To expand on the warning in the subject header, the game will almost certainly end up including murder, rape and other forms of sexual assault, theft, arson, assault, abuse, torture, and a whole mess of other dark subject. Please read on with caution.
The idea is a horror game with a more psychological bent, focused on horror inflicted on the characters by the characters, rather than by the setting itself. The basic concept: characters are kidnapped, placed into an enclosed arena, and rewarded for doing terrible things to one another for the amusement of the world's natives for a sort of extreme reality TV show. Committing murder, assault, sexual assault, theft, betrayal, torture, enslavement, imprisonment and so on will all net characters redeemable points in order to encourage them to do it again and again.
First off, I am aware that Spandy's infamous rapehouse game had a very similar concept. I'm taking steps to avoid the mistakes made with that game but any advice you can give about how to not fuck up so spectacularly will be appreciated.
With that said: + The game is 18+ only. + The community will be LOCKED. Only members will be able to see the posts. + This is not a sex game. More on that below. + Communities will be plastered with disclaimers and content warnings. Each comm will likely have a sticky post with said disclaimers and warnings. + There will be a character suitability section in the application. Players will be required to put real thought into how their characters will adjust and adapt to the setting when they apply. + Maybe also a player suitability section. At the very least, something (besides some stupid password) that will let the app team know that incoming players have actually read the game information and know what they're getting in to. + Socks are allowed.
With that said, here are some basic ideas for the setting:
Each crime has the same reward, OR the only difference in rewards will be in whether the crime is a 'physical' crime (murder, torture, rape) or a 'property' crime (theft, arson). I haven't yet decided where things like blackmail and betrayal will fall.
Reward tiers will be very simplified and straightforward. Rather than having a complicated monetary system I'd aim for something easier and check-in based. Sort of a bonus AC like Asgard or City of Ariel. Micromanaging of in-game money is too much of a pain and has killed games in the past, so we'll sidestep it as much as possible. There will be 5-10 tiers that characters can work towards. With each new tier characters will get easier access to food, weapons, powers, amenities, and so on.
The option for IC anonymity is something I'd like to preserve while still not making it too prevalent. Maybe crimes committed without masks or the like will net double the usual points, or crimes committed with identity concealing equipment will only net half points. The episodes cut together for public consumption will not be available to the characters except maybe as a top-tier reward.
Since the various crimes will be recorded for later broadcast, events may take the form of themes or 'episodes' where extra points are rewarded for including certain elements in crimes. So rather than getting extra points to setting houses on fire, characters may get extra points for committing crimes against a stranger, including religious imagery in their crimes, committing a crime in broad daylight, or attacking two people at once.
Should the issue of heroes in the game immediately outing their villains come up, individual characters will be periodically and privately offered bonus rewards to publicly and falsely accuse another character of committing a crime against them. This will hopefully make actual accusations harder to trust.
I'm thinking there will be compensation for victims, but I do understand how this could backfire unpleasantly. ICly it would be additional incentive for the characters to not just lay down and give up in the face of their horrible circumstances, since the producers will believe that it's less fun for the viewers that way. OOCly it would be incentive for players to allow their characters to be hurt. However, this particular facet could easily become the most unpleasantly complicated mess in the entire game, so I'm definitely looking for feedback and arguments for and against this idea.
Re: GAME IDEAS
The idea is a horror game with a more psychological bent, focused on horror inflicted on the characters by the characters, rather than by the setting itself. The basic concept: characters are kidnapped, placed into an enclosed arena, and rewarded for doing terrible things to one another for the amusement of the world's natives for a sort of extreme reality TV show. Committing murder, assault, sexual assault, theft, betrayal, torture, enslavement, imprisonment and so on will all net characters redeemable points in order to encourage them to do it again and again.
First off, I am aware that Spandy's infamous rapehouse game had a very similar concept. I'm taking steps to avoid the mistakes made with that game but any advice you can give about how to not fuck up so spectacularly will be appreciated.
With that said:
+ The game is 18+ only.
+ The community will be LOCKED. Only members will be able to see the posts.
+ This is not a sex game. More on that below.
+ Communities will be plastered with disclaimers and content warnings. Each comm will likely have a sticky post with said disclaimers and warnings.
+ There will be a character suitability section in the application. Players will be required to put real thought into how their characters will adjust and adapt to the setting when they apply.
+ Maybe also a player suitability section. At the very least, something (besides some stupid password) that will let the app team know that incoming players have actually read the game information and know what they're getting in to.
+ Socks are allowed.
With that said, here are some basic ideas for the setting:
Each crime has the same reward, OR the only difference in rewards will be in whether the crime is a 'physical' crime (murder, torture, rape) or a 'property' crime (theft, arson). I haven't yet decided where things like blackmail and betrayal will fall.
Reward tiers will be very simplified and straightforward. Rather than having a complicated monetary system I'd aim for something easier and check-in based. Sort of a bonus AC like Asgard or City of Ariel. Micromanaging of in-game money is too much of a pain and has killed games in the past, so we'll sidestep it as much as possible. There will be 5-10 tiers that characters can work towards. With each new tier characters will get easier access to food, weapons, powers, amenities, and so on.
The option for IC anonymity is something I'd like to preserve while still not making it too prevalent. Maybe crimes committed without masks or the like will net double the usual points, or crimes committed with identity concealing equipment will only net half points. The episodes cut together for public consumption will not be available to the characters except maybe as a top-tier reward.
Since the various crimes will be recorded for later broadcast, events may take the form of themes or 'episodes' where extra points are rewarded for including certain elements in crimes. So rather than getting extra points to setting houses on fire, characters may get extra points for committing crimes against a stranger, including religious imagery in their crimes, committing a crime in broad daylight, or attacking two people at once.
Should the issue of heroes in the game immediately outing their villains come up, individual characters will be periodically and privately offered bonus rewards to publicly and falsely accuse another character of committing a crime against them. This will hopefully make actual accusations harder to trust.
I'm thinking there will be compensation for victims, but I do understand how this could backfire unpleasantly. ICly it would be additional incentive for the characters to not just lay down and give up in the face of their horrible circumstances, since the producers will believe that it's less fun for the viewers that way. OOCly it would be incentive for players to allow their characters to be hurt. However, this particular facet could easily become the most unpleasantly complicated mess in the entire game, so I'm definitely looking for feedback and arguments for and against this idea.
And that's what I've got so far.