Lazlo Society: Horrifying, challenging, subtle, and unknown

[Xar]

Here's a view from an outsider:

I've always wanted to be a poster on LazloSociety.org, but I couldn't ever find a good place to jump in. Most active posters are so well developed that it is hard to figure out a good starting point. Now, what others post shouldn't stop me from putting up my own stuff, but for some reason, it is off-putting.

Maybe an archive and reboot is in order. Leave the posts that were published in the book up and everybody else develop new characters and storylines and start over.

[Josh Sinsapaugh]

I quit posting there too a few months back.

The second I saw posters threatening to assualt other posters with sex toys (this actually happened), I decided to close the book on that website FOREVER.

Which actually makes me a bit sad because I LOVE BTS (it's my defacto favorite PB game).

I have to agree with Xar too, it has become in many respects a Soap Opera with BTS as a backdrop rather than the GM's tool it was meant to be - thus making it a bit unaccesible for a newbie (or at the very least appear unaccesible).

~ Josh

[Jefffar]

Part of the issue is that it's really become an insular group - an in-club - that makes it hard for new people to get in. Likewise, the older follks either get turned off by something that jars their feeling towards the board or get taken away by real life.

It did start to become soap operetic when some players developed connections to the others, but those were also some of the first really cool adventures to be posted. We need to cut back on the ammount of personal drama on the boards. It's okay for the folks to have relationships to each other, but it shouldn't take over the board space itself. (I know, I'm somewhat guilty of this - but I can't help it if people keep askign me to kill their characters.)

Perhaps we need to cut down the number of earth shaking plots (dooooh . . . I have something so cool planned for next year too) and keep the supernatural from being a matter of fact thing.

We can have some comedic relief here and there (every good horror tale needs to lighten the mood once in a while) . . . but most people should be at the board for serious reasons.

[Nemo235]

I've posted on there a few times, nothing major.
I don't GM much, so personally I find it difficult to guide others through a story of my creation. I do like participating though.

It seems there is a core group of gamers on there that have built a very detailed continuity. Call me lazy, but I'm not going to read everything that's happened over the last three(?) years.

I have a couple thoughts. They may have already been thunk...

1. I know there's a thread where each member can introduce themselves and provide some background or whatever they want. But is there any way to make it more easy to find?
That way someone could read another's post and immediately go to a description of the author.

2. Have some way of giving a brief summary of current events for new people. Something like:
"Agent A and B are tracking down rumors of a werewolf in Maine.
Agent C,D and E are researching the geology of Area 51 in Nevada.
Agent F is still missing. Last known location South America performing a biodiversity survey for his university."
I guess it would be a locked sticky? But that means someone would have to read a lot of posts and maintain it almost constantly.

3. Post a timeline with a brief summary of the major scenarios that have taken place in the past. This one would taking quite a bit of work also.
"24 JAN 2005-12 FEB 2005: Agents A,B and C infiltrated a witch coven in Salem, Mass. Several cultists captured, cult leaders escaped.
10 FEB 2005-28 FEB 2005: Agents D and E encounter spirit activity near Roanoke, Virginia.
3 MAR 2005-6 MAR 2005: Agent F abducted by Sasquatch."

You get the idea.

Now back to the GM part. I'll have to read more threads to understand this better.
When we are playing a table top RPG, the GM is there to act as scene describer and ref.

But when you initiate and investigation on the forum, and you want the story to naturally go a certain direction, how do you coordinate that?
You will have control over your own character of course. But what happens if someone describes an action or scene that disrupts or (worse case) derails the plot you had in mind?

I'm also curious how you handle risks and action. Does the initial storyteller have the authority to describe another characters getting injured or killed?

Like I said, I'll have to read more of the threads, and get used to the idea that they are more like coopretive storytelling than RPG simulation.

[Sir Neil]

1. I know there's a thread where each member can introduce themselves and provide some background or whatever they want.

2. Have some way of giving a brief summary of current events for new people.

3. Post a timeline with a brief summary of the major scenarios that have taken place in the past. This one would taking quite a bit of work also.

#1 & 2. Right now, that isn't possible. The entire site is in character, and because monsters keep posting, the characters don't feel safe enough to keep that information in one place.

#3. I have considered making an index like that several times. I didn't think there was a demand for it, so I never got around to it.

But when you initiate and investigation on the forum, and you want the story to naturally go a certain direction, how do you coordinate that?
You will have control over your own character of course. But what happens if someone describes an action or scene that disrupts or (worse case) derails the plot you had in mind?

I'm also curious how you handle risks and action. Does the initial storyteller have the authority to describe another characters getting injured or killed?

Currently the authors hash out the details in e-mails and private messages. That has advantages and disadvantages.

