Post by Josh on Jul 11, 2014 3:37:56 GMT -8
To all those that asked me when my platform would be up on the boards I wanted to thank you for your patience. I have had much of this in a solid form prior to this posting. That in mind I wanted to speak with individuals and groups of players so that their vision of what a reset is and why we need it could help to build the foundation for a game that all of us can look forward to playing. 
Emerald City Chronicles in a long running game. The stories both personal and Meta have been amazing and the people that helped build them are some of our closest friends. One of the more frequent questions that I get asked is “Why do we need a Reset?” The answer for a reset is the same as the answer to not, it is the players. Those of you who have been at ECC for 5+ years had the stories of the Setite Temple, Rimbaur Mansion, and the Night of Four Princes as cornerstones of the game. We have had a rich history that has run the gambit and dashed from personal to world shaking plots. Part of the joy of a game like ECC is to be able to build something and watch it grow as time goes on. The enjoyment of hearing someone talk about a plot or character that you previously played brings great pride and joy. This though is getting more difficult to do as each game goes by. Due to the long timeline the memory of the game is but a few months unless it is something of such a unique or profound nature as to lodge inside your mind. New players struggle to make an impact and either are recounted with how X character has previously done so or encounter an insurmountable quantity of exp on both players and NPC so that they feel they can not play a game that has PCs as their opponents.
The Camarilla game we play, the Ivory Tower within the setting is something we have created in a sense out of game. Those that have EXP, power, or any other marker of advantage continue to have it and newer players can not catch up.
It is time for our old Anarch Revolt. I am not condoning the eating of your fellow players to take their strength. I refer to the opportunity to level the field and let merit begin to run its course. Here and now is the time to rebuild the game. We have close to historically low attendance. There are too many factors for me to point and say that “these” are the reasons people have stopped coming to game BUT I will say that something has to be done. ECC as it currently is in not sustainable. Given a year, maybe two it will collapse. We our numbers will fall low enough that it would only make sense to turn the game into a tabletop lest the player base in attendance equals the STs on staff.
I look forward to a game that not only gives everyone the chance to be a part of the beginning but also welcomes new players with open arms and is the jewel that catches the eye of passing gamers. So tempting and entertaining that they can not help but try the game out.
Please join me in this effort!
---
As follows are many details about my platform:
This is going to be a reset. A reset of story, rules, and expectations. I will not be resetting your experience, though there are conditions to the exp to prevent the same issues at onset. The reasons behind this are simple, I feel that people have earned the exp they have either through play or contribution to the betterment of game. I want to make it clear that despite resetting the story I am not looking to devalue your efforts or the story you have helped build previously.
The reset of story is designed to give everyone playing the foothold in the creation story behind Seattle and to help outline the game we want to play in. The reset of rules is actually more of a transition to the Vampire the Masquerade 20th Anniversary edition. Said transition though is going to come with someone of its own clarifications but by goal is to keep these to the bare minimum. My thoughts around why is that I want the game to be as friendly to someone walking in off the street as it is to someone who has been at ECC for 15 years. The game I am working to build is one that has the structure to grow and sustain over many years into the future. As to a reset of expectations, I believe that throughout the history of ECC that a game of Telephone has run rampant. Plots, character motivations, and other influences have warped the games outlook as to what is canon and what is acceptable. Seattle behaves like no other city in the work not because we have PCs but because many PLAYERS do not understand core aspects and themes of the game. This no fault of their own they simply took what someone said at one time and ran with it. A reset is the ideal opportunity to project the common themes and setting concepts that the game is designed to work with.
My plan for how to accomplish this reset in a smooth manner has three steps (the third in fact being profit).
1. A vote by the player base to determine how they would like to see the current story conclude. There will be a few options to choose from and we will take the popular opinion of the game as the guide for how to resolve the remaining storylines and characters.
2. A series of vignettes that are built to give players a feeling that they really helped shape Seattle. Not in the past 15 years but over the course of a century. I want people to be able to reference things that they did 70 years ago and have the game know that such a thing is a common piece of known canon (how cool is that!?!)
3. The final step is to close out the vignettes and begin the game in real time to match our current weekly set up. This is where we see the fruit of the game begin to blossom, the “100” or so years of history now in full effect and we can see the day to day efforts of our labors and examine how they unfold and enjoy the stories that follow (Profit).
---
Who I am as a Storyteller and as someone with authority. To be most simple I am just. I look to hear any available side to any issue, examine both evidence as well as testimony, and to always look to what is best for the players and the game I am running. I can be critical and hard when I need to be but I can also be sympathetic. One thing that even people who disagree with my opinions or my actions will tell you I am diplomatic. I work towards clear, open, and appropriate communication. I know that the trust between players and storytellers has been damaged. Though if you think about it so has the relationship between players and other players. We all play in a game as friends, with that as a guiding principle I would like to see more trust given to those around each of us. Trust that the STs are running the rules and administrating fairly. Trust that the other players, your friends, are looking out for what is best for the game and how to create the best story not only for themselves but for others. I hold the title of ST to a high standard but I hold myself and my Staff to an even higher standard as with a reset we are setting the bar, the pace, and the tone for future staffs that follow. I expect us to be, and we will be, exceptional.
