Make our own verse ala SCA? by UnregisteredCompanion

GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

Make our own verse ala SCA?

POSTED BY: UNREGISTEREDCOMPANION
UPDATED: Sunday, October 22, 2006 05:02
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Thursday, October 12, 2006 10:58 AM

Anyone here familiar with the SCA? Why not start a Firefly type verse based on the SCA model?

Has this been tried?

~~~~~

"Funny and sexy. You have no idea. And you never will."

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Thursday, October 12, 2006 11:16 AM

UNREGISTEREDCOMPANION

In case you are not familiar with the SCA....

http://www.sca.org/sca-intro.html

How this would apply to a Firefly verse is something I can see as...

Dividing the country in to "planets"

People creating persona's as if they were in the verse. You could be anything from a shepard to an alliance peon, or a mudder, a settler, a companion, a pilot. The universe is rich and varied. And if you decide you need a new persona, it can always be arranged for your old persona to be eaten by Reavers :D

Actual meets ups (Shindigs?) where classes can be taught. Shooting contests (pistols and rifles), brewing (beer, mead, mudder's milk?), costume making, companioning (the dancing and hostess stuff...no whoring classes...sorry fellas :D ), even horseback riding?

The mock battles could be anything from actual fencing matches to big laser tag games.

Hummmmmm

~~~~~

"Funny and sexy. You have no idea. And you never will."

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Thursday, October 12, 2006 2:09 PM

SABRI3L

Well it might be hard to do. I see the SCA as a rather corrupted system, there is so much back stabbing and hyprocrisy. I'm not saying there shouldn't ever be any conflict at all, and maybe it was just my experience, but I found the SCA to be more drama than it was worth. I hated the idea that some groups had senority over others, and there were many groups with horrible (and usually deserved) reputations. I don't want firefly and serenity to be corrupted.

Knitter of Cunning Jayne Hats

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Thursday, October 12, 2006 4:20 PM

RMMC

I'm acquainted with the SCA seeing as how I go to Pennsic every year. I'm not a member, mainly as I'd probably get tossed for being a rude peasant.

That could be a very interesting idea, but as had been pointed out, the SCA has a number of problems, but I think a lot of it has to do with the whole 'baised on monarchy system' thing so maybe we can avoid that problem.

That certainly is something to think about.

Oh, and you may want to think about including other countries in this. At the very least our neighbors to the north.

Banner courtsey of Aim2Misbehave (Thank you!!)
********
RMMC
"Those grenades?"
"Captain don't want 'em."
"Jayne, we're robbing the place, we're not occupying it."

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Thursday, October 12, 2006 7:26 PM

UNREGISTEREDCOMPANION

Other countries...sure why not...but do we HAVE to include the Canadians?!?!

JUST KIDDING :D

Anyway... I have SCA friends and I know how the whole thing can go. You have those "period nazis" and they can be darn annoying :D

But I was thinking about borrowing the good parts and leaving off the dumb stuff. I have given a little thought to structure and it would be nice to have...

A Cortex Tech for each community (planet? Moon? town?) responsible for sending out news and updates over "the cortex" (fancy name for running an e-mail list and web crap)

A Governor (Mayor, whatever) who serves as a community leader. Elected position. Organized events, volunteers, whatever.

A 'Verse Master who would set up job, mission, capers, quest, scenarios etc and dole them out at random during events

I guess I see it as part SCA (without the BS), Part LARP, and part D&D....sort of...LOL

When I was young (back in the stoneage when dinosaurs ran free) we used to play a game called ASSASIN with those little flying disk guns. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassin_(game) )

I guess it could have an element of that too.

In other words, I have an incling of an idea here and I think it could be way more fun than SCA or waiting around for network execs to grow a brain and give us our show back (You Bastards!).

If we can come up with some solid structure to this...maybe we can get something going.

