Aberrant: Quantum Zero - Nippontai High OOC

[ProfPotts]

Do you think it would be ok for me to erupt now? I can't imagine anything worse right now that what I'm in, with a large guy pinning me to the wall groping me. Just a little bit?

Well Akira has (potential) Quantum 2, has been around Novas using their powers quite a bit today, & is in a pretty darned emotionally-stressed situation, so yeah - if you want.

[Alex Green]

Just a little bit?

Just a little bit of an erruption?

[Expendable]

Just a little bit of an erruption?

If Akira was still being pinned by Tetsuo, I was going to spend a few points for teleport. But he let her go. Still got a lot of stuff to deal with though. Sparks may fly next time. ::scared ::nuclear

[ProfPotts]

Yeah - I would have called that a borderline case myself: on the one hand it was an extremely emotionally disturbing event, & she'd recently been around Novas & Quantum powers, but on the other the event itself didn't involve Quantum powers or Novas, & wasn't, technically, life-threatening. In the end it's players choice though.

Quantum 3 guys, though, need less of a trigger to erupt (while Quantun 1 guys pretty much need to be in an 'erupt or die' situation... or the emotional equivalent).

[Expendable]

Yeah - I would have called that a borderline case myself: on the one hand it was an extremely emotionally disturbing event, & she'd recently been around Novas & Quantum powers, but on the other the event itself didn't involve Quantum powers or Novas, & wasn't, technically, life-threatening. In the end it's players choice though.

Quantum 3 guys, though, need less of a trigger to erupt (while Quantun 1 guys pretty much need to be in an 'erupt or die' situation... or the emotional equivalent).

Me, little person. Pinned to wall by big beefy guy who's angry at me, wants to hurt me and has said he wants to kill me. Not technically life-threatening?

First chance I get, I'm dropping PE.

[Centimane]

I need a little help here. I don't know if I just attended strange PE classes, or if PE over here in America is just different from over in Japan, but I have precisely no experience with Track and Field stuff. So I really don't even know where to start for a Kazuo post (seriously, if the hammer toss & shotput (whatever those are) and the pole vault hadn't already been mentioned, I wouldn't have even realized those were choices). So if anyone, especially Prof, wants to help me out here I'd appreciate it.

[Expendable]

I need a little help here. I don't know if I just attended strange PE classes, or if PE over here in America is just different from over in Japan, but I have precisely no experience with Track and Field stuff. So I really don't even know where to start for a Kazuo post (seriously, if the hammer toss & shotput (whatever those are) and the pole vault hadn't already been mentioned, I wouldn't have even realized those were choices). So if anyone, especially Prof, wants to help me out here I'd appreciate it.

Pulled this from Wikipedia:

Modern athletic events are usually organized around a 400m running track on which most of the running events take place. Field events (vaulting, jumping, and throwing) often take place inside the track.

Men and women do not compete against each other, although they may sometimes run in the same races due to time constraints at high school meets. Women generally run the same distances as men although hurdles and steeplechase barriers are lower and the weights of the shot, discus, javelin and hammer are less.

Track events - running events conducted on a 400 m track.

Sprints: events up to and including 400 m. Common events are 60 m (indoors only), 100m, 200m and 400m.

Middle distance: events from 800m to 3000 m, 800m, 1500m, mile and 3000m. (Note: In the United States, high school athletes in most states normally run the 800m, 1600m, and 3200m. In a few states high school athletes run the 1500m and 3000m instead of the 1600m and 3200m.)

Steeplechase - a race (usually 3000 m) in which runners must negotiate barriers and water jumps.

Long distance: runs over 5000 m. Common events are 5000 m and 10000 m. Less common are 1, 6, 12, 24 hour races.

Hurdling: 110 m high hurdles (100 m for women) and 400 m intermediate hurdles (300 m in some high schools).

Relays: 4 x 100m relay, 4 x 400 m relay, 4 x 200 m relay, 4 x 800 m relay, etc. Some events, such as medley relays, are rarely run except at large relay carnivals. Typical medley relays include the distance medley relay (DMR) and the sprint medley relay (SMR). A distance medley relay consists of a 1200 m leg, a 400 m leg, an 800 m leg, and finishes with a 1600 m leg. A sprint medley relay consists of a 400 m leg, 2 200 m legs, and then an 800 m leg. Most American high schools run the 4x100, 4x400 and 4x800 with the 4x400 being the finishing event to the meet.

Road running: conducted on open roads, but often finishing on the track. Common events are over 5km, 10km, half-marathon and marathon, and less commonly over 15km, 20km, 10 miles, and 20 miles. The marathon is the only common road-racing distance run in major international athletics championships such as the Olympics.

Race walking: usually conducted on open roads. Common events are 10km, 20 km and 50 km.

Field events

Throwing events

*Shot put

*Hammer throw

*Javelin throw

*Discus throw

Jumping events

*High jump

*Pole vault

*Long jump

*Triple jump

Highly uncommon are the

*Standing high jump

*Standing long jump

*Standing triple jump

[Centimane]

Pulled this from Wikipedia:

Modern athletic events are usually organized around a 400m running track on which most of the running events take place. Field events (vaulting, jumping, and throwing) often take place inside the track.

