Welcome to /qtg/, a place to talk about quests.Previous thread>>6365137>What is a quest?An interactive story in which a Quest Master (QM) writes and provides the readers with options on how to proceed — similar to a choose-your-own-adventure book or an old text adventure.Questionably Useful links:>QTG discord: https://discord.gg/dZavHuK>Skirmish discord: https://discord.com/invite/DZCVvVU>Evo Game discord: https://discord.gg/xGZAX9tAvx>Old pastebin containing advice for QMs:https://pastebin.com/Z78p8gXfBadly in need of renovation.>Archiving guide:Go to http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/requestqstinterface.htmlFill out the request form to archive a thread.Threads are also automatically archived by other websites, such as archived.moe.>Formatting guide:Only the thread's OP can format. Note that should the OP change ID, they will lose this ability as well.Remove the spaces between the [] brackets and the letters:Bold: [ b ] text [ /b ]Italics: [ i ] text [ /i ]Red: [ red ] text [ /red ]Blue: [ blue ] text [ /blue ]Green: [ green] text [ /green ]>Formatting guide for everyone:Dice (type this in “options”): dice + [no. of dice]d[no. of sides on the dice] (optionally you can add modifiers: dice + [no. of dice]d[no. of sides on the dice]+[modifier]; for a negative modifier type: +-[modifier]Examples: dice+1d100 = a 1d100 roll, dice+1d100+10 = a 1d100 roll with a +10 modifier.Spoiler: [ spoiler ]spoiler[ /spoiler ] or by pressing alt+s in-thread (doesn't work in OP)>QM Question:How much time do you spend on your quest besides writing/drawing for it? This includes notes, behind-the-scenes crunch, drawings that don't go with updates, side content, etc. >Player Question:Have you ever had a write-in that actually won a vote? What was it? Did you have to argue for it? Did the QM prefer it to their preset options?>General Question:How do you feel about multiplayer games/quests/skirmishes? Which type, if any, do you prefer, and why?>Lurker Question:There is no question. Vote. Unless you don't want to buy a pass, that's understandable.
>>6407330>Player QuestionA few times. I don't know how the QM felt. It didn't require much arguing. You just need to be first to vote or near the top and not be obviously wrong usually.>GeneralI used to like the god games and evo games but as a lurker. Multiplayer quests flake too often for me to get very invested. Skirmishes attract the same few anons every time, I think.
>>6407330>QM questionI'm always thinking about it, but I rarely spend much actual time on it beyond the update (and updating the pastebins every once in a while). It's very much a hobby for me, not something that consumes every waking hour of mine.>Player questionA decent amount of times. Usually, it's because the QM found it funny if nothing else. It's not really hard to convince people to go for a write in as long as the write in makes sense, and isn't just an outright meme.>General questionI play in a few of them. They're really fun but they are a different beast from quests. I tend to lean towards the simpler ones, because I don't want to feel I have to spend 4 hours crunching numbers before deciding what I should do for my turn.
I miss The Little Dungeon that Could.
>>6407330>Player Question:Yes. Many. Some were the seed of a great deal of fun for the future. Others... to my shame haunt QMs and still cause them to seethe years later. I've become more picky about doing write-ins over the years and am nothing but grateful for QM feedback and patience.>General Question:Something simple and well explained, like the series Bananas did. That was perfection.
>>6407357>>6407357>>6407357Oliver is caught in a lie by his secret lover, who happens to be married to the mayor, who Oliver thinks may have hired a P.I. to investigate him, a P.I. that may be dangerously mentally ill, plus... Who was whistling at the end of the hall?
>>6407330>QM Question:Depends on the week, but a single update can take a few hours to handle on the long end. I have a lot of notes already prepared for the quest I am running, even drafts from old versions of this story I can reference - there were a couple of conversations about turning it into a novel at one point. But if I take a leap I may spend 3-4 hours working on outlines, scrap dialogue, etc. I try to read or watch something every week that will help inspire me, and that can be a twenty minute bit of media or even a full movie, so that's variable.>>Player Question:Often, actually. I think my first really popular one was for a goofy Libertarian mayoral candidate in a quest about an election. The QM burned out quick and I don't think really liked my idea, even though the other players seemed to get a kick out of him. At least once I have been able to use my checkered criminal past to inform a write-in for Gotham City Beat Cop, and the QM was impressed enough to give us some advantages without rolling because it was thorough! I like write-ins that come from people's life experiences the best, they always tend to add the most color to a story from a vote imo. Don't wanna crank my hog or anything but I have had a bunch get backed up since then. >General Question:They kind of intimidate me! I want to take the plunge though. Will soon.
>>6407330>Have you ever had a write-in that actually won a vote? What was it? Did you have to argue for it? Did the QM prefer it to their preset options?Yes with multiple levels of success. Sometimes it's great fun, sometimes QM only takes certain aspects of the write in, sometimes it's a disaster.>General Question:How do you feel about multiplayer games/quests/skirmishes? Which type, if any, do you prefer, and why?Anything as long as I get to take my own bad decisions. Skirmishes look easier to manage.I think they might be the future of this board. A single QM wasting hours to get three votes and two +1 doesn't sound very sustainable. A format where the players and QM's both put a great deal of work to entertain each other has more sense to me.
>>6407330>General Question:I like skirms, but some are hard for me to understand when my favorite thing is the alternative, which is to read updates with a single MC and roll a 1d100.Tbh I like anything so long as the plot/characters are well-written.
>QM questionFor my current one, quite a bit! Workshopping encounters, planning out items and upgrades, tracking player movements, conditions, hp, resolving attacks, checking over spells and loadouts, and occasionally drawing bonus illustrations for my players. The upside is that it's very expedient to actually write the updates, since most of the effort IS in that crunch.>Player questionIt happens every now and then, and it's quite satisfying. No particular pushback or anything like that from the qm, as I recall.>General question Most of this question's contents can be answered by checking out my thread, SPELLDIVERS: Skirmish and Sorcery, so I won't belabor my ideas on skirm design philosophy too much. Instead, I'd like to highly recommend VANGUARD. Awesome art, really accessible mechanics, cool playerbase, tons of activity, the works. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I have given Vanguard surpassing praise in my own work. If you're looking for a good entry point into skirmish in general, I'd recommend starting there.
