Code Talk: Three-for-one GMing Post
This is only partially code talk; it's also policy talk, and pep talk. We have three topics to cover: players as scene runners/GMs, the Battle Fantasia Origin Story Round Robin, and the Battle Fantasia Youma Repository System. All of these are related to each other.
1) Players as GMs
On a really healthy game, most scenes are not run by the staff, but by players. Most plots are originated by players, and require only minimal oversight to make sure that Tokyo isn't about to be permanently reduced to green jello or otherwise totally alter the status quo in a way the game in general isn't ready for yet. Preserving the status quo forever, however, is not our goal -- our setting can and should evolve as stories are told. (One way that this is recognized is in our advancement policy, which includes a provision to bring minimum XP up to a function of the game's average XP every six months, such that a game that begins as Battle Fantasia: Origins will, over time, transition into a second act less about how Stella got her groove, and more about what she proceeded to do with it, and onward from there.)
And yet, often only a tiny, select group of players ever take the initiative to run scenes on a MUSH.
Why?
Two common barriers to players running scenes are:
a) lack of confidence
b) not wanting to deal with paperwork; both to get a plot approved, and some back-and-forth with the staff is generally necessary to generate some sort of boss form, or monster form, to represent NPCs; the turn-around time on generating these forms is often long, requires a staffer to set the form up, give it to the player, and so forth. This can be rather spontaneity-crushing.
We have strategies to address each issue.
2) The Battle Fantasia Origin Story Round Robin
Launch is a unique time for a game, and presents a unique opportunity -- it is a regular but rarely granted wish for a player to get to scene out their very first day on the Magical Girl job. Early plots generally lack the extreme personalization of Usagi getting her pen from Luna, Nanoha discovering Yuuno and Raising Heart, and so forth.
The solution is obvious: why not have everyone who wants a special origin scene each GM one for someone else?
To facilitate this, we will have a questionnaire asking players a) if they want to participate in the Origin Story Round Robin, and b) if yes, which themes they feel comfortable storytelling in. We will then proceed to match players up with each other, pre-create all NPC forms required by the participants, and watch the fun begin, standing by to answer questions and provide further support as needed. In the event that someone doesn't fulfill their GMing responsibility, the staff will naturally pick up the slack. We will recommend that these (presumably flashback) scenes wait to be run until after the first weekend or two, in which staff-run plots will be provided to acquaint everyone with the combat system and the flow of a usual scene (though anyone who wants to hit the ground running is welcome to!).
Every participant will receive an origin scene and run an origin scene, and hopefully this will help demystify GMing and provide some confidence to first-timers -- no prior experience will be expected by anyone, after all! If our influx of new players is remotely steady (as in, at least two within a few weeks of each other), this could go on indefinitely. We will have other “GMing Round Robin” plot events further down the line, as well.
We want scene running to be easy and fun. We have further incentives for scene runners -- including priority to those who run scenes for others to have their own Master Rank Advancement plot run by the staff (for more information, please see: http://bf-muck.livejournal.com/20169.html), if they can't find another player to do it for them. There are other incentive goodies, too, but we will leave them for a MYSTERY SURPRISE.
However, if new GMs want to try to create their own boss forms, they are certainly allowed and encouraged to... and don't have to wait for the staff's cooperation to do so, either.
3) The Battle Fantasia Youma Repository System
The Battle Fantasia Youma Repository System is a set of commands to allow players and staff alike to define, edit, and transform into ‘youma’ -- in other words, NPC boss forms. (They don't literally have to be youma, also known as monsters of the day, though we expect this to be what are mostly made.) It exists to promote free and easy GMing of spontaneous scenes. Use of the Youma Repository System to cheat in combat, by faking a player character's henshins, is considered abuse and will be responded to accordingly.
Anyone can create NPC forms using this system, and anyone can look at and use each other's forms as well. Only the creator of a form (or the staff) can edit that form, however. Although we recommend that players in a scene don't use these commands to look at their GM's form, ultimately the only fun they're hurting is their own, and the total transparency should minimize abuse of the system.
+youmas - Lists the available youma forms and their associated form numbers.
+youma/create - Initially creates a youma form and assigns it a form number.
+youma/wipe - Completely wipes a youma form from existance. Can only be used by staff, or on forms a player created themselves; players cannot wipe each others' forms.
+youma/setsheet /= - Defines a field within a youma form. Valid fields include masterrank, mastertraits, rank (as in henshin rank), might, vitality, spirit, reflex, composure and henshinabilities. Can only be used by staff, or on forms a player created themselves; players cannot edit each others' forms.
+youma/setattack = - Sets an attack on a youma form. Entry format is Attack Name|Tier|PL|Type|Range|Flag1|Flag2|Flag3... Can only be used by staff, or on forms a player created themselves; players cannot edit each others' forms.
+youma/delattack = - Deletes an attack from a youma form. Can only be used by staff, or on forms a player created themselves; players cannot edit each others' forms.
+youma/wipeattacks - Deletes all attacks from a youma form. Can only be used by staff, or on forms a player created themselves; players cannot edit each others' forms.
+youma/sheet - Displays a youma form's +sheet.
+youma/attacks - Displays a youma form's +attacks.
+youma/summon - Summons a youma form's +sheet and +attacks to your henshin slot Y, which is listed like any other henshin in +transformations if filled; one can then subsequently transform into that youma form with +transform Y.
There is a short piece of paperwork to fill out for plots that require pre-approval due to their major or lasting consequences for the setting, but it is not required for day-to-day use of the Youma Repository System. Let the monster attacks on the tennis tournament, science fair or takoyaki stand commence!
