[Game] The Game of Skyglass and Scarab [Round 1]

Perusing through an issue of one of the hundreds of new newspapers that recently cropped up, you find small advert in the back, poorly placed and barely noticeable.
“Calling all past or future players of The Game of Knife and Candle”
The Game of Knife and Candle used to be a favourite past time of many throughout London, until the season ended. You waited patiently for the next season, but it has yet to come, and you’re getting rather anxious.
You approach the listed address, a small shack just outside wolfstack docks. Inside you find 7 other individuals, all as on edge as yourself, unsure what is to come.

As you sit down a shadow of a person appears and addresses the crowd.

"Good evening, You are all here for the same reason, because it’s been far too long since you’ve dealt in, Polite Murder, and you’re getting a little antsy.
“First off this is not, Knife and Candle, not associated at all, but I’m sure Irons wouldn’t mind a self organized tournament among friends.”

Then individual continues to explain this new set of rules, and eventually asks all interested to come forward and sign up at the front.

The Game of Skyglass, and Scarab.

[EDIT] The Game has Begun. [link]


“What the Devil is this?”
This is The Grand Battle, well that’s what it was called when I first discovered it. Of course I’m tweaking it a bit to fit a new home.
It’s an elimination style fight to the dead with words.

“So I can just join in, chop off everybody’s heads and win, right?”
No, that isn’t quite how it works here.
First you’ll have to create a character before it all starts (more on that later). Once you’re in, you can’t kill anybody. There will be a number of rounds, and only one player will die in each round. Who dies will be decided by a combination of me and an audience, and even then, the victim’s player writes their own death scene, having them die however they want (within limits)

“Good thing I Godmode and can’t possibly be defeated!”
Defeat is based on quality, not power. If you abuse power to just be unstoppable, don’t be surprised if a pile of Deus ex Machina opens on your ass. If your rise to power is well written, however, you might still make it to the next round.

"I was writing an epic post when some asshole sniped me "
Fear not, as your troubles are gone with one simple word.
“Reserved.”
We understand that writing a decent sized part of a story may take a while, and to combat battles over what should be canon, we give you an hour and a half to write your section of the story.
Still, watch out, because your reserve is null and void once that time is up, and somebody else is free to make a reserving post.

“So, do I write a paragraph or a novel?”
There is no real writing length requirement, but this isn’t like image collabs where one post takes merely a few seconds to read, or where you wait for person B to provide a line of dialogue that you two go back and forth with. You’ll probably write out entire conversations involving multiple characters, and possibly large action sequences, depending on what happens. Overall, don’t worry if you write a lot about what a character that isn’t yours does, it’s often more interesting when characters get written by different people with various interpretations. Just make sure most of your writing concerns your own player. As for the actual length? I don’t really know. I suppose it should take at least a minute to read out loud.

“Okay, sign me up, Sarge!”
Now, in order to have enough character reference, we’ve got plenty for you to put in your sign up sheet. Use the following form to make a character.

Username:
Character Name:
Gender: Male, Female, or N/A really.
Race: For this game, I don’t care if you’re playing as your Echo Bazaar Character of not. Feel free to be anything from a Clayman, to a Rubbery One.
Colour: You’re going to be posting your story sections in a specific colour so your posts are more easily identifiable. Black is not available.
Weapon: Does your character fight with something? Mention it here.
Abilities: Some defining traits related to combat. Obviously you’re not one sided, but having everyone great at everything is kind of boring.
Description: Physical and personal. What do they look like and how do they act? Draw a picture to help show what they look like, if you want.
Biography: Finally, their backstory. Character depth and all that.

“tl;dr”
This isn’t the game for you if you can’t at the very least skim through something like this. If, however, you just don’t give a **** about all the details of this game, I’ll summarize it.

