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The Doorway: a panfandom game Moderators (thedoorwaymods) wrote in theoocway, @ 2015-04-20 20:22:00

Hi everyone. Okay. We know that lately the game has been in upheaval. We have had a lot of shake ups recently and a lot of you have contacted us asking about Doorway and where it stands right now.

So welcome to our first ever:

State of the RP



Let’s get it right out there. We’ve had a lot of turnover recently. But we have also had a lot of new players joining our community. We are a thriving game and we have been for 2 1/2 years. We plan to keep this game running as long as there is player interest for us to and we want to foster a safe and welcoming environment for players, old and new alike. Part of this we think, is being open about our ideas and receptive to yours, so we would like to take this as an opportunity to go over what we have planned for the future, discuss thoughts and ideas for these plots or anything you guys would like to see.

We keep a lot of plates spinning so that when we wrap one plot we have others building up. But we're always willing to add more. Here at Doorway we have usually had two kinds of larger plots: Movie/Media integration and Original Plots that are usually derived from events from Marvel Comics. We try to incorporate these plots so that the maximum amount of players will be able to interact with them. Winter soldier, probably our most successful to date incorporated everyone :D!

We’ve written up a comprehensive timeline going over our previous game plots here.</b>

At this point, we are divergent from the MCU plotline in general and are now considered AU. BUT that doesn’t mean we are no longer doing integrations. It simply means that we have to figure out what pieces will best fit into the grand tapestry that is Doorway.

Please bear with us, this will be a little long.

MCU Integrations

DAREDEVIL

We are INCREDIBLY excited to be integrating Daredevil’s plot into the game. Holds will be going up at the end of this week (4/24) for characters and we are already batting around ideas as to how to integrate the crime syndicates into game. Those of you who have been with us for a while might remember that we used Kingpin way back in 2013 as the man behind the Tinkerer, a villain who created a bunch of villains with technological suits on New York City. Kingpin was marked by SHIELD during this plot, but escaped without official charge.So we will have to work around it. But we’re very excited and hope this will bring more opportunities for not just avengers and vigilantes, but also for people who will be wanting to help rebuild Hell’s Kitchen.

So far as organized crime in DW: In the past, we have worked with Manfredi and Nefaria families of the Maggia. The Manfredis were involved in several jewel thefts and turf warfare in Summer 2014. The Nefaria family began marketing a Mutant Growth Hormone-esque club drug in Fall 2014. We have explored Bratva involvement with Oscorp and plutonium trafficking during the TASM2 integration, and Southeast Asian triads during the Espionage 2 team integration of Winter Soldier, but New York Triads and Yakuza involvements have remained largely untouched. We have used Fisk before, but left his reputation sterling outside of SHIELD investigations.

Tentative timeline for Daredevil: End of May-Beginning of July
Most wanted Characters: Matt Murdock, Foggy Nelson, Karen Page, Claire Temple, Ben Urich, Brett Mahoney, Marci Stahl, Jack Murdock (Tesseract)
Characters who could be involved in integration: Vigilantes investigating/involved in organized crime, NYPD or FBI, particularly Organized Crime Control Bureau or stationed in Hell's Kitchen, Avengers

Age of Ultron

So there’s this small indie film coming out at the end of April/beginning of May depending on where you’re living. You might not of heard of it. Age of Ultron? Yeah it’s really unknown.

We are planning on doing an integration of AoU. Granted we don’t know what exactly is going to happen in the movie since it’s not out yet but we just have a feeling that it’s going to be our biggest integration ever. And two weeks after its US release (5/15), we'll be able to discuss characters that can be held.

Tentative timeline for AoU: Late Summer
Characters that could be interesting for Age of Ultron: Cylons, Cyborgs, Victor Mancha (616) & Runaways

Agents of SHIELD season 2

So back in the beginning of 2014 we ran a little plotline affectionately called Agent of Nothing in which HYDRA had been infiltrating SHIELD and the World Security Council and Nick Fury was kicked out of power and they had to retake SHIELD from HYDRA. That plot is now affectionately known as “The time Patty accidentally guessed most of the plotline of Captain America Winter Soldier”

In fact, we've accidentally done that a few times, and that is part of the problem we have been having with a lot of Season 2 of AoS. The path we took in rebuilding SHIELD has taken a lot of the same path as Robert Gonzales' SHIELD. The White Event and following BLackout make another mass empowering event like terrigenesis hard to run in such close proximity. A lot of the major plotlines have already been prematurely integrated in some shape or form. Others, such as Ward’s major plotline, have been rendered AU with player driven plots like Project LEOPARD.

The other problem we've had, which sort of feeds into the slow momentum for the AoS Team, is the lack of players. Currently we only have May and Simmons in play. We're not committing to running the Inhumans plot without Skye and Coulson.

