The Future

[Dante]

If the team leader is deciding our morality choices then we will need an actual leader rather than just someone to set the missions. We'll need a character IC to be in charge of the squad and decide what tasks they do and do not take on, much like the Captain of a squad of PPD Power Division metas would need to do.

If any of the individual characters then disagree with the choices that are being made, they will need to deal with it one way or another. I have kept my character self-centred and only lightly moralistic so that there is plenty of potential to go either way. Other characters may be more strict in who they will work for and it will be up to the player as to whether they feel they can work with the team or not. Ultimately all of the characters will have to make their choices that will eventually lead to what side the group ends up on. Although we can allow the game mechanic to inform what direction the group goes in, it will be the choice of the character to either go along with it or do otherwise.

[White_Vampyr]

I think we might need to test this before the official release so that we know how the mechnics are going to work as well as what the background is. I guess at Beta is what testing is for, even if we'd be testing for our own benefit rather than "bug-hunting".

If someone had already tested and learned all this through the Beta, they would not be at liberty to say as much and might have to present it as guesswork and summarisation. But then, the Beta is only that, not a final version, and things may already be scheduled to change greatly between Beta and Launch.

[Crimson Archer]

Baah! I hate all this Beta secrecy nonsense:(

[White_Vampyr]

Baah! I hate all this Beta secrecy nonsense:(

Me too. But I'd rather have access to a beta and be able to spot future hazards and issues than not have access and not have to worry.

If the team leader is deciding our morality choices then we will need an actual leader rather than just someone to set the missions. We'll need a character IC to be in charge of the squad and decide what tasks they do and do not take on, much like the Captain of a squad of PPD Power Division metas would need to do.

If any of the individual characters then disagree with the choices that are being made, they will need to deal with it one way or another. I have kept my character self-centred and only lightly moralistic so that there is plenty of potential to go either way. Other characters may be more strict in who they will work for and it will be up to the player as to whether they feel they can work with the team or not. Ultimately all of the characters will have to make their choices that will eventually lead to what side the group ends up on. Although we can allow the game mechanic to inform what direction the group goes in, it will be the choice of the character to either go along with it or do otherwise.

Yes. I think that about sums it up perfectly.

[Portent]

I think this is another reason to do as Rom suggested earlier in this thread and focus more on social rp in this group. While missions may force us to make decisions as a team, social interaction allows for more intrigue, with characters wondering who they can trust and choosing who to confide in.

[Dante]

Baah! I hate all this Beta secrecy nonsense:(

I'm not keen on it either. It means that those of us who do know what to expect are unable to talk about it without breaking the Non-Disclosure Agreement while those still in the dark remain with nothing more than a vague bit of background to work with. Which is irritating when you've been at it as long as I have. To be honest, I think I'm starting to see why there's been bugger all marketing for this expansion. I mean, how do you sell it to people?

City of Heroes - be a superpowered hero!
City of Villains - be a superpowered villain!
Going Rogue - be a superpowered character in 1984 (Equilibrium if you chose Dual Pistols...)

With less than three weeks left to go I think it's quite apparent that we're going to get naff all further information until the expansion goes live. Therefore I would recommend throwing around ideas for what our team will be (if you feel brave enough) working within the knowledge that we've already acquired. It would appear that a social setting would be the better emphasis, perhaps set after performing tasks so as to RP with the morality aspects of the missions.

However, for now, I have decided to absent myself from further discussions about the group until the day of release. If whatever has been decided appeals, I'll join in.

[Crimson Archer]

The only real group we can have, if we're all starting at Level 1 together, is a group of rookie Power Division "recruits". The game doesn't allow for much deviation from that besides the political/moral choice of the individual, which each character would need to keep secret anyway!

[Romanov]

I think there's something to be said for starting with a near blank slate on day one as, CA says, a team of raw Power Division recruits on their first day with the PPD. Characters always change through rp and backgrounds are filled in.

However, I think there is some merit in having relationships between characters before we start. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have a friendship or familial link between my character and Wolfram's and I'm open to other links to. This way, whatever happens, there's always some underlying bonds to keep the group together.

I think we could start out with the characters being based in a PPD apartment or barracks, and this close living relatinship continues when the characters move to new areas. Between game nights we should then fill in the time with social rp, set within the walls of the shared location.

However, this doesn't help us pitch a concept to people outside this forum.

[Portent]

My way of looking at it is that although our starting situation is pre-set (new recruits in the Powers Division), everything before that is up to us. As far as the authorities know you've only just gained your powers, but you might have been hiding them for years, living any life you like within Praetoria until you were caught (or allowed yourself to be caught). Or, you might come from outside Praetoria - it's implied that some people are allowed in from the wastelands outside. Or, if the limits of coming from Praetorian Earth are too stringent, you could always be a dimensional traveller like Maelstrom.

My pitch to the main forums would be to simply present what we're going to do: roleplay through the story of Going Rogue. It's not fancy, but it's fairly safe from being thwarted by the game mechanics. I prefer to think of it as a roleplaying challenge, rather than as a limit on our creativity.