Right now...lets brain storm :D

~~~~~

"Funny and sexy. You have no idea. And you never will."

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Friday, October 13, 2006 1:57 AM

BROWNCOAT1

May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one.

This is a very intriguing idea UnregisteredCompanion. It definitely merits some serious consideration. The only stumbling blocks I see off hand are these:

- Organization: who would run it? It would take a group with the time, webspace, and resources to undertake such an endeavor.

- Rules: how would we get everyone to agree on rules? Who would be responsible for making the final call?

- Costumes / Accuracy: costuming can get expensive. Would there be restrictions on costuming? Who would decide what is and is not acceptable? How could it be accomplished fairly?

Again these are just off the top of my head. I am sure there might arise other concerns.

Still, it is a good idea, and one I would be interested in participating in.

__________________________________________
Holding the line since December '02!

"May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one."

Richmond, VA & surrounding area Firefly Fans:

http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/richmondbrowncoats/

http://www.richmondbrowncoats.org

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Friday, October 13, 2006 2:10 AM

NICODEMUS

It sounds interesting. The main problems I can see with it have already been mentioned, namely the political BS and the cost of some of the activities.

Additionally, for those of us down under, organising anything resembling regular meet-ups would be damn difficult, especially if we were to use a similiar map to the SCA where Australia, New Zealand and some (but not all) of Antarctica were classed as the one region.

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(Thx to Desktop Hippie for the banner)
If you find yourself getting too worked up about stuff that isn't real (RP Threads etc), then go outside, breathe in some fresh air and try feeding the ducks. (Because ducks don't care about your politics, religion, skin colour, choice of music or even your haircut. They like everyone, provided you bring them food.)

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Friday, October 13, 2006 7:22 AM

CANTER

Sounds exciting. I'll watch.

From here. Way way way far away from all the other Browncoats.

I'll have little meetings of one. I'll call my planet Miranda and my scenario will be based on hiding from the Reavers (who always lurk around anyway).

I'll slowly go mad.

It should work out fine.

Burn the land and boil the sea...

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Friday, October 13, 2006 9:30 AM

UNREGISTEREDCOMPANION

Sure...there would have to be dues...if nothing else to maintain the website, newsletter, etc...

Meet-ups could start off small. Someone with some acreage who wouldn't mind tents or camping in the public forest might have to be the start. Even a Firefly slumber party...start small and grow as more enter.

There would have to be a governing body of sorts (Parliment?). Details? Not sure.

As for authenticity of costuming....there is going to be a GREAT deal more flexibility than there is with SCA. Our beloved verse is a wonderful combination of high tech and low tech. Home spun hats and sweaters with a PDA, cell phone, and camera embedded in your glasses would be right at home :D

Guidelines could be drawn, but I do not wish to create a squad of "Verse Commando's". People could always improve their verse garb as budget permitted.

I do think that people should submit their "personas" in for acceptance much like the SCA. It will not be a very interesting 'verse with 400 firefly ship captains, 10 pilots, 4 companions, 2 ship's mechanics and 1 operative. And like SCA, you can't be a "real" verse figure. No Mal's, Jayne's, etc...

I also imagine you would have guilds of a sort. Companion's guild is obvious, then the Russian Mobsters, Alliance military, Independent Army, Mercinaries, etc....

As for judging guidlines. Well, that's what rambling here is for :D

~~~~~

"Funny and sexy. You have no idea. And you never will."

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Friday, October 13, 2006 10:44 AM

RMMC

Sounds good, as I can definitely do without the authenticity police, so stressing that the whole idea is to have fun.

Ooo! And the 'verse even has pirates! This could be fun.

About dividing the areas into planets & moons, you'll probably also want to have one set to be the Blue Sun Corp. Then the question would be, what state/providence/county wants to be the Microsoft of the future?

Okay, I'm being silly now, I know, but it's friday and coherent thoughts after I punch out at work are pretty much a no-go. But...the BSC will need to be represented.

And don't forget the mudders! Just think, 90% of them will probably be women.

And there are a lot of other types of folks to play beside what's been mentioned. We've seen farmers, miners, slaves, indentured servants, sheriffs, caterers, bartenders, exotic dancers, merchants, cattle barons, Reavers and middlemen (like Badger, Fanty and Mingo.) And that's just off the top of my head. We should get plenty of diversity.

I agree costuming should be very flexable, especially due to cost. But I will say, lots of usable stuff for everyday 'verse folk can be gotten very cheaply at second hand stores such as the Salvation Army and the like, it just may cost you a bit more in time and effort.

So, needless to say, I'm still interested.

Banner courtsey of Aim2Misbehave (Thank you!!)
********
RMMC
"Those grenades?"
"Captain don't want 'em."
"Jayne, we're robbing the place, we're not occupying it."

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Friday, October 13, 2006 2:17 PM

UNREGISTEREDCOMPANION

For now I am going to check out some SCA and LARP sites for rule ideas. Then I will try to start typing up some coherant information and post here for review. Anyone else is freee to do the same...if yours makes more sense we use that one as a guide and refine from there. :P

~~~~~

"Funny and sexy. You have no idea. And you never will."

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Friday, October 13, 2006 2:31 PM

STINKINGROSE

Not to poop on your porch, but you might want to check into copyright infringement and the like before officially INCORPORATING or anything.
The folks who own the rights to our Big Damned Verse might not take kindly to people using their stuff without asking. If the organization found itself holding on to a profit, no matter how small, all heck could break loose legally.
Could be fun if it clears, mind.
I'm in SCA. I haven't seen the uglies yet. I haven't been around enough or gone anywhere either.

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Friday, October 13, 2006 5:21 PM

CHRISMOORHEAD

Isn't it inevitable that any large organization of people attempting to do anything will eventually be "corrupted"? That word's a double edged sword, anyways. The governing body will always eventually fail in it's attempt to represent the people, either by accident or with malicious intent. Conversely, there will always be varying numbers of people who don't feel represented and accuse the governing body of corruption no matter what. Knowing that it's going to happen has stopped very few people before, so why should we be any different?

I personally take part in psuedo-SCA organizations. The main one I do, Dagorhir, is all at odds with Belegarth, which split off a while back (or vice versa depending on who you ask). Then there's Darkon which some people are at odds with and others aren't... it's all "political" B.S. The trick is to just not get sucked into any of it. Go to the events, have your fun, do your own thing.

As for the idea itself... I'm sitting with a .38 snub nose strapped to my hip, a shank in my boot and a pair of knuckledusters in my trench coat pocket, all in black. I dress like something out of a comic book or fantasy world anyways, so this is right down my alley.

[IMG]

"Pain is your friend, it is your ally. It will keep you awake, and angry, and remind you to finish the mission and get the hell home. But you know the best thing about pain? It let's you know that you're not dead yet."

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Friday, October 13, 2006 6:41 PM

UNREGISTEREDCOMPANION

I am not too concerned with copyright. As I mentioned earlier, nobody will be going around calling themselves Mal or Jayne or anything...We aren't duplicating the movie or the TV shows.

I can't see Joss getting his knickers in a twist about using the name Persephone or Arial since he did not invent these names anyway.

This should all fall under "Fair Use" if it even blips on the copyright radar at all. Of course, there is always the possibility of some Fox executive acting like a complete tool, but whatever.

If, in the event that does happen, it would only take a couple of beers and some e-mails to change some names and continue on.

And yeah Chris. It is bound to happen. Trying to keep things fun and flexible should eliminate some of that, but someone always ends up running around screaming "help help I'm being repressed!"

That's what we can use the reavers for...hee hee hee

