Overview and Information

[Piper Juunanagou]

[FONT=&quot]The world of Erde is a drab and bleak place consisting of numerous human settlements amidst a patchwork world of dark forests, foreboding mountains, treacherous waterways, and ruins of ancient civilizations. Beyond the city walls, brigands and beasts infest the wilderness of Erde. As more stories unfold, the overall story will undoubtedly expand as both the Story Guides and Writers craft their narratives.

For more details, please see the 'World of Erde' thread.

Terms and abbreviations to look out for that I use for the sake of saving keystrokes:

Story Guide (the person hosting the story) = SG
Player Character (the character you control) = PC
Writer (this is you)
Instance (the term for a story in this roleplay)
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[Piper Juunanagou]

[FONT=&quot]In this RPG, a Story Guide (SG) plays the role of devising a scenario ('Instance') for the Players Characters (PC). Instances may range from very short pieces (an arena battle) to more involved pieces (a tale of drama and intrigue that will change the world of Erde forever). Everything in between those two extremes is also possible.

It is up to the SG to determine how plotted out in advance their Instance will be. For me, I enjoy creating vague plots and seeing what the PCs do.

In the days before an Instance, the SG will release all the impotent information related to the setting and some of the back-story. This is to allow the Writer to think about and design a fitting PC for the Instance.

Given the threat level and ephemeral nature of this RPG, PCs will be in danger of death at any and all times. A death may happen for any reason: Losing a fight, getting into an impossible situation, or for the purpose of adding drama and more danger to the story. It is quite possible that all the PCs may die. Erde will keep on turning as if it were none the wiser of your loss, so if you don't have tissue paper, you should stick to your kiddy roleplays.

Because of nature of stories and the probability of death, one should be prepared to make a new PC for each Instance. Whether or not your surviving PC may be used in a future Instance will be up to the Story Guide. [/FONT]

[Piper Juunanagou]

Erde is home to a bunch of vile creatures that inhabit the wilds. Within the 'civilized' world, everyone's either human, dwarven, or elven (you know, the fantasy staples). The three stem from very different forms of society but are known to engage in commerce. Because there is no unified leadership for any of the species, warfare between various tribes and towns is not uncommon. Check out the 'World of Erde' information thread for more details.

With possible exceptions, Player Characters will be drawn from one of these three races/species. Get in touch with the Story Guide to discuss a character who is outside the normal but don't expect them to simply agree. It's their call.

Unless specified, most Player Characters will not be individuals of any substantial prestige or renown. The exceptin to this is players created using Writer Renown.

[Piper Juunanagou]

1. No matter the plot of the Instance, you as one of the Writers is free to do whatever you want (within reason, don't go off and become Jesus). If you deviate too far from the SG's plot, he may try to reel you in either unknowingly or under threat of force, ignore you altogether, or (in a rare case) incorporate your plot to his/her evolving story.

2. There are no stats in this RPG so any sort of inter-PC combat will be determine by a mixture of writing quality and the in-character context. If you want to be a lithe thief, you might not want to get into a fist-fight with the warrior.

3. The intended genre for this RPG is what I personally call "fantastic low-fantasy." I guess a way to look at it is 'Pseudo-realistic fantasy.' There's no magic or glorious floating cities or extra-planar worlds. There are still 'fantastical' creatures and the staple fantasy races, but that's more for the sake of creative freedom to Writers than anything else. I actually have a pretty solid idea of the setting and the history, but I chose to withhold 95% of that information for the sake of mystery/laziness/space. Pertinent information will be posted in a public thread.

4. Because someone asked me this: There is no actual afterlife. There are still religious/spiritual beliefs with gods and churches and whatnot, but there will never be planes filled with demons or angels. When someone dies, they die.

5. If there is enough continued interest in this world and system, this RPG may switch to being primarily 'Open,' with Instances serving much as 'Sagas' do in CDBZ. Do I expect this to ever happen? Only time can answer that question.

6. By creating a chacter, you agree to accept the judgement of the SG. If you take issue, you should contact them in private like a gentleman/woman.

999. Piper retains the right to amend this for the sake of clarity or adding additional information at any time in the future.

[Piper Juunanagou]

Example Instance

This will be the first post in a 'sign up' thread. This will list who is running the Instance, a brief description of the plot/setting, and any limitations on character creation. 'Preferences' are what the SG would like to see but would not enforce. This thread will be stickied, and your only response should be with a character sheet (example below). There will be a separate thread to ask questions or discuss with your fellow Writers.

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"Instance #1 - Welcome to Erde

Story Guide: Piper Juunanagou

Setting: The town of Eisenhardt and its surrounding forests.

The Pull: The above town, a primarily human settlement, has experienced a string of murders and thefts in the recent weeks. Some claim foul beasts are afoot, while others claim the acts are those of brigands living in the nearby 'Green Sea' (a poorly mapped forest). The Player Character, either a resident of Eisenhardt or someone living nearby, is drawn to this drama. Whether they are attracted to see justice or by the thought of finding the stolen goods, we do not know.

Limitations: All PCs must be locals to the area. Preferred that all PCs are 'Humans'"

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Example Character Sheet:

Name:
Species:
Age:

Home:
Occupation:

Physical Description:
Additional Information:

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Note that you aren't required to give a full back-story. That's your prerogative as a Writer. Remeber that all non-Renown characters should fit into the mold of a commoner (they don't have to be paupers, just common). Physical descriptions can be as bland or as detailed as you would like. I have an example below that some Writer made for the 'Welcome to Erde' Instance.

"Name: Simon Ranzig
Species: Human
Age: 28

Home: Eisenhardt
Occupation: Butcher

Physical Description: Short black hair, brown eyes, and of average height and build. Dresses in handmade leather clothes.
Additional Information: Married with two young daughters. "