[Xar]

and because monsters keep posting, the characters don't feel safe enough to keep that information in one place.

This is the part I really don't understand. Why is this happening? I can see it happening once within a story-line for someone to be taken over and passwords being compromised. However, wouldn't the Society's webmaster react better than this? I mean, "In game". Not referencing NMI/Pendragon's work.

If we have a troll here, NMI shuts them down. Wouldn't the controls be better on the fictional Lazlo site?

[Sir Neil]

This is the part I really don't understand. Why is this happening?

I don't think I can answer that question without using words four letters long. In short, I agree with you; the webmaster should just IP trace the monster and give the chiang-ku dragon running the Agency the address.

What doesn’t?

"Saving the World", "All-powerful Villians", and "Hordes of Monsters".

They aren't supported by the game, and they ruin every story they're in.

[Xar]

Ok, wow. Didn't mean to offend. Sorry.

I'll back out of this conversation now, since it probably wasn't any of my business.

[Xar]

In short, I agree with you

See now, Reading is Fundamental.

I missed that little bit, which changes the previous post.

In the words of Rosanna Danna-Danna, "Nevermind!"

[Josh Sinsapaugh]

Personally, I think pruning is in order, if only to maintain suspension of disbelief, something that went out the window a long time ago on those forums.

I'd also suggest "a bit more," but that bit is 100%, non-objective, personal opinion, so I won't be going there.

~ Josh

[Sir Neil]

See now, Reading is Fundamental.

Yup. I was agreeing with you so hard I headbutted my dog.

****
1. Pruning would be nice, but isn't necessary. We've all screwed up while running a game before -- ignore it and drive on.

2. It's not enough that we stop letting monsters in. We'd need to ratchet down the paranoia to the point that a character could post pictures and personal info without three more coming in explaining how dangerous it is.

****

DayDreamer, fun is what I'm not having when my BTS character has to stop a wizard with infinite magic points and an army of monsters from taking over the world, or when a poster pauses their story to let the atmosphere build and the Comedy Society interrupts with a seven-post slapstick routine.

But I didn't tell the Society to change. I just walked. Gonna read the Black Oak series by Charles Grant, Mayfair Games' Chill; try and get my groove back.

[sasha]

I'd go for a Banter Forum there.

It's where the members can socialise in character. You can develop and reveal a lot without having to do it through War Stories and Conspiracy Theories.

[sasha]

As for everything else, we like the self-policing stuff. If the person insists to derail a topic/thread, then it becomes a moderation issue.

A public "Take it to Banter Forum" or a PM with the same should fix most problems people are having. It of course requires a Banter Forum to exist first.

1. I know there's a thread where each member can introduce themselves and provide some background or whatever they want. But is there any way to make it more easy to find?
That way someone could read another's post and immediately go to a description of the author.

It's become long and worthless.
A new sticky one in which people just give introductions to themselves is in order, I think.

2. Have some way of giving a brief summary of current events for new people.

I think another sticky candidate which just says just what you suggested; it's a single post of what a person is working on that they update as their story requires it.

3. Post a timeline with a brief summary of the major scenarios that have taken place in the past. This one would taking quite a bit of work also.

That would help me remember all the stories we started and left for later but then forgot about because they started 2 years ago; it'd also help me remember some things I'd rather forget about haha.

[Xar]

2. Have some way of giving a brief summary of current events for new people.

I think another sticky candidate which just says just what you suggested; it's a single post of what a person is working on that they update as their story requires it.

3. Post a timeline with a brief summary of the major scenarios that have taken place in the past. This one would taking quite a bit of work also.

That would help me remember all the stories we started and left for later but then forgot about because they started 2 years ago; it'd also help me remember some things I'd rather forget about haha.

Would these two items be better located here, out of character, or on the Lazlo site in character? I could see a topic that was put up in character as a sort of a "State of the Society" which would be the current summary of main issues that were going on.

But a timeline seems like it would have to be out of character to be really good, as it would have to be somewhat 3rd person omnicient.

Forgive my ramblings. I'm going to the Dr. for a cold in a couple of hours, so I may not be totally coherent.

[sasha]

I think that all could work in-character much of the time.

I think we could do it out of character here for those times it doesn't work and in addition to doing it over there, to sort of socialise to readers of these forums about the good times to be had and created.

Good luck on the cold. I hate being sick.

[Nemo235]

But a timeline seems like it would have to be out of character to be really good, as it would have to be somewhat 3rd person omnicient.

The 3rd person is the fictional Lazlo Agency the runs the forums.

