Your OPNET Experience

[Fortune's Son]

Hi there and thank you for stopping.

Being the wonderful role-players that all of you are, I thought there was just a couple of teeny tiny pieces of information I might be able to pass along to enhance everybody's experience in the Opnet section of N!Prime.

First though please allow me to introduce myself. My name's Jack, yes in real life, which is coincidentally the name of my alter ego on the Opnet. Jack Chance also known as the Elite named Fortune and currently employed by DeVries National Tactical Solutions (DVNTS). I should also tell you that I have absolutely no official standing with N!. None. I am not Chosen, have never met him in real life, nor do I have the status of a moderator in any of the forums. I did submit my inputs to him to be incorporated into the FAQ of OpNetiquette but then so did Kirby and a couple of others.

In short, I'm just a guy that posts to the forums and tries to add both to the richness of the role plays as well as the shared world we do that role playing in. Although my irreverent alter-ego is a little opinionated and occasionally annoys some out there (sorry J-man), generally I like to think that I'm adding to the mix.

The Opnet is a pretty cool place all in all. You can post as anyone you want and pretty much say anything you want as long as you don't annoy Chosen to the point that he deletes your posts and/or your access. Its almost completely unmoderated and that means we get into some real throw-your-opponent-on-the-ground-and-rip-their-arms-off debates, discussions and downright arguments. And again that means you can post as whoever you want and say whatever you want provided you don't annoy the resident god of the realm.

That doesn't mean that you should.

Here's a couple of points to consider;

1. No one really cares what happened in your table top game. Don't get me wrong; there are several forums you can use to extol on the past or current glory of your gaming experience. The Opnet just isn't one of them. However your characters got to where they are personally, its water under the bridge by the time you log into the Opnet.

2. A lot of people have problems with this next one but either you're coming here to interact with other players through their characters or you're in the wrong place. Truly god-like characters capable of twisting the space-time continuum of the universe, or creating parallel dimensions populated by adoring servants of the preferred sex, usually leave pretty quickly once they realize that they have nothing to say on the Opnet.

Generally such characters get treated as delusional nutters by the less god-like inhabitants. And even if someone really did believe them what possible interaction would keep them hanging around the mundane little world represented by our Opnet?

Chalk it up to jealousy if you must.

3. The canon characters don't post here.

Really.

They have more important things to do like conspiring to destroy baseline humanity, making the brighter tomorrow a reality, or maintaining the status quo. Yes, I know that in your table top game Divis Mal comes to your character for advice on those thorny philosophical problems and that you had your pick of the most beautiful novas in existence to fulfill your every whim. I'm sure Pax was crushed by your superior power and intellect years ago and that Utopia surrendered to you when you wrested control of the Teragen Pantheon after killing Thetis and dismantling Proteus.

Trust me; no one is going to think more highly of your character just because someone puts up a post with a canon characters name. Which brings us to the most often inflicted action-substantiating-brain-death-despite-the-appearance-of-life.

The current debate doesn't seem to be going your way? Other characters don't seem to be recognizing the cunning genius of your character? Thinking about adding a little post from some canon character or other to substantiate your character and/or their position?

Instead, why don't you just ask my alter-ego Jack Chance to provide you the knife to cut your own throat with. Its a far faster way to commit character suicide than the drawn out method you're contemplating. When you do this you've just destroyed any credibility you had as a role player by resorting to such tactics. Stick the fork in your character because they are DONE as well.

If you happen to one of those anti-social gits that believes notoriety is the same as being highly thought of then you might be rejoicing right now. After all, I've just informed you of how to go about pissing off nearly everyone on the forums. We've had a couple of those as well and after a while you just learn to skim over their textual doodling without actually reading it.

Canon characters have better things to do than spend their days propping up someone's bloated ego. They don't post here. Neither do their wannabe pretenders with misspelled names in a trite attempt to be edgy.

Oh.

And Syn-Apz? Your player is welcome in the Opnet forum provided he can come up with a character of his own. You are not.

