Re: The Game of Mallor needs players!

From: "Plod" <plod>

Date: Sat, 27 Jun 1998 00:00:00 +0000

Cool, my Maths Teacher at School was called Mallor - can I play a Character
called Quadratic?

Brandon Van Every wrote in message <6mt6ug$9c$1@guysmiley.blarg.net>...
>Frequently Asked Questions about the Game of Mallor
>Copyright 1998 by Brandon Van Every
>E-mail: vanevery@blarg.net
>
>1.  THE LACK OF RULES AND REGULATIONS
>1.1  What kind of game is this?
>1.2  Ok it's a role playing game, what's the genre?
>1.3  What are the rules?
>1.4  How do I lose the game?
>1.5 Can I make any character I want?
>1.6  Can I be any race I want?
>1.7  What is the nature of magic?
>1.8  What is the level of technology?
>1.9  What is the nature of Godhood?
>1.10  How frequently will e-mails be sent?
>1.11  How long should e-mails be?
>
>2. THE BACKSTORY
>2.1  Who is Mallor?
>2.2  Who is Bagua?
>2.3  Who is Dimwit the Demented?
>2.4  Who are the other players in the game?
>2.5  What is "The Mind?"
>2.6  What is the geography of The Land?
>
>
>1. THE LACK OF RULES AND REGULATIONS
>
>1.1  What kind of game is this?
>
>The Game of Mallor is a free-form play-by-e-mail (PBEM) role playing game.
>There is no rulebook, there is only the Game Master, Brandon Van Every, and
>the various people playing the game.  The game starts when you e-mail me a
>complete character description.  Then I write you into the story and
present
>you with a situation.  You are free to respond to the situation in any
>manner that you like.  You can even skip ahead and claim that certain
events
>have occurred, i.e. you can partially author what is going to happen.  Then
>you e-mail your reactions to me, I decide what actually happened, and I
>e-mail you another situation.  We keep doing this ad infinitum.  The goal
of
>the game is mainly to tell a good story.  There may be puzzles in the game
>and there will certainly be adversaries, but the primary goal is to live
>within the story as you would want to.  You might say we are engaged in
>collaborate myth-making.
>
>1.2  Ok it's a role playing game, what's the genre?
>
>It's a fantasy world, swords and sorcery with Zorkian overtones.  You could
>play sci-fi characters, superheros, or characters from other historical
>periods, but you will probably get the most out of the game if you stick to
>fantasy.  If you land upon the planet as a space alien from another galaxy,
>you'll be perceived and described as a "monster" even if you really are an
>alien being, so the net effect of what you'll experience in the game is
>mostly the same.  The game really isn't about crossovers between fantasy
and
>other genres, although the themes of magic, non-magic, science, technology,
>Gods, and the nature of the soul are all explored in the game.
>
>1.3  What are the rules?
>
>There really aren't any.  You're free to do whatever you like in the world,
>as are others, including how they interact with your character.  All I try
>to do as Game Master is keep the world consistent, make all events "fair"
in
>some sense, and tell a story in the most powerful and compelling manner
that
>I can.  There's no such thing as a "too powerful" character or a "too weak"
>character, there are no statistics, no dice rolls.  There isn't a "right"
>kind of player for the game, I will take any player, literally any player.
>Part of the reason I'm willing to do is, is I'm researching the
>possibilities of storytelling for a commercial venture.  In a commercial
>venture you can't pick your audience or assume a certain kind of player, so
>I take all comers.
>
>1.4  How do I lose the game?
>
>You don't.  No matter what happens to you in this game, you never "lose."
I
>might present you with situations which make you feel dejected, which
>horrify you, or make you feel miserable.  All are for dramatic effect in
>much the same way that a horror movie is for dramatic effect.  You don't
>"lose" when you go to a horror movie, you simply experience it.  I'm not
out
>to kill people, be mean to them, or piss people off, I'm here to get a
>reaction out of you and make you want to keep turning the page.  Even if
>turning the page makes you more miserable.  The Game of Mallor is often a
>comedy, but it is also a tragedy, and if I put you through a catharsis then
>I have done my job.
>
>1.5  Can I make any character I want?
>
>Almost.  You can't be a servant of Mallor, as Mallor is an "adversary" and
>has only one trusted servant, Bagua.  Of course, many players find
>themselves serving Mallor in ways they didn't intend, mhwuuaahhaahaahah!!!!
>But otherwise, you can be anything you want.  Doesn't matter how powerful
or
>weak, you can even be a God if you so desire.  Just bear in mind that
>challenges always expand or contract to fit the powers of your character.
