Discussion What do you want to see on the board?

[Avelion]

So I have been wondering about this for a while now and thought it would be good to hear what y'all think and want.

Strap in, it's a bit of a read.

Everyone absolutely loves the good ol Jedi vs Sith conflict with a sprinkling of Imps on top. Nothing beats it. That's the belief, innit? That it defines Star Wars. Everyone wants the classic lightsaber fights - me included (no jokes - I'm serious)

But is that all there is to it?

Looking at the board lately, it's clear there is only one kind of overarching conflict/story going on. It's awesome and thrilling and I personally thrive on good combat threads like that. But since stepping back from major public relations, I had a chance to really look at the situation as a whole - the big picture.

I'm not seeing much variation in story. It's just two superpowers duking it out while the little guys get cameos and at the end of it, both superpowers still stand and then we do it all over again - the cameos just change and one superpower just stays the same. Don't get me wrong - the stories are awesome and the collab is great. I still get my PvP fix so I am a happy chappy. But since looking at it from an "outsider's" perspective, that is the impression I'm getting - there's little to no evolution in actual story.

Lately, I am wondering - where are all the other stories at? What do folks want? What's the stories they wanna write? There's no wrong answer. It doesn't even have to be big. It can just be wishful thinking, doesn't matter. It's all about voicing what you want - who knows - maybe others agree with you and want to see it be a thing. Doesn't even have to be a faction. It's all just about what would you like to see and write.

I personally always wanted to write the gritty and epic classic of Rebels vs Imps while the Jedi are on the run and have to make do where they can while facing Inquisitors around every corner. Which means criminal activity is at an all-time high, corpos, guns and PMCs for hire, a strong Galactic Empire and A LOT of guerilla warfare. And then see it evolve into something new.

Alternatively, a High Republic vs Nihil thing. The Bryn vs SJO/C conflict almost had that and it was great while it lasted. Cause it was different from the norm.

Or even the old classic of a CIS vs Republic theme with some good corpo and politics action.

Better yet, something completely new and different. Corporate superpower or Dune in a Star Wars setting anyone?

Why not all of it - one evolving into another even?

TL;DR: So I want to hear from the community - even if they are just musings - WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SEE AND WRITE FOR/ON THE BOARD?

Let's keep discussion clean and respectful and not super technical. It's just an open wishing well/brainstorming.

PS: This is not a discussion to advertise a faction. That's what the ads tab is for.

 

[Rulonom Laborr]

I have nothing meaningful to say, except.

 

[Zef Halo]

Star Wars

 

[Avelion]

Star Wars

Riveting. Your brainstorming takes the cake

 

[Valery Noble]

I like this discussion idea.

Personally, I always do love the classic Jedi vs Sith or Light vs Dark type stories as well, so I don't easily get bored of them. Going from the SGHW to what's starting now with the DE, we also have the added benefit that there's a lot of new writers who are enjoying a story like that (and on that scale) for the first time, so it's less repetitive for them.

That said, I'd love to see more variety in different angles too. Before the Mandalorian Protectors went Major, I did some writing with them and it was fun to see their angle on Mandos, while Enclave had its own fun take as well. Now there's also a Chiss Minor Faction that has been writing consistently, and they are wanting to go Major at some point too from what they've said on their server.

So there's definitely interest in more than the classic, I feel.

The hardest part, in my opinion, is the consistency. You know just as well as I do that it can be pretty demanding to run factions or be the one pulling the cart. Even if it's a smaller faction or series of events, it can be creatively demanding and especially if you want something to work more long-term, it's not always easy. I personally always feel some pressure on myself to keep throwing things out to do, or you feel that risk of people losing interest. I can imagine that others feel the same.

So I'd love to see more ideas/factions/groups/stories be brought to the site, but I think it starts with someone passionate really going for it and committing to it. To sort of answer the title of the thread, I'd say I'm fairly open to a lot of ideas, but I'd like to see people really dedicate themselves to it

 

[Judah Dashiell]

More Corporate RP. Let's bring back the golden age of capitalism and opulence, plus a little scheming to screw the big powers out of their credits.

Also Vagrant Fleet. Spacers. Smugglers. Gamblers.

So basically more NFU friends and tales.

 

[Avelion]

I like this discussion idea.

Personally, I always do love the classic Jedi vs Sith or Light vs Dark type stories as well, so I don't easily get bored of them. Going from the SGHW to what's starting now with the DE, we also have the added benefit that there's a lot of new writers who are enjoying a story like that (and on that scale) for the first time, so it's less repetitive for them.

That said, I'd love to see more variety in different angles too. Before the Mandalorian Protectors went Major, I did some writing with them and it was fun to see their angle on Mandos, while Enclave had its own fun take as well. Now there's also a Chiss Minor Faction that has been writing consistently, and they are wanting to go Major at some point too from what they've said on their server.

