Okay, yes, I know, "NOT ANOTHER THREAD!!!" But, if we post what we'd all like to see in the sequel here, it will help me keep track of things.

First of all, I'll post the PM I sent everyone here, for reference.

Okay, guys, we’re getting ready for the sequel. I think (as do others) that a change in design is in order. Following are some problems we’ve needed to address, and my proposals for solutions. Please let me know what you think, so that, when it comes time to make the new forum, I’ll know what everyone wants.

Problems with the current RPG:

So many threads!!!

Yes, in our RPG, it is difficult to find what you are looking for, as there are TONS of threads to go through to find the right one. Not only that, but when a communication from one place to another occurs, it makes it a nightmare for anyone else to keep up, especially if they’re new. Now, having a lot of threads is necessary, as our game takes place in a big galaxy, has many different characters, with many different storylines going on. But, I think it may be possible to decrease the number of threads somewhat by implementing the following points…

Instead of location being the basis of the threads, we can base the threads on time. Less time goes by in our RPG than places exist.

This can work if, each time we post, we very simply begin the post with the name of the planet or location the post takes place.

Example:

MUSTAFAR. Wook looked around, careful not to get too close to the lava rivers that surrounded the ground she stood on.

If the name is in all caps, it is less likely to be confused with the contents of the post.

This will have the effect of a thread advancing very quickly, as all story posts will be in the one thread until it runs out. But, since a day cannot advance more than one week in our time, the rate it advances will be slower than it would be in our current one, and other players will always know what is currently going on, if they wish to jump in. This will also help to alleviate certain players’ ignorance of what is going on in locations their characters are not in, though the downside is that, if you WANT to be ignorant of such things (Sithy!), you will be forced to look through recent posts in the Story threads to find one in your location to respond to. HOWEVER, since most of our posts (and Sithy’s e-mails) are from chatting, instead of story, then you can always change the setting on each thread so that it does not send you an e-mail. You will see this option above the big box when you are posting.

I propose that story threads are labeled as Storyline 1, Storyline 2, and so forth, creating a new one once the first runs out. The fact that we have not run out of ANY of our location-based threads tells me that doing this would create far fewer threads to wade through… and all you really need to look for is the highest number, which will likely be on top!

Tons of posts due to chatting…

Okay, we need a chat thread. We just do. I don’t want us to stop talking to each other, and sometimes we need to tell each other important things regarding the storyline. However, how to separate the inconsequential pings and chatter from the important alerts? Multiple, rated chat threads!

I propose having one chat thread for important alerts, titled Alerts, so if we REALLY need to get someone’s attention, like before they post next, we can post it there. These should be one-time announcements, and if the subject requires further conversation, then just keep reading…

Another can be titled Jedi Council, so if we need to have a prolonged discussion about the story, we can discuss it there.

Another can be named The Dark Room, where evil mastermind plots, as well as good guy’s statement of goals, and every far-reaching plan in between that are for everyone to read, can be posted. This way, we won’t have to keep re-posting them and trying to find them among other people’s chats. (Sithy, your bad guy plan announcements will go here.)

Another will be named Ping-Pong. Guess what we do there? Hahaha!

It has come to my attention that we need a Research Room. As we write about Star Wars, occasionally we come against general questions about the Star Wars universe that we need answered to write our posts. When we find these answers, we can put them here, so others can take a look when they have the same questions. Jester, your many Wookieepedia postings can go here.

Finally, there should be one named Mindless Banter. Everything else should go in this thread, talk about movies, videos, fanfiction stories, etc.

This way, those who HATE getting hundreds of e-mails in their inbox can merely subscribe to, say, Alerts, and only get a chat message when it’s something important they need to know before they post next.

Summaries Vs. Character Descriptions Vs. Character Histories

The summary for the last RPG was HARD for SwimAngel to do, even with all of us helping. And, it ended up being SO long, hardly any new people bothered reading it. However, it is important to have this information documented, so others can refer back to it. I propose splitting up what used to be the Character Descriptions & Summaries thread into four threads: Setting and Summary, Apply Here, Character Descriptions, and Character Histories.