Men and women do not compete against each other, although they may sometimes run in the same races due to time constraints at high school meets. Women generally run the same distances as men although hurdles and steeplechase barriers are lower and the weights of the shot, discus, javelin and hammer are less.

Track events - running events conducted on a 400 m track.

Sprints: events up to and including 400 m. Common events are 60 m (indoors only), 100m, 200m and 400m.

Middle distance: events from 800m to 3000 m, 800m, 1500m, mile and 3000m. (Note: In the United States, high school athletes in most states normally run the 800m, 1600m, and 3200m. In a few states high school athletes run the 1500m and 3000m instead of the 1600m and 3200m.)

Steeplechase - a race (usually 3000 m) in which runners must negotiate barriers and water jumps.

Long distance: runs over 5000 m. Common events are 5000 m and 10000 m. Less common are 1, 6, 12, 24 hour races.

Hurdling: 110 m high hurdles (100 m for women) and 400 m intermediate hurdles (300 m in some high schools).

Relays: 4 x 100m relay, 4 x 400 m relay, 4 x 200 m relay, 4 x 800 m relay, etc. Some events, such as medley relays, are rarely run except at large relay carnivals. Typical medley relays include the distance medley relay (DMR) and the sprint medley relay (SMR). A distance medley relay consists of a 1200 m leg, a 400 m leg, an 800 m leg, and finishes with a 1600 m leg. A sprint medley relay consists of a 400 m leg, 2 200 m legs, and then an 800 m leg. Most American high schools run the 4x100, 4x400 and 4x800 with the 4x400 being the finishing event to the meet.

Road running: conducted on open roads, but often finishing on the track. Common events are over 5km, 10km, half-marathon and marathon, and less commonly over 15km, 20km, 10 miles, and 20 miles. The marathon is the only common road-racing distance run in major international athletics championships such as the Olympics.

Race walking: usually conducted on open roads. Common events are 10km, 20 km and 50 km.

Field events

Throwing events

*Shot put

*Hammer throw

*Javelin throw

*Discus throw

Jumping events

*High jump

*Pole vault

*Long jump

*Triple jump

Highly uncommon are the

*Standing high jump

*Standing long jump

*Standing triple jump

Wow. ::blink

Thanks. So here's another question; are we just supposed to choose whatever we want to do and go from there? I'm sorry if I sound like an idiot or something, but the only PE classes I ever had, the PE teacher had us doing highly intensive cardiovascular workouts (running, push-ups, pull-ups, suicides, jumping jacks, more running, etc) from the beginning of the class to the end of the class, with the occasional 1 minute break and, if I recall correctly, one 5 minute break somewhere around the middle for cooling off. We never had access to most of the stuff on that list, and we were never given a choice about which exercises we were doing on a given day. The only exception was, depending on the year and the teacher (I went to four different highschools in three different states), on one or two days during the week we were allowed to play a game as long as it involved lots of moving around and physical excersize (such as basketball, dodgeball, etc). And that was it.

So, as you can see, I've never been to a PE class where I wasn't told exactly what to do from the moment it started to the moment it finished. So I'm still a little confused here. Is this a 'PE at your own pace' class (cuz if it is, then Kazuo's just gonna go find somewhere where the teachers wont see him smoking), or are we just kind of goofing off until Coach Chiba gets around to properly beginning the class? Whatever the case, I'm fine with it, it's just that this PE class seems to be pretty far outside of my own experience, so I feel a little lost.

[Expendable]

So, as you can see, I've never been to a PE class where I wasn't told exactly what to do from the moment it started to the moment it finished. So I'm still a little confused here. Is this a 'PE at your own pace' class (cuz if it is, then Kazuo's just gonna go find somewhere where the teachers wont see him smoking), or are we just kind of goofing off until Coach Chiba gets around to properly beginning the class? Whatever the case, I'm fine with it, it's just that this PE class seems to be pretty far outside of my own experience, so I feel a little lost.

In middle school, we'd warm up then get sent to different stations and rotate through them unless we were doing the baton relay. It sounds like that's what's going on here - with that chance to get a smoke when the coach isn't looking. So maybe like 100m sprints, 100m hurdles, long jump, high jump, hammer throw, shot put, discus?

[ProfPotts]

Right, I think there's a player Vs character issue here - I'll try to explain it better (sorry about the confusion):

From the character's point of view, they head outside, the Coach tells them to go do [whatever] & they go do it.

From the player's point of view, the whole point of the scene is to allow you guys an opportunity to show off your character's athletic prowess (or lack of the same) - so I've left the choice of which event your character is directed towards up to you (almost like a teenie-tiny moment of Dramatic Editing).

For example - Tetsuo's big & strong, but not really nimble or fast: to highlight that fact I had him head over to the shotput & hammer toss (the events where big & strong is important, & nimble & fast isn't).

In the alternate, I may have wanted to highlight his lack of speed & grace, & had him sent to the hurdles or high jump, where he'd suffer clownish mishap (also fun to describe).

