We are a literate, intermediate to advanced AU Transformers RPG Based off of the first season of TFP with dashes of other incarnations sprinkled here or there. Characters from any continuity are welcome however must be restyled to match the TFPrime universe.
Active, with ongoing plotlines, we are always willing to integrate new characters into storylines once incorporated into the setting.
With so many muns on hiatus at present, the 'Contagious' plot may not be the most suitable one for the next episode. This thread is to test the waters about (and then potentially brainstorm) a mini-plot for Episode 2.
Ideally, Episode 2 wont:
* Be reliant on any single characters * Need everyone to participate * Have semi-scripted events that need to happen in a particular order * Require excessive hand-holding by the Mods
So, voluntary participation, non-interference with existing sub-plots and no 'if this doesn't happen there will be disaster' climax.
For example:
A scraplet bomb is discovered and set off by school children digging up a time capsule in Jasper. Though there is no risk to the human population as they only consume living metal, the Autobots feel it pertinent to hunt down and destroy them all because a: scraplet risk every time they go out with the kids and b: MECH getting hold of scraplet technology is plain bad news. A Decepticon patrol could unknowingly take some to a mine, be attacked, etc. It's not inside either faction's bases, it can be very seriously grim or humorous in-thread.
Thoughts on a postcard! Or if you guys want to run 'Contagious', let us know and we'll see about getting it rolling.
ooh, I like this idea! Less in-faction's-face, more dealing with an Issue that could become a Bigger Issue. Also likely to have lots of spreading out and multiple threads involving just a few people and folks doing things either on or offscreen.
I agree, we've got so many folks on hiatus that a big plot prob. wouldn't be a good idea.
I like the idea of dealing with an Issue that could become a Bigger Issue, but I don't really see how scraplets are going to be an Issue to anyone but the Bots, given that the Cons can just sacrifice one mine and a few raddies, and go hang out on the far side of the planet until their enemies are devoured and the scraplets starve to death/cannibalize each other/go into stasis for lack of food.
I think MECH is a good candidate to A: be foreshadowing to bigger problems and B: be contained to individual plot cells. Personally, I think we could shrink/compartmentalize the Virus Plot so it's less urgent and will better support smaller plotting and leave room for character to not be involved. Example:
Cons: Soundwave/minibot do contract a bio-weaponized disease while investigating an old NEST facility but it's only him and maybe his mini-cons and a few Raddies. The Cons reach out to the Order of Solus to find a cure - maybe not letting on that Soundwave is one of the ill, only focusing on the Raddies. The Cons begin investigating the origin of this bio-weapon, hunting for MECH in case they have more data to lead toward a cure. This can lead to smaller MECH vs Con encounters.
Neutrals: Elita One agrees, perhaps, to help the Cons develop a cure using Order knowledge/experience on the grounds that this bio-weapon was contracted from a human facility - indicating an imminent threat to all Cybertronians on Earth. She alerts Optimus Prime to the existence of the bio-weapon, advising him to figure out where it came from as he has human contacts. Neutrals on base can discuss the politics of Bot/Con occupation while having Con/Bot interactions.
Bots: The Bots begin to ask/question their NEST allies and additionally do investigating into where this bio-weapon came from. NEST operatives know zilch about a bio-weapon but maybe they know the higher ups' attitude toward aliens isnt that friendly. Fowler investigates etc. So human/bot plots and dialogues could happen and there could be smaller MECH vs Bot encounters.
NOTES: If we redeployed the virus plot in this fashion it's less demanding of all players and muns determine how involved in the investigation or in what manner they want to be involved. Whether they want their kids just being off duty or on normal duty while others are assigned to investigate or if they want to be hunting down leads on MECH or talking to humans or Neutrals. Additionally, it involves all factions to a degree, but is not a game-wide emergency that would occupy all characters thoughts and time.
@stark: Given that the Bots DO have human contacts/allies, I think that it would not be unreasonable for finding a Cybertronian bio-weapon in human hands to cast some suspicion on the Autobots themselves. This could, if nothing else, lead to some interesting Op/Elita scenes.
I would hesitate on the virus plot only because this is a one time use ace card - we pull it now, what's the point of pulling it again later? This is, of course, true of any mini-plot, so it's hard to pick what to sacrifice.
I think a MECH plot of some sort would be nice, maybe just not WITH the virus plot? Like, a prelude to MECH becoming a big player, not springing the virus yet? *waves hands about vaguely* Intimations of their being a bioweapon, without actually unleashing it yet? RUMBLINGS. Bots and NEST not trusting each other. That sort of thing. (I don't know, I'm sorry, my brain isn't quite running at full speed right now.)
In regards to not requiring participation, I feel it needs to be said that this is true (and has always been in the rules) - BUT, people need to remember to react to what's going on around them, not just splintering off into isolated corners. If people don't want to play in the plot then it falls to them to find an IC reason for WHY their character isn't involved/reacting to what's happening (or plot ways to get their character out of the vicinity of Things Happening).
