Secrets

[Clear]

Usually I would create some sort of elaborate or excited entry when I post a thread, but yeah..no. I'm just brainstorming..


This rp would be around a casual/detailed level, depending on how much effort is put into it, and is, in fact, something I just came up with off the top of my head. Criticism is expected, and wanted as long as it's constructive.


Anyways, the rp would be centered around a single group of students who attend a rather popular high school in a relatively well populated city.


(Personally, High school rps are a bit of a turn off, but hopefully what I have to say next will make it a little better, yeah?)


Instead of focusing on the actual droll and life-depleting structure of school, or even the time spent in classes, it would be focused on the lives of the students and how they get woven together in a web of lies and secrets. It would be roughly based on the social imbalances that school/society places on students, and other things that affect us on a daily bases as humans, through the use of a common secret each of the students have, as well as their own.


In this rp, the technology is slightly more advanced, and society is strict towards what is perceived as right or wrong (much like it always has been.) So, maintaining a good social status is imperative to these teens. Like that's any different than real life... Yeah? No? It's not supposed to be.


Basically what would go down is that in their free time each of these students play a popular MMORPG known as Trails of Destora, aka 'ToD'. Because technology is more advanced, they are allowed to enter the fantasy world through simulation. During their time there, they have unknowingly formed bonds in one way or another. Where as in their real life, they are completely separate people who barely acknowledge each other's existence. Due to the severe disdain society has on things like gaming and such, none of them are wiling to reveal their secret to any classmates, or even close friends. Though they also have secrets of their own, they would go through any means to keep their secret gaming lives hidden. Until one day a once-in-a-lifetime ToD convention was being close to town...


The idea is to have the students eventually overcome the pressure their social lives put on them as they progress into either friends or enemies. Time within the game will be apart of the rp as well.


I'm still not confident about this. I feel like there's something left out or not belonging in the idea itself. I was thinking of making the fantasy world and the real world eventually combine, but that's just a hovering bit that I am too unsure about.....


Bahhhh..Feed me your opinion or advice!

 

[White Masquerade]

There's nothing wrong or missing with your idea. You have the crux of what's going to happen in the RP, now you just have to adjust the mechanics of how to do it, and then act it out.

 

[Clear]

Alright, thanks!

 

[DreamBeat]

This sounds like an awesome idea! One thing I would be concerned about is how many people to let in. Would you let an indefinite number of people join or a set number of people join? Is there a plot - not that it needs one, but just wondering? Does it have a villain that can join in at a later time after everyone is acquainted with each other? Because... I just thought that a villain would make it more interesting if things start to get boring. If you were going to combine our real world and the fantasy world, maybe you can extract some ideas from SAO, an MMOPRG game, or any other source you can think of. And one more question off the top of my head. Would there be two IC tabs for REAL LIFE and IN GAME?


Uh... I don't know if this will help at all since these are basically questions asked for my own curiosity.

 

[Clear]

Yes, to most of your questions except that there would be a limited amount of people allowed to join.

 

[Life.]

Perhaps for an antagonist, a popular kid finds out about each individual character who plays the game and threatens to spill their secrets unless they listen to what they are told? Or perhaps the parents begin becoming suspicious of what the students are doing?


The only major thing I feel that is missing is the specific pressures that cause the teens to band together. Another conflict maybe setting considering in real life there may not be as much posts considering all there is to say are scenes when they are worried about their secrets and whatnot or their desire to play the game. While in in-game mode they could be going on adventures but have the posts more centered on the thoughts and emotions of the characters and how they feel about one another.

 

[Sludge]

Too late to post or not? I am bored either way.


This part:

The idea is to have the students eventually overcome the pressure their social lives put on them as they progress into either friends or enemies.

Would I be wrong in assuming that this is where you give players a goal? It is just my opinion but I think both the goal and the conflict aren't clear enough. These are the very things that decide what the story is about.


Good rp goals tend to force the players to join forces (or somehow interact with each other). In that sense... Perhaps instead of a ToD convention there could happen a... dunno, update to the game that introduces dungeons that can only be challenged in a group (and of course finding a group IRL is a serious matter). The point is to motivate the characters to go out there and SOCIALIZE (drum roll).


Also my goal is crap, but it is an example. )