Heroica RPG General Discussion

[Pyrovisionary]

Billy Connoly would have to play/voice Sarge. But We'd have to have some introduction. Then as scuba has said, Take one of milder characters, Ellaria perhaps, and have them coming anew to heroica. That possibly scared timid personality would introduce the order perfectly. No offence sandy, that's just what I feel that Ellaria is like. Have her walking through the streets, ask directions and then having found the heroica hall, look upon it in awe. She enters,'Then have a pan of the bar, a fiddle playing, and Sarge fighting with one of the more lawful characters, due to some comment sarge made over something. That would introduce a defensive, strong lawful character.. I would say either Lawrence Boomingham, Docken, or atramor. One of the three acts the gentlemen, kisses ellaria's hand, then introduces himself. As scuba said, new quest, everyone rushes to see it, the person who gets it first is the hero introduced, Ellaria who reads it aloud. She signs her name upon it, then posts it back onto the board, the first people to get it are the one of the three who acts a gentleman, sarge, (to provide tension post-barfight) and a few others who will be introduced on whatever quest we do. Perhaps our next quest should almost act as a pilot? I dunno.

Edited November 3, 2012 by Skyrimguy

[posades]

That's what I was wondering too, Flare. I remember having the conversation here on whether changing artifacts requires a round, but I don't remember what the actual ruling was.

[Scubacarrot]

It takes one turn, but you can change any number of artifacts during that.

[Wedge09]

I have another question about gems: Can I merge all the gems in only one weapon??

Thank beforehand

[Capt.JohnPaul]

Yes, you can. How effective will it be? I don't know, but it is possible.

[Brickdoctor]

Whew! 32 enemies dead in one battle? is that a record?

Not if you count the hex map battles in Quest 31.

[Endgame]

Okay, 32 targets.

[Dannylonglegs]

Okay, 32 targets.

And we had a blast destroying every one!

~Insectoid Aristocrat

[Flipz]

I like your thinking, Scuba! Excellent plan.

I think I would use more a 1 quest/1 episode approach. We already have over 50 quests ready to run and some quests would definitely take up more than one episode. The Dastan quests for example, would probably take more than three episodes. Just the last fight would probably be an episode of its own, along with the ending, etc. As far as the stuff in the hall is concerned, a lot can still happen. The hall is a fairly exciting place although it wouldn't work for the approach of 1 episode/1 quest. However, something that could be done is that a lot of the interactions from in the hall can also be played out during quests. I think the series would be more centred around Heroica as an organization than any specific individual characters. Obviously some characters would be seen more than others, but instead of the story revolving around certain key heroes, it would be more about the explots of the the organization's members. As far as Quest #1 is concerned, it would be a bit difficult to translate it into an episode, but what could be done, for example in the corn maze battle, is that you just greatly multiply the number of the enemies, and make them a whole lot scarier. Seriously, think about a demon-possessed scare crow. You could make that bad megablocks!

I honestly don't like the idea of "1 Quest, 1 Episode". That would actually make things harder to do, in terms of keeping things interesting; many Quests involve a LOT of talking/out-of-combat encounters, followed by big, long battles, lather, rinse, repeat. A TON of editing would be required to keep things from getting monotonous. By having multiple groups, however, and cutting back and forth between the two, though, we can stay true to the source material without being too boring, plus it makes the Hall work as a viable source of plot.

Also keep in mind, the point of a TV series is to stretch out the story so that there's enough plot and character development to last for multiple seasons; if we use up our source material too quickly, we'd have to come up with new material that would then disregard whatever happened here in the RPG after that point.

As I see it:

Episode 1/Pilot: Introduction to Heroica (involves flashbacks of the general history of the world and the Orcish Wars LotR-style, followed by a brief overview of the House rivalries, the Test Quest, and the massive massacre of Heroes). The second half of the episode would follow Atramor as he walks into the Hall (just as the actual Heroica Hall topic has it) and meets a few Heroes (Docken, Rufindel, and Nyx, naturally, because they were the first 3 party leaders, as well as, I think, Ellaria and Boomingham, as they would round things out nicely), ending in the arrival of messengers to the Hall with the sign-ups for Quests 1, 2, and 3.

Episode 2: Roughly the first half of each of the first three Quests, interspersed with each other so as to increase drama and tension. Would focus in a little bit on new characters, like introducing Hybros, Cronk, Tensi, Jess, Althior, and Daggerfall, so the actual ratio would probably be closer to 1/3.

