The Great Game: A Tournament of Shadows (SIGNUPS OPEN!)

[MisterChippy]

For you're whole life, there's always been something you craved. Adventure, fame, money, power, love. Whatever it was, you wanted it badly, but you'd never been able to find it. Then, out of the blue, you received an invitation to join The Game. You threw it out at first, convinced in was nothing more than a joke, some junk mail scam designed to take your money. Then the other letters arrived. Pictures of you, those you cared about, those you despised. Pictures of you when you thought you were alone. All accompanied by another invitation. An invitation to join in The Greatest Game Ever Played.

Dear Friend.

I am sending you this message to inform you that you are cordially invited to take part in my game. This game is not for the faint of heart, but those who can press on through the challenges can make their wildest dreams come true. This game has no prizes, except for those that you take for yourself. This game has no entrance fee, except for a willingness to do what is needed. And, most importantly of all, this game has no rules.

At some point in the future you can expect to receive another letter. Inside this letter will be a location. Go there at the time specified an meet with your team. You must all work together to reach the goal. But beware, for there is not one, but two teams! The second team must stop you if they wish to have their rewards, and they will stop at nothing to do so. But if you can triumph over them, your future is bright.

I am pleased that you have accepted my invitation. Please try not to be late.

Welcome to The Great Game! For those of you who've been keeping track of the posts in this forum during the past two weeks you'll probably have a decent idea of what this is about. For those who don't, let me spell it out for you:

The Great Game is a mystery RP with a twist. Like most mystery RPs you've got to solve a dark mystery that will unwind as the game goes on. However, in this RP you not only have to face down the GM (me), but your own friends! That's right, I've been recruiting people to play the villains in this little adventure, and you're gonna have to figure out who they are, and what they want.

Before I get to signups, let me just lay down a few rules that you'll have to follow to play this RP:

1. NO METAGAME DISCUSSION! You're characters only know what they know, not what you know. If you look up another player's OC and find that their app said that they have a 'shady background', don't mention this. Firstly, the bad guys are diverse and that won't help you out any, and secondly your character would have no way of knowing that. However, if another character finds a clue and nothing bad happens to them, you can assume that they told you what they found out. Just stay in character.

2. My word is law. If I say that your character opens a door and falls into a trap, they opened a door and fell into a trap. Don't argue. I have a reason for everything I do. Remember, I WANT YOU TO WIN. I just want you to enjoy the journey to winning.

3. If I tell you something is secret, DON'T TELL PEOPLE! You could ruin the game for everyone else if you do.

4. Follow the site rules. This may be a mystery/crime RP, but I'm not having anyone do anything graphic. You shouldn't either.

Ok, that's it for the boring stuff... PSYCH!

I still have to tell you how to sign up! Here are some guidelines for signups:

1. Only one character. Anypony will be accepted, but if you already agreed to be a villain it needs to be that pony.

2. A small paragraph (or longer) detailing your OC's (or cast member's) reaction to the letter. Make it good, and don't skimp out on the words. What's the point of RPing if you don't want to write a little? Think of this as a little sample of your work. Also, villains, remember not to post anything here that would give you away. Don't even hint that you're evil.

3. Finish it off with a really, really bad joke. Because you can.

Any questions? If you have one, post it here.

Now, LET THE GAME BEGIN! (Also, I'll give you a cookie if you can tell me where I got the name for this game.)

[MisterChippy]

Also, a big thank you to Phil the Time Wizard! He's going to be running a character in this RP as well, only his character is the assistant to the mysterious pony who sent all the letters. Assuming I'm not around treat his word as law. He knows all the bad guys and also is probably the only person besides me who knows... what this is about. (Or at least he will when I get around to telling him.) Therefor you should do as he says.

So remember to listen to Phil, and also thank him for agreeing to help me out with this!

[RarityDash]

Heh. Yeah. This should be a fun little game; looking forward to the role my character will play in it!

You should all totally sign up for it.

[SteelEagle]

I'm interested in this. I dunno if my schedule will clear for it, though.

[MisterChippy]

I'm interested in this. I dunno if my schedule will clear for it, though.

Hope you can make it! It looks like it's gonna be good!

