[OOC] [3e] Superheroics Unlimited - The MMVR

For all of your Play-By-Post games.
Post Reply
User avatar
Doctor Malsyn
Posts: 8175
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 10:42 pm
Location: Thunderdome, Texas

[OOC] [3e] Superheroics Unlimited - The MMVR

Post by Doctor Malsyn »

Image
Logo made by me! Thanks, me.

As the video plays, the screen initially only shows darkness. A slow drumbeat plays, 'ba-thump... ba-thump...', untill a the click of an old phone cuts in. You hear a feminine voice, "911, what's your emergency?"

A moonlit city skyline slowly fades into view, the camera slowly panning over the busy streets. 'Ba-thump... ba-thump...' The beat continues to play, as a white lettering pops up. 'True Realities presents...'

A young boy's voice starts with a nervous crack, he's quiet. "H-help, please... They're right behind me, I need-"

Glass shatters somewhere in the background, a car alarm blares. "Oh no, he found me! P-please, you gotta do something!"

Strings join the drum beat as it transitions to an off 1-1-2 rhythm, more text scrawls past. 'Created and developed by Maboroshi Productions...'Followed several beats later by, 'A Masa Maboroshi game...'

"Kid, please, do you know your location? I'll-" The music picks up as another loud crash cuts the woman off, a scream following suit. "Kid? Hey, kid?!"

Her voice fades out as a dial tone takes its place, the camera shakes with the sound of an explosion and smoke begins to obscure the city lights. The camera starts to pan down to show buildings bouncing red and light lights from sirens driving past. A white streak of light tears a hole through the smoke, only on screen for a split second. Moments later, a distant caped figure in white flies into view and then down into the chaotic scene below.

The screen fades to black in tune with the music, before an image fills the screen.'Superheroics Unlimited. Releasing in 2053'

---------------------------------------

You might've been one of the thousands who stood in line of the 'True Reality' centers on release day, you might've received a gift subscription for some important anniversary or holiday, you might've picked one up months down the line during a special deal. Either way, you're one member of a large and ever-growing international playerbase for the single most ambitious virtual reality game to date. Several powerful AI Shards act as akin to gods, working in tandem to weave a player-driven story across an entire scaled version of the real world of the early 21st century.

Who you are in the real world, though, doesn't matter nearly as much as who you masqueraded as within the digital space. Be it a millennia old magician, a time-traveling cyborg, a mutant teen struggling in society, a benevolent alien from some far-flung corner of the universe, or even a millionaire genius piloting an advanced mech-suit. Join together with your fellow novice heroes as you struggle to maintain the balance of your secret identities and the allure of Superheroisim™.

So, submerge yourself in the form-fitting gel of the Immersion Pod, and work together with a Shard to handcraft your story in your assigned zone of Premium City...
Well, hello! I'll act as the 'Shard' in place of the one your actual actual[Two actuals!] characters would be interacting with(Depicted as a wizened old man named Janus, for your information). While I already run a game on the forums here, for some time I've had this story and setting in mind. If nothing else, I'd like to see what the viability of such a game like this is. The 'in-universe' setting is a very much "Generic Super-Hero" type allowing for any mixture of weird zany origin stories you can think of. Felt that might be a fun experience. It's a 'MMVR (Massively-Multiplayer, Virtual Reality) game, so there will obviously be the 'Virtual Reality' aspect to the game. For the earliest bits of gameplay though it won't be a prominent feature.

For the moment, this is an interest thread. Some people might not be keen on the virtual reality aspect, so I just wanna test the waters for now. As a baseline, I've it in mind to be a PL 10 game, and likely up to six players.

