Okay, time for what could be the most complicated and far-reaching forum game/RP hybrid ever to exist on these forums. Based on the concept behind "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzimiya," being part of this RP means entering a world in which the universe can change (and be destroyed) on the whims and desires of a single person -- one who doesn't even know they possess such a power.
It is played across two settings. The first is this thread, which serves as the RP center for all PUBLIC interactions between characters. However, any time a conversation or situation takes place that must be kept private (or for some other reason, simply is,) it will happen in PMs between the members (with me added in as an overseer.)
The game is played by four different roles -- though they're not factions in the traditional sense. Be sure to read all of the roles -- or, at the very least, read the roles for "Student," "Overseer," and "The Haruhi."
God Roles:
The Haruhi:
Spoiler : :
The first faction is "The Haruhi." This isn't so much a "faction" as it is a single person. As for their role? They're essentially God. They just don't know it yet. The Haruhi will not be allowed to find out that they are The Haruhi. If they do, the world will be destroyed, thereby ending the game. Until then, they simply play as a Student and interact with the other characters as normal. As the game goes on, examples of their will and desires taken from both the RP thread AND the AAO forums will be used to determine what happens next. This will occur in the most subtle and reasonable way -- some wishes will go unanswered because they simply can't be pulled off without making The Haruhi's position obvious. Say The Haruhi expresses a desire for vampires to go back to their pre-Twilight awesomeness -- one of the Students may then be turned into a vampire and tasked with hiding this fact from The Haruhi to avoid making him/her suspicious. Say The Haruhi wants the war in Iraq to end -- there will be no immediate change, but over time certain players will receive info about their relatives coming back from the war, and if any players turn on a TV or go on the Internet they may hear reports about it.
This leads to a distinct problem. The reason The Haruhi has the power to destroy the world is to remake it into a new one that appeals to her more. Therefore, if The Haruhi is ever visibly disappointed with the events of the game or game world, the world will begin to be destroyed. Some of the Aware and Malicious (see below) will be alerted to this and maybe even given the opportunity to stop it, but The Haruhi his/herself will not find out until it has reached critical levels. This will also happen if The Haruhi becomes inactive on the thread, causing the game to inevitably die if said person cannot be coaxed back to the game. Essentially, the point is this: the world will begin to end whenever it too distinctly contradicts The Haruhi's ideal view of the world.
A caveat: Given the nature of the game, it is very likely that the person playing The Haruhi will eventually realize who they are. If this happens, it does NOT end the game -- the game does not end until the CHARACTER realizes this. Cheating the game under the suspicion or knowledge of being The Haruhi will NOT be permitted, and posts by any Student or other player may be omitted from the game if they attempt to exploit knowledge that, logically, their in-game character should not have.
For the purposes of this game, The Haruhi is immortal and invincible. If he/she is ever be put in a situation where they would inevitably die, then the Aware must save her at all costs or the game ends in a loss for the two competing Aware and Malicious factions.
Overseer:
Spoiler : :
My role. A simple game moderation position. My role stipulates that you must involve me in ALL interactions with other players within the bounds of the RP, including PMs. (This does not mean that you need to include me in every PM you ever send, JUST the ones associated with the game!) This role also allows me to begin the game, provide the setting, interpret The Haruhi's will, and issue orders and information to the Students based on it. I am also responsible for promoting Students to Aware or Malicious (although those promotions will only be revealed to the player, of course, everyone else is left to wonder.)
I will have more control over the game than in other RPs, since the Haruhi is unaware of his/her status, yet influences the entire outcome of the game. If anything happens, I can narrate it to change the outcome. This means that at any point where a matter of chance is involved, the outcome is determined by me based on The Haruhi's will. (Bear with me on this part.)
If you ask me questions such as "Why am I still a Student?" they will not be replied to. On the other hand, questions about the way the game works are welcome to ensure everybody understands how to play.