Maybe what is needed is an expansion, from the forums to an actual web page with all that info:
What is the Lazlo Society/Agency?
What can you do to help?
Member roster
Current events
Timeline
Links

This stuff would reinforce the whole idea of the Lazlo Society by not only having the discussion forums, but also a 'front page' just like most real websites have.
I wish I could work on stuff like that but I don't know squat about webpage design.

*EDIT* I seem to be thinking of stuff that goes beyond what's already there, like a best case scenario. I realize we'll have to work with what's there now though.

[Nemo235]

Okay, crazy suggestion time:

Set up a Myspace page for your character (if you want to).
Or something else if someone knows of a similar kind of personal page host thingy.
Then you could include (fictional) personal info, blogs, photos/art, links, whatever. And everyone would be on everyone else's friend list like one big happy family.

Then you could link it in the 'Website:' space on your personal profile page on Lazlo so other readers can find it.

[Nemo235]

I'll admit it is kind of a tangent, but Petite Elfgirl was asking for ideas on how to make Lazlo better. One of my replies was:
1. I know there's a thread where each member can introduce themselves and provide some background or whatever they want. But is there any way to make it more easy to find?
That way someone could read another's post and immediately go to a description of the author.

So if someone links a Myspace page, or something similar in their sig or profile page, any reader can click it and get more info and insight into the writer's character.

There's really no more need to discuss that idea here though. Anyone has the ability to do it if they want. I was just throwing out ideas.

[sasha]

No myspace. I know some inet providers block it and won't open it.

The roll call thread is here. It's not very useful and quite out of date. A new roll call that does not have the banter and is sticky would solve the problem of having such space and making it easy to find, I think.

[sasha]

Going forward instead of title colours, which with the standard software is not possible (I think), I think that all threads should be treated as serious. If you want to be make a stupid joke, start a topic in the appropriate forum (should one be formed). If there is no appropriate forum for this, bite your tongue.

[Xar]

~snip~

3. Character Profiles. Myspace would be a fun idea, but like Sasha said, it is most often blocked by places outside of home. (It is automatically blocked in my library, it’s not allowed in my school, and my home ‘net access is too weak anyway). Maybe a locked topic that can be updated periodically? Character profiles only.

Here's a suggestion: wiki pages are really easy to learn and require no real coding experience. In fact, there's more complicated coding going on in this post than in almost the entirety of my webpage, which is here.

[NMI]

I will think about adding a "humor" section. I have to run it past Wayne Smith first.
Either that or a mass PM/email all members.

[Josh Sinsapaugh]

Would Wiki work? It's a great idea I think, but can't anyone change them at will?

There's ways to limit who can edit a Wiki, or who can edit what, et cetera.

Most Wikis use these restrictions sparingly though as it defeats the purpose of the Wiki. It can be done though, and should be if it meets the needs of what you're thinking of.

~ Josh

[NMI]

Would Wiki work? It's a great idea I think, but can't anyone change them at will?

There's ways to limit who can edit a Wiki, or who can edit what, et cetera.

Most Wikis use these restrictions sparingly though as it defeats the purpose of the Wiki. It can be done though, and should be if it meets the needs of what you're thinking of.

~ Josh

and some of those ways are pains in the arse!.

[NMI]

I will be able to do what Konthaak suggests with the new software once we install/upgrade it. But with only one "mod" (that's me) it would be a pain "approving" all posts before they are posted. Now I believe "Jefffar" posts on Lazlo, but whether or not he wants to be a "mod" there as well as here, is up to him. (Jefffar PM me).

Besides, in the new version there is this nice little friend/foe feature. If someone is power gaming you can put them on your "foe" list and their posts will be blocked.

Oh the only reason the new software isnt installed yet is that me and Thom are looking for an appropriate theme/style for it. The one currently in use is not compatible with the new software.

[glitterboy2098]

ALright, I got a question about this friend/foe thing. When you list them as a foe, does that mean their posts are blocked on the whole site, or just for the person that listed them?

only from your view. i've used other forums with similar features, and it's a common thing for chatrooms. basically an "ignore" button.

[lather]

I don't seriously believe that getting people to self-police will solve the problems for very long... To me, it sounds like Communism: Great idea in theory, but in practice, it'll work for about five minutes. (No offense intended to our Russian friends on the boards...)

Kibbutzim worked for several generations. It's a matter of willingness to make it work. As it was pointed out, if this fails, then moderators can be notified.

As a side note, Russia was never actually a communist country.

[Jefffar]

I'm not a moderator over there. but I am one here - let's not let this thread turn personal, okay?

[NMI]

Incidently, no one but me would know which moderators were which players, as I would have "new" moderators create new accounts.

[Tearstone]

Okay, I'd like to put something up here as input.

