Advert for Stories of Tonan

[Kaz]

As you may have noticed, I've added a load of small links to the new themes, as well as a new affiliation and advertising section.

If you check out http://rpg-directory.com/ and follow the links out into millions of roleplay boards out there, it seems to be a pretty common set of forums to have. It's a bit like those web-rings, but with advertising banners and posted adverts.

The idea is to come up with a decent advert to help sell the Stories of Tonan roleplay forums. This thread is for ideas to help me create that advert, and impressions on whatever we end up coming up with once it's been written.

We've got a little while to put this together, I can't advertise us on RPG:D until I've made 15 posts on there, and also we need an active thread to get going again, or we'll have a red activity flag.

Once we've got the advert up and running, I'll also be wanting some recruits to go out and post the advert on as many roleplay boards as possible. We'll come up with a list somewhere to avoid posting two adverts on the same site (a no-no)

[Kaz]

Here is a quick first draft for an advert.


Stories of Tonan Roleplay Forums
Full Storyline History of the Gods

Chose between the three most populous races; Humans, Elves or Goblins. Or perhaps create a character from one of the 7 other races of Tonan.

The world is yours to play in as you see fit, your story is yours to tell.

• No minimum word count
• Free-form world
• Start your own stories
• Create multiple accounts and switch between them
• **AND** Browser-based kingdom strategy game

****************************************************

After spending aeons trapped within the blackness of the Void the Elder Gods found a way back to Tonan. They found that not only had they been forgotten, but new Gods had taken their place in the hearts and minds of the people.

Several huge battles were fought between the Elder Gods and the New. The New Trinity had fallen one by one until only Darden remained. He fled Olandar's children and hid, but he was unable to hide forever. Wherever he went they found him, forcing him to flee again and again, until he was finally cornered. In a final act of desperation, he smashed his bowl.

Heaven flooded with despair, washing over the elder gods, driving them backwards... downwards... to Tonan, to be born again.

Most of the worshippers on the continents of Tismad and Maxim below had no idea that the Trinity they had prayed to for centuries were under attack, but they did know that something was amiss. All around them devastation reigned supreme, as whole regions were annihilated by the unseen battle above.

****************************************************

It is now 50 years since the War in Heaven ended. A once huge and populated world has been reduced to a mere fraction of former days. An Empire has risen where once there were thousands of guilded kingdom-states, and even that Empire is divided.

Barnabas, once the first born Son of the great creator God Olandar, has been reborn as a young Noble of the Empire. He finds himself valued for his leadership and tactical insight, but further from the seat of Emperor than he feels he deserves.

Angelique, once the goddess of Justice, finds herself ruler of Istan, a country filled with once powerful Elders unhappy with their lack of power in the new Empire.

Leto, once the lord of Chaos, chose solitude and shadows. Reborn as a half-bleed Elven/Human bastard, he now lives within the dark underworld of thieves and beggars within the Free Cities.

The throne of Heaven is empty, and the first to reach it will rule all. As Oleana once did, now each mortal-incarnation must struggle to reclaim their immortality, with the first to do so likely to gain supreme power over heaven and earth.

Affiliate Banner

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<a href="http://www.monarchygame.com/boards" title="Monarchs Glen : Stories of Tonan"><img src="http://www.monarchygame.com/images/affiliation/tonan120x40.png" alt="Stories of Tonan" /></a>

[Topheh]

This looks great, Kaz.

My two additions would be to describe what Darden's bowl was, and why it was filled with despair. Otherwise, the breaking of the bowl and the subsequent despair-flood are not linked for those of us who do not know the history of the game. Ditto for Oleana, who is not mentioned earlier.

[Kaz]

To a certain extent, from a roleplay point of view, knowledge of the contents of Darden's bowl or of Oleana are irrelevant.

Anyone coming to roleplay here needs to know what the storyline is at the moment. If they want to understand the entire history of the world, then they can read the longer storyline.

