[Microscope] Who wants to make history? (OOC thread)

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Traditional Games > The Game Room > [Microscope] Who wants to make history? (OOC thread)

A RICH WHITE MAN: Jul 30, 2010; See them other chickenheads? They don't never leave the coop.

I want to play! How about :

A Generation Ship carries the last survivors of an apocalyptic event through vast and open expanse of space, its navigation systems locked on a distant homeland.

The rise and fall of the Imperial House of Ovidius.

The colonization of KOI-3010.01.

The Gods' War rages, pitting the mortal races against themselves, and threatening to rend existence to tatters.

A RICH WHITE MAN fucked around with this message at 06:30 on Nov 26, 2014

# ¿ Nov 26, 2014 06:15

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# ¿ Apr 28, 2024 18:23

A RICH WHITE MAN: Jul 30, 2010; See them other chickenheads? They don't never leave the coop.

Of my own ideas, I'm most partial to:

A Generation Ship carries the last survivors of an apocalyptic event through vast and open expanse of space, its navigation systems locked on a distant homeland.

Of EclecticTastes':

An alien spaceship crashes into international waters, and the world scrambles to exploit the technology held within.

Of Abyssal Squid's:

A primordial floating continent's figurative rise and literal fall.

And, finally, of FredMSlonkier's:

In the wake of the Event, monstrous fantasy races rise to rule the Earth.

Also, I suggest the 3 other people start another game! Never enough Microscrope.

# ¿ Nov 27, 2014 06:14

A RICH WHITE MAN: Jul 30, 2010; See them other chickenheads? They don't never leave the coop.

EclecticTastes posted:

Ooh, I like this one, I've always enjoyed stories about how the times are a-changin'.

I also like this one

# ¿ Nov 28, 2014 03:07

A RICH WHITE MAN: Jul 30, 2010; See them other chickenheads? They don't never leave the coop.

FredMSloniker posted:

While I do like Abyssal Squid's latest suggestion, I'm not entirely comfortable with the world 'castle'. It brings a certain feel to the Big Picture I don't like. Could we change the word? Maybe bring in some of my idea with 'lair' or 'dungeon'?

How about kingdom?

quote:

A kingdom adapts, and at times fails to adapt, to the changing world around it.

This is likely my favorite Big Picture out of all of them.

# ¿ Nov 29, 2014 05:07

A RICH WHITE MAN: Jul 30, 2010; See them other chickenheads? They don't never leave the coop.

How about :

"A city adapts, and at times fails to adapt, to the changing world around it."

I think a city, as a polity, is good at expressing the insular dynamic you're going for. It's also broad enough to have a lot of fun with the situation within.

A RICH WHITE MAN fucked around with this message at 06:21 on Nov 29, 2014

# ¿ Nov 29, 2014 06:18

A RICH WHITE MAN: Jul 30, 2010; See them other chickenheads? They don't never leave the coop.

Beginning:

A powerful warlord draws together disparate people through sheer force of will and arms; the City is founded, at a site of great significance. (light)

End:

The City's long, slow decline comes to an end when a powerful warlord sacks it, without much in the way of opposition. (dark)

# ¿ Nov 30, 2014 02:23

A RICH WHITE MAN: Jul 30, 2010; See them other chickenheads? They don't never leave the coop.

I prefer Dark themes to Light ones, and would be perfectly happy with both bookends being Dark.

# ¿ Dec 2, 2014 03:21

A RICH WHITE MAN: Jul 30, 2010; See them other chickenheads? They don't never leave the coop.

I like those a lot!

FredMSloniker posted:

Outcasts and refugees from a dozen civilizations found the City in a land no one else wants. Light tone.

And we shall call it Jersey.

# ¿ Dec 2, 2014 19:41

A RICH WHITE MAN: Jul 30, 2010; See them other chickenheads? They don't never leave the coop.

A powerful warlord draws together the Twelve Clans, and establishes the City at a site of great significance. (Light)

Surrounded by foes on all sides, the City dwindles to insignificance. (Dark)

I'm going to throw my formal support behind this pairing.

# ¿ Dec 4, 2014 04:15

A RICH WHITE MAN: Jul 30, 2010; See them other chickenheads? They don't never leave the coop.

Abyssal Squid posted:

In defense of the second, the "surrounded by foes" one, I meant that more to be a drawn-out affair of cultural attrition rather than a dramatic showdown between armies. Even if the city has a powerful army, all of its neighbors imposing onerous tariffs and tolls would kill it just as surely as the farms failing to produce would.

I'm equally open to dramatic and subdued stories, for what it's worth, as long as the tone is kept somewhat consistent.

That is my idea of it, as well. For my interpretation, see: Rome.

# ¿ Dec 4, 2014 18:12

A RICH WHITE MAN: Jul 30, 2010; See them other chickenheads? They don't never leave the coop.

As far as semantics, I think that the City should always be capitalized, as it's clearly the only city of relevance in the world.