[Bellosh]

I'm interested too: I'm just waiting for a new character of mine to get approved, and I'll sign her up.

PS: "The Great Game" and "Tournament of Shadows" are both terms for the struggle between the British Empire and Czarist Russia for control over Central Asia.

[FermataTheBasse]

The game is joined!

Character Profile: http://www.canterlot...wordplay-final/

Sample:

Among the nest of papers: old songs, rhymes, letters from friends- the sole thing that stood out for being immaculate in comparison to the worn and crumpled pieces around it was a simple parchment, with only a single fold crease down it's middle. Next to it was a picture of Wordplay as a foal, at a recital. Wordplay hovered over her desk, idly musing that she had been girlishly adorable when she had been younger. She bit her lower lip slightly, a forehoof tracing slowly over the message she had just received. She understood it of course, she wasn't stupid, but the shock was pretty great all the same. She was a filly, an admittedly nopony filly with no name to herself. How the hay had ponies gotten a hold on private photos of herself? The only explanation was the paparazzi, but she wasn't even famous. Not even taking the contents of the letter into consideration, nothing added up.

Wordplay approached the sole window in her room, a small partition of her parent's flat in a high-rise Manehattan building. She looked out, the vague wording of the letter replaying itself through her head over and over. ​"A willingness to do what is needed", and "no rules" were especially ominous. Wordplay wondered for a moment; thinking about what the intent here could be. Obviously someone was trying to do something, the question that had to be asked was what did this person want? Now, Wordplay wasn't exactly naive, but she sincerely doubted that anything too dangerous could be involved. Equestria was a land where people lived almost universally in peace, after all.

"You want to play, boy? You've got Wordplay."

Wordplay suddenly swept across her room in a single pseudo-pirouette and swept the group of papers off her desk with a single swipe of her forehooves. She didn't really know why she needed to do that, but it had seemed like a good idea at the time.

My Bad Joke: What do you call Fluttershy as a League of Legends champion? Fluttershyvana.

[Ciraxis]

I was torn when I read this topic this time. For one thing I really wanted to join, for other I was a bit afraid if I manage to take the challenge. As you see finally decided that Who dares, wins.

Character:Swift Squall

Sample:

It was a windy and rainy morning in Fillydelphia. The droplets pattered relentlessly to the windows of Squallcoast Manor.

The mansion owner - Swift Squall, the last heir of Noble House of Squallcoast and owner of the mansion was sitting behind a mahogany desk. He was thinking, trying to digest what he looked at. A week ago Count Swift got a letter, a simple invitation to join so called 'The Game'. He throwed it out of course, like any clearly thinking pony would. But now he got a second one...and seeing what was contained in the envelope unicorn understood that it was not a joke or dupery to get money.

He glanced at the photos, phots of his family, photos of his friends, and photos of himself when Swift thought that he was alone.

[colour=green]"Somepony who was able to gather...so much information must posses extraordinary resources...and the fact that I was not able to detect the stalker who did theese photos..."[/colour] Squall speculated [colour=green]"He...or she must be somepony rich or influential. But why that somepony would start something like theese. And why me?"[/colour] he could not understand. That somepony wrote about fulfilling his wishes but Squall did not possesed any. Well except finding successor for his father business and to achieve peak of swordsponyship...but that was not things that anypony could give him.

He looked at the photographies once more, tapping the desk with his right hoof. The single fact that they were taken was the violation of privacy already...they proved that this...individual was willing to break the law so easily worried Swift...but at the same time that ponysona hided his or her identity. Could it be the member of the crime syndicates seeking revange? Should he inform the authorities?

[colour=green]"No...these photos indicate that their very beings could be on stake. If something would happen to them..."[/colour] he decided, not being able to bear the thought. He cared little for his own hidebut...

The so called 'choice' was no choice at all. And that unkown somepony knew it.

Swift Squall clenched his teeth in anger. It was long time since he felt like this, not since Unyasi. He re-read the letter once more. Teams? Could it be that Mysterious Pony blackmailed others as well? And could they realise the weight of the stakes at hoof? The fact that this individual played with others lifes for his/her amusement disgusted the unicorn. Right now Squall had found what wish he wanted. Noble looked outside, trought the window, his face had determined expression. He will find this criminal.