Where did Lannister quest go right where other Asoiaf quests did not?
>>6407441The specific premise of this AU seems especially fertile for lore-beards eager to pontificate about what will come to pass and how it may be averted or accelerated. The QM has a very steady pace, and the board is currently very hospitable for slower quest running. The QM is highly responsive towards the input and desires of all the lore-beards that are ranting back and forth, they feel listened to and valued, and the story is genuinely more collaborative as a result in the strictest sense. No big focus on eroticism or scandal. Measured and successful attempt to explore one of the more mysterious parts of the setting. The most impressive thing is that even when the players disagree strongly, they are ultimately still respectful towards one another. No one is being mean or unsportsmanlike even when they debate a possibility, or argue the facts of a certain canonical incident. I am really proud of everyone in the thread for that.
>>6407330>PQMany a time. I love write-ins, both entirely new options and addenda to existing options. QMs who freely incorporate player chatter and caveats into actions are the best.>GQI pass on them. I find them overwhelming with many more moving parts to keep track of, enough crunch to break my teeth on and/or a fast pace I can't keep up with especially considering the other two points. I'm here the the storytelling, skirms especially feel like a completely different genre.
>>6407330>Player QuestionA couple of times. The one that stuck out most to me was using a board game to lure out someone. QM seemed to like it.>General QuestionI find them interesting, I'm surprised to see some are still going. I've played in some multiplayers but I dislike not just being an anon. Then the QM got hit by life and did spinoffs without finishing the original.
>>6407330>QM QuestionA lot of the spare time in-between goes to my quests. Driving to work, from work, while I eat, or do other 'autopilot' activities I usually come up with broad strokes as far as ideas or scenes go. If I am interested enough with an idea that I cement it on my story board that's when I'll make sure to research parts I don't understand fully (like Norwegian sailors or how the pimp trade works) and that can be anything from a couple articles or a video into full on hours long deep dives depending on how much the subject interests me.>Player QuestionI try not to do too many write-ins in other people's quests which is ironic considering how much I love them from my own players.>General QuestionMultiplayer quests and skirmishes all look like a ton of fun but sadly I am not available frequently enough to run/play in one consistently. Though I still like reading through them when I have time. (Read Spelldivers)>Lurker QuestionI said it once in my own quest but I think I'd rather burn myself alive on national television in front of my friends and family before I'd buy a Chan PassIf you read my answers maybe you read my quest, GOTHAM CITY BEAT COP, if you do then there's an update available here:>>6407536>>6407536>>6407536If not then you can check out the whole catalog here:https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Gotham%20City%20Beat%20Cop%20Quest
>>6407343Me too, anon, me too...
>>6407343Wasn't this QM going to make a /qst/ alternative?
>>6407330>QM:Not as much as I should, probably. Dark Quest's 'artistic style' allows me to chug out drawings faster than I did in my last two and I like to plot out plot nodes and such long before I start a quest, so really my time is spent writing updates and coming up with new crap that might read better. There's no, like, 'READY' status for a quest, really... you can plan and plan til' the cows come home, but sometimes the best thing to do is come up with some vague ideas and fill them in with your players. Plans change so it never hurts to be flexible.>Player:Hotdog Mobile for Digital Goddess Quest. Shame how that all ended up.>General:I'll admit I was intimidated by them in the past, but honestly some of my favorite quests are multiplayer ones now. If the past few months have proven anything they're a good way for players to get what they want out of a quest while also fostering creativity and fun! Wish there were more on /qst/ honestly--they aren't as easy to run as they look, but not every multiplayer quest has to be a skirmish/loot-gacha gatherer! Sometimes you can just have a quest with multiple player-controlled protagonists! Neat stuff!Totally unrelated, but Dark Quest #9 just started up! Not a bad time to get caught up with things! Can our stalwart hero and frycook ANTON PEAS save a fantasy world shrouded in perpetual darkness? Maybe, but only if you--yes, YOU--join in!>>6405694>>6405694>>6405694
>>6407581It was going to be called the /qst/ that could...
>>6407626>>6407626>>6407626Four waves to Oblivion is live
VALENBROS
>>6407330>QM QuestionNot as much as I would like to, but I do always keep some notebook where I keep the ideas and sketches for scenarios that I actually do consider worth to pursuit, if that counts.>Player QuestionThere was this one write-in I dropped into a Bleach quest that was just me trying to say that the costs of Hybridization would bite us in the ass, which it most certainly did as the other character we had at the time damn near went insane, the quest died shortly from that vote, so I always wondered if me doing that just killed its momentum altogether. Still maintain the opinion, the Vizard needed a century to chill out and Ichigo's is such a special case that He's Him>General QuestionI like the concept but keeping up as a player seems daunting and nevertheless running one seems a bit too much IMO, I do remember the recent Avengers quest wherein multiple players played between pre-made characters and that seems like a pretty nice way to equalize the issues of a crunchy, stopgapful system.
>>6407430That aside, Errant Comet Quest is back on its sixth Phase, jeeding the disappearance of Lacus Clyne at the Junius Seven Colony Ruins, Frieden Moon embarks ahead to location, uncertainty and doubt beginning to bear fruit as they arrive from a week in the homeland.>>6407733>>6407733>>6407733
>>6407330>1 post by this ID until whatever vote winsSometimes I forget how much I hate this place, and then I am shortly reminded.
I shouldn't have dropped running With Great Power and I regret it every day.
>>6407853It's not too late. I'd still participate and I've been playing since thread 1.
>>6407857I'll be honest, even though there's a big part of me that regrets dropping it and wants to get back to it, the way it dropped down to just one or two votes a post really demoralized me. I was already struggling with keeping my energy up too. Now it looks like the board has only become slower.
For QMs who consistently turn out daily updates: How do you keep up and keep moving the plot or game-scenario forward?Sometimes I have trouble thinking of "what happens next", especially with a quality prompt (something that is player facing, has stakes or an interesting decision, and fits the scenario) I've considered using various randomization methods like random tables or even consulting an SRPG oracle from time to time but most of the time I just try to think of what logically follows or look over my notes for the next event or choice that follows a previous. But this is easier to do in a Civ quest when you can just pop up a brand new advisor or situation somewhere and advance the timeline forward. For a more linear, traditional quest with a single MC, how do you keep the ball rolling with unique events?