~~~~~

"Funny and sexy. You have no idea. And you never will."

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Friday, October 13, 2006 6:50 PM

CHRISMOORHEAD

Oh yeah, and on the subject of copyright infringement, didn't a bunch of Canooks make some independent mini-series called "Into the Black" based in the FireFly universe with nothing but the best wishes from Joss Whedon and Nathan Fillion?

If the 501st can get away with their conventioning without pissing off George Lucas, then I doubt Joss would give us any shit.

[IMG]

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Friday, October 13, 2006 8:02 PM

SIGMANUNKI

Quote:
Originally posted by ChrisMoorhead:

Oh yeah, and on the subject of copyright infringement, didn't a bunch of Canooks make some independent mini-series called "Into the Black" based in the FireFly universe with nothing but the best wishes from Joss Whedon and Nathan Fillion?

Yup. Joss posted on his blog that he was going to have to sue them jokingly and Nathan actually gave them a bit of cashy money.

Into the Black ( http://www.intotheblack.ca/) "is being made in the format of a one-hour TV show." Maybe they'll make it, maybe they won't. But apparently there'll be at least one ep. Also, they just put up a trailer. I'm hoping they'll increase there production values (among other things) before release.

And just because I'm Canadian, it's Canuck

----
I am on The List. We are The Forsaken and we aim to burn!
"We don't fear the reaper"

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Friday, October 13, 2006 8:03 PM

SCORPIONREGENT

Well it all sounds very interesting and a lot of fun, but ... It wil take a lot of work. Some people are willing to work hard at playing hard, but some aren't.
Personally there is no way I could possibly do SCA, my job and a firefly type organization and still have time to sleep and keep money in my wallet. Somethings got to give and the firefly thing is great, but I can't clone myself, yet.
I can tell there are people who have been dissappointed with the SCA. It's not for everybody and if it doesn't make you happy then please don't do it. I try real hard to make it work for myself and all my friends, (new old and yet to be discovered) It takes a lot of dedication. I don't play much politics in the SCA. I'm proactive in my participation so I'm considered valuble and welcome. If I have a problem with a subgroup or person I merely avoid them and do something else, my Barony is large enough that I can easily do that. The SCA is a large place, things maybe different in other kingdoms.

Good luck!

Scorpion Regent

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Saturday, October 14, 2006 10:18 AM

SABRI3L

I think it would be much better to make it more along the lines of a larp rather than an SCA type organization. Then we could use stories from the verse, history and such, it would be more structured with individual story lines carried out through out a few days. Having a core group of players with personas and another group of "cast players" who would act as whatever outsiders were needed to fufill a story line (reavers, alliance, towns people, ect.) I'd be more than willing to try to help something like that get off the ground.

Knitter of Cunning Jayne Hats

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Monday, October 16, 2006 4:13 AM

UNREGISTEREDCOMPANION

If I understand LARP, you have an event and each person gets handed a character for the purposes of that one specific game. While I like the specific game idea, I don't like the "here is who you are" thing.

I would much prefer to pick my own persona, keep it and develop it over time. Plus the costuming in half the fun. If you spend all your time making a kick-ass Independent uniform and you are told "Ok, for this game you are an Alliance Corporal" it could make you cranky.

Anyway, I am not locking this in to any specific model, just using the different organizations already out there as a jumping point.

I am going to be tied up with work this week, but I have gotten some stuff together already. I will post things as time permits. I may even just stop by to give it a quick bump now and again.

~~~~~

"Funny and sexy. You have no idea. And you never will."

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Monday, October 16, 2006 4:16 AM

UNREGISTEREDCOMPANION

Background Note: For the purposes of the Verse "game", the battle of Serenity Valley should have not yet occured...right?

That way there could be laser tag battles between Independents and Alliance.

I don't see a need to reinact a battle where we already know the outcome (apologies to you civil war reinacters..I think that is just silly)

~~~~~

"Funny and sexy. You have no idea. And you never will."

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Monday, October 16, 2006 4:27 AM

BROWNCOAT1

May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one.

I don't really see any need to refight the Battle of Serenity Valley, unless it is for fun, but I think trying to work that out would be a nightmare of planning.

I would think it best to simply play from the point where the film leaves off.

__________________________________________
Holding the line since December '02!

"May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one."

Richmond, VA & surrounding area Firefly Fans:

http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/richmondbrowncoats/

http://www.richmondbrowncoats.org

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Monday, October 16, 2006 5:45 AM

CHRISMOORHEAD

Not to further nitpick the label "LARP", but I don't think that title implies having to play a pre-determined character. In fact, every single LARP I've personally come across has encouraged original characters.

