The World Ko: Alta

[White Masquerade]

Introduction

Hello all! Thank you for having a look. As you can see from the title, I would like to create a role-play called The World Ko: Alta.





I'm always trying to push myself as a role-player, so I'm taking the step to try my hand at something large. With this role-play, I need help. It's going to be in an original world, and that's something I've never tried before. What I'm looking for is a group, even one or two nice people to help, via PM. A small skeleton and direction for the RP is already filled out, there are just a few approaches and experimental RP techniques I want to discuss and figure out.


There is no obligation to stay in the role-play when it begins, but it would be cool if you do. Now I will take the chance to post its basics, and give a peek of what I have so far.


The World Ko: Alta Q & A

Okay. The World Ko. Weird name. What would be the genre?

• Judging by how and what we eventually explore, I'd call it fantasy.
  

Fantasy. Alright. Why the hesitation though? Could it fall under something else?

• You could say that. The brief beginning to the role-play, actually takes place in our real world; the 21st century. Yet after the prologue and short flight across the sand, the role-play will transition into fantasy.
  

Short flight across the sand? Interesting. Care to give more details on that?

• Certainly. Let me give you the premise. We are in our own world. Everything is great and running okay. Then one day, we begin to receive visitors from another dimension. Dragons, Cerberuses, Harpies, Manticores. They are destroying buildings, killing people -- messing with our daily way of life. Naturally the militaries come in and take care of business. They even go so far as to track down where these monsters are coming from. They spend many years doing this till eventually there's a breakthrough, they find one in an underwater cave in a remote desert region of Madgascar. We in the human world, are trying to get some sense of who, or what, is on the other side.
  

I see. Seems pretty cool. Then how do the words "Ko" and "Alta" fit into all this?

• Ah, yes. In the first raid, we humans sent scouts, scientists, and soldiers armed with weapons, into the "other" realm. Almost none of them came back. From the few that did, we were able to find out that through the portal, there is another world. One complete with mythical aspects and beings that people here on this side only dream of. Over here, we call the world, Earth. Over there, they call the world, Ko. Over here we call their land, Alta, while over there they call our land...well. They really don't have a name for it.
  

Hm. Okay. So if the first raid failed, what will the Rpers be doing?

• We're humans! A second raid of course! This time, the world is prepared. From survivors of the first attempt, they have learned that unnatural, man-made devices do not make it there. Outside the portal you have, inside, it's gone. This means, no guns, missiles, computers, Ipods...you get the idea.
  

Whoo. Tough. So if they have none of these things, how do regular humans expect to fight and survive over there?

• Hm! This is what's special we've learned about the land of Ko. In the air, is magic essence. When humans are exposed, they receive supernatural capabilities. This force, is also called Ko.
  

Wonderful. Looks like there is hope for humanity yet. Care to give a few example?

• I would not like to give any at the moment. I have a few in mind, but the power is still very new. Still very experimental.
  

Alright, no worries. Who are you looking to get in?

• Anyone who loves to write and wouldn't mind following a story. The idea is to bring something big in an expanded world, to the casual Rper. It will be listed as detailed, but 2-4 paragraphs would be fine.
  

Something big to the casual Rper. I don't quite get it. Can you explain?

• Sure. The casual crowd is who I cater to. They are who I love the most. If I could find some way to give them depth and deep world-building in relatively simple role-play, I will have lived a happy life. Whenever I choose to broaden my horizons, I always take care to remember that they are who I do it for.
  

Alright. Thank you, I think that covers just about everything. Anything else you want to add?

• Yes. With this role-play, I am looking for many perspectives. I would like to take a look at it from all sides, before I bring it to a close and possible release. I will try to fuse as many aspects of role-playing as I can into this, and I need help.
  

Great. Well thank you White for your time.

• Thank you too. No problem.
  

Questions

If you have any questions for White, please leave them in the reply boxes below!

 

[Lexielai]

Hey bae,


Sure, I'll take a shot at it. How has global politics changed with the revelation of this new portal? Have governments set aside disagreements against a common enemy, or have they continued to squabble over control of it? If they have united, how so? Are they participating in full cooperation, or is it an uneasy truce against a greater threat, such as the Allied forces of WWII?


Is it mainly the first world countries that have united, or is there support by smaller ones? For instance, are the African and Middle-Eastern governments receiving direct support in infrastructure in exchange for resources, or perhaps are their resources being taken with disregard? Or it could be that they're completely unaffected by an alliance, and terrorist crisis' with ISIS and such extremists and continue to wage on despite attacks by mythical creatures (although I assume humanity has secured the portal on Earth, preventing further intrusions).


Adding on to that, what resources are humanity (or possibly individual powers) deploying into the portal? Assuming ANY man-made devices are unable to pass for whatever reason, then they will be picky about selecting the exact people they're looking for. Most likely fit and well-exercised, or at least well enough to optimally adapt to a change in environment. Also, you said man-made devices do not make it through. Do you explicitly mean tools, or objects meant to be tools? Do clothes and backpacks then count as "tools," as they can be from certain perspectives? And if only man-made tools are disallowed, then humans can bring over raw materials and create their own tools there, right?


Question about the magical essence as well: does it cause a change in human's biology, to adapt to this new energy they haven't accessed before? Or perhaps they've always had the capability embedded into their DNA, only without sufficient magical energies in the world to supply supernatural abilities?

