Gauging Interest: Praetorian Earth RP?

[LongHalloween]

In the Homecoming Discord, I've seen some people post screenshots of Praetorian-themed characters, discuss concepts related to Praetorian Earth, and ask around if there was any RP to be had in everyone's favorite morally ambiguous dystopian mirror dimension. I'd be eager to try and explore Praetorian Earth as a setting and experience some of the themes and vibes from a roleplaying perspective, but I want to see if that's a shared sentiment with other roleplayers in the community, and if so, if people would like to find a way to come together and RP together in Praetoria Earth within any of its in-game zones.

 

I'll post some of my random thoughts and ideas below about the prospect of Praetorian RP, but ultimately, the purpose of this thread is to determine interest. I'd love for others to submit their own thoughts, observations, experiences, questions, and ideas related to the idea of working with PE as an RP setting.. If we could all pull together and figure out what exactly we're looking for in terms of opportunities, tone, events, etc, it would make any potential projects much more reflective of what people are looking for.

 

 

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Spoiler talk, regarding CoH's narrative and the complications it would present:

 

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So, yes, with the current course of CoH's storyline, Praetorian Earth doesn't truly exist in the same way that its in-game areas currently reflect. After an attempted invasion, Tyrant and Dominatrix were captured, and the dimension was swallowed up by the Devouring Earth, with its few survivors fleeing to Primal Earth. I'm sure someone else can provide a much more accurate and detailed synopsis of all the events that have transpired, but the main point is that within any sort of RP continuity or timeline, whatever RP happens over in Praetoria would need to be treated as something that happened in the past. Fooling around with the idea of time distortion/time travel or a 2nd Praetorian Earth dimension that conveniently exists is too convoluted and silly to really work IMO. It would be better to treat everything that happens as some form of "prequel" to whatever trouble their character gets into in Primal areas and storylines. It's not exactly a perfect solution, but it's about the only way I can think to make this work.

 

My own general thoughts about what I'd be trying to find in Praetorian RP:

 

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What I'm most interested in is exploring the moral ambiguity and dystopian themes present in Praetorian Earth. Exploring a setting where superheroes are assets of the state rather than upstanding citizens, navigating complex moral choices and dilemmas where being a good person (or even just a reliable one) is complicated by one's allegiances and ideals. I'd like to explore some of the in-setting politics, such as the war between the Resistance and Loyalists, the unofficial rivalry between the Powers Division and PPD, the feuding between different Powers Division members to become top dogs, the inherent corruption in Praetorian Society and how groups like the Syndicate take advantage of it, and more. While the usual maturity level I go for in RP is "PG-13" (or a light R, if everyone agrees on it), I think there's some potential to get into some darker and grittier ideas and themes as long as they're handled respectfully and don't become gratuitous or edgy for the sake of edginess.

 

General ideas and thoughts about RP opportunities.

 

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There could be plenty of different ways to work with PE as a setting depending on what people want out of it.

 

If people are looking for a casual/social setting but with some sort of dystopian or "darker" twist, Loyalists could easily host parties, galas, and banquets, not just for regular partygoers but for the elite of Praetorian society as well. This could be an opportunity for players to depict their characters rubbing elbows with important figures as well as getting to know one another. Meanwhile, Resistance members could meet in a shady underground bar or some sort of "speakeasy". Underground raves and festivals would fit the vibe the faction goes for.

 

If the idea is something a little more serious or invested, then the sky's really the limit. Loyalists could meet in governmental buildings, parks, or or other nicer parts of the city while Resistance characters take to the rougher parts of the city and underground. Interactions would potentially center more on each character's particular role or place in Praetorian Earth's government (or outside it), and conversations would focus on politics, planned patrols/raids/operations/etc, different individuals' backgrounds or experience. The idea to me is that the focus would be more on each character's occupation or part to play rather than their personal lives.

 

While I like the idea of RPing out missions and arcs together, it can be a little bit tricky when everyone needs to solo their alignment mission. It can work if you're looking for your character's allegiance to be a personal secret, but if you're wanting to make choices and share in the consequences of that choice as a group, you'd have to figure out some other way to live out those decisions.