In addition to Lazlo.org not being exactly newbie friendly, there remains some questions. I've been hanging out on Lazlo for quite some time, and I do post off and on. The things that I have to wonder is how do people get involved in bigger plots? I mean if it's by PM, that just seems to be a big popularity contest to me.

The other thing is, how and where do you guys decide to play them out? Yahoo? Palladium Chat Rooms, or what, and then decide to post them in War Stories? Or do you just kinda adlib it on the boards as it goes along?

These are not my questions alone but several people's, and after finally getting on the forums here, I see a little hint of answers here and there, but it's time to come clean. Others have asked and never gotten a straight answer or any answer.

[Jefffar]

Some are resolved through Role Play, some are collaborative writing.

Some are by invatation only, some allow people to join in.

Some stuff just happens.

Like the whole Ben-Wie-Ron triangle. I don't think there has ever really been any signifigant forethought or collaborative discussion put into that by all three parties working together, but it's turned out rather well.

If you want to get involved in the plots, have your character post a bit and preferably tell a story of their own. This makes your character a bit of a known quantity and gives the other members of the board something to work on. Heck, depending on the story you post, you might get asked by established members if they can join in (Rebbecca's current story is a good example of this, she's managed to attract an assortment of minor and major figures from the board, both new and old).

Let me tell you a story about my first crossover story, in fact it was one of the first cross over stories of the boards - the rescue of Mr. Lucifer. The poster behind Mr. Lucifer decided to post basically the story intro online, and see what happened. A few people responded, myself being one of the most vocal and frequent amoung them, so he asked me to become involved in what was origionally going to be a story amoung his characters. Long story short, myself and some others busted into an abandoned casino, rescued Mr. Lucifer and desroyed the bad guy and the legend of Ron Caliburn grew a bit.

In the time them I have been a part of several cross overs and sat out a few of them too. I've been invited to them, invited myself and created the basis for them. Some of them, I've only put the basics together and handed off to other story tellers to make theirs.

The big thing is your character has to be visable and viable on the boards first, then start communicating with folks, if you have story ideas that could work involving your character and another character, PM them and say "Hey, I got this idea, think it could work, you want to try it together?"

But don't sit back and feel like there's no place to start, just make in character posts, let us see who you are and what role you could play in a story and people will talk to you about it.

[Tearstone]

That's a lot of the things I have done. The problem is, there's no set way to get an rp going. Basically, it's like wandering around a city and looking for a good spot to hang out. Denny's at 2 AM? A bar? Someone's house? (Chat, conference, pm?) etc. By email? That's how Silver Strike went down, which I was invited to. It was a nice storyline in itself, and got a chance for some of the members to put a real name and a face, as well as see Razor in action.

Other things have gone down here and there. Razor has bought guns and supplies from Ben, and had several chats with Ron about stuff, but with his location, it makes it hard to get pulled into anything. Besides, there's very little in the region that he hasn't been able to tackle, though dangerous it has been.

[Jefffar]

Yeah, good location or mobility is an asset.

Ron used to be mobile and has always had a decent location . . . though with his family commitments now he has to stay closer to home most of the time.

My advice to any new-Lazloite is to not give up and get involved in the posts.

[Cybermancer]

Good day all.

Yes, I'm the same Cybermancer that occasionally posts over at Lazlo. Yes, I am just that original.

Anyway, I'm not exactly new over there although this is my first OOC post about it here (in fact, I just started reading about Lazlo over here).

I have a few thoughts and ideas I'd like to contribute. Take them, chuck them, it doesn't matter so long as it generates discussioin and perhaps makes things better for everyone.

First I'll start of by saying that I did take an extended hiatus from the Lazlo boards. It had nothing to do with any problems I saw at the time (although there were a few things that were off-putting). I was being deployed overseas and knew it. Originally I had intended to work my absence into the posts, but there were a lot of time consuming demands on me at the time and I just couldn't do it. So then I came back from overseas. I logged in a couple of times and then with ever growing lags between. Part of the problem, for me, was that I've never really been that into forum based RP. I've tried all sorts of online RP but I've never found anything that held my attention like the good old fashioned pen and paper RPG.

However, I really sort of wanted to make this one work. Seeing as it's a Palladium game and anything Palladium holds a certain affection in my heart. And so I decided to return and check things out once more.

Difficulities mentioned earlier on this thread don't really strike me as specific to the Lazlo site. They're pretty universal when it comes to online RPG. It all depends on how inclusive those who run the site want to be vs how controlled the RP is. It's hard to strike a proper balance. On a site such as Lazlo where everything is in character (a concept I've loved right from the beginning), it's doubly hard because no one really knows what the boundries are when they start out. While some folk may assume certain things are a given, others will make completely different assumptions.