As for the track & field events... I kinda' chose them 'cos I presumed they were practiced world-wide: after all, they're the mainstay of the Olympics, the World Games, the Commonwealth Games, etc.. Didn't realise US physical education was so different: I know you guys play team sports mostly not played by the rest of the world (American Football, Baseball, Basketball, Ice Hockey - although, yeah, the influence of those is slowly spreading - & baseball especially is big in Japan), but I never realised that general athletics wasn't part of school life... weird... Hey - Eon: it's educational too! ::biggrin

Hmmm...

This kinda' highlights certain doubts I've been having about this game of late: I originally pictured it as 'high school drama' with 'superpowers' - the 'superpowers' being almost peripheral to the 'high school drama'. So far this hasn't really taken off - right now it's more like the high school aspect of the game is a barrier people are waiting to be lifted so that they can really 'start'.

Generally speaking I'm used to players (in face-to-face games) with a 'proactive' gaming style: they have fun doing 'adventures', but almost chomp at the bit for 'downtime' so that they can have their characters run free through the world created by the setting - any time to themselves & they'd be off hatching plans & schemes & trying to advance their agendas (&, in many cases, screwing each other over on their way to doing so... ::devil ).

Now whether it's the medium, or whether people are just used to different gaming styles, mostly it seems people round these parts are looking for a more 'reactive' gaming experience: the Storyteller describes something, & the characters react to it.

Now, either style of play is fine, but I'm thinking that I've missed the mark with this game: I'll set out a scene (like the PE thing, or Nova-boy exploding the side of the school) & sit back expecting a series of character expanding descriptive posts, but instead it seems that most people are happier to 'tread water' until something more direct happens. That's in no way a criticism (except, perhaps, of myself) - it just means that I don't think this game will go anywhere unless I make the effort to change some fundamentals. If players don't feel they have anything for their character to react to, they don't have the urge to post (or, at least, to post quickly or at length) - the result is the snail's pace of a game which Nippontai High has turned into.

So, I guess it's time to look at options, & I can see two main ones:

1. The obvious option: drop the whole thing. It already seems that more people have stopped posting in this game than are still playing - if nobody's interested any more, then best to put the poor brute out of its misery.

2. Have a 'mass eruption' event so that all the PCs can become Novas. Although not my original intent for the game, this'd put it more on track to being a 'normal' Aberrant game. This would prevent the exploration of certain aspects of high school life which I felt were interesting & character-building (all those little social worries & discoveries you get at that age - pretty much negated by becoming a Quantum god whose powers on eruption are based on subconscious desires...), but then I'm weird & would love to run a romance-based RPG as much as I love running action-based RPGs - it seems pretty clear that most others are more comfortable with such social aspects being part of the backdrop, more than the focus of the game.

Once the PCs all erupted the game could swing more towards the 'junior hero in training' thing you get in comics like New Mutants, Generation X, Young Avengers, Teen Titans, The Initiative: Avengers, etc.. In manga-terms it'd be more like the high school story after the characters are all turned into Sailor Scouts, or recruited to pilot giant psychic robots, or what-have-you - when the day-to-day stuff starts to fade & the fighting of supervillains takes centre stage.

So, comments? Suggestions? Want to kill the game (or the ST... :tombstone: ), or kick it in the pants? Any other options? Anyone still reading this..? ::unsure

[Alex Green]

RE: Reactive vs. Proactive

IMHO a big part of the problem is the PCs don't have a lot of power or direction over their lives. It's High School, what we're supposed to be doing every hour is actually written down on a slip of paper and woe behold us if we depart from that. There's a limit on how many non-conformist we can reasonably be, and most of the RP we had has been from the non-conformists or lunch break (i.e. when we do have some input). Considering the upper ranks here (i.e. the teachers, admins, and higher level pupils) all have super powers (or simply rank) and their express purpose is to stamp down non-conformists and the matter becomes even more straight forward.

Stage a mass eruption and you introduce more power and control to the characters... and you also introduce that common nova theme, i.e. super powers in a world where the law doesn't really apply.

I think it's salvagable.

[SkyLion]

Hmmm.. My two bits.

,,

I actually enjoyed the setting and intent you have Potts. Ive actually been looking forward to playing a baseline for a good while before erupting...the better to have more xp to spend, natch. So regarding a mass eruption, id rather more not if it can be avoided but I can defer to the group desires if everyone else would rather play supers.

,,

I apologize if it seems I havent been posting...i have been waiting since I like Cottus assumed Coach Chiba would have us running through paces. and so yes have been in a more reactive mode...i can change that easily enough.

,,

Alex doesz have an excellent point however...actually roleplaying through high school sucks...I mean who would want to go back there! To be successful I think we need to look at how anime and manga handles it. They dont actually show the class lesson unless its the backdrop for character interaction or if they do briefly and then cut away. Fights at lunch, Nezumi and Sablesama fliriting in the woods, confrontations with Novas in the halls...thats where the fun is! So i would say lets just gloss over the actual school time...fast forward or whatever and set the scenes where things can actually happen...Right now for instance track and field is ripe for running conversations and such. it will be harder for the girls since you cant really do much while swimming besides swimming.