Let’s start with Apply Here. This is where new people can begin, placing their character descriptions up for approval, and we can talk to them about their character. This way, we can help them get their character created in one thread, without fear of clogging it up so others can’t view character descriptions.

Once the description is approved, it will go in Character Descriptions. The moderator will handle all entries into Character Descriptions, for two reasons: to show that new characters are approved, and to better organize each one to make looking them up faster and easier.

Now, here’s where the brunt of the work falls on everyone equally. Character Histories will be where everyone, when they get to it (and, for the sake of new players interacting with your character, it is highly recommended you do this), can put in their own summary, from their character’s perspective. This can go before the first RPG, but should span the first two RPG’s at least. Don’t feel the need to describe everything that happened… there will also be a general summary. But this is where you get to describe, in detail, how your character got where he/she currently is. This will eliminate EXTREMELY LONG character descriptions, as well as very long flashbacks within the story. Since only the description of your character will go into Character Descriptions, if you feel your character’s past is important in describing who they are, it’s recommended you create a character history at the beginning.

There will be a general Setting & Summary. However, this one will be VERY SHORT!!! It may not contain all the details, and will only highlight main events that affect many people. For instance, I’ll probably mention the death of Luke Skywalker and the rise of Xarkun’s Empire, but probably not Xarkun’s arrival on Dagobah. If it would likely appear in someone’s Character History, I’ll try to leave it out. This will be a short, easy to read summary for the new people to know what’s going on, that is all. Other, more specific things will need to be handled on a personal level. My logic here is that, a new player won’t need to know the tiny details unless they’re dealing with a character affected by said details. For instance, a new player won’t need to know that Kiera Forge was accepted into the Brotherhood of Darkness, unless they plan to deal with Kiera Forge.

Players with lives vs. players without… otherwise known as TIMING!

Okay, I’ve told everyone this, I think, but in case some didn’t catch it, in the sequel I would like to make one day in RPG land equal one week in our world. Some players have lives, after all, and can’t post daily (or hourly) like some of us without lives can. This won’t limit the number of posts you can make… a LOT of things can happen in one day. Or, only one thing of importance can happen. If you don’t think you’ll be able to post more than once a week, don’t leave your post in the middle of a conversation. If you think you’ll have trouble posting once a week, that’s fine, your character doesn’t have to do anything that day, but please let others know so they don’t try talking to your character before the “day” is up.

For those of you who like to ping-pong, this is also fine. Fight scenes, conversational fluff, lots of stuff, can all happen in a day, yet take a surprising amount of time to post.

This will also solve another problem… transportational timing. Yes, sometimes it seems as though we instantly get from one planet to another, and sometimes it seems like it takes weeks. I am guilty of screwing this up, as often as anyone else. Having a set advancement of time will help to alleviate these problems, and help to make our story more realistic.

If anyone has any questions or comments about this, please let me know. These are all proposals… nothing has been set in stone yet. I appreciate your feedback, and want only to make the sequel easier and more fun to play. Thank you for your time.

If at all possible, I'd like to see a duel between Xarkun and Magus in the sequal.

ATTENTION! ATTENTION RIMERA! I have written all the rules you posted here for the sequel in a more organized way, and am going to email it to you. LOOK AT IT!

Okay, guys, Gluttony and I had a discussion that really goes here... I shall post what I posted in Jedi Council, so you can have it to refer to:

Okay, Grey-wolf agrees with me on this idea, what do you guys think? We have a Prequel thread in the sequel, where we can all put what our characters have been doing for a 10-week RPG period prior to the sequel. This will take care of any big things that would take forever, but that need to be done right at the time of the sequel (like building fleets or rescuing pretty damsels from high-security facilities, and so on). It can also be used to break your new characters in, or explain what old characters are like now. You can make an entry in the Prequel thread at any time, but the important thing is, that your characters do NOT interact with anyone else's characters without that player's express permission and/or cooperation. It'll be kinda like the Character Summary thread, only it's more recent and more likely to affect other players' characters.