Next time on Code Talk: An example fight in the combat system, from start to finish. If there's anything else you're looking for in the lead-up to launch from the csys side of things, now's the time to request it!
1) Players as GMs
On a really healthy game, most scenes are not run by the staff, but by players. Most plots are originated by players, and require only minimal oversight to make sure that Tokyo isn't about to be permanently reduced to green jello or otherwise totally alter the status quo in a way the game in general isn't ready for yet. Preserving the status quo forever, however, is not our goal -- our setting can and should evolve as stories are told. (One way that this is recognized is in our advancement policy, which includes a provision to bring minimum XP up to a function of the game's average XP every six months, such that a game that begins as Battle Fantasia: Origins will, over time, transition into a second act less about how Stella got her groove, and more about what she proceeded to do with it, and onward from there.)
And yet, often only a tiny, select group of players ever take the initiative to run scenes on a MUSH.
Why?
Two common barriers to players running scenes are:
a) lack of confidence
b) not wanting to deal with paperwork; both to get a plot approved, and some back-and-forth with the staff is generally necessary to generate some sort of boss form, or monster form, to represent NPCs; the turn-around time on generating these forms is often long, requires a staffer to set the form up, give it to the player, and so forth. This can be rather spontaneity-crushing.
We have strategies to address each issue.
2) The Battle Fantasia Origin Story Round Robin
Launch is a unique time for a game, and presents a unique opportunity -- it is a regular but rarely granted wish for a player to get to scene out their very first day on the Magical Girl job. Early plots generally lack the extreme personalization of Usagi getting her pen from Luna, Nanoha discovering Yuuno and Raising Heart, and so forth.
The solution is obvious: why not have everyone who wants a special origin scene each GM one for someone else?
To facilitate this, we will have a questionnaire asking players a) if they want to participate in the Origin Story Round Robin, and b) if yes, which themes they feel comfortable storytelling in. We will then proceed to match players up with each other, pre-create all NPC forms required by the participants, and watch the fun begin, standing by to answer questions and provide further support as needed. In the event that someone doesn't fulfill their GMing responsibility, the staff will naturally pick up the slack. We will recommend that these (presumably flashback) scenes wait to be run until after the first weekend or two, in which staff-run plots will be provided to acquaint everyone with the combat system and the flow of a usual scene (though anyone who wants to hit the ground running is welcome to!).
Every participant will receive an origin scene and run an origin scene, and hopefully this will help demystify GMing and provide some confidence to first-timers -- no prior experience will be expected by anyone, after all! If our influx of new players is remotely steady (as in, at least two within a few weeks of each other), this could go on indefinitely. We will have other “GMing Round Robin” plot events further down the line, as well.
We want scene running to be easy and fun. We have further incentives for scene runners -- including priority to those who run scenes for others to have their own Master Rank Advancement plot run by the staff (for more information, please see: http://bf-muck.livejournal.com/20169.html), if they can't find another player to do it for them. There are other incentive goodies, too, but we will leave them for a MYSTERY SURPRISE.
However, if new GMs want to try to create their own boss forms, they are certainly allowed and encouraged to... and don't have to wait for the staff's cooperation to do so, either.
3) The Battle Fantasia Youma Repository System
The Battle Fantasia Youma Repository System is a set of commands to allow players and staff alike to define, edit, and transform into ‘youma’ -- in other words, NPC boss forms. (They don't literally have to be youma, also known as monsters of the day, though we expect this to be what are mostly made.) It exists to promote free and easy GMing of spontaneous scenes. Use of the Youma Repository System to cheat in combat, by faking a player character's henshins, is considered abuse and will be responded to accordingly.
Anyone can create NPC forms using this system, and anyone can look at and use each other's forms as well. Only the creator of a form (or the staff) can edit that form, however. Although we recommend that players in a scene don't use these commands to look at their GM's form, ultimately the only fun they're hurting is their own, and the total transparency should minimize abuse of the system.
+youmas - Lists the available youma forms and their associated form numbers.
+youma/create - Initially creates a youma form and assigns it a form number.
+youma/wipe - Completely wipes a youma form from existance. Can only be used by staff, or on forms a player created themselves; players cannot wipe each others' forms.
+youma/setsheet /= - Defines a field within a youma form. Valid fields include masterrank, mastertraits, rank (as in henshin rank), might, vitality, spirit, reflex, composure and henshinabilities. Can only be used by staff, or on forms a player created themselves; players cannot edit each others' forms.
+youma/setattack = - Sets an attack on a youma form. Entry format is Attack Name|Tier|PL|Type|Range|Flag1|Flag2|Flag3... Can only be used by staff, or on forms a player created themselves; players cannot edit each others' forms.
+youma/delattack = - Deletes an attack from a youma form. Can only be used by staff, or on forms a player created themselves; players cannot edit each others' forms.
+youma/wipeattacks - Deletes all attacks from a youma form. Can only be used by staff, or on forms a player created themselves; players cannot edit each others' forms.
+youma/sheet - Displays a youma form's +sheet.
+youma/attacks - Displays a youma form's +attacks.
+youma/summon - Summons a youma form's +sheet and +attacks to your henshin slot Y, which is listed like any other henshin in +transformations if filled; one can then subsequently transform into that youma form with +transform Y.
There is a short piece of paperwork to fill out for plots that require pre-approval due to their major or lasting consequences for the setting, but it is not required for day-to-day use of the Youma Repository System. Let the monster attacks on the tennis tournament, science fair or takoyaki stand commence!
Next time on Code Talk: An example fight in the combat system, from start to finish. If there's anything else you're looking for in the lead-up to launch from the csys side of things, now's the time to request it!