 

Some of the ideas that come to mind for larger public events would be a Loyalist group unveiling a new statue or propaganda film for the public to celebrate, or the Resistance hosting a memorial for the fallen. There's potential for the other side to crash the party of for some events to be purely based around conflict,. It takes a mind smarter than my own to work out how RPPVP would work or even mediate it, though in my opinion I'm mostly alright with keeping it freeflow and allowing people to figur eout the resolution of a fight until someone comes along and breaks that trust.

 

 

 

[MaceVanHoffen]

Why not set the RP in the current timeline?

 

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Spoilery:

 

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There are plenty of opportunities to RP Praetorian refugees in the Prime dimension with all kinds of philosophies.  Clearly, there are some refugees who sill hold the more fascist ideals dear along with those who are more interested in peaceful lives.

 

Edited May 13, 2024 by MaceVanHoffen

[LongHalloween]

  On 5/13/2024 at 6:46 PM, MaceVanHoffen said:

Why not set the RP in the current timeline?

 

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Spoilery:

 

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There are plenty of opportunities to RP Praetorian refugees in the Prime dimension with all kinds of philosophies.  Clearly, there are some refugees who sill hold the more fascist ideals dear along with those who are more interested in peaceful lives.

 

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I like the idea, and I think there could be a lot of potential for people who want to try and depict an interdimensional refugee trying to find their footing in Primal Earth, but me (and maybe other people) are interested in the Praetorian Earth setting itself and want to explore what it would be like to try and exist in such a place before it was destroyed.

 

[Kismet Cowboy]

I fricken' love Praetoria. I played on live a few times intermittedly but it was Going Rogue and the Praetorian content that got me to stick around until sunset, and it's remained my fave content since then. It's been a hot minute since I last played or RP'd, but if my slightly awkward timezones and schedules can be made to work, I might be interested!

 

Fully agreed that anything like this should just be set during the past, pre-invasion and nuking and all that. Trying to mash a fully-functioning Praetoria into a "present day" timeline really does just sound convoluted. It sounds like it'd be a mostly self-contained RP anyway, so other group's ideas on timelines wouldn't really matter.

 

As to preferences and tone, I'm not much of a slice of life person, personally. The occassional party/gala/lo-fi social setting can be fun as a tension break between story beats, but overall I prefer dramatic narratives with (at least percieved) stakes, with most of the action focused on just that: the action. Resistance is cool and I could totally work with that, but I find Loyalist lends itself far more toward interesting character dilemmas. It's also handy because you don't have to handwave about being outdoors without getting arrested.

PG13 sounds about right. Really excessive violence and cruelty, and "murder hobo" antics aren't really for me. People trying to do some good in a world and system that makes that an incredibly complex job is sort of the ideal, I think.

[LongHalloween]

  On 5/15/2024 at 12:20 AM, Kismet Cowboy said:

I fricken' love Praetoria. I played on live a few times intermittedly but it was Going Rogue and the Praetorian content that got me to stick around until sunset, and it's remained my fave content since then. It's been a hot minute since I last played or RP'd, but if my slightly awkward timezones and schedules can be made to work, I might be interested!

 

Fully agreed that anything like this should just be set during the past, pre-invasion and nuking and all that. Trying to mash a fully-functioning Praetoria into a "present day" timeline really does just sound convoluted. It sounds like it'd be a mostly self-contained RP anyway, so other group's ideas on timelines wouldn't really matter.

 

As to preferences and tone, I'm not much of a slice of life person, personally. The occassional party/gala/lo-fi social setting can be fun as a tension break between story beats, but overall I prefer dramatic narratives with (at least percieved) stakes, with most of the action focused on just that: the action. Resistance is cool and I could totally work with that, but I find Loyalist lends itself far more toward interesting character dilemmas. It's also handy because you don't have to handwave about being outdoors without getting arrested.

PG13 sounds about right. Really excessive violence and cruelty, and "murder hobo" antics aren't really for me. People trying to do some good in a world and system that makes that an incredibly complex job is sort of the ideal, I think.

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  On 5/15/2024 at 12:38 AM, Krimson said:

I do have a level 50 Forever Praetorian. I'd attempt to roleplay with her if there was a place for it, so long as the RP isn't a cleverly disguised dating sim.

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We could try to figure out a good in-game spot to serve as a serious (or semi-serious) RP hub. It could be possible to work our way up from there and attract more people to the setting. Meanwhile, we could try RPing through missions or public events to depict conflict/action and try to work out some sort of dramatic, overarching narrative collaboratively.