Also, I think I read someone disgtinguish the SCA from LARPing earlier. I just want to add that even at the SCA's "big one" Pensic, that not everyone is "in character". I think the key to keeping something like a Browncoat version of it fun for everyone involved would be to let people decide their own level of involvement. Some people want to show up and play their character to a tee, and others just want to show up and relax. I think there's room for both based on multiple week long experiences at re-enactment/fantasey LARP events.

Also, since the Verse' is a combination of poor, frontier type characters and more well to do space age types, there wont be as much nitpicking about one person using a 1700's canvas wedge tent and another using ultra-modern mountaineering material. Just two different characters, right?

[IMG]

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Monday, October 16, 2006 7:12 AM

UNREGISTEREDCOMPANION

"there wont be as much nitpicking about one person using a 1700's canvas wedge tent and another using ultra-modern mountaineering material. Just two different characters, right? "

Exactly Chris!

As for starting where the movie left off, there is no independent army at that point...know what I'm sayin'?

Also, if hell does freeze over and we get our show back, I don't want the game to conflict with the new show or new movies or new books....or am I worrying too much about this point?

One more point about level of play. I do want this to be spectator friendly. SCA tends to be more exclusive and just for the particular participants if I understand that correctly.

~~~~~

"Funny and sexy. You have no idea. And you never will."

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Monday, October 16, 2006 7:36 AM

TRISTAN

Interesting concept you have there, UnregisteredCompanion.
You did mention authenticity of costume within the SCA and the desire to be more flexible. One of the reasons I got out of the SCA (besides the political bs) was the fact that combat boots, carpet armor, and polyester were acceptable costumes in the SCA. They would say they had a 14th century English persona, and then wear Elizabethan dress made of a poly-cotton blend. I guess I was one of those "period nazis" you are talking about. See, I actually took the time to research my persona and recreated a costume, armor, and fighting style. So, yes, I had a problem with those that wore carpet and plastic on the fighting field, and 'created' fabric off the field.
I could not let those of us who took the time to research and recreate things within the SCA go undefended. I have not been involved with them for well over 8 years now, though.
Sorry, I'll get off my soap box now.

As for authenticity within the 'Verse, just about anything works. Heck, look at the series! That's one of the tings I loved about it; the widely variant costumes.

I'll be keeping an eye on this as it develops.

______________________________________

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Monday, October 16, 2006 8:06 AM

UNREGISTEREDCOMPANION

One of my bestest buddies is a period Nazi :D

I can understand your (and her) frustration, but I also have pity for the poor woman who can only find poly-cotton to make an outfit within her budget.

Which is why I LOVE the idea of a Live 'Verse. Combat boots and a poly cotton dress looks down right purty together on the right girl...LOL

~~~~~

"Funny and sexy. You have no idea. And you never will."

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Monday, October 16, 2006 8:08 AM

TRISTAN

I concur!

______________________________________

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Tuesday, October 17, 2006 1:39 AM

BROWNCOAT1

May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one.

Quote:
Originally posted by UnregisteredCompanion:
As for starting where the movie left off, there is no independent army at that point...know what I'm sayin'?

I believe so. So where would this start? Beginning of the Unification War? Just before?

Quote:
Also, if hell does freeze over and we get our show back, I don't want the game to conflict with the new show or new movies or new books....or am I worrying too much about this point?

I don't think you are worrying too much, simply trying to preserve canon. I think browncoats can appreciate that fact. I think so long as we avoid anyone playing any of the characters created by Joss we should be fine. Well that and not altering the timeline by having the Independants win the War.

Quote:
One more point about level of play. I do want this to be spectator friendly. SCA tends to be more exclusive and just for the particular participants if I understand that correctly.

We definitely want it to be spectator friendly. All the better to convert any new people, right?

__________________________________________
Holding the line since December '02!

"May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one."

Richmond, VA & surrounding area Firefly Fans:

http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/richmondbrowncoats/

http://www.richmondbrowncoats.org

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Tuesday, October 17, 2006 5:53 AM

UNREGISTEREDCOMPANION

"So where would this start? Beginning of the Unification War? Just before?"

Lets say around the beginning

"I don't think you are worrying too much, simply trying to preserve canon"

That's what I thought. Sure we will be dressing in costumes and playing pretend, but it should still have a certain logic to it.

"We definitely want it to be spectator friendly. All the better to convert any new people, right? "

Exactly!!!

~~~~~

"Funny and sexy. You have no idea. And you never will."

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Tuesday, October 17, 2006 10:37 AM

UNREGISTEREDCOMPANION

Revised from an LARP site
(I will post snippets as I create or edit them...that way I can get feed back and suggestions. Feel free to post your own)

"Blue Sun Employees are responsible for keeping games and events running smoothly. They perform various services, such as helping set up the Event, registering players, directing the major plot points of the Event, and settling any issues or disputes that arise between players."

basically if you are an event coordinator, registering attendees, cleaning up garbage, whatever, you will be considered to be working for Blue Sun while performing those duties. Working for blue sun will not mean you don't have a seperate independent persona, it is just that when you are "working" your persona takes a rest and you become a corporate tool for a little bit :D

Once ou finish your work, you go back in to character and have fun.