But hey, maybe Chosen or Kirby disagree with me. In that case this post will disappear shortly.

Buh bye!

[ 07-09-2002: Message edited by: Jack Chance ]

[Vile Bill]

Hey ho chilluns, gonna have to sign on to give a shout out to mah man Jack.

Cuz he's right.

Actually, the little bugger stole my idea. But hey, he writes prettier than I do.

Now, unmoderated means unmoderated and it means that neither he nor I can actually enforce this. There ain't no ST here people. But that is primarily why the canon characters shouldn't post. They are the tool of the ST and not the player. We are player's here.

Me, I don't mind when somebody says that they have a history where they interacted with canon, helps give us all a common base of experience. But there is a difference between saying that you've chatted with Pax and saying he's your beeyatch. And there is a big, friggin huge step when you try to post as Synapse, Geryon or Leviathan.

Chosen my man, I love you for your site, you rule. Thanks for giving us this playground and I am real sorry if I have stepped on your toes.

[Jager]

Ahhhh crap! Does anyone need to employee 8 million temple dancers? It seems that I am going to have to dismantle my religion.

Seriously, folks. Its one thing to bring printed material into the game. It is something I like to do.

Divis Mal did write the Null Manifesto.

Orzaiz is one of the public faces of the Teragen.

Cestus Pax heads T2M Central.

Kashmir, the Equitoreal Wars, and the Trans-Tanzanian Conflicts happened. Maybe your Elite or Utopian was there. More power to ya.

Please, by all means refer to these 'facts' as well as others you find in the books. If you can find a way to weave things from your game into the Opnet setting, try it, but don't go overboard. We like to keep the postings close to canon because it gives new posters a point of reference.

Jack has already brought this up, but I'll reiterate:

Don't post as a canon character. An example might be this. Your character and Pax might be best buddies in your world. Hell, you might be dating for all we care. Pax should not come onto the boards and confess his love for you or promise to smack down someone who is giving you a hard time. For starters, it ain't going to happen. Worse, lets say the one you want Pax to smack is also a Utopian in good standing, knows Pax, and has never, ever heard of your character. What then?

For starters, contact privately, the persona in question and see what can be worked out. Compromise or drop it. No one likes to get bludgeoned.

Next: Do not refer to Proteus...ever.

Even if your character toasted their ass in your game, in the canon setting, referring to them gets you offed in a very quiet but convincing manner.

Why? Because the books tell us so.

Now, if you think another character might know something, send them a private message and see if they want to talk about it. It can be in character or out of character. Your choice.

Don't do it over the Opnet, which is our (and I mean all of our) fictional public forum. Its IC and 'close to canon'.

If you want to beat your chest and tell us what a bad stud you are, do it in the players or storytellers sections. The rest of us might just learn something from your experiences.

Well, I think I've ambled on long enough.

Have a nice day.

[Elizabeth Rayne]

Hi there and thank you for stopping.

You're welcome.

Being the wonderful role-players that all of you are I thought there was just a couple of teeny tiny pieces of information I might be able to pass along to enhance everybody's experience in the Opnet section of N!Prime.

Coolest... and I shall of course add my two penneth because I'm incapable of keeping my mouth shut.

(snipped for brevity)

Here's a couple of points to consider;

1. No one really cares what happened in your table top game. Don't get me wrong; there are several forums you can use to extol on the past or current glory of your gaming experience. The Opnet just isn't one of them. However your characters got to where they are personally, its water under the bridge by the time you log into the Opnet.

It depends... my experience is that in RL people like to talk about themselves for the most part. If someone asks a question in RL people look at their experiences and then describe their experience. It's logical to allow it to happen in the Opnet forum as well. The problem that arises is non-canonicity. (And boy have we had some non canon chars on there before now). Characters come from all different times from 2008 onwards and that's the least of it but we gloss over it for convienience sake. (btw is canon for DeVries to have a Fertility clinic that works? I don't have the APG or Elites book so I wouldn't know). More on this later.