And of course, that is also part of the problem. It becomes a lot like a pot luck (I'm thinking of church pot lucks my parents took me to as a boy). Everyone is going to bring something completely different to a table this large. Not everyone is going to find everything appetizing. Heck, some people may be allergic to portions of it. Certainly a few dishes may seem inappropriate (who brings pickled eggs to these things, really?). Usually there is something for everyone however. That doesn't necessarily make it ideal and some (like those who are allergic) won't want to participate.

So I guess the first decision that has to be made is, how controlled is the RP going to be? Is it going to be BTS characters only? BTS2 characters only? Or is it going to be open to anyone who wants to play with the supernatural element of the game but from one of the other games? I know it's not a decision I wanna make. As soon as you start cutting things out or setting up limitations, you begin to suggest that one style of play is inherently superior to another. This is something I've run into many times online. You get cliques who feel their way is the best way and should be the only way. When these cliques gain control of the RP, it can become very unfun for anyone outside that particular clique. This phenomnom is not specific to any one style of play.

If the decision is to moderate, then there are going to have to be more moderators. And there is going to have to be a system to control character generation and RP.

That reminds me, correct me if I'm wrong, but these forums are supposed to be the official online forums of the Lazlo Society, right? Whose characters are actually members of this society? How do you know? I would find it highly suspect that the posting monsters are members of this society. While my online persona has gotten himself a log in, he doesn't really consider himself a member (and most likely won't, ever).

Now here's a thought. And it's just a thought. While I think everyone should definitely be allowed to keep posting, perhaps those who are officially members of the Lazlo society should control the RP? Or be allowed to initiate it? Membership should be open but there should be a trial period or something. An initiatian perhaps? I remember one online RP I was part of, you had to audition and show off your RP talents a bit first.

I liked the idea of there being a seperate web page explaining what everything was about. It would be a good place to set guidelines, restrictions, etc. Perhaps someplace you have to go before you get a profile up and running? I don't know how it would work. I like to play tech savvy characters but I'm not really a computer genius. I'm barely able to make my computer do what I want when it's simple stuff like checking my e-mail, going to Facebook or editting a story.

I don't mind there being rules and restrictions. In fact, I favor them. Perhaps that is why I prefer pen and paper RPG's? There's one guy calling the shots and they're usually consistant. Everyone comes to the table knowing roughly what to expect. Those who don't like that style of play don't come back but those who do are more than welcome.

But it would be something of a shame if Lazlo weren't open to all fans of Palladium's BTS (1 and 2).

Including the fans that want more traditional horror.

Including the fans that wanna brag about killing monsters.

Including the fans that want the drama!

Including the fans who wanna play something you might not find as a character in most BTS games.

Including the fans like you.

And hopefully including a fan like me.

So in the end, I suppose all I have left to ask is, "Is it really too much trouble for us to save the world one last time?" Especially for those of us who haven't had a chance to do it yet?

Ciao.

[Jefffar]

Welcome back Cybermancer

We also have to welcome back Arkaine, let's hope he remembers the sunscreen.

Good to get some folks back.

[sasha]

* I just finished writing up some stuff for Kolya since he's dropped off the radar. That should be posted soonish.
* And he took Natasha with him, but I know she's got a few things she wants to wrap up, too.
* Got email from Magdalena; she has some things for the Hannah rescue to post well after the fact.
* Poked Viktoria (kalle) to finish the write up with Heather Dawes; Vika's not really a computer person, but we fixed the glitch.

Our TODO list:

* Another hook up with Ron.
* 1 August 2008 adventure: a new moon - a time for healing - and a solar eclipse - a time for killing - in one day.
* FINALLY finish Sasha and Sophoroto rebuilding the destroyed boat house (yea I know it's an ancient story).

[Jefffar]

The disappearance of Nat and Kolya is most annoying, but hopefully can be turned into some cool story material.

[sasha]

The disappearance of Nat and Kolya is most annoying, but hopefully can be turned into some cool story material.

It's happened in real life, too, for a variety of personal reasons unfortunately. I've emailed them the story and once they get to a computer, we'll see what they think.

[sasha]

Our TODO list:

* Another hook up with Ron.
* 1 August 2008 adventure: a new moon - a time for healing - and a solar eclipse - a time for killing - in one day.
* FINALLY finish Sasha and Sophoroto rebuilding the destroyed boat house (yea I know it's an ancient story).

. . . I've been a bad girl in regards to finishing up some of my stories.

Not all stories require finishing as long as they are left open in a way that allows them to brought up later.

But stories like the boathouse certainly shouldn't linger.

[sasha]

Oh well then

[Jefffar]

Git 'er Pa.

[lather]

* I just finished writing up some stuff for Kolya since he's dropped off the radar. That should be posted soonish.

