[Fishjp]

ZIP Files! Now why didn't I think of that? Thanks Lex.

Just an update on where I am with my part of this: I have scripted the first video and walked through the location with my cast (My daughter) If it turns out like I hope it should be a fairly creepy video that could be used in any number of possible story lines. I have written one of the 2 character descriptions and have started work on the letter. The photos are turning out to be harder than I thought, trying to pick shots that are interesting yet open to a wide interpretation is tricky.

[Agent Lex]

I might even dig Alpha Agency out of its abyss for this. It's a pretty flexible format, and I've been getting the PMing bug recently.

As for posting the files - as long as it's small enough, this forum will accept a zip file as an attachment, so videos can be processed through that.

[Nighthawk]

Sarah B wrote:

Get interested PMs to pm you their email address?

Well you know mine (dflorSPLATdlimedia.com)... and if you need any hosting or technical services in order to make this work, let me know.

[diszaster]

I'm pretty excited, too. This is exactly the kind of thing I need to get my a$$ in gear.

Advance props to you fishjp, for taking the initiative.

[Fishjp]

jessie1326 wrote:

Is there any reason not to post them on this thread or another meta thread that could be marked as containing the "secret ingredients".

The only problem with posting them here is the videos. I can upload the photos and the other stuff to a thread, but not a video (At least as far as I can tell)

Maybe I will see if I can make a free web site or blog that could hold the stuff.

I am getting pretty excited about this and hope to have the "Secret Ingrediates" ready in a week or 2.

Diszaster: Maybe requiring at least 5 days between launch dates no matter how long the planned game is? That way A long one could run at the same time as several small ones if needed.

[diszaster]

Fishjp wrote:

My initial thoughts are to not have more than one of these running at a time. I thought that once we have everything in place to ask any PMs that are doing one to just make a note in this thread of the intended launch date and expected length of the game. I would imagine that most will be fairly short games, but I don't want to make that a rule in case someone gets a really good story together that will take them longer to tell.

Maybe the launches could be staggered, but the durations overlap. My only concern here is that someone will put up a really long game early on, thereby delaying the potential launch of the other games.

Fishjp wrote:

I was also thinking that prior to the launch of the first game I would make a brief anouncement in the News and rumors forum explaining the concept and that if they want more information they can come read it here. That way everyone will understand why they are seeing the repeated elements and it may even draw more of a crowd of players and possibly some new PMs who want to give it a shot.

I wonder if this is a good case for going straight to the chaotic fiction section.

Fishjp wrote:

I am still trying to sort out the best way to get the files to interested PMs so any thoughts on that will be very helpful.

I think jessie mentioned having the elements out in the open. I personally would like the elements to be kept secret (because of the surprise factor? because it's suspenseful?) The way of getting around having to deal with PMs separately, I think, is to use google docs.

[jessie1326]

Is there any reason not to post them on this thread or another meta thread that could be marked as containing the "secret ingredients" (so those who wanted to avoid them could)? It's not as though there is much harm in players seeing the elements, since they will have seen at least four of them by the time the first ARGlet plays out. It would also mean that you would only need to post/link them once, and PMs could jump in at any time without you needing to deal with each PM individually.

[Sarah B]

Get interested PMs to pm you their email address?

[Fishjp]

My initial thoughts are to not have more than one of these running at a time. I thought that once we have everything in place to ask any PMs that are doing one to just make a note in this thread of the intended launch date and expected length of the game. I would imagine that most will be fairly short games, but I don't want to make that a rule in case someone gets a really good story together that will take them longer to tell.

I was also thinking that prior to the launch of the first game I would make a brief anouncement in the News and rumors forum explaining the concept and that if they want more information they can come read it here. That way everyone will understand why they are seeing the repeated elements and it may even draw more of a crowd of players and possibly some new PMs who want to give it a shot.

As for the required elements, my plan is to create 7 items (2 videos 2 photos a letter and 2 character discriptions) Then everyone making one of these would need to pick at least 4 of them to include in thier game.

I am still trying to sort out the best way to get the files to interested PMs so any thoughts on that will be very helpful.

[Sarah B]

It could be a concept that does... like a parallel universes project. So that's "why" we all have these themes that are consistent throughout all the miniARGs (such as character name, certain picture, etc) but why all the other things are different.

Perhaps the main character name could be what easily identifies the miniARGs as part of the set. I think having them launch staggered might be better - you'll get more people playing each individual game that way I would have thought.

[diszaster]

I wonder: would we all launch our "scenes" at the same time?

I'm definitely adding my vote to "more limited in scope" rather than more expansive. This could really suck a person in.

Should there be something OOG that links us all together? Like the way scriptfrenzy and nanowrimo have logos? (just thinking out loud)

[Sarah B]

jessie1326 wrote:

Nighthawk wrote: I'm game if I'm allowed to not put much effort in to it. Along these lines... a series of mini-ARGs or ARGlets might be the best way to execute this idea. After the items are revealed, maybe all participants could create a sort of one-act (or, more accurately, one-scene) ARG to share? It sounds like a lot of fun to me!

I'd second that. Make part of the brief be that you should only intend your game to run about a week, or at most a fortnight. Almost a puzzle-in-a-room scenario.

[distilled]

I don't see why not, I just came out of PMing my first ARG. Went pretty well, but it made me ill! Honestly, I created about 3/4 characters and living their lives as well as mine tore me up! I had to keep in mind where each character would be in relation to every other character - what each character would know, but the others wouldn't. I honestly think the stress of it made me ill.

I think I'd like to help with someone elses, but not just on my own!

Might be an interesting impetus to get a few more ARGs on the go.

[Fishjp]

Wow there is more interest in this than I thought there would be. I will get to work putting this together into an actual plan.

[Dray]

This sounds like quite a lot of fun, so long as it doesn't coincide with April... so busy right now!