RPG Maker Forums

Backstory: Before Year 0, there was the Age of Legends, when people and monsters both deeply lived within the flow of magic, which was much weaker than it was today, but much more stable. A rare Alignment, deliberately caused by a never-named Dark Lord, disrupted the magical flow in the world, dramatically strengthening it and at the same time making it viciously unstable. Many monsters died in the magical storms which raced across the world, and many people went mad, bringing further chaos to the now-battered world. By Year 0, people learned at a young age to suppress their magical talents, for fear it would break the world. But, soon, perhaps, a Counter-Alignment is coming as the world heals. This will staunch the chaos within magic, yet leave its strength. And this is good, because the Dark Lord is going to return, and the player must stop it. (Contributor/s: whitesphere)

Conflict: The nature of the map indicates conflict between nature and men. Some areas are abundant with nature while there are others which have been deforested, stone walls built in their place. A few parts of the world has started to decay, yet men refuse to pay any heed to the warning signs. Men still continue to use up the natural resources, some for comfort, some for war. Men continue to fight and kill one another for personal gain. No one notices the land beginning to die. Nature strikes back by providing less resources. Unheard-of illnesses and diseases start appearing, infesting plants, animals and humans. Magical creatures disappear, or become twisted, their origin unrecognizable. Parts of the earth crumbles away and give way to a seemingly endless void. Are the encroaching disasters borne of supernatural origins, or is it the product of men's own folly? (Contributor/s: Susan)

Economy: The game's currency is small clear gems called "Focite".  It's a rare material used much like Quartz is in today's society (so it could be used in clocks and such).  These gems are scarce in some regions because the currency is used as more than a material for trading.  If it's scarce in an area because of that, it becomes worth a lot.  If it's in an area where it's not scarce, it isn't worth much.  In some rare cases, the gems are even used as a magical tool or a way to amplify certain kinds of spells. (Contributor/s: Tai_MT)

Economy >> Bartering: Bartering is an add-on. Seeing as how currency tends to be rare in some places, people & places survive by bartering, e.g. crops for materials, teaching skills for food, and gems (other than the stated currency) for water.

Magic: Magic is scarce, but very powerful.  Magic can be taught, but it takes decades to learn (which puts most learned magic users at least at age 50 and they are only apprentice level at best).  Otherwise, you are born with magic.  The process for attuning oneself to magic (or being born attuned) causes the body to produce an element in the body that flows through the blood stream.  This element conducts and directs magic and turns the blood bright purple.  Particularly strong users of magic have their veins able to be seen through their skin due to the brightness of the accumulated element in their blood.  The reason some people (or whatever race) want to learn magic is that some of the apprentice level skills can be useful in a few professions (like cooking food, magical locks, autonomous carriages, etcetera) and some merchants find it handy in bandit fights or in attracting attention to their wares in public. (Contributor/s: Tai_MT)

Magic is always evil. A wizard started the war, and now it it illegal to be a wizard. All wizards are parts of different cults, all following the leading of the first great (evil) wizard. (Contributor/s: The Prince of Sarcasm)

Magic is the product of the elements integrated in the world. Thus, as the world begins to decay and die, magic itself begins to lose its power, and tends to produce unexpected and disastrous results. Only a few people still seem to be able to wield its power... but for how much longer? And yet, hope lingers in one person who has not shown any ability in wielding magic, yet does not seem affected by the changes around him. (Contributor/s: Susan)

It is a powerful force which literally created and sustains the world. All people have the potential to use magic, but many don't dare use it, because it can easily overwhelm and destroy the user's mind, body or even surrounding area. This is why some areas are desert --- they USED to be full of life until someone tried casting a spell....oops. To use magic properly, people need something to focus on to, if anything, dampen the flow of magic into them so they can control it. Gradually, they can allow themselves more of the flow of magic without harming themselves. Even many "mundane" skills unconsciously use a modest level of magic, such as strong attacks. So, in this world, MP does NOT represent "Magical Potential" as much as it represents "Magical Control", the ability to ride and channel the potent flows of magic without damage. And it drains because it takes a lot of Will to tamp down that flow and focus it safely. (Contributor/s: whitesphere)

Magic >> White Magic: There are no White Mages, as there is no real White Magic in the world. There is only Reverse Black Magic. To cancel the effects of one spell, you would have to cast the same spell in reverse. This can also be used to create a temporary immunity to that spell.