Updated and stuff. Now it's posted.

* Poked Viktoria (kalle) to finish the write up with Heather Dawes; Vika's not really a computer person, but we fixed the glitch.

Sweet. By all means.

* 1 August 2008 adventure: a new moon - a time for healing - and a solar eclipse - a time for killing - in one day.

Probably less on the healing since Kolya didn't get a lungful of the supernasty nerve agent spewing from some dimensional rift torn open following a random celestial alignment.
Sorry to have distilled your wonderful adventure into a handful of pargraphs


Dropping back off the radar. Got about 20 hours of driving ahead of us. I plan on taking my time though; I'm in no hurry, especially since we're not going to Bonaroo.

[glitterboy2098]

i sometimes wonder if part of the problem lazlosociety has been having isn't a case of poor inspiration?

think about it. what are the well known movies and shows right now or in recent time that deal with the supernatural, at least in part?

Hellboy
Various superhero comics
Underworld
Heros
ect.

all putting the main characters as heroic, save the world types, with appropriate plots for such characters.


whereas the good influences for BTS are things like:

season 1 of the X-files
From Hell
Sleepy Hollow
most Detective Stories
The haunting of hill House (the original version preferably)
ect.

all cases where the main characters are reletively mundane and the things they face are at best local terrors, if that. greater emphasis on investigation and critical thinking ot defeat a threat, than on firepower.

for the 'slayer' side of BTS2, movies like the first Blade, Predator 2, and so on are great influences. having to stick to the shadows and avoid flashy battles. having to face enemies that are local threats but still more than the character can handle directly, thus forcing them to be smart and tricky....

[Jefffar]

Ron was insipired in equal parts by Blade and Punisher, with a good dose of the Ghost Hunter illustration thrown in.

I try to keep his stuff gritty and street level, but the fact f the matter is, he's not sensitive enough to dealwiht the mysterious side of things. He's really the hatchet man who needs to be called in when things go pear shaped.

Which also makes writing for him and preserving the horror feeling very difficult and that is why a fair number of his stories are character drive - putting people that are cared about via Ron in danger with Ron being there to try and save them.

So far I think it's worked reasonably well.

[Natasha]

* 1 August 2008 adventure: a new moon - a time for healing - and a solar eclipse - a time for killing - in one day.

Probably less on the healing since Kolya didn't get a lungful of the supernasty nerve agent spewing from some dimensional rift torn open following a random celestial alignment.
Sorry to have distilled your wonderful adventure into a handful of pargraphs

Are you sure he didn't? And, yea, that was a fun as heck adventure; way to ruin it.

[glitterboy2098]

whereas the good influences for BTS are things like:

season 1 of the X-files
From Hell
Sleepy Hollow
most Detective Stories
The haunting of hill House (the original version preferably)
ect.

all cases where the main characters are reletively mundane and the things they face are at best local terrors, if that. greater emphasis on investigation and critical thinking ot defeat a threat, than on firepower.

for the 'slayer' side of BTS2, movies like the first Blade, Predator 2, and so on are great influences. having to stick to the shadows and avoid flashy battles. having to face enemies that are local threats but still more than the character can handle directly, thus forcing them to be smart and tricky....

Thank you Glitter, that's an excellent idea.

i'd suggest we make a list of books, movies, and TVshows that best fit BTS as it should be on the boards, and urge NMI to add it to the disclaimer page under a "here are a few sources that might be inspirational" mention.


Note: technically "the haunting of hill house" in movie form was called The haunting. again, the original 1960's version is generally a better inspiration for BTS than the 90's remake, which greatly deviated from the original book. in the book and the first movie version the hauntings all occured 'offscreen', and only afterwards were realized to be supernatural. for example, sounds at a door like something trying to get in, when no one was outside. or a character holding a hand while walking down a dark hallway, only to later realize no one was there... and during the whole thing some entity is gradually possessing one of the characters... pretty much the textbook way you should run BTS entities

Sleepy Hollow is a great way to run the whole "marauding monster" plot. especially since the plot of the movie had no real effect on the world outside sleepy hollow...

