ConclusionThe occurrences of Force Sensitives experiencing extreme emotional traumas has passed, with both Imperial and Republic participants reaching the bottom of the mystery after a small amount of collaboration.
The Imperial team confiscated a ship belonging to the perpetrator of the phenomenon that was at the center of the event, while the Republic was able to confiscate the piloting droid M3-AP that was assigned to the ship. Both groups were able to gather the information listed under 'The Solution' by digging into the recordings and data modules in either.
The ResultsThis event had multiple purposes and aims. I feel that it achieved all of them, excelling at some while still lacking others.
The first was that it was a completely open-ended event with regards to direction and to level of play. Some could just enjoy the prompt and not dive into the eventy-ness itself, while others could ignore the prompt and dive into the investigation. Some could play for only a tiny segment, while others could have RP'd around the happenings 24/7. Total flexibility was part of the design. The DM was not there to give you direction and tell you where the story was going - each player could determine for themselves where they would go and play it.
However, that flexibility comes with it some drawbacks. It
IS a mystery event, so that flexibility is a requirement... if you give a mystery structure, you give away answers. It was an addition that frustrated some, as they had no direction to follow, and served as a creative block for others as they attempted to join in. It is regrettable, but part of the game. Luckily, we were able to overcome most of these blockages with some OOC intertwining. This is part of the reason the clues were distributed OOCly.
The platform of a mystery also gave a real possibility of failure as well. It was possible that the investigation would not come to the right conclusions and the so called 'bad guys' would get away. It very nearly happened. The intent here was to design the clues so that they could be followed, but they weren't so abstract and unattainable that no one could put two and two together.
Thankfully, enough participants had joined in the prompt thread to disseminate all intended clues, with a few being sent out twice. Despite that a few of the clues that went out never reached play, there was still enough involved that the investigation hit a very solid start.
Because when designing a mystery - whether it be in a story, for an event, or as a side plot to an RP - it is important to have a complete story before you have the mystery. What that means is you create the full story before you decide what pieces your player/reader/participant have or don't have.
In this case, since the finale was intended to be in game, it was required to have the in-game location be a part of that information. This is why it was given in the initial post that the clues could be OOC data. But there was still the IC reasons, the story behind it, the
why. These also had to be handed out.
As it has been said previously, Mysteries and Puzzles are completely different kind of event. They often challenge a players comfort zones and require a unique style of play to see them through. They are one of the very few situations in RP where you can figure a piece of it out, come
so close to winning the prize, and fall short - never knowing how much you had right and left with only the feeling of failure. That small piece of validation can mean the difference between someone having a blast and someone feeling they've been cheated.
In that vein, this post I hope provides that validation, but also helps showcase what information the teams that investigated were able to obtain. The portions of the information that were used as clues are provided in bold.
The SolutionThe finale occurred in-game, with in-chat portions for those doing last-minute investigating and clue hunting. The location for this meet was the Voss
Willpower +4
Datacron, which was located at the X:
-29 and Y:
372 coordinates. It grants the codex "Galactic History
#77: A Return to the
Unknown Regions". One needs to travel
through a tunnel underneath Voss-Ka to reach it.
Starting at the beginning, the phenomenon of emotional outbursts came about as a large-scale cover-up. The inhabitants of UI-9734 in the Galactic Grid of
I-9 have endeavored for a very long time to keep their planet hidden from the galactic community. To that end, they have strictly controlled space travel in their population, and constantly seek out unique technology that might help their world off the radar. They have also prevented any exploration teams that
did find the world from reaching out in any useful manner, or only passing on discouraging remarks like
"We never found them" or
"Exploration failed".
One such recent transaction was with Darth Thrax, including some of the weapons based on the Dark Reaper technology. This served as a proof-of-concept which verified information in a datacron they had traded from the Jedi some time before. This, combined with a
stolen Imperial Alchemical experiment, allowed them to construct a device which would - when it came in contact with another - affect the memory of those it came in contact with. This provided a temporary 'mind wipe' or
memory loss capability, which proved very useful for the people who preferred to remain unknown.
However, this technology was still unproven. They sent a single prototype device with one of their newest information seekers, a Zeltron convert named Khel'doran, to test as he performed his duties. Khel'doran hired a droid, M3-AP, who had been rather eagerly seeking employment to escort him to important personages and locations in the galaxy and provide him with information that would be useful to an outsider.
The results of the tests were originally very successful. Small slips were covered completely, and intentional inquires could be much bolder since recollection of the incident would be forgotten entirely.
Unfortunately, the device has a rather severe and delayed side effect. It messed with the biology as well as the Force connection of a target in order to function. Messing with only one side, a person would be able to recover from - as non-Force Sensitives had no complications. But, like a wound or a tipping ship, messing with too much caused things to break and capsize. Force Sensitives that had been targeted and did not adjust experienced a medical emergency.
The occurrence progressed much like an infection might - the
chemical imbalance would be present, the person would adjust, and then things would eventually settle out to normal. In some the 'infection' was extreme or fatal, in others it was merely an annoyance. Just like an infection, everyone was affected at differing levels, though the symptoms remained constant.
These outbreaks became noticed, which translated to failure on Khel'doran's part. His handlers excommunicated the seeker, and forbid him from returning home. Khel'doran sought a cure to keep this blunder from spreading but his attempts were interrupted. To keep the Zeltron from potentially causing more harm to others, M3-AP turned the device on Khel'doran to a fatal degree.
Having put the pieces of what had been going on together, Imperial investigators arrived at Khel'doran's most recent flightpoint - Voss. Seeing no one around or inhabiting the ship, they flew off with their gains before their Republic counterparts could arrive.
Having not been there to stop them, M3-AP was left behind by the Sith thieves, and was present when the Republic Investigators arrived not long after. The piloting droid was able to recount her involvement and through it what had been going on.
Both groups, and through them, both factions, now have access to the history and failure of Khel'doran and his device - though not enough information to duplicate it. Both groups are able to retrace Khel'doran's steps to the location of UI-9734 and the planet that system supports.
A planet the locals have come to call 'Ialdon'.
The AftermathAs of the conclusion of this event, Ialdon is now available ICly as a player-created world free to RP with - much the same as Erini or Zythia. Both myself and Esk will be making great effort to provide as much as we can to allow any and all who desire to interact with the planet and its populace. Please look for ways to act out both the direct aftermath of this event and the general RP of a planet becoming a part of the galactic community very soon.
While it is true that Ialdon serves as the centerpiece of the Nexus War game enhancement, that is by no means the only method to interact with the planet we have intended. Any and all desire to play with the world should be explored, much the same as other player-provided planets in the community have been.
This event has been a great learning experience and a wonderful journey to be a part of. I hope that all those who participated, and by proxy all those who witnessed, were able to find the same.
Topic: KNIGHTFALL (Read 1242 times)