2. A lot of people have problems with this next one but either you're coming here to interact with other players through their characters are you're in the wrong place. Truly god-like characters capable of twisting the space-time continuum of the universe, or creating parallel dimensions populated by adoring servants of the preferred sex, usually leave pretty quickly once they realize that they have nothing to say on the Opnet.

Generally such characters get treated as delusional nutters by the less god-like inhabitants. And even if someone really did believe them what possible interaction would keep them hanging around the mundane little world represented by our Opnet?

,,

I still don't know if he was delusional or really that powerful but here I agree with you.

. The canon characters don't post here.

Really.

Now if this was a moderated forum and the moderator did it it would be a different story. Within reason.

Hey, maybe Chosen or Kirby disagree with me. In that case this post will disappear shortly.

I think that they'd more likely explain their policy on the matter than delete the thread out of hand.

The isn't the White Wolf forums you know.

Oh and now to the whole non-canon question. How far off canon is reasonable? At the moment I'm moving very carefully with Beth (and Twist... she's mine too. And no relation to the one who posted on the 2 minutes hate forum. A few people might remember that it was Twist's dog that Costas microwaved (shudder) when he tried terrorizing Beth) because she's from a non-canon universe. I'm using only those things that skirt the edge of canon while having to remember the very non-canon job she was on before the one that's just gone bad on her. Of course the fact she'd sworn to secrecy about that helps. However we do have some fairly non-canon elements that are almost accepted. Then again there are others that are just plain weird and vanish after an initial explosion.

Becka (aka Beth and Twist)

[Fortune's Son]

Quote:

btw is it canon for DeVries to have a Fertility clinic that works? I don't have the APG or Elites book so I wouldn't know)

Why yes, Virginia, there is a fertility clinic..

It's in the Elites book. Its the only known reference (I've seen) of a nova fertility clinic and is currently touting a whopping three successes. We're not told who two of them are, though they must be working for DeVries (or about to anyway), but the third is none other than...

...sweet little Annie herself...

(cue music)

The sun'll come out
Tomorrow
Bet your bottom dollar
That tomorrow
There'll be sun!

Just thinkin' about
Tomorrow
Clears away the cobwebs,
And the sorrow
'Til there's none!

When I'm stuck a day
That's gray,
And lonely,
I just stick out my chin
And Grin,
And Say,
Oh!

The sun'll come out
Tomorrow
So ya gotta hang on
'Til tomorrow
Come what may
Tomorrow! Tomorrow!
I love ya Tomorrow!
You're always
A day
A way!

Wow. That's disturbing even for me.

[Elizabeth Rayne]

Quote:

Originally posted by Jack Chance:
Why yes, Virginia, there is a fertility clinic..

It's in the Elites book. Its the only known reference (I've seen) of a nova fertility clinic and is currently touting a whopping three successes. We're not told who two of them are, though they must be working for DeVries (or about to anyway), but the third is none other than...

...sweet little Annie herself...

(snip song for sanity's sake :razz: )

Wow. That's disturbing even for me.

Is this a publically known fact?

[Fortune's Son]

I'm at work so I have to go off the top of my head but... I'd say it depends on what you mean by publically. Not a deep dark secret guarded by a hoard of mystical shapeshifting ninja assassins but neither has it made the front page of all the papers yet.

Call it an open secret. Of course each mother is guarded by one of the top Elites at all times with Annie getting Totentanz as her personal man Friday / Invisible Badassness.

If you're thinking about the "OMIGOD PROTEUS IS GOING TO COME AND KILL THE BABIES IN THE WOMB" thing that most people assume is the case, then I should point out that the AB:Utopia books actually mentions that there are nova parents with nova offspring in the world.

This a matter of some schizophrenia in the books.

Now why are you highjacking my thread to talk about nova fertility? Bad Becka!

[ 07-09-2002: Message edited by: Jack Chance ]

[Elizabeth Rayne]

Quote:

Originally posted by Jack Chance:

Now why are you highjacking my thread to talk about nova fertility? Bad Becka!