>>6408050>>6408050>>6408050Four waves to oblivion is live.
>>6407330>QM QuestionI guess it's always in my mind, even down to when I post the update I go "Hmm, what will I write on the next one." The process of writing it doesn't take more than a few hours since it's a stream of thought for me, but I guess I could proofread more often since after I write I just go "Finally, glad that's over.">>6408062I guess my case is an exception since it's not action heavy and more talking, but sometimes you gotta accept that some updates will be more important than others. One day you'll have some very revealing plot point you wanted to write for a while, and others will just be building the steps to get to that.
https://chaosgachaweb.onrender.com/Seems a popular story on other sites to roll the dice and use what comes up.
>>6407972It's hard to keep replacing players that dropoff over years of running the quest and multiple lengthy hiatuses. The price of entry at this point is reading a whole lot of archived threads. Maybe you should try a reboot or spiritual successor to the original quest if you're really regretting dropping it daily. Or a new character and story in another part of the setting.
>>6408199Bro this is deadass slop, I can't go five seconds on Akun, Space Battles or literally any other questing site without seeing like Seven of this shit.It's not even like conceptually fun even, most people write it as wish fulfillment wank
Is it pathetic/faggy to commission quests? I've been wanting to see another Deep Journey, and don't think my writing could do the quests justice.Is this within /qst/ culture?
>>6408217Idunno if I'm an authority on culture or anything, but commissioning writers to write stuff is cool. I think a fair bit different from paying for a D&D game, which I wouldn't do but feel neutral about.
>>6407853Take it from someone who rebooted their quest: It's worth it if you really got the itch. Since the board is so slow, you can take your time updating and there's no real pressure from anyone to update.You can expect few votes but that's basically the norm now here unless you're a brand new (or really big) quest. Having 3-4 votes would mean you're attracting a lot of attention. Expect a pace of 1 vote every 24 hours until you gather more posts in your thread, if you can deal with that you'll eventually attract more anons as they see it didn't flake instantly. Weekends are a little more active so it might be a good moment to reboot.Try to up the pace and make sure the prompt choices are meaningful. Pace is so important in quests and more so now that things are slow and you'll be providing them with content only once every day or two days. No need to decide what color your shoes will be today or what to answer to every single thing the MC is asked, your anons won't mind as long as you don't fuck them over because of stuff they can't control.Make sure the OP has enough information for someone to just jump in and interact with the quest, give a summary of what happened so far in the quest, define the main character, talk about other relevant characters, anything you think might be relevant. It's better to read a fat meaty OP than having to get through a backlog of 18 threads just to understand what's going on. Explain things that seem obvious to you (and you think would be obvious to your players) just to give the newbies a way to catch up.Something else that worked for me: I purposefully made the first scene just a fight between the MC and an enemy. Keeping the first few scenes and prompts simple and making sure there's no big choices that depend on extensive background knowledge of the quest is a good way to restart, it attracts players who may otherwise get confused and spooked off the thread. Your MC is here, guy in front of him is bad, beat them up. Good way to show off your MC's personality so the players get a vibe for it.Last tip: Publicize your quest here and in the discord. You'll attract some clicks on your quest and maybe a few votes to get shit going, because sometimes it's just what you need.
Where do we go now>>6408092>>6408092>>6408092
>>6408217I.... don't think that's ever been done, no? People have namedropped old quests before and have brought some back from the brink--hell, some folks have even taken over old quests or ran spinoffs, so it's not entirely unheard of. I guess it'd depend on who would actually run it.>>6407972It has, but it'll only become slower if less people run quests--some charitable anons have bought ads in the past and site-wide event participation might help a bit. The site soccer tourney's a good example--mentioned it last qtg and while it'd take some doing to get set up it'd be fun in the long run. Even without dwindling numbers it's only natural for quests to run 'dry' at times. It's not always fun having just a few voters, but sometimes if you keep going you'll gather up new regulars! You never know!
>>6408217Do you mean you are offering monetary compensation for it or just requesting a quest to be made. The former sounds like a really bad idea the latter possible but not very likely I think. What did you have in mind?
>>6408217Shit like that is done on Akun, but I always find it weird, something about the creative spirit or whatever.
>>6408217>>6408244>>6408412>JUST PROSTITUTE YOURSELF FOR MONEYEveryone who is even in possession of merely cursory familiarity with commonplace 19th century Verdi or Puccini operas like La Traviata or La Boheme knows, in the end prostitutes die tragically of consumption
>>6408478 >>6408478 >>6408478 Another update. Taking a kid to a space expedition may not be a good idea, but I'm just Saiyan.
>>64082174chan and /qst/ culture is to get rich with stocks and crypto (e.g. thread #5992502). That's like NEET 101 after living in your mama's basement. So yeah, you should have a lot of spare money to spend on anything you find entertaining.
>>6408579>>6408579>>6408579Four waves to Oblivion is live.