Signed up players take turns making a collaborative story together. After a while, a chapter will end with one of the characters dying. That person will write the part of the story with their death, and will be out of the game. Once a character death is posted, I’ll post a section of story carrying the game over to the next chapter, and it continues until we get to the final two players, where it’ll switch up a bit.

Any questions?

(Hey, so apparently I’m really lazy and didn’t reword most of that. The original thread where the majority of that is lifted from can be found here for those interested.)

Essentially this is a forum game that is a battle to the death (sorry, only one death allowed in this tournament) Each round consists of each player telling parts of the story, with how they interact with the other characters until the Round is deemed over, anonymous vote based on WRITING QUALITY, and one player is killed in the final leg of the round, written by them.

If they are killed off due to inactivity, I will write their death since clearly they are unavailable. (After making it back up the river Feel free to spectate, but no interference please.)

At the End of a Round everyone will stop what they are doing, and we will move to a new area of Fallen London, for a change of scenery.

As previously mentioned, Any Questions?

(Oh one thing I forgot to mention. First come first serve, up to 8 combatants.)


Cubethulu: [color=#000099]The Man In Blue - color=#000099[/color]

Audrey Shae: [color=#990000]Audrey Shae - color=#990000[/color]

Urthdigger: [color=green]James McClellan - color=green[/color]

Early: [color=#FF6600]Early - color=#FF6600[/color]

Timotheus: [color=grey]Jules Vermin - color=grey[/color]

elvor: [color=#cc0099]The Imposter - color=#cc0099[/color]


edited by TheBoyd on 1/14/2012

In this narrative, is it going to be assumed that all of our characters are against each other, a grand melee of sorts with the loser being killed by the others, or is this more of a cooperative game, with the weakest link falling prey to unseen forces? I do think I’d prefer the latter, as it opens so much more opportunities for character types.

I’m with Urthdigger on that…

The plan was everyone pitted against each other. I’m not sure how to implement a cooperative situation.
It’s meant to mimic Knife and Candle where you kill each other, yes.

You don’t know how much this has my attention. It appealed to everything I love about OCTs, I’m not sure if that was an influence or not. I surely wasn’t surprised when I saw MSPA had something to do with this… (:

But in any case. Sign me up, Sarge!

Love these kind of games, although I’ve never personally been in one I’ll jump in on this. Just give me some time to write up a character.

Lets see of the top of my head.

Username: Cubethulhu

Character Name: The Man in Blue

Gender: Male? It certainly looks masculine what from the reports I’ve read.

Race: I believe it to be human though to be honest I’ve never seen what lies under its robe.

Colour: Colour of choice this shade of [color=#000099]blue
[/color]
Weapon: I’ve never seen how it makes its kills. Though I have seen the bodies… There faces contorted into sick mockeries of human likeness. That strange blue tint their skin takes on after the rigor mortis
kicks in. If I had to guess I’d say its some sort of poison. Most likely from one of the more gruesome of beast found here in the neath. Most peculiar.

Abilities: It stalks those it intends harm onto during the latest hours of the night. Darkness is its greatest ally. Those who are caught by the creature of guard are quickly slain by its cold embrace. It has also been reported as being quite crafty and at times even charismatic. It has lured many a victim into its dark web with something akin to a song of sorts. All I know is if I ever here the darkness whisper to me I’m running in the opposite direction.

Description: What we can garner about the physical description of the beast comes directly from the only survivor of its attacks. The man described the beast as a Man in Blue. Its body covered entirely by a robe made of some fabric the would put Mr. Veils to shame. It was sickeningly thin the man said almost as if a skeleton. When the beast closed in on him the man got a good look into the shadows surrounding its face. He recalls its face looking like the face of the devil himself. I remember something he said about its eyes. How they where so blue. They reminded him of the sky back on the surface. That was the last thing we could get out of him before we had him sent away. Tragic story that was.