~~~~~

"Funny and sexy. You have no idea. And you never will."

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Tuesday, October 17, 2006 12:06 PM

TPAGE

I like the idea. My only suggestion at this point would be to keep the organisation bottom-heavy; meaning keep the majority of the control with local groups. The higher-level organisation should be restricted to creating the bulk of the rules, etc. But that's about it.

Once an organisation has too much management, there is too much interference in local affairs (sort of like the alliance...) it falls apart and people leave.

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Tuesday, October 17, 2006 5:24 PM

UNREGISTEREDCOMPANION

You are 100% correct and I am definately keeping that in mind.

~~~~~

"Funny and sexy. You have no idea. And you never will."

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Thursday, October 19, 2006 6:24 AM

UNREGISTEREDCOMPANION

I am now attempting to divide the globe into Verse worlds. I am going to have to ignore any "this is closer to this" kind of stuff or I am going to go insane. Any suggestions on this in general?

~~~~~

"Funny and sexy. You have no idea. And you never will."

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Thursday, October 19, 2006 6:33 AM

TPAGE

I am just wondering, if you divide the world up into specific planets... who will be a core planet and who will be on the rim? Or will it be a free for all?

For example, if you make the U.S. one planet (we'll call it the US for now) and Canada another planet (we'll call it Canada for now); will one be a core planet and one be a rim planet? Let's say US is a core planet and Canada is a rim planet; what if someone in Canada wants to participate in core planet ativities, do they have to go to the U.S.?

Quick complicated once you think about it... I'm almost wondering if it would be better to simply let each local 'group' or such choose which planet they are on and simply have a list of available planets online. Or something to that effect (if that even works).

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Thursday, October 19, 2006 7:22 AM

UNREGISTEREDCOMPANION

I was thinking of ignoring that anyway, so letting regions pick their own "planet" might work at first. But then again specific planets are listed as "being settled by primarily by" Chinese or Bristish of Americans..whatever. Maybe start by blocking out the obvious and let the rest devlop on their own? Might work. Let me think about this.

~~~~~

"Funny and sexy. You have no idea. And you never will."

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Thursday, October 19, 2006 8:18 AM

UNREGISTEREDCOMPANION

Persona Worksheet.

Persona ~ or Who are you?

What is a Persona?

A 'Verse persona is the basis for your interaction in the Society. It is who you would be if you were somehow transported into the wonderful universe create by Joss Wheaton in Firefly and Serenity. It can be as simple as a name. Many people enjoy simply having an appropriate name and garb. They interact in the 'Verse and consider their personas to be simply who they are in the context of the "new earths" terraformed by people who fled Old Earth. For example, you may simply be Joe Blowington hailing from the Planet of Persephone, owner of a plantation and member of the fencing guild.

At the same time, Could be much more detailed and complex. So at the same time that you areJoe Blowington hailing from the Planet of Persephone, your persona story might go something like: "I am Master Josepe Blowington, a man of American descent who just completed his training in competitive fencing on the planet of Londinium. I was about to return to my plantation to oversee the fall planting of the cotton crop when I was challenged to a duel over the affections of a woman. I easly dispatched the rouge, but being on Londinium instead of Persephone, I was branded a criminal and am now being sought by the Alliance. I have left the life I have know to live free on the rim."

This worksheet will help you get started on a persona. Of course, as you make friends and get involved in the 'Verse, who you are will tend to take care of itself.

Do's and Don'ts:

Do:
• TAKE YOUR TIME AND HAVE FUN. Developing a persona is a process that can take some people a few days, other years. So don't sweat it if you haven't got a clear idea of who you want to be. You can simply start off with a basic name (maybe just your own real name) and some comfortable. 'Verse appropriate garb. No one is going to look down on you if you don't have a detailed persona at first (or even last). And the level of detail you decide to give your persona is entirely up to you.

• Consider your family tree, interests, hobbies, favorite books, etc. It may be here that you find the perfect inspiration for developing your persona. For example, if you are interested in Gardening, you might become a settler or even a terraformer! Likewise, someone interested in firearms might become an Alliance recruit. A person interested in Asian martial arts might develop a Chinese persona or person interested in religion could become a shepherd.

• Explore different 'Verse interest groups such as the independent army, Alliance, academics, or guild such as the companions. Get to know a variety of people with different personas - if you find what they do or how they do it interesting, ask them about it. These are all good sources for inspiration.