,,

Im all for the romance and high school drama focus...as soon as the school day ends for example all kinds of high jinks can happen at the judo match and I made Tora to be a moonlighter type on purpose.

,,

We have a good thing here, so lets make it work! im sure i can speak for all when i say we appreciate the effort and detail you put in your settings. This setting is ripe! Mostly we just need to get past the first day...it seems that getting past the beggining is always the big challenge for any rpg, whether forum or tabletop.

,,

What do the rest of you say?

[Expendable]

Hmmm.. My two bits.

,,

I actually enjoyed the setting and intent you have Potts. Ive actually been looking forward to playing a baseline for a good while before erupting...the better to have more xp to spend, natch. So regarding a mass eruption, id rather more not if it can be avoided but I can defer to the group desires if everyone else would rather play supers.

,,

I apologize if it seems I havent been posting...i have been waiting since I like Cottus assumed Coach Chiba would have us running through paces. and so yes have been in a more reactive mode...i can change that easily enough.

,,

Alex doesz have an excellent point however...actually roleplaying through high school sucks...I mean who would want to go back there! To be successful I think we need to look at how anime and manga handles it. They dont actually show the class lesson unless its the backdrop for character interaction or if they do briefly and then cut away. Fights at lunch, Nezumi and Sablesama fliriting in the woods, confrontations with Novas in the halls...thats where the fun is! So i would say lets just gloss over the actual school time...fast forward or whatever and set the scenes where things can actually happen...Right now for instance track and field is ripe for running conversations and such. it will be harder for the girls since you cant really do much while swimming besides swimming.

,,

Im all for the romance and high school drama focus...as soon as the school day ends for example all kinds of high jinks can happen at the judo match and I made Tora to be a moonlighter type on purpose.

,,

We have a good thing here, so lets make it work! im sure i can speak for all when i say we appreciate the effort and detail you put in your settings. This setting is ripe! Mostly we just need to get past the first day...it seems that getting past the beggining is always the big challenge for any rpg, whether forum or tabletop.

,,

What do the rest of you say?

I'd like to continue. The guys are right, actual school lessons aren't where it's at unless we're learning how to be Novas. There's some guy with a master plan for us all, right? Where's his hand in things? Think a combination between Manga/Anime and the X-Men.

[ProfPotts]

... To be successful I think we need to look at how anime and manga handles it. They dont actually show the class lesson unless its the backdrop for character interaction or if they do briefly and then cut away...

That's interesting... 'cos I think the PE thing is the only actual lesson we've done anything with (& I did point out the purpose of that lesson being included a few times). Everything else has been before school, or break time... yet we're still down lots of PCs & facing a slow post rate (with a few notable exceptions).

... So i would say lets just gloss over the actual school time...fast forward or whatever and set the scenes where things can actually happen...

But... that's exactly what I have been doing... ::confused

I just never thought that it'd take so long to get through the first day. I know there was a slow-down in the middle (when I went walkabout for a zillion years, then we had to make time to introduce a whole bunch of new PCs, & had a fight), but apart from that I can't really put my finger on any particular scene which was designed to take more than a couple of posts from each PC... When people don't post, I can't see any particular reason other than they're just not enjoying the game.

One of the things which has surprised me is the general lack of PCs interacting with each other. In most games I've seen round these parts people do the intro' post thing, then get talking to each other in-character (often relating tid-bits about their own back stories & the like): &, really early on, it looked like this game was going that way too - but then it kinda' stopped.

IMHO a big part of the problem is the PCs don't have a lot of power or direction over their lives. It's High School, what we're supposed to be doing every hour is actually written down on a slip of paper and woe behold us if we depart from that. There's a limit on how many non-conformist we can reasonably be, and most of the RP we had has been from the non-conformists or lunch break (i.e. when we do have some input).

I'm not sure that I'd agree that being expressive & developing character require being 'non-conformist' - that's just one character type amongst many possibilities. Not being a rebel doesn't (or shouldn't) force anyone into putting their character into a 'holding pattern'. Of course, I'm kinda' preaching to the converted here, since you guys who've responded are the regular posters... ::wink

Considering the upper ranks here (i.e. the teachers, admins, and higher level pupils) all have super powers (or simply rank) and their express purpose is to stamp down non-conformists and the matter becomes even more straight forward.

Hmmm... Looks like I've given the wrong impression again. There are only three known Nova pupils at the school, & only one known Nova staff member (Kou) - who is absent a majority of the time. While social structure, tradition, & respect are strong elements of the whole Japanese High School setting, if you've gotten the impression everyone is trying to 'stamp down' on non-conformists (like some branch of the SS or something) then I've obviously over-emphasized that aspect.

