Cretarious-Too Close to Blackstar?

KC11 · White Belt Old Friend Posts: 567

I'm making a creatures RP forum, called Cretarious. It's rather similar to Blackstar, and I'm beginning to wonder if it's too similar. Or maybe I'm just paranoid.

http://kc11isme.proboards104.com/index.cgi (bear in mind it's not finished)

Anyway, Cretarious, like Blackstar, has a storyline that is altered by major RPs, has different sections that denotate different parts of the world, and enables some people to create new areas.

Ah, maybe I'm just being a worry wuss. But still, I'd like to know if anyone thinks it's too close in any way.

Zerrer · Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 8:40 am Post subject:

I think that it is slightly like blackstar.

LordPsycho · Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 1:28 pm Post subject:

Well, it is like blackstar....alot. But I don't really mind, as I stole the idea about boards being named after places from Treesprite's Grove - now mind you I made an original map for my world, which it looks like you have done too.

3kul · Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 1:40 pm Post subject:

Hm, I don't know... I mean, yeah, at a glance, it would appear to be quite similar, but KC's site is much more heavily based around Creatures than Blackstar, and whilst Blackstar is quite mixed with it's areas Cretarious has a few that are seperated by the species of one's RP character (eg: the individual civilization sections).

Well, I guess it's similar, but it's definitely not the same. A more unique theme would probably help emphasize on the fact that it's not Blackstar. It does seem like you've got far too many sections though (maybe part of the reason why it seems so similar to Blackstar? Wink

), so much so that I felt a little overwhelmed when I first looked at it.

Cloud · Posted: Sat May 17, 2008 7:03 am Post subject:

If it's got it's own world (like Blackstar) then I don't think it matters if it's like it or not. If you think about it everything is similar to something or other anyway. It's like saying "I don't want to write a book because books exist". But each book is different because of the world in which they are written. The same could be said for Blackstar and this new RP site. In conclusion: I wouldn't worry too much about it Smile

I also agree that there are too many sections. Perhaps to start with have fewer sections then when it starts getting off the ground add more. Wink

HisLordship · Posted: Sat May 17, 2008 2:03 pm Post subject:

A carbon-copy of Blackstar wrought by well meaning but misguided person wishing to force lightning tostike twice. Too many sub-forums, no real stated purpose other than referencing a setting which is mostly appels to and is known best by the author him/herself.

This can work, however, there needs to be a major community from which this one can draw a populace who would be interested in participating. It worked once with the Creatures community and TreeSprite (given the closure of the Creature Labs company and the need of the vibrant community to find a home), and one again with Blackstar and TreeSpirte's Grove (Once the EC left the Grove, the grove grew stagnant. Blackstar was an attempt to rekindle the community.) Given that Blackstar only survived because the Council forged links with other communities in an attempt strengthen themselves, this site seems unnecessary, for now. Should Blackstar drop off the face of the Earth, then this place could be useful. Until then, though, it doesn't do all that much other than look cool.

KC11 · White Belt Old Friend Posts: 567

Evil Spammy Side: Alright then. You don't like all the sections. FINE! *deletes forum*

Sane, Logical Side: Hm, well, I guess it might have a bit too many sections. I'll delete the sections in the Wild and make it all one section, then maybe work a little with the civilizations... I donno....

Edit: There. I deleted and combined a few sections. But now I think I might have restricted the RPing too much. Any tips on how to combine the sections and at the same time establish that there are several separate civilizations?

Danikat · Posted: Sun May 18, 2008 4:20 am Post subject:

Personally I'd have said any good RP forum will have to be similar to Blackstar in some ways: they'll need a set of 'out of character' boards for announcements, suggestions for changes, general chat, things like that; a set of records boards for info on places, people, species ect. and one or more boards for the actual RP's.

If you look around the internet you'll find plenty of RP forums that have absolutely nothing to do with Blackstar that will follow that system simply because it's a logical way of doing things.

Again a lot of RP forums will have some, or all, their RP's changing the overall background storyline. It'd be pretty impractical not to because it'd elliminate the possiblity of any major events, which would make for some pretty dull RP's.

So I don't think it really matters if this forum resembles Blackstar in those ways, even if you did get the idea directly from here. However I'd strongly recommend you make sure your forum is unique in other ways, esspecially if it's going to be a Creatures RP site (as almost everyone likely to go there will know of Blackstar), otherwise it won't really have any appeal.

Making it purely for Creatures is a good start, and you'll probably build up your own history and traditions for the world as things move along but in terms of the rules and what happens within and around the RP's it'd be a good idea to try and develop your own identity for the forum to make it stand out from Blackstar and all the non-RP forums that let people run Creatures RP's so that people will have a real reason to want to go there.