>>6408559>>6408467>"get rich with stocks...?"Not mentioned much in these days of speculative mania, but the original function of capital markets was to serve a social purpose, to identify value-added enterprise and efficiently allocate resources to the highest throughcycle returns above cost of capital. Investment managers fulfilled fiduciary obligations, as prudent stewards of portfolio holdings, conserving capital on behalf of society; in a well-functioning capital market, investment managers act with discipline / vigilance, performing a strategic surveillance role pressuring against corporate mis-management, malinvestment over-exuberance and cyclical risk-taking excess, including unmerited executive remunerationWidespread indexation and passive investing has attenuated this societal function, to the extent that the median income person (who likely does not own significant financial assets as a proportion of their individual net worth) can sense the significant divergence between SPX, MXWO or other benchmark outperformance against their own sense of economic wellbeing, disposable income, spending power; institutional investors detect it as a narrowing of market breadth, as a disproportionate driver of returns remains concentrated in a handful of stratospheric valuation / momentum and sentiment-driven names. The original pursuit of asset-light financial engineering returns is responsible for Western deindustrialisation and trade deficits, the underlying source of multiple societal grievances in terms of income stagnation, declining wage share of earnings and over-reliance upon foreign immigration to further suppress domestic wage cost. But corporations can now grow earnings into a "declining" economy; corporations pursue "valuation maximisation" and equity returns over even traditional profit maximisation, cashflow and revenue growth. Firms no longer embrace competition to excel, but retrench into abuse of monopolistic dominance and intellectual property. Some corporations manufacture investor press releases and nothing else. Others manufacture debt and warThe inability of any system of societal and political organisation to improve real-world economic circumstances for the greater majority of its citizens is of paramount concern to the governing strata of society, regardless of the satisfaction and self-accumulation of net worth. Thus the endogenisation of asset value considerations and short-term market fluctuations within policymaking exacerbates dangerous destabilising tendencies towards procyclical amplification of market irrationality and speculative mania. Wealth cannot purchase contentment. In the end, you have to know when is enough
>>6407330 (OP)>QM Question:I just plan what I will write by thinking about it really hard during the day. Writing doesn't come easy for me, making events flow into each other, that sort of thing. My update times are slow, and most of that is just me struggling to write 4000-6000 characters of anime fights and matter-of-factly dialogue.>Player Question:Probably not actually. Despite playing a bunch, I think I never won with a write-in. I'm a terminal contrarian and rarely win votes in general.>>6407542Love your work, Detect.
>>6408711>>6408711>>6408711Important update for Fog of War - you are about to choose the amount of money you'll take.
Votes! I need more votes!>>6408091
>>6408217The ones who do it on akun are grifters, they charge $15-25 for a single "session", which usually consists of 3-7 updates, typically under 1200 words total, always under 3000 words total. Really they just throw on live, run two votes, then leave until someone ponies up again. It also happens on forums, I'll skip how it works on the NSFW ones because it's fucked up and you couldn't replicate it here; I only know of a couple of examples on SFW forums, and they're sort of grifty because most of them are from a serial flaker, but he flakes when he stops getting paid so it's at least more honest than what happens on akun. Basically you work out how much content you're willing to pay for at a time, and then that's what gets ran. It adds up though.
>>6377720>>6377720>>6377720The tales of the traveller and his feline companion resumes.
>>6408888>>6408888>>6408888Four waves to oblivion (quads edition) is live.
BIG Vegeta Quest update where you decide WHICH training numbers go UP! And we also head off for a new adventure or whatever.>>6408971>>6408971
I've been thinking about starting a new quest for forever, writing updates when I'm idle.I think I might start the generation today, if I can get my OP image done today.At any rate I've returned to /qst/.sup?
>>6409033Welcome back, though I don't even know who you are, fellow 1 post id.
>>6409033>GenerationIf you want to write a quest why not just write a quest? And if you DON'T want to write a quest, why not just not post one?
>>6409033>generationYou are either retarded or ragebaiting, and I'm inclined to think it's some of both.You don't even have to be a pro artist to rip an image from Google and doctor it up, you know?
>>6409045Thank you!I ran a few quests a while back but nothing particularly successful.
>>6409056>>6409071>GenerationAh. My bad.That is a perfectly direct interpretation of what posted but not what I meant at all.I apologize for being clear as mud. I really needed a nap.I have an idea for a different spin on the whole "players create the world the qm runs the quest until they lose interest" kind of quest. So it the quest itself that we'll start generating.I'll be writing it, because that's the whole point.>You don't even have to be a pro artist to rip an image from Google and doctor it up, you know?Definitely.I'm not against using an AI image for my quest to save time but definitely not for the OP.
>>6409364>>6409364>>6409364Four waves to oblivion is live.
>>6408957>>6408957>>6408957Looking for a couple more rolls in Pokemon Trainer Quest.
>>6409380>>6409380>>6409380I'd like some feedback on how Vegeta Quest is going, feel free to drop in your opinions!
Is it unheard of to resume a stalled quest after 3 years? It only had a couple of threads but there were a few dozen players and it was reasonably well liked but I flaked out due to INSERT_REAL_LIFE_EXCUSE.It was a narrative heavy quest and I feel bad for not letting it play out to the end.The alternative is to wipe the slate clean and start a fresh quest, with less baggage.
>>6409424I resumed mine after 4 years and it's going well. Read my tips up there >>6408226.Either option works really
>>6409424Not unheard of at all! The way you're proposing sounds like a good way to go about it, too--you could pick up where you left off, sure, but sometimes it's best to just try again with what you've learned from before.
>>6409381>>6409534>>6409534 Two last updates for tonight on Vegeta Quest!
>>6409726>>6409726>>6409726Four waves to oblivion is live
>>6408957>>6408957>>6408957Still looking for a couple of rolls in pokemon trainer quest, if anyone's interested.
>>6410039>>6410039>>6410039Spooky update for After-Bloom. More questions in search of answers. Chaos and despair.
>>6410047>>6410047>>6410047Important update for Fog of War - your abdication happens at last! It's also time to choose your company name and your coat of arms.
hi all, I'm still alive. If I'm lucky I'll have a lot of free time from here on out, so I should be able to run my quest smoothly again. Assuming I didn't just invoke the wrath of god by saying that.>>6407330>How much time do you spend on your quest besides writing/drawing for it? This includes notes, behind-the-scenes crunch, drawings that don't go with updates, side content, etc.Not as much as I used to. I was in super deep at one point, especially with Pokepocalypse's first arc, where if I wasn't writing the quest I was writing something FOR the quest. Nowadays I still spend a lot of time on it, but I've taken to ignoring it while really bad shit is going down because it just reminds me of what I can't do and makes me feel worse lol. Given how much bad shit has gone down lately... I might end up having to reread my old stuff to get back on track. :/Skipping the player question because I'm pretty sure like 1/3 Pokepocalypse choices are write-ins that won a vote and I can't list them all out.>How do you feel about multiplayer games/quests/skirmishes? Which type, if any, do you prefer, and why?I wish I could play them more often. Even with an empty schedule, they're rather demanding. They feel like an awkward in-between of MMOs and play-by-post, where they'll flip-flop between normal pbp games (which I prefer) and "active hours" that see tens of replies in quick succession before periods of silence. I used to play some evogames here, if I recall, and ended up having to drop out of most of them for reasons I can't remember. I'm 50/50 on whether it was my wonderful luck getting in the way or if I ended up being butthurt on losing. I used to be a real ass about competition. Sorry if you had to deal with it.