[Gerald_Deemer]

Please try to find a RP hub where low level players can join also 😬

[LongHalloween]

  On 5/16/2024 at 3:10 PM, Gerald_Deemer said:

Please try to find a RP hub where low level players can join also 😬

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You can access Nova Praetoria, Imperial City, and Neutropolis from the getgo iirc.

[Gerald_Deemer]

  On 5/16/2024 at 4:28 PM, LongHalloween said:

You can access Nova Praetoria, Imperial City, and Neutropolis from the getgo iirc.

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Sure, but if there are high level mobs around the chosen RP place it´s hard to get there alive.

 

[Kismet Cowboy]

It'd probably be easy enough to roll progression into any overarrching narrative. Start off in Nova then expand to the other zones as everyone nabs some levels.

 

Might want to think about making a Discord server or something similar, just for easy planning and communication, somwehere to share character and plot ideas, etc.

[LongHalloween]

  On 5/16/2024 at 8:19 PM, Kismet Cowboy said:

It'd probably be easy enough to roll progression into any overarrching narrative. Start off in Nova then expand to the other zones as everyone nabs some levels.

 

Might want to think about making a Discord server or something similar, just for easy planning and communication, somwehere to share character and plot ideas, etc.

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I'll whip something up and see if we get any curious parties on the HC Discord. Anyone got any suggestions for a neat name?

[Kismet Cowboy]

Gold Guys, Nova Squad. Praetoria's Past. I think it partially depends what vibe people want, whether it's more loyalist or resistance, etc, but I'm sure we can work something out.

[LongHalloween]

  On 5/16/2024 at 11:24 PM, Kismet Cowboy said:

Gold Guys, Nova Squad. Praetoria's Past. I think it partially depends what vibe people want, whether it's more loyalist or resistance, etc, but I'm sure we can work something out.

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The vibe I'm getting seems to be Loyalist (and undercover Resistance), but I think there's always room for expansion if there's enough people and will.

 

I came up with "Memories of Praetoria" while brainstorming and I ended up liking it a lot. It helps cement the "hub" as something chronologically in the past.

Edited May 16, 2024 by LongHalloween

[LongHalloween]

Update: I made up a very simple Discord. For now it should be enough for interested parties to chat and work out details, but I'll hopefully be fleshing it out and building upon it in the future.

[Gerald_Deemer]

Is this for undercover resistance or for real loyalists of praetoria?

[Triumphant]

I think, right now, they're just sounding out ideas and looking for people that are (generally speaking) looking for Praetorian-related RP.  It sounds like any and all types of Praetorian Earth RP are on the table, perhaps using the Discord as a hub to gather and coordinate this?

 

I am somewhat interested in this, myself, and have been lurking and watching posts to see where it goes, etc.  Will be joining the discord to take a peek around, as soon as I post this.

Edited May 17, 2024 by Triumphant

[LongHalloween]

  On 5/17/2024 at 3:28 PM, Gerald_Deemer said:

Is this for undercover resistance or for real loyalists of praetoria?

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We're still workshopping right now.

[MaceVanHoffen]

I'm more interested in this now that I've seen some ideas.  It's been a long, long time since I played goldside.  Not since live, in fact.  But I do have a few character concepts rumbling around in my brainpan, one of which is the Praetorian version of a current character of mine.

 

How would we stay IC when playing mainline CoH content?  Or, would we even bother?  I know there's some reticence for having time travel, but there are a few other options.  The various Freedom Phalanx taskforces could just be a simulation 🙂

 

 

[Triumphant]

  On 5/18/2024 at 1:23 PM, MaceVanHoffen said:

I'm more interested in this now that I've seen some ideas.  It's been a long, long time since I played goldside.  Not since live, in fact.  But I do have a few character concepts rumbling around in my brainpan, one of which is the Praetorian version of a current character of mine.

 

How would we stay IC when playing mainline CoH content?  Or, would we even bother?  I know there's some reticence for having time travel, but there are a few other options.  The various Freedom Phalanx taskforces could just be a simulation 🙂

 

 

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Yes, I agree- it doesn't have to be time travel.  You can develop your own bespoke cannon.  Maybe it's a different reality than Upsilon Beta 9-6, in a Praetoria where they figured out how to take a Portal to Primal Earth at the height of Praetoria and things developed differently from there (No all out invasion by Cole to conquer it, etc.).  There are other ways to justify doing standard PC/Rogue Isles content with a Praetorian character, without playing it as time travel.