What I was more going for was an environment where actively breaking the rules is seen as a bad thing, & a huge risk, yes (so - different from, say, the 'cool high school' American movies of the eighties where if you're not a rebel you're a nobody); but not an environment where freedom of expression (in a positive manner) is restricted. The sort of place where the kids want to do well, help the school be the best, & look out for their classmates... Did I mention I'm a Fruits Basket fan..? Social interaction was the whole thing I was aiming for with this one - but more & more the characters seem to kinda' drift past each other in their own seperate little worlds... okay, that may be a pretty damn teenage thing to do, I'll admit, but it's taking it a little too far. ::sly

I guess the locker room scene was a good example: Expendable did a great job with Akira's response to the situation, Tora made a quick comment, then... everyone just ignored what I thought would have been a pretty interesting scene to have people react to - almost as if that sort of thing happened everyday (& very much like they'd all rather just get on with something else). Since that sort of emotional / social drama was what I had planned for the game, it kinda' made me realise that the players aren't, for the most part, interested in the same thing. (Another example would be Nova-boy exploding the side of the school: there were a few 'oos' & 'ahs'... but nobody talked about it, or the implications, or anything with other characters - it happened, & was kinda' followed by a collective shrug as people looked around for something else to do.)

I imagine the scale of the thing may be somewhat of a sticking point for some: when you're playing other characters in other games who spend their time saving the world, or fighting for their lives, it takes some adjustment to play a character who's concerned about more down to earth (but, IMHO, equally dramatic) stuff - like making friends, getting up the courage to flirt, & juggling schoolwork with after school activites... stuff like that. I guess my point is that if people aren't enjoying the stuff which is going on in-game right now, then they're not going to enjoy any of the other similar stuff I've got planned - & flogging a dead horse just doesn't work for me.

Again, this isn't meant as an accusation or complaint or anything: I'm just saying where I imagined the game would go isn't where it looks like it needs to go.

Maybe it'd help if people listed the sort of things they'd like to see in a game like this? Or, to put it another way, what sort of thing would make you post character actions in Nippontai High in an animated & excited fashion?

... it will be harder for the girls since you cant really do much while swimming besides swimming...

Well, considering that the only female character still being played seems to be Akira - who's managed to skip the lesson altogether, that scene has pretty much died a death anyhow...

One of the things I think needs to happen if the game is going to proceed is for the PCs to actually hang out together. By that I mean be a group which interacts with each other (as opposed to just being in the same room). I hoped that by putting the PCs in the same class, & emphasizing the whole 'school / class spirit' thing (which seems to be big in most Japanese high school manga) that would happen naturally but, if anything, the PCs seem more drawn to either their own company or NPCs. No matter how much I may like to, I can't run a half-dozen different solo stories. There needs to be a group dynamic. To that end I've already accelerated the appearance of Kitsune & pals, to give the PCs an 'opposition' of sorts to unify against.

Power-wise, I'd rather not do a mass eruption if I don''t have to: I kinda' thought that giving players control over their character's eruption was a way to bolster, rather than stifle, creativity - & I always kinda' liked the classic manga bit of 'a different character gaining powers each episode until the team is formed'. On the other hand, as Alex Green says, giving all the characters powers at once would give them a point of commonality, as well as kick the game to a different level.

For all my talk of social interaction & drama being the centre of the game, I do have various 'super-powered' or 'comic book' things planned for the game (hey - it is Aberrant after all), but if the game is going to turn out to be another 'Quantum Zero', 'Elites', or 'Truth & Justice', then I don't see the point. To my mind playing a Japanese high school teenager who erupts should be a different experience to playing a highly capable adult who erupts... the only thing the same is the powers, but then I feel that powers should be character-driven, not the other way round.

Would people prefer the game with more immediate action (Teragen attacks, & the like)?

Okay... now I'm just rambling... I'll admit that this one's got me lost - everyone seemed to be thrilled by the concept at first, but the execution has obviously fallen flat. I had a pretty clear picture of what the game was going to be like, but it's not worked out... Oh well... make comments, keep posting, & I'll be doing this: ::brick

[Centimane]

Wow, I didn't realize I'd be sparking such a big conversation with my question.

Just so you know Prof, I kind of figured that the situation was exactly what it turned out to be, it's just that my own personal experience (and actually, from what I've come to understand, the coaches I had were much more strict then is usually the case) caused me to doubt that we actually had a choice in what we could do. I never once had that option in real life, so it seemed too implausable to think that that was the case here (even if only from the player's point of view). I don't think it had anything to with poor explanations on your part.

That being said, I'm not sure how many of the male characters were really designed to be athletic superstars. Other than Tora, it seemed like most of the characters were designed to excel in one of the martial arts clubs, and that might be another reason why things are going slow during this part of the game. In Kazuo's case, I know I made him so that he's a very physical, and physically talented young man. But my thought was that this, combined with his in-your-face bad attitude, would provide some fun interactions, and provide a nice contrast to some of the other PCs. The idea was that he'd look more like a fish out of water rather than some kind of uber-badass. When it actually comes time for us to have to fight some nasty 'bad guys', then (hopefully) Kazuo will have an chance to operate in something more like his 'natural element' and will (again, hopefully) look a little more impressive. When he's at school I try to roleplay him so he comes across as mean-tempered, and not very smart or self-aware, but also as being a very fascinating and unpredictable person. If the other students find Kazuo to be at all impressive, it should be because he's never boring to be around, and he always walks his own path. That's assuming I do my job right, of course.