[ 07-09-2002: Message edited by: Jack Chance ]

Strictly speaking I just asked in passing in a much longer related post but it was the sole point you replied to.

I then replied to your post with another question. However for the sake of the thread my reply to the fertility thing is now in Storytellers and is called "Nova Ferility" oddly enough.

Becka

[Hugin]

Quote:

Originally posted by Elizabeth Rayne:
[qb]
However we do have some fairly non-canon elements that are almost accepted. Then again there are others that are just plain weird and vanish after an initial explosion.

Becka (aka Beth and Twist)

That's actually a good way to look at it. Tentively introduce something and gauge the reaction. If you get a 'sh'yeah right' reaction it probably won't fly.

Look at the current situation with Omni. His powers are bogus from a completely rules based point of view. Buuut, he hasn't been shouted down. Very likely because he is doing it in a way that isn't getting on peoples nerves and he has acknowledged the inherint danger of his situation.

If you bring something up and people gag, drop it or redefine it. Talk about werewolves and vampires probably would be taken the wrong way by some people. I can't remember, were you around here for the Dr. Cornelius debacle? He starts posting that he has taken the entire population of Earths chimpanzees and turned them into blue furred super apes with guns. Well, that was a bit much for some people and they started posting about how he was wrong, they still saw chimps. He fought back and it went back and forth and I don't think anybody left that one happy.

Canon is a pretty safe ground to walk, but sure introduce something a little off base. Maybe we all dig it and bring it into the group consensus reality. Just trying to shove it down everyone's throats isn't such a good idea.

[David 'Dr. Troll' Smith]

Quote:

Originally posted by James 'Prodigy' Meehan:
Look at the current situation with Omni. His powers are bogus from a completely rules based point of view. Buuut, he hasn't been shouted down. Very likely because he is doing it in a way that isn't getting on peoples nerves and he has acknowledged the inherint danger of his situation.

He isn't my character, but what about "Node Spark"?

And all of that advice really deserves to be posted in an FYI/FAQ somewhere.

[Fortune's Son]

Hey guys (and gals)... Omni's powers aren't necessary bogus. As someone once said (in thick Russian accent)

"Legality... Illegality... Is gray area, yes?"

An ST can tell him its not legal in that ST's particular campaign but the book defineth not this interpretation as unlawful.

One of these days I'm gonna have to post the 2015 version of Jack Chance on the boards to demonstrate what I mean. There's a reason my alterego warned Omni to start running immediately since he hadn't the presence of mind to keep his mouth shut.

[ 07-10-2002: Message edited by: Jack Chance ]

[Elizabeth Rayne]

That's actually a good way to look at it. Tentively introduce something and gauge the reaction. If you get a 'sh'yeah right' reaction it probably won't fly.

That's what I mean. :-)

Look at the current situation with Omni. His powers are bogus from a completely rules based point of view. Buuut, he hasn't been shouted down. Very likely because he is doing it in a way that isn't getting on peoples nerves and he has acknowledged the inherint danger of his situation.

I like the Omni idea. It's not 100% rules feasible but it's certainly not unreasonable given the way the game says Nova Powers work.

If you bring something up and people gag, drop it or redefine it. Talk about werewolves and vampires probably would be taken the wrong way by some people. I can't remember, were you around here for the Dr. Cornelius debacle? He starts posting that he has taken the entire population of Earths chimpanzees and turned them into blue furred super apes with guns. Well, that was a bit much for some people and they started posting about how he was wrong, they still saw chimps. He fought back and it went back and forth and I don't think anybody left that one happy.

Ah... the infamous "We've got visitors and they ain't Terran" thread. I reread that just last night. Much weirdness abounded.

