posted 12-23-06 09:32 PM EDT (US)
Has it really been four years since I registered? It seems impossible. Yet here I am, although not as active as I used to be. Yet I continue returning to this place to watch this dynamic community turn out stories about a galaxy far, far, away. Keep it up my friends.
Role Playing Games (RPG’s) have been a part of SWU for years. They combine a love for the Star Wars Saga (and its Expanded Universe) into story lines that at times are strange or completely ridiculous, but can also be original and captivating. This thread showcases many examples of different RPG’s throughout SWU’s history and encourages current members to reread these old stories.
In my four years, I have seen many RPG’s rise and fall – some to inactivity, others to bitter arguments. But this thread is to bring attention to their existence more than their faults.
To RPG players past, present and future. Their work is a testament to the effort put forth by a group dedicated to adding their voices to the Star Wars Universe that has brought us here together. May the Force Be With You.
It began with Arthur of Kings. Fresh from his experiences at AOK Heaven/Historical Roleplaying Forum, he decided to bring the Forum RPG to SWGBH.
After Arthur’s thread, the race was on. Dozens of RPG’s sprang up right and left, many dying as quickly as they came. At the time, some found them to be a nuisance – 3 different complaint threads were made in this period.
Then came Star Wars Neighborhood.
On August 11th, 2002, OOM_9_77 launched
which proved to be a different kind of RPG.
33 Star Wars Lane is where all the SW characters come to get away from life's hassles, and just relax. The new street is ready for anyone willing to live with everyone else. Want to be Boba Fett and chat to Han Solo? Want to bring the Falcon in to the starship wash? Want to mow your very own lawn? Well, now you can do it all. The Star Wars Neighborhood (SWN) RPG would become the original RPG Saga, eventually spawning a dozen incarnations, the latest being
For awhile, there were not many significant RPG’s after SWN. Several threads did manage to make an impact though – and they paved the way for more to come. While the threads themselves were not necessarily large, their content was critical to RPG development.
Other than Arthur’s original RPG and the Star Wars Neighborhood incarnations, SWU had not had a large RPG in awhile. But after The Crazy Person launched
Galactic Senate, and its second version, featured an interesting look at Republic politics with an interesting backstory. One of the first RPG’s to feature a galactic map; it brought a new meaning to planetary distances and areas of the galaxy. Galactic Senate and its sequel (also by TCP) were rare in that they exceeded the 100 reply mark.
At the time Galactic Senate ended, it was the second largest RPG in SWU history with 341 replies.
But this record would soon be nothing when Arthur of Kings returned from the depths of cyberspace to launch a new RPG.
Beginning February 9th, 2003, the
featured a galaxy post ROTJ, with a strengthened Republic and a weakened Empire. It was also the first of the modern ‘faction based’ RPGs, styled after the type of games at the Historical Roleplaying Forum.
The NR thread launched its way to 536 posts, but suffered when Arthur left partway through. After this, I took over the duties of moderator and created the
It should be noted that this RPG suffered from problems that afflict many threads: Internal conflicts that spawned alternate threads, extravagant godmoding (we once summoned an ancient deity in 5 posts), and periods of inactivity. But ultimately, this monstrous thread – 1184 replies – finished gracefully.
Around the same time as New Republic thread was beginning its rise to fame, Shadow_Droid was launching the longest RPG Saga in GBH history.
Shadow’s ROTJ saga would up the average number of posts per thread, meaning that a ‘successful’ RPG would have to be longer and more durable. But as threads grew larger, it became clear that coordination and firm moderation were more important than just post counts. Sometimes RPG’s would grow large mainly due to ongoing OOC arguments rather than intense IC posts.
Nevertheless, the community would produce many fine threads that deserve to be noted for their originality, organization, and structure.
Melkor’s first foray into RP’ing, the OR thread dealt with an original concept: The formation of the original Republic that would stand for thousands of years before Palpatine’s Empire. A character based RPG that lasted 434 posts, OR would set the stage for later RPG's based around this early Republic theme.
Launched almost a month before the actual release of Episode III, but with full knowledge of spoilers, this thread rocketed into history. Easily the fastest growing RPG in GBH history, it reached 1000 posts in merely 13 days. Just 14 days after it was launched, it finally concluded with 1235 replies, and an entirely different vision of ROTS. It set the stage for modern Clone Wars based threads.
Advent of Darkness launched on August 4th, 2004. A character based RPG, the thread had far fewer arguments than most stories at the time. The story involved the greatest of the Sith Order – Palpatine, Exar Kun, Naga Sadow, etc, joining forces and wrecking havoc upon the galaxy. Posts in AOD were generally longer than the average, over 2000 words in some cases! 1445 posts later and with a definitive ending, AOD was the single largest RPG-thread in GBH history. Aspects of this monstrous RPG can be found in many modern threads.
Fallen Empire and its successors were original in their concept, as they used dice rolls like actual board-game RPGs to determine events. The system allows for faction based RPGs to be moderated easier than in the past, where it was difficult to determine fairly how much each side had lost in battle.