Casting these reverse spells still has the negative consequences on the world as casting the normal spells has. (Contributor/s: Omega Weapon)

Race >> The Deep Ones: They live near a planet's core, their wisdom for outsiders comes with a terrible price but their advice is almost always deep. Entrance to their realm is in I-7's cave system, behind the hidden entrances. No ordinary human or many other races can withstand the heat without some aid for very long, as magma near the planet's core is so hot that it works as natural defense against the outsiders. Those who survive to meet The Deep Ones have already paid their price by the time they reach them, however after that it is up to them to survive back and deliver the information. How The Deep Ones acquire their said knowledge is known by no-one expect by them and it is their most guarded secret. Top of that, The Deep Ones are adept shape shifters, making it unknown how they really look like. (Contributor/s: Clord)

Realm of the Deep Ones (new!): It's a fiery and rocky place. They cheat their underground world with planet's core, Their technological and magical advancements have allowed them to feed the planet's core and thus they have great control how hot their realm is. They control the flow of the magma in their realm, allowing them to mine more space for their race and find various valuable minerals, artifacts etc. (Contributor/s: Clord)

Tile: C-9
Mapper: Tai_MT
Location Name: Snoring Dragon Pub
Description of Location: The Pub has had many owners in its time as well as been called by many names.  It originally started out as an outpost near the desert so that merchant and military forces could prepare for the journey before crossing the desert lands or heading further south into uncharted lands.  It was originally constructed as a two-bedroom shack by the military.  Eventually, as the trade route dried up and a town sprang up around the building (sorry, I'm taking a bit of liberty here, as the squares nearby look like a town and it looks like the Pub is part of that), the building turned into a brothel.  It enjoyed thirty seven years of prosperity before a jealous wife, named Beatrice Brittle burned the place to the ground (I'd include years and such for the timeline, but I'm not really comfortable basically fleshing out the entire story of the world myself.  I can add in dates and such later as others add.  That will be a lot more fun).  The owner and three "ladies of the evening" died in the fire while the wife was executed for murder 5 days later.  The remains of the building went untouched for almost 2 years before a wandering merchant, by name of Sully Smith, who hadn't been there in years visited the location on his way further south.  He was so saddened by the sight of the burnt out wreck and the lack of ladies to ease the burden of travel that he invested every ounce of Focite he had to rebuild the place.  The choice of material was Granite in the reconstruction as Sully didn't want the place to again burn to the ground.  Sadly, he never saw its completion as Granite was fairly difficult to come by in the region and locals had very little experience working with the material.  The original plan for the building was to turn it back into a brothel, but that didn't happen either as prostitution in the town had become illegal since then (the execution of the woman for the fire years ago actually turned her into a martyr amongst the local female populace and they managed to persuade all the menfolk that "ladies of the evening" were not just bad for their town... but really bad for the men coming home from those ladies.  This decision actually saved a lot of marriages and surprisingly created a booming economy as the populace was spending money on goods and wares instead of torrid affairs).  The building lay unfurnished and boarded up for almost 13 years before a daring man (who was unafraid of the unlucky number 13) by the name of "Mark Maker" (he is not amused by your jokes of his name) took over the building.  He paid a tidy sum of 4700 Focite for the building and used his "connections" to get the place furnished (He has a few friends who make back alley deals or are part of some organized crime syndicates).  Once furnished, he set about creating his own whiskey (he doesn't serve no pansy beer, ale, or lagers!).  The whiskey was so potent that patrons often passed out after the third shot.  He took this fact and turned it into the name of his Pub.  The whiskey had the bite of a Dragon, but his customers were always snoring.  As for the statue in the pond outside, it's believed the spirits of those who died in the fire reside there.  The statue is made of some unknown material and the locals say it has been there since before even the town or outpost were around.   It is taken very good care of as local superstitions say that displeasing the spirits that reside there could result in bad luck or even untimely death.  It is also local superstition that say tossing Focite into the waters around the statue and making a wish (or an offering to the spirits) can grant safe travel, luck in life, or even divine favors.  Though nobody ever cleans the water of all the Focite from the waters (doing so is not only taboo, it's a crime), the waters never fill with the riches and always seem clear and empty which only fuels the stories of the spirits taking the offerings in exchange for their favors.
Functional Purpose: The Snoring Dragon Pub is a good place to pick up local lore or leads on Quests.  If Mark Maker is fond of the player, he could even offer back room deals on things like weapon gems or harder to obtain equipment/items.  There are also beds upstairs that can be used to the same function as an Inn, should the player require it.  The player might also throw some Focite into the waters around the statue themselves if they believe in luck or pleasing the spirits (I leave whether or not that actually does anything in game up to someone else in case someone wants to turn the statues found all over the map that look the same into some kind of running quest or wants to add buffs and such to players.  Otherwise, you could just leave it as it doesn't do anything except allow the player to toss Focite in and believe the stories in the same way the locals do).
Contributor/s: Tai_MT