Do any QMs struggle with the image limit being reached before the thread is over?
>>6410239I'm starting to get there. In all likelihood, I'll be starting a new thread this week to avoid having to switch threads mid-mission despite only being on page 3
>>6410239File that under problems I wish I had.
>>6410239Just make a new thread
>>6410282>>6410282>>6410282Four waves to oblivion is live
>>6410301>>6410301>>6410301Our duel with Goku begins! I think it's the third or fourth one already!
>>6410239As someone who draws multiple pictures for every update and gets decent amounts of fanart or image reposts in threads I can honestly say it's never been a problem for me, and that's even for month long threads. Only a very active skirmish like >>6410242 with many active players and tactical maps per each update WITH additional fanart or other pieces would even be at a risk I think.
>>6410431>>6410431>>6410431Oh fuck! Oh shit! Oh fart! Your neighbors (nomadic hunter-bandits) have come to borrow a cup of sugar (kill people and steal shit) just as you realize that... That whatever the fuck you saw? That... Knife... Is in the mansion. Something is in the mansion. So, naturally, you gotta find your cat and your girlfriend NOW!
>>6410492>>6410492
>>6410494We arrive at the planet that supposedly has more Saiyans in it, but it's oddly quiet! How will Vegeta and his crew approach this?Posted too early by accident
>>6410495Premature epostication happens to 30% of all QMs, if you didn't know.
>>6410495>>6410508>PREMATURE EJACULATION??There is a cure for this - your plight is not absent hope for remediation. You must tantrically tease your audience, performing sinuous upper body strength and loin gyration exercises, whilst retaining and delaying the imminent gratification of release for LONGER AND LONGER, exponentially increasing the anticipated waiting interval between every text update...You will know you have achieved the nirvana of transcendental fulfilment, when you completely withold any emission altogether, like some sort of perverted daoist semen retention enthusiast, and simply enjoy the fantastical escapism of imaginative worldbuilding within your own mind, hidden from all others. Meditate upon this and all the delectations of blissful pleasure that await you
If there is anyone still here, the (possibly) last update for The Caretaker Quest of this thread is finally out!it took a while but we are back to it!After making a huge obstacle to buy some time, you have no option but to jump into the unknown! Where will you go from there? Vote now to find out!>>6358384>>6358384>>6358384Didnt even realized there was a new thread...
>>6407330>QM Question:At the beginning, it took me around 2 to 3 days, then it became 3 to 5 days, now a days it takes me around a week, sometimes more if i get a writers block or have to deal with irl stuff.>Player Question:a few times actually, i cant remember what it was, but i´ve had several in "Disappearing Hogwarts" and "Hatch that egg!">General Question:Never had the opportunity to play one, maybe one day...>Lurker Question:i try to do as often as possible in the quests i play!
>>6407330>How much time do you spend on your quest besides writing/drawing for it? This includes notes, behind-the-scenes crunch, drawings that don't go with updates, side content, etc.Not much. Mechanically, I just update character sheets and haphazardly prepare stuff for incoming longer arcs. It's very similar to preparing as a TTRPG dungeon master, actually. Most of my notes is just important sections of the quest lore copypasted into a doc.I've also prepared a roll20 "campaign" that is just going to be for the purpose of taking screenshots of tokens of characters that are present in a scene. Might be helpful to know who's with you without having to list them every single time in the posts.>How do you feel about multiplayer games/quests/skirmishes? Which type, if any, do you prefer, and why?They're very fun as long as the people involved keep it fun, it's also A LOT of work for the QM to produce any meaningful amount of content. Thankfully slow /qst/ helps in this regard. My favorite type will always be civs, building a country along with other players is very fun.
>>6408062>>6410699>The Time Machine?There was this quaint and whimsical film in 2002 with Guy Pearce that bloke from Memento in it, based on the familiar HG Wells scifi story about the British Victorian dilettante whose wife dies and whilst trying to bring her back he accidentally travels into the far future and discovers predatory cannibalistic Morlocks have forced all the peaceful primitive-reverting human remnants to cower in hiding dwelling in subterranean caverns or something, in hindsight watching this film it is actually about how eventually Hollywood cinema would persuade white men they needed to abandon their white wives and romantically embrace fetchingly indigenous racially ethnic cavemen women or something. So in that sense this 2002 Time Machine film did indeed predict the future
>>6410709>>6410709>>6410709It's quiet, too quiet in Vegeta Quest.
>>6410719>>6410719>>6410719Four Waves to Oblivion (Tournament arc) is live
>>6408062I will give a serious dungeonmaster reply to BananasQM topic hehe, in terms of how to "predict what happens next". In my experience, random tables are better for the initialisation phase (ie the tabula rasa blank slate start) eg character creation / random table roll generate lifepath, virtue / flaw / fate background relationships etc, or if it is a city or biome setting worldbuilding etc. I find the random table can be too ad hoc or distracting and divergent for stories "in progress" unless you self curate and constrain the possibilities in a narratively plausible manner (ie you have made the random table yourself, specific to the immediate imminient situation at hand)So in my games I have used 1d6 die of fate type outcomes, and I typically do 1... atrocity / failure ~ 6 heroic conquest success, with a comedy and a bizarre outcome thrown in there as well. But usually what I want with the table is less success / fail outcomes, instead to generate a TONE or MOODI tend to heavily draw upon dramaturgical and genre plausible outcomes, from films literature videogames in terms of scenarios that might emerge. In fact an encouraging sign of PLAYER DUNGEONMASTER PLAY COLLABORATION (this almost never happens in real life) is when your players can "sense the unspoken" narrative rhythm of what might be occurring and respond accordingly, to the extent you don't even need to forcibly shape the narrative at all. But an even more advanced version of this roleplaying is when you discard the theatrical masquerade of games and just take the scenario from REAL LIFE, eg actual journalism articles. I often read news reports academic research or financial analysis and imagine how I would reframe them in a roleplaying game, what moral quandaries and dilemmas might emerge. In fact this works even in a very shallow sense (ie just CRIME or MURDER or WAR, but with elves or spaceships and robots) And in films I like to take the "nonobvious scenes" ie not the explosions or gunfights or cgi fx spectacles, but the quiet or introspective tension scenes (often where no speech is exchanged at all) and try and imagine how it would be handled in a roleplaying game. (Often this introduces some very interesting mechanics, for instance you might rethink the attributes the STR DEX CON WIS INT CHA versus many subtle wordless motiveless situations of embarassment hierarchial status display / condescension) You can give this a try right now. Think of any news event, and predict how it might arise in a roleplaying game>Five Nights at Epstein: The Roleplaying Game
Another one to the pile I suppose
Wayward Cosmos is back! Hopefully for good this time. I'll let you know if anything else happens, of course, but for now we're doing bi-daily updates and seeing how it goes. Hoping to switch over to daily before the thread croaks. :)Come greet the mysterious visitor who's interrupted your magic-learning session!>>6410568>>6410568>>6410568
>>6410242>>6410259>>6410265>>6410309I appreciate the feedback.I was thinking about doing an art-heavy quest, but I understand threads tend to linger on this board a while, and I wanted to know if that was a problem.I still need to get the motivation to come up with the writing itself, figure out how exactly updates will work (I want to move past the voting process to make things move somewhat quicker and increase engagement), and do quite a bit of character and worldbuilding, though.