However, we would still like to ultimately integrate character specific plotlines from Season 2 (with the added bonus of not having to kill all the women and POCs!)--particularly Skye's terrigenesis, or to find roles for them within our new incarnation of SHIELD.

Tentative timeline for AoS season 2: We’re working on it
Most wanted Characters: Phil Coulson, Skye, Leo Fitz, Alphonso Mackenzie, Bobbi Morse, Isabelle Hartley, Robert Gonzales
Characters that could be interesting for AoS season 2: Mercenaries, SHIELD agents

Antman



Marvel studios don't even care about Ant-Man.

Original Plots

We’ve had a number of successful original plots in this game. From Agent of Nothing to MCU Villain origins to the White Event and the Celestials they have by and large been pretty well received. Our current original plots that we’re working on for the end of the year is actually one that we have had in the works since prior to Winter Soldier.

REGISTRATION

Ok so yes Civil War is going to be a thing in the MCU. But our version of registration isn’t necessarily about Super Heroes.

We now have massive amounts of powered individuals thanks to the White Event as well as SHIELD's previously established Gifted Registry. Refugees are no longer being tracked by SHIELD and SWORD has actively taken a stance against microchipping. The planet has been attacked multiple times, including the fallout from Age of Ultron. There will also the individuals that empowered by terrigenesis as we incorporate AoS season 2.

Registration at Doorway will be less about identifying heroes and more about identifying and tracking, supposedly for their own safety, powered individuals. Registration will be lead by Senator Russell Raleigh who emerged following the first white event as political leader against super-powered individuals. He was elected US senator following the arrest of Senator Stern. In truth, Raleigh is White Event empowered individual with the power of power detection. There’s still a lot in flux with this plot that will depend on Age of Ultron.

Our tentative timeline for Registration: By the end of the Year (though this may change depending on Age of Ultron)
Interesting characters for this plot: Mutants, 616 Avengers, White Event empowered individuals, people who agree with registration

DOOOOOOOM

The great thing about Doorway? We dont’ have to care about licensing issues. So we’re getting Doctor Doom. Suck it Marvel.

We've actually been building up Doom since before Winter Soldier last year, however, since much of the Doom plot has taken place over in Europe much of the Doom plot has taken place via news articles on plot calendars. If you've missed it, it follows in the same vein as Russia's aggressions into Ukraine. In response, Viktor Zlakob (Doom in Romanian :D), the leader of a Romani separatist movement in Eastern Europe has been combatting Russian aggression in the Carpathians. Supplementing his guerilla militia with magic, Zlakob has managed to carve out a country between parts of Romania, Ukraine, and Serbia and in October 2014 Latveria was recognized as an independent state by the UN and ratified a constitution. It has since built an Embassy in New York City and ZlakobYeven made a diplomatic trip to the US in January where he left with stolen supervillains of Romani descent

But he's not full on Doom yet. Yes he is a charismatic and vain dictator with a scientific genius matched only by his magical prowess. Last month after the Celestials and the Plague, he went off radar to go to Japan and look into a line of LMDs in his image--which in time will be expanded to a legion of Doombots. The Supernatural team plot during Winter Soldier even dealt with the ritual sacrifice of a Romani Woman in the Himalayas, Valeria, to enhance his abilities. But he has no Reed Richards, no failed device to bring his mother back from the dead, or catastrophic explosion. In fact, Doom has worked with SHIELD on several instances against HYDRA (particularly since HYDRA took Wanda and Pietro in a movement on Romani groups last fall). While he's dangerous, genre savvy, and ambitious, he's more an emerging threat to keep an eye on than an immediate one. Plus there's that whole matter of diplomatic immunity.

Our plan is sometime this year to make him Doom. Obviously, people from other marvel universes or aware of Marvel Universes are watching Latveria's nationhood with a wary eye, it's always been our thought that the act that could finally push Viktor over the edge from Zlakob to von Doom could be the action of a refugee or group of refugees, by means of a failed assassination attempt scarring him and necessitating the trademark armor. Perhaps sometime in early in summer before Age of Ultron or early in fall depending upon our schedule for Age of Ultron, Daredevil, and anything we have to do with Antman. Our current thought for this is something based off Nick Fury's Secret War comic run. If you wanted your character involved in this, come talk to us

Our tentative timeline for Doom: Early summer or Fall
Interesting characters for this plot: SHIELD Emerging Threats team, politicians, diplomats, and lawyers in NYC, a team of elite assassins?

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO HYDRA?
HYDRA is tricky because the MCU has given us just enough rope to hang ourselves really. Part of the reason recovering from Winter Soldier took us so long last year was it was hard to know where SHIELD was going, when we had no idea where HYDRA was. So we've supplemented this with extensive reading of comics, and even went through the Comicvine list of HYDRA agents for every character that could possibly work for an MCU HYDRA.