Old Republic Era RPG’s dominated the scene after AOD (the dominant thread for seven months) finished. The following threads explore this interesting time period which – naturally – is rife with galactic turmoil:
This thread breathed new life into an RPG originally started by Melkor1. The thread took a new direction as characters and factions evolved without the arguments that plagued the first one. One of several newer threads to experience a "remastery" during this period.
26,000 years before the Galactic Empire reigned, the Infinite Empire of the Rakata ruled the skies. As it expands, the Infinite Empire threatens a fledgling alliance of Core Worlds, and the entire galaxy. This small alliance comes together to fight the menacing empire and bring about its destruction – much like their successors do generations later.
The award winning game Knights of the Old Republic featured a cast of interesting characters, and also inspired this RPG. But this time, players took control of both sides – Jedi and Sith, creating a story that differed from the original plot.
An original thread concept which deals with the Republic’s first encounter with the Sith, and the latter’s expansion through subterfuge and cunning. But when the Sith finally reveal themselves, the Republic and the Jedi must fight a brutal enemy that will stop at nothing to conquer the galaxy. It reveals an interesting cross-section of the Sith Empire at the time, and the characters of aloof figures like Naga Sadow.
Before Revan and Malak turned to the Dark Side, they fought in the Mandalorian Wars. Launched on July 17th, 2005, the thread had players control fierce warriors like Canderous Ordo and Mandalore the Ultimate. In this thread, Republic players struck at the Mandalorian home world itself, only to pay the price dearly.
Yet despite the fact that RPG’s of this time period featured interesting plots and dedicated role players, the problem of too many threads running at once still existed. There was also a concern that some newer role players did not have the grasp on how to play correctly. Over the course of SWU, several RP’ing guides were created to assist newer players.
But some felt the guides were not enough to deal with such problems. Players formed groups to discuss threads and writing strategies. Several of these are detailed below:
The Crusade, founded by Melkor1 in July 2005, was an endeavor to improve the writing quality of RPGs. Though short lived, the Crusade managed to bring together role players of various experience levels. To apply, players had to have participated in at least 3 RPGs.
But while the role players were now united under a common banner, they were relatively powerless, and the crusade did not have much of an impact on SWU threads at the time.
But some disagreed with the Legion’s tactics, especially in how RPGs were regulated. Because Legion members were not official moderators of SWU, there was a feeling that their authority was irrelevant. These disputes eventually caused the Legion’s downfall.
But Role players did not remain scattered for long. Groups like the
But the Imperial Legion left an impression on SWU. By instituting a system where RPGs are properly regulated, it addressed problems that had been around since the founding of SWU.
The current RPG Calendar, launched in June 2006, uses the same system as its
The Calendar system has proved fortuitous for SWU, and many RPGs have flourished since its inception. They include:
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As SWU moves into its 5th year, RPGs continue to flourish. They are now more regulated, allowing for creative minds to mold and twist characters and galactic events without having to worry about being overwhelmed by competing threads. Veteran players guide newer ones, resulting in original and fun threads.
Despite the words of naysayers in the past, SWU appears alive and well, thanks to the tireless work of role players and their stories.
1. Advent of Darkness Thread - DarkBeing: 1445
2. Episode VIII RPG - Shadow_Droid: 1252
3. Episode III: RoTS - Commander Merai: 1235
4. SW: The Clone Wars RPG – Austin Powers - 1201
5. New Republic Thread (continued) - DarkBeing 1184
6. SW: A New Empire RPG: Bando_Gora1138: 1179
7. Empire's Bane: Resurrection - Melkor1: 946
8. Episode X: A Shattered Galaxy - Shadow_Droid: 939
9. The Clone Wars RPG: LordVader672: 934
10. The Clone Wars - Austin Powers: 710
11. Fall of Infinite Empire - Austin Powers 693
12. Imperial Thread - DarkBeing: 619
13. Mandalorian Wars RPG – Farlander 617
14. Empire! RPG: Cheapy the Hutt: 602
15. Episode 3 Cont'd - Alexus: 590
16. Star Wars Neighborhood: Reborn - Zara: 563
17. New Republic Thread (original) - Arthur of Kings: 536
1.
2.Return of the Jedi-Episode XI: 3019
3.New Republic: 2019 (Includes a spin off thread plus two others where storyline was continued)
Longest Clone Wars-era RPG - SW: The Clone Wars RPG – Austin Powers – 1201 replies
Longest Post-ROTJ era RPG- Advent of Darkness Thread – DarkBeing – 1445 replies
Longest Non SW RPG – Halo Last Stand – Lazer X7 – 404 replies
Fastest RPG (Large numbers of posts in short period of time): Episode III: RoTS - Commander Merai – 1235 replies in 13 days
Shortest RPG (At least 1 IC reply): The Return of Rogoe: RPG – Delta 618 –2 replies
# of Threads in SWU that contain “RPG” in their title: 248 (Actual number of RPGs is slightly less)
# of RPG Complaint Threads: 7
Final Words:
Due to the sheer number of RPG’s I don’t have room to highlight them all. However, if you are an author of one of these RPG's and you wish to clarify/change the information I have put up, please let me know and I will do so. The purpose of the lists is simply for fun and in no way reflects which RPG is 'the best'.
[This message has been edited by DarkBeing (edited 03-09-2008 @ 01:47 AM).]