• Keep your persona story believable. We all want to be"larger-than-life" in some ways and we want to have fun persona stories to tell our friends. But, let's face it, most 'Verse folk did not go around piloting space ships or fighting in bar brawls. Believe it or not, in the long run realism is much more interesting than a cliché adventure storyline.

• View your Firefly DVD's, the Serenity Movie, or the graphic novel. And ask others how they've gotten started; everybody has a different approach. Researching your persona can be fun - This is not a term paper after all.

Don't:
• Rush your persona - don't get stuck with a name and/or persona that you later regret. Of curse, if you do decide at some point you must change, an "unfortunate Reaver encounter" can be arranged. Conversely, don't take too long and risk getting stuck with a name that someone else gives you. Or worse yet, a nickname!

• DO NOT Take the name of an existing Firefly/Serenity character. No Mals, Badgers, Rivers, etc.

• Give yourself a military rank if you decide to join the Alliance or The Independent Army. Rank can only earned through experience, activity and service in the 'Verse. Your real world military, police, or other type experience may get you started at a high rank, but promotions will only be granted by Parliment.

• Take the exact same name as someone else in the society. Surnames and personal names might be the same but not the entire name. It is common for members of a household to share a common surname.

• Copycat the persona story of another person.That is, if you can help it. Invest some creative energy in the details of your story to make yourself a realistic, and unique individual.

• Be in a rush to join any one particular household or group. You may be tempted to do so if you already have friends in a given group. And it can be a convenient way to "jump start' your 'Verse activity - perhaps even to determine your persona. But take the time to make sure your interests really mesh with the group's For example, what would happen if you joined a Companion House only to decide later that in your heart, you really want to be plantation owner? Coming out of the closet might be awkward and cause confusion. It is usually recommended than one wait at least a year before joining a household (and a good household will certainly be willing to wait if they really want you to join them). Keep your friends, but be your own 'Versian from the start. Explore. Explore. Explore. Then find your niche.

Persona Questions:
Here is a set of questions that may be helpful as you think about just who you want your persona to be. By no means should you feel you must answer each and every question - or try to answer them all at once. Let them serve as a guide to fleshing out your persona. Again, remember to have fun and take your time.

Location/Time:

What is your world of origin?

What part of the country is your family from?

Are you in a different country now? If so, why?

Family:
Who are your parents? Do you have brothers, sisters, cousins, etc.?

What is your name? What does it mean? Who gave it to you? Why?

What is your rank/status within your family? Has it ever changed?

Do you or your family owe fealty/loyalty to anyone or anything?

Social:
How would you identify yourself, your family or your people?

In your culture, what is your social status - noble, artisan, clergy, peasant, etc.?

What is your profession/occupation?

What duties/obligations do you have? To whom or what?

What accomplishments are expected from someone in your position?

What sort of income do you have?

What would you consider a "good standard of living"? What is yours?

What sort of world government do you live under? Is it a core planet or a border world? A planet or a moon? Under alliance control or inhabited by Independents?

What important political, religious, social events have taken (or are taking) place on your world?

Personal:
What special talents do you have?

What was your education like?

What languages can you speak?

Was there a pivotal moment in your life? When/how did this happen? How do you think this has affected you?

What are your motivations; what do you want out of life?

Are there other important characters in your life story? Perhaps an enemy, mentor, lost loved one, important relative/friend, spouse etc.?

What religion are you? Do you have any strong spiritual beliefs? What holy days or rituals do you observe?

Do you have any superstitions or believe in any "myths"? Why?

What do you do in your leisure time? Do you actually have any?

What type of clothing do you wear and why that style, fabric, etc.? Any special preferences?

Do you have a favorite or significant possession - land, your father's sword, an old earth relic? How did you come by it? Do you have a pet? What kind of animals are you familiar with?

What foods do you typically eat? Why and how often?

Do you drink? Under what circumstances? Is this socially acceptable in your culture?

What sort of things would you consider "good", "evil", "strange", "natural", "exotic", "civilized", "uncivilized"?

Do you have a life philosophy, motto, or favorite saying?

SPECIAL NOTES: No, you can't live on Miranda. It is uninhabited. No, you can't have COME FROM Miranda because that would make you a Reaver. No, you can't be a Reaver. Reaver's will play a part in the 'Verse, but not as an individual's persona. No, you can't be Mal's cousin or Wash's Uncle or anything along those lines. Be original people!