Player Roles:
Students:
Spoiler : :
When you begin the game, everyone who is not immediately The Haruhi begins as a regular student. You may create an appearance, name, and personality for your character, but you have NO BACKSTORY until it is written for you. The reason for this is that wishes made by The Haruhi can be interpreted as being from any time during his or her life -- in many cases, her wishes will require that a character was born a certain way or changed somehow many years ago. When your backstory is written, if it's something you are aware of, it will be sent to you via PM. Until then, the default backstory is simply "You are a high-school student at this school." The role of the Student is merely a transition role, and in the future you are likely to find yourself in one of the other factions. Until then, the Students simply carry on as normal. However, there is no ban against talking as if you have a backstory (e.g. talking about your parents, talking about preschool, etc.) as such things can be passed off as attempts to cover for the truth if necessary later on.
The majority of the game will take place on school grounds, but for the purpose of the game there will be no set times or restrictions on classes. You all will begin the game in the same classroom, and can then proceed to different areas whenever you want. Also, note that a student may receive instructions to do something without being given a backstory or new role. These instructions will always be based on The Haruhi's will, and must be obeyed for as long as you remain a Student.
Aware:
Spoiler : :
Over time, Students will have their backstory written for them. These will be varied, but the general purpose will remain the same -- Watch The Haruhi and prevent the destruction of the world. To this end, each of these students will become Aware of The Haruhi, and they will be told exactly who it is.
Aware are not told who the other Aware are, or why they are special. However, since the Aware all know who The Haruhi is, it is natural that they will eventually come together and discover each other's identities. If this happens, they can confront each other privately over PM to begin working as an alliance. They can then collaborate to put up a believable front for the other Students, and knowingly work together to prevent The Haruhi from discovering her identity or becoming tired of the world. To put it simply, if you're an Aware and you suspect somebody else is too, send them a PM (with me included of course) and talk about it.
There is one exception in which a Student may become Aware without a backstory. If for whatever reason an Aware decides a Student can be trusted and explains their situation to them (privately, of course,) then that Student will become an Aware and be allowed to write their own student backstory.
Game Actions:
End the Suffering (once per day) (requires 3 Aware) (cannot be used in the same day as Enclosed Entrance)
Aware are able to kill Malicious. An Aware can only do this if he/she can convince two other Aware that the player in question is, in fact, Malicious and that they should be killed. Requests can be submitted to me, and will then be posted on the main thread for everyone's viewing (the Aware's names will not be mentioned, and the Students will be given an alternate explanation that their characters must follow.) WARNING: Attempting to kill an innocent Student will not result in that player's death, but the Malicious will be allowed a free action.
Enclosed Entrance (requires at least 2 Aware) (cannot be used in the same day as End the Suffering)
When The Haruhi becomes bored or distraught, the Enclosed Space appears. This is a separate dimension populated by giant destructive beings called Shinjin, which expands until it has entirely consumed the Earth. When it is still at level 1, 2, 3, or 4, two or more Aware can form a team and enter the Enclosed Space and try to kill a Shinjin, therefore collapsing the Enclosed Space. Keep in mind that a new Enclosed Space will still form if The Haruhi's mood does not improve. When the Enclosed Space is at level 5, the world is almost completely destroyed and no Aware can enter.
Explain the Universe (unlimited)
Aware are able to convert Students to Aware. This can be done by any Aware through a PM contact. This same method can be used to associate with students suspected to be Aware and confirm their identities. Remember that, if the Malicious are mistaken for Aware or Students, they can pretend to be and gain the upper hand VERY quickly, so be careful.
Aware will each have their own Special Abilities that can (with exceptions) be used any number of times regardless of the day.
Malicious:
Spoiler : :
In this universe, there are those who, like the Aware, understand that with The Haruhi satisfied, the universe will never evolve and will remain in its current state forever. Unlike the Aware, they see this as a bad thing. As a Malicious, your primary goal is to convince The Haruhi to allow the world to be destroyed. The Malicious win when the world is destroyed AND The Haruhi is still not aware of his/her identity.
Like the Aware, the Malicious backstories are based on The Haruhi's view of an ideal world. As such, they may or may not be affiliated with or have knowledge of one or more Aware's identities (and vice versa.) Beyond that, they are blind. The Malicious are not told who The Haruhi is -- they are simply told of his/her existence, and are left to figure out who it is using that information. (When one knows there IS a Haruhi, it shouldn't be much of a stretch to figure out who it is.)