Tile: H-6
Mapper: paladin-cleric of awesome
Location Name: Twain Fort
Description of location: This fort lies between the mountain settlement to the north and the settlement to the south. No one knows who built this fort, some say it has been standing from the beginning of time, and beneath it lies the greatest wonder of the world. Of course, none of this has been proven, and during the Unnamed War this became a site each side coveted.
Functional purpose (optional): Twain Fort stands now as one of the best places to learn significant fighting skills. It is said if you can beat the General here that you will learn the greatest melee skill in the world
Contributor/s: paladin-cleric of awesome

Tile: G-10
Mapper: CashmereCat
Location Name: Edwin's Mansion
Description of location: A mansion built 40 years ago from scratch by a man named Edwin, and his friend. He still lives here. A pipeline runs through his property, providing a constant supply of fresh water.
Functional purpose (optional): Edwin's house supplies items and weapons to passersby. It also functions as a weapon gem installer and local apothecary.
Contributor/s: CashmereCat

Tile: J-5 (new!)
Mapper:The Prince of Sarcasm
Location Name: The impossible pub, and the mountains of brain-dead jokers.
Functional Purpose: A place with no purpose. The pub is the location of the prince of sarcasm but it is nearly impossible to get there.
Description of location: The pub is an exclusive club, for the prince of sarcasm and his cronies. If you manage to get their he will lend his services to you for a price. The mountains are a place full of creepy people.
Contributor/s: The Prince of Sarcasm

Name: The Prince of Sarcasm/Bob Jones/Tristan
Gender: Male.
Age: 13, soon to be 14.
Race: Human. (His great grandfather was an alien being of pure living sarcasm. This was diluted, as he married a human, as did al his descendant .)
Description: All of those are different names for this character. Depending on his mood, he changes who he is. As the prince of sarcasm, he is very sarcastic and witty, often annoying people. As Tristan he is a witty, funny comedian, though he never knows when to stop and never gets hints. As Bob Jones he would be a normal person, inclined to be kind and caring. As Bob Jones, he would be a doctor and heal people.
Traits: Sarcastic, normal, kind and healing (as Bob Jones, he is a doctor).
Location: Undecided.
Events: Undecided.
Contributor: The Prince of Sarcasm

Character Name: Edwin Redman
Gender: Male
Age: 68
Race: Human
Description: Built a Mansion when he was 28 years old from his bare hands. He remembers the war in his youth, but does not wish to recount it to others, unless it is absolutely necessary. It brings up painful memories for him.
Traits: Mellow, Eccentric, Aging Quickly
Location: Edwin's Mansion
Quests associated: (Nothing yet.)
Contributor/s: CashmereCat