House Rules:
  • *I'm looking for up to six players.
  • For the momment, I'll be keeping recruitment up for a week.
  • PL 10 [150] is our baseline.
  • Pl 9[165] and PL11[135] are viable alternatives I'm willing to play with.
  • For skill ranks, let's keep it as standard. 1 point, two ranks.
  • In addition to normal minion NPCs, there will be occasional 'Epic Variant' minion NPCs that require two degrees of failure to down, but otherwise act as normal.
  • I don't need a full statblock of your 'player' characters, but I'd like you to at least list them as a complication; Player Identity: In the real world, you are a normal human by the name of [????].
Other Known Character
  • Full House Crew: A gang of mostly old-school gangsters and thieves, previously led by Dana's grandfather Jack. They seem to know Operative is tracking them, yet have thus far been elusive. Generated by the Shards as backstory-tied NPCs.
  • Lady Sabrina Nightshade: A superhero known to the world as the Master Mage, teacher of Martin Spellman. Known to be a preexistent NPC created with the original game.
  • Baron Malamar: Supervillain rival of the Warlock, a mage who uses his powers for evil. Known Player, Wayne Chau is a friend of Samar and was one of the original beta-testers.
  • Psyche(Felicity Freeman): Psionic supervillain and Flora Freeman's twin sister, known to possess identical abilities. Generated by the Shards as a backstory-tied NPC.
  • Stream Team Dream Team: A group of real-world associates of Natalie, these friends are working in the background to make sure that her streaming career runs smoothly.
  • Horizon(Vincent): Parker's brother who treads the line between hero and villain, and is obssessed with uncovering the mystery of their parent's disappearance. Known Player and Kendall's ex-fiancé, there is little lost love between these two parties.
  • Absynthe: Viking themed dwarf supervillain with alcohol fueled pyrokinetic abilities. Confirmed as a Player, Absynthe's player reportedly used illegal modifications to his immersion pod and caused a server-wide shutdown. Official statement from Superheroics Unlimited is the player has been banned, and faces criminal charges in his country of origin.
  • The Officer: A helpful member of the PCPD who's taken special interest in the heroes. Suspected as being an NPC.
  • Danny: A firefighter who has expressed interest in Octogirl, and has been in regular contact since. Suspected of being a Player.
  • Smalls: Size-changing supervillain with a smarmy attitude and a penchant for tricks. Confirmed as a Player.
  • The Clone Crew: A twin-brother pair of supervillains with the ability to duplicate, and exchange places with said duplicates. Confirmed as being players through esoteric means.
  • Grace Duper: Member of SIN, the Supervillain Imprisonment Network.
Last edited by Doctor Malsyn on Mon Dec 18, 2023 11:44 am, edited 22 times in total.
Am I dead? Am I alive? The answer may surprise you!
------------
"What a week, huh?" "Doc, it's only Wednesday."
kenmadragon
Posts: 743
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:37 pm

Re: [Interest] [3e] Superheroics Unlimited - The MMVR

Post by kenmadragon »

This is kinda interesting. So the actual superheroics would be int he world of the VR game (which is what our char-sheets would likely represent)? Do we also need to detail an "IRL" background and char-sheet as well? Any limits on char concepts permitted by the game, or ideas for what sorts of things are and are not appropriate for the VR-characters?
User avatar
Doctor Malsyn
Posts: 8175
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 10:42 pm
Location: Thunderdome, Texas

Re: [Interest] [3e] Superheroics Unlimited - The MMVR

Post by Doctor Malsyn »

Yep, your sheets would essentially be your character sheets in-game. You won't need a full character sheet for them, but at least a complication noting who you were outside the game would be appreciated. Child characters wouldn't be permitted, but teen to young adult would be permissible. Otherwise, no exact limit to concepts.

Though, I reserve the right to veto I suppose if something seems too out of left field. Can't predict everything.
Am I dead? Am I alive? The answer may surprise you!
------------
"What a week, huh?" "Doc, it's only Wednesday."
jmucchiello
Posts: 3815
Joined: Sat Feb 09, 2019 7:59 pm

Re: [Interest] [3e] Superheroics Unlimited - The MMVR

Post by jmucchiello »

So does everyone get the Complication: Lag? And this is how the GM, Doc M, deals with people who don't post frequently enough. :) :)
User avatar
Doctor Malsyn
Posts: 8175
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 10:42 pm
Location: Thunderdome, Texas

Re: [Interest] [3e] Superheroics Unlimited - The MMVR

Post by Doctor Malsyn »

