SRP Update - The Truth Is Out There (April 2016)

Started by Grizz, April 24, 2016, 06:24:55 PM

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Grizz

Greetings all - it's that time again!

What's the hold up?

We have reached the end of a very long season. It has been over eleven months since the last season ended, and certainly never expected it to take so long to reach this stage. But that's just the way it is and is something I was prepared for when this season returned from hiatus. For what used to be a rolling process, my SRP planning time has all but come down to a tiny slither of the week - and this does bring with it complications.

- Last minute changes truly do become last minute and can well affect whether an episode is even in a position to run. Whether its through notice of absences or just a great big change of heart about a certain element, sometime it's just easier to take a week off than muddle through. It really shows when I start making it up as I go along.

- I like for the SRP to hone in on certain characters for a period of time, such as delving in to Costello's past in the third season, the Etis family secrets in the fifth and now the likes of McClintock's might be/might not be sort-of assimilation. But this of course has a downside. What if a particular member is absent, whose character has a big planned part in an episode? Do I rewrite that character out, somehow, or drastically reduce their presence - as with Orion's Club - which didn't originally have McClintock/Rogan/Layton kidnapped at all? Do I have somebody else play the character and risk disregarding the original member's input? Or do I postpone the episode until they're back? It's something else which has to be balanced.

- Sometimes it's just a lot to keep on rolling. We are over four years in to a story which has spanned two SRPs, numerous writers and dozens of characters in rotating positions. Now I'm in the fun position of taking everything which has come before and bringing it all together to somehow satisfy members old and new. It catches up with me from time to time and it's just nice to have some extra time to unravel it. I'm not just planning the end of this SRP, but also my SRP career. So I want it to be right as much as it can be.

Standing (idly) by...

Now that the roster has seen a bit of a boost and we're enjoying the company of spontaneous roleplayers jumping on the server during SRP times, I want to emphasize the importance of autonomy once again. Whether we're on the ship or the station, there will always be something to do and department heads should always be prepared to keep their officers busy without direct instruction from the CO. Not every character is going to be the most prominent of them all every week, but that doesn't mean you can't contribute. Special mention to Sheia K'Ress, who unexpectedly took on the role of Acting Chief Engineer with aplomb when we were suddenly bombarded by new engineers with the CE and ACE absent. Also to Andzzy, who never fails to keep his department well and truly occupied... even when he is the only one in it... though hopefully no longer.

Even if there is only one or two of you, don't hesitate to introduce a project to work on or a side-story to dip in to when the action dies down... though preferably not infecting my starship with rats. Looking at you, Scott.

Are you ready for this, Scully?

Two more episodes of Season Six. Two more episodes to pull off saving the crew from assimilation, neutralizing the Vega drones and capturing the woman behind them. Can it be done? Well, we'll have to wait and see... but what happens then? Well we all go away for a little bit while I prepare Season Seven.

A big one this - even bigger than usual. Characters which have never met before are being pulled together. Faces which haven't been seen for literally years are coming back to play their part and resolve storylines which were left out in the wilderness. But what's most exciting for me is getting out of the heavily serialized run we're currently in and throwing in all kinds of new ideas and standalone stories. While often a necessity, I don't enjoying having so many episodes lead right in to the next. It's ultimately draining - especially when you have been working on the same story for almost a year. It's nice to get those creative juices flowing and come up with completely left-field additions to this universe. The majority of my favorite Asteroid Field episodes have been of the standalone kind - and they are some of the best received by you guys -  some examples including:

- Transport P101
- Prohibitum Scientia
- Something in The Way
- Hocus Pocus, Hokem

Then there are semi-standalone episodes - little tales within larger ones, such as Aletheia and God Only Knows. I want to get back to that nice balance of arc & standalones and certainly looking forward to doing so.

I'll be releasing new details on the seventh season during the upcoming hiatus - including confirmation of some which I'm sure many of you have worked out by yourself by now.

See you next week!

Grizz