Rebirth?
Welcome to the reboot of the Magical Lyrical Strikers Force role playing game. When I first started this site, it was an experiment, a pivot away from the typical discussion forum, to a more immersive role playing experience. Unfortunately, that concept didn't really take off the way I had hoped. A few months ago, I pivoted again, back to the standard discussion forum with a role playing section. I questioned why I had wanted an internet forum again. The reason wasn't only to participate within a specific game world with dedicated lore. I wanted to create an environment where people could just role play any anime character in any setting, using a variety of system mechanics to choose from. I've thought about this game that I've originally wanted to play again, and it yearns to be created, to be told.The Anime This Game Is Based On:
Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha is not really a new anime. It was originally broadcast in 2004, and it was recommended to me by a friend on a former forum years ago as something that might interest me. I hadn't really known about the Magical Girl genre before then, but you could say that I fell head over heels in love with the genre. This anime has much of what I love in fiction. Cute girls, magic, technology, dimensions, and combat. It's an Action Shoujo, if I may. Anyway, the story is told from the perspective of Nanoha Takamachi, an ordinary third grader. Some interesting stuff happens, and like most magical girl shows within anime, this normal girl now has the power of a nuclear arsenal in her hands through the use of Raising Heart (an Intelligent Magical Device). She teams up with this ferret to collect the powerful Jewel Seeds before they can fall into the hands of evil....The Purpose of This Game:
At least that's the surface level plot of the anime. It's much more complicated, and gets into the Strings of Friendship, love, and a bunch of other girly stuff. Anyway, after watching this series again for the umpteenth time, I got to thinking, I wonder what it was like for Nanoha-- to become a Magical Girl. What's it feel like to transform from normal into ... magical? What kinds of accidents may have occurred off screen? And probably, what would happen to somebody outside of the realm of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, like, somebody from either the normal world, like you or I, or even other anime characters from other realms? This is means this game is an elaborate thought experiment!Who Are You?
So, let's get into creating a character for this game. I want all the player characters to be an original concept-- in that meaning that no characters from within the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha universe are to be directly, personally controlled by players. All of these character are NPCs (Non-Player-Characters). This means that anybody playing the game may possess, say Nanoha, Lindy, or Arf, for example at any time to interact with their own characters. I've indicated above that you may insert an anime character from a different realm-- with the caveat that they aren't already a Magical Girl. So, like you could dump Ranma Saotome (Ranma 1/2) or Noriko Takaya (Gunbuster) into the game, but not somebody like Usagi Tuskino (Sailor Moon), because she's already a Magical Girl.So, what is the definition of a Magical Girl? Simply put, this is any character that experiences a magical transformation that grants him/her any unusual magical abilities that they normally do not have access to. For example Lina Inverse (Slayers) does not qualify as a Magical Girl, despite being a Sorceress, because although she uses magic, she does not transform into an alternate identity to use her magic. She has a reputation as herself, period. Technically, I could allow somebody like Lina into the game, however, you'd have to specify that her magical abilities are unique and different enough from her base form to be admitted into the game as your character.
We have a few options as to the Game Mechanic (System) that we can use. I'm wanting something that is flexible, but has a high degree of build your own magical spells mechanics in it. Right now, because I'm enjoying the simplicity of reading the Big Eyes Small Mouth 2nd edition RETRO book, I'm leaning toward going that direction.-- After all, I do have quite a bit of experience with that system in general (specifically 3rd edition). So why not just use third edition? For a number of reasons. First, the edition was rushed, and has left a sour taste in fans' mouths because of the drama involved with the publisher. But primarily because Third Edition isn't very balanced, and has some things missing that Fourth Edition resolves. But I prefer the Second Edition for two main reasons: First, it's more simplistic than Fourth, yet incorporates the simplicity from the Revised Second Edition with some things from the Fourth Edition Everything is in one book, unlike Fourth Edition which has several supplements-- supplements that can become cumbersome. Second it uses a Roll Under mechanic, which makes it ideal for Play by Post role play.
However, I'm also considering other game systems too. Cypher System is also a contender because although it uses a d20, Roll Over mechanic, all the Players make all the rolls. It's flexible enough, I believe that it could tackle the strangeness of anime, and it's simple enough to create powerful characters, and even more so powerful enough to create any character, so long as you're willing to get into the nitty-gritty of the character builds. Savage Worlds could be an interesting mechanic to use, although I don't have any experience playing it, and then of course there's always the old stand by, GURPS, which also uses a Roll Under mechanic. But as a friend of mine has pointed out recently, GURPS can have a way of becoming overly-complicated with too many options, and I'd really prefer to stick with just a single book. So, as I've written this out, I think I've made my decision, but I'll leave this open for other people to add their two cents.