That'd honestly be an interesting complication. :lol:
Am I dead? Am I alive? The answer may surprise you!
------------
"What a week, huh?" "Doc, it's only Wednesday."
kenmadragon
Posts: 743
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:37 pm

Re: [Interest] [3e] Superheroics Unlimited - The MMVR

Post by kenmadragon »

Well, my usual go-to in playing video-games would be to try some kind of mage-type, but given it's VR, a fighty-type might be more reasonable for him... Which would mean "Paragon" archetype as the obvious "easy mode powered wish-fulfillment" with the whole "strong, fast and flying" stuff. But I'm already playing a Paragon type in the Sunstormer campgain Neo-Paladin's running, so I'll probably go for something else.

My current inclination is to build either a Mystic, a Psychic or a Super-Scientist/Battle-suit sort of character. Mystic might be the classic merging of Fate and Strange and the like - pure spellcasting prowess and fancy mumbo-jumbo. Psychic would probably be a mix of TK and Telepathy (probably learning towards TK since Telepathy may or may not interface weird with the whole "this is a VR game" campaign conceit). Super-science would be a battle-suit type like Iron Man or something... or technological-morphing like Blue Beetle III or something. Or I might just go with some kind of bog-standard Elemental-controller, but I'm not really feeling as enthused by that concept compared to the others. Still trying to figure out which concept I like better for this sort of thing...
User avatar
Doctor Malsyn
Posts: 8175
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 10:42 pm
Location: Thunderdome, Texas

Re: [Interest] [3e] Superheroics Unlimited - The MMVR

Post by Doctor Malsyn »

Things like telepathy would be handled on a meta-level by a Shard, so it would be viable if you wanted to go down that route. Overall though, everything sounds quite interesting. Glad I have your interest.
Am I dead? Am I alive? The answer may surprise you!
------------
"What a week, huh?" "Doc, it's only Wednesday."
pathfinderq1
Posts: 2203
Joined: Sun Mar 12, 2017 4:04 pm

Re: [Interest] [3e] Superheroics Unlimited - The MMVR

Post by pathfinderq1 »

As a former player (and regular lurker) in the game you are already running, I'm certainly interested.

First thought in terms of (meat) concept is someone with some degree of acquired physical disability (possibly a crippling injury, possibly simple old age) who will struggle with some degree of VR addiction. VR/super concept either some degree of super-agile/speedster or Starfire/Apollo- style solar-powered paragon.

Shall think on it.
User avatar
Doctor Malsyn
Posts: 8175
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 10:42 pm
Location: Thunderdome, Texas

Re: [Interest] [3e] Superheroics Unlimited - The MMVR

Post by Doctor Malsyn »

Very viable, I like the angle there.
Am I dead? Am I alive? The answer may surprise you!
------------
"What a week, huh?" "Doc, it's only Wednesday."
kenmadragon
Posts: 743
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:37 pm

Re: [Interest] [3e] Superheroics Unlimited - The MMVR

Post by kenmadragon »

One of the many major question to ask is about what the game-world is gonna be like? Like, It's an MMO, but are there gonna be Hero vs Villain factions between players? Are game-guilds basically different kinds of super-teams? Are microtransactions going to be a perennial annoyance? Are people going to make money from playing the game (via gathering loot and stuff to sell on an online market for IRL currencies and stuff)? Or is it just supposed to be a casual game where people aren't gonna be paying money for in-game stuff and the game's just proof-of-concept for advancements in VR for which the data-gathering and analysis of Shard operations in maintaining the game-world is the goal?

Just trying to figure out where the game's gonna sit among those "fantastical VR games people are really serious about" tropes that seem to proliferate the LitRPG genre and all those manhua/wha/ga out of Asia that have similar themes.
User avatar
Doctor Malsyn
Posts: 8175
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 10:42 pm
Location: Thunderdome, Texas

Re: [Interest] [3e] Superheroics Unlimited - The MMVR

Post by Doctor Malsyn »

It's a subscription-based service, and the rates are honestly rather pricy. You are being kept in-house at a VR center for the duration after all. Medical insurance might be applicable in some instances, like with Pathfinder's idea. While an actual in-game economy is made to mimic the real world, micro-transactions don't come into play here. Some people might stream the game onto a platform and make money from it that way, however.