>>6408062The conjunction between plot points should never be "and then". As in "This happens and then this happens."It should always be either "but" or "therefore". As in "This happens but this happens" as new obstacle. Or as in "This happens therefore this happens." as a following consequence.Ideas should flow from the consequences of the actions players take to further towards the goal. Or obstacles that would logically pop up and impede the progress.Having multiple subplots helps as you can shift towards doing this with them as well.
>>6410762>player-centric consequences, world reacts to every decision / contingent choice, obstacle, branching outcomesVERSUS>world-centric consequences. Player action evaluated with regards to logic / consistency with the imaginary world. Despite your most heroic efforts, whatever you try and do - you change nothing...ApocQM your response is very eloquent, I commend it and I think it is also what all game designers including videogame and ttrpg designers tend to instruct and promote for a good player experience maximise the engagement and entertainment hero power-responsibility narrative etc. But this all revolves around an illusory contrived architecture surrounding players, making them feel super powerful relevant and responsible, and I even mentioned previously on the last qtg the Alexis Kennedy "good game" evaluation criteria, of how a game should exhibit PLAYER RESPONSIVENESS But because this is 4chan and not really a platform for harvesting audience engagement reach metrics or revenue lol, I think we can do something more...Don't make your players feel like heroes make them feel a sense of foreboding WORLD DOOM yes the scenarios should reflect their choices but unless they genuinely contribute transform and alter the imaginative landscape, and push out the boundaries of the worldbuilding macro, the course is set. You think you can change the world? The fantasy world CHANGES YOU muahaha As the Hemingway quote has it:>"The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places. But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially. If you are none of these you can be sure it will kill you too but there will be no special hurry. (...)"The moral purpose of the world is more important than delivering yet another dull 10,000th repetition of the cadences of Hollywood Hero's Journey. And if you read the old sagas and myths, they knew and did exactly the same (many are tragic, or end with the chronicle of the hero's death). A game needs to convey wisdom, moral purpose. Wisdom is delivered through an ordeal, and the ordeal needs WORLD DOOM
>>6410762Hell yea. I think Trey Parker and Matt Stone discussed this at length during a lecture at NYU. Great stuff when it comes to quests--keeps things interesting and also gives QMs some extra tools to use when things become stale! Hell, The Odyssey's basically 'Yes, But...' The Story.
>>6409033>>6409093I did end up starting my new quest.>>6410496>>6410496>>6410496100 Rule Quest has officially begun!So far we have Wild Weird West setting with life draining magic, cowboys riding dinosaurs, an anime girl class president mc, a vast encroaching ocean of dangerous wonder, and a nearby desert rabbit kingdom founded after a civil war between them and figs destroyed their home, the third moon of Earth.I couldn't be happier with how it's going so far.
>>6410779>>6410779Well, we're discussing different things here.My point stands whether the consequences are player centric or world centric. If the world relentless crushes the player then that's fine if it's a series of "but then". The player striving towards a goals and constantly encountering obstacle after obstacle, dealing with each with varying degrees of failure can be great. If it ultimately ends in failure or changing the player, or at least mc, rather than changing the world, that can be great.What isn't great is "the world hits you with this, and then this, and then this, and then this."One plot point should flow into the next. That's simply how good storytelling is.And I'll note that you didn't suggest otherwise.I also am tired of seeing the same "determination will prevail" hero stories. But they can better than most Message Fantasy. I had a conversation with a coworker forever ago about how I wish there were more stories that conveyed the message that sometimes you can put forth tremendous passion, effort, and knowledge towards something and still fail due to a lack of talent. Taran Wanderer has a wonderful story about this. Also I talked about how sometimes you can be talented in your role, a good person, and still fail simply because the world moves on and your talent isn't useful anymore. I had only ever seen that with William H. Macy in Pleasantville.My coworker rolled with laughter and informed me that both films that followed Monsters Inc. told those lessons exactly.Sometimes the world crushing your dreams isn't the bad end you think it is.
>>6408584Souv, in layman's terms, what could be done to remedy this situation, & are you familiar with Gotfried Feder's economics?Now that a new Mortal Kombat 2 film is out & a Street Fighter movie has been announced, is anyone inclined to run a Martial Arts Qst?
>>6410930>asking Souvarine to explain things in layman's termslollmao
>>6410957Better luck getting milk from a stone.
>>6410974>>6410974>>6410974A mysterious game has found its way into your Steam library, so of course, you have to play it immediately. Try it out yourself over at Fantasy Quest 7!And please excuse the lack of image quality; the last time I drew anything, I was in middle school.
>>6410930He doesn't like to explain things in layman's terms, and also doesn't like to answer simple, direct questions. He gravitates more towards lasering in on a specific word and then writing multiple inscrutable posts about the ADHD destinations his mind was brought to by the neuron activation of that specific word. I will say that as much as Souv's commentary can irritate me, his contributions as a player to that Candy Quest made me crack the fuck up, I didn't realize he could be such a cool, creative, clever player! Wish he spent less time ranting here in the /qtg/ and more time voting and doing write-ins, that shit with the Kenshi inventory menu had me fucking rolling.