Biography: Many stories have been told about the infamous “Man in Blue”. They range from such tales, as he is the only to have deciphered the correspondence. That he’s an assassin sent by the surface powers to clean up some lose ends. That he was once the king of the third city driven mad by the constant question he was asked by denizens pertaining to the second and first. One truly outlandish theory is that he is a Master of the Bazaar simply finding a way to bide his time until something interesting happens. All of these theories are truly outrageous! At the time we have no definitive information on “The Man in Blue” other than this. He is a killer of no repent. There seems to be no rhyme or reason as to why he is killing so many innocent people. All we truly know is this. If you are killed by the “Man in Blue” you stay dead. This fact alone makes him one of the greatest threats to this city since Jack of Smiles. He is quite the growing celebrity. It has been rumored that when he is captured of “killed” he is to be taken to the Masters of the Bazaar right away. I shudder to think what could raise there dander this much I really do. All I can say is I hope I never meet him.

There’s my go at it. Surprisingly this didn’t take as long I thought. Only twenty minutes. I’m getting good at this sort of thing

Let me see what I can do on the top of my head as well. Hiyah! (also, just wondering, are we going to be writing in first person, second, third, or is it up to us? Also you said we’d have an hour and a half. Would we know when the writing is going on so we wouldn’t have schedule issues?)

Username: …I just use my character’s name for my username, whoops! Anyway, Audrey Shae

Character Name: Audrey Shae (whether that’s her full name is a different question)

Gender: Female

Race: Human; a woman who is still scrambling around relatively blindly because she her heart is still on the Surface (…figuratively)

Colour: [color=#990000]Maroon seems her type[/color]
[color=#990000]
[/color]Weapon: Audrey is usually a talker, a scholar, an observing type rather than a fighter, but that’s not to say that she hasn’t been in scuffles or that she’s unwilling to. She always has quite the sharp quill on her person, but uses it mainly for writing purposes so is usually loathe to use it as a stabbing implement. Besides that usually improvises with what’s around her, which works pretty well with her quick thinking. Her close range tactic is dodge everything, which also works pretty well with her agility.

Abilities: Quick thinking and resourceful. Doesn’t like to engage in close hand to hand because she’s not very strong, but is surprisingly good at turning random surroundings to her advantage. Agile and quick, but in short bursts. Her physical stamina is pretty low, which is why her best strategy is dodging and trying to knock someone out with a well-aimed barrel or something. But she can outlast many a long battle if she has enough cover, she’s very determined to see things to the end and doesn’t normally take loss too well.

Description: Physical: Thin, a little fragile, pretty sickly. Most people get used to the Neath; she still grapples with it, for some reason, and though she’s been killed before, one of her goals is to find some way to get back to the Surface. Brown hair, in a messy bun, soulless brown eyes, moderate height and underweight. Conventional dress with enough room to maneuver.
Personal: A very logical woman who is very easily distracted. Always up for an adventure, especially if it offers knowledge to be learned (she’s obsessed with the Correspondence). Plagued by nightmares but marches on regardless of them for the most part, though with many a sleepless night. Very sympathetic, often to the point of being taken advantage of, finds it hard to say no to a young face. Occasionally recedes into reveries of memories and regret, very heavy with guilt over constantly being distracted from her ultimate goal - avenging her family.
Biography: She was the wife of a scholar on the Surface. He disappeared in Egypt, after which she pored over his notes. She picked up his studies, but only as a secondary pursuit to raising her daughter - until she was murdered, leaving only petals and whispers behind. With nothing left for her on the Surface, Audrey followed her only lead to the Neath, with the objective of returning to the Surface as soon as possible. That was before she was murdered herself, leaving her with a scar across her neck and trapping her below. For these reasons she pursued the investigation relentlessly at first. Now the lead has been getting colder and colder, and she spends her days wandering London and wondering if she’ll ever get used to it or find a way back up and chasing the tails of every adventure she glimpses. She’s lost her soul, and it’s getting harder and harder to remember why she came here in the first place. Every so often she crawls into a lovely and familiar bottle of absinthe.