So there's definitely interest in more than the classic, I feel.

The hardest part, in my opinion, is the consistency. You know just as well as I do that it can be pretty demanding to run factions or be the one pulling the cart. Even if it's a smaller faction or series of events, it can be creatively demanding and especially if you want something to work more long-term, it's not always easy. I personally always feel some pressure on myself to keep throwing things out to do, or you feel that risk of people losing interest. I can imagine that others feel the same.

So I'd love to see more ideas/factions/groups/stories be brought to the site, but I think it starts with someone passionate really going for it and committing to it. To sort of answer the title of the thread, I'd say I'm fairly open to a lot of ideas, but I'd like to see people really dedicate themselves to it

That's the idea of this discussion - to give people a chance to voice their desires for a change, cause no one really asks that question - not out loud. Maybe there are people who has the strength to do it, they just feel they'll get eclipsed.

This a chance for those people to speak up and not feel like they'll get victimised/shut down in some way, how ever it is worded.

More Corporate RP. Let's bring back the golden age of capitalism and opulence, plus a little scheming to screw the big powers out of their credits.

Also Vagrant Fleet. Spacers. Smugglers. Gamblers.

So basically more NFU friends and tales.

Like this. I also want to see more of this. The gritty part of SW. NFU ftw!

 

[DoubleTake]

It'd be cool to see a proper extragalactic invasion, and I see similar thoughts from others but ultimately no one seems to want to be the one to initiate it. A good idea in concept, but maybe not one with enough momentum to sustain. Would like to see otherwise tho.

Maybe a committed Rebel faction of some kind. A group that focuses on unconventional warfare and can take that underground good guy role in full stride. A rebel faction requires some big bad oppressors to rebel against though.

I've also tried to get an Open Hand / Anti-Force faction going a few times cause I think that's a cool idea of its own. Started promising but fizzled out quick. Would like to regain some momentum there, but seems to suffer from the same problem of sustainability as the extragalactic idea rn.

Been trying to create a Vagrant Fleet style faction too. Traveling city ship full of explorers, Jedi, and any other kind of wanderer. Slow going, but it's my passion project so I'm still on it.

Also - More crime. Pirates, bounty hunters, scoundrels. A bigger presence from that niche would be pretty cool.

 

[Rulonom Laborr]

Time for a more serious answer to the discussion.

I have not been around for a considerably long period of time on the Chaos Board. I've observed a few things, with one of the main ones being that the majority of player characters are tied to the ongoing overarching storylines. Whether it's the conflict between the Sith Empire and the Alliance, the Enclave versus the Alliance, or the continuous warfare between Jedi and Sith, these storylines dominate the board.

Even in private threads, character development seems to revolve around preparing for the next invasion or establishing a new power dynamic, like a Padawan-Master relationship, solely for the purpose of having backup in future events. There seems to be a limit on creativity, as everyone is focused on the big story such as the Second Great Hyperspace War or the Dark Empire Conflict, squashing any smaller storylines that exist alongside them.

We need encouragement across the board to form equally important stories, where members can pick and choose which one they want to belong to for their characters. A Underworld Conflict, Sector Intrigue and the like instead of forcing everyone to follow the same narrative pathway.

Yes, the Site Conflicts are important, but they shouldn't be the focus of everyone and everything.

 

[Yael Kandar]

I miss the ‘great houses’ rp I had the chance of writing for a bit when I just started writing here :’(

 

[Inanna Harth]

Within the past year or so, I've felt a need to move away from the big overarching story RP in favor of devoting my time to smaller ventures. There are a few reasons for this - I've become more busy since graduating college along with experiencing health issues and personal upheavals, so I don't have as much time to keep track of things my characters aren't directly involved in. I've also had OOC conflicts with writers attached to the major factions I used to be active in, which generate more stress and suck the fun out of RP. The solution is to avoid these places and spend more time writing with the people I actually get along with.

I have a couple of small groups now that I can get fully invested in without becoming overwhelmed. These are a pirate crew, a Jedi enclave, and a Sith family. We tell stories together, and keep the bigger conflict(s) as a backdrop rather than the main focus.

But anyway: I agree that the Jedi good guy faction vs Sith bad guy faction conflict is kind of stale. It's usually led by the same characters, too, which makes it hard to get invested if you feel like nothing will ever really change. The Bryn were a nice switch from the usual narrative, but they weren't terribly different from a Chaotic Evil Sith faction in practice. I would be interested in exploring a more complex conflict, where instead of good vs evil the two sides fighting are both morally gray to a certain extent. Maybe a civil war or a rebels vs imperials conflict with a tone inspired by Andor rather than the Original Trilogy.

I also wanted to get an Open Hand/anti-FU faction going, but while there seemed to be a lot of initial interest people didn't stick around past the first meeting thread.