[colour=green]"Very well, Dear Friend let's play this Game. My wish is to see you behind prison bars."[/colour] he said aloud.

[colour=#000000]My Bad Joke: Rarity sister at door? A-Door-A-Belle![/colour]

[HarringtonSleuth]

Profile here!

Sample the goods:

Harrington Sleuth, private investigator, was sorting through the mess inside his caravan. Lately, his maps, hats, mail and important items of travel had cluttered up some of the more useful spaces inside the wagon, so he figured he'd do a little housekeeping. That day's mail had been mixed in with the rest of the heap, and he tossed it aside for the moment. When he finished, he looked back at the single letter he got that day, one that had his name listed as the recipient, but with an encrypted code listed as the sender. He hesitated for a moment upon seeing this mysterious writing before he opened it up, reading the letter the envelope enclosed.

"This sounded quite interesting when I got the first letter...though I still have the feeling that I could be walking right into a trap, what with these pictures of me...and Mom and Dad...and Allegro...designed maybe to bait me into coming...but they're all...things I remember...I've got to find out just who is behind all this...and if there really is some prize to be won."

He plucked a bowler hat from his selection and looked over the information once more to assure that he would be in the right place at the right time. Without further delay, he slipped into his position in the wagon and lifted it up as he proceeded forward.

Hurr, that's a knee-slapper, hur-hur!:

What did the green grape say to the purple grape?

"Breathe, you idiot, BREATHE!!"

[Bellosh]

Character: Ingrid Marie

"Acceptance Post": At first, it began innocently enough for Counselor Ingrid Marie. Some jerk pony sent her junk mail advertising a silly game claiming to have no rules and how it’s the best ever. Ingrid knew where to promptly send that letter; to the trash can. The next time the exact same letter came, it was not so amusing. This time, the letter came with several pictures of her walking outside of Ponyville and Ingrid’s parents working on their apple orchard outside of Canterlot. Her mom and dad looked older than she remembered, and the photographer looked like he or she was hiding someplace when taking all the shots. Alarmed, Ingrid sought the help of the Canterlot guards to help track down her stalker. Their investigation suggested that it was the work of a prankster colt that flunked out of Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns.

Satisfied that the stalker was apparently apprehended and punished, Counselor Marie tried to forget about the letter… that is, until a third invitation appeared on her office doorstep at the School. Now, the letter, along with a picture of a lavender unicorn mare, was pinned onto a potted lime cactus. Ingrid did not like at all what this meant; not only did the mystery writer knew of her… unease around cacti, but they knew full well that the guidance counselor witnessed the moment where the prodigy Twilight Sparkle lost control of her magic and accidently turned some ponies into plants. Who knows what else this fiend has discovered about Ingrid?

No longer assured that anypony can help her, Ingrid Marie poured over the letter late at night in her office even when the School was supposed to be deserted. She looked over every word to see what this “great game” was all about. The counselor didn’t ascertain much, other than that she’d be working in a team possibly performing questionable or even illegal activity. Ingrid wanted no part in this supposed game… but she felt the sinking feeling that she wouldn’t really have a choice in the matter. Glaring at the letter with a stare than could petrify a cockatrice, Counselor Marie resolved to give Tartarus to whoever this mastermind was when the time came to meet them…

Stupid Joke: Question: What do you get when you combine Celestia and Luna?

Answer: TWILIGHT!

[TotalEcplise]

Character: Pound "Freeflight" Sterling

Reaction to Letter: Not too long ago, Sterling had received a curious letter talking about fulfilling dreams, getting what he wanted, and something about a game. He laughed it off, though in his mind the idea of some kind of mystery adventure thrilled him. He had to admit that he was getting complacent now that he was living his dream, and the thought of not being challenged and living a stagnant life really concerned him. The letter was just some stupid spam mail though, there was no way that it was serious.

The young cynogriffin was relaxing in one of the mixing booths in the upper levels of the Di-Mond-Fella Records buildings. The bass from Neigh-Z's new track boomed through his headphones as he slowly began to sink into his special place. Sterling's mind started to flow with the beat, allowing rhymes to form naturally. He was almost lost to the conscious world, but just as he was on the verge of utter concentration one of the interns burst into the mixer booth with a letter for him. He had a few choice words for the intern, most of them not very nice at all. He took the letter and left for his private office.