[filo_clarke]

I don’t mean to revive a dead thread, but I feel I have something to add to this discussion. First I feel I must explain that although I have been a member of these boards for about four years, and check them daily, I rarely post anything because I rarely have anything of any worth to add to the posts. This time is different however; as I believe I am in a position to provide insight into the Lazlo Society boards from an outside perspective. Allow me to explain:

I have recently given up my regular Friday night gaming group, in preparation for the arrival of a new baby. I had decided, nonetheless to continue in some small way to maintain the hobby I love, and thus began to write a story for the Lazlo Society boards. I would like to make it clear, that I only visited the boards once or twice when the new BTS came out, and had not kept up on the developments there, having only a vague idea in the back of my head that it would be there if I needed it, and such a time has finally come. So in any event, I went to work writing an involved scenario about a character (a 71 year old retired ship’s engineer with the Merchant Marine) who has acquired a selection of curious items from the estate sale of a neighbour. Some of the acquisitions are so puzzling that he is unable to decide what to make of them, and after making inquiries, has been directed to contact the Lazlo Society using a computer (a technological item he does not entirely grasp). I have written up large portions of this story, and created language that I feel befits a man of his age and background, and even took into account his lack of understanding of internet chat rooms by “accidentally” deleting some of his posts, as he pushed the wrong button while posting. As I neared completion of the project I decided to log onto the Lazlo Society boards to find the appropriate place to post this account. These are my conclusions from this initial foray:

Now I understand and appreciate that the entire concept behind the Lazlo Society board is to maintain the fourth wall and create an environment where the suspension of disbelief is easy to adhere to. So with that in mind, these are the first impressions from my 71 year-old retiree’s foray onto the Lazlo Society boards:

AGENCY VOICE: Therein lies at the top of the page a sticky of about two dozen names of people who are either dead or have vanished while participating in investigations for the Society. This does not inspire confidence.
- A post from someone who claims that he is about to have a showdown with something that will kill him, but in so doing his spilt blood and soul will protect the other people on the message board. This is obviously a disturbed individual who should be in an institution for his own good.
- There is a message about someone hacking the boards and using them to access people’s bank accounts and other personal information. Something that his friend warned him would happen if he started using the internet too much. Not good.

CLASSIFIEDS: The first post is from someone who claims to be “one of the few non-human members of the Society” whose entire “clan” was wiped out by unknown assailants. This is a dangerously insane human being who hopefully is posting this from a secure facility, where his delusions can be better managed with medication and counselling.
- A poster who details a veritable stockpile of small arms, heavy weapons, body armour and by the sounds of it he drives around with all this hardware in the trunk of his car looking for a fight. I understand the Constitution protects this kind of behaviour, but what does he need all this stuff for?
- A poster who needs a .577 Auto-Pistol custom made. For what purpose? And why should the Lazlo Society know of someone, much less several people, who are capable of doing the job?
- A poster who is apparently building an automatic shotgun with exploding shells, while another poster suggests he use “silver-coated buckshot for werewolf hunting”. What kinds of crazies populate these boards?

COMMUNITY OUTREACH: Finally, something of what these boards were supposed to be; mysteries and unusual occurrences around the world that the Lazlo Society should be interested in. However a little more searching reveals people who post about using magic in their daily lives. Not freaky unexplained phenomenon, freaky explained phenomenon!

CONSPIRACY THEORY, MYTH OR REALITY?: While this section does contain interesting accounts of preternatural events there are still too many stories that involve people skulking around armed with guns, swords and other implements of destruction. My character has only ever once been in a fight, and all he got for his trouble was a fat lip, certainly there were never any swords or guns involved. All this talk of gunplay is beginning to make him nervous. Especially when phrases like “tactical assaults are bread and butter around here” are thrown around.

WAR STORIES: Admittedly, I assumed that this would be the place for all manner of shoot-em-up gunfights and vicious beatings, but I honestly couldn’t have been prepared for this; Particle beams vaporizing enemies, human sacrifices on an alter for the greater good, general mayhem resulting in the murder of humans through vigilante justice.

PHILOSOPHER’S CORNER: There seem to be at least TWO enlightened immortals on the boards! TWO!! Why doesn’t the Society simply name them to head the organization, and be done with this nasty business of investigating the supernatural altogether? Surely in 2,215 years of life there is a good possibility that one immortal would have seen similar instances to pretty much everything in these posts. And if not, then the other one surely would have. I have nothing else to say about this.

So to summarize, while maintaining the fourth wall, as a layman coming in from off the street, so to speak, and seeking help with a problem that he is beginning to believe has no “natural” solution here is what he finds. Upon opening the Lazlo Society’s web site, he is instantly struck by the pervasive level of violence in this organization. Very little actual “investigation” seems to be performed, though a frightening number of murders of so-called “cultists” and “monsters” seem to perpetrated by the posters on the boards. Homicide seems not only to be a topic of discussion, but is openly encouraged and aided through the offers for training in the martial arts, or the purchase of custom firearms for self protection.