Hmm... I have no idea why I just rambled on like that.... Oh yeah! I was trying to explain why I didn't jump at the chance to have Kazuo 'show off'. The one and only thing Kazuo was supposed to excel at was fighting and I did that because I had been under the impression that fighting wouldn't be something that would be happening very often in the game (I seem to have made a miscalculation there however). In most every area having to do with school Kazuo was always supposed to be 'merely average'.

Which brings me to my next point which is that, 'no', I don't want to skip to the eruption stage. I hadn't mentioned it to anyone yet, but my personal goal was to see how long I could play Kazuo without having him erupt. I don't know whether anyone noticed, but Kazuo's fight with Tetsuo gave me every excuse I needed to have him erupt. Whats-her-face threatened him with compromising pictures of Ryoko, probably the only person he really cares about right now, and despite his cavelier attitude that was the real reason he tried to rush Tetsuo when no one was looking (he was feeling the pressure to make sure he won and didn't want to take chances. unfortunately for him, his plan completely backfired in his face). Kazuo does feel that he has a reputation that he needs to uphold and losing a fight in front of the entire class on his first day of school isn't how he generally goes about it, and when you're a teenager that kind of thing is not just important, it's your whole world. And last but not least, a nova had just burst through a nearby building in a massive display of quantum force.

The only element that was technically missing from that equation was the life-or-death element but, two things: 1) to many teenagers a situation like that can seem worse than death and 2) Kazuo passed out from pain and lack of oxygen. Even to a hardened street-warrior like Kazuo, that kind of thing can be pretty frightening. So you've got extreme emotional distress, you've got high risk to his personal health, and you've got exposure to quantum powers. I was actually a little curious as to whether Prof wasn't going out of his way to provide me with an opportunity to have Kazuo erupt.

But obviously I didn't have Kazuo erupt. And the reason for that is because, even if it means Kazuo has to face the humiliation of losing (and he's still currently in sulk-mode at this point), I don't really want it to be that easy. Kazuo may end up erupting as a result of a fight he gets into, but I'd prefer that he erupts because he's been pushing himself outside of his comfort zone, and fighting is definitely inside his comfort zone. And for now I like playing Kazuo as a baseline, he's lodes of fun to play. Giving him powers would be fun too, but it would also solve many of his problems, and he's way more fun when his back's to the wall.

Regarding 'reactive vs. proactive', I have to confess that I avoid taking my characters off on tangents every time the ST gives us a little leeway. There are several reasons for this. One of them is that I have a very directed personality, and I'm very goal-oriented, so I tend to do poorly with ill-defined 'free time' both in real life and in RPGs. Another reason is that 'downtime' truly shines when it's spontaneous, but in PBP play, where players have hours or days to work on their posts, there's not much spontenaity and, for me at least, it just ends up dragging along and I have to force myself to come up with posts. I have less experience at PBP play than many, but so far the parts of the games I've been involved in where I've had the least fun have been the 'downtime' parts where the characters all go off on tangents and just sort of make stuff up as they go. That doesn't mean that the only parts of the game I enjoy are the action sequences, because I enjoy the comedy, drama, and romance parts immensely. But when the ST sort of opens up the gaming field and says, 'have at it, kids', I usually just prepare myself for a couple of days of boring roleplay and bide my time until things get interesting again. But that's just me, and I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade, so if others want to really get into downtime don't let me stop you. I'm just trying to respond honestly to Prof's questions, not convince anybody of anything.

As for scrapping the game, I don't particularly want to do that at all since Kazuo is one of my most favorite characters to play, and you can ask my brother (Blade90) and he'll confirm that I've been ranting at him about how cool this game is ever since I started playing.

So yeah, there's my two cents.

[SkyLion]

I was actually a little curious as to whether Prof wasn't going out of his way to provide me with an opportunity to have Kazuo erupt.

Seriously Potts! Between that and puting Akira through public humiliation and actual molestation! Jeez! ::tongue ::wink Good point Cottus about social humiliation being worse than death for high schoolers...

Id also like to second the notion of delaying eruption as long as possible...our characters are cool enough as it is! Plus I have enough trust in Potts right now to feel comfortable as a baseline "underdog" in a world of Novas. Now I actually have what I feel is a really kickass approach to his eventual Nova powers...Ideally Id get to wait until his senior year to manifest that but given the pace of PBP games that might be like saying never. So who knows...It would be rad to get a year or even two of RL time passing (and XP!) before staging the eruption. Guess well have to see how it goes. Plus it sounds like a few of us are ready *now* so I think we should hear from everyone (*pokes* Sablesama's monkey mug... ::happy )

[phoenix]

Actually, I'm really enjoying the game as it's going right now. Lately, though, Jinsei hasn't been participating in group activities, posted in the P.E. scene yet, or really talked to anyone. That's just because I've been really busy. I have to apologize. I haven't posted for Glacier yet either.

In general, though, I have been making a conscious effort to do more of what you're calling "proactive" gaming. I just think of it as having something to bring to the table. After all, if the format is just "You think of an adventure, and then we all do it," what do you need us for? That's the point of having my character under my control: I have a persona in mind and I try to make it consistent and develop it, and occasionally surprise the Storyteller and other players in positive ways.