Once he tore it open and dumped it on his desk he saw pictures of himself from several different points in time during his stay in Equestria slide across the surface: A photo of him in the park chilling with a a stallion that he had made friends with not long after he first got to into Equestria, a photo of him and his dad hugging when he paid for his father to come and visit him, and a photo of him with the members of Blackburn during a casual outing. He eyed the letter and absorbed its contents.

The pictures were most definitely a threat, but he really felt nothing...His father was a decent distance away and even outside of Equestria's borders, the chances of him getting hurt were slim. The members of Blackburn were all a special kind of crazy, so anyone who messed with them wouldn't walk straight for at least a week, and that friend of his in the park picture was an ex royal guard. So yeah, nothing to worry about.

Although, he didn't like the "terms" of the game, he was beyond intrigued by the idea of some sort of team vs team adventure.

"Game on mah friend, game on." He said as his beak curled up in a smirk.

Joke: What is Bruce Lee's favorite drink?

Answer: WATAAAAAAAARR!!

[Chapien]

Character: Gears "Sparks" Clockwise

Reaction to Letter: The day had started innocently enough. After a usual day of his job as an intern for Northern Storm Industries, Sparks walked through the streets of Manehatten back to his cheap apartment he had been renting for the duration of his stay down in Manehatten. He opened his mailbox, and frowned in surprise, surprised to find a letter in his usually empty mailbox. He headed into his apartment and immediately opened the letter, giving it a quick read, before smiling faintly and promptly throwing it away. It was just junk, after all.

Or so he thought, until he came home and found an exact duplicate of the letter waiting for him, along with some rather creepy photographs of himself. Frowning in confusion (and a rather fair amount of discomfort), he threw the letter away again, only to find the letter waiting for him once again the next morning.

This disturbing trend continued for at least three weeks, after a particularly brutal day at work involving a steam engine, fire, and possibly explosions. Suffice to say, the laboratory would be closed for a few weeks at least. He picked up the letter from his mailbox almost by habit, and opened it, giving it a read for the first time in weeks. With a sigh, he set the letter down on his counter and muttered to himself, "Well, I suppose I have nothing better to do...", resigning to his curiosity to at least see what this whole "game" was really about.

He grabbed his saddlebag off of his shelf and loaded it up with his usual travel gear: his tools, a few warm clothes and blankets, some food, bits, and, most importantly, his nice, warm, fuzzy hat, before heading out of the door, a somewhat frustrated frown on his face.

Joke:

Q: Why do Soviet policemen always travel in trios?

A: It's a specialization: One knows how to read, the other knows how to write, and the third needs to keep an eye on these dangerous intellectuals!

[MisterChippy]

I'm interested too: I'm just waiting for a new character of mine to get approved, and I'll sign her up.

PS: "The Great Game" and "Tournament of Shadows" are both terms for the struggle between the British Empire and Czarist Russia for control over Central Asia.

You got it! Have a Muffin!

(Sorry, Derpy ate your prize...)

Anyways, sorry I haven't been looking at this thread for around a week. My internet died (still not sure it's working properly), and my parents managed to totally destroy their computer and decided to save some money by having me look at it instead of just getting a new one (How in Celestia's name do you get thirty viruses when you're running five anti-virus programs? @_@').

I'm so glad that ponies are signing up for this! This cast looks impressive, and I can't wait for more people to sign up! Also, Chapien, your joke is hilarious. I love that old fashioned USSR humor.

The day after the election, Vladamir Putin was sitting in his office when his secretary came up to him, looking worried. "Mister Putin, I've got some good news about the election, and some bad news."

"Give me the bad news first." Putin said.

"Your opponent received 69% of the vote."

"WHAT?" Putin said, leaping to his feet. "That's terrible! What good news could you possibly have?"

"You received 84%."

[Chapien]

Haha! Great joke Chippy! Anyway, a shame about your internet and all, but eh, it happens to us all at SOME point or another, right?

