Post by K500 on Jun 3, 2022 10:07:09 GMT -5
Hello, I’m me, hold your applause. You know what rules? Lore. You know what drools? Lack of lore. And it’s because of this that I’m suggesting that each species be given a dedicated lore post, as the blurbs on their threads work as a summary of what they are, but do not give a deeper understanding of who they are.
The most popular species, according to the Tracker as of the 3rd of June, are the saiyans (11 characters strong), followed by onis, earthlings, and aliens (with a healthy 4 each). Meanwhile, neither majins or herans have any active characters. While it’s natural that people will be drawn to the iconic saiyans and earthlings, the culturally inescapable onis, and the numerous and extremely customizable aliens, it is a shame that fully developed and mechanically distinct species like the herans and majins go unplayed, while the arcosians, the shinjin, the bioandroids, the namekians, the konatsians, and the tuffles are one or two players away from a similar fate. (Obviously the tracker takes time to update and doesn't necessarily reflect the current population, but it's undeniable that a lot of species suffer from a relatively low player count.)
I believe more interest could be fostered for these species if each was given a thread, or a post in their species thread, detailing something like their biology, society, history and current happenings, as someone would find in a wiki. The current approach of leaving such things blank, as opposed to inviting players to fill them in, might even make the more known species preferable over those that, while interesting, do not offer as strong plot hooks.
Taking an example from D&D, since we’re all unabashed chads, a total newcomer to the game is more likely to pick a relatively unknown species like the Locathah if their understanding of them goes beyond ‘These resilient and proud fish-folk have endured war, slavery, and mistreatment at the hands of other aquatic creatures. They dwell in submerged tribal communities along seacoasts, and hunt both above and below the water.’; this summary is just a first step that might lead someone into playing one, but such a choice is made more engaging by detailing Locathah quirks, eccentricities and overall watery whimsy. In addition to this, the experience is made richer, both for the player and the setting, who now have funny-looking goldfish people in their hearts and must suffer the consequences.
I would like for each species to have concrete and accessible lore, as a way to enrich the setting and character creation. I trust the mods with full implementation, although the ‘Elves on Shelves’ project (and I’m patting myself on the back here) does show that the community is more than willing to worldbuild interesting and complex worlds and peoples, as it already does with characters and storylines.
In summary, while the blurbs do their job by introducing the species, a thread or post would more fully flesh them out, giving more depth to the setting and individual characters, as well as empowering player choice.
Distant hugs and platonic kisses, Nuno.
P.S.
Pianbananamanic suggested that there could be a thread to put forward and pass lore headcanons. It’d involve the community at large, as well keep the lore fresh and current. Technically something like that occurs in player-made boards and the Common Locations sub-board, but both are very underused compared to their potential. The Alien Compendium, on the other hand, is an example of player lore being implemented successfully, and that same process could be replicated.