A powerful warlord draws together the Twelve Clans, and establishes the City at a site of great significance.
United with its neighbors, the City flourishes as the capital of a new kingdom.

or w/e the final wording we decide on is.

# ¿ Dec 5, 2014 07:37

A RICH WHITE MAN: Jul 30, 2010; See them other chickenheads? They don't never leave the coop.

EclecticTastes posted:

Also, I really can't get on board with capitalizing "the city", it looks silly and nobody outside a cult or House of Leaves would do that sort of thing. Not even the most jingoistic person calls America "The Country".

I'm going to guess you've never been to New York? Or, say, Constantinople or Rome? These are the types of images I'm trying to evoke with the City.

Anyway, I kind of agree with EclecticTastes; Microscope, to me, is appealing for its ability to portray normal human stories in an exciting and engaging way. As for me, I will say:

Yes: A focus on politics.

A RICH WHITE MAN fucked around with this message at 21:48 on Dec 7, 2014

# ¿ Dec 6, 2014 02:47

A RICH WHITE MAN: Jul 30, 2010; See them other chickenheads? They don't never leave the coop.

EclecticTastes posted:

I think the wording there leaves it a little ambiguous, but as I understand it, a focus on politics would mean that some scenes would focus more on stuff happening, but there would also be scenes exploring the social and political impact of those things. Say, like, a race of people living underground is discovered in lands "belonging" to our city. We'd definitely want a Scene or two about the actual first contact, or some of the early difficulties in getting along with the new neighbors and working out who owns what, or if maybe they might be cool with integrating with the city. There might even be some violent outbursts, but basically these would be scenes of action as much as words. But at least me and Rich White Man would want some scenes dealing with the political and social ramifications. Maybe Councilman Z'Grek, who gets sizable "donations" from the local mining mogul, wants to unilaterally annex these folks' tunnels for their easy access to ore and precious stones, while Councilman Dorian, noted isolationist and xenophobe, wants all access points collapsed and for everyone to just forget we found anything down there, and Councilman Pikkart, hopeless idealist that he is, would rather try to make friends and see what new things we might learn from one another through fair and forthright collaboration.

This, basically. I don't know the best way to word it, but I want to explore political and sociological themes.

# ¿ Dec 7, 2014 21:58

A RICH WHITE MAN: Jul 30, 2010; See them other chickenheads? They don't never leave the coop.

I dunno; we already have fantastical elements in the form of our race selection. I'd really rather not throw ubiquitous magic, per Abyssal Squid's palette thing, into the mix as well. I like EclecticTaste's Low Magic Setting caveat.

# ¿ Dec 8, 2014 22:13

A RICH WHITE MAN: Jul 30, 2010; See them other chickenheads? They don't never leave the coop.

Yes: Barbarians on the frontier.

# ¿ Dec 9, 2014 21:25

A RICH WHITE MAN: Jul 30, 2010; See them other chickenheads? They don't never leave the coop.

I would like for armed conflict in the borderlands to be a prevalent theme in the history of the City. She must regularly defend herself against incursions from [???]. Maybe a better wording, more open-ended than barbarians, would be Yes: Conflict on the frontier.

# ¿ Dec 9, 2014 22:54

A RICH WHITE MAN: Jul 30, 2010; See them other chickenheads? They don't never leave the coop.

Ready.

# ¿ Dec 9, 2014 23:28

A RICH WHITE MAN: Jul 30, 2010; See them other chickenheads? They don't never leave the coop.

Sorry!

Timeline:

Period: A powerful warlord draws together the Twelve Clans, and establishes the City at a site of great significance. Light tone.
Period: The harsh but prosperous reign of King Nazrack the Dragon Lord. Dark tone.
Period: Beset by the twin threats of internal strife and external pressures, the City faces an existential crisis from which it barely manages to recover. Dark tone.
Period: United with its neighbors, the City flourishes as the capital of a new kingdom. Light tone.

# ¿ Dec 10, 2014 04:22

A RICH WHITE MAN: Jul 30, 2010; See them other chickenheads? They don't never leave the coop.

I will play a member of the City Guard, an orc by the name of Sergeant Glubgork.

# ¿ Dec 11, 2014 05:05

A RICH WHITE MAN: Jul 30, 2010; See them other chickenheads? They don't never leave the coop.

drat rabble needs to be put down; only so long before a bunch of apocalypse-mad nutballs get to looting.

# ¿ Dec 13, 2014 04:59

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# ¿ Apr 28, 2024 18:23

A RICH WHITE MAN: Jul 30, 2010; See them other chickenheads? They don't never leave the coop.

FredMSloniker posted:

Uh. Is it quiet because of the holidays, or did I screw something up?

just the holidays for me. busy at work + busy with family.

# ¿ Dec 21, 2014 21:26

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Traditional Games > The Game Room > [Microscope] Who wants to make history? (OOC thread)