GoSS Revival Plans - The Dead Horse Discussion

[Ky]

START A NEW GAME?

>YES NO

GoSS - the Chanku-era revival, anyway - was probably my favorite piece of collaborative fiction ever to exist, if only because I was one of the authors. It's got a lot of lore... most of it written by me when I was bored, and I know you guys haven't technically accepted it as canon yet, but I digress. Looking back on it, I miss playing as a state not bound by the limitations of things like, say, NationStates - or at least the ruler of one. Or secret agents, because secret agents are cool.

So I propose we start a new game, if anyone's interested. Before we get down to how it would work, I figure I'll just leave this here as an interest check. Who would be willing to play?

[brainiac3397]

Yesh

[brainiac3397]

Yesh

[Ky]

Well, we've got one taker. Anyone else, or is this going to be a two-man RP?

[Subb]

Sure? What's new and to be canon?

Will I man a new nation or will I return to the dualistic Capitalistian? If it's the former, I think I'll make a theocracy...

[Ky]

Well, that's what we're going to discuss in this thread, Subb.

First of all, would you guys be willing to consider the End of GoSS thread canon? And if so...how canon?

See, pushing the reset button on the universe could do any number of things. The third GoSS game could be a continuation of the second as though there had never been an AoD (thus no FASH, no insane Fawsum, no demonic invasion, and possibly no first world war... resetting the game to pretty much the way Chanku made it, almost). Alternatively, it could be a new location - either a new continent (or island chain, as was the case with the first two games) that recognizes the existence of the old worlds, or an entirely new world where the only memories of the worlds that came before are mere echoes on the backdrop of creation.

Either way we do it, we should also consider game mechanics as well - whether we should have an "anything goes" writing style, or establish a set of rules to keep things relatively in order. Not to mention worldbuilding ideas, which I'm currently mulling over. Amazing how intricate a play-by-post game can get, huh?

[Ky]

Also, it's funny you should mention theocracy...

One thing I noticed about the previous game is that there was a lack of moral complexity, especially in the religious sense. Capitalistian was probably the closest any of us had come to inventing a populace that doesn't agree on everything, and the most religiously diverse nation in the game - Fantasia - was the way it was as a throwaway gag. Sure, the lack of diversity and ideological conflict made GoSS more action-packed and focused on conflict for conflict's sake, and I quite enjoyed that... still, I figure I might try my hand at a more realistic nation the next time I create one, and see how that goes.

I came up with an idea for something that might spark religious quarreling in our next game, by the way - a collection of lore I'd like to call the Book of Fate. Long story short, it's a holy book supposedly written by DoA (before his disappearance from the God Council, and arguably existence) chronicling the history of the first two games and the prophecy of the third, and after ending up in mortal hands for unknown reasons, it gains a cult following over the years and becomes the most copied/translated/published book in history (sort of like the real-world Bible). Where the quarreling comes in is what the people/characters in the game think of it - some could cling to the doctrines of the book and worship the "Old Gods", as it were, some could dismiss the book, some could outright reject the book and deem it heresy to whatever religion they practice...you get the idea.

[Chanku]

Why not set it in a different universe completely seperate from the other game(s)?

[Ky]

We could also do that.

[craxyguy562]

What would the masses of land look like in this new universe?

[brainiac3397]

Yep. I agree

[Subb]

To be honest, I like the idea of a completely new world. The world begins anew, with a new geography and new countries. However, there could be "echos" from the last game, like we could see Fawsum again but without the virus inside him. Maybe DoA made sure the the lineage that lead to him would happen again, so that he would have a second chance to do good? You know, stuff to that effect. But only for one idea and a character or two. After that it would get weird.

I do want to do my idea for a theocracy, and I think it would play a lot like my previous government, but it would be a lot more realistic with the ideological conflict stuff. I really like the Book of Fate, but my country would reject it, problably ban it. That could provide some interesting stuff...

Glad to be doing this again!

[craxyguy562]

(03-24-2015 02:58 AM)Subb Wrote:  To be honest, I like the idea of a completely new world. The world begins anew, with a new geography and new countries. However, there could be "echos" from the last game, like we could see Fawsum again but without the virus inside him. Maybe DoA made sure the the lineage that lead to him would happen again, so that he would have a second chance to do good? You know, stuff to that effect. But only for one idea and a character or two. After that it would get weird.

I do want to do my idea for a theocracy, and I think it would play a lot like my previous government, but it would be a lot more realistic with the ideological conflict stuff. I really like the Book of Fate, but my country would reject it, problably ban it. That could provide some interesting stuff...

Glad to be doing this again!

Could some of the echos be what modern people in it would consider myths and legends or history?

[Ky]

Alright, glad to see we're bouncing ideas off each other here.

I don't think I'd bring Fawsum back, but my country would probably be ruled (in the loose sense of the term - I'm thinking a constitutional monarchy governed mostly by a parliament here) by someone a lot like him, minus the insanity. Depends on the setting.

Setting! Setting is important - it seems we each like the idea of a completely new world, but the question is, would it be similar to the previous games? The first GoSS game was essentially a postmodern war simulator in text form, and the second GoSS game could be considered urban fantasy (guns and technology meet gods and magic)... so what would the third be?

[Subb]

I'd like to do another urban fantasy, but in a different sense. Instead of having the magic be more of a special thing that's seperated from technology, lets have magic and science combine. You know, think of magic in the fantasy novel sense, as a common occurrence and as normal as life, but picture that system centuries later. Like, inventions made to enhance magic, inventions that can only exist with magic, scientists and magicians serving similar purposes. Stuff like that.