Character Name: General Rosetta Maria Hammerfell
Gender: Female
Age: 54
Race: Human
Description: Daughter to the now infamous Marcus Octavian Hammerfell, known to all as "The Wall" who held the Fort at the end of the war, thus ensuring it stayed in his hands. She seems to possess her fathers obsession with the supposed Wonder buried beneath the fort, and is passing this obsession onto her children.
Traits: Older than she looks, stern, hard and a master of melee combat
Location: Twain Fort
Quests associated: (Nothing yet.)
Contributor/s: paladin-Cleric of awesome
 
Character Name: Freddie "The Queen" Mercury
Gender: Indeterminate
Age: 25
Race: Unknown (possibly human with fey ancestry, but will never tell)
Description: Where there are people, there Freddie will be. Because every bard needs an audience. Freddie practices a new form of bardery... 'modern music' a big hit with the young people of the land, but not so much with the older generation.
Traits (optional): very charismatic, flirts with everyone that moves, extremely talented musician and singer
Location (optional): anywhere with a crowd of people
Quests associated (optional): (Nothing yet.)
Contributor/s: paladin-Cleric of awesome

Character Name: William
Gender: Male
Age: ??? (appears late teens/early 20s)
Race: Unknown (rumored to be a giant, looks merely human)
Description: A mysterious individual that has had adventures in the realm of dragons, somewhere beyond this world's borders. Tries to refrain from using magic due to the consequences of using it in this realm.
Traits: Gentle yet persuasive, smarter than typical stereotypes of his race would imply, a lot older than he looks.
Location: Out camping somewhere near the center of the map.
Quests associated: Find My Dragon! (proposed) A red dragon is wandering in a mountainous area in the northeast of the map.
Contributor/s: VideoWizard

Character Name: Clordian (new!)
Gender: Female
Age:
Race:
Description:A youthful girl who wears a big one inch wide leather collar, hoodie and a big magical sword that also acts as a staff to amplify her magic. Her hair is red and pink. Acts tomboyish and is very tsundere at times. She finds explaining things to others as bothersome, especially if it is something complex. Jack-of-all-Trades nature makes her to excel in close combat as well casting spells of various different "schools" of spells that she has hoarded knowledge of over the years.
Traits:
Location:
Quests associated:
Contributor/s: Clord

Event Name: Beginning of the Ongoing War (unnamed)
Date: The Year 0
Description: The scribes have appointed the time system since the Ongoing War between monster and man had begun.
Related Characters (if any): Don't know yet.
Contributor/s: CashmereCat

1) Reserve a spot on the grid. e.g. "This project looks fantastic. May I please reserve A-2?"
2) If there are maps adjacent to the spot, wait for a MapXXX.rvdata2 file to be submitted. See "Important Note" for details.
3) Create the map.
4) Submit the map as either a MapXXX.rvdata2 file, or as a zipped/executable project file.

Important Note: If the spot on the grid has maps existing next to it, you must wait for me to provide a map file that contains the edges of those maps. This is because that map needs to seamlessly integrate with all the maps adjacent to it. I will provide you with a map file (MapXXX.rvdata2) that contains the map data of the tiles adjacent to yours.


1) Maps must be made in the RPG Maker VX Ace engine.
2) You must only use the RPG Maker VX Ace RTP. Also, I felt to loosen a rule regarding RTP usage. From now on, you can use other tiles apart from the RPG Maker VX Ace as long as: a) you include them in the project file you submit with the maps;  use tiles that fit with the general RTP; and c) include any credits required. Sorry if this rule was modified a bit late. Feel free to edit any of your existing maps and send them to me if you want to spruce them up with any edits or other tiles that fit with the RTP.
3) The map must be 17x13 tiles in size. That is, 17 tiles wide, and 13 tiles high.
4) Events and parallaxes are permitted.
5) 5 maps per person initially, and from then on maps permitted on a map-by-map basis. Map creation limit is now uncapped. You may create as many maps as you like.

• Make maps as varied as possible. It doesn't matter if the landscape goes from tundra to desert to mountainous area - variety is the spice of life.
• Be creative. Everyone loves a creative person.
• Have fun. This is all about you and creating your own world!