I'm wondering if 'really' I'm giving too much of the advert to the gods. They are critical from the point of view of picking a side in the game, but are they critical to a new rolepayer.

Sikil has previously mentioned that this site can be confusing and daunting to new roleplayers, I'm wondering if part of this might include a huge storyline about gods that don't 'seem' to be relevant for day to day roleplay.

[Topheh]

Oh, I wasn't suggesting we need a full history of Darden and his bowl, just add 'of sorrow' after 'darden smashed his bowl'


Sikil has a point, though. The RP of this world has developed side-by-side with the game, and as we've added, subtracted and changed Gods, we've developed a complex history (which I love) but which is probably, if I take off my blinders, difficult for new people to grasp.

How about something like this?





The War in Heaven is over, and there are no victors. Heaven's throne stands empty as a once huge and populated world has been reduced to a mere fraction of its former days. The vibrant network of kingdom-states that had ruled Tonan for ages lie in rubble, replaced by a single Empire, and even that fledgling Empire finds itself set upon itself.

But the Gods are not dead.

Barnabas, once the first born Son of the great creator God Olandar, has been reborn as a young Noble of the Empire. He finds himself valued for his leadership and tactical insight, but further from the seat of Emperor than he feels he deserves.

Angelique, once the goddess of Justice, finds herself ruler of Istan, a country filled with once powerful Elders unhappy with their lack of power in the new Empire.

Leto, once the lord of Chaos, chose solitude and shadows. Reborn as a half-bleed Elven/Human bastard, he now lives within the dark underworld of thieves and beggars within the Free Cities.

The throne of Heaven is empty, and the first to reach it will rule all. Now stuck in mortal shells, each incarnation must struggle to reclaim their immortality, with the first to do so likely to gain supreme power over heaven and earth.


Cuts out a lot of the history, but leaves the 'core' storyline in.

[Kaz]

I like a lot of that, although to a certain extent, it pushes us back to everything being about the Gods.

How about this?

The Gods are silent, no longer do they respond to the prayers of the high priests. The names Foret, Isonia and Darden, once spoken in all corners of the world, have almost faded from mortal lips. Throughout the land, devastation reigns supreme. The vast Island continent of Maxim has been obliterated by earthquakes and eruptions. While on the main-land, the guildlands of Tismad lie abandoned, much of them turned to deserts of dust and sand.

It is now 50 years since the War in Heaven brought destruction to Tonan, and a once huge and populated world has been reduced to a mere fraction of former glory. The vibrant network of kingdom-states that had ruled Tonan for ages lie in rubble, replaced by a single Empire, and even that fledgling Empire is divided.

Elders from the remaining guilds argue in the Senate about the best way to run the Empire. But the history of political betrayal, and war between the guilds has not been forgotten. An Emperor has still not been chosen, and with no uniting force, ancient racial enmities have started to find a foothold.

But the Gods are not all dead. Flung to earth, and reborn in mortal bodies after the war with the New Trinity, the Elder Gods fight to regain control of Tonan, and win over a population who has long forgotten them.

To the South-West lies Istan, a breakaway kingdom ruled by Angelique, an elf with a name of old, styling herself as God-Queen.

To the South-East, towns and cities under control of thieves and cut-throats, are led by the chaotic and shadowy figure of Leto.

Away from the Senate, the young noble Barnabas, fights to keep the fractured Empire together, and to hold the forces of Angelique and Leto at bay.

If that wasn't enough, to the North, near the mountains of the Dwarves and Droben, rumours are spreading about a new shape-shifting entity prowling the lands. Whispers speak of the wraith, and of darkness to come.

[Topheh]

I think that is great. Firmly rooted in the mortal side of things and has enough detail to give people an idea of what the world is like at the current time. I think with the picture detailing the fact that we have over 15 years of RP here (some years more active than others! ) this makes a great advertisement for us.