for specific ideas, I do not want to go into specifics since they will be spoilers.

A Silent Hill game can have only one protagonist since there is only one Player, but when I have 16 to deal with - and only a third or a half who are going to stick with it, I must be more democratic as a GM. However this brings up some interesting situations when there are several characters thinking that they are the star of their own movie and we have the characters who play a subservient role on their own. Psychologically speaking, seeing players assign themselves roles is very interesting - as they balance their own needs and fantasies against those of others. I thought this was played well in the Jim/Bella/Farrah triangle.

As for having a goal,this I wholeheartedly disagree with you. Jim wanted Farrah back and gave her up for Bella (with tragic results), James wanted his mother (and gave her up to destroy his memories of V), Jason wanted his Teddy, Bella wanted to be free from her past (realizing at the end that she couldn't escape), Jordan wanted to be a god - and his doppelganger almost succeeded, and Riiko wanted to serve Jordan. And Chrisitian had unfinished business with his brother, and was burdened from the only crime that plagued him with guilt. And due to his death, it was his son that resolved these loose ends.

The characters set their own goals, and the Otherworld has a way of making it work as long as the character studies the clues that are left along the way. My execution is still wanting, this game went on for way too long, due to a way too sparse concentration of plot-points, but my goal was to create a game which included not one but several simultaneous Silent Hill games which intertwine with each other.

[Dwz]

'twas a fun game while I was still alive in it and even more fun there after hehe. Looking forward to any sequels of course