~~~~~

"Funny and sexy. You have no idea. And you never will."

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Thursday, October 19, 2006 8:20 AM

UNREGISTEREDCOMPANION

This was modified from an SCA worksheet. It is rough, but it is a start.

~~~~~

"Funny and sexy. You have no idea. And you never will."

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Thursday, October 19, 2006 12:17 PM

UNREGISTEREDCOMPANION

Firefly Worlds from Wikipedia (With some suggestions for regions..please add your own.)
? Aberdeen
? Angel
? Ariel is a central planet of the Union of Allied Planets.
(Washington DC, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, New Jersey)
? Athens is a border planet with at least four moons. One of its moons is Whitefall.
? Beaumonde is a fairly wealthy planet, relatively close to certain border worlds. The planet is known to have factories and ranches and the bar known as Maidenhead.
? Bellerophon, seen in the episode "Trash", is an Alliance moon and home to the wealthy. It has both a large ocean and an empty area of desert climate, complete with canyons, rock and sand.
(California, Nevada, Washington, Oregon)
? Bernadette is a non-terraformed moon near the core worlds whose environmentally-sealed station is used as a staging location for ships of settlers headed for the border planets.
? Beylix is a small border moon, used for smuggling rendezvous. Mal's war buddy Monty was caught by the Alliance here. Mal refers to it in the episode "Trash". In the role-playing game, Beylix appears to have a permanent cloud cover and dense ice rings.
? Boros is a planet with strong Alliance presence.
? Constance is a world where Mal, Zoe and Jayne try a bank heist while Shepherd Book delivers a sermon to act as cover. Seen in the comic book series Serenity: Those Left Behind.
? Deadwood
? Dyton is possibly the home planet of Badger. The colony's inhabitants were likely of British origin, since cockney accents appear common among people from Dyton.
(England, Scotland, Ireland)
? Ezra is a desert moon orbited by Niska's Skyplex.
? Greenleaf is an Alliance planet. Located 10 hours away from Jiangyin. [2] Mentioned in "Safe" as a location likely to have medical facilities.
? Hera Planet where Serenity Valley is located.
(Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado)
? Harvest
? Haven is the home of Shepherd Book, a mining planet which is often used as a hiding place for those running from the law (for a fee) and is where some smugglers or criminals decide to settle down.
(Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska)
? Highgate
? Higgins' Moon is a moon where the primary commercial activity is mud farming which is performed by indentured servants called "mudders". The mud is exported offworld and used in the manufacturing of ceramic components. The bulk of the population is impoverished.
(Middle East)
? Ita is a moon in a remote sector.
? Jiangyin: Serenity sells a cargo load of cattle here in the episode "Safe".
? Kerry
? Lilac is a border world probably near Reaver territory. From space it appears to have a lilac color, which presumably it was named for. The Serenity crew land on Lilac to rob a bank holding an Alliance payroll.
(Canada)
? Liann Jiun
? Londinium (sometimes spelled Londinum) is one of the two Major Planets. It is inhabited primarily by colonists from the United States
(Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio)
? Miranda is the name of a planet located beyond Reaver territory and where Reavers originate. UNINHABITED
? Muir is a moon where the character Badger was raised.
? Newhall is probably a border planet.
(Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Poland, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic)
? Osiris: the Tam children were raised there, the classroom seen in Serenity was most likely on that world. Wealthy core planet where Simon Tam attended medical school and worked as a trauma surgeon.
(New York, CT, RI, MA NH, VT, ME)
? Paquin is a location mentioned as having a job for Mal and his crew in the episode "Out of Gas".
? Persephone is a civilized planet with heavily stratified societal structure. The Eavesdown Docks are located here. The planet was also the site of a swordfighting duel between Malcolm Reynolds and Atherton Wing in the episode "Shindig".
(Mississippi, Alabama, LA, AR, TN)
? Regina is a mining moon, upon which everyone is suffering from "Bowden's malady", a degenerative disease. This is where "The Train Job" takes place
? St. Albans is an icy world, and Tracey's home planet. Located about two days away from the Space Bazaar Sky Plex. A Federal station is located nearby.
(Russia, Finland, Norway, Sweden)
? Salisbury
? Santo is an unsophisticated planet near Persephone. Slavers operate here.
? Shadow is where Mal Reynolds was raised on his mother's ranch. The RPG states that it was rendered uninhabitable during the Unification War. "No one lives there. No one can." Since 'Verse Live will take place BEFORE the unification war, it is open for settling :D
? Sihnon, together with Londinium, is one of the two Major Planets. It is inhabited primarily by colonists from China. The planet is highly sophisticated and technologically advanced. It is also Inara Serra's home planet.
(China, Hong Kong)
? Silverhold is eight sectors away from St. Albans. The Silverhold Colonies are the jurisdiction of Federal Agent Womack.
? Soonal - location of Inara's Companion House
? Three Hills is mentioned by Mal as a location for him to sell his stolen goods at in the episode "Serenity".
? Triumph is a primitive and poor border moon, apparently self-governed with rather unusual customs and traditions. Elder Gomman is the leader of the moon's settlers. Saffron was picked up here in the episode "Our Mrs. Reynolds".
? Verbena was formerly a poor and undeveloped frontier planet, the Alliance chose it as a site of a new gearshift assembly factory for military skiffs. (Mexico)
? Vesselside is where Zoë Washburne was born according to the film Serenity. However this may just be a reference to being born on a ship in space since in the Serenity role-playing game it is stated that she was born "in the black." The term "vesselside" would therefore be the spaceship-equivalent of the term "planetside."
? Whitefall is the fourth moon of Athens, a large percentage of which is owned by a woman named Patience.
? Whittier

~~~~~

"Funny and sexy. You have no idea. And you never will."

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Thursday, October 19, 2006 1:35 PM

DUG

If one were to wish for that list of locations as a nice clean Excel file one might be please to know one is available.

http://home.alltel.net/clockdug/firefly.html

That would be where it is saved. Is this something we might want updated as we work on things?

And mightn't one of the Silverhold Colonies be located in the hills of northeast Ga and be a bit rim-worldish?

Need your clock cleaned? www.home.windstream.net/clockdug

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Thursday, October 19, 2006 1:52 PM

UNREGISTEREDCOMPANION

It sure might!

As for the Silverhold Colonies..uhhhh..why not ? :D

~~~~~

"Funny and sexy. You have no idea. And you never will."

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Thursday, October 19, 2006 2:46 PM

UNREGISTEREDCOMPANION

Any ideas for Australia and New Zealand?

Constance?

Greenleaf?

Silverhold?

Whittier?

~~~~~

"Funny and sexy. You have no idea. And you never will."

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Thursday, October 19, 2006 4:11 PM

RMMC

Quote:
Originally posted by UnregisteredCompanion:

? Londinium (sometimes spelled Londinum) is one of the two Major Planets. It is inhabited primarily by colonists from the United States
(Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio)

Ack! I'm a core-worlder!

Quote:
Originally posted by UnregisteredCompanion:
? Miranda is the name of a planet located beyond Reaver territory and where Reavers originate. UNINHABITED

How about Antartica for Miranda? It's (very largely) uninhabited.

yeah, I know, there are scientists and the ocassional rich looney, but as it really isn't an inhabited country per se...