Another unique aspect of The Malicious is that they are the only characters allowed to kill any role except The Haruhi. The Aware are also allowed to kill, but they are limited to killing only Malicious that they have identified. Because of this, it is even more important to avoid being recognized as a Malicious until the last moment. It is very likely that some Aware will be able to sense certain Malicious actions, and so it's important to keep a low profile until that life-or-death moment comes when you'd be ready to sacrifice yourself for a chance to push Haruhi over the edge. This can be done in a variety of ways, ranging from subtle and less noticeable (like bullying or removing aspects of her life that she loves) to outright diabolical acts that are sure to attract some Aware opposition (like murdering her friends.) Note that if you actually tell The Haruhi of his/her role, you instantly die and the post will be omitted. That rule does not apply to trying to kill The Haruhi, which is totally allowed. However, since The Haruhi is invincible, a successful murder attempt will only reveal her identity and both the Aware AND the Malicious will lose.
Game Actions:
Stop the Resistance (requires at least 3 Malicious OR requires a majority vote after failed Aware attacks)
Malicious are able to kill Aware. This can be done if one of the following conditions is met: if the Aware attempt to kill an innocent student or fellow Aware (it will go to an anonymous vote among the Malicious) or if they can convince two other Malicious that the player in question is Aware.
Slaughter the Innocent (by majority vote, can be used INSTEAD of Stop the Resistance after a failed Aware attack.)
The Malicious can choose to kill a student in order to try and get a reaction out of The Haruhi. If successful, the Enclosed Space will advance two levels. This is a risky move, however, as accidentally killing The Haruhi might end the game in a loss, and killing neutral Students brings both factions closer to their goal. This universal action is put up to a vote (along with the opportunity to kill Aware) whenever the Aware attempt to kill an innocent.[/b]
After discovering each other's identities, Malicious can contact each other in the same way as Aware. However, they cannot recruit neutral Students (doing so unbalances the game, and what kind of normal high-school student would want the world destroyed?)
Like Aware, each Malicious will have his/her own Special Abilities that can be used without limit (with some exceptions.) Malicious are also able to enter the Enclosed Space at will, though in most cases there's little reason to, and they can't interfere with the Aware's Enclosed Entrance.
Enclosed Space: As The Haruhi becomes bored or disturbed, a separate dimension known as the Enclosed Space begins to cover the world. It begins at level 1, and advances by a level for each day that The Haruhi's mood does not improve. At level 4 and below, the Aware can try and temporarily destroy the Enclosed Space. Once it hits level 5, the space can no longer be entered by just anyone, and a special condition must be met if the world is to survive. If the world goes a full day in level 5 without the enclosed space being destroyed, the entire world will be consumed by the new dimension and the game will end in a Malicious victory.
The Privacy Factor: Any conversation that is not held on school grounds, or can not be heard or overheard by EVERYONE in the game, must be done in a PM (with me included so I can see the conversation for moderation purposes.) If a conversation occurs in the main thread, it is automatically assumed to have been heard, at least in passing, by EVERYONE playing. This means most interactions between Aware and others will be in PMs, even if those PMs include other Students or even The Haruhi. You are allowed to tell other people about your private interactions at will, but remember that it may hurt your position in the game.
Don't worry -- at the end of the game, all the dialogue that took place in private will be posted on the thread. Also, dead characters will be allowed to look at everything that's happened leading up to their death.
Day Structure:
--Each day starts in an Afternoon phase with people still sitting in class.
--In order to have a private conversation or talk without being heard, everyone who takes part in the talk must leave the classroom (You can PM me to leave if you'd rather not post it, but either way I'm going to make it public. It's part of the hunt, after all~) Otherwise, you can just leave whenever you want. Those who have left can't re-enter, but you may wait outside the classroom if something happens inside that you want to be part of.
--Once everything important has happened, Night begins.