Episode 3: The remainder of the first 3 Quests. As the Quests wrap up, we'd have a few segments back at the Hall introducing new characters, focusing primarily on the Heroes that would go on Quest 4.

Episode 4: First half would be Heroica Hall, as the first batch of Heroes come back and focusing in on the Quest 4 Heroes. Alexis would be officially introduced here, even though she appeared as a background character in Quest 2 (remember, this is actually a viable tactic for introducing new characters!), as this would be the point where the online-only webisode about Cave Sounds would spin off from. The second half would be the start of Quest 4, interspersed with Hall stuff.

Episode 5: Elphaba arrives. Quest 4 would continue, Quest 5 would depart to be covered by webisode, and Quest 6 would take most of the spotlight; the episode would end just as Quest 4 meets the Brobric Elves for the first time, and the Heroes of Quest 6 meet Donny Dozenhands (but before they speak to him).

Episode 6: Quest 6 conclusion, interspersed with Quest 4 business and the mysterious sign-ups for Quest 7. This episode would end with the Heroes signing up for Q7 and with the Quest 4 Heroes signing the treaty with the Brobric Elves.

Episode 7: Quest 7, full stop. Fully the first half of the Quest would take over the episode; the opening of the Quest is a perfect cold open for an episode, and the action wouldn't let up until around the Arena fight between Jess and Henry. As they ride up the elevator, we would return to Quest 4. Episode would end with Quest 4 making a discovery in the Lion Knights' camp, and with the Heroes conspiring to begin their escape in Quest 7.

Episode 8: Conclusion of Quests 4 and 7. Unlike here, small portions of Cronk's side-Quest would be seen, mainly when the Q7 Heroes are talking about him. The creation of Zoot's Bane and Zoot's Reaper would be given special focus, indicating "this will be important later". Episode ends with the Heroes all returning to the Hall, safe but uneasy about what has happened. Mid-season finale.

Webisodes: Quest 8 would take place as a webisode series, being released weekly during the mid-season break and contiunuing once the main serises resumes.

Episode 9: After a good amount of time at the Hall (including the departure of Elphaba), Quests 9 and 10 would depart, and Tarn would get a proper introduction to the main series (even though he's a regular from the webisodes), as would Hoke. Harkenshire would be introduced as well.

Episode 10: Quest 11 departs, and Quests 9 and 10 continue. Quest 9 will probably finish up during this episode, depending on pacing.

Episode 11: The Quest 12 Heroes chat at the hall, before signing up for the new Quest, which would depart about halfway through the episode. Meanwhile, Quests 10 and 11 continue, 10 likely to completion. During the Hall scenes, hints are slowly dropped for Quest 13, and one of the Q13 Heroes might be introduced.

Episode 12: Quest 11 definitely finishes in this episode, and Quest 12 as well. Meanwhile, back at the Hall, the rest of the Q13 Heroes are introduced, and at the end of the episode the Quest Notice for Q13 is posted.

Episode 13: Quests 13, and 14 depart. Unlike most of the previous Quests, there is no notice for Quest 14; from this point on, Quest notices are only featured when something important needs to be foreshadowed. To fill in the gaps, there might be a little Hall material. Quest 16 begins via webisode and goes viral.

Episode 14: Quests 13 and 14 are NOT covered; instead, 15 and 18 depart the Hall.

Episode 15: Quests 13 and 14 continue up to their respective climaxes; Quest 15 continues, Quest 18 reaches its climax. Tension at the Hall builds as we near the Season 1 finale.

Episode 16: Quest 15 reaches its climax, and there is a TON of action in the Season 1 finale as all four active Quests reach their conclusions. The Heroes begin their long journeys back to the Hall, some triumphant, some saddened, but all victorious in some way. Meanwhile, back at the Hall, new Heroes (Q17) arrive, and a notice of great portent (Q19) is posted...

So yeah, that's Season 1. Season 2 would pick up with the dual epics of Quests 17 and 19, as the Heroes back at the Hall deal with the consequences of their actions. Quest 20 would also leave in the second episode of the season, with the De'kra-Arthur communication being a convenient narrative device for switching back and forth between Quests. Meanwhile, the web series would, for the first time, feature two Quests running at once (Quests 21 and 22), though unlike the main show each webisode would still focus on only one Quest in a given issue. I could go on (and probably will in the near future), but you probably get the idea by this point.