This Prequel thread will not delay the rest of the RPG... think of it as, the last bit of the in-between fics we wrote for the last gap. Write them whenever, but if they are important to your character's actions at the time of the sequel, write them first, before posting in the Storyline thread. But, unlike the Storyline thread, it won't be under a timing schedule... if, in the middle of the RPG, you want to add, "Oh, my character had been doing this before the rpg started," then as long as it doesn't involve anyone else's character without their permission, you're fine.

What do you guys think? Questions? Comments? Sometimes I make things seem more confusing then they need to be...

ATTENTION ALL! Here is your guidebook to RPG III, written by yours truly and approved by Rimera. This lists all ideas and rules for the sequel in an organized way where you can easily refer to them by section.

THREADS:

There are far too many threads. Let’s face it. In the forum, it’s sometimes a real pain for people to find the correct place to post at a moments notice, (Sithy especially). Because we like things fast, simple, and convenient, the following measures shall be taken.

I. Locations:

Locations are the majority of the insane amount of threads we have, some locations have only 3 posts in them. Sithy, personally, rewriting Rimera’s rules in a more organized way, finds that ridiculous. Thus, to eliminate this problem, there will be one general thread for all posts, no matter what setting. At the top of each post, the author will simply write their location in a highly noticeable way. My suggestion is that we put the names in boldface, italicize them, and underline them at the same time, write them in all caps as well, i.e. CORUSCANT. This way, it is highly noticeable to the eye whilst scrolling through posts, it will prevent confusion.

This new feature will make ping-ponging (a game which Sithy is not fond of) between planets, and previously, threads, all the easier.

In other notes, according to rimera who inspired Sithy to rewrite her disorganized ideas: This will also help to alleviate certain player’s ignorance of what is going on in locations their characters re not in, though the downside is that, if you WANT to be ignorant of such things (Sithy!), you will be forced to look through recent posts in the Storyline threads to find one in your location to respond to. HOWEVER, since most of our posts (and Sithy’s emails) are from chatting, instead of story, hen you can always change the setting on each thread so that it does not send you an email. You will see this option above the big box when you are posting.

How the above works, Sithy does not know. Refer questions to rimera.

II. Jedi Council

Jedi Council will still be kept. However, it will exist for the sole purpose of discussing things ONLY story related. This includes but is not limited to, side plots, interesting notations, brainstorming, ect. Basically, anything minor that people like Sithy don’t particularly give a shit about, but it must be kept STORY related.

III. Chatting

Alright, many of you like to chat a lot. Sithy hates that, bluntly put, it clogs in inbox. Therefore, we shall have a separate thread titled Chat. Here you may discuss whatever you want, i.e. fanfiction, youtube vids, movies, ect. Under no circumstances will this crap be posted anywhere else.

IV. Extremely Important Story Items/ALERTS

Normally, Jedi Council would be used for this. However, to make things easier, a separate thread will be created for important story items. For example, if Sithy wants Xarkun to kill someone very important, he would post it there. Everyone will be subscribed to this thread which will be called Alerts. This will provide major announcements to people who’d rather not sift through Jedi Council.

V. Master Plans

None of you seem the remember Sithy’s master plans. This aggravates Sithy, and Sithy attests that it must aggravate others when Sithy forgets their masterful ideas. Therefore there shall be a thread for master plans. All master plans will be posted there. However, it is recommended that you suggest your plans in the Alerts section. See point IV in Threads. This way, people can approve your plan in the Alerts section, and you can post it in the Master Plan’s section for future reference.

VI. Character Descriptions/Sign Ups/ History

Note Rimera’s Exact Words: The Apply Here thread will be where all the new people, as well as the current players, will post their character descriptions and whatnot. Once it is approved, their character descriptions will be re-formatted and placed into the Character Descriptions thread by the moderator. This will be a way to show that the character got approved, and will make it a lot easier to look up people's character descriptions. Also, there will be a Character History thread, so that, if your character's history is important to your character, it can go there, and whoever wants to deal with your character in the rpg can read it. This will be how you guys will help me with the summary... if you all write your own character histories; I won't have near as much to write in the General Summary thread.