I hope this is enough. If I should add anything let me know!
edited by Audrey Shae on 12/25/2011
edited by Audrey Shae on 12/25/2011

Username: Urthdigger

Character Name: James McClellan

Gender: Male

Race: Human

Colour: [color=rgb(51, 153, 0)]This shade of green[/color]

Weapon: When at all possible, James prefers not to fight his battles directly. He’d much rather form alliances and plots, and use the allies he has made to settle his score. That said, in addition to his rapier wit, he has an actual rapier that he named Wit.

Abilities: Relatively unskilled in close range combat, he prefers to enlist the help of others or use assorted trickery to defeat his foes.

Description: A tall lanky man with medium length hair, his clothing choice is refined, but not standing out: Fine suits, but not tuxedos, usually in tan. He carries himself with confidence, knowing full well that he is an interesting person, who people should listen to.

Biography: From his early days following the bohemian artists of Veilgarden, to his more recent adventures in high society, James has always been a shameless flirt. He’s been with dozens of folks, both men and women, but it never seems to last long. That last detail doesn’t appear to dissuade people, as there are plenty of individuals who think that they can tame him, or who are curious about what kind of person would live the life he does… and not to mention folks only interested in a short fling themselves. His life before coming down to the Neath is a subject he doesn’t talk about much. Apparently he was not well known or popular up there, but his descent coincided with a drastic change of personality. He has found a calling here in the Neath, and he is not the man he once was.

Fantastic, I assume the rest of the spots will fill up in a few days, the holidays are always busy so I’m not surprised we’re not up to eight yet.

So, what questions did we have.
I do not care how you wish to write, the most common I have seen was actually third person with dialogue presented in the character text. Again, I did not create this game, or claim any ownership or original ideas added.

The other question was about the reserving system right? From what I understand there is no ‘turn order’. Simply jump in when you have something you want to add. Post “Reserve”, then edit that post with the actual update.

Oh! So would only the dialogue be in character text, and then the rest of the prose be in standard black, or would you use your character color and then change the color only for other characters’ dialogue?

I think I suddenly understand, thank you. How long do you expect each chapter to take?

For your first question. I really don’t know, though I realize the rules make it sound like the latter. Really whatever everyone agrees on.
For the second question, I again, really don’t know. For the versions of this I have seen the entire game occasionally (usually) run over a year. I’ll probably call the end of the round, based on how much content people have generated, then maybe give a week for anyone to do anything they really want to. From the forum games I’ve seen before, it seems like deciding something like, ‘each round is one month’ doesn’t work that well. But if the game moves at a quick pace the round could end in a few weeks.
I think I’d be more inclined to end a round after a month on average, with leeway shorter or longer, depending on how much people post.

That all sounds reasonable. I cannot wait for this to begin, so I shall sit in lusty anticipation for the rest of the evening.

I do hope more players join. With a mere three players, it won’t last long… besides, it should be more fun with more targets.

Hm, I could submit Early into this. I’ll just need to write up a character entry.

Please do! Just a name like that is intriguing. ~Intrigue~!

Username: Early
Character Name: Early
Gender: My word, what a rude question. (Intentionally too androgynous to tell. Either pronoun accepted.)
Race: Human
Colour: [color=rgb(204, 102, 0)]Orange? It’s not too eye-bleeding, is it? The good colors are taken already, heh.[/color]
Weapon: Early carries several weapons, all cunningly hidden, changing between them as needed. Two small single-shot pistols, good quality but not ratwork, generally act as an opening volley. A long-bladed obsidian knife rests in a hip sheath, and a short prison shiv in one boot. A small locket conceals a pinch of poison potent enough to knock someone out for a few hours.
Abilities: Although a moderately skilled fighter, Early’s main threat is subtlety and cunning. The former Black Ribbon duelist has been known to exploit any advantage available, setting cunning booby traps or even hiring thugs to serve as a distraction or extra muscle. It is a bit of half-joking gossip that, whenever you expect Early, they are probably already there. Additionally, as an amateur scholar and investigator, Early has a fair bit of obscure and arcane knowledge, and is creative in using it. The so-called “honey trap” is also a particular fondness, acting as both a strength and a weakness – it can be difficult to tell who exactly is seducing who.
Description: Pale and slim with dark, curly hair, Early is somewhat attractive in an oddly androgynous way – the line between “boyish woman” and “feminine man” is often blurred, depending on the outfit. Never one to follow the crowd in matters of fashion, Early usually wears unique designs, and never the same combination twice in public. Early is also known to smile almost constantly, whether faintly or broadly, in what is supposedly a deliberate attempt to keep others off-guard.
Biography: Coming soon.