To vote for Josh is a vote for the future of the game. It is a vote imbued with hope. Entrust me with the direction of the game and we will find such wonders and enjoyment from here on forward.
Emerald City Chronicles in a long running game. The stories both personal and Meta have been amazing and the people that helped build them are some of our closest friends. One of the more frequent questions that I get asked is “Why do we need a Reset?” The answer for a reset is the same as the answer to not, it is the players. Those of you who have been at ECC for 5+ years had the stories of the Setite Temple, Rimbaur Mansion, and the Night of Four Princes as cornerstones of the game. We have had a rich history that has run the gambit and dashed from personal to world shaking plots. Part of the joy of a game like ECC is to be able to build something and watch it grow as time goes on. The enjoyment of hearing someone talk about a plot or character that you previously played brings great pride and joy. This though is getting more difficult to do as each game goes by. Due to the long timeline the memory of the game is but a few months unless it is something of such a unique or profound nature as to lodge inside your mind. New players struggle to make an impact and either are recounted with how X character has previously done so or encounter an insurmountable quantity of exp on both players and NPC so that they feel they can not play a game that has PCs as their opponents.
The Camarilla game we play, the Ivory Tower within the setting is something we have created in a sense out of game. Those that have EXP, power, or any other marker of advantage continue to have it and newer players can not catch up.
It is time for our old Anarch Revolt. I am not condoning the eating of your fellow players to take their strength. I refer to the opportunity to level the field and let merit begin to run its course. Here and now is the time to rebuild the game. We have close to historically low attendance. There are too many factors for me to point and say that “these” are the reasons people have stopped coming to game BUT I will say that something has to be done. ECC as it currently is in not sustainable. Given a year, maybe two it will collapse. We our numbers will fall low enough that it would only make sense to turn the game into a tabletop lest the player base in attendance equals the STs on staff.
I look forward to a game that not only gives everyone the chance to be a part of the beginning but also welcomes new players with open arms and is the jewel that catches the eye of passing gamers. So tempting and entertaining that they can not help but try the game out.
Please join me in this effort!
---
As follows are many details about my platform:
This is going to be a reset. A reset of story, rules, and expectations. I will not be resetting your experience, though there are conditions to the exp to prevent the same issues at onset. The reasons behind this are simple, I feel that people have earned the exp they have either through play or contribution to the betterment of game. I want to make it clear that despite resetting the story I am not looking to devalue your efforts or the story you have helped build previously.
The reset of story is designed to give everyone playing the foothold in the creation story behind Seattle and to help outline the game we want to play in. The reset of rules is actually more of a transition to the Vampire the Masquerade 20th Anniversary edition. Said transition though is going to come with someone of its own clarifications but by goal is to keep these to the bare minimum. My thoughts around why is that I want the game to be as friendly to someone walking in off the street as it is to someone who has been at ECC for 15 years. The game I am working to build is one that has the structure to grow and sustain over many years into the future. As to a reset of expectations, I believe that throughout the history of ECC that a game of Telephone has run rampant. Plots, character motivations, and other influences have warped the games outlook as to what is canon and what is acceptable. Seattle behaves like no other city in the work not because we have PCs but because many PLAYERS do not understand core aspects and themes of the game. This no fault of their own they simply took what someone said at one time and ran with it. A reset is the ideal opportunity to project the common themes and setting concepts that the game is designed to work with.
My plan for how to accomplish this reset in a smooth manner has three steps (the third in fact being profit).
1. A vote by the player base to determine how they would like to see the current story conclude. There will be a few options to choose from and we will take the popular opinion of the game as the guide for how to resolve the remaining storylines and characters.
2. A series of vignettes that are built to give players a feeling that they really helped shape Seattle. Not in the past 15 years but over the course of a century. I want people to be able to reference things that they did 70 years ago and have the game know that such a thing is a common piece of known canon (how cool is that!?!)
3. The final step is to close out the vignettes and begin the game in real time to match our current weekly set up. This is where we see the fruit of the game begin to blossom, the “100” or so years of history now in full effect and we can see the day to day efforts of our labors and examine how they unfold and enjoy the stories that follow (Profit).
---
Who I am as a Storyteller and as someone with authority. To be most simple I am just. I look to hear any available side to any issue, examine both evidence as well as testimony, and to always look to what is best for the players and the game I am running. I can be critical and hard when I need to be but I can also be sympathetic. One thing that even people who disagree with my opinions or my actions will tell you I am diplomatic. I work towards clear, open, and appropriate communication. I know that the trust between players and storytellers has been damaged. Though if you think about it so has the relationship between players and other players. We all play in a game as friends, with that as a guiding principle I would like to see more trust given to those around each of us. Trust that the STs are running the rules and administrating fairly. Trust that the other players, your friends, are looking out for what is best for the game and how to create the best story not only for themselves but for others. I hold the title of ST to a high standard but I hold myself and my Staff to an even higher standard as with a reset we are setting the bar, the pace, and the tone for future staffs that follow. I expect us to be, and we will be, exceptional.
To vote for Josh is a vote for the future of the game. It is a vote imbued with hope. Entrust me with the direction of the game and we will find such wonders and enjoyment from here on forward.