>>6407330>>QM Question:>How much time do you spend on your quest besides writing/drawing for it?With previous quests I devoted hours to it. Developing a system, charting possible plot point progression, crafting assets, finding and modifying art.Now the idea is to replace my idle internet moments and 4chan lack of productivity shit posting into short bursts of writing something I find engaging.So it's very difficult to quantify but minimal. I might get sucked down a rabbit hole again eventually though.
>>6410997Whenever Souvarine is a player, it's genuinely kind of fun. Sometimes still insane and off topic, but secret vampire squid economic knowledge was one f the best running gags in Wastleand Royale with Cheese's Mutant King arc.
>>6411064>>6411064>>6411064I have conceived of an extremely novel, goofy, meta way to prompt feedback from players between story updates, and create space for me to foreshadow or explain narrative/plot elements without spoilers. Even if you are just lurking and reading rather than voting on updates, consider checking out the After-Room interlude for a chance to ask some questions. Either way, the next 'episode' of After-Bloom will kick off later this week!
>>6407330>QM QuestionI'd wager it's about two to three hours a day? Writing takes significantly longer, but I'm somewhat dependent on planning as a crutch for framing my prose.>General QuestionThey seem neat but they're not my speed. I like to watch what people are up to in them sometimes, but I've never been interested in playing in them.
>>6410872>Taran Wanderer / Chronicles Of Prydain?I know of this Lloyd Alexander series, but have not read it. Recently I watched Disney Corporation The Black Cauldron 1985 for the first time, it was okay I was very perplexed by the narrative impetus of their adaptation (the main hero doesn't actually do anything??), but I learnt a cool Welsh word for a wyvern or winged serpent from this film GWYTHAINT I guess the French might call it a guivre or vouivre too, but unusual bestiary names are always useful. >>6410930>how to remedy the economic situation??My apologies anon I am not very well versed in German history and that particular era of economics. In my opinion, if existing laws surrounding markets, monopoly / antitrust were only adequately enforced, equilibrium would be restored without resorting to violent restitution and societal upheaval, but regulatory capture and the lack of Political Will and alignment, make this somewhat unlikely. Far easier to sow the Dragon's Teeth, missile Keynesianism, call it what you willSo my proposed economic solution is illustrated by pic related, it depicts DIS naively doing their best to summon the WORLD DOOM ominous sense of foreboding, within the context of a children's cartoon. The evil skeleton necromancer in this has really amazing voiceover delivery, it is an excellent performance
>>6411188>>6411188>>6411188Four waves to Oblivion is live
>>6411175>>6411175>>6411175We keep fighting weird raptors!
>>6410982looks good
hello all, I'd like to apologize for disappearing in the middle of a quest. Life got busy and I spaced on giving updates, that isn't really an excuse but I thought I would give an explanation as to why I stopped updating. I am interested in starting that quest back up again but id understand if it's also been too long, I'd also understand if it'd be poor etiquette to start a new quest with an unfinished one still on the board which is why I'm going to ask you guys what I should do rather than doing something on my own and getting shit for it.Would you rather I continue Jinx quest, or start the next Swordboy quest? I think I'm going to do one in game quest per thread so the next thread would start with the succubus take-down quest and end with the next quest being issued.I would also understand if you wanted me to finish Jinx quest and wait for Swordboy until later.Again, I apologize for disappearing. I hope giving you guys this choice makes up for it(also, have some art so you REALLY know it's me)
>>6411317It isn't too long - a bunch of people were commenting in the quest like a week ago. You should pick it back up if you have the juice. If you got a new Sword boy idea that's burning though, I think the fresh energy might get you farther.
>>6411317Do what you think you'll enjoy more doing. It's important for an QM to enjoy the quest for him to not drop it.
>>6411317I like both, but am more invested in Swordboy Adventures. Welcome back regardless.
>>6411322>if ur thirsty then drink sumting !!No shit.Engagement is also very important, which is why anyone asks those sorts of questions here; they want to know what people would be interested in.
>>6411319>>6411323I'll admit I'm leaning a little more towards swordboy, but if more people want Jinx ill gladly do it. And I have an idea of how the quest will start and end, so it won't be as directionless as last time>>6411322>>6411329while I'd put it a little more politely that IS kinda what I'm getting at when I asked that question, I don't mind either (even if I have a preference for which one I wanna do) I do still want to know what you guys would rather play
>>6411333My advise would definitely be Swordboy in that case - I bet all the people that were just in the Jinx thread the other day, were originally in SB.
>>6411333If you have a preference, then go with that. If you ever feel motivated to do Jinx you can do it then, it didn't go for that long anyways.
>>6411333>I'd put it a little more politelyI would too, if it hasn't been like this for the past decade (or close enough anyway).Ask for advice? Vague or useless bullshit. Ask if anyone is interested in a pitch? Obvious Captain Obvious useless ass bullshit.Oh, write what you want to write? That's the bare fucking minimum. That is exactly like telling someone "drink something when you're thirsty" when they ask what sorts of drinks everyone wants. Do these faggots really think someone is going to pitch something they DON'T want to write, that they would actually be miserable writing the idea they're asking for input on? Give me a fucking break.It's like telling someone "oh just breathe once in a while" when asking for survival skills. That's the level of bare-fucking-minimum, to the point of being literally INVOLUNTARY, to running a quest.Yeah. Write what you want, and no shit you need to have fun with it. WHO THE FUCK IS GOING TO PITCH WHAT THEY DON'T WANT TO DO, WHAT THEY'D BE BORED OR MISERABLE WRITING?Faggot ass useless motherfucking retards.
>>6411344>WHO THE FUCK IS GOING TO PITCH WHAT THEY DON'T WANT TO DOSchizophrenics.
>>6411317Yea, what >>6411322 said. Think about what you have more drive/excitement to run and go with that--players will come and go, so if you're gonna run a quest it should be one you're prepared for in the long run. If you really need us to choose then I'd pick Swordboy, though I doubt anyone will get pissed off if you restart it now that you have a better idea of how stuff works! Both kinda started and ended relatively prematurely and it wouldn't be the first time a QM just gave it another shot from the beginning.>>6411340Yea, this. Ignore the angry schizo
>>6411354Continuing Swordboy from where it left off would be much better than starting fresh for me.
