MCF RPG I

I've been thinking a lot about role playing lately. I don't mean anything freaky, nor anything involving a back room of “wizards” and “knights” garbed in tin foil and their mothers' curtains. Between Twilight Heroes, Telepath RPG 2, and the Final Fantasy Retrospective, I've been thinking about the internet and/or console versions of RPG games played in the comfort of one's own home. Tin foil armor and curtain robes are optional.

Before I started these daily mysterious musings, I haunted various message boards dealing with various cartoons I enjoyed. Comments evolved into an RPG, I gained the “MCF” acronym, and an entire ”SPUniverse” was born. It was less about rolling dice and +2 Ogre Swords, and more interactive fan fiction. A group of individuals collaborated on a massive tale, one person picking up where the other left off, often infringing on any number of copyrights, but mostly having fun being creative. Eventually, writers dwindled, and it was tough to keep the thing going, especially when some players were single-handedly chronicling the fictitious adventures of over 100 characters. It will always remain a fun experience I'll remember fondly.

Last year, Rey tried to recreate the experience. He began a story that hopefully someone would add a paragraph to, at which point someone else would add another paragraph, and so on. It didn't get very far, either because his audience differed from the message board crowd, or because someone got carried away and wrote more than one paragraph. Still, with all the games I've been playing lately, and since I've yet to come up with new interactivity here, I'm going to try again.

I'm calling this an RPG, but it's closer to a Choose Your Own Adventure with a lot of pages left blank. I'm not sure how many responses I'll get, but it's worth a shot. Here's what I have in mind:

(1) Below I will supply the beginning of a story.

(2) Readers may then continue the tale on their own blogs, linking back to the beginning.

(3) You may write as much or as little as you like, and take the story in any direction. It could be a tale of ordinary human achievement, or science fiction, or fantasy. You can write the definitive end to a short story, or the conclusion of a chapter, leaving room for future adventures.

(4) Next week, I'll post my own conclusion as well as links to everyone else's.

(5) Everyone will then be invited to vote in the comments for the best tale. I'll be exempt from receiving votes, because the writer with the most votes will win a Mysterious Master Prize™.

I think that covers it. I'll start a story. You'll each finish it. Next week I'll finish it, and hopefully we'll have at least 3-5 different endings and directions from the same starting point. Leave a comment with a link to your ending when you have one, and feel free to ask questions or for clarification.

* * * * *

The wind was brutal, icy daggers clutching at my exposed scalp. Why does it take me so long each year to start wearing a hat? Or gloves for that matter? I pulled my hands back into the sleeves of my jacket, and continued down the trail.

My camera was zipped safely inside my coat, equipment better protected than its owner. I'd lost track of time, as well as the route I'd taken into the woods. The sun was setting, and my car was miles away. I shoved my hands into my pockets and shivered, taking comfort in the cell phone on the fingertips of my right hand.

It's good to get away from civilization sometimes, but with a cell phone one is never too far away. Sometimes though, all it takes is a snapping twig. Goodbye civilized; hello running like a panicked deer. Conventional wisdom dictates not to make sudden movements when faced with hostile wildlife, but fear and an active imagination trump conventional wisdom. So it was, running with my hands in my pockets clenching my wallet in one hand and my cell phone in the other, that I tripped over a branch. My hands flew out instinctively, numb fingers losing their grip on valuable items.

I checked the scrapes on my hands as I staggered to my feet. My wallet would be somewhere ahead of me and to the left; my phone ahead and to the right. The dwindling light of the day would make my search challenging enough, and I looked upon the blanket of autumn leaves with despair.

::SNAP::

I didn't run this time. I froze, and slowly turned around to face the sound's source. Between the trees, a glowing orb pulsed. Was it a flashlight? A trick of the setting sun? Whatever it was, I was about to find out....

I have about three or four different ideas where this could go next. Hopefully, I'm not the only one, but we'll all find out next week!