Our current vision for HYDRA is that they are largely a biotechnological research group, with extensive side interests in advanced weapons applications. They use this research to outfit, enhance, and equip a mercenary army this would be benevolent, if their idea of peace wasn't fear. They have massive economic ties through global pharmaceutical companies. The branches of HYDRA we currently have are as follows:

NORTH AMERICAN HYDRA -- HYDRA in North America is focused on replicating Steve Roger's Super Soldier Serum. T.A.R.G.E.T, a subsidiary of the Echidna group, led by Edgar Lascombe, has five research facilities in Ottawa, Nevada, Upstate NY, Georgia, and Oregon where they are working on replicating the Super Soldier Serum. Back early in game, SHIELD investigated a former holding in Newfoundland, though was unable to tie it to a larger organization. Once people start chasing T.A.R.G.E.T. down, this should lead to fights with several super soldier experiments with various degrees of success. We were hoping this plot would be something MCU Steve Rogers and Friends (WS team or Howling Commandos) might take. Additionally, Las Vegas HYDRA has ties with non-Maggia Organized Crime. They own a casino, a casino and Wilson Fisk's son, Richard Fisk who has been established in game to have been in a mental facility in Vermont until the Scarecrow captured him. Richard was reclaimed after and taken into HYDRA's loving arms for brainwashing therapy. He will take after his father, and run the financial part of HYDRA's North American empire. Further, Stern wasn't the only one. Nevada's senator, Arthur Woodman is on their take. This arm of plot could be open for Avengers (MCU or otherwise), or people who like to go to Vegas. Finally, HYDRA of course has arms in the press, most prominently, we have decided that HYDRA owns buzzfeed. It certainly makes those quizzes and data-mining a lot more insidious. We haven't really developped that plot beyond the basic premise, and that the dream job quiz lastmonth has led to certain people being invited to the premiere of Sharknado a new york Franchise of HYDRA's LA recruiting hub (slash Zagat-starred sushi bar. Way cooler than Scientology centers for celebrity endorsement :D! This should ultimately be investigated by SHIELD Counter-Intel. Finally, though we're vaguing it up a bit for now and he's not really on radar yet, Daniel Whitehall from Agents of SHIELD is located in North America, investigating John Garrett's carvings in parallel to Phil Coulson. This will tie into Season 2 Agents of SHIELD, and be the domain of Team Tahiti.

EUROPEAN HYDRA European HYDRA has been shown by AoS too have deeply rooted political ties on continental Europe, but what we are focusing on is their their work in Cybernetics. The spiritual successor of Project Centipede, the main leader of European HYDRA biotech is Nikolaus Geist and Project LEOPARD has been chasing though ghosts of his operations for the past few months (and the foreseeable future) since most of them are or have been cybernetically modified, or greatly affected by projects like Centipede. This may tie into work such as a 616 project known as PROJECT LAZARUS (so we could potentially resurrect someone). Additionally Wolfgang von Strucker is centered in Europe, has acquired Wanda and Pietro Maximoff (in our game canon, empowered by the white event). However, we are being pausing him until Age of Ultron tips their hand on this.

SOUTHEAST ASIAN HYDRA is largely focused on weapons development, arms trafficking, and recruitment. Capitalizing on Madripoor's lack of extradition treaties, a pharmaceutical company Abiotronix works on development of bioweaponry while Northeast Asia is working on more traditional weaponry. Much of the technology stolen from the Fridge has wound up here, and is of interest to SHIELD's Asset Retreival Team (led by Dum Dum Dugan and Fenris). However, also of interest is that SE asia serves as a strong recruiting hub through Scylla PMC. Under the leadership of Camilla Black in Madripoor's High Town, Scylla has taken in many displaced fugitive agents since the fall of SHIELD who managed to make it out of the frying pan and into the fire. They have used this position to recruit loyal SHIELD agents, gain intel on SHIELD, and train new agents for HYDRA. This would be an ideal point of origin for AoS season 2 characters particularly Isabelle Hartley, Idaho, Lance Hunter, Alphonso Mackenzie, or others like them.. Camilla Black reports to her mother, the leader of East Asian HYDRA and this world's Madame HYDRA, Monica Rapaccini who coordinates HYDRA's efforts with regional organized crime. This arm has had some conflict with the MCU Agents of SHIELD team, but is currently not being pursued by any branch of SHIELD.

RUSSIAN HYDRA -- this is currently not really in development, but we have in game established that Omega Red exists in Russia (not as a mutant, but as a KGB experiment), and much of Nick Fury (MCU)'s solo adventures have taken place in this theatre. Including chasing after Joe Robards, a Cold War Rival of Fury's who showed up at an auction watched by Asset Retrieval. This would be a good venue if we wanted to explore any Cold War, Red Room, or Winter Soldier, or history. If you'd like to develop something, but it's not essential right now. Plus Putin's kind of enough to deal with amirite?