My non-canonical bits are, for the most part, much more mundane. Twist, for example, is an Elite who's contracted to an Agency that in her version of the Abberant Universe is not quite as well known as DeVries but is actually getting there but if I mentioned Morgan Nova Sevices on the Opnet most people would quite rightly go "Huh?". So I've tended to gloss over who she works for. Beth occassionally freelances for them but mostly works on her own. So far it's not drastic. However, there are some far more profound non-canons lurking beneath the surface but I can avoid them since neither Beth or Twist would shout it from the rooftops anyway.

Canon is a pretty safe ground to walk, but sure introduce something a little off base. Maybe we all dig it and bring it into the group consensus reality. Just trying to shove it down everyone's throats isn't such a good idea.

I have this moderate allergy to canon. Not Abberant canon but any canon. When I write fanfics (Digimon if you can believe it) it's virtually unknown for me to write anything that isn't AU. However I am aware that in a group reality like OpNet stability is found in canon. If everyone went AU it'd be highly confusing.

,,

I'll stop gabbling now.

Becka

[Guest]

Well since you're all talking about me, I thought I should pipe in with me two cents. First off, I have to say I'm glad that the reaction to Omni hasn't been to lynch him (me). I love the whole "I'm not sure I believe this guy, but can I afford not to believe this guy?" attitude that people have approached him with.

The main difference between someone like Omni and someone like Cornelius (yes, I was around for that fiasco, in another identity) is the way I approached the board. Omni has yet to do anything significant other than exist. He hasn't met any of Cannon's real movers and shakers (unless you count Splash and Anna Gracia), he hasn't made any proclimations of power, etc. In fact, I think what makes him so tolerable (if not likeable) is the fact that he really doesn't understand the situation he's in. Actually, I didn't really get all of the ramifications that Omni represented until I unleashed him here. I was just trying to replicate a power from the DC Heroes RPG. Still, there's nothing about Omni that really breaks or changes cannon in any major way at this point in his developement.

Oh and by the way, His "Omni" power was actually designed around a per-existing power from the basic rule book. Yes, it's heavily modified with some substatial negative effects to off set the sheer versatility of the power, but the core mechanic already existed. This is what happens when gamers think outside the box.

[SpartanClear]

well two things about omni,

number one, in one of my games, someone (as an outgrowth of his powers) learned to modify to some extent his quantum signature, it's basically shapeshift but for energy based powers, it was fun stuff, we came up with a list and what the visible effects were.

number two, i figured omni had quantum imprint with range, maybe extended duration, no biggie. correct me if i'm wrong omni.

as far as posting goes, spartan has posted once so i can't really say what lassitude this place has.

[Jager]

Me, I loved the Nemisis power. I once built a Marvel Super Heroes character around the same concept.

Omni, Aberrant is about the individual expression of powers, right? So your persona has developed something unique and the rest of us should try to work with it. So far, its been a hoot.

I mean, its not like you spontaneously cause every bystander within a 100m to erupt into novas under your command, or the like. That would be silly and unbalancing. Have fun with this.

[Sakurako Hino]

*grins* God knows I do.

I originally came up with Endeavor as a joke. I guess the joke is on me after all, since now Endeavor is the current MVP for prolific postings. Of course, I'm still a rookie at all this stuff. I have to adapt to the style and form here. But, I do try to keep things interesting enough not to troll here too. I have been accused of being a troll from time to time.

Now, as for my personal opinions here. 1: I try to bring a little something to the boards. Like the whole Hino Corporation who I'd like to put up as an alternate to DeVries or other corporate entities. Not to say they're bad, just keeping it fresh in the heezy. (Oh god, I don't believe I said that.)

I just like coming up with wild stuff that ACTUALLY WORKS! 2: Things are great here, but there are still a few bugs with the interaction here. I love to post, but I still feel like an outsider on the boards due to my "newbie" status. But, again, I'll adapt and flourish.

Mozilla Forever!!! http://www.mozilla.org

[Sakurako Hino]

Would you please... SHUT... THE HELL... UP! No really, Endeavor, SHUT THE HELL UP! ~.^

Okay, that's entertainment on my expense.... hehe.... ahhh.... Hides in the corner. Covering head.