>Powerful characters have powerful enemies and there's no such thing as
being
>more powerful than everybody else.  Mallor is just as capable of destroying
>the entire universe as the next wizard or God on the block, even though he
>is a mere man.
>
>"No power too great, no failing too small.
>The weakest one, the best of all.
>Stick with your character through all your actions.
>And so you'll have your satisfactions."
>
>- Dimwit the Demented
>
>1.6  Can I be any race I want?
>
>Yes, and you're free to make up any race you want as well.  Describe the
>race's culture and history and I'll drop them on the map somewhere.  That
>said, if a race has already been fleshed out in the game then you'll need
to
>relate your version of the race to the extant race somehow.  Racial and
>cultural variation is a reasonable excuse within limits, but I want to keep
>some consistency regarding races so that when players learn something about
>a race, their information will mostly apply.  However, it does not have to
>completely apply.  Racism is a problem in this world, it is not a fully
>enlightened or politically correct world.  It is like the real world, where
>some people are multi-cultural and others are bigoted, hate-mongering, or
>even genocidal.
>
>Also, don't assume that just because you've heard a race has
characteristics
>X Y Z in every other fantasy game you've ever played and every book you've
>ever read, that the race will be the same here.  I'm famous for subverting
>people's commonly held assumptions about race.  For instance, Goblins are
>not stupid vicious beings that need to be put to the sword.  They are
master
>builders and craftsmen, genetically related to both Dwarves and Giants.
Yet
>bigoted people in some parts of the realm treat them exactly like the
>legendary AD&D goblins that must be put to the sword.
>
>1.7  What is the nature of magic?
>
>In this universe, there isn't a spell for everything.  It's like academia,
>lots of topics are covered, but not every field has experts in everything,
>and there's a lot of ground unexplored. Wizards tend to specialize in a
>particular kind of magic that they really understand.  There might be a few
>"hack" wizards who know a little bit from here, a little bit from there,
but
>aren't really amazing at any one thing. Some wizards are more interested in
>technique, some are interested in general theories and how one branch of
>magic relates to another.  And of course there are plenty of charlatains
who
>don't really know a damn thing.
>
>If you choose to play a wizardly character, you're free to invent your own
>specialized variety of magic.  Just bear in mind that if you invent
theories
>of either mental control or the nature of the soul, Mallor and Brizzbane
>have beaten you to the punch and so there's already a sense of "what works"
>and
>what doesn't.  Even these realms of magic/science are very open-ended, but
I
>as Game Master will judge according to what my own developing theories are,
>as they are central to the story.  Similarly, if you specialize in a kind
of
>magic that other players have already invented, you'll run into whatever
>theories are already extant about that kind of magic.  That's not to say
you
>can't/won't make new discoveries, just that you'll have to deal with
>something that's already in place.  Whereas if you choose to elaborate upon
>the nature of a previously unknown magic, you'll have the authorial freedom
>to specify how it works.
>
>Also, since this game is not about winning or losing, or minimizing or
>maximizing your character to have the most potent powers possible, I'm not
>going to tell you what kinds of magic are already known.  Mallor studies
>mental control.  Borizzbane studied the soul, at least before his untimely
>demise.  That's all you have to go on.  Finally, don't assume that magic is
>"the way to go" as far as making a character, just because you get to make
>up how it works.  *All* characters get to make up their own abilities,
>backgrounds, and powers, it's not a special priveledge of the magicians.
>And by that same token, all characters deal with the universe as it already
>exists, and there is no better or worse way to exist.
>
>1.8  What is the level of technology?
>
>Approximately that of the Holy Roman Empire if it had been allowed to go on
>for a few more centuries, and the Dark Ages had never happened.  The world
>is pre-industrial but trickles of startling technological innovation are
>here and there.  Primitive rockets exist in some places but there are no
>firearms or cannons.  You might say technological development has been
>sporadic, because there's so much magic about, that technology has not been
>required to solve many kinds of problems.
>
>1.9  What is the nature of Godhood?
>
>You will have to play a God if you want to find that out.  You will find
>that the relationships between magic, non-magic, science, the soul, and
>belief are interesting and maybe not quite what you bargained for... it
>would be unsafe to assume that Gods are all-powerful.
>
>1.10  How frequently will e-mails be sent?