I would be okay with a mass eruption, and I think we could pull it off without seeming contrived. I don't think we should just drop the game, unless you're really not enjoying it Prof.

But really, I think we should press on. Accept that with a group this big, probably not every PC will be involved in every scene. All the players make more of an effort to be "proactive" and find ways to interact with each other, keeping in mind that the game can afford to be plenty crazier than it is right now.

Of course, the opinions of those with lots of spare time to put into the game right now should count more than mine... ::unsure

[Expendable]

Actually, I'm really enjoying the game as it's going right now. Lately, though, Jinsei hasn't been participating in group activities, posted in the P.E. scene yet, or really talked to anyone. That's just because I've been really busy. I have to apologize. I haven't posted for Glacier yet either....

....Of course, the opinions of those with lots of spare time to put into the game right now should count more than mine... ::unsure

::rolleyes oh please...! Everyone's opinion counts equally.

ProfPotts, we wanna play. Hold off on the Mass Eruption until at least the end of the week, ok? ==

[ProfPotts]

Hmmm... okay that's actually some pretty reassuring stuff guys, thanks. ::biggrin

I've been thinking about this a lot today, & come to the conclusion that some of the stuff I mentioned is down to the shift in PCs: several of the original characters have either been dropped or just aren't being posted for any more (which, I guess, is essentially the same thing), while several other characters have come into play - this obviously changes the group dynamics quite a bit (especially since we now seem to have as many 'new kid, no friends' PCs as we do 'established at the school' kids). Maybe I just need to take this shift into account more, & present a situation which will (hopefully) cause the PCs to unify against a common obstacle.

Another shift is, of course, the fact that we've wound-up with just the one female player character: again, in a socially-driven game context, this changes the group dynamics a lot. Actually, now it's probably more like certain Japanese high school genre pieces than before (all those 'power rangers' shows with the one ranger who gets stuck wearing pink... ::wink ).

Eruption-wise, even if we don't go the mass-eruption route (which doesn't seem like a popular choice), a couple of characters are probably getting close. I wouldn't want to force anyone to erupt (& certainly wouldn't expect Kazuo to erupt just 'cos of a fight - don't forget, I've read his back story: near-death is nothing to that kid! ::ultracool ), but Akira is - emotionally - primed (just needs a good, solid, 'trigger event'), & I'm pretty sure that at least one remaining PC took the Quantum 3 option (so, again, just needs a solid 'trigger' event to pop).

Yeah, okay - fresh inspiration particles are hitting home now: think I know where I'm going to aim with this. Between the constructive comments from you guys & my weekly dose of Naruto (love that show!) I'm fired up again. Cheers all! ::biggrin

[Expendable]

Yeah, okay - fresh inspiration particles are hitting home now: think I know where I'm going to aim with this. Between the constructive comments from you guys & my weekly dose of Naruto (love that show!) I'm fired up again. Cheers all! ::biggrin

Maybe this would help....

[ProfPotts]

Hah, cool!

Like I said, I really like Fruits Basket & Naruto, Negima is pretty funny too - of course, that's the the stuff I've been watching recently. ::wink

[SkyLion]

I posted up Tora's Bio in the Nippontai class section, along with a killer illustration from Cottus! Also look for the links into his bio for some awesome Parkour vids...note the forest running in the first one for Tora's sprint through the woods. In fact, just imagine the guy in the vids is Japanese and you'll have a good feeling for Tora!

[phoenix]

So, I'm pretty sure that at this point, Nippontai High features the dirtiest fight ever featured in the Quantum Zero franchise.

- We're fighting a girl.

- With a four to one advantage.

- One of us is trying to kick her in the rib cage, and another is trying to punch her in the throat, while another of us distracts her.

- She, in turn, is a nova using her powers to try to kill baseline children.

::blink

[SkyLion]

Hey now! Dont be sexist...plenty of girls could whip our asses!! And for the record Tora wasn't trying to distract her...Tora was merely being Tora. ::happy Plus she is a nova so I doubt this will go well for us. Having said that I really didnt want Tora to erupt on the first day so I hope Potss doesnt kill him.

,,

What else? We are waiting for Ex to post...it would seem an eruption is about to happen. What happened to Sablesama and the other plot threads? Its not down to us 5 now is it?

[phoenix]

Hey now! Dont be sexist...plenty of girls could whip our asses!!

Speak for yourself, I've got a couple of those things, you know, what'd'you call 'em... testicles. ::tongue

[SkyLion]

Speak for yourself, I've got a couple of those things, you know, what'd'you call 'em... testicles. ::tongue

,,

Oh veeery funny! I am *so* going to laugh when Kitsune kicks you in them!

[ProfPotts]

What happened to Sablesama and the other plot threads? Its not down to us 5 now is it?

Seems that way to me... it's not like I can force people to post in the game (or would want to - if ya' don't wanna' post then you're not interested, & if you're not interested, then what's the point, right?). If other players do post actions for their characters then I'll respond, but I'm not about to narrate what's happening to them with no player interaction.

[SkyLion]

Well I know Zeke is away on vacation or something. I went back and its Sai and Sablesma..I send them both a PM letting them know the thread was active again should they want to rejoin us...