Username: Timotheus
Character name: Jules Vermin
Gender: Male
Race: Rattus Faber
Colour: [color=rgb(153, 153, 204)]Grey[/color]
Weapon: “Ah, sir. You mean good old Barker her? Best dog, you could ever have. Mechanical kind, you know? Built him my very own self. I would offer you a ride in it, but you know… It has hardly room for one L.B., let alone one of your size. Not really menacing, you think? Well, I keep his claws sharp and poisoned and look: Inside his mouth there are not only steel teeth, but also a gun. They say barking dogs don’t bite, but I beg to differ!
Well, some of this stuff is still experimental. For instance I could use that thing there to fill a room with slippery soapsuds. Or this Laterna Magica – I have covered it with extra thick lead-leaves. I wonder what’s going to happen if I project that correspondence symbol on someone… Hehe…
Of course I carry around my own rifle, but I hope I won’t need use it.”

Abilities: Jules is kind of a genius when it comes to mechanics. He relies on his contraptions and ideas, rather than on a direct fight. If it wasn’t for his machines, he’d have no chance in a Knife and Candle game. He could barely lift the candle himself (It was placed on Barker’s back). He has a quick mind and fast claws, but still: Controlling a mechanical dog reduces one’s perception of the outside and requires a lot of concentration.
Obviously he will die permanently if someone gets him. That’s why he has built in an ejection seat for escape. When Barker’s condition is critical, he starts a harmless, distracting firework – enabling Jules to flee and rebuild Barker later. This will count as a kill for his opponent, as Jules has to give up his candle.

Description: Humans don’t really pay attention to Ratti Fabri – so for many he will look like any other of his kind. But if you are careful, you will see some recognizable traits: He wears glasses, a rather heavy tool belt and a rifle that is most likely directed at you right now.
That is because he doesn’t trust humans very much. Some of them eat rats, others have cats to do that for them. He would like the Neath to become a place of peaceful cooperation, between humans, rats, clay and rubbery men. (These d****d cats and devils shall stay outside!)

Biography: He was born in the Neath like any other Rattus Faber and had quite a normal childhood with a great many of siblings. Not a long time later he already could read, write and handle tools. He helped in a manufacture of clocks and one day he found a novel from the surface, which made him change his name because of his admiration for the author.
With the visions of marvellous contraptions from this book his works improved and he made quite a career. Jules earned a small fortune – from a rat’s perspective. With that money he applied for university – and was rejected. Even Bethnic didn’t accept L.B.s!
Furiously he wanted to join the revolutionaries. But these gentlemen didn’t accept him either!
Very soon he realized that the humans would have to acknowledge ratkind, if it was a rat to become the champion of the Knife and Candle. Ratti Fabri already had plans for mechanical dogs to chase away evil cats – it was no problem to redesign one with some new features.
edited by Timotheus on 1/5/2012

Is there a minimum number of people we need for the game? I am a little concerned that there has been no activity (as far as I can tell?) on this thread for a few days.

[quote=Timotheus]Username: Timotheus
Character name: Jules Vermin
…[/quote]

Nice character, but do you really want to roll up a rat? They don’t come back from the dead like humans do.