Just a stray thought. Good work so far!

********
RMMC
"Those grenades?"
"Captain don't want 'em."
"Jayne, we're robbing the place, we're not occupying it."

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Thursday, October 19, 2006 5:20 PM

UNREGISTEREDCOMPANION

As a transplanted Cheesehead, nothing says "typical American" to me more than the midwest :D

And I went totally by appearance in naming my home state (Colorado) part of Hera...those scenes of Serenity Valley look like they could have been shot near my house. Sure it is actually Southern California, but the 4 corner states all look like that in places.

~~~~~

"Funny and sexy. You have no idea. And you never will."

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Thursday, October 19, 2006 5:31 PM

RMMC

Yeah, us Midwesterners do seem to be somewhere in the middle or normal, don't we?

♪If you live life in the middle and not on the edge,
You're hopelessly Midwestern.
If a big weekend means cutting the hedge,
You're hopelessly Midwestern.
If you shop at Sears and drink a lot of iced tea,
Love to dance the Polka and watch TV.
Then the verdict is in and the jury agrees.
You're hopelessly Midwestern. ♪

I've been to Nevada and yeah, it looked a lot like SV as well.

At least if I wanna go to the rim, Canada's not too far away!

********
RMMC
"Those grenades?"
"Captain don't want 'em."
"Jayne, we're robbing the place, we're not occupying it."

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Friday, October 20, 2006 7:42 AM

UNREGISTEREDCOMPANION

"How about Antartica for Miranda?"

I was thinking more like the actual Moon...LOL

And for Antarctica.... " Bernadette is a non-terraformed moon near the core worlds whose environmentally-sealed station is used as a staging location for ships of settlers headed for the border planets."

~~~~~

"Funny and sexy. You have no idea. And you never will."

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Friday, October 20, 2006 8:41 AM

RMMC

Quote:
Originally posted by UnregisteredCompanion:
"How about Antartica for Miranda?"

I was thinking more like the actual Moon...LOL

And for Antarctica.... " Bernadette is a non-terraformed moon near the core worlds whose environmentally-sealed station is used as a staging location for ships of settlers headed for the border planets."

That sounds good, too!

********
RMMC
"Those grenades?"
"Captain don't want 'em."
"Jayne, we're robbing the place, we're not occupying it."

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Saturday, October 21, 2006 7:59 PM

SUZFROMOZ

Interesting idea. A few things to remember about SCA - any special interest group that gets people together, especially if a componenet of that is online, will get nasty and political at some stage. I have now seen it in amateur theatre, SCA, dog showing etc etc and it appears to be inevitable. You just have to work around it. As far as some of the other issues that have come up..
* costumes and authenticicty - somebody mentioned 'period nazis' - thats where you are headed if you start worrying about rules for costume. At least SCA'ers have history to look back on - browncoats have 14 episodes and a movie - if you only assume what you have seen in the show is authentic, then you are gonna run out of wardrobe right quick. Anything with a western or asian feel and then some.......

*How to get started. The sca has been going for a long time (about 40 years here in Oz). it did not get this big overnight. I belive it started as a themed dinner party with some REALLY bad costumes..... So start small, and see if it steamrolls.....

having said all that, I dont think I would be interested in being involved. I love the BDS and BDM and I consider myself a browncoat. But I got involved in SCA because of the variety, the history, the real skills to be learnt etc, not for the fantasy component (I never played LARP or D&D) so I dont think an firefly verse, SCA style thing would appeal to me.

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Sunday, October 22, 2006 4:53 AM

UNREGISTEREDCOMPANION

Quote:
any special interest group that gets people together, especially if a componenet of that is online, will get nasty and political at some stage.

I bellydance, remember? LOL Yes, I have seen the nastiness upfront and personal. So imagine all that with a huge diva factor on top. ACK!

As for customing "rules" it would just be more like guidelines and suggestions. The whole verse in a cultural fusion. Chinese, Western, English, Old South America, Russian, etc... plus there is tech. So no one can yell at you for wearing a swatch watch with your geisha gown. In the 'Verse that would be a valuable old earth relic

And yeah..starting small is exactly what I was thinking. A dinner party, a camping trip with a couple af families, a meet up at a paintball park, a laser tag game in a back yard...whatever. If it is a viable idea, it will grow on its own.

As for real skills...there are plenty of skills that can be learned that fit within the 'Verse. Brewing is one (interengine fermentation anyone? LOL), then there are geisha skills like fan dancing, hostessing, and tea ceremonies as well as middleaster dance (bellydancing). Then you have fencing, ballroom dancing, horsemanship, marksmanship, archery (Inara used a bow in the BDM), martial arts, you name it! SO while there is a fantasy component, there are definately real skills to be learned.

~~~~~

"Funny and sexy. You have no idea. And you never will."

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Sunday, October 22, 2006 5:02 AM

UNREGISTEREDCOMPANION

'Verse music recommendations to play at your shindigs...

Folk Music (from all over)
Bawdy Drinking Songs
Old Time Country
Dulcimer Music
Classical Japanese
Classical Chinese
Middle Eastern

Please add your own to the list

~~~~~

"Funny and sexy. You have no idea. And you never will."

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