>
>Barring my need to take care of real-world matters, I'll reply as
frequently
>as you reply.   I'm currently self-employed and pursuing this project as a
>matter of commercial research. I have all the time in the world right now,
>and I'm just going to keep adding players until I can't handle the capacity
>anymore.  So if your replies aren't that frequent, that's fine for me as
>I'll just add more players. If your replies are very frequent, that's fine
>too because it means I'll be fleshing out the world faster, and that will
>tie into what other players do.
>
>1.11  How long should e-mails be?
>
>Myself, I make my e-mails at least 3 paragraphs at a minimum, and often
much
>longer.  People are playing the game asynchronously, picking up and
dropping
>it as they deal with their lives in the real world.  Therefore, it's
vitally
>important that each e-mail be interesting, get the player back in the mood
>of the game, and advance the story significantly.  Otherwise, if I didn't
>make such an effort I'm sure you'd get bored.  You're free to answer back
at
>whatever length you like, but I'd suggest that more is better.  You can
even
>project actions into the future, outline contingent actions, or say that
>"this and that happened to you."  When I get what you wrote, I'll decide
>what actually happened to you and inform you so.  That way, you can
>partially author the story, and you can move the action along faster if you
>want it to go faster.
>
>2.  THE BACKSTORY
>
>2.1  Who is Mallor?
>
>Mallor of Westmarch
>Race: human
>Sex: Male
>Age: 30
>Profession: so-called "Scientist"
>
>Mallor was the black sheep of the noble Westmarch family.  At an early age
>he displayed a profound introversion, avoided team sports, and refused to
>learn to joust with a lance.  His incessant interest in books and the
>pursuits of the Mind led his noble parents to throw up their hands and send
>him to the Academy of Wizards at Borphee.  He quickly gained a reputation
as
>an iconoclast and an outcast, fervently arguing that although the
>fundamental principles of Magic were effective in their own right, much
>non-magical phenomena had been overlooked.  In an effort to persuade others
>of his views, he concentrated exclusively upon the domains of Mind Control
>and The Unity of Consciousness.  His detractors, sesasoned in the arts of
>magic and anit-matic, were often flabbergasted to have Mallor's own words
>put into their mouths as they debated him.  Declaring himself a
"Scientist,"
>not a Magician, Mallor quickly became despised by all but the most humble
of
>thaumaturlogical researchers.  Some say Mallor knew nothing of Magic and
>therefore preferred to invent excuses.  Others say Mallor knew plenty of
>magic, but was never as good at it as his peers, and so therefore sought
>another way.
>
>Mallor's arch-rival at the academy was a young wizard named Borizzbane,
also
>known to some as Borizzbane the Mendicant.  Borrizzbane carried out
>experiments of the Soul, particularly near the time of death, a practice
>which many in the Academy viewed as unethical.  Previously Borizzbane had
>experimented upon condemned criminals and political prisoners, thereby
>escaping the purvey of the authorities.  But he crossed the line when he
>seized Bogua, the Academy's huge goblin janitor and handyman, as a subject
>for one of his experiments.  Bogua was an immigrant to the land and racism
>was rampant in the town council, so Borizzbane figured nobody would care.
>While sneaking around trying to find ways to sabotage his rival's work,
>Mallor chanced upon Borizzbane's secret laboratory, and saw Bogua about to
>succumb to a ghastly torture.  Caught by surprise in the act, Borizzbane
>unleashed a flurry of deadly magic.  But Mallor's mental discipline was
>stronger and he was able to defend against the ill-planned onslaught.
>Acting as much in hatred as self-defense, Mallor stole Borizzbane's mind
for
>a few moments and hurled him into one of his own torture devices.  Bogua
was
>eternally grateful, but Mallor feared there would be scandal over the
hidden
>laboratory, and questions as to why he had been there.  Mallor knew his
poor
>standing, Bogua would be regarded as scum, and it was their words against
>the dead.  Accusations of murder were likely, and in fact, possibly
>provable!  Fearing for their lives, Mallor and Bagua seized the most
>important of Borizzbane's materials, set fire to the lab, and fled for a
>distant corner of the land.
>
>No one is sure where Mallor resides now, but it is believed he is still
>alive and carrying out his research.  And even for his seeming
unpopularity,
>Mallor was not without his secret supporters and patrons.  Few wished to
>openly extol the virtues of mind control in matters of combat, warfare,
>commerce, and politics, but most understood the implications if Mallor was
>correct.  It is rumored that Mallor and Bagua could have never escaped the
>town upon their own, that they were assisted by a wealthy patron who is
>screening them from reprisal.  It is not known for what purpose Mallor
>continues to work; his closest former associates believe the man has lost
>his sense of morality in his obsession to finish his research.  In any
event
>the hand of Mallor is popping up in many unexpected places.  From across
the
>land scattered reports are drifting in, of barroom fights that mysteriously
>ended, wizards fried by their own magic missiles, huge public monuments
>being constructed in the Sudentan by happy workers, and treaties being
>signed by factions at war for decades.  Surely such a man as Mallor must
>enjoy great wealth and power!  And surely such power concentrated in the
>hands of one man is dangerous for the realm?