>>6411355That's fine, just saying it's not unheard of.
>>6411344>WHO THE FUCK IS GOING TO PITCH WHAT THEY DON'T WANT TO DO, WHAT THEY'D BE BORED OR MISERABLE WRITING?Someone who feels like they need to finish what they started? Now SwordQM says he's fine with both, so that's good for him, but I can tell you as a QM myself that 50% of what motivates me is a duty to finishing what i started.
>>6411356Worth noting my preference though since he asked and all.
>>6411358Yea, I know, anon. You responded to me...
>>6411317My honest advice is to not waste your time on /qst/. You are 7 years too late to get even 10 eyes on your quest and make any friends with like minded people. I know it can feel addicting to get attention and maybe you think you have no where else to go. But the attention you get here will be from, on average, low value people. You should look for a larger, less bitter/autistic community or work on improving yourself. You are a young person, just join an art discord or something and make some art friends. If you like I can give you some other sites to tell your story on.
>>6411384Oh brother here we go again
>>6411384This shit just isn't true lmao, we have multiple quests on here with 10+ voters, some even hit 20+. Obviously it's not all of them, and obviously there are sites with more (you)s, but we like the community here and would just BE on those sites if we thought they were better
>>6411390Honestly the fact he said "ten eyes" means at least five people. Like shit's demonstrably untrue that quests get less than five different posters. He's such a silly billy ain't he?
>>6411384There's nothing gayer than someone doing Psych-Evals over what is essentially a fan fiction and CYOA community. Assumption soup with some buzzword bread on the side for dipping.
>>6411390Which quests are routinely getting 10 to 20 voters these days?
>>6411317I would rather see Swordboy continue than me restarted. I am invested in the party dynamicm
>>6411398Off the top of my head? Low Rung Researcher, Last of the Pride, Vanguard, Dusklight Aurora, and Spelldivers. There may be a few more I don't know
>>6411384You will never be a real woman.
>>6407330>QM Question:It kind of depends, I had a general route, planned encounters, a bunch of notes, event/drop tables and some other stuff prepared but things happened and I thought it would be fun to throw the book away, now I'm just running on a very vague outline and a dream. Player choices and write-ins do often send me down research rabbit holes if I really get into it, so it can be either a few minutes or a couple hours, not everything makes it in either. I wish I wish I were confident in my ability to doodle/shop some visual complements to the updates, but due to the ramping scale of things it may be an issue and undermine the mental image people have in the long run.>Player Question:I tend to not write in, which is funny since I almost always take write-ins on my own quest, but I will support others if they're good.
>>6411403To be fair, Vanguard, Dusklight, and Spelldivers are all multiplayer Skirmishes, but yea, those other two do get some good numbers! Low Rung's radical so it makes sense--haven't looked at Last of the Pride yet, but I'm sure it's enjoyable
>>6407330>Player Question:I was the anon that suggested shivers for Gotham City Beat Cop.
>>6411408Last of the Pride is ASOIAF, which always gets big numbers. But to be fair, it is good.
>>6411408>>6411423If you can get past the ten metric tons of random shit in between the posts.
>>6411384I like this community actually. Sure, we have less players, but the few we do have tend to be pretty loyal, if anything. Isn't it wonderful that despite the fact I don't really have an account to follow people still wonder where I'm gone when I or other QM don't upload for a while? I've written stuff with like, 500 readers before, and I burnt out on it. Bigger numbers are cool and all, but I think seeing people discuss what I make on a lower scale makes it easier to process, and I can do without the stress and pressure of more 'professional' platforms.As for numbers, while I don't get that many voters, according to my rentry's I do get around 30 viewers, maybe less if VPN's trigger the view count extra time, but I assume there are many more lurkers than people first assume based on vote count alone.In this era of everything being algorithm and number based, a website with a such a simple and straightforward board system is refreshing. It *actually* feels like a community.
>>6411422Pic Rel. I can't imagine what the quest would look like without that element. The Disco Elysium shit feels right at home in Gotham for some reason.
>>6411150>I know of this Lloyd Alexander series, but have not read it.Unsurprisingly, the books are better. At the risk of spoiling the ending, the sacrifice in the book hits less hard but feels much more real. There's a reoccurring element of not really understanding who people really are.There's a moment where they defeat the general that defected to the evil side to raise an army of the undead. And the leader has them bring back his body to be buried with honors. Taran is like "sweet fuck, why? He's a traitor and tried to kill us all!" And the king pointed out that before that he had be a good and noble general for thirty years and that the last year of his life doesn't undo a lifetime of greatness.>I was very perplexed by the narrative impetus of their adaptation (the main hero doesn't actually do anything??),As I recall, that's fairly accurate to the book. He starts off as literally just a kid who takes care of a pig, gets mixed up in this save the world mission, and is mostly just a viewpoint character.I think he was trying to steel himself to sacrifice himself in the end but ultimately was beaten to it by someone braver and more noble. Taran doesn't start off very "heroic". He's just involved. He's reacting. The entire plot of Taran Wanderer is that he has a year off in between actions they can take against their enemies. So he goes out and learns.The whole series was pretty top notch.
>>6411452
we could use an extra vote in The Caretaker Quest.I came back rested and ready to write, i just need a decision so i can continue.>>6358384>>6358384>>6358384
>>6411384>If you like I can give you some other sites to tell your story on.AAAAAKUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN
>>6411539>but a foolish questing board wielding a tiny community stepped forth to oppose me.>before the final blow was struck I tore open a portal in internet legislation and flung it into the future where my slop is law>now the faggots seek to return to the past and undo the shitfics that is AKUNWhacha
>>6411384>some other sitesThere aren't any.
>>6411430Doesn't matter, he's writing what he wants so he's guaranteed to succeed.Such good advice. :^)
>>6411558There are, but for some strange reason all of the biggest fans of these superior sites just can't help coming back to /qst/ every other day to talk about how they're all so much better. You'd think if they were so incredible their fans would just stay on those websites, but...