(I bring this up because I'm probably going to bow out of most plot things right now, but I have backup reasons or escape plans for all of my characters as to how to avoid said plot. People who don't want to be in the plot need to start considering this, please.)
@ neko I was thinking more that the virus is kind of an unfinished product, not 100% weaponized. They deal with it this time around and it drops of the radar and leaves human/bot relations anxious and tense. The next time it crops up it will be MECH/bad guys/whoever actually deploying it against Cybertronians at full strength.
But if direct exposure/infection is something we want to save so the pandemic is super epic later, we can brainstorm something else entirely. Some stuff off the top of my head below. Anyone else have an idea - throw it out there.
MECH deployed the virus at several of the Mines. The Bots find traces of it in the ruins/remains of the mine, so they can confront NEST about some of it and talk to Elita.
The Cons counter attack the Autobots and start more aggressively attacking their patrols and NEST operatives.
Bots begin the process of actively training NEST operatives to work with them.
A major attack on NEST rocks the military and Bots. Hell, maybe the Cons bust in Bayformers style and try to steal a bunch of data in an attempt to strong arm the location of the Bots and any auxiliary bases.
It may be easier to decide what we want to do if we know what our goals are for the episode. Are we looking to increase non-shooting interaction between the factions? Still building toward the loss of the Bot base/move to Metroplex? Setting up MECH and NEST/humanity in general as players in the war, rather than just pawns and collateral damage? Even if episode 2 isn't going to be a main plot, I feel like we need to have some idea of what function it's going to serve in terms of the overall game storyline rather than just toss out some random event. Or, at the very least, consider how it may affect long term storylines like the move to 'Plex.
Also, we have a scant handful of human PCs, not all of whom are military. Ramping up tensions between Cybertronians and humans could be interesting, but how heavily do we want our plot to rely on a bunch of NPCs no one has any real investment in?
I like the idea of a smaller-scale plot that might set up something larger further down the road - a means to sort of ominously foreshadow future Troubles. Totally on-board with this myself. Count my characters in!
(On a side note, small scale works great for me as well considering that I expect to be very busy at work for the rest of the summer XD. A more casual plot that does not demand scripted events and high-profile participation would be marvelous!)
I am also going to put on my writer's hat for just a moment and say that I agree with Drago's last point: I think it would be neat to allow Episode 2 to act as a prelude to a bigger story down the road rather than a climatic event of its own, a means to establish groundwork and tension/conflict for a future plot.
Especially if MECH gets involved! Rather than having an all-out confrontation with MECH, this might be a nice way to start fleshing out MECH as a looming antagonist, while exploring its motivations and world-building it into a more fully-realised organization. Even if Episode 2 does not wrap up with a confrontation but leaves things hanging, this could be a really great way to start developing MECH as a 'character' in the larger scheme of things and allow that dangling loose end to be picked up and expanded upon in a later plot .
Cool, so we like MECH as an antagonist and building them up in the game. So for Ep 2 it could be a general site-wide MECH hostilities - a few MECH sightings to get them back on the radar for everyone. So how about there is a general attack from MECH that fails but puts them back on NEST/Cybertronian radar? For example -
Cons: A MECH squad tries to botnap a Decepticon in the field. Said Con purees said squad and gets some information out of some of them about how they are, indeed, spying on NEST. Or the Cons could encounter some of MECH's handiwork at their energon mines - MECH stealin' their stuff and they don't like it. They still continue to look for leads to Omega One.
Neutrals: MECH via their inside men at NEST know about the location of the Neutral Base and have been plotting a strike against the poorly secured base. Unfortunately the Order of Solus is there now and this strike goes badly and they hella run away. The Neuts alert Prime to the attack to ask if he knows why a bunch of humans attacked them with tech they shouldn't have.
Bots: Once alerted to the MECH attack they look into it and - oh look - MECH was using adapted Cybertronian technology and, hey, how DID they know where the Neutral Base was anyway? The Cons don't seem like they'd want to share that info with MECH maybe there is a leak at NEST? Humans vs Cybertronian tensions abound. Maybe Fowler/NEST comes to talk to Elita One and interview various Solus gals.
Something like this sound general enough? The failed attacks give people something to talk about/things to do without requiring every character to participate. Thoughts?
Sounds great! I'd like to have the bitlet around at the end of the interim period, so Cleaver will be particularly alarmed by MECH (who she's never heard of) having a go at the Neut base.
Sounds good to me! Epps is going to have a talk with Ironhide about how to fight against Cybertronians, so that could happen either in the timejump or v. beginning of the episode, to set up some of what NEST does and does not know (or what Epps does and does not know as a NEST gruntie) and also point out that there ARE things that humans can do against Cybertronians but there's MUCH MORE that they could do if they had access to real Cybertronian tech. It could be a good intro into human/mech relations on the "this is where we are now" vs. "this is where MECH is, and how did they get there?" level.
I'm in for anything with Roulette however my brain is mush lately because of heat and stress at work. I can't think of any decent plot ideas worth mentioning. Though, I did want to ask what MECH has been up to and what can be done with them.