As you will have noticed, the forum has not generated any player-input apart from mine. I am not surprised, as at least one earlier attempt to run a
Known World forum failed due to lack of player-input. But I did hope that players would give it a go when they saw how a modern versatile forum could enhance the uniqueness and complexity of the campaign and also provide a record of events, conflicts and controversies, complete with regular issues of
The News of the Known World and supplemented with maps and family trees from the GM. I had intended it to be a heartfelt tribute to the game - and to its inventor and GM.
A forum can do everything we need, including player input which is so important to bringing the game to life for prospective players. But a forum in which only one player contributes isn't really a forum at all, and some of the underlying issues are either missed entirely by non-players or are only alluded to, turning what otherwise are interesting politico-military problems into obscure arcane issues that risk leaving the non-player puzzled and confused.
An alternative is to introduce the distinction between in-character (IC) and out-of-character (OOC) threads so current IC events can be discussed OOC.
This thread is an attempt to do that for one current event that is shaping up to shake the known world to its foundations - a possible attempt to usurp the Imperial Throne of Pontus. Hopefully, more than just my views will appear in this thread and hopefully others will start OOC threads on other issues - and there are many, though they may not be apparent from the outside.
All OOC discussions of in-game events are
interpretations of what the intentions and motives of various characters are - which is a major reason for debate and controversy. As in real life these play an important part in any game.
The best place to begin is the geneology of the Royal House of Pontus, and the events that have been leading up to the war that is looming, covered in the next post - unless someone else beats me to it.
