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Let me give you the just of what I was thinking. Basically I'm slashing away at the school set up. You're not at school, you are currently just located in what used to be a school for SuperNatural and mythical beings.

Basically most of the world has been consumed and destroyed by the creatures of shadow. Those who are now at Ashworth are hiding from the creatures of shadow but also fighting for what's left of humanity.
Ashworth has only been chosen because the shadow creatures can't actually get inside of the school because the school was built out of stones carved by a wizard.

Complicated storylines ARE A GOOD THING

However the players don't need to deal with every aspect of the lore.

ideally you'd want like 100 pages of lore readily available but only 1 page is needed to function in the modern times and even less is needed to make a profile and get started.

"Do and be whatever you want" guilds are often unattractive to me, that's what you do before you join.

"the world is swallowed by darkness and they can't get inside" sounds to me like its a survival horror game so It doesn't really sound like were gonna be doing whatever we want... we can't even go outside without fighting something and risking something. Well outside the city I guess but even still much of the story will probably be dominated by the fact the world is more or less ending. This could actually be very suffocating to the creative process for those getting started especially without a lot of lore when the premise basically makes you a graduate of a school you currently know nothing about and probably didn't know much about even if you roleplayed here once, I for one never figured out much about it.

When it comes down to it, rich lore and an easy getting started process is the answer to a lot of your problems but then do you really intend to turn Asworth into what could potentially turn into a survival horror thing? Even if you say they can't get into the school or city you're gonna have to do one of the following

1. never actually let the main antagonistic force into the city causing those within to be focused on them and have to learn to and go interact with them causing it to be a survival horror thing

or

2. let them in causing it to be a survival horror thing regardless.

Basically this is going to become a combat heavy thing that will turn many off and away but it may attract some types..

Not saying this is bad but is this what you imagined the average character would be like





because this will make sense with what you've got so far. Would this really be a good place for Wizard squirrels? Yes or no is fine but choose early

At one point in time everyone would have had to have a human form. Now it's not a big deal if your a dragon flying around but its more comfortable to humans and others. Besides Noone who opposes the darkness is safe no matter whether you're human or not.

inspiration maybe


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rather than some generic shadowvlets make whatever is attacking into something to be studied.

Something bad has been spreading and the city is being hired for lots of jobe

so the antagonistic force is definitely evil?