Regardless, I'm happy that you enjoy my joke, and I simply cannot wait for this Role-Play to begin!

[Valencetiger]

Character: Gladius Vigil

Reaction to Letter: Once again, Gladius was on the road between cities...always looking for a new job, always looking for a new thrill in his line of mercenary work. It was during one trip to Canterlot from a mission he had just completed off in the Outlands that he came across a strange letter on the dirt road. Curious, he picked it up and noticed his name written on it. Instantly suspicious, the former soldier opened it with caution, just in case there was a poisoned needle or some other dangerous trap inside it. After being certain that it wasn't any threat, he took out its contents.

After reading the message, he put it away in his satchel, his eyes narrowed in contemplation. Perhaps...perhaps this could be what he was searching for, a way to find what he was missing in his life. Putting the matter aside, he decided he would need time to think. Gladius shortly arrived in Canterlot, speaking to the noble who had hired him and receiving his reward. On his way out of the city, he stopped near Canterlot Castle, looking at it longingly from afar. Images of his time in the acadamy, serving the princesses, being with his friends in the Guard...they were all great. Yes...those were the good old days, back in the Royal Equestrian Army. Thinking back on those memories, his decision was finally made. He would participate in this...game...and win, so that he could finally find that which he had lost. Grinning, he strode away from the castle...for he was finally sure of his next destination, for the first time in many years.

Joke:

Q: What's the difference between bird flu and swine flu?

A: If you have bird flu, you need tweetment. If you have swine flu, you need oink-ment.

[MisterChippy]

Ok, so I'd like to know if this is everyone who wants to sign up. If this is it, then we should probably start talking what times are good for everybody to RP.

[FermataTheBasse]

Times? It's not like we're doing this in real time, are we?

[MisterChippy]

Times? It's not like we're doing this in real time, are we?

No, but it is good to have a time when most people are gonna be on. That keeps five sentence conversations from taking three days.

[Ciraxis]

Good that you mention this Chippy. I myself will be gone from the 4 too 11 or 12 of October. Sorry about that.

[TotalEcplise]

Currently It is 11:16 am where I am. I'm run on EST (eastern standard time)

According to the time stamp that's 3 hour ahead of Canterlots clock.

[lordbrony]

ack! now I need to rush my new OC so I can join this!

[Chapien]

It is currently 11:03 AM my time (PST). I am available on weekdays from 4 PM until I sleep, and almost all day on weekends.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2

[MisterChippy]

Currently It is 11:16 am where I am. I'm run on EST (eastern standard time)

According to the time stamp that's 3 hour ahead of Canterlots clock.

Total, you know that you can change Canterlot's clock to correspond with you time zone, right?

Anyways, I run on EST myself. I'm normally on from around 5:30 to 10:00 pm, with a break somewhere in the middle for food. However, that's really only on tuesdays, thurdays, and fridays, because on every other day of the week my TF2 Highlander team has practice, so I probably won't be available after 8:30 on other days. I also check in on this site about every hour and a half throughout the day.

ack! now I need to rush my new OC so I can join this!

No need to rush. I posted this to make sure that everyone who wanted to join had joined. Since you obviously want to join, I'm happy to wait for you.

[TotalEcplise]

Total, you know that you can change Canterlot's clock to correspond with you time zone, right?

Anyways, I run on EST myself. I'm normally on from around 5:30 to 10:00 pm, with a break somewhere in the middle for food. However, that's really only on tuesdays, thurdays, and fridays, because on every other day of the week my TF2 Highlander team has practice, so I probably won't be available after 8:30 on other days. I also check in on this site about every hour and a half throughout the day.

No need to rush. I posted this to make sure that everyone who wanted to join had joined. Since you obviously want to join, I'm happy to wait for you.

Yeah, I actually like it that way though...habit, cant decide if its good or bad yet.

I can say that im usually available everyday except MWF at 9am-12pm and every other saturday. Since i dont hang out with people on a schedule i cant really say much about the rest of my time. Thats up in the air. Honestly I wouldn't be lying if i said i was available at any time other that 12:00 am - 10:00 am because my job is online so im literally always here.

[Bellosh]

On most days, I be able to post sometime between 9AM and 1AM PST.