Edited November 3, 2012 by Flipz

[Endgame]

Wow, Sylph, that is just cold. Great look into Sylph's mind, through.

[Dannylonglegs]

Wow, Sylph, that is just cold. Great look into Sylph's mind, through.

Thanks. He's not a good person. He's something of a psychopath with a secret past and a secret plan. He's so good at lying that no one really notices. He plays his part perfectly, which is why I rarely ever let out his actual thoughts: so that those reading him don't wise up themselves.

~Insectoid Aristocrat

Edited November 3, 2012 by Dannylonglegs

[Flipz]

Odd question (because I can TOTALLY see this coming up in the near future): if someone throws a Smoke bomb, but one of the party members wants to stay and fight, is it possible for them to ignore the smoke bomb while the rest of the party escapes? What if said Party Member has Flee; can they use that to Flee the party and rejoin the battle?

[Endgame]

I believe when a player flees, they cannot come back if any other hero is in the battle. likewise, i think smoke bomb is a party-wide thing regardless if any heroes still want to duke it out.

[Pyrovisionary]

Snip

Brilliant! Season 23: Sarge finally comes in :3

[Zepher]

Please do go on, Flipz! It's extremely interesting to read, though I'd like to see how you'd handle it without webisodes. More of a challenge.

The Hide of the Bleeding is INSANELY powerful. Did Sandy okay it? Is there going to be even better loot later? I'm excited to see what you have in store for us, Endgame!

Edited November 4, 2012 by Zepher

[swils]

The Hide of the Bleeding is INSANELY powerful. Did Sandy okay it? Is there going to be even better loot later? I'm excited to see what you have in store for us, Endgame!

Is it safe to assume that the hide regains 10 health/5 ether each time an enemy is killed? I mean, that's the most logical and common-sense assumption, but still seems wise to ask. It is incredibly strong right now, when your average enemy should be able to be dropped in 5-ether-worth of heals/damage (considering heals and offensive spells), but as time goes on, heroes will get larger HP/Ether pools and enemies will have much, much more health, so at some point, the wearer won't be regaining 100% of what their expending. Still, an incredibly powerful sustain-focused item.

[TheBoyWonder]

Im worried. A throwing Dagger would send Me to war over it.

[Chromeknight]

Interesting as it is to read about how a heroica adaptation would work, the question needs to be asked, how would such an adaptation handle the parts that are derivative or otherwise blatant rip-offs?

From Dastan, say, would the Pongcanis and Tethusai look different or would they be removed? Would the Rito be called something else?

What about JB's the storm quest? Would it be obvious up front that it's Shakespeare repackaged or only in hindsight?

Or the many lines of dialogue shamelessly stolenborrowed from movies?

Because JKR got away with plundering classical mythology and throwing it in a blender, does that mean Sandy can?

(no offence meant here, I love Sandy's work, my answer would be big yes) How much mythology should we expect the audience to know?

Edited November 4, 2012 by Chromeknight

[Endgame]

The Hide of the Bleeding is INSANELY powerful. Did Sandy okay it? Is there going to be even better loot later? I'm excited to see what you have in store for us, Endgame!

Yes, all the hides the hides that they'll come across (spoiler alert ) have been approved. The ether bonus may seem high, but assuming that they get hit once in the process, the HP bonus will not be too high. Also keep in mind that Johon, the current wielder, is nearly level 20, so I'll be making some nasty enemies for him. Yes, and they regain 10 HP/5 ether - I'm not boosting their max HP or anything like that!

And I think I have a piece of loot everyone has been wanting to see again pretty soon...

Edited November 4, 2012 by Endgame

[Etzel]

And I think I have a piece of loot everyone has been wanting to see again pretty soon...

A Pointy Stick (WP:1)?

[Endgame]

A Pointy Stick (WP:1)?

No.

But I may have to include that...

Also, note how The Bleeding's Hide was given at the end of the Rally battle. if it was gotten before, well, the wearer would be practically invincible during the fight.

[TheBoyWonder]

Combrys?

[Endgame]

Maybe.

Also, can anyone tell which videogame I'm basing most of 48 on yet?

[TheBoyWonder]

I remember you saying Combrys wouldn't be gone forever, so it's a estimated guess.

[PsyKater]

I can't find the torsos that the female cleric and the female shaman are wearing in the rules. Can someone help me and tell me where they belong to?