 

[White Masquerade]

Okay Lex, sorry for the wait, I was itching to answer this all day. Let me get in character. Here we go.


World Politics?

• In the way of global politics, the portal has not changed much. Yes, nations are banding together to take care of the threat, but as you know, in our current times and all throughout history, there's no such thing as a true alliance. Nations can be friendly, very friendly, but when pushed or met with better opportunities elsewhere, relations can fall apart. The people being sent to the other side, are citizens of varying backgrounds, which is why the Character sheet will include a player's allegiance. It is up to them whether they will work openly with everyone else, or secretly keep information for themselves. This is being done in full co-operation, but once everything is all said and done, it will be business as usual.
  

Who is united?

• This is easy. Every nation. Seeing as other-worldly is attacking humans, this is a global issue. Survival trumps everything. No government is receiving support for anything other than defense. Foreign troops begin sent to hotspots. No evacuation, no food aid. Organizations such as ISIS and other radical groups are smart enough lay low, seeing that they would be able to carry out their mission if they were all dead. Some have even joined in the effort. Regarding the portal, I'd like to point out they have only found one. There are dozens more. I have worked out most of this info, but of course, it will not be included in the role-play. It does not seem relevant to what we are going to explore. I will however, place an extended lore section or answer questions myself, if enough players express interest in wanting to know more about the world.
  

Resources? Devices?

• Nothing other than manpower. They may send assassins, scientists, and gifted individuals of the like, but there's not much these "special" people can do when face-to-face with a fire-breathing dragon. Simply put: the best people in our world are nothing compared to the average inhabitants of the other. Humans in for the second raid, are going to be in for a huge shock; a humbling experience. They may have had brilliant success on Earth, but in this other realm, it's a whole different ballgame. Humans are NOT top dogs, so they need to be careful how they approach things. Which brings up another mechanic: death. People will be dying. Do something stupid, and the monster will kill you.
  

• Now, in some situations, sometimes you have to do something stupid to move the group forward. That's real life. There will be no mercy though. You will still die. The character will be able to come back later, but will have to deal with a penalty. They will not be too picky of who they send over because Ko has a nourishing effect on the human body. This is why on the character sheet, the age range will go from 18-70. Ko returns, or speeds up a body based on their genes, to peak physical condition. The blind will see, decrepit walk, etc. This will bring people from all walks of life.
  

• As for man-made devices, it's unnatural man-made devices. Don't forget that part! For the definition of device, I'm using the dictionary definition: a thing made or adapted for a particular purpose, especially a piece of mechanical or electronic equipment. This would include backpacks. (Why would you ask about clothes...PG-13 site >.>) Yes, a player can bring raw materials and create something, but as to how, or why anyone would do that, is beyond me. It's like why bring sticks you can rub together to make a fire if you already have a power that creates one anytime you wish?
  

Magical Essence?

• The answer to your question is that nobody knows xD . I am not joking. Nobody on Earth or Ko knows. If you ask me though, I know the answer. It is what you've said. Regular Earth's conditions were not fit enough to bring out these abilities. Humans are inherent reality-warpers. On the other side, each person will show different shades of it.
  

P.S.: I explained a bunch of stuff, but half of this will not be said in the role-play. I will have the details, but role-players will only know the surface. They will know just enough to get them through the role-play.


Thank you Lex for the questions! If you have more, just shoot.

 

[Lexielai]

In that case, pretty much any and all of my future questions are lore-based and story-based of the sort which you can't answer. You've already laid out everything the roleplay characters would know, and as such that's all they can get. At that point, it means it is impossible to ask any more relevant questions, except with roleplay administration (character limits, sheets, etc.)


Besides, clothes fall under tools by your definition >.> It's an inconsistency in your rulings that should be addressed with response. Maybe the portal deities thought human bodies were ugly, or a higher power decided that He would allow humans their clothes when they reentered his garden once again because their relationship can never be the same

 

[Ixacise]

The tool thing needs to be re-worded better as you got the clothes weirdness. Ignoring arguments over tools and the semantics over the phrase "unnatural man-made devices". You seem to be implying that electronics or objects with lots of moving parts somehow get fried. But then we get into some weirdness regarding material composition since it seems the best way to move earth tech past the stargate would be to send the parts individually which wouldn't be devices but odd shaped junk and thus safe. But then you get into weirdness with things like glass objects, baseball bats, and clothing made of only 1 plant material. In that they're chunks of natural materials that have been shaped but are fairly unchanged outside of form and oh god my head hurts.


Anyway does Ko have earth physics or is there some wacky stuff. Also does Ko have the same type of minerals and stuff Earth has along with some fantastic materials?

 

[White Masquerade]

Lol. Hey Ixa. Yeah, that's exactly what I'm going for; no Earth-tech. Wooden bats would be fine. If it's real wood cut from a tree and fashioned.


Though since it's messy, I'll just make it so anything from Earth does not pass through except for clothes and shoes. I'm really not looking to get scientific with this >.>


Yes Ko does have the same physics as Earth. Things will fall then they go up. Though supernatural things still occur. Ghosts will still go through walls. (> ) (Do you want to build stuff??)


Yeah, metals. I'll give you some.


Ko-ld


Ko-pper


Ko-ron


Ko-ckel


Ko-lver


Ko-tinum


There's a smushy fantastic substance called Ko-anocyte too. What are people going to do with this stuff though? The only thing that can be done is heat them up over a fire? Make a sword? Armor? I don't see what's the fascination...