I'd also like a similar set up to last game, or just no magic at all.

[Ky]

Ooh, I like that. A magic system that is not only common and simple to use, but also the basis of many technologies and sciences... I know there are other fantasy settings that do this, but it seems like a novel idea nonetheless.

[Cianna200]

Sounds awesome!

[Chanku]

To be honest why don't we do what we did with the last game? Just make a new world and have everyone do their own thing and see where it goes, with a set of rules as well, much like last time.

[Ky]

Okay. What kind of rules do you have in mind?

[Chanku]

We could probably reuse the rules I used last time.

[brainiac3397]

Small.

We get a tiny piece of land in a very big world.

Should make for less war simulating and god vs man, and more actual development. Third GOSS can be simcity XD

[Subb]

Yeah... One continent.

[Ky]

So, uh, what's our policy going to be on inactive players? And perhaps more importantly, how would we go about attracting new players to the game, even when it's already in progress?

One unfortunate aspect of our last playthrough is that the entire story was the main story; it became almost impossible to fill someone in on the plot without telling them everything there is to know about GoSS. When a nation went to war, it became the whole world's war, and when a character went somewhere, that's where the focus of the story would be too. But there might be some way for us to mitigate that...

[brainiac3397]

Make it not one continent and make us lower tech or something?

Or do like mediterannean connecting three large continents with a bunch of islands. If we stuck focusing on our own development less likely to turn it into a one-plot thing.

[Subb]

How low tech? Like Roaring 20's steampunk, or like typical high fantasy times? I think simply finding a way to make aviation not viable would be enough... That would allow the game to slow down enough for things to be more separated...

Or maybe stances are formed right away and alliances are made at the start? That way new players can choose what side they're on from the get go?

[brainiac3397]

when the world still used boats, which allows a decent level of "modern" tech without getting so far ahead.

[Subb]

I can agree to that... Or maybe it's modern day, but planes haven't been developed because magic is an inefficient way of flying, and we haven't developed the technology because we always use magic.

[brainiac3397]

Or dragons eat the planes.

I demand dragons on some remote island right in the middle of the map. Make it hard to access by being all mountainous and high altitude, as well as dangerous seas and rocks.

They can become a plot point later on. We should call it "Dragon Island" for creative purposes.

[Ky]

Alright, so here's the ideas we have so far (and do speak up if you think there need to be changes):

- The third GoSS game shall take place in a new world. The old world no longer exists, per se, but a cryptic history of the previous two games exists in the form of a quasi-Biblical text known as the Book of Fate. Some in the new world worship the Old Gods (the former members of the God Council before they were destroyed/reformed/de-chaos-ified by the universe reset), but many do not, some even going so far as to dismiss the book as blasphemy and its readers as heretics. Aside from the book itself, there is no sign of its author, DoA, now that chaos and fate (as well as many other formerly deified concepts) are within the domain of humanity itself.
- This new world will be in the form of a geographically diverse large continent. Rather, multiple large continents, technically; towards the middle of the map would be a sea that separates the sides of the land (Mediterranean-style) with a remote island in the middle. Countries are small, but with the advent of magical technologies that help them explore and defend themselves against the dragons that spawn from the remote island, they are now more capable than ever of expanding their borders.
- The setting will be urban fantasy, to a moderate degree: Our story will begin with the real-world equivalent of the Age of Discovery (in other words, a typical fantasy setting if you fast forward a couple hundred years). Magic is easily accessible (and in most cases, not very powerful) to the general public, and its effects are studied exhaustively in a new field of thinking known as science. In addition, many technologies are magic-powered, some even on par with things we have today, despite the culture being centuries behind.
- Each nation will start out small (and each of them will be fairly close proximity to at least one other nation, for the sake of trade). In addition, each player can only control one nation, with the following exceptions: Players may choose to make an unused nation the villain, and everyone can control its actions as long as they make sense from an RP standpoint. Players may also choose to let another player co-rule their nation with them. Furthermore, a player who knows he will not be active can agree to let someone else control his nation until he gets back. Aside from those exceptions, you cannot control another player's nation, and you cannot choose to create a second nation.
- A League of Nations will have been founded, meeting on a small island near the coastlines of the majority of player-controlled nations. Furthermore, the sea travel lanes will allow for easy access from even those nations that are far away from the League. In the event there are no more nations to hand out to new players, they can request land from the League to start their own nation.
- Every player can create a character that resides in someone else's nation, provided they have that player's permission. Beware - a player that does not yet have a nation, but whose character has political power in whatever nation they reside in, may attempt to secede in an attempt to create their own nation instead of asking the League for new land!
- In the interest of convenience (both in-universe and out-of-universe), the League's doors will always be open.
- In the interest of convenience (again, both in and out of universe), players can change their nation's name at any time. (It would be preferable to have an in-universe reason for doing so, and to not do so too often.)
- Each nation should have its own topic, same as the last game. Creating new topics for miscellaneous/international aspects of the game is permitted.
- Yes, you can try to land on the moon. No, so far in history, there has never been a space program, so it will likely take your nation a long time to actually manage to get someone up there (much less colonize it). If you want it - I'm talking to you, brainiac - you'll have to work pretty hard for it.

Anything else?

---

And for those who are concerned they will never get the opportunity to bring back old characters, I'm considering adding a prophesy to the Book of Fate that will allow the heroes of the old world to return only when the new world is dealing with great calamity. Considering.

[craxyguy562]

How deep will this GoSS dive into magic? Will there be talking animals? Zombies, vampires and witches? Even more magical people made of just water or butter or etc.?