[Alex Green]

Plus she is a nova so I doubt this will go well for us. Having said that I really didnt want Tora to erupt...

I'd really intended with the power to fly, but right at this minute Density Increase or Mega-Strength is looking pretty good.

Of course I guess I could still give Kenshi the power to fly and then leave the rest of you on your own. ::devil

[SkyLion]

Is it okay if we dont want to erupt just yet Potts? I had wanted to wait until the second or third year (and have the patience to do so) to create a more fully realized vision of what I had in mind. Is it alright if some of us erupt and others dont (yet) or would you prefer we all go for it?

[phoenix]

Hey, at least of the five of us who seem to be posting, four of us are all in the same location and the other one'd be on her own anyway. I'm enjoying this...

[SkyLion]

And as long as Im asking I thought it would be worth inquiring: Are we going to play through every day of the school year? Cuz in that case it would take years of real time to get through just one. Or is it going to be more cinemtaic in the narrative (like in Prometheans) where downtime passes several weeks or months? Also there is always summer vacation to get into mischief (or do they not allow summer vacation in Japan?)!

[Centimane]

WooHoo! Our first nova! ::thumbup

[SkyLion]

Congrats Ex! ::thumbup1

[Expendable]

Thanx guys - I think. Let's see if I make it. Oh! If I wore contacts/glasses before, will I need to now?

[Alex Green]

...Oh! If I wore contacts/glasses before, will I need to now?

Your choice, but the answer is usually "no", especially if you did (or plan to) buy up Perception. The exception would be if you took it as a flaw.

And congrats.

[SkyLion]

Looks Like you'll need a new Avatar Ex! ::tongue

[Jeremiah]

Okay, okay. FINALLY moved in and internet is FINALLY hooked up. So I'm back. Give me a bit to catch up (We've got a nova already? Alright!) but I'll be back at it soon enough. Sorry about the vanishing, I promise I'll make it up with some voice-in-my-head hijinks.

[ProfPotts]

Thanx guys - I think. Let's see if I make it. Oh! If I wore contacts/glasses before, will I need to now?

No - eruption makes a character physically 'perfect', barring aberrations (no flaws in this game... ::tongue ). Not only will Akira not need to wear glasses any more, she'll also reap the other 'side-effects' of eruption too - perfect health (including faster than human healing times & a small Lethal Soak - not to mention things like flawless skin which most teenagers would kill for... ::sly ) & possible 'wish-fulfilment' (e.g. Akira seemed really bummed about having to cut her hair short, so eruption could well cause it to grow back into long luscious locks). Even without spending Nova Points on Attributes & the like, eruption generally causes the character to become better looking (that Nova physique - no excess fat & the like) &, well, generally 'better' all-round.

Story-wise eruption is a great time to alter a character's appearance or even persona to make them more distinctive: baseline pupils, by their very nature, tend to fade into the general populous of the school (& society as a whole), while Novas always stand out, even if they lack Mega-Attributes, distinctive quirks, or full-blown aberrations. In fact, it takes Nova Points (spent on Dormancy or the 'Mister Nobody' Enhancement or similar) to not stand out from the crowd!

Eruption is, arguably, the most import event in the character's life: the 'ugly duckling' becomes the 'beautiful swan' if you like - the character will never undergo a more dramatic transformation, & it should really be played up for all it's worth. Think about spending some of those spare Nova Points too - eruption is an especially common time to gain extra dots in basic Attributes, Abilities, Willpower & the like. Like it or not, Akira is now a 'superstar'... ::biggrin

Is it okay if we dont want to erupt just yet Potts? I had wanted to wait until the second or third year (and have the patience to do so) to create a more fully realized vision of what I had in mind. Is it alright if some of us erupt and others dont (yet) or would you prefer we all go for it?

As always, eruption is controlled by the player in question (although not the character, natch). Of course, if your character falls off a skyscraper, then you'd probably want to consider having him erupt before he hits the pavement... & not with a power like, say, invisibility... ::tongue ::wink

And as long as Im asking I thought it would be worth inquiring: Are we going to play through every day of the school year? Cuz in that case it would take years of real time to get through just one. Or is it going to be more cinemtaic in the narrative (like in Prometheans) where downtime passes several weeks or months? Also there is always summer vacation to get into mischief (or do they not allow summer vacation in Japan?)!

I imagine that, in the end, pacing will be similar to the other games I run (so, it'll take a while to get through the entire of school - after all, the QZ universe is still in 2008... ::unsure ).

Okay, okay. FINALLY moved in and internet is FINALLY hooked up. So I'm back. Give me a bit to catch up (We've got a nova already? Alright!) but I'll be back at it soon enough. Sorry about the vanishing, I promise I'll make it up with some voice-in-my-head hijinks.

Cool! ::cool Plus we know where 'El Presidenté' Zeke is, so that's a couple more players who've not jumped ship on this one. ::biggrin

[phoenix]

Actually, the glasses situation might make it harder for Akira to keep her novahood secret, if that's what she wants. After all, someone who doesn't need glasses and tries to wear them has as much trouble as someone who needs them and goes without... ::devil