--The Night phase works similar to the afternoon, except private conversation is allowed freely provided you're all in different locations (for example, if two private conversations take place at the train station, you'll be able to hear each other.) Public conversation on the main thread at night takes place at either The Mall or the park.
--When you want to end Night, simply go home. Going home can be posted in whatever PM you're in, as long as whoever you're talking to hears it.
--At the end of the night, all actions that haven't yet been resolved are played out, and if there is an Enclosed Space it will grow by one level.
WIN CONDITIONS:
The Malicious win if they manage to get The Haruhi to allow the world to be destroyed without revealing his/her identity OR when every Student aside from The Haruhi is either dead or Malicious. These are the only win conditions in which The Haruhi loses.
The Aware win when every Student aside from The Haruhi is either Aware or is recognized as Malicious and killed/restrained. If the Aware win, it also counts as a victory for The Haruhi.
Students are transition roles and cannot win.
The game will begin when we have a decent number of players. New entries are allowed after the game begins, but needless to say those people will NOT be The Haruhi. They may still become Aware or Malicious.
PLAYERS:
Players in BOLD have introduced their characters already.
Questions:
Is there a win condition for non-malicious players?
When the Haruhi player realises that they are playing the Haruhi character, how should the game continue?
What information should the students have? eg. Do they know that a Haruhi exists, or the aware and malicious factions for that matter?
EDIT: Also, how fast paced is the game? (ie. How fast can you use actions such as killing someone?)
And I'll join.
Last edited by Stealthfire on Fri Apr 01, 2011 11:58 am, edited 2 times in total.
Yes, though it's different for each group. I'll add these into the first post:
The Haruhi wins if she acknowledges her powers and destroys/recreates the world to her liking. She also wins along with The Aware if they win.
The Malicious win if they manage to get The Haruhi to allow the world to be destroyed without revealing his/her identity.
The Aware win when every Student aside from The Haruhi is either Aware or is recognized as Malicious and killed/restrained. If the Aware win, it also counts as a victory for The Haruhi.
Students are transition roles and cannot win.
I know it's very different from the show's "win conditions," but then so is the existence of a Malicious faction at all -- the show has very few instances of such things, and the faction is largely based on Ryoko Asakura. Still, aspects of the game were made different from the show to help it function as both an RP and a game.
Forgive me if I still forgot some things, it's a bit late. ):
EDIT:
--When the Haruhi realizes who they are, the game continues as normal. When their in-game character comes to that realization, however, the game ends in their victory. The Haruhi is meant, first and foremost, to move the game forward. Their win conditions, therefore, are noticeably more consequential than those of the other factions. The real point is the struggle between Aware and Malicious.
--The students, in-character at least, are totally blind to the existence of anything supernatural until they either witness it or are informed.
--The game will be quite a bit slower paced than other games, since it's primarily an RP. I planned to resolve battles as role-played fight scenes that were then voted on (without revealing identities, of course) akin to the battle between Yuki and Ryoko in the anime. If players would prefer a faster solution more akin to Mafia, we can do that instead, just say so and I'll come up with a way to do that.
I decided to redo the "battle" aspects to further resemble a Mafia-style game after all. The new system will be included in the first post, and explained here.
Also, note that it's nowhere in the rules that a Malicious can't pretend to be Aware, and vice-versa. If Aware attempt to contact a Malicious who they believed to be an Aware or Student, the Malicious will have the advantage and be allowed to play along.
Aware actions:
Spoiler : :
Aware are able to kill Malicious. An Aware can only do this if he/she can convince two other Aware that the player in question is, in fact, Malicious and that they should be killed. Requests can be submitted to me, and will then be posted on the main thread for everyone's viewing (the Aware's names will not be mentioned, and the Students will be given an alternate explanation that their characters must follow.) WARNING: Attempting to kill an innocent Student will not result in that player's death, but the Malicious will be allowed a free action.
Aware are able to convert Students to Aware. This can be done by any Aware through a PM contact. This same method can be used to associate with students suspected to be Aware and confirm their identities. Remember that, if the Malicious are mistaken for Aware or Students, they can pretend to be and gain the upper hand VERY quickly, so be careful.