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SUMMARY OF EVENTS:

I. The Summary

There will be a short summary thread that will broadly cover transpired events, i.e., it will list that Xarkun killed Luke, took over the Empire, etc. But it will not likely mention what engine Choc blew up in the Night Hammer, nor what kind of lightsaber Sion uses (Jester!).

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TIMING:

I. 1 Week= 1 Day

Yes. This new feature shall be implemented. 1 week in our time shall equal 1 day in RPG time. So as not to confuse anyone, the week will start on Sunday and end Saturday. Days of the week do not specify specific times, i.e. Wednesday doesn’t equal 10 in the morning RPG time. It is very broad, thus eliminating the need to post on certain days for certain times. Saturday night might equal the morning of the day, I don’t know. It would be best to simply leave out the time while posting, eliminating the need for flashbacks.

This feature will also help people who don’t like to post often, Sithy, for example. Also all the unnecessary, and highly controversial fluff can be posted during the week if you are bored or something. You don’t even have to post once a week, your character doesn’t have to do stuff every day. This will probably help out people like Sithy, and Anime who sometimes doesn’t post for weeks at a time anyway. This way, he will lose a specified amount of time for posting because 1 week= 1 day in RPG time.

II. Hyperspace Travel

Another highly controversial subject, and the root of many problems, and irritation. To stop debates on how long it takes to get from Tatooine to Coruscant (not 2 days people, that’s moronic) hyperspace travel shall consist of 1 day, which = 1 week in RPG time. Therefore, if Xarkun wanted to go attack Hoth, he might leave on Tuesday, but will ALWAYS arrived on Sunday. No matter what day your character leaves, they will always arrive at their destination Sunday. That simple, leave on Friday night, you get there Sunday, leave on Thursday, Sunday. Any questions? No, good. Since time is not specified during the week, or day, we might as well make it easy and simply say you will always arrive on Sunday. Of course, if you cannot post on Sunday, it does not matter, that’s just when your character has arrived, for the sake of things. Rimera, of course, words this differently. For those of you who wish to hear why she confused me, allow me to half-quote the following.

This is how Rimera would explain hyperspace travel:

Say your character leaves Saturday, next Saturday he’d be in hyperspace, and next Sunday he’d be out. 1 week. If that confuses you like it did me, then thank you. If my way confuses you, listen to this, and you’ll be fine as well, because either way it doesn’t matter when you leave, and each says you arrive on Sunday, rimera’s, however, indicates 2 weeks to me, but whatever.

This actually works for me...and in truth...it does seem much more organized and easier to understand and comprehend. So on with the improvements!

((To Sithy with sarcasm: Hahaha, very funny wise guy!))

How about we make a Notice of Absence Thread for any of us who are not going to be online here at certain times for an extended period can inform everyone else of their absences and maybe even how long they are going to be gone?!

That too is a marvelous idea Jester!

That's possible, or we could simply post it in the major Alerts thread. Idk, something to consider.

I agree with Sithy... we should put it in Alerts. Otherwise, we'd have one thread with, like, three posts. That's what we're trying to avoid.

Okay, guys, time for a vote. How long should the break be between the end of this sequel, and the beginning of the next. This is real time, not RPG time. Should it be...

3 weeks (I need at least that long to get it prepared)

1 month (4 weeks... I know, I know, big dif, right?)

1 1/2 months?

Please cast your votes. Or, if you need/want a different amount of time, tell me, and we'll narrow it down to 2, and have a final vote. Maybe by the time we finish voting, it will be break time? Haha!

You know my vote. 1 and 1/2 months.

I vote for 3 weeks or at most 4 weeks!!!!!

I vote for a month to a month a 1/2.

I agree with Anime-SW-fan, a month and 1/2

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