Among those who post on the boards there are a disproportionate number who either claim to possess strange abilities/powers, practice the arts of witchcraft/sorcery, or are self-professed supernatural creatures in their own rights. This leads him to the conclusion that should he contact the Lazlo Society for assistance with his problem the following would likely occur: within six hours a rusty hummer, an old van, and a repainted army jeep would drive right onto his front lawn. Three to six deeply overweight, dangerously insane, heavily armed men would emerge, identify themselves as “hunters” and begin to sweep the area for “vampires”, “werewolves”, and “floopers”. They would then pause just long enough to compare each other’s weapons (“Oh, that’s a shortened H&K G36 carbine with under-barrel shotgun and thermal optics, loaded with cyanide-tipped depleted-uranium ramjet rounds? Neat, but check out my .600 Nitro Express Magnum Revolver with compensator, weaver rails, red-dot holographic sights, custom grips, under-barrel laser/flashlight mount, cross painted on the flashlight lens of course, loaded with CorBon wildcat rounds that have custom Winchester Black-Talon tips”). Shortly thereafter my character would be shot in the back by a 20mm anti-materials rifle while attempting to flee the scene, and the “Lazlo Society Investigation Team” would burn his house down just to be sure that the evil had been contained. So instead of doing that, he logs off the boards and tries to forget the problem even exists. He might even move to Estonia, just to be sure.

Obviously I have been thinking about this all last night, and most of this morning before posting this unbelievably long tirade. I am by no means trying to suggest that the games being played on the boards aren’t loads of fun, but they aren’t the type of Beyond the Supernatural game I have been playing. The Lazlo Society seems to employ almost exclusively from the ranks of ex-military operatives, and also keeps on its payroll many creatures and practitioners of arts that one would think that they would be most interested in investigating. I had always seen the Lazlo Society as a shadowy network of kooks and conspiracy theorists desperately trying to put the pieces of innumerable puzzles together while trying to maintain a façade of normalcy and civility to the world at large. Some of their members were doctors, archaeologists, students of history and the like, while the rest were simply normal folk who had, at one time in their life seen something out of the norm, and that event thrust them down a spiralling staircase of bizarre happenings and half-seen shadows. It is instead a clearly paramilitary organization counting among its members some of the top human and inhuman assassins and warriors on earth; its membership stretching to include powerful psychics and sorcerers from around the globe (also with curiously high degrees of combat training) and dangerous supernatural creatures of nearly every description. In short; the Nocturnes rather than the Lazlo Society. It is for this reason that I am so disappointed in what the boards have become and why I do not think I have any desire to post on those boards in the near future.

Once again I apologize for the length and nature of this post.

[Cybermancer]

Filo,

Your post was fairly humorous and accurate. But this is what you can expect when the boards are set up for general participation with few rules or guidelines.

So the choice is either the board becomes a heavily controlled place or else you pick and choose who you RP with. Yes, that requires a certain suspension of disbelief when you factor in all the things you mentioned.

One thing is for sure, you're not going to please everybody. But those who post the most, and are active the most and participate the most are the ones that are going to determine the nature, feel and perception of the board.

Personally, I'm all for a retcon of the boards. So long as things are tightly controlled after that, otherwise we'll end up in the same boat as we are now. To remain with the feel of BTS, all characters will have to be from BTS (but which edition? Both?). Which will require a chargen area and a wait for someone to approve the character... but I don't think this is what the boards were intended to be.

So it's back to us having to police ourselves. And living with the knowledge that some of us won't.

[Cybermancer]

I've only used the ignore button once so far, and only because it seemed like something my character would do IC'ly. Not because of any direct interaction my character had with them but rather as a pre-emptive blocking. The character is generally unfriendly and disruptive so I didn't see any reason for my character not to block them. Actually, my character wonders why this person is allowed to continue to post. But that's all part of the freedom of the Lazlo Society.

[Sir Neil]

There seem to be at least TWO enlightened immortals on the boards! TWO!! Why doesn’t the Society simply name them to head the organization, and be done with this nasty business of investigating the supernatural altogether?

An immortal DOES head the Lazlo Agency: the chiang-ku dragon Lo Fung. (RIFTS Africa)

...In short; the Nocturnes rather than the Lazlo Society.

Replace "Nocturnes" (who are they, btw?) with "Lazlo Agency" and that's pretty accurate. You can see it in the quotes of the Physical Psychic and Ordinary Person, and even the interview with Robert Mach. On BTS2 Earth, thousands of people are eaten by aliens every year. The open-minded skeptics, the students of the paranormal, the occultists, and what-not who join the Lazlo Society to discuss mysterious happenings are just being used to gather intel for the Lazlo Agency elimination teams.

Many people (including myself) are posting to the Society boards what theoretically belongs on the Agency boards. Your merchant marine's puzzle is an excellent example of what belongs on the Society boards; the adventure stories should be on the Agency boards.

Of course, there isn't a seperate Agency board, so we just have to pretend that the wilder stories aren't visible to the public.