 

[Corbin Vasher]

One thing I was trying to pursue (and sadly just haven't had the time I need to adequately do it) was form a story around a cult-like group I call the Arbiters of Chaos who aim to turn everyone against each other and cause as much chaos as possible. There was brief mention of them in the RTL/SO Invasion, but I just haven't been able to do much. The principle behind them is an ancient prophecy found on Yag'Dhul (written in extremely advanced mathematics and nearly impossible to decipher even amongst Givens) that mentions an Avatar of the Cosmic Force that would awaken once the Galaxy was taken past its breaking point of utter chaos, and the Avatar would then rid the Galaxy of corruption and the taint of the Dark Side and usher in true peace. So they want to cause chaos in effort to awaken this Being. Of course, not everyone in the group has to believe. Many just want to said chaos for other more selfish reasons, but they're still welcome, because the result is the same.

 

[Elise Ahana-Gwyneira]

I've noticed we have several bad guy factions, a couple neutral factions, but there's only really one "good guy" faction. And while I'd argue that even the goodest of good guy factions can have their darker moments (and it's funner that way), it would be neat to see more good guy groups pop up again. Stuff like the Silver Jedi, Rimworld Trade League, etc. types that we used to have. This is the major thing I'd personally like to see more of.

I also generally enjoy a lot of Neutral factions with more nuance. Well meaning governments with some rotten eggs, some less than ideal actions under their belt, but far from Evil Bad Guys Trying To Take Over Or Ruin Everything. Even in the Empire and Sith Order factions we had had smaller groups with that kind of morale greyness, and once again, I frequently find myself drawn to those factions for the subgroups of these types.

 

[Valery Noble]

It'd be cool to see a proper extragalactic invasion, and I see similar thoughts from others but ultimately no one seems to want to be the one to initiate it. A good idea in concept, but maybe not one with enough momentum to sustain. Would like to see otherwise tho.

This is a bigger one for me that'd be really cool to see as well, but it's definitely not an easy one to run. But if someone were to take lead on a faction like that, it'd be fun to join.

 

[Briana Sal-Soren]

Cultural factions, I.E. - Yuuzhan Vong, Chiss, Hapes Consortium, etc.

NFU Factions/Anti FU - Currently we have The Unblessed and The Nameless that Romi Jade and Brandyn Sal-Soren have been working on, but I'd like more of these stories. Force Users on Chaos have done some pretty sus things in the past and I'd like to see more characters/stories where there is disillusionment from the space wizards.

Criminals - Black Sun, Crimson Dawn, would love to see the underbelly of the Galaxy have more of an impact.

Other Force sects - There are a ton of different Force religions beyond the Sith and the Jedi, it would be neat to see them explored in a larger capacity.

 

[Ylvaris of House Marr]

I've been around on this board for years, but never in a very dedicated capacity. I never really buckled down and gave sincerity to the writers all around here, but I like to believe that's changing these days. I get it that most of the "big" conflicts are the classic Jedi v. Sith, and I think that is a necessary staple to have; however, I personally wanna go beyond either of those things. My goal is to become an actual monstrosity that will actively bring harm upon anything and everything.

We have factions for that, sure, but I'm more or less extending my own hand as an antagonistic presence later down the line. I'm also part of a smaller house of characters, focusing on those dynamics and relationships and how they'll unfold.

Another thing I'll add to this as a mini gripe, but can we maybe not have the same people winning the same battles all the time? Not calling anyone out in particular, just a running gag I've seen personally.

 

[Ugoto Chivaro]

More Corporate RP. Let's bring back the golden age of capitalism and opulence, plus a little scheming to screw the big powers out of their credits.

Corporations have essentially lost mechanical relevance, so there isn't a whole lot of inducement for people to really get deep into it like they used to.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing. I think by and large we're all better off without restricted materials and ship length measuring contests that previously brought people to corporate stuff. But if it's going to come back, it'll be because there's a system or inducement that makes it worth engaging with.

What that would look like is beyond my paygrade.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Corporations have essentially lost mechanical relevance, so there isn't a whole lot of inducement for people to really get deep into it like they used to.

I agree. The old Tier system was fun and drove a lot of RP.

My suggestion was merely selfish of course.

 

[Rulonom Laborr]

I agree. The old Tier system was fun and drove a lot of RP.

My suggestion was merely selfish of course.

I wasn't around for the Tier System Era, but I feel it would only increase rp to a point of "I have more stuff than you do, you matter less." Depraving the actual stakes into merely who can make the most subs in a month.

 

[Junko Ike]

More Atrisians, Shoma Ike and myself worked on a lot of lore and Supisy Blen as well as Latyuo Shuy have helped with expansion and developing it but I am greedy and want more people with us.