Malicious actions:
Spoiler : :
Malicious are able to kill Aware. This can be done if one of the following conditions is met:
-- If Aware attempt to kill an innocent student or fellow Aware (it will go to an anonymous vote among the Malicious)
-- If they can convince two other Malicious that the player in question is Aware.
Depending on the player's backstory, Malicious can take a number of Unique Actions. Depending on the nature of these actions, their activation criteria will change. The only universal action will be the ability to kill Students -- this is risky, as accidentally killing The Haruhi might end the game in a loss, and killing neutral Students brings both factions closer to their goal. This universal action is put up to a vote (along with the opportunity to kill Aware) whenever the Aware attempt to kill an innocent.
The game will begin in a couple of days. We need at least 6 people to begin, preferably 8 or more.
Coolest Original Weapon or Power: The Relics
Best Villain: Thereme
Most Well-Written Character, Most Original Character Concept, Best Design: Narome (LunchPolice)
Most Depressing Character, Greatest Backstory: Kenneth Roymond (GuardianDreamer)
Greatest RP Moment Ever, Saddest Moment: Narome's Feeding off Mika
Best NPC: The Doctor (ShadowEdgeworth)
Best Fight Scene: Drey Wilkins vs. Narome (Drey Wilkins, LunchPolice)
Best World
Most Eccentric Character: Ewyn (GuardianDreamer)
Best Duo: Narome and Kea (LunchPolice, Paradoxinparticles)
Biggest Crowning Moment of Awesome: The Sabolin Battle
And Best GM: ME ;P
That's okay, you don't really need to have seen the show. I twisted a lot of aspects to fit the game better anyway.
Announcement: The game will begin tomorrow most likely, and then a day will be allowed for new applicants and info gathering before The Haruhi is chosen. Soon after that, several of you will be shifted to one of the two competing factions, so just sit back for now and don't worry about dying. Yet.
After this, applications will still be accepted throughout the game's run, but the people who joined before that will be marked in a separate player list since they can't possibly be The Haruhi.
NOTICE: You may try and predict who it is once the game begins, but keep in mind that you aren't allowed to ACT on this in any way until your character knows of his/her existence. I recommend making in-game friends during the first couple of days -- the better you know your peers, the better chance you stand when you ARE sorted into a role. Standard RPG rules still apply, such as bans against godmodding and railroading.
If you don't become one of the competing factions right away, don't worry too much. By my predictions, it shouldn't be long before everyone has some role to play. You might even be The Haruhi and not know it yet.
Psychics, spirits, magical beings... Of course they don't exist. But maybe a little part of me wishes that they did. I guess I've grown up and realized that I can think about those things and still accept reality. But by the time I got out of junior high, I pretty much outgrew that kind of stuff... And I guess I got used to the idea of living in an ordinary world. And, just like that, I was in highschool.
When the first day of school began, it was really nothing special. Just as I had always expected, highschool seemed pretty much the same as junior high. The trees had already changed colors, and some of the students had already begun wearing coats over their uniforms. The cold never bothered me -- if anything, I enjoyed seeing the trees begin to shift into the new season. Back then, I would have welcomed any change of pace, no matter how small. That was before I learned the truth about the world... before I knew about that person...
Most of us had arrived before class had actually started. The people around me began to talk, introducing themselves to the people they'd be spending the rest of the year with... Myself, I preferred to sit and wait.
Spoiler : :
From this point on, all of my non-narration talk will be in spoilers. OOC talk from players should be marked in some way as well. There's nothing to keep private yet, so you can say just about anything you want to on the main thread.
The game has begun. At this moment, nothing worth noting is really happening. Take this time to introduce your characters and profiles, as well as mingling with the other classmates. Remember that the RP aspects of the game are how you're meant to find out valuable information, so it doesn't hurt to start now. And yes, one of you is already The Haruhi. Aware and Malicious will begin to appear very soon.
Also, after my next post, you may begin to leave the classroom if you want. There are no penalties for talking during class or skipping school. For the sake of this game, your grades don't matter.
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