Bay 12 Games Forum

RTD... IS black comedy. So are we going with the alternate reality thing? I'm afraid my setup for a premise like that would involve a ragtag gang of mercenaries pursuing a time-traveling Adolf Hitler through the multiverse.

Nah, I can start it. I'll create the thread and update the OP when needed.

So, have we thought of a premise? Maybe I could think one up from the vague character bios that the initial players come up with?

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User name: Jimhawk77799
Passord: MSrulezlol

You know and respect the important difference between   ‼ and !!.

None of those responses make any sense. You have forced me to break the combo as thus: bow down to peperony and chease.

That seems a whole lot more complex than what I was suggesting. For all intents and purposes, an Endless RTD would be just like a normal one. No player GMs, no changing settings. But rather than a single GM controlling the whole thing, we'll have a series of "guest GMs" that write (and roll for) a single story arc and then pass it on. The goal is simply to keep it going as long as we can.

But in order to keep it going strong, we need to use the same tricks that a TV show might. The setting needs to be something that lends itself to self-contained story arcs against the backdrop of an overarching plot. This doesn't all have to be planned out in advance, either; we can improvise along the way.

Yes, I'm seeing how long I can last without linking to TVTropes.

Maybe it's just me, but I always enjoyed the way episodic media is written: there usually isn't a single writer who handles the whole thing from beginning to end, there's always at least a few. When things get rough and deadlines are approaching, canon might just be played fast and loose. Retcons could happen. You might even get the feeling that two writers with different views on the story are having a tug-of-war behind the scenes, sabotaging plotlines and tossing in their own obnoxious Mary Sues.

In other words, all the worst parts of fiction come together and make the overall product far more entertaining somehow. Think about your average succession fort: players' differing plans and lack of communication are often what make fun and entertaining stories. That's the kind of thing I think an Endless RTD would be fantastic for.

Another way to expand on this would be to allow other posters in the thread (who are neither GM nor player) to make their own side characters. They wouldn't be rolled for, but would be controlled by whomever created them and could potentially contribute to the story (depending on whether the current GM hates them passionately or not).

So I guess RTD Wars is slang for clusterfuck now?

Note that I was perfectly aware of the inevitable "shit-fic" issue when I suggested the idea. But I doubt that there would be any troubles on the level of RTD Wars, since it wouldn't actually require any cooperation between GMs. The method of passing the story over would essentially be, "Well, I'm bored of this. Better pass it off. Hey! Hey you, with the Homestuck avatar! Yeah, you! You're GMing this now. Good luck."

Piss around here and you're bound to hit a budding and/or competent GM, so I doubt we'd ever be lacking there, either.

It's an interesting idea but I'd give it two turns at best. Most RTDs that are still going are doing so because they contain a relatively small number of people (D22 has five players and a GM, Z&D has six players and a GM, etc.) and once it grows past a certain limit it's sure to implode.

That's the thing, though. There would only be one GM and a small amount of players at any given ti-

To give it some credit, It would probably just be a regular RTD until the first GM gets bored, cause that's the only direction on when to switch. I'd give it until then at least.

Yeah, that.

I say we should at least try it. The worst-case scenario isn't anywhere near RTDW.