Taken from the MUSH bboards.
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Most of you already know what this bbpost is going to say. Over the past week, I have talked to the large majority of the playerbase about the future of the game, and nothing in this mail will surprise them. If I haven't had a chance to speak to you yet, it probably means either I wasn't on much when you were online, or you weren't on much when I was online. Either way, I want to speak to you and give you a chance to ask me questions directly and give me a chance to get your input.
At this point, Dark Horizons has reached the limits of what it can do in its Clone Wars setting. The factions we've known and fought for or against have largely expended their power to shape our RP; the galactic conflict has spent its momentum in a series of large wars, and we have run out of momentum. We've had good times and bad, but as things stand, the meta-plot of the game doesn't offer much opportunity for players to enrich and play out their characters' stories. Our setting, plot, and thematic focus needs to be redefined and re-sharpened so that the world enriches the RP rather than simply providing a place to stand.
There are other, subsidiary issues that the wizards need to address. After two years of play in a basically linear system, there is an unbridgeable power gap between old players and new players. While long-standing characters should have a strong edge, we have reached the point where the lack of a real chance at competition demoralizes new and old players alike. We need to level the playing field so that everyone can both have a challenge and a chance at success. Gameplay also needs a tune-up. Some of our core systems, like the economy and the space system, need a total overhaul. Others, such as the bomb and hotwiring systems, were poorly thought out, and need to be removed and replaced with a clear system of rules using the +check system. In general, we would prefer to have code where it's absolutely vital, and a more freeform, rule-based approach where individual judgement and common sense is more important. And to bring the story-world to life and make those common-sense rulings, we need a fresh approach to staffing as well, with staff's main mission being Storytelling, bringing our world to life and continually sucking our players ever deeper into the story.
In short, we need a fresh start--a total relaunch.
It is 200 years after the battle of Endor, itself the final consequence of a chain of calamitous events that reach back into the era of the Clone Wars, when the Black Imperium assailed the Republic from without and corruption sapped it from within. Victory over the Empire was not achieved easily for the Rebel Alliance, and all their struggles and travails were not sufficient to restore the full glory, wealth, and prosperity of the Old Republic. 150 years of struggle ensued after Endor, and though the restored Republic conquered most of the Core, it was a ruinous war.
About fifty years ago, aided by the reformed order of Jedi Knights re-founded after Endor by Luke Skywalker, the Republic finally succeeded in defeating its strongest rivals and imposing peace on the Core. With the courage and sacrifices of ten generations of heroes fresh in their minds, the people of the Republic and the Jedi strove to maintain the virtue, honesty, and integrity which alone could protect their new Republic from the fate of the old.
Even fifty years after the war ended, the galaxy is drained after nearly 200 years of military buildup and destruction. It is a poorer universe--not post-apocalyptic, not miserable, but not the vast, lavish, immensely wealthy world of the Clone Wars or even the titanic military machine of the Galactic Empire. Life is on a more modest scale, and a lone freighter and pilot count for more; it is harder to be lost in the faceless masses.
But a terrible evil has been growing on the borders of the Core, and now is ready to challenge the Republic in a deadly struggle for the body and soul of the galaxy. As members of the Sith Imperium, the Republic's forces, independent groups of smugglers, freighters, or pirates, or even members of elite formations such as Rogue Squadron and Nemesis, the heroes and villains of the future will struggle for control of the legacy of Star Wars.
How are we going to get there?
The wizards have been planning DH's future direction for some time. As a result, we've had the chance to plan out a lot of the changes we need to make across the board. There are too many improvements in the works to list here, but we are going to be listing them on our official development board, the HQ for the work-in-progress:
swdh.rpg-board.net
Some of the improvements and changes will be things only the wizards could do, or only I can do -- the revised space system and expansions to the Force Powers system will fall under that category. The vast majority of development, however, will be feedback-open -- we need your feedback to make sure it's the best it can be, and we will probably need your help to make sure it all happens. We will need help creating theme and IC history, building, descing, designing item types and classes, creating and descing ship and vehicle and animal classes, playtesting revised systems and new rule sets, and helping us create a clear, coherent, and consistent body of rules and policy. Many of you have offered to help out; to all of you, thank you--we are going to need your help, inspiration, feedback, and passion.
Our goal is to have everything completed and thoroughly playtested by (tentatively) August 1st, with an absolute no-negotiation deadline of August 31st. We have a substantial amount of the wizard-intensive work already done, so the goal is realistic but definitely is going to be intense.
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Until August 1st, the current Dark Horizons will remain open and active, RP-live. On August 1st, any ships, money, vehicles, and armies that haven't been used (as well as whatever has been used) will cease to exist, and we'll begin a transition to the new, relaunched game. Before August 1st, it's game-on. If you happen to die before August 1st, you will receive 85% of your total spent experience back immediately, so that nobody will be cut out of the excitement of the endgame. This is your opportunity to bring your character's story to a climax and assure him/her a place in history.
Palpatine is going to make his move very soon. If, by August 1st, he has failed to achieve victory, the Empire will be delayed by 10-20 IC years, and the history of the future will reflect that failure and the stories of the heroes who helped thwart him and buy time for the creation of the Rebel Alliance.
That is all for now, but I will be available for several hours each day to talk to you and answer questions. You can also post questions and ideas to the web bulletin boards at swdh.rpg-board.net.
Gulp