ANTARCTIC HYDRA The Antarctic has always been of more interest to the MCU than it reasonably should be because not only is ancient oxygen trapped in the icecaps, but they're kind of the claw game of the MCU? Want the Tesseract? Tredge the poles! Need a new Avenger? There's probably one down there just waiting to be thawed. SHIELD spent ages mining for Steve Rogers, but Red Skull's plane and the once and Future king of HYDRA have never been found. SHIELD stopped looking, HYDRA didn't. In game canon, The Savage Lands a tropical dinosaur paradise in the middle of Antarctica was just discovered under ice by HYDRA researchers. In January we had a mission advertised in archeology magazines (largely to make a plot for all the medieval characters we were getting) but it didn't really get off the ground. I'd like to revisit this, particularly because by_the_book came in and independently decided the Savage Lands were a good justification of Hill's absence. This could be an origin for MCU Kazar if anyone wanted and I also like the idea of HYDRA financing a bunch of Refugees exploring the Savage Land. Also because Dinosaurs.

We don't have South American or Australian HYDRA but those are also places we could go. But really, Putin's enough for Russia, aren't they?

Our tentative timeline for HYDRA plot: Pretty much always
Interesting characters for this plot: SHIELD teams and agents, possibly avengers, spies, mercenaries, biotech researchers, they'll also probably be at Stark Expo!

SWORD

SWORD just finished its big plot with the White Event and the Celestials. So we're working on a new plot for SWORD to deal with. Currently SWORD is using money gained from you know, saving the world from Celestials to build a new base in Queens out by the airports. They will also be building a space station for better observation. Now, we don't really want to trap players out in space where they can't interact with everyone, but we also have mages and might look into setting up a semi-permanent portal between Earth and the SWORD space station, but in the meantime would love to work with mechanics, engineers, and other sciencey sorts building said space station!

Our tentative timeline for SWORD: The next 6-8 months
Interesting characters for this plot: SWORD people, Space people

MISCELLANEOUS PLOTS

We currently have wild populations of Buffyverse and Twilight vampires free for hunting, as well as a wild population of Harry Potter Werewolves created by Fenrir Greyback which current RSTF plot is looking to contain. We are ALWAYS open to suggestion of new villains to come through a Tesseract though would prefer ones that are broad threats rather than personal nemeses, dynamic,

We would like to get more consistent plot going for the Avengers. However, the problem we have thus far run into with the Avengers is that people like to win. This is great, but when winning equals arresting or otherwise stopping a criminal and or criminal enterprise, you wind up going through a lot of villains. Villains like the Tinkerer worked so well because you had one guy generating a bunch of minions. We're a little hard pressed to think of other equivalent villains.

There's Mister Sinister who has vast numbers of clones of mutants in 616, which is kind of a fun nod to defeating the same team every week. And we have an MCU equivalent to the Morlocks which the Mighty Avengers chased after for a few months, so it could tie into Registration nicely? But an army of clones is also kind of not a thing we have yet in the MCU.

That was the only idea we had.

Now in coming months there will be chances for Avengers involvement in organized crime insofar as drug and human trafficking, attacks in Hell's Kitchen, and things of that nature. So what we're wanting more than that is maybe a little help with the Avengers strategy. Suggestions of Villains that we can adapt for Avengers teams, preferably in the longer term (2-3 months as opposed to one incident). Either MCU natives or through the Tesseract. And a little guidance, would you prefer if each Avengers Team is working on a different branch of things?

Other plots that we have open to be completed at a later date but not currently in development include Madame Masque, Zzzaxx, and Ten Rings. And probably other plots too that haven't made it onto our spreadsheet

Other than that, We have several other smaller plots that are going on. And we are always up for player suggestions. Project Leopard, the Blackout, Galia-9, and several plots throughout the game have come from player suggestions or requests that the mods then turned around and integrated into full on plots.

PRESSIES
ALSO so we've been discussing a few rule changes! For niceness, not meanness!

We've talked it over and are willing to cut down the mandatory time before you can hold after dropping from seven days to four days!

We are debating upping the character limit to 25. It's been over a year since we upped it from 15 to 20. And as the game progresses, people tend to collect. To be fair, this would only really affect three players, two of whom are us, so it's a little hard to say, so we'll toss it out to opinions!

SO! what we want from you is Feedback. This is the place to ask questions about plots or game mechanics you might have / have had, give ideas for Tesseract villains, MCU villains, or plots that you might like to see, and give input on what you would like to get at DW! Because it's everyone's game!