When it comes to other players, there are Heroes Vs. Villians as an aspect. Guilds/super teams are permitted and encouraged, the largest super-team being composed mainly of beta-testers operating out of the in-game West Coast. Premium City is on the East, acting as an NYC analog.
Am I dead? Am I alive? The answer may surprise you!
------------
"What a week, huh?" "Doc, it's only Wednesday."
User avatar
Vivid
Posts: 1350
Joined: Mon Mar 09, 2020 10:52 am

Re: [Interest] [3e] Superheroics Unlimited - The MMVR

Post by Vivid »

I was thinking a middle-aged house mom, kids are off to college and finds herself with way too much time on her hands. She gets into the game and becomes really good with a 'ghost' type build. Husband doesn't understand it but as long as she comes home periodically... (they DO go home, right?)
User avatar
Doctor Malsyn
Posts: 8175
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 10:42 pm
Location: Thunderdome, Texas

Re: [Interest] [3e] Superheroics Unlimited - The MMVR

Post by Doctor Malsyn »

They do indeed go home. At least, they have been so far... :thinking:
Am I dead? Am I alive? The answer may surprise you!
------------
"What a week, huh?" "Doc, it's only Wednesday."
kenmadragon
Posts: 743
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:37 pm

Re: [Interest] [3e] Superheroics Unlimited - The MMVR

Post by kenmadragon »

Okay, in that case I think I'll have my character's IRL background be something along the lines of "got a subscription as a gift from <insert beta-tester here> who was a college-friend and former colleague, but who also gave PC inspiration for his game-character"... But the secret being that the beta-tester is actually a secret Super-Villain who is plotting to unleash the forces of Hell upon the game-world and stuff as part of his personal quest-line.

Unfortunately this quest-line requires that he has to face off against another PC of a similar style (you know, "Comic Book Tropes! The Villain has to be thwarted, but they don't actually lose!", but this time using game-magic to ensure the trope is enforced so long as he plays by the rules of the tropes as a typical comic-book villain), and basically nudged my unwitting PC into creating the exact kind of game-character who would be well-suited to fighting his character as a nemesis. A Klarion to my PC's Dr. Fate or a Dormammu/Mordo/Nightmare to my Dr. Strange or a Dr. Doom to my Reed Richards.

Should be fun to play because my PC would be utterly unaware of this while his old friend's actually playing a villain and was setting him up to be the heroic-counterpart to his friend's supervillain.

Also lets me start with more Complications related to having my in-game-world history already tied to things like that -- because his friend told him to write his character's backstory to include stuff from the world's setting that would further his friend's schemes.

Alternately -- he's decided to become a streamer and fully explore the weirdness of the game's magical graphics engines and do the Journey Into Mystery thing. Not only as part of a super-team (eventually), but to also travel to exotic, mystical places and tangle with the games' "magic sub-quests" and stuff as a magical hero who does the "take all the weird, mystical quests and just stream all the craziness as the PC hams it up and tries to be in-character".

And, yeah, I think I'll just lock-on being a Mystic for my char-concept. It's been a while since I've played one of them, and (like I mentioned before) they're the archetype I tend to play when I play video-games IRL.
User avatar
Doctor Malsyn
Posts: 8175
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 10:42 pm
Location: Thunderdome, Texas

Re: [Interest] [3e] Superheroics Unlimited - The MMVR

Post by Doctor Malsyn »

Nice, that's exactly the kind've thing a sneaky AI thrilled by the idea of engaging storytelling would pull off. Your alternative idea has just as much viability, of course. Plenty to work with there when it comes to storylines.

That's at least four people somewhat interested enough to at least post, if I have at least a fifth I'll open things up in full.
Am I dead? Am I alive? The answer may surprise you!
------------
"What a week, huh?" "Doc, it's only Wednesday."
Post Reply