I'll admit that this may all be easier for me to swallow because I've always been thinking in terms of playing a Praetorian police officer of some description. In any case, my character fits pretty well into the Powers Division situation, so I'm happy to go along with it.

City of Heroes - be a superpowered hero!
City of Villains - be a superpowered villain!
Going Rogue - be a superpowered character in 1984 (Equilibrium if you chose Dual Pistols...)

How about "be a superpowered character in a world where the labels of hero and villain aren't so easy to apply"?

It's not snappy, I'll admit.

[White_Vampyr]

How about we are seven brothers, joining the powers division, so we have the respectability to attract seven brides, and we sing ... um... No.

A background such as we are all from the same neighborhood, all went to the same school, or something along those lines would give a reason for social interaction even if we end up going different paths and unable to work together. I seem to recall reading somewhere that the setting for Praetoria is actaully San Jose rather than Rhode Island.

Wolfy may be exactly right that all we really need do is RP through Praetoria. Forget whether we can team together, or belong to the same SG, or whatever. Maybe the teaming together part isn't the important bit to people? I dunno. I tend to play support characters, and teaming is the entire point to a multiplayer game from my point of view, never mind that some considerable parts of the game just can't be effectively solo'd by all characters, so I've been thinking that we all wanted to team together, level together, and do the missions together. Perhaps the best way to all have our own choices so completely is to forget all that and just have social RP between characters between mission arcs?

There are Loyalist zones where Resistance can't enter, and vice versa. Having just one player of an opposing faction on the team will turn all the Neutral mobs of your faction into Hostile mobs that attack the entire team on sight. Plus the stuff about choices of arc and mission and in-dialog choices affecting the alignment of all to at least some extent. Teaming with mixed faction/alignment teams is going to be possible for the first time - it is not going to be hassle free.

[Portent]

Sorry, I should have been more clear. I do want us to have a team (as best we can, anyway).

At least to start with, my suggestion would be that we're simply a group of recruits all called up at the same time. If anyone wants, they could be a more veteran member who's assigned as our leader/handler, but most of us would only just have completed whatever passes for basic training and orientation together. That would mean, to me, that each of us has recently come to the attention of the authorities as having powers or sufficient "natural" skills.

Being called up as a group, given our first assignment as a group, and assigned to the command of the same contacts, would give us basic cohesion. We can go beyond this by establishing that some of our characters already know one another. I don't think this is hard to justify. I think it's reasonable to say that there's a minimum age to be conscripted into the Powers Division. So if a bunch of our characters are all roughly the same age, they could all just have graduated from Praetorian high school together and into the Powers Division.

Now, purely speculating and not using any inside information I couldn't possibly have, at the start of the game, the players are assigned to the command of a Powers Division officer who asks them to infiltrate the Resistance. At the end of the tutorial, the player can choose whether to aid the resistance, or stay loyal. This is not a final decision - in fact, with either choice, it's possible to become a double agent. You can choose to do missions for one side while following secret orders to aid the other. Exactly how this works when part of a team, I'm not sure, but the upshot is that we can make individual choices without invalidating the possibility of a teamup. Occasionally, we may be forced into choices - say if a resistance players is on a loyalist's team and has to help them fight the resistance - but that's justifiable IC, as the resistance agent is just preserving his/her cover.

Now, all of this may work more smoothly if we occasionally split into small teams, so that each can do the same missions but with more individual freedom. But I do want us to have a shared group, simply because the impact of the constant uncertainty and deceit will be all the more pronounced on a group of friends and teammates.

[Dipster]

With Dipster also having fresh commitments to his drama groups

This isn't a moan, I just wanted to make it clear that I am guesting in another companies production (males in Am Dram are rare commodity). This company practices on a Tuesday and Friday whilst my old one which I'm still part of rehearses Monday and Thursday. As you can see, guesting in this other group has made my week nights pretty much full if you include Militia on Wednesday. This as I have said from the beginning is only temporary, both shows will be October and so by the start of November I will retrieve my Tuesday and Friday evenings back and hopefully reinstate the League night in some way shape or form (though this could quite easily be the GR night you would require).

In the meantime I'm still about and I'm not generally required for all rehearsals and so I will join any group when I can. It was just unfortunate that last week my laptop died, but my old desktop is coping admirably like the stalwart it is and hopefully will encourage me to get a new PC soon (No more long waits for me in missions WOOO!).

[Dante]

Just wanted to drop this in here:

http://www.tentonhammer.com/coh/going-rogue-preview

An article with a walkthrough of the tutorial and some hints of what to expect from starting in Praetoria. About the closest I've seen to an 'official' release of information regarding the new beginning.

And for the record, I favour the simple, new officers in the Powers Division approach with more social interaction, possible history but still involving team ups, possibly led by an IC captain.

[Portent]

Which raises the question: any volunteers for IC squad leader?

It would also be nice to have a squad name, or nickname, if we can think of one. I've had no success coming up with one so far, but it's something to consider.

[Dante]

I've always wanted to use the word 'renegade' somewhere in all of this.