The King's Players - Discussion/Planning Thread

[Mnemosyne]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

The game sounds awesoe, Mnemosyne! I'm afraid I'll have to miss out on it, though, because I won't have enough time to participate properly.

You can still write up a minor character who only shows up for a couple of days, though, if you'd like. At this rate, we're probably going to need a loremaster or three...

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Mnemosyne

You can still write up a minor character who only shows up for a couple of days, though, if you'd like. At this rate, we're probably going to need a loremaster or three...

Even a minor character has to talk. I cannot post from school, and I have limited time at home. That won't give me enough time to have any conversation. Plus, things will be going on while I'm at school with real life speed, and my character will be rooted to the spot the whole time! The most I can do is a character that will come and go right away...

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

I've fallen desperately in love with the concept of a dragon, and based on research I've done in the past year, I'm distinctly interested in automatons. Anybody read The Invention of Hugo Cabret?

Would it perturb anybody if I was a mostly minor character (depending on my free time) with the role of Dragon Puppeteer? I don't wish to confiscate this brilliant idea from its owner, though. Nerwen? Mneminem?

"It don't matter if there was or wasn't, because Mount Doom and The Lonely Mountain both had rings and hobbits!"

Also, how will the time line work? Are there specific goals we should be playing toward each Day, or is it more loose than that? Two weeks is lovely, but how will each real life day correlate with the writing of the game day?

[Dimturiel]

I just read this game proposal today and I think it's a great idea. I think it is safe to say that I can commit myself to posting every day for two weeks, since I'm more or less free at the moment. Therefore I think I could try my hand at a main character, if that's ok with you.

I do have one question, though. What about the actors? Is it going to be an all male cast like in the medieval/ Renaissance period? Or are there female actors as well? I was just wondering so I could get a better idea of what a cast of actors in Gondor would look like.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

This is a wonderful game idea! It sounds like it will be great fun. My first spontaneous thought was to offer a cameo by my alter ego Estelyn Telcontar, the Loremistress of Minas Tirith. Alas, her backstory doesn't fit into the timeframe (she's Arwen's great-granddaughter), and my personal timeframe doesn't fit into the RPG either. I will be travelling in two weeks, so participation will not be possible for me. I will most certainly read the story with great interest.

(PS - I'm the writer who has done seamstress characters in a couple of RPGs, but as I can't write here, I would encourage Bêthberry or someone else to take on that role.)

[Boromir88]

Alright, can I say that I'm in love with theater troupes and how amusing they can be, especially one that's basically starting up with it's first "major" production (if I've got Mnemo's premise right).

As it is for me right now, I'm taking an extended break from WW, because I can't do any sort of commitment on the weekends. However, Mondays-Fridays, I'm anyone's who wants me. If someone will be able to pick up my character on Saturdays and Sundays, I can be a regular player. If not, then I'll begin thinking of some minor roles.

My thought for a regular character, would be the loud, arrogant member of the troupe, who thinks he's the biggest star of the show, and tries to hog the spot-light. I can imagine a character, who has as much humility as Denethor, playing Sam or Gandalf. That would go over well, in front of the King.

And if I feel because of my inability to commit any writing saturday-sunday, for minor roles, I was originally thinking a theater critic from Minas Anor. However, since we're leaning towards the Renaissance model, I think it'd be too early to have any psuedo-professional theater critic.

Instead if you're looking for cameos to focus on the historical accuracy of the performance. I've had an image of Imrahil, in the "changing" Gondor would be fond of the arts. So, I'm thinking a Swan-knight of Dol Amroth, who went with Imrahil to Minas Tirith, would likely be interested in attending the big show?

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

A thought...

Would a Greek Chorus equivalent be appropriate in this instance? Because I could see potential for some hilarity ensuing, and that would allow for some poetry to come into the mix in a very meaningful way.

[Durelin]

Well I'll be person #whatever to say that this is a very cool game idea but I cannot participate because I'm in a very busy part of the semester atm. I love the acting troupe idea and can't wait to see how it develops!

[Mnemosyne]

Taken by the numbers...

Galadriel55, that's a shame. I do hope you'll read the RP, though, and if you're following the general planning discussion as we try to zero in on theatrical culture and you have any ideas, feel free to continue.

That goes for everyone else who might be looking on with interest--obviously the people who are playing the game will ultimately decide what we are and aren't going to do, but I, at least, would not mind having more ideas to toss about than I can come up with on my own.

Fea, the Dread Dragon was not my idea--it was Nerwen's. Consequently I have no problem with your becoming our resident dragon operator, as long as she wasn't planning to do anything with it.

Dimturiel, welcome to the Players! At the moment we're much more in need of players who can commit to posting regularly, so I'm really pleased that you've expressed interest. Do you have any ideas for a character yet?

The nature of theater at this time is actually our current source of debate. Given attitudes towards women in Middle-earth in general, I don't see any reason that women shouldn't be allowed to act. (Gondor is remarkably sanitized from the kinds of professional women that actresses were often mistaken as or expected to be.) On the other hand, how many of the shows that the Players put on would require a large number of female parts? Of course, in a pinch, any of the actors (I think) would be comfortable enough playing someone of the opposite sex, especially if actresses take on the part of "youths" like any good mezzo-soprano.

Estelyn, depending on how long the planning takes, you may be able to hop in anyway... That's actually something for everyone to keep in mind--the two weeks of gameplay are going to start in the future... hopefully only two to three weeks from now, but maybe longer, depending on how long it takes for us to fill up our cast, get better acquainted with our characters, and come up with enough of a plot so that we're not floundering away.

Boro - If we can all make sure to plan things out now, I don't see why you shouldn't be able to take on a main part. Now that we're discussing the extent to which people can write others' characters on the Measure of Success thread, this could be a way of determining whether the sky will, in fact, fall down if someone takes over someone else's character for a few days. Of course, one of the weekends your character could get a bad stomach virus*, or, depending on how much we have outlined, you could give a player, in advance, a post of what your character might be doing during that time. The point is, as long as we have enough people keeping the plot rolling, having to miss out on the weekends isn't terrible. After all, any one of us could fall sick, or suddenly have to spend the next three days on the road because our job was cancelled early due to a swine flu outbreak.

*If, in fact, you decide to be our Leading Ham, getting ill right before the performance would make an even better plot twist, would it not?

The chorus - an interesting idea, and not necessarily limited to the Greek style. Having someone to serve as a narrator of sorts could easily work. As far as poetry goes, another model that we might want to keep in mind are the extended nights of theater that were so popular in Victorian times, in which you have a farce, some singing while the set is changed, and then a tragedy, etc. I was actually looking online last night for the video of the 1980's stage Nicholas Nickleby, in which the characters do put on such an entertainment--Romeo and Juliet with a sudden surprise happy ending, and I think the whole thing ends with a patriotic song. The point is, there are a lot of styles to choose from and mix and match.

When I get back to my computer tonight, I'll put up a post with some more concrete questions so that we can begin to narrow some things down. At the very least I'll need these answered so I can get a better feel for my character.