Googlie our game narrator.

[Kody]

N = Narrator (generally fills in background, might write a history of current events - I started "The View From Above" but realized that the game had to get more involved before I could provide that "from space" view without giving faction secrets away - it'll be resumed soon)

Googlie,

I was wondering if you would be interested in a more involved narration. I'm not sure if you noticed, but I was asking someone from the hive to coordinate some planetary IC stuff so we could get other factions involved too.

The main issue was we needed a good story line we could participate in. So your task would be to, come up with interesting events people could react to, prompt each faction to write certain things from their prespective, and copy relevant sections to the other factions.

To ensure that there is no information leaked that we don't want leaked out, it's a requirement that each post team members write, has a header that says which factions you as the Narrator are allowed to copy it to.

The great thing is none of the factions will be getting all of the story, and that would serve to make the story more interesting. When the ACDG is all said and done we should release the full story.

If you feel like it you can write for characters not affiliated with any faction to add spice.

I want to make it clear that this is just an idea I'm putting forth. If you think it would be interesting for you I'm certain there will be enough support from the hive to get story sections written. However, this is a fairly big ask and you will be going beyond the call of duty so if you don't feel like it you don't have to do anything.

[Googlie]

So if I understand, I would suggest to the 'designated storyteller" a game event or events around which that faction's version of the yarn could be spun?

Such as:

the arrival in port of a PEACE (or other pactmate's) vessel

A base spinning off a colony pod

two scouts (or other units) from rival factions meeting each other face-to-face

a new SP gets built

a successful defense against a mindworm attack

the goings-on at a strategic planning committee session of a faction

two co-operating covert ops agents discussing a 3rd (or AI) faction's data

That sort of thing?

[Kody]

Yes, but I would even say you have more flexibility than that. Allow you to make up stuff that might only be indirectly related to the game.

The idea is the story will attempt to follow what is going on in the game, but allow for spin offs that may make things more interesting.

Also one of the things would be giving suggestions on what could be written as well. I know some people perfer to get a one or two line outline on what they could write about.

[Kody]

I just thought that since you're more restricted in participating in the game side of things, you'll like to take a more active role in roleplay and such. Think of it job as a sort of movie director.

I think just looking at rules all day long wouldn't be as fun for you. Also I think many people are forgetting that even though your the CMN, the job requires alot of your free time and you should be able to participate in some of our fun too.

Anyway it's about time we started interacting between factions roleplaywise. At least the hive will get a faster method of for transporting their spam to other factions.

[Googlie]

Originally posted by Kody
I think just looking at rules all day long wouldn't be as fun for you.

LOL, if only you knew how much fun it is .......

Seriously, though, my routine is to open every turn as it's posted, and then load up the previous year's turn (ie I load the terranx.exe twice, to have 2 versions of the game running at the same time) and tab:alt between them to ensure that there are no events happening, troop movements, game communications, orders changes etc that are unnatural (and if the faction has posted turn orders as well I'll load that up and alt:tab there as well for confirmation that orders are being complied with. And you'll appreciate how long it takes me to monitor a Hive turn)

If there are gameplay things I see that any PBEM vet could see, then I'll post to the appropriate forum - these would be thing like using the stockpile energy feature, giving a crawler its orders at the end of its movement run instead of leaving it till the start of the next turn, etc etc. I do this as I recognize that the smac/x level of expertise differs, and I don't think a faction should be penalized for not knowing those commonly used procedures.

Then I read every word posted in the forums (all right, I skim through the Hive spam) and where someone has posed a question, I post an answer. Or if someone has made a wrong assumption - which might influence a certain course of action - and there is common knowledge to the contrary, I'll post a correction (eg "Let's go for SoTHB, that extra tech would be wonderful" - I'd post "The PUT announced its discovery in 2110" That sort of stuff.)

I have helped factions interpret their covert intelligence data - in some instances revealing procedures that players in that faction didn't know were possible from the seemingly limited resources at their disposal. Or comments and corrections on tech-tree sequences. Again, should they be penalized because their level of smac/x knowledge isn't as great as some others?. I don't think so (but others do, and this has given rise to the accusations of aiding and abetting beyond the traditional CMN role - allegations to which I have admitted, and agreed will monitor closely. But in most PBEM situations the CMN's role is usually limited to making the map, placing the factions and setting the passwords. I see this game's CMN role as a lot broader)

Then I open any e-mails and PM's that might be waiting that are game related, and deal with them (actually I open the e-mails first before even downloadign the turns and then go to 'Poly. PM's get left to the last as my ZoneAlert seems to have problems with them and frequently I have to reboot with ZA disabled just to open them)

So, yes, I have lots of time on my hands

GGLIE

[Kody]

Wow I never realised anyone read those preturn move reports anymore. I thought everyone stopped after the reports started going over 100 lines.

[Googlie]

Hey, K - don't under-rate yourself. Although I've been a smac'er since the OWO forum days I can still learn, and I am as I follow your faction's progress !! (And it wouldn't be nearly so easy to do without your "road map")

G.