>
>2.2  Who is Bagua?
>
>Name: Bagua
>Race: Goblin
>Sex: Male
>Age: 50
>Profession(s): janitor, construction worker, cook
>
>Bagua came to the Academy of Wizards at Borphee on a temporary assignment,
>hoping to bring back money for his family in his native Nordentan.  He
>stands 8 feet tall, 5 feet wide, weighs 1 metric ton, and even as Goblins
go
>is regarded as "big."  When he's not cooking or eating he likes to build
>things, in order to keep in shape.  He carries no weapons as his meaty
fists
>could easily crush a knight in full armor with one blow.  He is a goblin of
>few words and this has helped him keep out of trouble with racists.
>Although truth be known, most are inclined to snigger at Bagua from afar,
>not to his face.
>
>Bagua is not afraid to use force, but beneath his imponderable goblin
>exterior he is kind-hearted.  He sees himself as a family man defending his
>loved ones against the evils of the world, and Mallor is now a part of that
>family.  Despite his great debt to Mallor, his loyalty to his master is not
>unthinking.  Bagua is particularly sensitive to the plight of prisoners,
>having been one himself, and is always asking Mallor "When will we let this
>one go?"  Mallor always replies "Don't worry, tomorrow he will either go,
or
>he will wish to stay."  And as it has always come to pass, sometimes in one
>way or the other, Bagua has been satisfied.  Bagua knows that Mallor has
>many ways to influence a captive's mind, but he also knows that mind
control
>has limits and nobody can be held against their will forever.  True belief,
>after all, is the strongest mind control of all.
>
>Owing to his tortures at the Academy, Bagua carries a deep and irrational
>mistrust of nearly all wizards.  The genetic predisposition of goblins to
>anti-magic probably helps: he's a walking hulk of magical deadzone.
>Unsurprisingly, in goblin culture there are few wizards, and role models of
>kind-hearted wizards simply do not exist.  Mallor and Bagua get along well
>with regards to wizardly politics, as they share similar views about the
>follies of wizardry.  Still, Mallor comes from a wizard background himself,
>so some aspects of his work he simply doesn't talk about with Bagua.
>
>2.3  Who is Dimwit the Demented?
>
>Keep playing, you might run into him.  Dimwit describes himself thus:
>
>Wearing jumpsuit of a jester,
>Orange and green his coat of arms.
>Funning those who would molest him
>Cartwheeling clown, away from harm.
>Raised by wizards as a child
>Impatient student, learned but one trick.
>When danger lurks or fighting's wild
>Vanish with a limmerick.
>Worldly wealth does matter not
>Pockets of jester suit are bare
>Food and merriment at any spot
>Cavorting the world without a care.
>
>In lands forgotten to the Mind
>Aniada, home of egos sublime!
>A pugnatious, nay pungent orc belayed me
>His tavern candor quite betrayed me.
>Never seeking him my harm
>I spun the braggard my finest yarn:
>
>    There once was an angry young orc
>    Whose servant denied him his pork.
>    "Bring me my glass
>    Or I'll kick yer ass!"
>    So his servant stabbed his hand with a FORK.
>
>With POOF! and gone, your servant fled
>While pinned to table the orc long bled.
>
>2.4  Who are the other players in the game?
>
>I'm not going to tell you, you're just going to have to meet them.  There
>could be one or one hundred real people playing the game, you'll have to
>decide for yourself whom to trust.  Since I'm interested in commercial
>ventures at some point in the future, I plan to take as many players as I
>can possibly manage.  It'll keep me in good storytelling shape!
>
>2.5  What is "The Mind?"
>
>Curse the Mind, I wish I knew the answer to that!  Hint: compare the legend
>of the Implementors in the classic Infocom text adventure "Enchanter."
>
>2.6  What is the geography of the land?
>
>It's not really that important right now.  I'll let you know where you are
>and what's around when you enter the game.  One day when I'm feeling really
>motivated, I'll draw up the obligatory map and put it on a webpage.
>
>
>

References

The Game of Mallor needs players!
"Brandon Van Every" <vanevery@blarg.net>
Thu, 25 Jun 1998 00:00:00 +0000