[LongHalloween]

  On 5/18/2024 at 1:23 PM, MaceVanHoffen said:

I'm more interested in this now that I've seen some ideas.  It's been a long, long time since I played goldside.  Not since live, in fact.  But I do have a few character concepts rumbling around in my brainpan, one of which is the Praetorian version of a current character of mine.

 

How would we stay IC when playing mainline CoH content?  Or, would we even bother?  I know there's some reticence for having time travel, but there are a few other options.  The various Freedom Phalanx taskforces could just be a simulation 🙂

 

 

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  On 5/18/2024 at 2:54 PM, Triumphant said:

Yes, I agree- it doesn't have to be time travel.  You can develop your own bespoke cannon.  Maybe it's a different reality than Upsilon Beta 9-6, in a Praetoria where they figured out how to take a Portal to Primal Earth at the height of Praetoria and things developed differently from there (No all out invasion by Cole to conquer it, etc.).  There are other ways to justify doing standard PC/Rogue Isles content with a Praetorian character, without playing it as time travel.

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The simplest solution I've found is having this RP scene be a "flashback" setting, set a few years before the Praetorian invasion of Primal Earth. This would mean that any Primal content that character did would have happened years later in whatever IC timeline we worked out. Honestly, this might just entirely be my own personal tastes or limitations showing, but when I considered the possibilities of time travel or an alternate universe, I just felt both were too convoluted to be an effective justification. Time trickery (at least to me) removes the weight and impact of the conclusion to the Praetorian storyline, and another alternate dimension that is conveniently identical to Praetorian Earth feels too both contrived. Also, if we went with that, then there wouldn't be any conceivable way for someone's characters to somehow be involved with the inevitable conflict between Praetorian and Primal Earths.

 

I think it's just easier to make this hub, project, plot, or whatever it turns out to be a "prequel" in your character's story than try to write around what happened in the lore.

[Triumphant]

There are lots of ways to do it.  I'm not wedded to any particular idea.  Really, it's mostly about waiting to see if there's much of any interest in Praetorian RP at all.  Time will tell (no pun intended) on that point. 

 

 

[LongHalloween]

  On 5/19/2024 at 10:06 PM, Krimson said:

The easiest meeting place would be Studio 55.

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Some time (very) soon I'll scout around and try to come up with a list of different locations people can meet at. Studio 55 will definitely be on the list, though. I've been inside before and it's a pretty good spot for casual/social RP.

[Gerald_Deemer]

  On 5/20/2024 at 3:49 AM, Krimson said:

It's also accessible from Pocket D.

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This is great!

And players at any level can join, right?

Edited May 20, 2024 by Gerald_Deemer

[Gerald_Deemer]

After playing 2 different characters in Praetoria I must admit this is the most beautyful world in the game. I kind of get used to the utopian metropolis, it´s clean look and pure order without energy field borders. Of course this is all superficial.

So at the moment I would say my favorite faction or world is the golden one. It seems to be born just for RPers requirements.

Edited May 31, 2024 by Gerald_Deemer

[Getaways]

Good to see others interested in Praetoria. I played hero side primarily on live and ran 1 character through the resistance stories.  Spent most of my time on homecoming running red side.  Just finished one character on the loyalist side and am running a second to pick up stories that I missed the first time. Both praetorian characters are powers division in a branch I call the judicatory as they operate as judge, jury, and executioners (Court Martial and Mistress Adikia/Mistress Injustice). Court Martial finished his Praetorian stories and now operates as a vigilante in Paragon City judging Praetorian refugees before they expose his cruelty. Mistress Adikia is currently at level 13 making her was through Imperial City on her way to neutropolis and eventually looking to take on her opposite Justitia Libra/Lady Justice of Paragon City.

[Gerald_Deemer]

Yesterday I left Praetoria to move on in the story line but in that moment you make a decision, you loose your golden star faction symbol next to your energy bar. Is there a way to get it back? I don´t want the red arachnos symbol or the blue hero symbol. I went through hell all alone to level in Praetoria and now I want to show it with the golden star.

Even if I have to start from the beginning and then just do not participate in the invasion plot and choosing no side would this remain the praetorian loyalist symbol at my energy bar?