Anyway, game system aside, you're not going to be creating a Level One character. By this, I mean that we're probably not going to be upgrading our characters using the typical role playing method. I'm hoping you've at least watched Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha before entering the game, specifically the First Season. If not, you can access it in our Media Library and stream it for free. Please for the love of everything that's holy, be at least a little familiar with the setting and characters? Anyway, you're going to be advancing your character narratively instead of purely mechanically. What this means, is instead of reaching a specific number of XP to advance your Stat and Skill numbers, add new powers, etc, what you'll do is explore growth through the narrative. Pushing your character under dramatic conditions. This is a game about character growth, and I want to re-enforce that throughout the game. We, as characters are exploring the world, we are growing, and experiencing that growth. The advancement should reflect this as well. Therefore, you'll start as a pretty ordinary human, but keep some notes as to where you want to end up as a concept. Keep in mind that most Magical Girls specialize in a specific realm of influence: Fire, Lightning, Healing, Death, Summoning, etc. This is why I need a game system that allows for a build your own magic approach, and I feel, based on my current experience, BESM 2 RETRO is a good fit. This way, you're not boxed into knowing only specific spells. You have an entire domain of power to exert control over.
Where Do We Begin?
Like most anime, especially Magical Girl shows, we'll begin on Earth. And to make things easier, and so that the main reason for the game isn't overshadowed by our over-zealous imaginations, we'll keep to the modern time frame: 2025, why not? This gives us a recent frame of history to explore and manipulate. You'll most likely be a student attending some school, and it may not even be the same school as any of the other characters in the game. Needless to say, you probably won't be an adult. The Magical Girl genre is one that has elements of Coming of Age built into it, and for some reason, it's terrifyingly comical to watch a bunch of pre-adolencents and teenagers suddenly gain access to unimaginable powers. This translates into one word: mischief.Additionally, you'll probably either suddenly adopt a pet, or some random animal will begin stalking you. This will be your Companion, your Guide into the Magical Realm-- as is in just about every Magical Girl show I've seen This Companion will be directly under your control. Please remember that your Companion does not necessarily follow your main character's orders. Note that this animal may not be a normal household pet, but could actually be an exotic alien life-form masquerading as a normal animal.
Finally, you'll need to assign your character an Item of Power-- the Intelligent Magical Device that grants your character his/her magical abilities. Typically, in it's non-activated form it's a rather mundane looking object. It could be a marble, rock, safety pin, heck, even a pair of socks! However, when activated, it becomes a magical staff (at minimum), or any other weapon, melee or ranged. In Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, the Staff is a common form, although there's also swords, archery bows, even pistols. Another title, Magical Girl Site, the protagonist had a time-teleportion gun-- if I remember correctly, so while the Device didn't directly benefit the protagonist, it did deliver a magical effect.
How Do I Play?
Alright! Now for the juicy part you've been waiting for, I assume. Much like the original game, there could to be a number of Threads started. Each Thread is a location/plot, a localized bubble setting that doesn't interact with any of the other plot points occurring in the game. Anybody is free to create a new Thread. Players may introduce their characters to any Thread that is marked Open. If a Thread is marked Closed, then no other characters may be added. Think of that reality imploding or sealing itself away from the greater universe. Some explanations could include that the protagonist who created the Plot died or was killed, or simply chose to abandon that Plot. Although a Closed Thread could be locked by a Staff member, I'm hoping to not need to do that. This way, people can resume a Plot Thread whenever they'd like.You're welcome to participate as your character either in First Person perspective or Third Person perspective. Whichever feels more comfortable to you . you may switch perspectives at any time. Feel free to use the Linked Accounts feature on this forum, to create a Fictional Character persona if you'd like. Only you have access to a Fictional Character you create. (Note that any member may use a Canon Character persona account.)
I would ask that when adding a post/reply, that you do more than just respond to any dialog and questions. Include an action beat, some description, anything that other players can latch onto and play with. A good rule of thumb is try to create at least one paragraph worth of content when adding a post. This will not only answer any interactions with other players, but also allow you to create more of the environment and setting that we all get to play around in. I would also like to take this opportunity to point out that we are all authors of this story. Therefore, that means that we all have creative license to modify the world as needed. Do you need a wrench to do something? Oh look, there on the table over there, somebody left an adjustable wrench. Do you need a car? Maybe somebody stops to pick you up along the side of that road. Adding minor details like this are encouraged. You don't need to wait for feedback from the Game Master (me). Just create the damn thing, okay? Games like Cypher System call this a Player Intervention. And regardless of whatever system we use, we're using this narrative tool to our benefit. You can also make very small, limited changes to the world/plot without permission. Major changes, like resurrecting your dead girlfriend? That's gonna need an act from a Goddess (like me!), and probably expending some points/meta currency, etc.
Finally, last but not least, keep mindful of the basic site rules. No hate. No God-Modding, No Rulz-Lawyering in the game threads. Profanity, sexual content, and violence are permitted (within reason obviously), as indicated by the Role Playing Realm Rating (3/2/2). Innuendo, perversion and fan-service are fine. Explicit pornography is a no-go, got it? (I can't believe that I have to say this, right?
Oh, and the most important rule: Have fun!
