The Once & Future BDI: The Experiment

All sorts of out of character chat.
Post Reply
User avatar
Nymphetamine
Admin
Posts: 601
Joined: Thu May 10, 2012 1:09 pm
Preferred Title: Marog the Destroyer
Characters: Aezra
Azalia Stygian
Eliya Almakira al-Fasaad
Ianesene
Isabelle Auxerre
Nesira Vertal
Rix
Senkessa Silak-Dekhal
Siraz'jah Av'Zathrak
Location: Seattle, WA

The Once & Future BDI: The Experiment

Post by Nymphetamine »

March 23rd marks BDI's 19th birthday this year. BDI is now old enough to vote in most countries, and can even drink liquor in some. This is quite a feat for an IRC RP channel, and we still stand as one of the oldest, if not -the- oldest RP channel still alive today.

As some of you know, the topic of setting stagnation and the lack of technological progression in character has been a heated and much debated one for several years in BDI. With the best of intentions, the ops have consistently voted towards preserving the setting as it was 10+ years ago. No one could have expected that BDI would be facing this issue 19 years after its foundation.

Shortly after the move to Darkmyst, we once again hosted a discussion about this very thing, more pointedly focused on the inclusion of airships and firearms. The final consensus from the ops, myself among them, was that when people thought of "medieval" as a time period, it did not include firearms. Likewise, the description of "Tolkein-esque fantasy" would not allow for either of these elements specifically.

After some discussion between the op team in the last few months, we've decided on launching an experimental channel centered in a Drache a few centuries in the future of the current channel. It's something that's been asked about a few times in the last year or so, it would address the technological stagnation, and provide a new opportunity for RP in a not-medieval time period, but still in the same world that's been lovingly created and added onto over the course of nearly two decades.

We haven't laid down many details about the experimental channel save that it will be 200-300 years in the future from the current BDI's timeline and will be located in Drache somewhere, but not necessarily IN the Black Dragon Inn. (This is a way to distinguish the new channel from the old on sight, but may be amended based on feedback later.) The technological level will be of an early modern time period, pre-industrial, circa 1600-1750 and heavily influenced by the practice and development of magic.

As the original channel was created by the players, we're intentionally going to leave a lot of the direction and setting to be determined in play. A basic outline of how the world would have progressed to this point will be developed and provided.


Things to note:

* #BlkDragon*Inn will still be the main channel. Play will still be encouraged there for those that wish to continue playing there, as they have always done. The continuity will not be effected whasoever. Returning players often find it pretty awesome that their characters are still around after 5+ years, and this is something we feel strongly about.

* #BDI*Outside is likely to be closed as an official channel due its lack of use in the last few months.

* The new channel is intentionally set far enough into the future that any events in the main/medieval channel will effect its own continuity but not necessarily break anything in the new channel.

* We are intentionally starting low key with the new channel. Things like a wiki or refined and individualized bots for the new channel will follow provided interest in the channel warrants it.


We're aiming for a mid to late March launch date for the new channel, with a site revamp to coincide with or follow shortly there after.

As always, any thoughts, feedback, suggestions, comments or questions are welcomed. Feel free to post them up to this thread for discussion.
DurHandler
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2012 12:33 am

Re: The Once & Future BDI: The Experiment

Post by DurHandler »

Wooooooooo! /Archer
Autocrat
Esquire
Posts: 13
Joined: Mon Oct 15, 2012 11:26 pm

Re: The Once & Future BDI: The Experiment

Post by Autocrat »

I fully endorse this experiment.

BDI has stagnated far too long in a "tolken-esque" fantasy setting without any serious flexibility toward technological or scientific progression.

We wouldn't have to be "steam punk" where form is over function, but it would be nice to see some advancement side-by-side with magic or in addition to magic.

It would also be nice to see the political climate in the continent on which Arangoth rests. A war or two, even a civil one, would do well within the period of 200 years. It wouldn't have to be present and, in my opinion, would probably be better served in the past. . though somewhat recent. As recent as, perhaps, the Korean War or Vietnam war is to us. Or Desert Storm.

Maybe Drache faced some political upheaval where the Crown was briefly overthrown only to be reinstated some years later in a bloodless coup.
thornasures
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Mar 23, 2014 8:51 pm
Characters: Thorn`Asures

Re: The Once & Future BDI: The Experiment

Post by thornasures »

As a long time Roleplayer and sometime visitor to BDI over the course of many years, I have to say I'm absolutely in love with this idea.. enough that I actually created a forum account. I probably would have played in BDI more in the past but my preference has always lay with technology a bit more advanced than a medieval setting. I look forward to playing in the new channel!
Post Reply